Milystra

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.

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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.

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Give it a Shot At Least Once

I'm trying not to nitpick but focus on the plot and characters. I recommend giving this one a go at least once. There were several things that stood out and was just a breath of fresh air. It's not super heavy on the romance but it is well balanced with the action, as in the action doesn't drown out the romance.

Pro: I liked the chemistry between the leads and their love story (I am a fan of Vill). It didn't feel rush and overcomplicated with misunderstandings that dragged on. There was no overbearing love triangle that took over. Rawee has got to be one of the better male characters in lakorns - I just like how he wasn't abusive and toxic towards the women and call it "love." It was refreshing when Rawee apologized to Phetphring and took accountability for not being a proper husband and partner to her. Each supporting couples were just as cute. The mom was my #1 favorite female character. She proved why she was the Lady and rightfully so. She stuck with her intuition and taking down Kom was pretty epic after all the frustrating fight scenes in the last episode. At the same time you saw her tenderness and grace when it was needed.

I also like that Suea Mai stuck to his principles and you can see him be reasonable, especially with Chit. His outcry in EP 20 for Tew was one of the better moments and acting in the last episode. Tew was just out for blood for no real reason when he was the bad guy all along. I couldn't even really feel sorry for him. I think Tew is the #1 villain in this lakorn vs Mai. We're not supposed to side with Mai because he is a bandit but at the same time I couldn't help but respect him in some ways.

Phetphring was also hard to hate. I appreciate they didn't go all crazy and villainess with her like in a lot of slap kiss. Her acting was amazing when she was putting on the red lipstick. For me, it symbolized her breaking point and mental health more than her becoming evil. I don't think Phetphring was truly evil but just wanted to be loved, valued, and appreciated and it drove her mad. She didn't have a dad, her mom was not the greatest in conveying love and being gentle with her, and she served the MIL and Rawee without being noticed the way Lukjan was. It doesn't excuse what she did but she had her redemption arc and we got to see her soft and sweet side come back. She was punished enough for her actions and understood part of her loss was due to her decisions.

Overall, I would say the actors and actresses did really well in their roles. I like the loyalty between the friends and even Saen when Rawee gave him another chance to start over.

Con: I can't decide if 20 episodes was too long or some of the episodes/plots dragged on or were fillers. It felt well paced but there were times I either wanted it to slow down or pick up. It took too long for them to figure out who was behind Rawee's attempted murder. They gave Tew/Mesa too much benefit of the doubt when he really hasn't done much to prove he was trustworthy. The mom was the only one who truly did not trust Mesa due to how he handled the investigation and conduct himself in front of her, which did suggest ulterior motives and made him suspicious. For example, Mesa just happens to be able to infiltrate Suea Mai's hidden place and walk right in was overlook. I also got tired of all the bad guys being caught and then escaping; it was repetitive, took up screen time, and unrealistic at that point. I wished that screen time was devoted to the leads' romance and life at Rawee's home - I did feel that part was rushed. I wished Lukjan would've taken up something now that she is free or reconnect with something she liked prior to being held hostage; for example, go to a proper school and become a nurse. Her character fell flat there. Although Lukjan was smart and witty in her own ways, the things she figured out on her own should've been shared with Rawee, as it concerned him (like seeing Mesa with Phetphring and suspecting they were lovers).

I do have a bone to pick with the last episode. EP 19 took me 3x to sit through and finish and then 20 got worse - the engagement just went down drastically. About 75% of EP 20 was senseless fighting and shooting, and I was fighting to not give up. The action and pace that was established from the beginning to when Rawee was Tawan in Mai's village was just ruined by the last few episodes, especially 20. There was no point in teaching the females how to shoot and defend themselves when they missed most of the time and was not given a gun to carry. Ngamta also had a gun next to her and didn't use it but instead gave Kom the password and tried to negotiate with him.

Neutral: The music, outfits, fighting, pace, and sceneries were all neutral to me. I don't hate it but it also didn't leave an impression. It just was what it was. Phetphring and the mom's outfits were some of my favorites and made them elegant.

What I would've liked to see happen: I had a feeling the real Tawan was going to be revealed near the end and knew it was him the moment he entered the screen. However, I wished we would have seen more of him in a way that tied to the overall story or common enemy like Kom (who later partnered up with Tew and Mai). There wasn't any substance to him and he was introduced too late, so he felt like an after thought. The opium plot was more of a filler and truly was not memorable and was unnecessary. The real Tawan was such a mystery and built up to be a badass and untouchable bandit that people feared and that just didn't really come through. I felt like Rawee lived up to it more.

I would have liked to see Lukjan shoot Tew and knock him over the stairs lol or even Phetphring - I think that would have served justice and come full circle. Tew hurt and betrayed Lukjan more than anything. His attempt to kill Rawee wasn't as personal as it was with what he did to Lukjan. I think Tew got out of it too easily for everything he did. To the very end, he thought he was wronged.

I would've loved to see Phetphring coming home at the end with her new husband and child too. Again, too much of EP 20 was just filled with nonsense fighting at the bank and we didn't need all those flashbacks. I think it needed to only take up about half and the remaining half should've tied up the characters' stories and any loose end. I would've liked to see a wedding or something. If you have watched a lot of lakorns like I have, you'll know how they usually end. Sadly, this one became one of those cliche "just end it fast with main couple in a happily ever after scene that lasts 5 seconds." I feel like the last episode in a lot of lakorns tend to be very weak and ruins the whole storyline - like there's no real satisfaction and we just have to accept the ending.

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