Dangerous Romance (2023)

A Windless Windmill

The title Dangerous Romance is very much an oxymoron. There's nothing dangerous about the romance in this drama unless you want to very loosely connect it to the fact that it's an enemies to lovers story. It's Thai title, Heart in the Wind, is far more suitable and poetic. The name aside though, Dangerous Romance is a fairly fluffy drama with a few doses of angst and a touch of drama towards the end to spice things up. It's not complicated, it doesn't break the mold, but it's fun and I was mostly entertained by it.

The drama follows the fairly common enemies to lovers trope. Kanghan is the school's rich boy bully whereas Sailom is the school's scholarship whiz kid. Predictably and quickly, the two clash and then fall in love. Too quickly for my taste. Kang and his friends aren't just your garden variety bullies. They're not only physically abusive, but Kang takes things several steps farther by threatening Sailom's jobs and even takes a gun, albeit not a loaded on, to threaten him with at his home. However, when Kang saves Sailom from getting beaten up by debt collectors, suddenly all the issues between them dissipate and their relationship starts to develop. While Kang does acknowledge and take ownership of his actions, he never really faces any consequences for them and it all gets swept under the rug so to speak. Given how Sailom was willing to stand up to him, it felt a bit out of character that he so easily forgave Kang. Their romance, while at times a tad dramatic, is never dangerous. There's nothing forbidden about them being together, there's no impression that either of their families would object, and while they do have several instances where they're in danger, it's not because of their love. Aside from the first and last couple of episodes, the rest was mostly filler. Kang's moment of teenage rebellion lasts a couple episodes in the middle but doesn't really accomplish anything other than some very slight character development and a few sweet moments. The plot line with Name and his boss and cronies at the end was very nonsensical and generally just a mess. As a side note, the series is rife with tropes, from having actually met when they were younger to the accidental falls to the ever present sponge bath and on it goes. The pacing left something to be desired. The beginning was fairly fast paced, but quickly mellowed and became almost laggy at points before picking up again in the last couple of episodes. Part of the issue was the number of time jumps. It make things seem like they were happening faster than they were, like the development of Kang and Sailom's relationship.

I struggled with Kang's character in large part because there were aspects that made no sense. He clearly started developing feelings for Sailom early on, and then quite suddenly seemed to be torn between his feelings for Sailom and the sudden development of his feelings for Pimfah. Now whether he actually had feelings for Pimfah or he just didn't want to acknowledge his feelings for Sailom and so was deflecting, who knows. Regardless, it didn't work and was confusing to watch because up until that point, we'd had no indication that he viewed Pimfah as anything more than a friend. Similarly, after Saifah confessed to killing Kang's father, Kang distanced himself from Sailom and was, at times, quite cruel to him, despite obviously still caring about him. When he and Sailom reconcile, he tells him that he never wanted to leave him, etc., etc., however, no one ever forced them apart, it was his decision. There's also the underlying current that his family life and the issues with his father somehow justify his bullying others. It does not and it didn't sit well with me how quickly his actions were overlooked. And once he and Sailom did get together, he was almost too sweet. I would have liked a better balance between the sweetness and the bad boy persona he had. Sailom was enjoyable just for his razor sharp tongue. He had some fantastic comebacks to Kang's bullying which immediately increased his appeal. I appreciated how he stood up for himself and his friends and refused to back down. Some of his sass though was lost once he and Kang got together. There were moments where I expected him to fight for their relationship, but instead he just moped. In general, his character just became less compelling as the story progressed.

