Girl From Nowhere Season 2 (2021)

It was fine but the feels isn't the same

It was really difficult to talk about this season because isn't bad. What I thought abt this S2 is that the same things that was good was bad for me as well. The good things: we could see a development of Nanno's personality and the gore and cinematography in some episodes were better than S1. Yuri's connection with Nanno gave a "fresh air" to the series too because we never thought abt the legacy of Nanno's power and the possibiliy with someone replacing her in the future. But this good things also have a bad side for me as well and I'll explain more abt it below.

What I liked abt Girl From Nowhere was how Nanno was unique and powerful, her character was the ONLY ONE like that in the season. The messages behind each episode were really good too and I remember finishing an episode with a "OMG THAT WAS AMAZING" feeling but this season I didn't have the same feeling. The stories in each episode here wasn't that strong as S1 and I think it's due to as the writers wanted to introduce a new character, the purpose of S2 wasn't passing messages throught the episodes, it was only about schoking visually more the viewers and introducing the new character. It was like a "bridge" season to connect what we already saw from Nanno in S1 with a new "nanno" in S2 that may follow her footsteps and replace her. This new perspective can be good as I said up there but the problem is in Yuri's character. Her story with Nanno is what it is interesting, not her character. For me, besides having different thoughts abt revenge her character is really boring and it's like a worse version of Nanno. I understand the perspective of wanting to create a "nanno sequence" and create more people to "continue her journey" but as Yuri isn't an interesting character I ended up not enjoying her introduction that much. I think I would prefer they working together than being enemies. The thought of having a new season focused on Yuri really worries me too lol

As the writers choose to focus more on this "new nannos" this season can also be less impacting for u If u expected something more similar to S1 (like I did) of If u wanted episodes with good messages behind. Ofc we had some good episodes in S2 but the stories in each episode wasnt strong as S1 and the messages in some episodes seemed similar to S1 as well. Because of that, we already know more or less what to expect and this give a "well it was fine i guess" feeling. We had some good episodes with some plot twists too but in general, the portray of the messages wasn't that great as S1 so this can be a disappointing thing for you, keep that in mind.

Like I said, everything in this season have two sides, it will depends on you If u like this two parts or not, it's really about what you want as a viewer. Therefore, I think that If u liked S1 and If u like Nanno you should watch S2. Just don't expect too much If u liked S1 because it can't be a little dissapointed for you like it was for me. Or not.

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Justice served in the plate called "Violence"

Girl From Nowhere 2 is one of the best Thailand drama of 2021. Girl From Nowhere 2 brings justice to around, rape, bullying, sexuality, misogynies, capitalisms, beauty standards and more. Episode 1 is so powerful! Nanno gets a man pregnant, so he can see how much women have suffered because of this actions! James acting is insane. Girl From Nowhere 2, Episode 2 : The strict teacher tried building herself wall based on the societies standards of love, in the end Nanno shows, what really love is. It's not just man-woman but also woman-woman. The Emmy awards goes to Kitty Chicha Amatayakul for her role as Nanno, episode 3 and 4 is violent and disturbing! In the episode 4, Friendship is not some ATM card to use and throw. Nanno teaches three girls that! Despite Yuri sending two men to rape her two friends, in the end they raped the two girls and also raped her! Episode 5 is titled as Sotus and it will traumatize you! SOTUS episode is so powerful! If your ever bullied, raped or abused, NEVER EVER DO THAT SAME THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU ON OTHERS. Nanno shows Bullying is a disease. The cinematography and editing of the "Liberation" episode is a masterpiece! My favorite line is "If things are black, white or colored.
Who is right? Who is wrong? and who is better than their friend? Are we really the ones to judge in this greyscale world?". The last two episodes were my least favorite but I sure enjoyed Nanno teaching humans how to behave. The last scene was beautiful. I can't wait for season 3!!! We are also introduced to another devil like character "Yuri", she looks interesting!

