Reviews

Came for the Romance, stayed for the outstanding strong FMC!!

A beautiful journey of romance, action, mystery, and love! I loved this drama from start to finish. Some things that really stood out to me:
Firstly, the writing. The character development is top notch. Every character felt real. They are flawed and human but they all experience true growth. One of my favorite parts of this show was how the neighborhood bullies turned into kindhearted humble heroes!
Secondly, the acting. This drama couldn’t have been cast any better. The chemistry is off the charts. Not just between the main couple, but also between the villain(s) and even the background characters. Seriously, bravo to all the actors!
And speaking of the actors.. Boy they are DEDICATED. I saw some behind the scenes clips of the actors training for their roles and I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by their talent and skill. Martial arts is a big part of this show and it’s safe to say the cast NAILED it. Absolutely no notes.
The only truly bad thing I have to say about this show is the horrendous use of AI. I hate it. In fact, it almost made me drop this show. There’s a scene in the first few episodes where we see an AI generated wolf and it looked so bad that I had zero expectations for the rest of the show. It pissed me off so bad how such a good show could have stooped that low. But in hindsight, I think it’s clear their entire budget went to the casting and the costume design. So they were probably too broke to hire cgi artists at that point 😭

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I was torn about giving this a low rating...but

I was really torn about giving this a low rating because the acting is great and the chemistry between both couples is genuinely strong. The overall execution and production aren't bad either...


[spoiler]

...BUT the story itself is just so extremely toxic. Even though the final episode tries to excuse the EXTREME abusive behavior by blaming it on Lu Fengs psychological state, it is just too much. Xiao Chen is written with no self-esteem or self-love and actually possessing no real personality traits other than being "weak" and maybe "too nice". Meanwhile Lu Feng is self-absorbed, egoistic, and extremely abusive. From the very beginning Lu Feng pressures Xiao Chen into everything, including his first time, without showing a bit of compassion. I honestly see no reason why Xiao Chen would stay in love with him after everything he did. Lu Feng abuses Xiao Chen in every way possible, including SA, physical violence, stalking, and severe mental abuse that eventually drives Xiao Chen to attempt self exsit. He even pushes Xiao Chen’s younger brother down the stairs, nearly paralyzing him. The brother (and his partner) is actually the only healthy person here, while he made a mistake early on out of inexperience, it came from a place of protective love. He has a healthy relationship and understands self-love, and in the end, he was entirely right about Lu Feng. I cannot overlook this horrific behavior just because the last episode reveals Lu Feng is mentally unstable, trying to excuse all of this in the final episode as a "mental health issue" to force a happy ending is insulting.. Suddenly shifting to a "love-dovey" conclusion makes no sense. There was nothing genuinely good about Lu Feng, his actions weren't "extreme love", they were just dangerous obsession. In the end the amount of toxicity and abuse completely ruined it for me.

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#thismeanssomethingtome

this being a movie about
- female friendships
- platonic connection
- soulmates = your best friend

i thought this movie did a great job of putting the girls and their relationship at the forefront. ik alot of people were annoyed because it was about a female friendship that got shaken up by a man but i actually loved that they included him. it didn't actually end up being about him or about his relationship with either lead, it was about their friendship at the end of the day. a movie about female friendship, decentering relationships, and that your soulmate can be someone you have a platonic but insane emotional connection to is sosososo beautiful to me

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A feel good drama

A comfort drama full of love, friendship, and just the different realities of life. I love that they covered many topics that kdramas especially don't really like to touch on. Yet, it's not an angsty drama, that will fill you up with anxiety, it's still a light watch. The characters are all flawed but that makes them intresting and relatable. I did see people complain about just how many different plotlines there are which makes the storylines a bit underdeveloped, but honestly I didn't even notice that until after I watched. Because at the end of the day, to me, the success of this show wasn't about the logistics but about all the feelings it brings in you.

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Gave it a try

I like historical k dramas but I have noticed I like more modern story cdramas. I watch a lot of slow vibes one. Right before this now at her THE BEST THING, and liked it. This one I wanted intensity but it never really delivered with romance or political intrigue. The story line was fine for first half, then things got dragged out for not much reason then at the end just loosely tied. The thing that really started annoying me was there are plenty of villains but they didn’t put them one by one but dragged out the younger brother as villain eventhough he should have died. They basically then massacred the town of Linan to give the FL a revenge plot but the revenge plot never really closed off, she got distracted. It was like everything was picked up but it all fizzled, even the romance. The romance was strong but the ML had not much lines and it was so not like this character of a general. I’m not sure if it was written thoughtfully because the casting was good with what we got. The female lead also has unusually high heroine story line, and also she basically could have died once but ofcourse she didn’t. She was also sworn enemy of many but they never came after her full force. The same villains didn’t like ML MARQUIS for his position and strength but they stopped going after him, because politics takes over the last third then he has to insert himself on the court side. I think it’s ok to make the main characters have weakness and not too perfect and that’s what was so not right in second half as FL basically becomes a military hero and overshadows the ML MARQUIS and the writer just gives up on the ML. The last episode was so bad and annoying. We got random thought about oh what if that one big incident which this story is about never happened. Don’t really care because it did happen and what they Iive with good and bad now is what’s more interesting . This is probably one of the hyped dramas that didn’t do it for me and I was usually super lax about that. I will say I am not even sure the controversies about “pretty general” is the problem with this show. I think ZLH was same for me here and the best thing because the characters were similar, ad I haven’t watched him in anything else.

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Aikawa San delivers profound lessons!

I came for Takahashi. He delivered. He’s sweet, innocent, with a playful charm when he’s fascinated by all the animals, yet has a kind of confidence in his own world, while getting scared like a little school boy when he gets yelled at. So many flavors in one actor.

