This review may contain spoilers
I knew what I was getting into when I began watching this, and somewhat I didn't. I didn't know how it was going to end. I found out about the ending three episodes in. I don't want to be blatantly obvious but it's a tragedy for a reason. For people who may be a little confused, this is a war drama that has romance in it. Not a romance drama that has war in it. There is a difference. What's something that needs more consideration is that it is based on true events. This is a part of Thailand's history. A very dark history. Thus, it's alright that this drama isn't peaches and cream.
To make it easier for you to read, I'll point out things that I liked and didn't like in this drama below.
THINGS I LIKED:
> History.
I liked the fact that it was based on true events. This allowed me to learn more about Thailand, it's culture and where the country and its people have come from now.
> A decent flow in plot.
Since it was based on true events, the sequences of events were well put together.
> THE OST.
I'll be honest, I'd give this drama a 7 or a 7.5 because of the female lead and the length but this OST always pulls it back up. The melody and the lyrics. It made me cry. I could definitely see a soldier singing it to his family or his wife.
> The female lead's grandmother.
What a fine woman.
THINGS I DID NOT LIKE:
> 16 episodes seems too lengthy to be quite honest, the flow of the PLOT was decent but it could have been equally well put in a 12-14 episode drama. A lot of the female lead's angle could have been cut off.
> The female lead.
All she ever did was cry. It was very irritating. There was not a single ounce of special quality in her except her good looks, and if there was it was not focused on. She literally cried all the time. That's what she did. Even though her grandmother taught her how to read fate, she couldn't even do that well. Honestly, I wouldn't have been disappointed if the female lead wasn't given attention or an angle in this drama. Actually, I would have appreciated it. I wish she was half as strong and mature as her grandmother was though. I really wish.
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This review may contain spoilers
I have been waiting for years for someone to sub the old version with Kob, but as that might never come to fruition, I gave this remake a go. Unfortunately, other then a pretty decent story, it had nothing to offer. Acting
I could not stomach the FL, she delivered such a deadpan expression throughout the show and it was so bland watching her perform. Due to this, the FL seemed really weak and naive. I can see where one might argue that the character was written this way as this is a period lakorn and historically females were deemed to be gentle and nurturing, she had to act that way. But even that type of character can have their own strength, you only need to see how the grandma acted to get what I mean by a strong gentle female. In contrast, the FL never achieved that strength of character one would expect of this type of story arc where we see a character grow from youth to adult. I really hoped that the FL did some sort of accomplishment that made her stand out as lead and not just a love interest for the male lead. The younger version of the FL, however, did a phenomenal job and brought the character to life so much more.
The ML was a bit more involved in the story, whereas the FL was just enduring everything that was happening. He moved the story forward with his actions or reacted to events in a much more interesting way for me as an audience.
Supporting characters did a really good job, especially the grandma. cd
Chemistry:
The ML and FL had little to no chemistry. The show had a lot of intimate scenes, but none of them garnered any cute/otp/excited emotion from me. I was hoping to see some koojin magic (as I know would have been the case with the Kob and Num version, they literally ooze chemistry every time they are on screen together).
Story:
The history aspect of the show was not too interesting for me. I have watched other Thai shows like Nueng Dao Fah Diew, which actually take place in the same time period, so I knew the gist of what was happening and even what the final result of all the battles will be. As such, it made me lose interest in the war and the subsequent events related to it.
At EP 15 I thought the resolution was short, but after watching EP 16, I realized what short really meant. The show kept hinting that there was more story to come, especially with all the talk of the swords needing to be brought together. Also, the way the FL just walked around in the last episode listing things she needed to do just added to my dislike of her character. She was supposed to be the pillar for the family now, yet even at this late in the show we never get to see her actually /doing/ anything. She's still thinking about ways to make a living, I really hoped the director/screenwriter actually showed us, the audience, how she was able to do the things she wanted.
All in all, I don't think I will ever rewatch this show. Comparing this to Bhupphe Saniwaat, this falls wayyy short of my expectations. Even though the story is more 'epic' in the sense of war etc, this show couldn't pull me in.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'll get straight to the point and say that this was a depressing lakorn to watch. I hadn't planned on watching at all, but again the YouTube fan vids got to me and against my better judgement I watched the entire thing. This lakorn mainly centers around war and the dissolution of a kingdom due to internal disunity. Romance is not the main focus, but it doesn't mean that it's weak; on the contrary it has depth and it's beautifully developed. Although the ML dies in the end, there's a lot of OTP moments that make up for it and it only happens in the last third of the final episode (generally I don't mind if the OTP don't get together in the end as long as it's within reason, + there's a lot of OTP moments - which in this case there was). Although my main reason for watching was for the romance, it doesn't mean I didn't pay attention to the rest of the lakorn - and honestly it was hard to watch at times. You watch how good people (those who do the right thing and are willing to die for their country) like Daoreung's dad, her bro, etc die fast and early whereas selfish and cowardly people like Thip live long and prosper. Karma does get to those people at some point, but the damage they cause ensues the destruction of their home country. It really made me sad, especially the scene where the king is in the palace, tearfully gazing at Buddha and knowing that despite doing everything he could to save his country, it was all in vain. It made me think how awful it must be to go through war and although I hated the 'bad' characters, I could understand their motivations for wanting to save themselves over their country.
