Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Soul (2022)

It's not terrible, but kind of sloppy.

For me, the central problem of this series is the character of Prakan. I don't think the actor was up to the job. It felt like he had a very limited set up expressions, although that might have been the fault of the script and directing rather than the actor.

The central conflict of this is that Tuaphee reaps souls, while Prakan is a doctor trying to prevent people from dying. The thing is, though, Tuaphee doesn't kill people, he just escorts their souls to the next world, but every time this happens, Prakan goes nuts, treats Tuaphee like a murderer, and tells him he never wants to see him again. Until he wants to see him again (on account of he's hot). Then the cycle repeats, over and over. This makes him a very unpleasant person who seems unworthy to me of someone as kind and sweet (and hot) as Tuaphee.

The thing is, people are usually capable of fairly mature moral reasoning at around 10 years of age.

For example, if you give small child these two scenarios and ask which is worse:

1. Mary accidentally broke 10 cups while emptying the dishwasher
2. Ann broke one cup by throwing it at Mary's head.

Most children will say #1 is worse because Mary broke 10 times more cups than Ann. by age 10, almost everyone understands the difference between an accident and an act of violence, and that #2 is infinitely worse than #1.

Prakan is probably around 30 or so, and yet he can't figure out something equally basic. I can get deflecting his anguish at being helpless on an available target. Once. And then apologizing - profusely. But not being a total dick on 5 or so different occassions over the same issue.

On another subject, the "rules" of Reapers are silly and seem to be invented to suit plot points and don't really progress in a logical way. For example, what exactly is Tuaphee? He's not a ghost, and he has physical form. So is he a reanimated dead person who can teleport? Does that mean his heart is missing? Or is he a physical recreation of his mortal body in the same form? If he's a reanimated corpse with no heart, what happens if he falls asleep on a park bench and somone checks his pulse? Would he be accidentally cremated?

And why are they invisible except when wearing Hawaiian shirts? Why do they eat and sleep? If's clearly stated more than once that nobody can remember an interaction with a reaper, but everyone does - they all know who Tuaphee is (not what he is), and ask about him when he's not there. And then there are rules that are introduced later, and punishments that make no real sense when those rules are violated, and they are violated constantly.

When a soul is to be reaped, a card appears in the reaper's pocket with the soul's name on it. But a character is apparently mortally wounded (somehow, offscreen), Tuaphee gets the card, and then then that person doesn't die. So what is the ticket for? Just to deliberately waste the Reaper's time?

And an ageless being in a relationship with a mortal who lives to 90, just eww. Come on. I get love transcends all boundaries, blah blah, but it really doesn't. How many 20-year olds do you see dating 90-year olds? Only if one of them is a billionaire and the other knows he's getting a big payout. And why does everyone's soul look exactly like they did when they died except for just one of them?

The acting is fairly strong except for Prakan - all the minor characters are strong. Karn, who plays Tuaphee, is pretty good, but he's so beautiful it's hard to tell.

The secondary couple is underwhelming. I was excited about them, and I really like both actors, but it's just bad. The writing makes very little sense, and there's no buildup to the resolution - it just comes out of nowhere and is dull and anticlimactic.

In the end, the writing is lazy, sloppy, and repetitive, and just dull. It attempts to be profound and meaningful, but it's shallow and doesn't really delve into anything with any depth or insight.

The music is above average (except the coffee commercial) and supports the story well, and expertly sets the mood.

I don't think there's anything I would rewatch, but the thought of rewatching it doesn't give me suicidal impulses like it does for Physical Therapy.

Overall, 6.5. It's not awful, but I don't think I would recommend it. There's some decent eye candy, so if you have nothing better to do you might get some enjoyment out of it.

Read More

good premise with flawed execution

Overall: I'm rating it a bit higher though because of the unique premise and that I couldn't tell how this was going to end unlike pretty much every other BL I've seen. Watching on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: multiple deaths, blood, dub con kissing and sex? (drunk), stalking, past domestic abuse

What I Like
- some cute moments, especially towards the end
- some funny moments
- sick people actually looked sick (i.e. didn't have flawless make up and hair)
- showed how doctors/medical staff do get sad/stressed
- good communication between Tua and Prakan in the final episode
- the ending before the final time jump
- (neutral) the accidental fall/tropes, it's cringey but I still like them

