Eerie, scary, confusing but also a piece of art

Honestly, I am both satisfied and unsatisfied at once. Now, please excuse my oxymoronic statement and let me tell you that I absolutely love this series.

It has components of BL, romance and also horror. But please don't come here for a lovey-dovey happily ever after BL series because you will be massively disappointed.

But all these aspects make it a one of a kind show that will leave it's mark in the Thai drama industry.

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD.

From my past experience, I love the films/drama which have confusing and ambiguous endings. I am fond of open endings where one has to use their heads to think what may have happened after that. If you did not know , now you know that I love to live in my head making up stories.

Speaking of stories, Shadow is an exceptional one.
The plot, the premise and the storytelling. The directors, the cinematographer, the screenwriters and the editor, need a standing ovation. The storytelling comprise of "show, don't tell" method and the script, cinematography, lighting , costume and music and is exceptionally well done.

Let's see the plot. Honestly, it is a lot.
Dan has a tragic past and tormented childhood. He lost his mother who committed suicide and for his abusive father, he has immense hatred in his heart.

One priest, brother Anurak, comes to his rescue as Dan starts to suffer from insomnia and sees a peculiar shadow figure constantly. Dan's father develop brain tumor and later cancer. Dan is taken under the wings of Brother Anurak in his school to take care of him and also treat him. But Dan's mental health starts to regress further as the shadow seem to have gotten stronger.

What is interesting about the plot is horror is used in many ways - it's trilling, it's supernatural, it is also psychological. And the audience also can't decipher between reality and dreaming.

The characters are very well portrayed along with their backstories. Dan, Trin, Anan and Brother Anurak have very very well developed backstories and character arcs.

Singto as Dan is brilliant. Fluke as Nai too. Poon stole the show as Josh. Fiat is one of the most well rounded actors of Thai BL industry and in a darker role he won my heart. Special mention to Yaimai as Chaim - her expressions and emotions are on display and she did her part very deftly.

Fun fact: Dan probably is bisexual in this drama. He did not recoil when Nai kissed him and he confessed that he liked Chaim but he chose neither.

There are many themes are going on together in this drama with the plot and the symbolism is one of them. The drama is also part dark academia with its symbol of Hamlet and Lord of the Flies. I mean dead father's ghost and children stranded in an uninhabited island aka the school premises guarded by a cursed lake? I see you Shadow the series team. I see you.

The complimentary colours throughout the series, the shots with symmetrical patterns, have given it a special edge. Each shot is an artistic expression. I love the angles to show various moods and emotions.

I would specifically mention how blue tint has been used - blue is associated with sadness. We see Dan's (the MC) mother almost bathed in soft blue after she thought she shot her son with the gun and had to put into mental health institution.

The blue also symbolise mystery. Dan's dorm room at school has the an eerie blue colour. There is also greys- in the smoke and in the shadow. We also see blacks.

The blue's complimentary colour orange/amber shows peace, happiness but in this case almost always we see a muted amber colour. To me it symbolises peace and normalcy but with a tinge of sadness flowing underneath.

The shot where Trin is sitting beside Master Joe in the drama class - Trin wears deep red while Master Joe wears dark blue. The stage is also draped in the two colours. The two are fond of each other but the two can't mix with each other. They are teacher and student. There is a huge difference in their probable relationship if that was to happen that we can't unsee.

Let me applause for the music. The theme music, the ending song by lazyloxy who also acted as Anan and all the background music are splendidly used.

What is that shadow anyway? As the last screen showed that Dan's father did the same ritual and passed and after that Dan was born. So in a way Dan belongs to the shadow spirit. He is probably the food that will keep the spirit go strong.

It became even stronger as he came to the school. As the power was lurking around the school premises due to Trin's mistake in ritual, the shadow spirit quickly takes an interest to Dan and does not let go. It is also a repressed form of sexual fantasy as we see the shadow molesting him when he was high on weeds and also in his dreams.

