Khemjira

The mythology pulls you in — the couple keeps you at a distance

The mythology pulls you in — the couple keeps you at a distance
Review:
The premise genuinely hooked me. A family curse that kills every male heir before their twenty-first birthday, a young man raised under a girl's name to preserve the protection, and then at twenty the veil starts to lift and he begins seeing things he shouldn't. As far as I'm aware this is one of the first Thai BL series to put Thai mythology this centrally at its heart, and that alone makes it worth paying attention to. That part of the story stuck with me.
Where I personally struggled was with KengNamping as a couple. They're beautiful to look at, but the dynamic felt overly familiar to me — Namping feminine, androgynous, delicate, in need of protection; Keng sexy, mysterious, powerful. I've seen that pairing before and I wanted something more from it here. The added layer of Keng's priestly vows — his purity at risk if he gives in to attraction — could have created real tension, and occasionally it does. But with neither character willing or able to make a move, and both of them leaning heavily introverted, I found myself wondering at times whether these two would have anything to say to each other if the supernatural threat wasn't conveniently in the room.
Circling each other without really closing the distance gets exhausting after a while. The world the series builds is genuinely interesting — I just wished the people at the center of it felt a little more alive to each other.

Read More

A good show, but overhyped nonetheless

When it comes to the BL as a genre, there are very few if none, actually good supernatural BL's. So it is undeniable that so far the best supernatural BL drama is Khemjira.
But that doesnt mean this show is without flaws and issues.

The most important part: ENDING IS SATISFYING. So if not for anything else, I will recommend it just so you can also get a satisfactory ending.

The good of the show is: the whole supernatural aspect and entity haunting bit. The main antagonist is a genuinely bittersweet character, you might hate her, you might love her. But no one can say she was out of place - her revenge is meaningful and has little to do with the romance. She was one of my fav characters for the show even if really scary af. The thai practices are represented well, and I think people should always respect local practices if it doesn't infringe on you. Otherwise its better not to go to a place that has strong preferences for their practice, because while you may not believe it, their believes originate from something and you can't just deny that for them.

The bad of the show is the character Khemjira himself. And I won't blame the actor for it entirely. Its the character itself which is written so poorly. Khemjira is the cursed one, but he can't get his priorities in order (and suddenly switches goals to chasing love). Instead of getting stronger for himself, all he does is cook, stitch, cry, get targeted, mope, pout and such things. It shocks me that the character is originally written this way. A person who has lived their entire life seeing ghosts and a majority of it living alone, with impending death at 21, cannot be so careless and stupid even. But he is. I don't get how, but thats how he is. So its easy to note that the character is a very difficult one to play, not because its complicated but because its actually lacks substance. I won't say the actor was particularly bad at playing this character, but the actor definitely didn't bring any additional value to this character. From what I know, this character was even less developed in the novel in terms of standing up for himself or taking action, so the fact that despite being buffed (in terms of personality) for the show, he is still such a weak main character is just sad.

This bad is balanced by other characters, specially Paran. I won't say the shaman is the most fleshed out character either, but at least his behaviour is understandable. He makes sense as a person. Whether its moments where you disagree with his behaviour or moments where you are attracted to his hot bod, he is a character that has an identify of his own. He doesn't go around offering platitudes without offering any actual results.

Which brings me to the next bad: which is the romance being forced in. Originally Khemjira's feelings for Paran do overlap due to their past relation, but at no point do you see the character question it. Although he tells others these are feelings from past life, in the end there is no genuine introspection to be seen on his end. He is already asking Paran to help him meddle with his karma and now he also wants his feelings to be reciprocated. The way its shown situation after situation, makes it seem like the show wants you to blame Paran for not returning his feelings, which is just messed up because no one owes anyone else this kind of reciprocation. Again this can all be blamed on Khemjira's own character being a hollow one.

This review is seemingly full of issues with the show, but the thing is you can already read 20 reviews with praises, so I wanna write something which focuses on the not-so-praiseworthy aspects. This show is so worth watching for the plot, you feel invested, you want to know what happened and why. But the romance aspect of it is....not as good as the plot itself. That doesn't mean you won't be getting faceful of romance and even NC scenes, there is a lot of that too. But that part feels more disjointed and glued on.

All I wanna say is: Whatever Paran couldn't do, he can do now.

Read More

Not only did Khemjira defeat his curse, but also defeated mine.