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Missing Person: Nanno

SPOILER FREE

I don't want this to be too long so I will get to the point. Even though it was quite an easy watch with some interesting elements here and there, there were three main problems in this season. One was that the writers and the team tried to have a more ''sophisticated directing'' that was decent, but at the same time tiring and didn't evoke the unsettling felling that season one gave off. The second problem was that I felt like they were out of ideas. Most of the episodes had very similar elements to episodes from season one and felt repetitive and sometimes even draggy or unnecessary. The biggest problem in this season though, was Nanno herself. She was barely there in some of the episodes and the drastic change of her character, even though there were clues that it was going to happen, felt hasty and abrupt.

I saw many people wanting to find out Nanno's backstory, who or what she is, but I personally don't. One of the best parts of this series is the fact that we don't know anything about her. She is ''The girl from nowhere'' and I want her to stay that way or at least if we were to find out what she is I would prefer it to be in the last episodes of the series. The unknown is much more horrifying than the known.

Episodes ranking:
8 -> 6 ->7 -> 5 -> 4 -> 1 -> 3 -> 2

SPOILERS
My personal ranking of the episodes from best to worst:

Episode 8: This episode was a breath of fresh air comparing to the rest and it was imo by far the best. It was bloody, had a plot twist that was rapidly revealed and an unsettling atmosphere. It was also the episode that made me realize that in the modern world, most people would prefer revenge and not karma.

Episode 6: Easily the most visually pleasing episode of the whole season. Nanno gave a speech about rules in the beginning of it, but it was much more than that. It was about cutting off whatever is different. It was about strict regulations and societal rules that make people unable to breath and how difficult it is to get them out of your life, without becoming a monster. It was about a dark and white world that doesn't want any colors and doesn't need anyone to be unique. I also liked the Junji Ito vibes that this had regarding Nanno.

Episode 7: Sarcasm about social media, how they work and that sometimes we are able to do awful things for some views from people that we may not even know. Also about appreciating our life no matter how it is.

Episode 5: Easily the most fucked up episode of the season. It was certainly intriguing, but also unsettling. I liked the fact that it was basically a social commentary about the principle of "respecting people older than you", that doesn't only apply in school, but also in every part of people's life and it is fundamental in many Asian countries. One of the main reasons this is in the top four is because of Aim, that played Kaye. He was phenomenal and he portrayed every single emotion with just a look.

Episode 4: Interesting episode and the main introduction of Yuri. Frankly, they could have handled it way better, so that her appearance would be more mysterious, but they didn't.

Episode 1: First half of the episode was great. James is an amazing actor and he was really good in this role. Unfortunately second half felt draggy and repetitive and it reminded me of the first episode of the first season. It became a little ridiculous after a bit, like a badly written wattpad fan-fiction.

Episode 3: One of the most interesting concepts in this season. Unfortunately I didn't really like the execution nor the acting, but the idea was really good and it reminded me of season 1. This could be way higher in my ranking, but when a good concept is not handled correctly, it is even worse than a bad concept being handled in a bad way.

Episode 2: I liked the message of the episode, that love is love no matter what, but that's the only thing I enjoyed. This was the equivalent of the TK episode in season 1. It felt draggy and the main reason was not just the story, but the fact that it felt out of place. In the TK episode Nanno played a fundamental role and she did try to destroy TK, but since he was a good person she couldn't. In this one, it felt like she didn't have any bad intentions from the beginning and that could be explained by the change of her character, but if that is the case then it shouldn't have been the second episode of the series. However, since Yuri was introduced there wasn't a choice for this episode to be the 4th or the 5th of the season. If this episode didn't exist at all I would prefer it, since in only 8 episodes, I expected to see Nanno acting like herself.

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A Devil's Own Creation Can Be Their Downfall.

(Note* There might be spoilers ahead. Read at your own caution.
This is also all of my opinions. Do not be affected by my own rating as we all have different entertainment values.)

I never knew I'd love a series so much. I already favoured Girl From Nowhere season one but season two brings so much more. I personally prefer season two over season one. Season one lacked the main conflict (which is pretty understandable). Each episode was different and had no connection to the last but that's what I loved about it. Season two was much more flavourful, in terms of writing, cinematography and even acting. I admit I was a tiny bit hesitant watching season two thinking it'll be similar to season one but it wasn't.

