luca
Spain
This review may contain spoilers
I see the Romance, but not the Dangerous
This was.... okay. Let's get into it:
The good:
- I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, Guy and Nawa SAVED this series for me. They were so entertaining, the chemistry was off the charts, and I was invested every time they were on-screen. I loved them. Their kiss??? Are you kidding me??? I think their romance was believable, they never really lost their banter but grew to tolerate, then like each other. I'm sold.
- Sailom and Kanghan have some genuinely adorable moments together. They're at their best when they're hanging out and just having fun.
- The first few episodes were good. Like, actually good. They were so different to other GMMTV series: they were gritty, darker and more bold in showing the reality of bullying. It really got under my skin - which means it was done well. I wanted to punch Kanghan so badly. It felt appropiate for the title 'Dangerous Romance', and even though I don't really like watching people get abused and bullied, it was realistic for the characters and the situations they were in.
- I also loved the (new?) trope of the bully getting his ass handed to him by the person being bullied. It was so funny, and clever, and it made me love Sailom so much. They tell us that he's smart, but those scenes show it as well. It made me see him as a resourceful, cunning and assertive person.
- Honorable mention to my boy Auto, he's made me laugh multiple times - love him as well.
The bad:
- The story just loses its steam after a few episodes - there's no other way to describe it. Once Sailom and Kanghan become friends, it's less about the bullying and more about their romance and secondary plot points. Which I would not mind if they had done it properly - instead, they redeemed Kanghan in, like, the THIRD episode, through a sad montage, and had Sailom forgive him almost immediately. They trusted each other SO FAST. This was the guy who a week ago was forcing you to kiss your friend and recording it!! Why do you trust him?? Why does HE trust you??? Kanghan never really faced the consequences of what he did, which was messed up. He didn't 'make a mistake', he harassed poorer students while being aware of his privilege and accused someone of being a p*dophile so that they would lose their job as a tutor. This is not something that can (nor should) be forgiven that quickly.
- About Kanghan and Sailom's relationship: it's just not giving Romance. They looked like friends with benefits to me. They have such a strong chemistry as friends, but the actors look a little bit uncomfortable when doing physically intimate scenes together. I don't know, maybe I'm just imagining things. Also, it's kind of toxic - Kanghan drops Sailom multiple times throughout the series, and shuts himself off completely without communicating. He fires Sailom knowing that he's financially dependent on him and that he'll have to resort to being an escort. He distances himself immediately after telling him he trusts him. I would be VERY insecure in that relationship.
- Potential? teacher-student romance?? Am I delirious or were they going for it?? Idk, I'm not a fan of this dynamic at all.
- Some plot elements were genuinely ridiculous, and clearly only there to create drama artificially. Why did the brother go to jail? (the boss' fingerprints were on the gun!! He was not wearing gloves!! Did the police not see that they did not match Saifah's???) Why did Name take so long to confess? Why did the boss start shooting at Sailom and Kanghan at the hospital instead of threatening to kill the dad so that they would go away? Why did he go in himself, instead of having someone disposable go in his place?
- The dad was redeemed too fast. I didn't care for him - he was an asshole for 90% of the series, and then I'm supposed to believe that he's a great guy who's turned his life around to be better for his son. I'm sorry, I don't.
Would I recommend this series? Not really. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't as memorable as I originally thought it was going to be. I'll probably forget 70% of what happened throughout. I do think that the actors should be given more roles together, maybe not as partners, but friends? Their chemistry shouldn't go to waste.
The good:
- I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, Guy and Nawa SAVED this series for me. They were so entertaining, the chemistry was off the charts, and I was invested every time they were on-screen. I loved them. Their kiss??? Are you kidding me??? I think their romance was believable, they never really lost their banter but grew to tolerate, then like each other. I'm sold.
- Sailom and Kanghan have some genuinely adorable moments together. They're at their best when they're hanging out and just having fun.
- The first few episodes were good. Like, actually good. They were so different to other GMMTV series: they were gritty, darker and more bold in showing the reality of bullying. It really got under my skin - which means it was done well. I wanted to punch Kanghan so badly. It felt appropiate for the title 'Dangerous Romance', and even though I don't really like watching people get abused and bullied, it was realistic for the characters and the situations they were in.
- I also loved the (new?) trope of the bully getting his ass handed to him by the person being bullied. It was so funny, and clever, and it made me love Sailom so much. They tell us that he's smart, but those scenes show it as well. It made me see him as a resourceful, cunning and assertive person.
- Honorable mention to my boy Auto, he's made me laugh multiple times - love him as well.
The bad:
- The story just loses its steam after a few episodes - there's no other way to describe it. Once Sailom and Kanghan become friends, it's less about the bullying and more about their romance and secondary plot points. Which I would not mind if they had done it properly - instead, they redeemed Kanghan in, like, the THIRD episode, through a sad montage, and had Sailom forgive him almost immediately. They trusted each other SO FAST. This was the guy who a week ago was forcing you to kiss your friend and recording it!! Why do you trust him?? Why does HE trust you??? Kanghan never really faced the consequences of what he did, which was messed up. He didn't 'make a mistake', he harassed poorer students while being aware of his privilege and accused someone of being a p*dophile so that they would lose their job as a tutor. This is not something that can (nor should) be forgiven that quickly.
- About Kanghan and Sailom's relationship: it's just not giving Romance. They looked like friends with benefits to me. They have such a strong chemistry as friends, but the actors look a little bit uncomfortable when doing physically intimate scenes together. I don't know, maybe I'm just imagining things. Also, it's kind of toxic - Kanghan drops Sailom multiple times throughout the series, and shuts himself off completely without communicating. He fires Sailom knowing that he's financially dependent on him and that he'll have to resort to being an escort. He distances himself immediately after telling him he trusts him. I would be VERY insecure in that relationship.
- Potential? teacher-student romance?? Am I delirious or were they going for it?? Idk, I'm not a fan of this dynamic at all.
- Some plot elements were genuinely ridiculous, and clearly only there to create drama artificially. Why did the brother go to jail? (the boss' fingerprints were on the gun!! He was not wearing gloves!! Did the police not see that they did not match Saifah's???) Why did Name take so long to confess? Why did the boss start shooting at Sailom and Kanghan at the hospital instead of threatening to kill the dad so that they would go away? Why did he go in himself, instead of having someone disposable go in his place?
- The dad was redeemed too fast. I didn't care for him - he was an asshole for 90% of the series, and then I'm supposed to believe that he's a great guy who's turned his life around to be better for his son. I'm sorry, I don't.
Would I recommend this series? Not really. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't as memorable as I originally thought it was going to be. I'll probably forget 70% of what happened throughout. I do think that the actors should be given more roles together, maybe not as partners, but friends? Their chemistry shouldn't go to waste.
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