Reviews

Kimchi Family was a gamble for me. I didn't find the synopsis for it all that exciting and I didn't even know who Song Il Gook was. I only started watching because Park Jin Hee was in it and I loved her in Giant and recognized her from the drama Still Marry Me...

Story- The first episode was just really interesting and the chemistry between the leads was so good. The possibility of a romance between them led me to want to continue watching and see what this drama was all about. As the drama unfolded I became more intrigued as there was a bit of mystery to some characters and how they were connected. . The romance was sweet and subtle as the plot was more about the main character finding out who he is and about his past. The synopsis doesn’t do this show justice, as yes its about the family ties that develop between the people who work and live at Earth and Man but its so much more. It’s heartwarming, engaging, and emotional. The ending is bittersweet.

Acting/Cast- Wonderful acting by the entire cast. Not just the main actors but the supporting cast as well. Everyone made their characters stand out. I loved all the characters and they really felt like a family to me. I'm glad I got introduced to SIG because I’ll definitely be watching out for other things he’s in=)

Music- Interesting score that fit the scenes really well. The OST was very good but nothing I’d listen to out of the show.

Rewatch- I’d definitely watch this again but not too soon.

Overall Kimchi Family was a pleasure to watch and I will definitely miss watching every week.

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Why did I even watch this drama? Because of the name and Hyun Bin.
Why did I continue watching it? Because of Sung Yu Ri and the great story.

The story starts off as an ordinary story, but at an unexpected point it turns into a deepp story. You get dragged along by Han Tae Wong and Kim Bo Ra's bitter sweet lovestory. You feel their pain and joy.

Hyun Bin and Sung Yu Ri pull of their roles in an overwhelming way. I especially loved Sung Yu Ri's performance.
the overall cast is good and also the side stories are adorable.

The music is very fitting and you are being pulled in the story by the music.

For the fangirls out where: Hyun Bin is an eyecandy not to be overlooked. Sweating Hyun Bin ;)

I gave this drama a 10/10 score even though someone spoiled the ending for me.

Would I rewatch it? Yes, I want to rewatch it, but as I don't have that much time.

Enjoy the drama, but have a box of tissues in your reach.

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I saw this movie as soon as the subs were out. The poster caught my eye and so did the synopsis. I am so glad I watched it. It's a very well-directed and acted film.

FYI it is based on the real life of the last princess of Joseon Dynasty of Korea and her life's events are more or less depicted accurately. Some parts have been dramatized for entertainment but I liked that the major events shown were how they went down in history. It's quite emotional and I think irrespective of the country you are from, you will be able to relate with the pain Korean people went through under Japan's rule.

The casting of the film was on-point. Right from the child actress to Kim So Hyun to Son Ye Jin, everyone portrayed the princess excellently. I felt her pain and sympathized with what might have happened to her. Not only her but so many people in her life were affected because of the Japanese rule and if you look up her life on Wikipedia, it's becomes even more sad.

I love that this movie has an undertone of patriotism throughout and everyone can relate to that. The romance and rebellion is also there but it doesn't ruin or make the movie any heavier than it could have been. It's rather lighter than how I expected it to be. While this princess had a hard life I equally felt for her servants who waited for her for some 40-odd years.

The best part about the movie was the ending. Not only was it inspirational that life can go on in spite of hardships, it shows that this person who went through so much in her life got what she wanted at the end.

Hope everyone watches this film because it will make you respect the princess. The only flaw was the 'villain' because he was a little difficult to be taken seriously. At times it seemed too fictional and that's where the movie got lost a bit.

I commend the nice direction, great costumes, sets and the cast for their acting. Do watch this for a memorable experience.

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I'm a HUGE fan of the manga! and I can say I absolutely loved this drama! It stayed very true to the manga, and for that I am very grateful!

Obviously, I love the story. It has everything, interesting and unique characters with very complex pasts/personalities, amazing character development, and a great ending that leaves the audience not only satisfied but also inspired!

The only annoying part is the fact that for some strange reason they tried to make the characters 2-3 years older! which creates huge inconsistencies, since the whole story would only make sense if they were underage! so yeah, I basically ignored the whole college-grad school references and thought of them being in high-school, going to college!

The acting was good and the main characters had good chemistry!
I would say other than the stupid age shift, this drama had two other problems: bad cinematography and excessive repeat of the music! The lighting in many scenes was off, and the song, even though I LOVED it, was repeated so many times that it kind of annoyed me!