In terms of each episode, I do have to warn you that this is gore and it is not for those who don't like blood or anything gory, guns, suicide, body anatomy, r@p3 etc...
Now, even further warnings: Episode two is light and nothing like you'd think (happy ending? surprisingly yes!) but it goes all dark in episode three. Episode five is probably the most disturbing of them all but the rest is similar (in terms of content) to season one.

I'll start with the individual episodes. Each episode brings their own messages and consequences of their action. The acting portrayed by everyone was amazing and the music is suspenseful as always.

This season brings such a powerful message that even those who seem on top can topple down. Nanno, probably the strongest and untouchable character I've ever seen in any drama, has NEVER shown any vulnerabilities in season one but it all changes when a mysterious girl with a red ribbon 'sabotages' her plans.
I've never seen Nanno so scared of her own creation and with that information itself (Kitty's acting is no joke, it's amazing how everything feels so natural), we know that it was a foreshadowing of what was going to happen to her.

I'm so glad we got to see another side of Nanno, being vulnerable and cautious around Yuri but showing her she was still the boss was just amazing. The range in Kitty's acting is standing ovation worthy. Nink's portrayal was also amazing!!

I loved Yuri and Nanno's dynamic relationship. They both had the same end goal but they approached it differently, you could tell Nanno was the professional one compared to Yuri who seemed new (she was impatient with Nanno's ways which could also be a foreshadowing of Nanno being slowly replaced). The two were like Yin and Yang—it depends on you who you think is the Yin and Yang.

I will also admit I was hesitant of Yuri's appearance, it shook me as well mostly because I loved Nanno the way she was. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy another, 'Nanno' but to my surprise, Nink portrayed Yuri so well.

But my point is, even the devil is scared of its own creation, knowing that whatever they created is their downfall. Nanno reviving Yuri. Controversial but maybe Nanno knew what her end game was. Why else would she create a person like her if she doesn't know what her fate is?

Now that all of that is said, I do highly recommend this. No, I don't think you necessarily have to watch season one but it'd give you the background information on Nanno and how far she can go.

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The storyline is actually amazing

The story line is actually amazing people just don't understand the symbolic meaning of what is really happening. Nanno represents karma and Yuri represents revenge and anger.
In the liberation episode or some other episode Nanno wears a green ribbon which represents balance and Yuri wears a red ribbon which represents destruction. There has to be a good and bad to balance out each other. In the last episode Nanno is mortal or something ( people are actually debating it you can check it on YouTube videos related to this series) when people think revenge is the only option karma just fades away . Karma acts as if it is gone but waits for the destruction caused by revenge. But I agree this message should be given in the end of the series itself so that people don't get confused.
It was a interesting series . I have never seen a series that is based on karma as the main lead.
Sorry for my bad English as it isn't my first language.(it is not exactly a review but something I wanted say)

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Not as good as the first season

Plot:

Somehow I felt that there is something lacking through the plot compare to the first season. I don't quite enjoy it as the first season. I felt like it is not as impactful as it was. The message of each episode did not quite delivers. Somehow it focus more on how gore and bloody it is. However, the first season manage to bring that horror, spine chilling, hair raising atmosphere that the sequel.
I was expecting how NANNO able to drives the plot and excites us through every episodes. but somehow it feels lacking, especially with the introduction of Yuri as a new character. I really do not like Yuri as a character. I undrstand they want to potray a new character that is clashing and have different opinion to Nanno but somehow it comes as annoying. Everytime she shows up I feel like i want to skip her part. After watching the whole season 2, afraid that the next season will be focus on Yuri (please don't, the sole reason I watch Girl from Nowhere is due to Nanno as a character). I like the idea of the possibilities of Nanno being replace by her rival it is fresh. However, at the end of the episode how Nanno is being replaced by Yuri and new girl, junko, just does not satisfy me at all and make me does not want to know the next story anymore. while Yuri character is annoying for me. Junko character is just underwhelming. maybe I just had bias against Yuri and Junko character., or maybe not.