As side characters, I really enjoyed Auto and Guy. They were good, solid friends for Sailom and I enjoyed their interactions. Max and Nawa left me with mixed feelings because while I did enjoy the development of Guy and Nawa's relationship, neither character ever acknowledged their part in the bullying started by Kang other than to joke about it. I would have liked to see them owning up to what they did rather than it, again, just be swept aside. Pimfah was generally likable, although her inexplicable crush on Sailom came out of nowhere and was so quickly resolved that it felt almost pointless. Saifah left me feeling a bit frustrated, because he was obviously not dumb and yet some of the things he did made no sense. The hinted feelings between him and Name were sweet, but ultimately left underdeveloped and not needed. Same with Pimfah and Napdao. Kang's grandmother was a queen and I'm so glad they didn't kill her off as I was afraid they would. She was one smart cookie and I really appreciated how even though she loved Kang and clearly doted on him, she also didn't just brush aside his misdeeds and she didn't just view him through rose colored glasses. Kang's father, on the other hand, was a disappointment. His reasoning for how he was raising Kang was incredibly weak and he just came across as someone with weak character. I will admit that I did cheer when he showed up to Kang's football game though, if for no other reason than it made Kang so darn happy.

Perth and Chimon are both incredibly talented actors, but this was not their best work. Their chemistry lacked consistency and there were more than a few awkward scenes. The kissing scenes in particular just did not work and were almost uncomfortable to watch. Chimon also seemed to struggle with several of the more emotional scenes where he had to cry. It felt forced. The acting wasn't bad, I've just seen stronger performances from both.

There were several episodes that were unnecessarily flashback happy. I'm generally fairly ambivalent towards the sound effects used, but there were instances where they really didn't fit and stood out. The wind/windmill analogy was cute the first time or two, but then just got repetitive thereafter. One thing I did like though was the costuming, particularly the school uniforms. While not shabby, you could definitely tell that the scholarship kids' uniforms were older and less pristine. It added a dimension to the characters that was appreciated. I also liked the music, particularly the theme song although it was overused per the usual. I liked it enough though that it didn't get too annoying.

Based on the trailer for Dangerous Romance, I was expecting far more from it than I got. I was expecting it to be more fast paced and, based on the title as well, to have more at stake. Instead, it turned out to be a fairly generic piece of fluff that, while entertaining, didn't give anything deeper. It's underlying theme, Do you think all people are equal? poses an interesting and compelling question, but ultimately doesn't give a particularly satisfying answer. Nevertheless, if your expectations aren't too high and you go in with an open mind, you may find it to be a pleasant diversion.

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bromance or BL? It's the Perth show

Without giving away any spoilers I can say episode one would make most people stop watching this,,, the only reason to power through is Perth who rises beyond an inconsistent tone, and a script that wants to be five things at once.

Let's jump to the cons: NO chemistry between the lead couple and the potential romance is built on a transactional relationship, you help me pass a test and we can play video games. I spent the first few episodes wondering if the leads were asexual celibate as they expressed no interest in each other. The script and directors didn't help, "pass your test...for me" is the closest thing to a romance or a bromance with occasional hugs.

The title is "dangerous romance" but the romance is miscast, and only one of the actors is believable: Perth, is the star attraction, and the only reason to watch this messy melodrama...the other actor with Perth is just phoning it in and doesn't want to be near Perth. Fake kisses speak volumes.

I found myself wanting to fast forward because everything seemed forced and watching people trying to act and only one person was believable in the role.

to call this "dangerous" would mean that studying hard will give you a papercut. It could be dangerous because at one point the Perth character likes two people at once. It's confusing and dangerous to keep watching awkward confusion.

That being said, the question is, should I watch it...YES, if you like the actors and watch without the sound. And can ignore the lack of anything romantic...then enjoy

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Nothing Special

Yet again, another Thai BL that, one, does not live up to its expectations, and two, does not live up to its title. This was a typical formulaic standard, trite, and tropey BL that I could have written even if I were in a coma. It is pretty much epigonic. Only the names were changed. Had this been more creative or even a thought-provoking series or one that even tried to be a little bit different, perhaps it might have been more impactful. As it is, it became another run-of-the-mill BL with little creativity with one exception. That exception and disappointment was the secondary relationship. They were most interesting but were not the main focus. Too bad. They were way more developed than the primary couple.