I liked the ML; I LOL'ed so hard when he immediately wanted to wife the FL after seeing her all grown up. His heart is strong and true, and he's the true embodiment of a soldier loyal to his country. His unwavering love for Daoreung (DR) touched me, and his intense love stares at her made me swoon. Krai might've been too hot-headed for his own good at times, but with the bs politics he had to deal with in the army, I can't blame him.
Now about the DR, I have mixed feelings; I am annoyed but also sympathize with her. Her character is that of a damsel in distress, which most viewers won't like (given most dramas have strong FLs), but I think viewers should give her more credit. I feel like if I were a young girl who grew up with peace and love, only to have that all taken away by war then I probably would've reacted like her too. It's in the older times too, which means she unfortunately has to rely on men to protect her (and was raised to think so). Some may point out that her grandma (awesome character btw) is not weak like her, but I feel like the grandma and Krai kinda coddled DR and didn't do much to teach her to fend for herself. With that being said, I still wish DR added more to the plot than just crying constantly, and I'm low-key surprised Krai was patient enough to deal with all that.
One thing I will take from this lakorn is the music; it's easily my favorite part of the show. I love the sound of boran music, and I felt it perfectly embodied the themes of the lakorn. I also thought it was appropriately played and guided the mood of the scenes very well.
Overall I don't regret watching this but for sure I won't rewatch except maybe for the Krai + DR scenes. If you're ok with watching an intense lakorn where there are realistic portrayals of what goes on in war, then I'd say to give it a watch. I did want to add that I felt the ending was incomplete, although I learned later that it's supposed to lead to the sequel. While I understand that, I wished they put more focus on DR and how she learned to move on after Krai's death.
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It was a real war story so I lowered my expectations of a happy ending. Yet, I still want it to be more of a happy ending haha.
Anyways, the Main Leads actors nailed it I loved their chemistry DAO & PKRAI (NOW & PORSHE).
its good that it has a loved story and I like it the most. It was a bitter sweet tho.
what I like about the story was they not only focus on the love story of the ML but also about being a TRUE THAI people.
They really portrayed that defending their own country is the main priority. The relationship of the Two brother was a plus as well as their family.
It's a good lakorn, got to see some cultures of THAI's also the pro's & con's of the war. the fall of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya and the rise of a new.
I hope there's a season 2 .. about the legend of the 2 swords. Pkrai left it to his son and made a vow to re-unite the sword whatever it takes.. (wishing the main lead will still be the same hehe NOW-PORSHE )
anyways.. if your into this genre then try watching it. :)
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Overall I enjoy this series. I will admit that there is more fighting and betrayal than anything else. Although it had a romance tag there was really not a lot of it. You do get the sweet elements of I love taking place and you will get a little warm and fuzzy vibe but there was so much separation and fighting that it really just seemed like a war film. Although all the fighting was not my cup of tea the writers did find a way to tie in the family and include the importance of love, heritage, inheritance and loyalty.
To summit up the theories was pretty good. If you are looking for a romantic series I honestly couldn’t recommend this one but if you are into the slow really really soft romance you might enjoy this one. Another thing is that the series seems to be surrounding an actual historical event which is clearly displayed here with the fighting and lives being lost in the impact it had on families. So if you’re into historical films this one might be one for you. It’s not too graphic but there’s people leaving home and fighting and coming back and some not coming back. For the most part oh I didn’t get really attached to any one character.
Although I enjoyed the series, this one is definitely not a re-watch for me because it wasn’t that captivating. I stuck with it in hopes that it would get a little more interesting but it really just seem to cover facts.
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I started watching... Decided to stick around at least till the grown-up nang'ek shows up. Before that, Porche Saran Sirilak shows up wearing the historical clothes, looking rather comical in those.
It takes 4 (movie-long) episodes to happen. It's always kinda risky to prolong having the child actress on, for she might actually be more likeable than the grown-up one, and the audience shall miss her:) It also happens quite often that the same character who as a child is very smart, turns into very stupid adult. As I did really fall in love with the kid nang'ek, by that time I no longer wished Nao Tisanart to appear... Nevertheless, she portrays a girl who's got praek's tender protectiveness since many years:)
Also, there is a guy who often gets drunk and tries to rape any pretty girl living near him (Off Chanapol is shirtless large amount of his screentime, and it turns out that's something wiewers could have been spared of). His own sister is married to that monkey but he's got no respect for his brother-in-law (besides being a drunkard, he's also a coward who flees from the battlefield). Then the sister dies and the more dangerous he gets...
