This review may contain spoilers
Finally! A drama where sincerity and goodness always triumph over bad intentions
Chun Cheu Bussaba's merging of romance and comedy against a backdrop of delicious Thai food scenes, resulted in a show that was a lot better than I expected. The show is filled with slapstick, clowning, and funny dialogue, which have time and again really hit the funny bone. At the same time, it had some poignant moments, addressing certain prejudices against older single women and societal perception of beauty.This 'ugly duckling' version with a nice twist did not have Bussaba go through any significant makeover. In fact, I like how they styled Bee Namthip as Bussaba from the beginning. She looked normal, albeit a little unkempt and dowdy with her oversized clothing, but still pretty, especially when she smiled. I love how Bussaba improved her outer beauty naturally and realistically as she started to pay more attention, like using contacts and tidying up her hair. Most of all, I appreciate how Saran, the ML came to love her for her character, but he also noted that Bussaba's beauty was more subtle, less flashy than other women who wear a lot of makeup, high-heels, and fitting clothes.
My one complaint is that Bussaba, with her talent in cooking, did not seem to have a lot of ambition, especially when it came to being a top chef. Her lackluster desire to excel did not seem consistent with her image as the top student of a cooking master.
The best part of the show is how good I felt watching it. In most lakorns, the villains always seem to be ahead until the very last couple of episodes. Not in this show! To quote Bussaba's grandmother, "Divine spirits protect good people!". It is absolutely gratifying to see our FL triumph over not only one but two Nang Rais, simply by being true to herself. Her sincerity touched almost everyone and not surprisingly garnered their support without her even trying. Not only that, we have an ML who was not wishy-washy, unlike many P'eks, vacillating between his ex and the FL. The audience never had to stress about love triangles. While Saran may be uncertain about his feelings for Bussaba in the beginning, he was always clear about drawing the line with his ex. Likewise with Bussaba, while the second ML was a delicious tall drink of hotness and was in every way perfect for her, she never wavered once she developed feelings for Saran. What's refreshing is that the drama did not drag the plot out with misunderstandings. Any potential melodrama was resolved quickly, leading to a satisfying ending.
This rom-com has an older woman, a younger man theme, and Bee Namthip and Film Thanapat had great chemistry and were adorable together. Film was especially cute when he acted all flirty and charming, and Bee complemented him nicely. And the kisses were real and well-done, people! I felt embarrassed, like I was intruding on their privacy and, at the same time, impressed, wondering if the oozing sexiness was due to Bee being a seasoned actress and therefore less inhibited. I thought that both actors emoted well, and Film, especially with his micro-expressions, did a great job. One can tell when Saran was thinking naughty thoughts (although it could just be me, projecting what I want them to do - hehe!)
To be honest, I would not have minded if Bussaba ended up with Dr. Kim as long as Saran also had a happy ending. Utt Uttsada Panichkul is so swoon-worthy and was perfect as the suave, more experienced gentleman who courted Bussaba so gently and patiently. Even when he decided not to be a gentleman and instead be a man who went after what his heart desired, he did it with such dignity that a part of me could not help but root for him. Let's just say that I was 55% Team Saran and 45% Team Dr. Kim. I would really like to see Utt and Bee as the lead couple in another show. The cast overall did a fabulous job, with Bussaba's trio of female relatives who totally earned my respect and admiration as the best family ever!
The music served its purpose, softly playing in the background and enhancing the mood. There were a couple of songs that were pleasant but generally not that memorable.
Re-watch value is high, considering that this is the second time I have watched this series, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a feel-good rom-com that conveys messages of karma and the value of knowing one's self-worth.
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The best ugly duckling to swan story
I started watching this show for the food. It gives a great overview of thai cuisine, and you will finish each episode drooling, but this is just a small bit of why I loved this show.Here’s why this show got on my top 5 list:
-It is not the usual ugly duckling story! Busaba doesn’t turn in to a sexy lady by a sudden make over. NO! She stays herself all through the show, and is the best example of why we say beauty comes from the inside.
-It may be a lakorn, with all its stereotypical side kicks, but there are no annoying draggy parts with misunderstandings. The main leads don’t let themselves get dragged into revenge or lies.
-GREAT CHEMISTRY OMG
-Great character development! You will even get to love the evil characters.
-Super cute side kicks
And I could keep going for hours, so just watch it. Why are you still here? WATCH. IT.
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Too many people trying to keep the couple apart
I loved all the foods in this show, the beautiful displays of culinary delights, as well as the scenery, which really made me want to go on vacation. The concept of the show was good, and I liked the idea of the male lead falling in love with her by seeing her inner beauty, but they made her entirely too frumpy. When you are dating someone, you want to try to look your best, and when she went to meet all his friends, she looked even more dowdy than usual. I didn't care for the absurd numbers of people trying to keep them apart. Multiple ex-girlfriends, family members, etc. That said, the main couple was very cute together. He had a smile that completely lit up the screen. It had a lovely, happy ending.Was this review helpful to you?