Nai can see spirits. He also has some natural protection against them, either gifted by the venerable monk or his own capabilities because the shadow usually never harms him nor Josh. But it did hurt Chaim because she did not live in close quarters with them so lacked the natural protection. But also the shadow was probably angry and hurt her as retaliation and she was a soft target.

Trin. Damn this guy. He was a rebel, a guy standing for justice and equality. But he was not above to do his own bids when threatened, even if the process is evil. He was not really a good guy and his spirit was malevolent in desperation to flee from the clutches of the shadow spirit.

The ending was confusing but as we see Trin's face grinning at Dan's, it is actually Trin in Dan's body. Nai failed to bring him back. But it may also be that Dan did not want to come back at all and let Trin come back instead as he wanted to live the life. The shadow spirit just wanted Dan and thus let Trin go.

This show was never meant to have a happy ending. Dan was supposed to be the sacrifice like Hamlet. Brother Anurak was supposed to be the tragic hero. Shadow the series is essentially a tragedy of an individual falling and failing at the end. This is not a story of win but to lose and that is okay because not all of us win. But Dan fought until the end. And he chose to stop fighting. The show succeeded.

Now, unless we have a season 2 or some special episodes, we can't say what exactly happened. Although the chances of getting season 2s are usually slim.

All in all, 2023 will end now with a bang.

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Good. Could have been better

Why is the title Dangerous Romance? Is it because of the social standing of the two leads? Or is it because really violence is involved?

Honestly speaking, the same trope of enemies to lovers and smart boy tutoring the dumb boy and falling in love has been overused, even by GMMTV standards.
So, I will just write about a few things only.

Firstly, nobody is happy with their surroundings. Sailom is poor but has a living relationship with his caring elder brother. Kanghan is rich, has everything but feels neglected. Anybody else in Kanghan's place would have been happy but not Kanghan. Boy wants his father to focus on him. Which is absolutely right. There is less drama that is why they had to bring in bullying.

Sailom is poor but possess a spine of steel. He is the top student of his year and is getting a special scholarship to study in the prestigious school. And works when he is not studying to earn money. Chimon was channeling his inner Wasuthorn when he was answering the math questions written on the whiteboard.

While at first disliking (or not really) Kanghan, he starts to become friends with him. Sailom's friendship changes Kanghan for good. I like how Perth managed to show the slow but gradual growth until he falls in love.

Sailom falls first but Kanghan falls harder. And Kanghan is not a windmill in love but a hurricane. The upgrade of him from enemy to friend to lover to sugar daddy was pretty quick. And his possessiveness over his love is also immense but his heart is at the right place.

Sailom is a pure hearted boy. He sees expensive things but does not touch them. He has a rich boyfriend but does not take advantage of him, even whe jokingly mentions himself as expensive.

the actual flow of the story starts around episode 10. Kanghan gets mad at his dad and elopes with his boyfriend. But being the dutiful son-in-law and friend Sailom keeps Kanghan's dad updated. In fact, Kanghan's dad and grandma trust Sailom more than Kanghan. I was snorting a lot.

the plot thickens as Kang's father gets shot and Sailom's brother admits his fault. A rift starts between the two. Kanghan's love and possessiveness wins though. Sailom is wind and Kanghan is windmill. Without Sailom Kanghan is nothing.

The rest of the episodes are like Bollywood melodrama. Guns blazing, thugs entering hospital, firings ensued, Kanghan gets shot but no blood comes out. I am glad that they did not extend that shot otherwise I would really drop the series at that point.

The show mentioned teen escort services due to poverty which I was not ready to witness.

The side couple of Nawa and Guy is much more interesting. Pawin and Marc have been main leads of My Gear, Your Gown series and are an established pair of BL world. They portray the same type of enemies to lovers trope but I enjoyed Nawa more than Pai because of his sassiness.

Overall, it's an okay series. I for one will not be rewatching it.