So here’s the thing about Domundi… they are a company that prioritises quality over quantity any day. And that has been very much true with every one of their series. But here’s the thing, I have never liked a Domundi series. Ever. Even the “The Next Prince”, I had such high hopes for it, and the beginning of it was amazing, but they ended up dropping the ball so quickly. So, when I picked up Khemjira because everyone and their dogs were talking about it like every other Domundi show, I expected the same thing. I was not gonna like it. And if I did, it would drop the ball fast.

And yet, against all odds, not only did Khemjira defeat his family curse, it somehow defeated my Domundi curse as well. Because when I say with every bone in my body that this is the best 2025 BL I have watched, I am not joking. This is by far the most beautiful and heartbreaking series I have watched right up there with I Feel You Linger In The Air, Tale of A Thousand Stars, 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us and Last Twilight. This series deserves ALL its praises, all its flowers, all its standing ovations, and much, much more.

Okay, now that I have sung my praises, let's talk about it.

The plot of the series is pretty simple: a boy who has been born into a family that has been cursed for generations seeks the help of the most powerful shaman. We have seen dynamics like this been done before. But it's how they executed it that made it chef’s kiss. The entire series leaned into Thai culture, fully immersing itself in it, making the whole show feel so alive and authentic. It didn’t shy away from any aspect, from talking about the culture, to the clothing, the setting, and even keeping things so accurate for the 1700s flashback. The world just feels lived in. It makes you feel like you are there with the characters, which I just loved so much.


Khem:
This boy could have easily been turned into generic bottom number 145. I was fully expecting him to be whiny when things don’t go his way, constantly make those pouty faces, act stupid to be cute/endearing, always talking back to the ML or not listening to him, I could go on and on. But nope. Khem was none of these things, and I have never sighed such a huge sigh of relief before. He was just a kind-hearted, warm, uni student trying to survive this stupid curse. He could have very much been the most jaded human ever, and yet, he always leads with kindness. And when they explored how hopeless he feels, and how ready to give up he was, I cried. You could feel the helplessness Khem was going through, feel the pain he was experiencing and the grief he was going through. Namping knocked it out of the park with this character.

And the biggest thing, I hugely appreciate the fact that they didn’t make him dumb.

So many of these BL bottoms suffer from what I like to call “dumbbitchites.” Khem, luckily for him, did not fall into that category. Boy knew how to stay away from trouble, listened to Peem cuz god forbid I know half the BL MCs on my watchlist could never, and knew how to stand his ground. Did he have his flaws? 100%. But I just loved how they made him a reasonable and sensible character without making it seem unrealistic. And the best thing? When he didn’t forgive Ramphueng. SO MANY characters would have forgiven her so easily because they’re “kind”, but Khem didn’t. And that made him so much more realistic. More human. And made me love him even more. Because while at his core he is kind, he also knows when that kindness isn’t enough.


Peem:
First of all, can I just say how HOT this man is. I genuinely spent most of this show just admiring how attractive and handsome this man is. I think I paused episodes just to stare at him. And don’t even get me started on his voice. I have never so attracted to a voice before. I don’t even know if that’s his actual voice, or if Keng made it deeper for the role, but god fucking damn, I could listen to this man speak for days and I would still ask him to carry on.

Second of all, Keng is a phenomenal actor, there is no two ways about this. He was made for this role like the gods had crafted it just for him. The way his face could be set on neutral, but you could tell from just the look in his eyes he was in love with Khem or wanted to eat Khem alive was just beautiful. Give this man more roles like this, cuz I don’t know what was in the water he was drinking, but he needs MORE.

Peem all around had to be one of the best written characters. Was he extremely cold at the start? Most definitely. But despite all that, you could tell he cares about Khem. Yes, the lives of everyone in the village were his top priority, and yet, man would risk his life for Khem’s no matter how many times he tells the boy to go away. And it all came down to his mum. Having her die because of a curse, only to fall in love with someone with a curse, it’s no wonder he wanted to push Khem away. And on top of that, he made a promise to his grandfather that he wouldn’t involve himself with someone’s karma, and that the villagers' lives would always be his priority. So not only did he have to fight with the fact that he would potentially be losing Khem, but also struggle with his promise to his granpa, and having that resolve be shaken so badly because he cared and loved Khem resulted in him putting up all these barriers and cold exterior. And once he let himself come to terms with both of those, he let his guard down, let himself find happiness and love.