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What exactly is so dangerous about it?

I started watching this because of NMLG. I loved Ben & Choppers relationship and wanted to see more of them so bad. So when I found out about this show, I was excited. Unfortunately, it disappointed me heavily.

First, some things I liked.
- Sailom and Kangs cheesy honeymoon phase. They were really cute, I won’t deny.
- Guy. No explanation needed.
- The first 2 episodes. The suspense and tension was really interesting.
- Sailoms friend group as a whole.

Then, the things I didn’t like.
- The complete 180 of Kangs character starting in Epiosde 3. It’s like they secretly replaced him with a twin brother who is his polar opposite. There was no character development, he just randomly decided he wouldn’t be an asshole anymore.
- How quickly Sailom and his friends forgave him. Kang never really apologized for bullying Auto. He just bought them stuff, took them to a bar, and was forgiven.
- Kang having a crush on Pimfah. It didn’t make sense. The entire series, there’s no signs he liked her. Then randomly he’s just crazy over her? And then after he was indirectly rejected, it’s like he just immediately got over it and liked Sailom. That’s just not realistic. If you really did like someone for as long as Kang (supposedly) liked Pimfah, there’s no way you’re going to just move on that quick. Kang is trying to be sweet when he says “Before I knew it, I fell for you,” I get it, but like… There was max 3 days of time where he made that decision.
- Pimfah and the teacher. Sigh… Actually, before watching the show, when I saw ViewJune in the cast I was stoked. But imagine my surprise when Junes character is a … TEACHER?! Hell no. Can GMMTV stop trying to make Student x Teacher happen? They did this stupid shit in The Eclipse too. It’s just so uncomfortable. Thank god we have 23.5 to fill our ViewJune fix, because this is horrendous.

Overall, it’s not the worst in the world. But it’s definitely not the best. I think a ChopperBen spin-off would’ve been way better. I’m not really into PerthChimon as actors too much but they have pretty faces and okay chemistry. I saw some reviews saying the chemistry in this series was bad, and I don’t think it was THAT bad but certainly not the same as Chopper & Ben. They just needed a better written series.

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It was just mwah <3

Oh my god, It was worth the wait. So, I dropped this a while ago since I wanted to wait until the series was finished before I watched it and it did not disappoint.

Perth an Chimon's chemistry was great and I'd love to watch more series that they're in, in the future.

Despite the bullying at the very start of the series, this series has a LOT of wholesome moments that I really REALLY enjoyed and I also loved the character development of Kang as well.

There is also a part with crime and mystery, and it just made it better as a lover of that genre. There was not too much and not too little drama.

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Wind can be oddly entertaining

This drama taught my the Thai word for wind and that a windmill ca not spin without wind.. ok to be honest I kind of knew that windmills need wind but hat it failed to convey is that to much wind can break a windmill and that the wind can do perfectly fine without the windmill... Ok this is a lot of wind, and while the story does have a storm or two there is actually a lot more rain than wind in this drama.

The story itself is the typical boys over flowers type of story rich kids bully the poor, fall in love and turn the bullying in to bickering protective joy with the added bonus of one lovely granny, some gangsters, sports and injuries... making you wonder are these really teens? And will they survive in this dangerous world where the romance seems to be the only safe thing out there...


The boys are cute, the girls to, the friends are lovely, the bullies have wonderful character development almost making us forget they are bullies... All put together you get, I get we get a pretty entertaining drama... A bit to cringey at times but over all highly entertaining and not so much more...

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Weak resolution & ending but the rest of the show works

The initial worry was that this would turn out to be another F4 Thailand-esque bully-redemption-arc type of story, but in the BL universe. If you’re reluctant to watch this because you think Kanghan’s character is going to be horribly problematic, well, I’d have to tell you that you’re kinda right. But it gets better real quick.