Room For Improvement
- immature and stupid characters, also some really bad communication skills
- nonsense medical things (pretty sure you don't operate on your family members)
- at one point we end up in an endless loop rehashing the same plot points over and over again
- major plot holes, some of which could have been explained with a short dialogue
- Metha was annoying almost the entire series
- poor communication with the m/m side couple but seemed like it only lasted a day or two
- three couples all had rushed romantic endings, at least one should have developed earlier on
- the awful camera angles during kissing scenes
- slow pacing most of the time, watched on a faster speed
- the ending, too many time jumps = poor writing and that very end part was not my thing at all

Read More

Mildly frustrating but not a bad watch

This is such a unique concept and could have been great with better writing and directing. Some characters' words/actions felt awkward or were frustrating at times, particularly Prakan and Metha, and I feel like this is no fault of the actors.
Their characters are simply portrayed as somewhat immature which I don't think is fitting for two respected doctors running for the director position. As two highly intelligent individuals they seemed to lack common sense or reasoning half of the time.

But on to the good things:
- The pacing was good with Prakan's slow realisation of his feelings for Tuaphee, though I do wish they made the passing of time more obvious in some places.
- Since the actors have worked together before their chemistry is pretty good. The couple scenes were cute and enjoyable and without any of that weird shyness depite dating for a while that a lot of BLs have.
- A realistic, bittersweet ending. I feel like the impact would have been lost had this had the perfect fairytale ending.
- Boy Sompob doing the most with the OST.

Overall a good watch despite a few minor frustrations. Definitely recommended if you like supernatural things or want something a bit heavier/more mature than highschool romance.

Read More

Give it a chance

I was uncertain about this in the beginning but became to love it. It is a different storyline than most bl's which in and of itself is refreshing. Yes it moves a bit slowly but for this story it actually worked for me. You see growth in all 3 couples and I didn't feel that any part was too rushed. The back story of the leads was well placed within the story as to not get confusing as they sometimes do.

These are the two lead actors from Grey Rainbow which absolutley tore my heart heart. While this story in the end does reminisce that ending it does end much better. I cried but my heart is still intact.

Read More

A stunning comeback from the GreyRainbow Pairing

I must say this show was STUNNING... I am so impressed with the ending.. it wasn't fairytale. it was so realistic.. a doctor and a reaper could never really be together.. the doctor grew old but the reaper stayed with him all the way till he died... and 20 years later he was reborn and the reaper met him again..this show was so good.. this did for me what miracle of the teddy bear couldn't. I'm in my feelings. I would recommend this to everyone.. . 10/10 for me...
first BL series of this year that has me emotional on the verge of tears.. it's soooo goood. the acting is spot on, the music is amazing and the storyline is so good and relatable.. this reminds me a lot of until we meet again and it's not surprising cause it's the same company doing this series... I hope more people tune into this cause it's very good and well worth it.. the story is captivating and it strikes and emotional nerve in you. Nut and Karn's chemistry together is really good in this.. much better than how they were in Grey Rainbow.. it's taking really long to get to the intimacy part of this BL though and that's my only complain

Read More

Bad Direction, Script & Acting

While the base story had such a good scope it was tainted with Bad direction and acting.
The presentation in the series is very illogical. Even after a long duration the cast never ages.
Because of the base story, the series is worth watching but you need to be very open and keep your brain aside while watching it.

Old review from before it was completed:-
My rating for this series keeps on dropping as I watch the new episodes. The acting is getting worse for all the actors!. Even the guest characters do a bad job at acting and it doesn't help that the script is so poorly written and not structured properly.

The base story is so good but just because its not presented properly, the series isn't highly rated and popular.
Slow-paced, bad acting, direction and illogical script at many scenes took the scope out of such a good base story.

The only thing I like about the series is the base story, that there is a grim reaper whose job is to take souls to the afterlife and a doctor who tries to save lives.
The script has so many plot holes that it either confuses me or I lose focus in it. It doesn't help that the series is slow-paced.
A good scope of improvement is there in the acting, the main and the secondary leads have problems with the correct expressions for different types of scenes.

Where it went wrong
* Direction
* Casting
* Script
* presentation of anything dramatic

Read More

PNR, grim reaper, enemies to lovers

Adapted from a y-novel by HUNGRYBIRD of the same name, Wabi Sabi picked up this defunked project and brought it back for iQIYI (with Director New acting as producer) staring Grey Rainbow (trigger warnings & sad ending) couple Nut & Karn. They are pretty great together and certainly mature and capable leads. Also featured Yacht (Paint with Love) and Pat (My Ride) as side characters.