Jet:
If you ever need a best friend, this is the one you go for. He is the best friend of best friends. He can join my wall of BL best friends because he sure as hell fucking deserves it. Not only is he a ride-or-die, but also a cutie.

But if I’m being completely honest, I genuinely thought I was going to get annoyed with his storyline because it was giving bickering enemies to lovers with him and Charn, but thank god it wasn’t that. I’m so glad they didn’t spend like 10 episodes with him trying to act like he hated Charn and all that bs that series usually do. I’m just glad they made him like Charn quickly as a friend, then like like him, and be so fucking cute and natural about it all. And communication with him and Charn might not be 100, but it was close it enough so I’ll take it. They were so fucking adorable, and I just wanted to pinch their cheeks.


Charn:
He's my favourite. “Hello, dad. I’m gay. Jet’s also gay. We’re crazy in love.” Like boy, I fucking can’t. That had to be the funniest fucking thing ever. And this boy was also a ride-or-die. He met Jet and Khem once, and was like yep, gonna give up my life for them. I mean, it makes sense considering their past life, but still. Gotta find friends like this in real life people.

I just love how he is a no bullshit character. Absolutely no filter on this man and I love that for him. His pettiness when Jet made them “just friends” was one of the best things ever. I thought he was going to act all robotic and stuff, but fell in love with how he wore his emotions on his sleeves. Even if I did get annoyed when he was being the devil’s advocate with Khem and Peem. Boy, stop being so logical!!

And the way he asked all those questions to the monk made my day. He really said, nope, no today. Ain’t no one about to start digging up plot holes. And yeah, some of those questions I would have asked as well. And luckily, Charn asked for us, and glad the writers aren’t cowards and actually know their story front to back to give the audience answers.


Ramphueng:
Ramphueng has become part of my amazing villains list. They didn't make her cartoonishly evil, nor did they make her the sympathetic villain that gets her redemption arc in the end. The writers struck a perfect balance with her character, which came to life in the best way possible. She was just a mother who was so grief-stricken that it turned into anger, and that anger in turn morphed into vengeance with the betrayal of the clan. Honestly, I could perfectly understand why she did everything she did. But revenge blinded her so much that she could not see sense. She could not be reasoned with. She hunted a whole bloodline, took their children the way they took hers, but she could not see that the very thing she was hunting, she became. And the ending with her monk? Yeah. Magnificent. I was in tears, and I had goosebumps. She was just a woman who wanted to be with her son. That is all she wanted. But fate could not give her that. And her need for vengeance being so strong that she didn’t even think for a second that her son could have reincarnated or that she could be with him in their next life was just heartbreaking. And having her come to realise that while she was about to murder her own child with her bare hands had me holding my breath. That had to be one of the most gut-wrenching moments of the whole show for me.


Episode 9:
Yes, this episode deserves its own section because what the actual fuck were the writers on? Why bother destroying me emotional? Why not do it physically as well, because I ran out of tears to fucking shed. The audacity to make PheemKhem official and give us that hot NC with them only to slap us back to reality with this is just horrible from their end. Cuz not only did we get one death. Not only did we get two deaths. Not even three. We got four. FOUR!!! Are you shitting me right now? And that’s not even including the quick death scenes of all the past Khems. I was a fucking mess. I’m suing for emotional damages.

The whole backstory of Ramphueng had to be one of the most devastating backstories ever. When that bitch threw her son into the water, I physically recoiled and froze because I was that appalled. And then we watch Ramphueng beg that little girl for help and the girl lying to safe the lives of her maids and god… I just couldn’t do it. It was just tragedy after tragedy for Ramphueng and I felt so bad for her. But then she killed Tong and I was going to throw something at my screen because what do you mean SHE KILLED TONG?!?! And then Ake is unable to live without him and Master has to send him to Tong and I just couldn’t. I honestly don’t even know how I was still able to cry through Grandma Si’s funeral scene after that.

And then. AND THEN. If all of this wasn’t already enough, Khem decides to fucking leave. Because of course he does. I’m not surprised, it's just more of a, why not wait until next episode because I’m too emotionally exhausted for this. This always happens, even though like ten million people told Khem it wasn’t his fault. It’s annoying, but I really get it, so I don’t hold it against him. But you know what I do hold against him? Just leaving Peem like that.