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If Perfection has a visual representation that is this drama

First, let me gush a little bit why this show is so prevalent for me. Frangipani flowers hold a really special value to me. I have some of the best memories with it. My school premises had a huge frangipani tree that was teeming with flowers almost whole year. My best friend and I used to collect the flowers that fell from the tree on the ground, beautiful white petals with specks of gold in the centre and the heavenly scent was both of our favourite.

Then we grew up, moved cities to find our lives. We are in touch but not as much as we were before.
And now that I go to office, I found another frangipani tree on the way, smaller than the one I knew, but full of bloom. They remind me me of my sweet time of childhood. Out of habit, I collect them and take them with me.

Never did I ever imagine that someday, someone will make a whole series using frangipani flower as a symbol of love. Because it is not a fancy flower. It is not used in traditional worship offering, it is not something one gifts their lovers with, it is not even given a second glance. So when I saw the flower used as a symbol of love I was delighted.

The seemingly insignificant flower gets such love is also a proof of every ordinary person has their own extraordinary story . Jom is an ordinary man in his timeline but his story of love is extraordinary.

Now that I got it out of my chest , let us move to the series itself.
The plot, the storytelling, the characters, the writing, the acting , the cinematography, the music - everything is superior.
I Fee You Linger in the Air is not a series, it is feeling, a vibe, a piece of pure art. A gem of production.

I know Nonkul is a very strong actor. And his previous works show that. Bright on the other hand is fairly new but their chemistry together is absolutely marvelous. And the support characters have done such a great job that I am speechless. The portrayal of the 1920s Chiang Mai is enacted beautifully.

Tee Bundit has exceeded my expectations with this. One of the best drama series ever and not just in the category of BLs.
I am eagerky waiting for the special episode and the season 2.

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This will be memorable - for a long time

When I first read the MDL summary for Unknown I literally rolled my eyes at the prospect another step bros in love kind of pulp . At first I thought I will not watch it. But then I thought why not give it a choice? Thank god I chose to give it a choice.

Because I'd have lost a gem if I had not gotten over my prejudices. And what a delivery! What a masterpiece this series has evolved into. Let's talk about the story, adapted from a novel which I have not read, the screenwriting team has done an exceptional job. Visual storytelling is at its finest. When I saw the premise of how they became stepbrothers or let's not call it stepbrothers because that is completely wrong. How they became "brothers" through shared traumatic life, it made me understand their story better.

The acting is so so good. Each of the eye rolls, forehead crunches, screaming , look of anger, shock and disbelief, pain and visceral fear when Qian thought he may lose his family is acted so so well!

except the story, there are two more things that I absolutely dig. Cinematography and Music. Both have won in this series. The cinematographer and director are very clear on what they want to show. The soft moody and dark-ish lighting, focus on the faces, and frames inside frames (seemed like director and cinematographer's top choice of composition) with minimal bgm. And usage of the OST . Everything was perfect to create a sombre feeling . And also it glows more and lights are added when the full family is happy. Personally I feel like this series is a great case study for people who love cinematography.

The diction is very on point. Especially at the end of each episode, the small reminder on what families are really like warmed me to my core. There are age gaps, there are a lot of ruminations, there are quintessential yet well timed humour.

I saw some discussions regarding the intimate scenes. Some liked it , some did not like how it was edited. Personally I loved that scene. It was the culmination point of Yuan's feelings and his waiting for all these years. It was the point when Qian finally lets go of all his worries and accepts Yuan. They showed their struggles, mostly Yuan's throughout the years to show us how much he suffered and now finally he has the love of his life he always wanted. Because for Yuan it was just not sex, it was "making love" in it's truest essence. And the music alongside and it's lyrics were apt. The intimate scene is also very tastefully and artfully shot. I found the similar vibe of the intimate scene of Toothpari between Doctor Roy and Rumi.

This show has a special place in my heart now. A huge round of applause for the whole team.

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Surprisingly mature plotline, well-written and well acted

I really did not expect this series to have such mature themes. But I also expect nothing less from a Japanese series, the industry has somehow mastered the idea of showing sublime stories with mature written characters. Japanese books, films, series have this theme going on where even if there is happiness, a river of melancholia flows underneath of it.