Let me just say this one more time, the story is AMAZING! It has many deep psychological elements to it that makes it one a kind! Although at a first glance it might seem like every other drama, but it's very unique. Give it a shot, I promise you won't regret it!

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Lovely drama

I’ll start with saying that this drama is lovely. It’s not the drama of the year, but it’s one that leaves a quiet and lasting impression, at least for me.

First, it’s a low budget drama with actors with a short resume. That might repulse some people who would automatically catalogue this drama into the lame one. But there are very expensive dramas which aren’t good so money is not necessarely the winning factor.

Second, I think the actors played very well, all of them. A bit on the exaggerated side, like in sitcoms (but still, less than in american sitcoms !). I had seen the ML in a short drama where he was not nice at all and arrogant and here, he plays a sweet, old fashion man very naturally so I find him quite good for someone with so little acting experience. The FL was fine, I hadn’t seen her in anything else but she was doing well, here. Especially when she was playing scenes with her best friend, I have to say.

The summary on MDL is not quite exact when it comes to who and what the ML is but I’m not going to spoil it for you, just know that it’s more complicated and original than a simple « ghost story ».

This drama has this serene elegance, due to who the ML is, the music, the ambiance of the drama. There are some fun moments, some angst, some mystery and in episodes 11 and 12, real sadness. Be prepared for it if you are living through the same thing in RL, it can be a bit tough, at least for me, it rang true. The drama has more depth than the ratings would let you believe. Life, death, longevity, loss, going on with life despite being bereft of love and affection…

It’s a paranormal/love story drama so of course, you have to be willing to, what’s the english word ? Suspend disbelief ? But « fantasy » is in the tags for this drama.

I’ll end up by saying that yes, there is quite a height difference between the ML and the FL. I’m starting to wonder if writers and directors don’t have a fondness for this situation because it’s not the first time that I watch a drama with such a height difference (Hello « My little happiness » and « Put your head on my shoulder »). I can’t help thinking that it must be uncomfortable for both actors to shoot a drama for months with such a difference.

But apart from that, I really loved this drama. If you love old fashion MLs and old fashion eerie feeling hovering over a drama (while still remaining modern), then you can give this drama a chance.

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Not as good as expected due to some huge flaws in the logic.

1/ STORY:
After her father, a notorious gangster, is assassinated, Yoon Ji Woo goes to take vengeance on the killer. She is helped by her father's best friend to learn how to fight and enters the police where the killer is hidden. The plot is thin like a paper of cigarette. But there is a huge twist and then a huge counter twist which lead to a very predictable final. The fights are the best part. They are bloody but the choreography of the violence make them very enjoyable. Overall the story is nothing surprising. It would be good enough if there was not a few illogical things:

- Why a 17yo girl would decide to avenge her father who was a gangster for16 years and made her life miserable?
- Why she was trained for years and sent as an undercover gangster among the police for a task that only needed a killer just like for her dad?
- Why the bad guy was accused of stabbing the thug to death when he was shot dead by a cop in front of another cop?
- How come the ex junkie helped the FL out of the blue?
...
There are some weak points in the script that made the drama look not very well written for me. But in the midst of the action, it is less noticeable.

2/ CHARACTER/ACTORS:
- The FL: Loved her fighting spirit. She looks weak but she is resolute and ready to suffer to achieve her goal. In another hand, she is a bit reckless and naïve. Han Soo Hee did a good job here. She is surprisingly good in this action drama too.
- The bad guy: A scheming and ruthless guy but also a little bit psycho behind a nice facade. The actor was impeccable.
- ML: Not a very smart cop. I found the actor was not so good as he looked a bit bland or the character is supposed to look like that?
- Bad Guy's right hand: interesting guy. He should have had a bigger role.
- Gang Jae : a little bit too crazy and not realistic for someone who wanted to climb the gangsters ladder.
Other characters were ok.

3/ OST:
Good enough but a few songs were a bit too loud just to give a style.

4/ REWATCH VALUE:
Not the whole drama but some scenes are quite fun especially towards the end where the pace is faster and the action is particularly savage.

5/OVERALL:
Despite a few flaws in the writing the drama is still enjoyable because it is only 8 eps long and the vengeance is well told in the end and makes it a guilty pleasure. 7.5+0.5 because it is an easy watch.