Porche's character is a soldier destined to leave his home often with his army. Plenty of time he can't be there for his nang'ek. Her childhood nanny/friend is therefore more important character than usual, as pra'ek is often absent. When they ARE together their scenes are cute, though the style of hair-combing Porche was wearing (actually almost all the males in this drama were wearing it... I'm sure for a reason) made him look funny at all times. He marries nang'ek very early after meeting her again. Mostly because he's concenred about her safety, as she is unprotected and he therefore wishes to give her status of his wife to shield her even when he is not around.
Their wedding night is interrupted, though... Because he needs to leave for battlefield immediatelly:) There is a funny scene where he gets to see her naked upper body to have at least something to take with him on his journey, lol. Nevertheless, this way at least the girl isn't fated to get pregnant so soon in her tender years. She passes her time with her beloved grandma, who is withering away, trying to pass as much knowledge on as she still can...
I think it a success I haven't dropped the series early, as this really isn't my cup of coffee. Nevertheless I arrived to that point by episode 10. The runtime is LONG, mostly Porche is absent but when he's not it's not better, it's worse. I don't see any good actor in this, more importantly any character I would care about.
The battle of Bang Rajan (or Bang Rachan) might be a great historical event but that's not what we watch here. It's a typical cheap tv production that looks like it was made on someone's backyard and if someone would absent-mindedly take a cell phone out of their pocket I would not be least surprised, lol. But mostly I find it all boring or mildly annoying. I finished 10th episode with great self discipline but now I'm moving to something else to watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Love a push and pull couple without the kiss slap
I picked this drama because of Porshe and Now. They were so sweet in Sai lohit. As for this drama they have such a strong push and pull chemistry. I could not look away. This was a force-to-love, turned-real, turn-to-hate and then back-to-love drama. I'll break this down by looking at these characters.Bow - a beautiful smart rich girl. She stands up for herself and has humanity and consideration for others. Where were all her friends and family when she needed them? It truly felt like no one was on her side. I guess the only one loyal to her was Pong. No wonder she stayed friends with him all the way to the end. I love that she organically developed feelings towards Nai. Even those he forced himself into her life, she was able to see what a good boss and person he is, especially to those around him.
Nee - the crazy spoiled sister. She was such an unhappy person. Even when she got her way, she couldn't even fake happiness. Its so sad and tiring to watch her tantrums. At the very end, she got her redemption by letting loser Pong go. But why did it take so long??
Baitong - the real pyscho. She was great. All she did was spread misformation and poisoned food over and over again! I cant believe no one suspected her. Things always go wrong when she was around. I'm glad she stayed crazy because she had no remose. We knew she was not going to change. Her end game was to be with Nai. Anyone who got in her way, don't matter if you're a friend or family, you gonna die.
Pong - is the worst boyfriend ever. Not enough is being said about this selfish trash bag loser. He acts like the victim and you feel pity for him..? He doesn't own up to his "mistakes". He drunkly slept with the Nee, twice! And he still thinks Bow would forgive him? Dude you cheated!! What an entitled dumbass! Plus he had it made, he trapped himself a golden ticket with a crazy rich girl. There was no mention of his parents, only that he's a poor musician. He would not even have to work! How the hell was he going to provide for the baby??!! He does not deserve a happy ending. I don't know what anyone sees in this guy. He was so useless. Bow was being abused by Nee multiple times, he did nothing but watched.
Tos / Nai - the antihero...?? He is on my list of most complex character ever! He was given the most development and he stayed consistent throughout. From the beginning, his goal was to keep crazy sister happy no matter what. That meant forcing Pong to marry the sister and separating Bow from Pong by forcing her to be with him. He was the only one being responsible and did all the work. He basically created the drama! He has this kinda charm and was able to persuade everyone around him even Bow's family. Everyone is so loyal to him! You really felt he has a connection with the workers and friends. They are his family, since he only has Nee. I felt so bad for him when he lost his friend, the manager. Nai moved mountains for sister. He fought so hard to keep her happy and alive. When he got on his knees begging Pong, I felt his desperation. Pong was such a jerk to refuse him! He made me cried when he was praying for sister during surgery. When sister died, he lost it. He went crazy mad. He was grieving and took out all his anger on Bow. I hated his revenge arc, he was no longer the smart calculated person, just a stupid raging monster. But why do I like him so much??? Because he was enjoyable to watch. He was the only one who can control the situation. He was so determined to make everything work. He admits to his selfishness and wrong doings. I love it when he manhandles Pong. You should be scared of crossing him, he's 6ft tall!!! He had to bend down walking thru doors!
There were a lot of sweet Nai and Bow moments. Porshe and Now are my OTP. Their chemistry was what made me keep watching. Nai was so playful and teasing Bow the whole time. He didn’t even know he fell in love with Bow, or prob didn't realize how deep he was. His revenge arc was hard to watch. I kept thinking that he was smarter and it was all an act to catch the real killer. But I’m glad he realized on his own that he loves Bow too much to get revenge for Nee.
I didn’t like that everything was revealed at the every end. It would have been better if he took out his anger on the real culprit. I also didn’t like the memory lost part.
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