Unique storyline with a lot more potential that had me wishing for more

What attracted me to this drama was the storyline. There is also the overall theme of protecting the wildlife and forest. The romance story and development between the two leads was not very convincing, and honestly, I didn't care for it. This is rare, as I usually am a romcom person. I only wanted it because I wanted Sama to have love and happiness. This story was full of events that moved at a pretty good pace, where I never felt it dragged too much or I needed to fast forward. The Suea Phaya storyline is definitely more dominant and interesting than the romance. Maybe this is also why the romance plot falls short? So, if you are wanting a full blown romance story, you won't really find that here. There are some cute scenes at the beginning and end, nothing too memorable, but that is mostly it.

As for characters, I would have to say Kahlong is my favorite female and overall character. She is adorable from beginning to end. Ali, Asa, Tuamahka, and Mong are also in line of most liked characters. For me, it was the FL that didn't cut it for me. This is my first time seeing Richy act in a drama, so I am not familiar with her work. However, in this drama, she is either crying, her leg or ankle is hurt or needs to be rescue. She tends to have this worried/ serious/yet blank look to her with a monotone voice. Yes, there are some positive aspects to her, but overall, she is a rather flat and boring character and yet, out of no where, she is key in some major plot development. She loves him yet it isn't really conveyed in her facial expressions, actions, eyes, or even voice, which you do see in Sama (thank goodness). Her love isn't very convincing. For example, even though you can see the pain on Sama's face, she didn't even try to understand how the mom of her student was killed or his feelings. Later, he gave her the one thing (enchanted dagger) that can kill Suea Phaya, and she just left it out and about and even used it on Hunter Boon (who she knows is hunting Suea Phaya), which is how they lost possession of it. I think it's part acting and part writing that makes the FL just insignificant. Even Aunt Euang had more facial expressions than the FL.

Sama's character is complex, with a sad and traumatic past, who is a good and reserved person by nature. His character could've used more depth and attention. I'm grateful for the flashbacks to his past, but I wished more was elaborated on what it was like when he was first shot at, the first transformation when he found out, his loneliness, his parents, etc. I also wished there was a scene where FL sits down with ML and ask him about this - how scared and alone he must have been. I think Aunt Euang and Kahlong were the top two characters who understood his sufferings and loss and were trying to do things in his best interest. I also think Sama didn't get the love story he truly deserved. Lastly, this is the first time I would have been ok with the ML facing death, as it makes sense to what he has endured, but the ending was alright. I like Tono and he was able to showcase the sadness, frustrations, sweetness, and the Suea Phaya side of his character.

What I also didn't like: Some of the characters just die a quick and unexpected death and you're left just accepting it and moving on. Some plots were pointless, had no real closure and/or wasted time - Teacher Fon, Police Director's backstabbing, Sama transforming without the red moon (I wanted more on this), and the Chief's daughter making a ruckus. Dr. Atchara's character wasn't completely necessary but she wasn't horrible either. There was a time where I wished she was the FL (the tiger specialist who ends up falling for a man who becomes a tiger), but I also wanted her to be with Officer Saksit lol. I wished there was more of a balance and focus of Sama's story and Suea Phaya's, as both are equally important. I was a bit disappointed it had the stereotypical happily ever after ending. I wished the FL reassured the ML it was his decision and not start off with how everyone needs him so he should return to the living world. At the end, the drama can be summed up as "hunters trying to hunt Suea Phaya but fails and dies."

What I liked: The music was good and appropriate. It takes place away from the city and the drone shots of the forest and mountains were beautiful. There were a lot of support cast that I ended up liking and enjoying. No complicated love stories. Not a lot of fillers. The creation of the tiger was better than expected. I'm glad Nonta matured throughout the drama and even Aunt Euang softening up was a weird delight in its own way.

Read More

Better than Expected!

The ghost plot is what attracted me to this drama and I liked that all the ghosts were not scary looking and had their own little story to it. I kind of wished there was more focus on the ghost plot and Non making merit by helping them. He was hardly a human and there was no real plot development on him learning to control himself when he transformed. I found it cheesy that all the ghosts he helped was related to him or Mu (mostly Mu) - talk about coincidence to the max lol but it pulled into the storyline of Non and Mu. Another negative aspect of the story development that could have been better was how some events unfold and then there was no clean wrap up for it. For example, Non got killed and then it was mentioned in the news but there was no follow up on if his killers were caught, Nong finding out the news, or Non's funeral. Mu's story tends to overshadow Non's. I also wished Pong revealed to Nong about things related to Non. Nong never got to know of the things Non did for her and the family; I think she deserved it.

The scheming and plotting could have been omitted, as it took up unnecessary screen time. Too much was wasted on the mom's disapproval, Pawanee's jealousy, Laorong's infatuation, and the ex-boyfriend's need to win - I started fast forwarding most of their parts and was still able to follow along. I feel it disrupts the flow of the story and overall mood. It should have focused more on Non's family, as Prang's character is supposedly a main character, but it felt more like she was in a support role.

Non and Mu's relationship does involve bickering, whining, and guilt trips, but they do end up helping and learning from each other. In real life, I would not befriend someone like that lol. However, you do see their friendship evolve and she is genuinely sad about him leaving and does care for his family too. The plot was also refreshing in the sense that it is modern with her wanting to pursue a career for herself first before marriage and being an influencer. All of the three families had their own dynamics and was mostly light hearted. Honestly, I was hoping Mu got pregnant and Non was reborn as their son LOL. Am I the only one who was hoping for this?

The most notable thing about the drama is the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH! OMG! YES! You even see growth among the ghosts, support roles, and antagonists. Khet's mom took a while though; I was disappointed she got worse after her father passed away. If you have watched a lot of lakorns and Korean dramas (as I have), you will definitely appreciate it here, especially Khet's character, which is the cherry on top! His character is memorable and definitely worth mentioning, as it shows that good guys doesn't always finish last and isn't always the 2nd lead. You can be rich and be a good human being to others. I like that they didn't focus on his wealth nor have him flaunt it. He even dresses pretty normal (until he had amnesia lol that's another story). Too often, ML in dramas are rich, the heir, or CEO but they get the girl by being "bad" as in forceful, manipulating, mean, gaslighting, playboy, etc. I liked that he trusted Mu and acts like an adult by communicating and listening to her. Sometimes, I felt their relationship wasn't equal. For example, Khet would express his concern about the ex-bf and she would pretty much brush it off or say he is cute when jealous - that was frustrating and got old real fast. I also felt Khet's character is sometimes a support role and Pong's is more of the main role. Anytime something happens, Mu usually calls Pong or Non for help.

I wished there was more scenes with Nong. The writer and producer didn't do much with Nong and gave too much to Wee, Laorong, and Khet's mom. I love Prang and every time she cried, I cried lol. It was unfortunate we didn't see more of her business venture and life as a single mom and grieving wife (this lakorn would have been perfect to dive into these topics). I was really starting to think she would bake more than just brownies and open up her own shop, but that plot line kind of went nowhere. She had a whole book of recipes that Non work to obtained! What happened?!? Again, this goes back to how certain plots/events are left hanging.

The least memorable thing about the drama is definitely the music, but I didn't really mind it. I think the plot and acting balanced it out. The sound effects was kept to a minimal and wasn't exaggerated or too distracting. Overall, I will watch it again when I'm in need of something fun and light, but I'll definitely skip all the scheming and plotting and just watch it for the ghost storyline and those related to Mu and Non.

Read More