The two young actors have performed their roles very very well. In fact it is their acting that created the bare bones of the future plotline.

The inability to suppress the feelings, the inability to be clear and say what you want, the feeling of guilt, the prejudice of people, even of the near and dear ones, unhelpful society can lead a young mind to self destruction. Ren tried to commit suicide in a feeing of shame and guilt of forcing his best friend into having s*x with him. Unbeknownst to Ren that it was not forced. And Kazuma's illness too was not his fault. But he suffered all the pain and shame alone.

And when the two finally had their chance encounter, both confused, one by the guilt that does not leave him, one by his love for Ren. The plot thickens. The plot heats and bursts out.

The end is okay, it falls a little flat. I guess the director did not want to focus much on the subplot even though it is a factor to bring Kazuma and Ren closer.

The perfect series to binge watch in a short time. Quite well rounded I must say.

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A treat for the eyes. Not for the soul - A nice attempt to blend Indian and Thai culture

Hoooooo boy! Where do I start?

From the moment I saw the trailer I knew what to expect. I knew what kind of film it is going to be and even though I wanted to be wrong, I am not. It's a rom-com and as cringe as I thought it would be. But I am not disappointed. In fact, the minus points of this film is also the plus points.

So, Risa (Bella Ranee) finds out that she is the wedding planner of her ex boyfriend (Arun/Mahir Pandhi). Ouch! And then as if it is not hurtful enough, the emergency photographer she had to hire is actually another ex (Tim/Bright). Wowzers!

When asked how stereotypical melodramatic rom-com you want it to be ? They really said HELL YES!

From the Indian soap opera like sequences, to overly dramatic horse riding to overacting sidekicks to garbage dialogues, try-hard-to-make-people-laugh slapstick comedic moments it had everything!!!

But still I enjoyed everything. Why? It was fun to watch a nice amalgamation of the two cultures. Bright in Sherwani. I have a little crush on Anahita Bhooshan ngl. The Bollywood style dance number. And the depiction of Indian wedding ritual, well more like typical North Indian (mostly Punjabi style, although Sangeet is now almost a part of all kind of Indian weddings) upper class traditional wedding. This is Karan Johar style but minus the extreme emotional parts.

I was this close to tear my hair in the scene where Arun is riding (get your minds out of the gutter, he is literally lying akimbo on the car trying to stop it - talk about Bollywood...) the bonnet of the car but I was also snorting with laughter.

The dream sequence where Risa is getting married to Arun and Monica is slapping her repeatedly is my flashback to overtly melodramatic soap operas. As much as I was cringing hard, I was also having fun as the film is sarcastically making fun of it. I was both laughing and crying.

Honestly, there is not much story here. The only thing you see is the grandeur. Don't come here expecting much acting and plotline. And no expectations. It's a one time watch film. But I would applaud the makers of it for even bringing it to existence.
I hope we get more good stories that reflects more of the two countries and the cultures.

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Incorporates Many Aspects I Didn't Think They Would

(Very Light Spoilers!) Unexpected surprises in this series! A perfect slice-of-life genre!

I did not expect them to talk about life, discuss various relationships, autonomy of one's own body and love and choices, even older generation talking and understanding about their children's life.
I loved it.

Krist's acting can be a bit of cringey at times but I will give him benefit of doubt because I believe the character he is playing is supposed to be like that. Krist's character is immature, whiny and self-deprecating. While I can dislike the continuous negative self-talk, I can empthaize with him.Because only if you are in a disadvantaged position and a bit accustomed to stay in your own head, that is how you will act.

Also, it is Kawi's predicament that has made him cynical. His mother left him, his father is sick and they never had enough money and people tell him that he is ungrateful son because he has chosen a stream to study that is not very lucrative in job market (this part hit me the most because I find many similarities with my country and the people's mindset here) .
It is really easy to fall into self-deprecating behaviour. It is his own insecurity that makes him stay away from people in fear of judgement.
And as a side effect, that distance creates a rift among people who could have actually helped him.