The first episodes are a hard(er) watch precisely because Kanghan’s character is downright insufferable and cringey. It’s nothing to do with Perth’s acting, mind you, but rather, demonstrating how Kanghan is in an awkward phase of his teenage life where he’s still processing his identity and self-worth.

Some commenters are quick to point out that Chimon doesn’t look like he’s too whipped for Perth, but I wouldn’t worry about this. The romance develops organically and has its sweet moments – more importantly, the actors are decent enough to carry the narrative.

It also has some pretty awesome side couples featuring Marc and Pawin. I’ve been following them since My Gear And Your Gown and I think they make a pretty good second couple.

In my opinion, though, the show also wasted a perfectly good opportunity to showcase more of Saifah and Name’s relationship, which had a completely different dynamic from Sailom and Kanghan.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/11/16/dangerous-romance-2023-bl-review/

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Not likely to be remembered

Typical GMMTV fare that isn't their worst but not a classic either.
I do like both Chimon for his charm and Perth for his visuals but unfortunately neither really have the charisma needed for good leads.
Whether it's true or not about them not really getting on I did see an interview they had and there was certainly no chemistry between them unlike with most other BL couples, and their kissing/NC scenes just looked awkward and unbelievable.
It was probably stronger nearer the start and I found the finale the weakest episode being very drawn out at times.

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IT WAS A SAFE ROMANCE

I like the fact that the series started with a very good hook; it gave you a very clear overview of what's going to happen and to whom. The first 3 - 4 episodes were great, very captivating, funny and pronounced, sadly all of which started to deteriorate after that, the story became predictable and incredibly dramatic.
Kanghan made sense in all of his actions and intentions...up to the series' first half (or perhaps just a bit more than that), and then he became nonsensical. Also, i wished the series didn't force so much drama into itself, yet, it did. I was choking with unworldly conflicts and unworthy infighting. In short, they didn't exact a good plot after the first few episodes.
The thing that might be the saving grace for this series was the ost and the acting. About the actors, we had familiar and good faces to counted on, they surely delivered, only that Chimon's acting in couple scenes did not persuade me. The character of his relationship with Kanghan was playful, supportive and unconditionally loving, he showed me some of that but not the loving part, i didn't feel like he love Kanghan, more like a special friend...and that did not give me butterflies. Perth however, actually played all out, we felt love oozing out of him for Sailom, we felt his fear, his anger, his joy and that's powerful. For a BL series, we need all that to make it work, to make it persuasive and empatheticable. All the side couples weren't give enough ground to play their parts, yet they did their jobs and deserve praises for that. I would like to say that Euro played his role beautifully, he was actually so natural and convincing. I love his acting.
To conclude, this series did not pass as a great series, but it's a good series, at least give it a whirl to experience the plot and the love.

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Another dumbed-down Thai drama. I agree with the other low ratings, so i'll try to only mention (in no particular order) the things that weren't already covered in other reviews.

Ok, so this was mentioned in other reviews but i really loved that Sailom turned the tables on his bully...also loved that Grandma knows her grandchild and didn't allow Kang to lie about or downplay his horrible behavior.

Dad/Grandma. Didn't punish Kang for anything, ever. Unless i slept through those parts?

Name. Thought it was a good idea to pull a gun on the crime boss with his two goons not only in the room but also right behind Name. These guys are killers, but didn't kill Name...why? Suddenly the big bad baddie doesn't seem so dangerous. Or maybe he felt like Name was family, a son or little brother? Then show us that!

Boss. Wants to keep the noise down in the hospital (hence the attempt to smother the dad with the pillow) but then you go and fire a loud-ass gun. And miss. You accidentally shot the dad square in the chest in a dark house, but you can't do the same thing when you're actually aiming at a target standing right in front of you in a well-lit room?!