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kurosawa is love. kurosawa is life.
therefore, multiplying adachi with kurosawa equates to infinite rays of sunshine.
(not to be confused with plants vs. zombies type of sun)

out of all the bl dramas that recently came out, this one was such a delightful surprise. while many found the last 2 episodes lacking, i'm just far too deep in the hole i dug and so i succumb to this addictive fluff.

what is so good about this drama? it's just a chill feel-good drama that deals well with portraying characters who have different personalities but all in all, they have their different point of views. there was no failed attempt at delivering characters with depth and while adachi may be the typical shy character, it was worth it to wait every week to see him try his best at getting out of his comfort zone to try new things. kurosawa is literally the most patient and lovable character i have seen so far. i loved seeing a character who respects boundaries and someone who may seem perfect to others but he really wants to be seen not only with his looks. the episode centered around his point of view was wonderfully done.

fujisaki my girL yooooooo i absolutely love the writers for not making her yet another revenge obsessed type of character. alike kurosawa, she is seen as someone who consistently has her self together. the truth is she does get tired too. she's the sweetest and supportive friend. i'm conflicted whether we deserve her or not.

i can't entirely say anything much about the side couple. they didn't appeal to me that much but it was entertaining to see chaotic tsuge trying to get his shit together. minato trying to achieve his dream is admirable. the combination of these two somehow works and i liked seeing adachi help tsuge and minato get together. it goes to show how pure their friendship is.

why should you watch this?
-story is a bop.
-acting is a bop.
-music is a bop.
-rewatch value is a bop.

overall, this drama was like the light at the end of tunnel in this year. it's great to see noncomplex couples with no unnecessary love triangle and overexaggerated drama. be prepared to swoon tho.

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A Standout Animated Film

KPop Demon Hunters is easily one of the most compelling animated films released this year. It manages to blend modern pop culture with supernatural action in a way that feels fresh without trying too hard. The premise—K-pop idols secretly fighting demons—could’ve gone gimmicky fast, but the film handles it with a surprising level of care and style.

What really stands out is seeing this film listed on MyDramaList. Usually, animations—especially ones from non-Asian countries—don’t make the cut there. But in this case, it actually makes sense. Unlike a lot of Western attempts to tap into K-culture, KPop Demon Hunters shows a real understanding of its influences, and it doesn’t just borrow the aesthetics—it respects them. That’s probably why it was given a chance where others weren’t.

The animation is clean, the action is sharp, and the characters are well-designed both visually and emotionally. The music hits the right notes without overshadowing the story. It’s fun, but it also has enough substance to hold your attention beyond the spectacle.

It’s not just good “for a Western animation”—it’s a strong film in its own right, and a smart, entertaining watch for anyone interested in a cross-genre story done right.

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Mediocrity with so much potential

I just want to start this review by saying, i think i completed this drama wholly for what it could've been, instead what it actually was. So many of the plot points had good groundwork but they just executed everything in the most uninspiring way. The story had potential, pairing had potential, second leads were okay to a point and SML was wholly unnecessary inclusion with love triangle. I hope writers would actually do some thinking why some tropes work and try and make them work instead of just putting them in the stories without thought.

Inclusion of love triangle in first episodes and it lasted for almost full drama was so unnecessary, it really didn't bring anything to the drama and made SML so one dimensional that the actor was fully wasted. I don't know why kdrama writers need to include it just seemingly cause it has to have one instead of thinking does it actually need one.

Leads relationship started good, not counting the mentioned love triangle ruining it from the start, it moved kinda fast but that was okay, but at some point it started to feel like FL started to use ML for emotional support and latter part vice versa, it is kinda sad to make half of the drama kinda trauma train and it didn't really fit the sold image of the drama at all.

Secondary couple was so much better than leads but i think writers just didn't know what do with the couple latter episodes and made them go through every cliche known to man. Disappointing on that front too.

Acting was great from everyone, i loved how infuriating the villagers were. No complaints here at all.

Conclusion
Very mediocre drama which had potential if rightly done, but writers showed from the start that they just want to use tropes instead of actually thinking what would work. Acting was great and everyone really worked well together. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone, it was lower end mediocre and i gave it 6/10. If you really like the actors, maybe for those i could recommend, everyone acted great, just the story left lot to be desired.

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I must make a point of commencing this review by saying what a great drama this is; the scale and quality of this production is unparalleled to any other I have seen thus far, so first and foremost please take this into account when addressing my criticisms of it.