“I have no one left, Khem.” Yeah, pack it up. Wrap up this stupid show. I’m done. Done. In the span of one day this man went from being the happiest he’s ever been, to losing the only three family members he’s ever had – Grandma Si, Tong, and Ake. And he TOLD Khem this, and Khem KNOWS this, but what does his very smart brain decide to do? STILL LEAVE. LIKE???? And that note he left behind???? OMG I WAS GONNA GET SO ANGRY. Logically, I know I shouldn’t because Khem is in a very vulnerable state of mind, and he genuinely does think all of this is his fault, and thinks him dying is much better than anyone else dying, but like— Ugh! “May every day ahead of you be full of smiles, Peem.” Excuse me???? I beg your pardon???? You just left him when he had no one left. Even Jet and Charn left him to be with Khem. And yeah, the villagers are there. But it's not the same thing!! That really triggered me. I hate it when they do shit like this, like their partner is just gonna be all fine and dandy and nothing’s ever gonna happen.

Honestly, I just pity Peem through the whole show, if anything. And this ep hit especially harder after finding out about his past with the naga. I guess that is the punishment he has to suffer, but its just so sad. And every time Grandma Si would start singing, my eyes would start to tear up like a Pavlovian response. I hate it here, get me out!!


Things I didn’t like:
Quick rapid fire because this review it far longer than it should have been.

- The whole Khem leaving Peem situation I already ranted about. I think I’m gonna be salty about that for a while because I hate this troupe of leaving your lover to keep them safe bullshit. Not my cup of tea, even though it happens EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

- The communication. Fucking hell, I thought CharnJet were gonna be the ones with godawful communication skills, but it’s the main couple. I know this is a slow burn, but it wouldn’t be burning this fucking slow if they just SPOKE. Well… more on Peem’s end, but still. It wasn’t so bad, but it got annoying sometimes.

- The ending. I know there’s going to be a special episode. But I really wished we had more time to delve into what the characters were up to during the time skip. Like what they’re lives were like now that they weren’t fighting for their lives. How Khem and Peem navigated the distance. We just got graduation, proposal and then a tiny snippet of PeemKhem being parents. And while I squealed through it all and loved every second, it all just felt too rushed to get them the maximum happy ending possible. Which felt weird considering how everything else was slowly paced.

- CharnJet not being the ones to get married. Their past lives ended with Jin asking if there would ever be a world where they could get married, and I really thought they would do a scene with Charn proposing and being like there finally is or something along those lines. It just would have made more sense if it were them getting married than PeemKhem?? But that’s just me, I guess.

- And finally, my biggest gripe with this show that has been bothering me since they brought it up. What’s with the vow of celibacy in this world? Peem’s mum tells him he can’t have a lover, so I was like, oh, okay, makes sense why he can’t be with Khem. But then grandma say’s he’s a Shaman not a monk, so he can, so then we’re back to being happy, and I thought that meant Peem couldn’t do anything sexual with Khem. BUT THEN, they’re hotly making out and jerking each other off????? I was so fucking confused. I thought being celibate meant they couldn’t self-pleasure either. But okay. That’s fine. Maybe it means they can do things as long as Peem doesn’t have sex. BUT THEN ONCE MORE, they do the do cuz he wasn’t practising to be a shaman again yet. But that brought on more questions because that means he can’t do anything after he gets his powers back, but would that also be the case after he got married???? And this. This whole thing has been bothering me so much since I finished this series, cuz it just doesn’t make sense, and I still can’t find answers.


This show has been a roller coaster of emotions. I laughed, cried and cheered for these characters. The OSTs are fucking beautiful, and best believe I’m having them on loop until I get bored of them. For a debut series for KengNamping, they knocked it out the fucking park, and I’m terrified I’m not going to like their other series because this was just that amazing. And I genuinely don’t think Domundi will ever get this close to perfection with another one of their shows for me. I

I’m gonna miss this show and its cast of characters so much. Welp… until the special episode then. Until then, I shall cry myself to sleep because I finished this series too quickly. Thanks Khemjira once again for breaking my Domundi curse. I wonder how long before another series manages to break it a second time.

Read More

OMG! It was so BORING!!!

This had to be one of the most boring BLS I've ever seen! The acting, the storyline, the fact that it seemed to jump all over the place, the cinematography it was just awful in my opinion. I like BLs that have a good plot; this didn't deliver that. I like spice in my BLs; this didn't have it. I like good acting; the acting in this one was subpar. Not a big fan of slow burn romance BLs; that's what this one is. I will never watch this again but I won't tell someone else not to watch it as they may have a different opinion about it than me if the watch it, but I won't recommend it to anyone.