This is a romance between a doctor trying to save his patients and a reaper who is both his enemy and (eventually) lover. Basically it’s the genius premise of a gay Doom at Your Service. High concept looks good on you, Thailand. I enjoyed it more than it’s ending deserved, and the best I can say is that it’s not strictly HEA but if you’re okay with Life: Love on the Line, you’ll probubly be okay with this BL. It’s set up well, there’s no surprise unpleasantness like HIStory 3: The BL that shall not be named.

The reaper mythos was pleasingly bureaucratic in an almsot Terry Gilliam absurdist kind of way. I wish we’d got a bit more of it, and how the underworld worked. And I also wish it had just really leaned into the “mistakes are just the frustration of the DMV” style. But this is Thailand, and high concept + absurdist really isn’t their thing, so I’m disposed to be happy with the silliness we did get.

The slow burn romance and the laying out of the intertwined past was really well done. Not to mention all of the external tension with the doctors in competition and their various cases, and the conflict between the leads and their roles in life. It’s much better storytelling than we usually get from Thai B - a solid little show, especially at the start. Now the driving conflict of a doctor who will not accept death was a little too drawn out and one note (I was over it by ep 6), but no worse than we usually get from Thai BL.

The side dishes were hit or miss for me, their drunken hook almost too relatable, but their insta-love tendencies felt conflictingly unrealistic. Also one of New’s OLD SCHOOL “around the back of head not at all a kiss” kisses. I haven’t seen that from Thailand since Make it Right! Retro “we not gay” camera action used because the actors aren’t comfortable with each other? Why here? Why now? Tut tut. I was mixed over them but the side couple was, in the end, cute enough (weird kisses notwithstanding).

The chemistry between the leads was MUCH more consistent than the side couple, and very well executed. KarnNut give GREAT KISS. Honestly, I can’t remember if their kissing in Grey Rainbow was this good, but in 2022 AKA the year of great gay kisses, this was one of the best I’ve seen - we are talking MewGulf or MaxTul level. Very impressive.

Are KarnNat the best Thai origin couple at domesticity? Seems like. And I LOVE domesticity in my BL. So they get extra points for this.

THE ENDING

This show had a very Korean style unnecessary-separation in the last ep. But I guess I’m used to that now? The show’s ending reminded me A LOT of Love: Life on the Line (Director’s Cut) so if you like that you’ll, like this one, but it’s not strictly HEA, there’s a lot more pathos. I thought it suited the narrative, so I’m not mad.

Want it spoiled? They get a lifetime together; the reaper goes back to being invisible to everyone but the doctor, so no one notices that he doesn’t age; he pulls the doctor’s card when the doctor is old; and then meets him again in his next reincarnation. So this is not exactly a happy ending, but it’s not really sad either. Just pathos.

Did I cry? Of course, I’m a sap. But for someone normally SET on HEA, I actually I liked it.

I’m not quite sure how to rate this show tho, as a result. And I’m not sure I’ll ever rewatch it either. Still, like Peach of Time, everything was set up for us, so the end wasn’t surprising and it managed to be substantially happier than Peach or, of course Grey Rainbow (shudder).

So maybe I rate it higher than I should because it could have been a lot worse? ARGH. Decisions. I went with 7/10

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Read More

ABSOLUTELY UNDERRATED GEM FOR ALL WHO ARE TIRED OF STUDENT CLICHÉ

First of all I should say only one thing: GIVE IT A CHANCE
When I started watching this series, I thought it would be a stupid vanilla love story between a doctor and a reaper (where the fact that the main character is a reaper would mean absolutely nothing), especially after the "kiss" at the end of the first episode. BUT. You can't imagine how wrong I was. This is such a rare story among all the clichés of university life that this series is like a breath of fresh air. Great storyline with lots of twists and turns, slow burn at its best, real feelings through the worlds... True love that can overcome all barriers. And most importantly - the most realistic ending. Just bravo! I did not expect this, but the creators pleased with common thinking. Added to the list of favorites (and I watched more than 80 series of this genre, and believe me, I have something to compare with) Yes, there is not a very large budget, if it were more, it would turn out even cooler, but even so, the plot covers all the shortcomings of funds . I looked forward to every episode, I haven't been so drawn to anything in a long time! I definitely recommend watching! Just watch 3-4 episodes and you won't be able to stop... I don't understand why some give 1, this series is so out of character that many people can't accept its uniqueness? Just look and judge for yourself. My rating is 10/10 and bookmarked as "favourite"

Read More

An underrated gem...

