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BEST SUICIDE AWARENESS SERIES
One of the best series I've ever watched! The acting of all characters is on point. Mild and Pluem has a really good chemistry, I hope we can see them together again in other series. I cried on each episodes for real :'(( Family-related conflict in this series is just ahh painful.This series is perfect for suicide awareness and prevention. Sometimes, when i felt down, I came back to this masterpiece just to remind myself how awful everything would be if I die.
Big applause to every single person who involved in this series!
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It is good, but...
This drama did bring attention the sorrows of suicide, how much suicide affects the people around the victim, years after the victim is long gone, the pain is still there.All the above was portrayed in this drama and the victim was given a chance to alleviate that pain, even a little, by properly communicating her thoughts to all those who were suffering because of her suicide. This chance was due to her brother who was able to see her and whom she could possess by holding his hand and thus able to communicate directly with the loved ones.
This drama was largely captivating and touching. The only negative thing I have to say about this drama is, towards the end when the victim said her final goodbyes to each of her loved ones (which was inevitable, she had to leave), yes, I felt touched by the various goodbyes, but honestly, after a while, I did not feel as touched as I thought they should make me be. Perhaps, there were too many dialogues - which I concur were absolutely necessary because after all it was these lack of communication which contributed to her suicide - and the content of these dialogues were somewhat similar, so I felt somewhat exhausted watching at the end.
Nevertheless, this drama was worth a watch. It reminded how precious and fragile life is, how important communication is and how much regret a victim brings to his/her loved ones after ending his/her life. This drama reminds us, it is not the person who leaves, but the people left behind who feel the pain and suffer the most.
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MASTERPIECE
This series is a masterpiece!!!!!! One of the best thai series that GMMTV made. The casts are perfect for their role. I cried a lot in every episode of this series. The plot is very complicated but it is so interesting. I recommended this series to my friend and she liked it. She is so grateful that I introduced this series to her because its a masterpiece. No words can explain how beautiful this series is. It is not a typical high school series. The plot is unique. The lines are so heart catching. I became a huge fan of P'Mild and P'Pluem because of this series. No wonder why P'Pluem was nominated of being the Best Supporting Actor. Hoping to have a Season 2. This series is highly recommended!!!!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
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Great, except for one thing
Warning: This series does deal with the subject of suicide. I know this is a spoiler, but I feel this is an important thing to know before you start watching the series.I placed all other spoilers at the end of this review.
This series is not for you if you don’t like paranormal storylines. However, this has a very endearing storyline about the different aspects of family and relationships. It also sends a message about the dangers of not communicating with loved ones. It has an excellent script with one exception. See the spoiler alert at the bottom if you want more info. They did a great job switching between the past and the present. The series has an incredible cast with great acting. I like how they kind of made a parody of GMMTV in various episodes and involved some of the artist playing themselves.
******Spoiler Alert******
My only criticism about the script is the soul displacement. I’m not a fan of the soul displacement/shift storyline concept. This aspect of the script caused an unnecessary conflict of having people questioning Tonmai and Tee’s sexuality. This was an element of the series that was really unneeded.
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A heart-warming mystery series that will make you cry buckets
StoryA teen boy finds out his older sister who committed suicide on the day he was born is still lingering in the house as a ghost. They bond quickly, giving each other a lot of love and warmth that they both needed so much. But there is a big mystery about her death and why she is still around. And the incident had huge impact on various characters in the series, including their family members and her boyfriend, and this will propel the story forward.
Writing
Superb. Thai series typically have less than stellar writing that doesn't feel so polished. But this series shows another level of writing quality. It's amazing how different pieces of the truth are given to us at different times and are tied together to give us the big picture later. They also dig deep into the different emotions and desires of humans. While it's essentially a story of life and death, it's also a psychological study of the human mind.
Acting
No doubt it is some of the best for Thai series. Both Mind (the sister) and Pluem (the brother) are stellar. You cry when they cry. And I think Pluem won an award for this.
Production
It's nice but nothing fancy, nothing high budget. The music is pretty good and goes well with the emotions of the characters. Editing is good, it flows well.
Conclusion
This series gives us a lot of heart-warming moments, buckets of tears and some shocking twists the writers dared to put there for us. This is a highly recommended piece for those interested in Thai series, especially if you love drama. But be warned of the heavy contents, including abuses, suicide, and other things. They feel real and brutal.
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If only...
