It became a drama topic trending on X (Twitter) when the hashtag #BanHongsawadee trended. The drama issue can be summarized as follows:
- The series "Hongsawadee" (The Last Duel) stars Tree Phoraphat as King Naresuan and Nai Napath as Mangjisawa. The series tells the story of the close bond and relationship between two best friends who become enemies in the Battle of the Elephant, and it had previously received much online attention and praise.
- On 12 Apr 2026, the account “Open Records of Ayothaya” posted a long message on X recounting a famous cartoonist's story. A screenwriter contacted the cartoonist to purchase the rights to a comic "Ayothaya Oeyawadee" to develop it into other media forms, requesting exclusive rights with no collaborations allowed for a certain period.
- The comic #AyothayaOeyawadee is a popular adaptation of late Ayutthaya history told in the yaoi genre, focusing on intense relationships between main characters. It features beautiful artwork and reimagines the relationship between King Naresuan and the Uparaja (under fictional names) in a gentle yet intense way. It is popular among Thai yaoi fans as a short webtoon with a continuous engaging story, widely shared on X (Twitter).
- The cartoonist posted that a screenwriter interested in the work contacted them to negotiate purchasing the rights, discussing the possibility of adapting the comic into other media with exclusive rights and no collaborations for a period.
- Initial negotiations failed. The screenwriter later requested a meeting and canceled negotiations, citing concerns that the comic's yaoi content was too suggestive and did not want the title or the cartoonist's name to be associated. The screenwriter offered two options:
1. The cartoonist could sign the contract under the original terms and receive the offered payment but with no mention of the title or the cartoonist's name.
2. Terminate all negotiations. The screenwriter added they intended to proceed independently without using elements created by the cartoonist.
- The cartoonist chose to end negotiations and did not participate further.
- Later, a representative offered to reimburse the cartoonist's travel expenses and sent documents for information. However, after the transfer, the paperwork listed the reimbursement as "consultant fees," causing confusion and suspicion since travel expenses and consultant fees serve different purposes.
- The cartoonist said this account is only part of the story, aiming to protect and heal fans affected by misunderstandings from the incident, and to highlight the importance of carefully reviewing commercial details, terms, and documents.
- Netizens later noticed a scene in the series identical to a scene in the comic involving the scent of Mangjisawa’s perfume that King Naresuan recognizes. The cartoonist wrote this scene based on their keen sense of smell and did not expect it to appear in the series.
- Recently, Channel One 31 issued a late-night statement regarding the "Hongsawadee" series, affirming it is based on real history and did not copy the "Ayothaya Oeyawadee" comic in any way.
- After the "Mae Yua" series aired, Channel One consulted the screenwriter to continue stories set in Ayutthaya. The screenwriter proposed the story of King Naresuan and the Uparaja. Although they fought in the Battle of the Elephant, Naresuan was taken hostage in Hongsawadee as a child, making a close relationship plausible.
- The statement admitted there were negotiations with the comic's creator to purchase rights, but talks ended without an agreement. They mutually agreed no rights would be sold, and compensation was given for the time spent discussing. The talks were transparent and concluded with mutual understanding.
- The company stated it never intended to infringe or exploit any creator and remains committed to responsible creative work respecting history, involved parties, and audiences.
- This statement angered comic fans further, who viewed it as unclear on key issues. On social media, the hashtag #BanHongsawadee was widely used in protest.
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