IMO, the essence of GFN is to show human dark side through Nanno either enticing them or slowly revealing it to us. However, in season 2, I didn't get the theme of the whole season. At the start I though it was about punishing the 'bad' kids, somehow it got off the track and then become a revenge spree series with no pay off (message that each episode convey to us, audiences). It just feels like, OH They bullied me they have to DIE in a gore way! Kill! and that's it? I did not feel the satisfaction I felt after watching each episode like the Season 1.


Acting:

Acting of the actors still shines though. The only thing that stills bug me from the first season is the laugh. Both Nanno and Yuri laugh still don't quite 'there' yet. Nanno sometimes manages to hit it but still not consistent. Other than that, I feel like all is good.

Music:

Glad that it still use the same music from the first season.

Rewatch Value:

First season has better rewatch value.


Overall:

Can we just talk about the wig??? OMG, right from the first episode I kept getting distracted by how stiff and obvious the wigs are. First season Nanno has much better wig and looks more natural. (If Chicha is not wearing a wig, I seriously question the stylist how could they make her hair so stiff). Yuri's wig is worse than Nanno, OMG. the whole season, the most thing I focus on is the wigs! it shows how distracting they are. If there is Season 3, they need to put more budget on the wig. I beg you.

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Nanno provided us with satisfaction in Season 1 by portraying a character who has committed several sins and at the same time paying for them. KARMA is described by Nanno. It might not hit you directly at first, but it will inevitably hit you.
In some scenarios, whose KARMA is coming at you right away, but quite often it's not, KARMA is coming at you slowly but steadily. People were given rewards and punishments by Nanno. She also gave justice.
Not only that, but people learn from their mistakes. Remember Nanai and the Principal from the first and second episodes? That's the way Karma works.
Yuri views her as a representation of VENGEANCE. But vengeance isn't enough to bring about justice. In most cases, vengeance is carried out in response to a grievance.
Some would be desperate to give them to you. And what was the outcome? There's a lot of chaos and shady business happening on, and it's all pointless. Because of your deeds, there is no satisfaction after you have exacted your revenge.
And most of the time, we make the mistake of thinking that vengeance is KARMA. That's why, even at the end of season 2, Yuri has no idea how to do what Nanno does. She gave justice because she believed. THAT SHE IS KARMA. so Nanno always tells her that she still has a lot to learn.
So Nanno won't die dead because eventually, karma will still hit you. Even if it is the result of revenge, Karma will still chase you.

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A decent sequel

In the first season everything was about Nanno, so the stories were all disconnected from each other. Here there are more elements that tie the stories together, including the Nanno vs Yuri subplot developed all throughout the season.

Chicha shared on social media that the episodes would be dealing with social issues in Thai society and to be honest I could see some social topics being briefly touched upon, such as the respect towards authorities in episodes 5 and 6 (which I interpreted as being related to the protests against Thai monarchy) and wealth inequality in episode 3. This is something I really appreciate, because it gives more depth to the whole show, since the first season also tried to teach some morals.

What I liked the most about this season compared to the first one is how much more horror it got. Right from the first episode, we see how sick things get. Nanno is way more severe in her punishments and I can't say I didn't enjoy this.
The Nanno vs Yuri subplot is a little unnecessary. It gave more flavour to the show, but I don't think much would have changed if it weren't there.

What disappointed me was the ending. Not because Nanno died or because Yuri won, but because Nanno was trying to make a difference in the world, while Yuri was motivated only by hate and anger. Nanno is a sadistic character, but at least her actions serve a purpose, i. e. make the culprit repent (at least in the first season, in this one we don't see this side of her too much). Yuri, on the other hand, is a very dark and negative character, that doesn't care about who is right and who is wrong, she just wants to see people destroyed by their own actions. The final episode was also a bit stupid. The whole thing about mum vs daughter in my eyes didn't justify Yuri's words, according to whom Nanno couldn't be the judge because it was unclear which character was at fault.