Kang. You got mad at your bf for something his brother did. They should have had him suspect that Sailom knew something and didn't warn them. Could be true or not. If Sailom said he didn't know, then we could've watched Kang struggle with wanting to trust Sailom while knowing how dedicated he is to his brother. Do we believe him or not? If Sailom said he did know, then maybe Sailom thought he'd talked his brother and/or Name out of doing anything criminal and didn't feel the need to warn the family. Kang would feel that he should've been informed and wonder if Sailom kept it from him so he and his brother could keep their jobs and pay his debts. Does Sailom want to be with Kang because he's rich? Now we'd get a real reason for Kang to ask Sailom that question. Kang asks that multiple times in the show but it never makes sense because Sailom has done nothing to make him wonder. But if Sailom had kept this criminal plan a secret, then Kang could realistically wonder. Either scenario would have been better, instead of Kang immediately turning his back on Sailom. I do like that Kang apologized to all his classmates at graduation for his bullying, but it would've been much more powerful and meaningful if he'd also apologized to each person individually.

Sailom. He should never have moved into Kang's home unless it was made clear that only the adults could fire him or ask him to leave. You can't place your employment and housing in the hands of a temperamental teen. And i was upset that he agreed so easily and just left his brother. Yes, his brother is an adult, but they are all each other has, so it just felt out of character for him to move away unless it was for college.

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I am crushing on Kang, but in all honesty everything was average at best

My impressions:

1) BANTER SCENES ARE HIGHLIGHT, THE ONLY HIGHLIGHT
Dangerous Romance execution had a slice of life drama appeal to it rather than some dangerous vibes like KinnPorche or Not me...which I personally like as well because there is always something raw and honest about the formet. Even the better performances such as those of Kang, Max and Nava felt average for a bl. Highlights are mostly from Kang and Sailom banter, then Nava and Guy banter. The plot was not believable, had little consistency (Pimfah lady, wtf you fell in love with whom? how did we get there please enlighten me!!!) and that graduation scene - I am still laughing at the speech. I feel slightly offended when I think that GMMTV made Eclipse and Only Friends and then have this as what? a drama for second tier citizens? But eh I will just forget about it and...

2) ....ALLOW THE FANGIRL TO OVERTAKE:
because the way Kang was written vibes with me 100%. Writers seemed to put all of their creative jumble into him. Aside the bully phase, he was a great man and a boyfriend imo. I low key think he is boyfie goals. He stood up at all the right times, manly and attractive but vulnerable and sweet when necessary. Open with his emotions towards Sailom. Quite sincere and childlike in his honesty. Direct and deliberate in what he wants. Attractive character overall. Also his metaphor about Sailom moving Kanghan (wind and windmill) was chef's kiss. Kang was indeed my only impetus to continue watching. He was just good at this role even though sometimes he slipped from the scene he was in. Immense potential.

3) THE PLOT WAS NOT MATCHED TO APPROPRIATELY TO THE CAST
Truth be told, to answer the question of one of the other reviewers -- it was not dangerous really, in fact, the opposite imo. It seems as if someone took the title of another drama and pasted it by accident. The plot seems more mature than the actors themselves. It had potential to be dangerous. It did not get there. 'Not me' had fairly young cast but still did well so idk. Do not hate me but I thought casting for Sailom was not appropriate. The actor did not feel matched to the character and his expressions could be numbered on fingers of one hand, like three at most. Chemistry was also, well not bad per say but not vibrant if you know what I mean. I could feel more chemistry from Nava and Guy, and I did not vibe with Guy's performance so that says it all. Kang and Nava ate and lead their scenes.

THE VERDICT:
Surprisingly I could see this being of a fair rewatch value for me, despite it having all of the ingredients that would predict otherwise. I really liked the build up episodes, loving and teasing banter, deliberate expressions of cuteness. If you do not watch this drama you will not miss much, really. If you watch it, you will have a nice time, some of your brain cells may die but scrolling through insta kills more. Here at least your eyes will be blessed by cute actors.

Thanks for reading.

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