The grandiose nature of this drama can initially feel a tad overblown before you are engaged by the plot; every character is introduced on screen in each episode with text denoting their name and association to other characters or establishments, the music is mostly orchestral, with a good choice in The Eagles' "Desperado" thrown in, and sweeping overtures throughout the series give the whole thing a sense of huge importance. This, combined with the enthusiasm and respect of those who support the central character feels slightly false at first. Only very slightly.

This foundation is well laid, however, as the story that unfolds is so engaging, the enemy so cruel and terrible in the face of such unceasing, hopeless optimism, that anything less is scale would fail to support it through to the final climax.
The story is a sad one, but necessarily so. The characters who give the drama its light alleviate the pain of the circumstances forever falling upon them.

The acting is sublime, Kimura Takuya has not crafted such a reputation out of thin air after all, but for me it is Kitaoji Kinya's Manpyo Daisuke that steals the show, the nuances of his expression so readable whilst retaining the stone-faced airs of a powerful executive.

For me, whilst immediately impressed by the quality of the drama it needed an initial investment of time; I didn't feel compelled to watch episode after episode, although by episode 6 this feeling changed and I was very keen to progress with the story. Like all dramas that feel this way, the investment of time into a few well thought-out starting episodes, that do not spoil us with too much all at once and establish characters and circumstance evenly and with skill, is worth the payoff and more.
What's more, the social setting of 1960's Japan is interesting, a time of great transition for the country.

In regards to my average score for rewatch value, I hasten to add that my PTW is getting so long, it would have to be the most incredible drama for me to watch it again before deciding to watch anything else. Others may enjoy watching the same thing many times, but for me I am keen to try new things, so please don't let that put you off.
What's more, some scenes in this drama were so striking I am certain that they will be very clear in my memory for some time to come.
If I could give it a score out of 10 to recommend you watch it I'd give it a 10; it's good to see the serious and highly professional side of the drama world amongst all the dreamy good stuff that we all enjoy!

I urge you all to give this one a go!

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Surprise! I actually liked and enjoyed this movie.

Gonna lay this out first. If you're expecting Peninsular to go exactly as Train to Busan did, you might as well go rewatch the first movie and not have your high expectations be dashed. If you dived into this movie without any set expectations you might surprise yourself to realise that you actually enjoyed this movie. I mean, I watched this in the cinema and regardless of how much CGI had been used in this movie compared to Busan, I haven't even had time to think about that. Because yes, the movie was quite fast-paced but it was exactly due to that what made any kinds of CGI barely noticeable.

I mean face it, the setting was four years after the escape to Busan. And even then, the situation was already chaotic. And the setting for the movie was focused on the other surviving people who had to try to escape the zombies by other ways BESIDES taking the KTX to Busan. Certainly, you can't expect the situation to unfold exactly the same as the people on that particular train. And the story still has a similar theme; how fear and desperation will affect the people trying to escape from the virus that will turn you into an undead. And what'll happen when the efforts to curb the zombie pandemic did not show any results as other nations decide to abandon the people still trapped in the zombie-ridden country because they find it pointless to help an already fallen country?

And to be honest, this isn't the first zombie movie that does use CGI for some of the zombies (like seriously, you don't run actual people down with high-speed cars so how else you wanna film THAT correctly?) and that never stopped people from enjoying movies like Silent Hill or Resident Evil. Heck, I enjoyed this movie a whole lot better from Rampant and that's saying something. Besides... I love all the Fast & Furious parts. That was fun. It's so fun that I felt like screaming in fear but it's still fun. And it's amazing how the survivors made use of the sensitivities to light and sound to try to divert the zombies around in order to make their escape. And of course like in Busan, there ARE assholes in this movie as well. More than a bunch of selfish assholes to make good people's lives harder just to survive. And we do get a great climatic 'battle' near the end. And we also got an unexpected plot twist just as hope seemed to be lost near the end of the movie. So all in all, this movie is good in my book.

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I loved this show and hated the ending, but not for the reason you think.

This is pulled from a bit meta analysis post I put on tumblr, I'm usign this as my back up so I'll be covering lots of stuff. Historical context, language stuff, filming techniques, and finally a full review including all my issues with the ending. Here's th equick review first:

I truly loved this time travel romance. IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but no as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show should easily have earned a 10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls. Argh. Whatever. 9/10

Some Historical Context for I Feel You Linger In The Air - Thailand 1925-1932

I love history and so here's some info that any Thai watcher would likely know, but the rest of us might not... ready?