If I didn't count the last episode, I would rate this a 9.5, but that episode really let me down.

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Well I'm a bit disappointed in this season. I really wanted them to explain Nanno's story, what is her it or what is its true goal.

In the first season she just seemed like a demon who had fun playing with both the victims and the perpetrators. In this season she seems more of a karmic entity, which makes me even more confused as to what her true goal is.

Yuri like her counterpart seemed boring to me. Nanno in this season is karma and Yuri is revenge... but really I also don't understand the point of her character.

Regarding the messages, except the first three (I mean that the first was a BIG SHOCK; I understood that the boy had to suffer the same consequences but it seemed to me a number of strange scenes with absurd situations) are vague and not as clear as the one in the first season. The series is not bad and although it seems to you that you are seeing the strangest thing in the world, it hooks a lot. The problem is that I don't find the point to the series or a message in general and this season it was worse because it only served to introduce Yuri. So I would not know whether to recommend it or not because sometimes the series makes you feel strange and confused about what you are watching.

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You're going to regret by not watching this series!

Cleverly written. I think that they purposely wrote the ending like that (Yuri thinking Nanno is dead & and replacing her and giving Junko her powers) is to hint on the next season? I don't know why but I just feel that even though Nanno looks unbothered about Yuri's resurrection, I know Nanno will not just let Yuri and Junko who barely knows anything about this kind of "job" take her place. Nanno's way of revenge is to teach people their lesson and have someone die if necessary. But Yuri's idea of teaching a lesson is just to kill. She's unworthy to have those kind of powers in the first place. I hope that season 3 will tell the story of how Nanno will defeat her own creation which is Yuri and of course stop Yuri's creation(Junko).

Enough talking about hints for the next season? Let's talk about each episodes. Bare in mind that some episodes are too over the top and excessive but I'm okay because those episodes are entertaining?

Episode 1 was a nice start to the season. I see how society is still facing teen pregnancy problems. The way Nanno taught Nannai a lesson is amazing? Jaymes is a really good actor too for portraying Nannai!

Episode 2 has a really unique and a great idealistic concept. It teaches what love is which is not only about boy and girl. The kiss scene was a bit too much though. In my opinion, the confession scene was a bit unrealistic. She confessed in front of the whole school (usually it's privately) and why would the teacher kiss the other teacher back? They only just chatted a few times and they're already in love?? It's okay haha sweet episode though!

Episode 3 was dark. It really shows how rich people can easily manipulate the media. It was a 50/50 for Minnie's death. I kinda want her to die but not also?The suicide scene was disturbing though. Not much to say but this is one of my favourite episodes?

Episode 4 was okay I guess, it was not my favourite because there are so many unanswered questions there like where are Nana's parents? why is she so free, doesn't she have a maid or something?does the maid not hear the rape screams? Now that Nana and the other girl are dead, it's not going to be big news? who is going to discover the bodies? I also hate the fact that Nanno gave Yuri her powers( I don't know if this was intentional or Yuri just got lucky).

Episode 5 was the darkest for me. It was so disturbing and humiliating to watch. Lesson learned just don't bully people because if you taste your own medicine, you're not gonna like it?

Episode 6 was the most unrealistic. The concept of it was amazing, I loved it. But the actions of the characters were a bit questionable. Where are the parents? If the school can lock up students in a dark room, listening to all of the 427 rules all over again, there must be some students who will tell their parents about it. And till that day, there are no complains about the school rules? And when Nanno was stabbed in the flag pole(?) Idk how to describe that situation, why did no one call the police? There's literally a dead girl on a flag pole. There are so much more that confuses me but I'll just skip that for now.

Episode 7 was probably my favourite. The idea was really great. I like how that episodes shows Nanno doubting herself about the punishments she gave.

Episode 8 was a blender. It was sad, rage, weird, hate and more. I hate the fact that Yuri gave Junko her blood and Yuri thought that she could replace Satan's daughter. As if? I'm really glad that Nanno isn't dead?I was scared that they would kill her off in the last episode when they made her wound not healing at episode 7. Glad that she isn't turning mortal?