Read More

Came for Keng, stayed for TleFirstone

My first horror/supernatural BL and honestly I only watched it because of all the good reviews. Personally I don't need all of that supernatural ghost stuff but it was nicely done, the underlying plot is simple but good and the special effects aren't too cringe. Styling and set designs are amazing, but what really stands out is the acting and how much depth and backstory every character gets. Keng Harit is stunningly beautiful and I liked how Namping played his character. Still, it was Tle and FirstOne's couple that really made this a great watch for me. They have incredible chemistry and their story was so well done: two great actors playing two great characters! I think the ending was a bit too cheesy (they really went all out hahaha) and I wouldn't rewatch it but it's a solid show with very high production value!

Read More

I don‘t know what to think

Puhhhh
Actually, I watched it because so many people talked about it and loved it, so I was excited. For me it is really hard to say what I feel about this show. The quality was very good, actually, so the special effects at least worked good, especially if you compared them with other supernatural Thai shows.

For me the biggest problem was I couldn't connect with the main character. I think as a viewer you get not enough information about why khem is how he is, so most of the time I couldn't connect with him. That's why he felt flat and boring, and I sadly lost interest at his story. Besides him, it also felt hard to connect with the other main character, Pheem. So I sadly couldn't feel anything when I saw them both being together. I think the side couple worked so much better, and I think it is because you see them grow together.

The biggest problem was that the main story is very complex, and you need to focus so much that I think they forgot to develop the chemistry between the main characters.

I liked the villain of the story because over time you start to understand why she hates so much and where it comes from. But the ending of that so important main story was underwhelming and kind of boring. Actually, I watched the last episodes mostly at 1.5 speed because I just wanted to finish at some point.

I‘m sad that I feel how I feel because I saw the potential, but for me it just didn‘t work out.

Read More

A BL with Plot Done Well

I came across this drama while I was scrolling YouTube and found the "Peem x Khem Their Story" video and was intrigued after watching it. So I decided to watch. And here are some of my thoughts.

What I like:
- Plot! It's a BL that actually didn't focus solely on the romance which is something I haven't watch at all. It feels like a ghost-themed drama that happen to have a heavy romance subplot. I love the theme of revenge of a spirit, it is so refreshing to me.
- Every part of the drama, like the music, cinematography, script, characters, I really like them all. Especially the music and cinematography.
- I really love how "traditional" everything is in this drama especially the opening music because it really sets your mood into watching a heavily Thai rooted drama. You immediately know you're gonna watch a drama that is heavy in Thai's tradition and customs.
- Keng Harit, the man you are! Especially when you're acting as Pawat because how can he be so fine?? He's also really great at acting in my opinion.

What I don't really like:
- The way that the villagers said "No one's blaming you" to Khem after Grandma Si died is a little on the nose. I feel like the way they just let Khem to attend Grandma Si's funeral alone can convey that message.
- I don't really sense when Peem started to like Khem. I was wondering if he actually liked Khem from the very start. It also applied otherwise. Good grief that the chemistry after they find out about their feelings were great.

It's a wonderful experience overall. I rarely watch BL drama that focused on something that is not romance (I mean, My Golden Blood also didn't focus solely on romance but still, Khemjira is different) so it's a new experience and I can't wait to see more of this kind of BL in the future.

Read More

Amazing show with interesting approach

I just finished rewatching this series. Honestly, the first time I was looking for something light to watch and didn't enjoy it as much as the second time.
The scenario is great, the actors are amazing and I love how it is not a plot served on a golden plate to admire, but got me so immersed that I would thing about it all day. In addition, the series doesn't only draws its value in the romance which is quite refreshing.
I really enjoyed the shaman vibe and it was very realistic I thought for a series on this topic (karma, ghosts, shamanism), and I have watched my fair share.
Honestly I could only recommend it. Of course you need to enjoy the topic, but the cast did a great job and the show is very well balanced.

Read More

Amazing evocation of culture and tradition

After finishing this series, my mind was still immersed in the world of magic and the story itself. My only criticism concerns the actor playing Khem. His performance was very emotionless throughout the series, which I found problematic. This series authentically depicts the real-life aspects of black and white magic, and to evoke or convey that to the audience, an actor needs to have a certain skill. He is very cute, but in this series, his cuteness feels different—more nuanced. As a result, I rated the series 8.5/10, even though I believe it deserves a higher score. However, his acting influenced my rating to be lower.

Read More