The Historical Stage:

Burma (now Myanmar) to the west is occupied by the British. The French hold Vietnam to the east. Everyone is bickering over what would become Cambodia & Laos. China occasionally gets involved from the North (also, lots of immigrants from China at this time accounting for a large percentage of the merchant/middle class) Eventually, Japan would invade during WWII. In part, The Kingdom of Siam was kept a "neutral" party because none of the surrounding colonial powers wanted to risk offending any of the other players in the area. Siam re-negotiated sovereignty in 1920 (from USA) and in 1925 (from France & Britain). But during the time of this show (late 1929) it was back to it's customary type-rope balancing act of extreme diplomacy with the allied western colonial powers that surrounded it.

Recognizing that Thailand was never colonized (although it was invaded), it's boarders were constantly nibbled at and it was "ambassador-occupied" off and on by westerners whose military backing and exploitive business concerns simply outmatched the monarchy, especially in the technology department (as well as by reputation on the global stage at the time).

In other words, the farang in this show (James & Robert) were always gonna be both the baddies and the power players of the narrative. (Farang is the Thai word for non-Thai's of European descent, the word means guava.)

The king of Siam at the time (Vajiravudh AKA Rama VI) was initially somewhat popular but also regarded as overly extravagant since Siam had been hit by a major postwar recession in 1919. It should also be noted that King Vajiravudh had no son because he was most likely gay (which at the time did not much concern the Siamese popular opinion, except that it undermined the stability of the monarchy leaving it without an heir).

He "died suddenly" in 1925 (age 44) with the monarchy weakened and succession handed off to his younger brother.

In 1932 a small circle of the rising bourgeoisie (all of whom had studied in Europe, mostly Paris), supported by some military, seized power from the monarchy in a practically nonviolent Siamese Revolution installing a constitutional monarchy. This is mentioned in IFYLITA in the last few episodes but did not (apparently) appear in the original novel.

Siam would then go through:

dictatorship, WWII, Japanese invasion, Allied occupation, democratic elections, military junta, the Indochina wars, communist insurgency, more democracy and popularization movements, multiple coups, more junta, more monarchy,

eventually leading us to the somewhat chaotic insanity of Thai politics we have today. (Which is, frankly, a mix of monarchy, junta, democracy, egocentric popularism, and bribery.)

The Filming of I Fell You Linger in the Air

The director if this show, Tee Bundit (Hidden Agenda, Step by Step, Lovely Writer, TharnType), has never particularly impressed or offended me as a director. I would have called him simply "workmanlike" in execution: not offensive, serviceable.

So much so that I spent some time hunting for info on IFYLITA's cinematographer (who remains uncredited on MDL) because this one, of all Tee pantheon, is ultra stylish. It, frankly, felt too good for him.

Specifically, there is a repeated visual motif in intimacy scenes of either Yai or Jom being filmed from behind a screen/drape/curtain making them seem more translucent, like a ghost or spirit. While the other half of the pair is filmed with sharp clarity. In the first half of the series this is more likely to be Yai (an unknown and mysterious element), as the show progresses, it's more likely to be Jom (the person outside of place and time, destined to vanish all together). This cleverly conveys story, tension, and foreshadow (future shadow?)

Occasionally we shift over so they both become obscured and then clear again.

This stylized version of dirty framing and filters is used to foreshadow and then constantly remind us about that Jom slipped (and is slipping) through time and the disconnect that causes to his sense of reality and purpose, and to his burgeoning relationship.

For example, the scene where Yai is drunk and asleep in his bed. The first time Jom is sitting in a chair drawing him. Yai is blurry behind the screen while Jom is solid and sharp.

This filming technique combined with dirty framing is being used to give the watchers the impression of looking at something we maybe shouldn't, like we are being creepy and intruding on their private time. After all, they can see EACH OTHER clearly, it's only us who have the visual impairment.

This gives us a sense of doom and discomfort and slight sensation that we shouldn't be there. We shouldn't be watching. But ALSO that we too are outside of time, filtered by the future.

In other words his sense of displacement is being used to trigger ours visually.

It's all quite clever.