Krist's acting has become very natural. He does not shy away from the bold scenes. Even though there is not much, he has become far better since SOTUS. I found Kawi to be a great character full of follies and foibles who slowly understands and rectifies his mistakes.

Gawin Caseky is brilliant. I am his fan since NOT ME Series and he did not disappoint.

Aou as Max is probably my most favourite character aside from Kwan. He plays the role of the conscience in the story, giving advice, pointing at the mistakes and lending a helping hand whenever needed. Aou looks fabulous, acts even better. Whoever designed his costumes and did the hairstyle deserves a raise.

I will add my precious feelings for Kwan. She is a great friend to Pear, protects her when needed, throws great sardonic punchlines and sees good in people even when those people have hurt her. The actress of Kwan Justina Suvanvihok is not a brilliant actress but she has been an assistant director and screenwriter previously. Colour me surprised!

Absolutely amazing how they gave space to talk about the side characters. I feel the female characters in BLs are often not much talked about in the plot. But we see a beautiful storyline for them too. I saw Aye first in A Tale of Thousands Stars as Torfan and while she had very little space to act her parts, she definitely shined. I am so happy to see her in this series where even though she is a support character, she has her own story and arc. And she did it deftly.

Overall I absolutely enjoyed the message of the story.

The shots, the lighting, the locations are well chosen. Especially the last scene where they are sitting in a beach, WHAT A SHOT! Extra props for Krist and Gawin's improptu singing. I loved the OST and bgms.

I gave it a whopping 8 out of 10. Well deserved.

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A sweet story told in bite sized pieces

The story of a working woman who lives alone, pressured by her parents and peers alike to get married, loves cooking. She always cooks too much food unconsciously. But then she meets her neighbour who loves to eat big portions of food.
And the two find friendship building together.

The story is sweet and slow burn. I love me some slow burn in my literature and my visual media. The casting is perfect , the acting is great too.
I love how the show criticises casual sexism and discrimination thrown around about women. It also discusses how women are generally less paid in professional world. I liked the discussions that the story not only focuses on the relationship but also glossses over real life problems faced in the society.

As for the romance, one might be slightly disappointed. But the season 2 is supposed to come. I will be waiting.

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The Perfect Coming Out Love Story Does Not Exis- Well It Does

I have so many things to write about this series. So many that I know I can't complete if I start ranting.

So I will just keep it short.

First of all, exceptional script, perfect acting, phenomenal music, top notch cinematography. I loved the symbolism of hibiscus flower.

I loved how there is jealousy but there is no ill feeling. The is heartbreak but there is very mature ways of dealing with it. There is good communication. There is very well written female character arc. There is genuine care between friends. There is the best supportive big brother everyone deserves.

Let's talk about the actors. PP Krit and Billkin. Hats off boys. The chemistry, the soft glances, the smirks, the hint of jealousy, the rivalry, so so perfect. I have watched a few rivals/friends to lovers dramas, but the sublime calmness in each of their actions were brilliantly portrayed.

There is visceral reaction of pain, there is confusion, fear of judgement, there is everything that we can completely relate to. The characters are not something out of showbiz but they are like us, normal people. The characters are humane.

There are missing opportunities, some angry miscommunication but at the end of all requited love.
Even the title of the series is so poetic. The story flows like river along with the plot and the characters.

This series will be among my top 10. I am forever indebted to the whole for making this series, a true creative gift.

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A Rare Gem in the Ocean of Thai Drama

CONTAIN SPOILERS
"Why have I not watched this before?" I kept asking myself as I keep biting my nails and play episodes after episodes, binge watching the series in 2 days.

The plot, the premise, the storytelling, the characters, the acting, the dialogues - I am so happy to see that this drama , especially a BL which often flaunt soft and lovey-dovey themes, is tackling so mature a theme so articulately. Sex crimes, human trafficking and drug violence? A plot and character driven theme with on point storytelling? I'm in!