I really loved the premise of this drama — I was sure that I was in store for some emotional healing. And the drama did give us that in the beginning. The best part of this drama is undoubtedly the relationship between Tonmai and Thannam; there was no blaming each other and it really just felt like two people spending the time together they never could.We were always in store for a little more drama, however; the question of why Thannam committed suicide was treated a bit like a mystery — and that's fine. I think the strongest part of this drama was when they showed just how much Tonmai didn’t know about her life, with the message that suicide doesn’t usually result from one big event or person, but from a lot of little stressors that build up over time until someone can’t handle it anymore.
With that being said, the drama devolves into a story that’s a little too cliche and overdramatic. We have a lot of scenes of parents slapping their children (with pretty bad sound design that actually makes them feel weak and unconvincing but that’s another story lol) and one big plot about one single person — Thannam’s birth mother.
I knew there would be a main plot but here’s where my biggest issue with the show comes in: I just don't agree with its final message. In the end it feels like Thannam’s decade of waiting for a parent who left her “for her own good” — with no goodbye and with no contact info — was treated like a good thing. It should be shown as a toxic relationship and a problematic parental choice, but ultimately Thannam was thanked, congratulated, and rewarded for it.
Since the story went that way, it started feeling like there was a weird emphasis on the irreplaceability of biological family, when I would’ve preferred the drama go the opposite way and show how adopted families, found families, and friends could mean just as much.
I know everything I’m saying here would massively change the entire plot of the drama in the first place particularly in the second half. I do still think there were good parts of the story; there are lessons to be had about forgiveness and closure…but it didn’t sit right with me and thus didn’t have the gut punch they intended.
Other than that, the acting was pretty good. I definitely think Thannam’s actress was the strongest of the bunch, but everyone did a pretty good job. Part of that is just character-wise, Thannam is unequivocally the strongest too. I like Tonmai but he felt pretty passive throughout and wasn’t really as interesting. I would’ve loved for Noina to get more of an intertwined subplot because there was so much potential with their friendship but she ended up just being really annoying.
So there we go. It started out good and was pretty well-written, but ultimately not a story I really supported.
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Death is inevitable but suicide is preventable.
FIRST IMPRESSIONWhen we hear HAPPY BIRTHDAY, all we imagine is a birthday song being sung but loved ones, cake, candles, balloons, gifts, party, like a smiling happy day when no one scolds you for any mistake. Though this drama is titled HAPPY BIRTHDAY it doesn’t have any of these. It rather shows the opposite topic, the biggest reason for sadness and death. it takes away the suffering, it leaves behind the pain to those who are known. And how difficult it is for a person who had to deal with suicide since birth. It had a grim and slow start which felt boring but I decided not to give up, and in a few episodes, it started to grow on me and I felt all kinds of goosebumps and intense emotions.
The series is very layered and narration is done excellently. With each mystery being opened up about the relationships and sufferings of Tharnam, everyone left behind seemed selfish and guilty at the same time. Tonmai seems like a victim of the things he didn’t do. His life is peaceful but not happy. . Tharnam suffered from Autophobia is very dark, if one gets sucked up, it is really difficult to cope. So when she is able to reconnect via Tonmai, I find the living people more selfish than on a guilt trip.
I felt really bad for him, who suffered everything without knowing what he was being held guilty of. Sometimes I got confused with whom should I sympathize, Tharnam who didn’t receive affection when she lived, or Tonmai who receives affection when he is possessed.
Also in this dark tale, everyone could talk about the grim story, but for me, I found a ray of hope in NOINA. So talking about side stories Noina and Tonmai's budding relationship was like ice cream, enjoyable anytime. It gave a cooling effect to the serious and gloomy drama. She didn’t have big role but she lighted up the mood whenever she was onscreen. Well, the ending is heart-wrenching and proves worth the title HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
ACTING is superb by everyone.
-No wonder Pluem as Tonmai won best supporting actor in this series but TBH he is actually the main lead not a supporting character to me.
-Mild as Thannam had the saddest face I have ever seen on a 17-year-old teenager. She just carried the character of Tharnam exquisitely like living into it.
-Push as Tee certainly gave handsomeness to the show, I have seen him in rather rough and arrogant roles, so it was pretty good to watch him in a remorseful and gloomy character.
-Lung Tai was one of the best characters in the show. he definitely played a more father figure to Thanam than her real father.
MUSIC
I loved the BGM's. it is excellent and mesmerizing. The opening tune sets a sad tone, that what we are going to watch could be more than that.
REWATCH
it is a bit difficult. Once you have opened the mystery box, there is no reason to find that box again. Also because it is a grim tale rather than sad which could easily make me depressed cause am a really emotional person.
AFTERTHOUGHT
Death is inevitable but suicide is preventable. It takes one dark moment to overshadow your courage into something grim, so rather than fighting alone, find a comrade to fight.