It's both beautiful and atmospheric and discomforting and touch stressful. Meaning that it is ALSO a visual vehicle to drive narrative tension. As effective as scary music, perhaps more so in this show (since I personally found the musical motifs and refrains somewhat overused.)

Linguistic corner

The word for reflection and shadow is the same in Thai.

Note on the por/phor/phô honorific in Thai

I have not encountered it before in BL. I am indebted to @embraceyourfandom for the following information;

Phô is a paternal honorific, luang phô is used for respected monks. It basically means father. And is oft seen as male honorific for village elders. It's also used as a male prefix in the names of several occupations like:

พ่อครัว phô khrua (khrúa= kitchen -> chef) พ่อค้า phô khá (khá= trade -> merchant) พ่อมด phô mót (mót= person of occult knowledge -> wizard) พ่อบ้าน phô bân (bân =house -> butler) - most relevant

So, Yai's use is probubly foreshadowing that Jom will be a butler for his house, and is primitively referring to him with this title.

All that said, phô can also be used by a "man who is older/higher on hierarchy to refer to a younger/lower on hierarchy man with intimacy and/or affection."

I think all this has to do with Jom's demonstration of education. Yai figured out early on that one of the reasons Jom doesn't belong and cannot fit in with the servants is that he is more educated than a peasant (of this time period), which for Yai adds up to him being originally from a higher status and possibly wealthy family, especially since Jom speaks English and has travelled (he has a non-northern accent).

There is very little Thai middle class at the beginning of the 1920s since trade is being dominated/dictated by the West, or Chinese merchant operations, and Siam is a monarchy. So for a nationalize Thai citizen educated means military, landed gentry with trade operations (like Yai), royal/political/diplomatic connections, or... none of the above. This changes, especially in the south, throughout this decade (as it did in other parts of the world). So there is a rising bourgeoisie going on in the background but it's not that obvious in Chang Mai at this time.

What Jom's educated lack of status means to Yai is that Jom's family either got wiped out or politically disenfranchised possibly as part of the 1912 attempted coups (or even WWI)? This would be mystifying for Yai because Jom doesn't act like he comes from a military family at all. So his background and status is very confusing for Yai, but Yai does know one thing...

Jom is NOT lower class by the standards of Yai's temporal worldview and existence.

For a young man to be educated and yet entirely alone is very dangerous and suspicious. Also, let's be clear, Jom doesn't look or act like a laborer. He red flags "cultured" all over the place.

Yai is paternalistic and caring towards Jom out the gate because Yai has a big ol'crush but also because he recognizes "his own" is trying to survive while isolated and scared.

Yai wants to rescue Jom. Yai is an ineffectual 20 year old gay intellectual. But poor thing sure tries.

Let's Talk About How I Felt About I Feel You Linger in the Air

The historical aspect was great.

I adore historical romances and we almost never get them in BL. I was always gonna be biased towards this show. (As indeed I am towards Nobleman Ryu's Wedding, Tinted with You, and To Sir With Love.) Aside from some classic Thai BL production issues (less than normal, this is very high production value for Thailand) and my issues around the sound track and repetitive repriens (which frankly were more noticeable because I binged the last half) I have no complaints on that score (heh heh).

The surrounding support cast were all quite good and we even got us some lesbians!

The emotional and narrative tensions were excellent.

Any issues I had with pacing came from focus on characters that didn't interest me, but probubly did interest others. I wasn’t wild or particularly interested in the family drama or the side characters/couples, but they were necessary to make this a fully fleshed story with historical context and to give Yai much needed characterization. Also this use of a ensemble cast is very close to Thailand's lakorn heart, even thought this one had way less scenery chewing ludicrous soapy drama (thank heavens).

I was delighted that external threat, stressors, and conflict drove this plot. That's refreshing in BL.

I have no arguments with the chemistry and kisses and sex scenes were tasteful and lovely, occasionally even heart-wrenching, and it's nice to see Thailand especially use physical intimacy to drive plot, and not the other way around.

I love historicals partly because every tiny touch can have such lingering significance, they're very elegant in their chaste physicality. This show didn't need to move into higher heat, but I'm grateful it did because even that was very well done. Thai BLs can often feel clumsy around intimacy, but not this one.

The final sex scene before Jom and Yai separate forever utilizes the ubiquitous director's-favorite-romantic-moments-flashbacks (required of all Asian romance dramas) but with acceleration and tension driven by the noises of sex, which I've never seen/heard done before. In other words: climax of sex = climax of the romance story, I see what you did there, Tee. Clever. Very clever. Bit on the nose… erm… on the… well you know what I mean.