First thing. The plot. From the first forensic test they performed is clear that the production team did their research. The author of the novel is a doctor so I was content that we will get to see some proper real life (almost) dealing of forensic job here. I was not disappointed.

I will give this drama the title of a true crime investigative drama, keeping it real. They notion that 'after a crime happens, everyone is the suspect' was kept throughout the series. Even the main characters are not above the suspicion. Every episode ends with a perfect cliffhanger.
I loved the style of the storytelling as well. Instead of a linear flow of one incident after another, the plot takes liberties to going back and forth in flashbacks and days before of one incident. To some, it may be repetitive, but for me who is too invested in the flow of the story, loved watching it to search for the answers.

The actors, all of them, have done an amazing job. However, I will give kudos to Inspector M and Captain Gun for their respective acting, which was complete opposite of what I thought at first.

The chemistry between the two main characters, the main couple, is undeniably gorgeous; each glance, smirk, tease, heated looks, stares, touches, squints :muah: chef's kiss.

Their emotion for each other is unbridled yet also untrusted, which is very logical and true to the theme of 'everyone is a suspect', and perfectly portrayed with the relation to their respective characters. Dr Bun does not know much about Tan. Tan lies to Dr Bun. They are attracted to each other but also don't fully trust each other (at first). They kiss each other, share sweet moments and then point guns at each other. I was like yes, both of you go for it, kiss each other and then kill each other. Do it.

I should mention, yet again, the natural fluency of the way the main casts tackle intimate scenes. It never looks forced, like they are acting for acting's sake. It's simply like the two people are in love and making love to each other. Kudos to the actors who are also strong and vocal allies of LGBTQIAPN+ community.

There are discussions of abortion but again, kudos that they spoke about it as a choice of an individual rather than an offense and exercised with a look of contempt.

The ending was super sweet. I did not expect them to not kiss but the hugs and soft touches made the scene comfortable to say that the two characters were in perfect marital bliss. And no overt intimate gestures were needed to showcase their love for each other.

And now.

YES. There are plotholes. A hell lot of that.

1. Why Tan's home has the main entrance opened as they they sit down for dinner? Do they not know that there is danger?

2. I don't think that illegal abortion centres perform the abortions while the operation theatre door is partially opened and police, even though may have warrant, can barge into one surgery room where a patient is under the process.

3. As much as I loved the intimate scenes, once again brilliant, some of them felt a bit ill-timed. Dr Bun and Tan broke into Inspector's car, stole a laptop, brought it to their home and then have sex on the sofa? I was like wait what? Now? Idk men, I would probably want to see what was in the laptop, especially as danger is looming over.

4. The journalist is snooping around dangerous areas alone and without any precautions for self-defense?

Some tropes are very familiar and I knew what is in the store for some characters, like the journalist and Pued from like episode number 2.
There are a few more things but those are just me nitpicking over smaller details.

Also, the guy who hacked the SD card and phone and helped share the videos stored on Jane's cloud drive deserves a special applause. If not for him, both the doctor and his beau would be dead.

The ending although unprecedented was not completely unexpected. But still, watching it play before my eyes broke my heart for Jane.

The show is also a testament that you need to be vigilant against people and how they treat you, even if they are someone you love because people change, yes, even the ones you love can change in future. Caution can be your best friend. It also shows how pressure from corrupted authority can make one bow down before the crime even when they know what is wrong and what is right (Inspector M, you were awesome as you decide to not bow down and break that chain of injustice).

All in all, this is a fabulous drama of Thai entertainment and drama industry and not just BL. Please watch and give it more love. I hope to see more plot and characters driven stories in future.

I got to know from social media that Dr Bun's actor Tul has left acting to pursue his other passion and Tan's actor Max has had health issues. Even though it makes me sad that we may not see them together in any series again, I wish them prosperity in their respective lives and thank them for this series. Be happy both of you.