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Só assista com lenços na mão (contém gatilhos)
A série já tem um começo muito impactante, instigante. Pela sinopse já sabemos que Tharnnam está morta, mas a cena inicial é um compilado de imagens dela em um momento de reflexão, do parto de seu irmão e de sua própria morte.Um dos melhores roteiros que já vi, sem nenhuma dúvida. É palpável a tristeza de Tonmai, que nunca teve o direito de comemorar seu próprio aniversário, já que nasceu no mesmo dia em que a irmã cometeu suicídio, e à primeira vista confesso que isso me gerou uma antipatia pela defunta, achei muito egoísta da parte dela cometer suicídio justamente nesse dia. Também não consegui ter empatia pela atitude do pai, a impressão inicial é de que o filho que ficou vivo não tem valor quanto a filha que partiu.
A fotografia da cena do quarto no primeiro EP, a escuridão contrastando com o fogo da vela, revelando a melancolia do aniversariante sem direito à festas, e também anunciando a chagada do fantasma da irmã é muito bem feita. No primeiro EP também conhecemos o namorado de Tharnnam, que aparentemente está em uma fase que não se conforma com sua perca, mesmo tendo se passado 17 anos da morte dela, a culpa ainda o assola. Muitas coisas vem em seguida que nos deixam curiosos, como a relação entre Tharnnam e o tio da xérox, os reais motivos do desespero do pai.
A série tem muitos plow twists. Os primeiros foram saber que Tee tinha uma namorada quando conheceu Tharnnam, e se relacionava com as duas, e que a mãe verdadeira de Tharnnam não era a mãe de Tonmai, isso até então não tinha sido citado. Depois foi saber que ela não estudou de fato na mesma escola de Tonmai, e isso pq a sua mãe não aceitava receber dinheiro de do seu pai, e que a relação entre mãe, pai e filha era na verdade desastrosa, a tal ponto da mãe preferir a filha fora da escola do que permitir que o pai pagasse (olha, isso meu deu um ranço dessa mulher). A mãe se redimiu quando abriu mão da filha em prol de seu futuro, mas o fato de nunca ter dado notícias ou feito o menor contato é deplorável, sem falar na praga que ela jogou na mãe de Tonmai, que pegou e pegou com força.
Depois saber que na verdade Tee não sentia que amava Tharnnam em vida, na verdade eu realmente acho que ele amava, apenas não se dava conta disso. Os últimos tempos em que ela esteve depressiva, não proporcionando a ele a felicidade habitual de antes, não o deixou perceber que o que sentia era amor, ele devia achar que era pena, já que conhecia os sentimentos dela, sua condição financeira e sua estrutura familiar decadente.
Ainda temos os plow twists da mãe de Tharnnam ainda não saber sobre sua morte, mesmo tendo se passado 17 anos (oi???), e a revelação de Pana sempre a ter amado.
Uma história marcada por cicatrizes profundas. Tharnnam se culpa, Tee se culpa, o pai se culpa, a madrasta sofre por não ter uma família feliz, o irmão sofre por ter sido negligenciado a vida inteira. Pana sofre por ter escondido os sentimentos por tanto tempo, Sr. Tai sofre de saudades, e agora a mãe sofre em desespero por falar por não poder mudar o passado. A história fala muito sobre culpa, mas também sobre perdão, principalmente o auto perdão. Fala sobre redenção, sobre demonstrar sentimentos, sobre não esperar perder para dar valor, sobre amizade e família.
O que deu a liga a esse roteiro tão complexo, além de uma boa direção, foi um elenco maravilhoso. Todos os atores deram um show de interpretação, e aqui eu faço um moção de parabéns para o Pluem Purin, pq ele foi sensacional (Coitado, levou 673028 tapas na cara). Todo o elenco parece que foi escolhido a dedo para fazer seu personagem, e esses nos cativaram, emocionaram, me fizeram torcer, chorar de tristeza, alegria e emoção.
O nome da série tem toda uma simbologia, a série começa com o sombrio aniversário de 17 anos de Tonmai, e aniversário de morte de Tharnnam, e termina com o primeiro aniversário comemorado da vida de Tonmai. A ost é perfeita, a começar pelo "Happy birthday" instrumental em tom fúnebre, que combina perfeitamente com todo o resto, e as demais canções, lindas demais para serem esquecidas.
Se existe alguma crítica, posso citar que não existe o aviso de gatilho, e a pauta sáude mental poderia ser explorada de muitas formas, mas foi deixada de lado. No mais, apenas elogios. Verei ainda outras vezes e com certeza recomendo essa série.
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