"can't you just be romantic for 5 minutes?"
this show is a hard watch. obviously it's visually beautiful, it has some of the best cinematography i've seen from the genre in a while in fact, but that's almost everything it has going for it. that, and that half of domundi is in this, which makes it even more difficult for dmd fans to understand that this is *not* a dmd show. it was produced by copyA bangkok. that dmd mega-cast and the cinematography are really the only good things, apart from the sets, location choices, styling etc. (except for the visibly peeling fake tattoos on yim. i don't have anything to say about that. MUA, go sit in the corner and think about what you've done.)
the "comedic" pacing feels like trying to watch a regular show with a gacha game split screen screaming at you at the same time. every time things start to get serious or a moment starts to have a tiny bit of depth, it's interrupted by unfunny sound effects (i know they're common in thai shows, i'm familiar with it and they usually don't bother me one bit. but the way they're used in this show is just too much, too frequently) immature sex jokes, or something else equally painful to watch. it begins to feel like the show cannot stand to have a single sincere moment without constantly trying to use twitch streamer tactics to hold onto a tiktok-fried attention span. it is genuinely unbearable. there's a moment in today's ep where erng asks intha "can't you just be romantic for 5 minutes?" and it's a question i'd really like to ask the screenwriters and director, too.
the plot was promising, the setup was promising, tutoryim are always a joy to watch, i was looking forward to seeing the domundi reunion, and everything in ep1 felt like a huge buildup to what could have been a really good show. there have been a couple of moments since then when i was deluded into thinking that this show was capable of handling emotional subject matter well, such as erng's body dysmorphia and the whole matter with his abusive ex. but they're not actually explored in a meaningful way. they're swept under the rug as the scene inevitably goes back to circling the drain of almost-NC scenes, "10 rounds" jokes, and someone having way too much fun with the soundboard. i get that it's a comedy, and i'm not expecting high drama. but even a comedy needs to let the story breathe for a second so that the comedic beats actually land. this show doesn't seem to know how to do that.
everything becomes clear when you realize this show was made by the same person responsible for suntiny, which was notoriously such a rough watch that i personally saw people asking if maxnat were forced to do it as some kind of elaborate humiliation ritual or if they were in severe debt. when i saw the first episode of chermchey i thought that maybe this individual had learned and grown as a director, but i was wrong to think that. well, at least it looks pretty.
i'm going to continue to watch this show because i love the actors that much and it really is gorgeous visually, but i'd be lying if i said that i don't think about hitting my head against the wall every time the sound editor puts in another horse whinnying or bike horn or something else equally insufferable, or when we go in for yet another shameless bait and switch NC scene. well, at least when this is over i won't have to watch any of this director's work again and i can move on with my... what's that? he's also the director for your third, the highly anticipated upcoming project of maxnat, peterpanfluke, and ohm krit? you've got to be f*cking kidding me.
the "comedic" pacing feels like trying to watch a regular show with a gacha game split screen screaming at you at the same time. every time things start to get serious or a moment starts to have a tiny bit of depth, it's interrupted by unfunny sound effects (i know they're common in thai shows, i'm familiar with it and they usually don't bother me one bit. but the way they're used in this show is just too much, too frequently) immature sex jokes, or something else equally painful to watch. it begins to feel like the show cannot stand to have a single sincere moment without constantly trying to use twitch streamer tactics to hold onto a tiktok-fried attention span. it is genuinely unbearable. there's a moment in today's ep where erng asks intha "can't you just be romantic for 5 minutes?" and it's a question i'd really like to ask the screenwriters and director, too.
the plot was promising, the setup was promising, tutoryim are always a joy to watch, i was looking forward to seeing the domundi reunion, and everything in ep1 felt like a huge buildup to what could have been a really good show. there have been a couple of moments since then when i was deluded into thinking that this show was capable of handling emotional subject matter well, such as erng's body dysmorphia and the whole matter with his abusive ex. but they're not actually explored in a meaningful way. they're swept under the rug as the scene inevitably goes back to circling the drain of almost-NC scenes, "10 rounds" jokes, and someone having way too much fun with the soundboard. i get that it's a comedy, and i'm not expecting high drama. but even a comedy needs to let the story breathe for a second so that the comedic beats actually land. this show doesn't seem to know how to do that.
everything becomes clear when you realize this show was made by the same person responsible for suntiny, which was notoriously such a rough watch that i personally saw people asking if maxnat were forced to do it as some kind of elaborate humiliation ritual or if they were in severe debt. when i saw the first episode of chermchey i thought that maybe this individual had learned and grown as a director, but i was wrong to think that. well, at least it looks pretty.
i'm going to continue to watch this show because i love the actors that much and it really is gorgeous visually, but i'd be lying if i said that i don't think about hitting my head against the wall every time the sound editor puts in another horse whinnying or bike horn or something else equally insufferable, or when we go in for yet another shameless bait and switch NC scene. well, at least when this is over i won't have to watch any of this director's work again and i can move on with my... what's that? he's also the director for your third, the highly anticipated upcoming project of maxnat, peterpanfluke, and ohm krit? you've got to be f*cking kidding me.
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