Like all Thai BLs this wasn’t perfect, but for me this is as close as Thai BL gets to high quality romance and that’s what I want the most from my drama watching experience (if not necessarily my Thai BL experience).

But... and you knew the but was coming didn't you?

I absolutely hated the ending.

It wasn't sad, don't worry, but it also wasn't good. SPOILERS HERE ON OUT

There is a long drawn out separations sequence and then Jom returns to the present, drowning from a car accident. Jom is "rescued" by an moustachioed iteration of Yai from the distant past (who we met once before) and then wakes in hospital. Some time later, Jom returns to the house in Chang Mai where Yai turns up and they reunite.
The end.

There is a stinger featuring Jom once more hurled back in time, only further, meeting the warrior mustache Yai once more.

Okay, that's all I knew and all I saw.

Confused? So was I.

If this had been a regular time travel romance: Yai would have been the EMT or doctor attending Jom when he woke up and their "this time period" romance would commence. With either shared memories, or not.

Had this been set up for audience comprehension in line with the original novel, we should have had flashbacks from both Present Yai (he's not the same one, as it turns out) and deep-past Moustache Yai interwoven throughout the series. Preferably with some focus on Present Yai's quest for reunion with Present Jom AND Present Yai's own experience with visions and memory of his past lives.

A full explanation of the ending is here. This explanation of the 3 different Yais makes me like our ending more. But I shouldn't need to read Cliff's notes from some random y-novel reading fan on Tumblr to understand what's going on in a series!

There is supposedly a special happening with Jom + Present Yai.

There was unquestionably a failure in adaptation in the finale of this show.

As a fan and watcher, what I actually felt was deeply confused and hurt.

I also felt that this was a disingenuous un-earned throw away happy ending, since I had no idea who this new Present Yai was and no investment in his character. I simply didn't believe he was the same Yai (Bright is too good an actor, he was clearly a different older personality).

So the fact remains that past Yai, our Yai, the 20 year old boy we grew to understand and love, is abandoned in the past to suffer alone for the rest of his life. And THAT is an unhappy ending for one half of my beloved pair. Yes Jom gets a new Yai in the present day, but it's not the same Yai. They have no developed relationship, and Jom is doomed to leave even this new Yai and slide into the past once more. That's barely even happy for now for Jom's character.

As a result of my deep sadness for 20-year-old Yai in particular, I'm not going to be able to rewatch this show. The whole thing was rendered not just confusing but the opposite of comforting by the final 15 minutes. I'm tempted to dock it two whole points - one for the ending and the other for the lack of rewatch potential.

But the first 11.5 eps were SO GOOD.

This is one of the only times where I am actually hoping for a second season, while simultaneously being wary of the screen writing and production team's capacity to give us a satisfying one.

Industry wise? I honestly don't think we can hope too hard for a full season 2. This was an expensive show with flawed/limited distribution and little sponsorship. I don't see how they'll get funding for a second season. Unless we see this show up on like Netflix or Viki, I urge you not to hope too hard and be disappointed.

In all honestly?

I started typing up this blog post thinking Thailand was finally, after 5 years, going to earn another 10/10 from me but I just can't in good conscious give it that. It's been days and I'm still upset about that last episode.

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This is a mess

I truly can’t understand where it all went so wrong. Well, I can. It was the middle of the season. The story they tried to tell in the second half of the series does not make sense. It’s impossible that the story was finished when the show went into production, or they had to wrap everything up in 2 episodes. We had several “case of the week” episodes in the start and not much happening to build an overall world or explain any backstory. I was not super worried because I thought the series had 15 episodes. But then, I saw the finale trailer after episode 8 and my jaw dropped. The last 3/4 episodes are so so rushed. It’s basically information dump. Suddenly we have 3 parallel worlds and 3 Guns. And the 200 year old protagonist doesn’t know about that. The true big bad, with the VERY original name of “The One”, is extremely boring and goes into long monologues. Not even Gun and Nanon can save that.

Another major problem is that there’s not a single episode where one of Gun’s characters is not unconscious or needed one to be saved/rescued. And then we have the effects… they keep get worse as the season progresses. It’s really bad green screen and CGI monsters.

The only good aspect is the solid cast. Which are completely wasted on a terrible plot and weak execution.

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