When I started watching this series I didn't know that I would become so attached to it, but here I am crying my eyes out because of how much I'm gonna miss this series and not because it had a tragic/sad ending like Grey Rainbow had (which btw it didn't).

I don't know what got me this hooked in this maybe it was the cast that I really loved or the story that was so fresh and not like all the other BLs with such a pure love stort between the leads and the great chemistry that they had or even the OST that was so beautiful fitting to the story of the series....I guess it was all of them and many more small details...

Anyway thank you for this beautiful story with the best ending the we could possibly have in this situation!!!

This series will stay with me for a long time!!
I think it's underratedgem that so many more should be watching and appreciating !!!

You should definitely watch it if you haven't already!!! And I hope we get more fresh and unique BL series in the future like this one!!!

Read More

Too much arguing is not good for the soul

Initially I was very excited to watch this, because just by reading the synopsis the plot seemed unique and interesting. Well, it turned out to be everything but. Medical drama? Not really. Supernatural? Not really. Thriller? Mystery? Romcom? None of those. This show fell flat on everything it was trying so hard to achieve. I had high hopes for this, because usually Studio Wabi Sabi can bring emotions and plot to life very well. This time though, it did not happen for me. Most parts turned out to be more cringey than emotional, and most episodes nothing happened, other than arguing and self pity.

There were so many inconsistencies and factual errors in the plot and production that it really took away from the story itself. The main actors didn't seem to have any chemistry at all and the whole thing didn't even come across as a romance until episode 10. It was just two guys arguing over the same stuff in almost every episode, which got very tiring very fast. Maybe it was Nut, maybe he really wasn't up for the role, because (at least to me) all of his emotions seemed to be pretty much the same, and his main emotion was mostly.. emotionless. The best thing about this drama is for sure the side characters. Nuch is the unproblematic modern girl boss we all need in our lives, Keeta and Nathee delivered on the chemistry and Metha was the sound of reason essential to the plot. Prakan keeps blaming Tua for things he can't do anything about, and Tua is there to actually help the dead move on, he doesn't actually go around murdering them. It was frustrating how Prakan did not understand this.

The part that truly bothered me the most about this drama was the flaws and inconsistencies. The soul reaper rules changed according to the situation and to fit the plot. It also makes no sense that Prakan is supposed to be a doctor, who went to med school, trained for years in different clinics, but still he is not able to deal with death? They have full on courses in med school about death and how to handle with it, and yet this guy who is up to be a chief of surgeon doesn't understand the circle of life? Death is a natural ending for us all, and doctors are being trained to understand it. Yet Prakan was like a child refusing to listen about why his pet fish was floating in the tank. His mother had been sick for years before she passed, and Prakan behaved like her death was the most shocking thing ever happened in his life. He had seen her battle with cancer, he had witnessed the pain and suffering she went through, and heard her say she doesn't want to fight anymore. She was dying and he refused to listen to her and instead guilt tripped her into chemotherapy. As a doctor, he should have understood her better. Losing a loved one is horrible, but her death was not sudden or surprising. Also the medical errors were truly strange - patients not intubated during surgery, even a heart transplant was apparently performed without intubating the patient. Surgical gloves worn underneath the surgical gown, not on top like they're supposed to be worn. And many more small things like that really bugged me.

Pros of this show:
+ Side characters were great
+ OST

Cons of this show:
- Plot errors, factual errors, inconsistencies
- Very slow paced
- Constant arguing between main couple
- Minimal romance
- Frustrating childish behaviour from adults
- Soul reaper rules not consistent at all
- Silly details like a phone on a tombstone, that's more comedic than dark

Of course this is just my opinion, if you liked this show, then good for you, I'm glad you did! :)

Read More

Love is patience

Love is patience is the sentence that best describe this drama. The three couples of this drama have to go through a lot to finally be together, mostly the main couple. This is a romance of a doctor and a soul reaper, is like dead and life fell in love. Everything about this drama is right and have you at edge of your seat in every chapter. It has a lot of plot twist and knowing the truth behind everything, would leave you heartbroken. The main couple gives a new meaning to the phrase: I give you my heart. A friend told me that the main couple remind her of Louis Tomlinson's song, The Two of Us, and it's absolutely right. The ending was beautiful but I wasn't prepare for how it goes. The intro OST is beautiful, I never skipped it and it fits the story. This is a drama that I would recommend! and definitely has a rewatch value! PD. I need a new drama of the main actors together!

Read More