Okay, the main couple is supposed to be 38 year old Bee Namthip & 27 year old Film Thanapat?
Not only that, in 'My Name Is Busaba', Bee Namthip is often purposely made to look ugly. As for Film Thanapat, he is hot. So, I enjoyed watching him, for the first time in a lakorn blissfully lacking any criminal plots or plastic surgery identity swaps. Moreover, this had comedy and very cute moments not hiding the age gap. Like when she was crying in front of him about a betrayal of a guy she dated for SEVENTEEN YEARS, lolz. Be it age, work or dating issues, most of their scenes were precious. I often laughed aloud watching. It was clear Bee & Film got in sync by working together previously, their onscreen rapport was spot on. The comedy tremendously helped. As a blessing, no stupid crime themes were present.Episode 6, there comes Utt Uttsada. According to his year of birth, he should be 47. He does look well preserved, lol. And he's all over Bee Namthip's main heroine. The two look good together and she doesn's have to be "aunt" with him. They start flirting soon and Film Thanapat's facial expressions while watching this are priceless. Still, I couldn't help but cheer for the Utt-Bee couple. They had cute dynamics and Film was seriously too young for Bee.
Nevertheless, I accepted Film gradually as her heart's choice, who wouldn't fall for him?:) But then we literally spend whole EPISODES watching our main heroine participating in 'SuperChef Thailand', which is bit like turning on a tv to watch someone turning on a tv, but as a result we got the screentime filler which could otherwise undoubtedly consist of classic lakorn "plots" which thankfully didn't have a place here. Rest of the time, we were focused on what's there in romance most to enjoy (another adorable couple in this one was Chef Pao & Noei), though it WAS a bit questionable to keep Bee Namthip's beauty SO toned down (though I did understand it was for a good cause) that she practically looked like a dude. (Last few episodes she started wearing obvious, thick mascara, which looked like a child applied it for the first time.)
There are plots involving family living and bussiness, but emphasis is put on human relationships like friendship, even with "annoying" or bit villain-ish side characters. There are parent-child scenes which are simple, but powerful and very well delivered. Busaba has colorful family. Nang'rai has her father. Film's praek has a couple of great scenes with his mother. It's actually more enjoyable than the romance in later stages, where Bee keeps wearing the obviously fake hair and fake eyelashes and Film's character, who had such a good rapport with her being friends is suddenly all over her, it seems rather forced and the kisses look awkward. We then have "plots" like the noble-idiocy separation or writing someone a letter that does not get delivered and misunderstandings and meddling third parties which was precisely what I previously appreciated we did not. The ending is corny but kinda sweet.
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True Love and Good Food
Omg i love this show.. I found it better than the original K Drama My Lovely Sam. Soon. I binged watched it in 2 days unable to shut down and watch anything else. Busaba is one of the best heroines I have seen in any K Drama C Drama or Lakorn. She is sweet kind and vulnerable but also strong and feisty and doesn't take crap from anyone. I love the way she could answer back and not now her head down like a victim in some of these dramas. The ML Saran is such a cutey with an amazing smile. I loved the way he looked at Busaba not realising he was falling in love. Busaba doesn't conform to the typical beauty standard yet she was happy with the way she looked and Saran loved her for the way she looked not expecting her to change or fit into the image of what society says beautiful . Although actually I thought she was beautiful. She is a really good role model with an important message that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and beauty comes from within and very importantly.... you don't need to change yourself to make someone love you. The chemistry between the two was amazing almost as if they were a couple in real life. Those kisses.... all i can say is woww. The storys backdrop of showcasing Thai Cusine made want to run into the kitchen and start attempting to cook some yummy Thai food like Busaba. There were even some recipes in the show that had me trying to memorise them lol. This is a must watch for fans of romantic comedies and its become one of my all time favs. Can't wait to rewatch.Was this review helpful to you?
Entrega o que se propõe
Bom elenco, boa OST, boa comida e um amor de verdade. Comida tailandesa, romance dos sonhos (e quem não quiser Khun Saran é doida), humor despojado e pitadas de drama. Tudo isso é a proposta e o resultado é entregue. Como vi no streaming foram 24 capítulos curtos e consegui assistir 2 ou 3 episódios por vez, com entusiasmo. Sem fazer piada, é um lakorn saboroso, só com falta de cenas mais quentes. O final poderia ser mais glamouroso, mas mesmo assim, interessante. O segundo casal foi formado do meio para o fim, poderiam se resolver antes, na minha opinião. De qualquer forma, gostei muito desse lakorn. Ah...e tem Film Thanapat, impossível eu não gostar.Was this review helpful to you?