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Great show to watch if you're feeling sad and moody

I guess we can collectively agree that this show has zero srtoryline. It is a feelgood show about kids falling in love.
You should watch if you love to see pretty boys making googly eyes at each other. They did a good job drawing the characters.

Tan is the extroverted overeager boy in love with a boy who is quiet in streets and beast in sheets.
Toey has an aloof partner who is actually not so aloof and can be jealous .
Phum Peem are enemies to lovers.
Chain and Pun well... bless these two so in love but can't speak it out of fear boys.

It is a heartwarming show - Pond does his acting with his eyes and lips and he does not fail at all making both Peem's and our hearts flutter.

AouBoom deserves their own show.

Poon - my boy- I saw his acting on Shadow and he was phenomenal. Appreantly, Poon has been invited to GMMTV by P'Aof so we agree that he's a star material. Also, his eyes when he looks at Chain? Pond has now a rival while acting with his eyes. Because Poon is amazing. I liked Pawin and Marc's pair but MarcPoon too looks very good.

Toey did a great job acting as the youngest on whom everyone dotes on. Winny's acting may look forced sometimes but after watching some of his videos, I realised he was just acting like himself. A little moody, a little aloof, sometimes thinking a lot.

The songs were interesting, everyone got their own vibes shown through their own OSTs.

It's a good show that you can watch and rewatch when you're feel sad, moody or feeling like watching a low stake romance.
Quite nice.

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This is like Given but by South Korea

I will be very very short. This was giving me a very Given-ish vibe all through, I absolutely loved Given. And I like this too. Very nice cinematography, well chosen cast, nice music. But the actual plot, however nice, is very much undeveloped. Like This could have been a whole 12 episode series with 1 hour each and I would not have minded, but with such a short span and underdeveloped characters is what miffed me a lot.

Idk if there is any chance to remake this with more details, because this has potential, for all three couples (including the older bros) to show more.

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Don't ever let him go - no, really, don't

And attempt to make the title humorous was done but it failed. Anyways, there is not much to review. What I will ramble about is the almost flawless acting of Pond.

Palm comes from a fishing village, lives alone, if not in poverty then at least quite modestly. He works alongside his studies, honestly his dad looks like gets paid well, does he not send the boy enough money? Although that man is not very dutiful to his son but at least pay him good? Or maybe Palm just likes to earn his own money. Regardless, he has the practice of menial jobs and he's good at it.

A bit of backstory would have been good on when Palm got to have some combat training or sorts because his dad just brought him with go and be bodyguard of a boy of your age and protect him with your life. I mean... he mentioned that he can handle guns but still. I digress I am not here to nitpick about the plotholes because they don't have holes but there are craters.

We are talking about Pond's acting. His awkward, and a fist out of the water look is perfect when he laid his eyes on nueng for the first time. he is very understanding about the class difference as well. And his eyes that keep looking at Nueng is also the indication that there was attraction at the first sight. While Nueng doesn't trust people easily , he's not blind either.

Palm is so careful about the power imbalance that even though he's in love he almost acts like Nueng is made of glass and cherishes him with utmost softness. NGL with all the shitty plot going on, Palm is the thing that kept me going.

And one more thing. The music. each and every background music used has been extremely well chosen and well fit. I found at least two music used in the Not Me the Series in this one as well. I wonder if the same person/team was responsible for NLMG too.

The editing too was beautifully done. The beach scenes, the slow-mo bike rides, Palm and Nueng glancing at each other so openly (especially Palm) and smiling to each other has been a treat to watch.
Phuwin nailed his part being a spoiled brat but soft inside who yearns for a good friendship. But for me Pond's open display of emotions on his face and all his gestures were magnificent. But then again, Phuwin is not supposed to show his emotions because of fear and mistrust and it is understandable.


Usually I'm a complete "plot comes first" type of person but probably for the first time I focused on the characters more than the plot. If I rewatch I will probably skip through mostly and watch my favourite parts only.
A 7 is a good number for this.

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