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When James appeared in the first episode, I immediately felt confident that this sequel would go very well. However, what happened is.... the other episodes actually melted down to the end. It turns out that the power of the stories in the first season are still unbeatable.

Although it cannot be denied that Kitty's acting is still extraordinary, but somehow I felt that there is something missing that I didn't get from this season like what I felt in the previous one.

It’s not bad, at all. It juts....

In Indonesian:
Saat kehadiran James pada episode pertama, saya langsung merasa yakin bahwa sequel ini akan berjalan sangat baik. Namun apadaya, episode lainnya justru melemag hingga akhir. Ternyata kekuatan cerita pada season 1 masih tidak bisa dikalahkan.

walaupun tidak bisa dipungkiri bahwa akting Kitty memang masih luar biasa, namun entah kenapa saya merasa ada yang tidak saya dapatkan dari season ini seperti apa yang saya rasa pada season sebelumnya.

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Season 1 is much more better

As a fan of the first season of Girl from Nowhere, I am disappointed that I didn’t feel the same feelings I felt on the previous season while watching this second season. Adding Yuri as a rival of Nanno isn’t a wise choice to begin with. Its ruin the fun of the series and I just wish that they simply stick with Nanno being the only one who keeps transferring school and bringing justice and karma in her own way. I think that they rushed producing the show because the first season were became hit, popular and in demand to the viewers. Pushing another episode is fine but I just hope that it still executed the same level of creative stories from the first one.

I can’t help but to compare the two season. In which, this season is way more too weak than the prior season. My say on every episode:

EP01 (Pregnant) – A good start yet the story is so typical. But I still like the message of the episode, reversing card for those male who loves to fuck then avoid responsibilities if unexpected pregnancy happens.

EP02 (True Love) – A “just okay” episode. Breaking one’s traditional believes is something that close minded people should do. The world is evolving and as days passed by, believes also changed. As long as it is ethical, it is acceptable.

EP03 (Minnie and the Four Bodies) – Boring and messy episode. Watching this episode annoys me, obviously in a negative way. I like the acting but the transition of the story is so confusing.

EP04 (Yuri) – Another good episode. This is when the background of Yuri being introduced. My favorite part for this episode is the devilish attitude conveyed by both victim and suspect.

EP05 (SOTUS) – My favorite episode. This should be the standard level of GFNW concept, bold and artistic. I also disliked implementing traditional way of disciplining students mind and body be means of an organization. In my experience, during my junior high school days, I obliged to enter the CAT (some sort of training similar with the army but only demonstrate in an appropriate way for students) which I trained for being an incoming officer. It was so painful and tired full both mentally and physically. Only since graduation I realized that it is just a total waste of my energy plus I really hate the time that our senior (upper level students) gives us an unreasonable bunch of punishments just to satisfy themselves. Anyways, this is the only episode I enjoyed watching among the rest of them.

EP06 (Liberation) – Weird. I know that the drama is all about weirdness but this episode is so weird in a way that I feel so irritated with its unrealistic story even though the whole concept is irrational at all. Yuri is so annoying here hahaha good thing Nanno proves how to handle the situation in her own cleverness way. I also laughed in the story portraying a school who murdered their own students and making them imprison in a dark room for days hahaha. Anyways, I don’t get the grey part ending? Do they unable to return to their original color because they’re so used on living in a grey world or what?

EP07 (JennyX) – Nothing extraordinary again. Common story and plot plus Nanno seems to be getting boring and boring each scenes.

EP08 (The Judgement) – Very expected episode. I saw the same kind of story in a popular western movie. Maybe they get the idea in it but still it doesn’t amaze me at all. For me, this episode is just bland. The ending seems to point out that they still processed another season in which another girl was infected by Nanno’s blood.

Overall, cinematography and consistency of Kitty being Nanno is the factors I liked the most in this season. Stories and the adding of characters in the concept is not effective for me. Still, I do enjoy the whole show from time to time but I do expect more thrill and excitement.

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