A very interesting dialogue: When Aikawa San says the dentist is like the rabbit, the dentist lady tries to compare herself to the turtle because she doesn’t want to be the rabbit that snoozes and loses. In other words, in trying to compare herself to the turtle she’s still trying to win. Then Aikawa San says something very interesting: “Was the turtle hard-working? That story can be interpreted anyway you like… it (the turtle) didn’t work hard at all. It did not care about winning or losing. It just enjoys whatever’s in front of him. Imagine this the world from the turtles point of view. It’s just walking and crawling on the ground. The world is only a few centimeters above the ground. The turtle only goes forward so that he can enjoy the amazing world. Rabbit don’t even exist in the turtle’s world. That’s why the turtle didn’t shout to the sleeping rabbit.” In other words, the turtle wasn’t even in the race, and yet it seemed to win it! Wow wow what a perspective, I love that so much. All this time we are taught that the turtle and the rabbit were competing evenly against each other and the turtle took advantage of the rabbit’s nap time and won the race. But the turtle wasn’t even running that race, only the rabbit was competing against the turtle.

Then the dentist lady asks, “Then what about the rabbit? How do you interpret the rabbit? It had talent but wasted it and lost. Am I wrong?”

He says “ the rabbit runs to look down on the turtle. It wanted to prove how great it is.”

This dialogue was everything. Wow just wow!!! May I live the turtle life forever and only for us on what’s in front of me and not look at or compete with rabbits!

Now why does Aikawa San say “Eeee!” Before sleeping? I thought I would never figure it out but.. the grandpa taught him it’s to forget about the bad memories and wake up feeling better- the grandpa forgot but he still does it. Shows his childlike innocence. Such a person is not appreciated too much in this world.

Another gem of a quote from Aikawa San: “I rarely get along with other people. But I get along with the person I wanted to the most. That’s more than enough. Long time ago, I used to load that person. I tried really hard not to get along with him but failed. I couldn’t stand it and cried every day. Our relationship is fine now. It’s me.”

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An Eerie Supernatural Mystery with Mixed Execution

I enjoyed this, but it wasn't consistent. It started strong and then fizzled for me as the series progressed. It is divided into 5 cases, so there are different subplots each time, making the storyline unique and engaging and they revolve around a larger narrative that comes together near the end. The cinematography and sound effects are eerie and great for fall watches. But certain plots weren't as strong or cohesive for me compared to others. I enjoyed "Mysterious Tales of Chang'an" more, but this is a nice option for supernatural and mystery watches and I could see myself watching the more stronger episodes again.

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A Love-Hate Kind of Drama for Me, Engaging Fantasy with Slow Sequences

I initially tried watching this once before but quickly dropped it for its low appeal in the first episode. Much later, I gave it another try—and that time, I stuck with it. It was a strange watch for me, because there was so much I didn’t like, yet also a lot I genuinely engaged with. Some themes fell flat and disrupted my viewing flow—especially the romance scenes, which lacked chemistry or believability. They took up too much screen time and made the story drag for me. But then the show would segue into really compelling sequences that recaptured my attention. There were also stretches where too much time passed without any strong subplots to push the narrative forward, leaving me underwhelmed in the middle. I found myself moving through the drama slowly and somewhat out of obligation. That said, I did enjoy the overall story and theme. The content felt rich, the underlying framework was engaging, and the comedic moments hit all the right notes. I loved almost all the subplots—they were layered with enough poignancy that it was easy to fall in love with the characters and be drawn into their storylines. I don’t regret watching this—I just don’t think it was particularly well-rounded.

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Unique, quirky and hilarious

I think this show is just so unique, quirky and really hilarious. It clearly is not the typical, run of the mill BL where an "overly cute and shy university boy falls for a super hot, rich guy" or a story that feels like "pure cotton candy" and I like that about it. Even though it is super quirky, it actually feels realistic in a lot of ways, I know not every couple is so unique or quirky, but some really are. Both of the main characters have this kind of confidence in their weird personalities, but they totally embrace their uniqueness, and they complement each other so well. I am sure some people might find it a bit too over the top or think that it is not "cute" in the traditional sense, but that is what I actually like about this show. I also think that the cinematography looks gorgeous and has its own distinct vibe that really matches the tone of the show. It is different, and I personally like this vibe.

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Love conquers all

While not a fan of that company, I watched several shows produced by DMD – and finally got one that I both liked and enjoyed: "Love Upon A Time". It is not a perfect show, but one that I wanted to come back to every week, one that made me feel good from first to last episode, one that I will rewatch soon.

LUAT’s plot and story successfully combine a fully developed BL plotline (including falling in love, having doubts about it, fighting for it regardless of adversities, overcoming all obstacles) with non-BL elements like a fantasy setting (complete with time travel, reincarnation and curses reaching across centuries), a fish-out-of-water main character, a mystery/crime story, but also comedy and family matters. This combination works very well for at least two reasons: the BL storyline is the most profound one and – deservedly – gets most of the attention while everything else, even solving a mystery from the past, serves the main storyline. Unlike with many Thai BLs the setting and story elements connected with it do not sideline nor overshadow the BL aspect of the series – they are supporting it. The series finds a healthy balance between its heavier, darker, more serious issues and its lighter, funnier moments. It is also helpful that the show does not take itself absolutely serious – it is, after all, a piece of entertainment. Also, to make it clear: LUAT is not a documentary about life during the Ayutthaya period and its goal is not historic accuracy.

While I have no issues with the script that are worth mentioning, nor with the show’s overall pacing (despite some initial doubts in this regard), both casting and performances are an entirely different matter.

JJ carried the show, with some help from Kim, Net and several seasoned cast members. Nakun seems like a role written for JJ, who seized this opportunity to show what he is capable of. Nakun is a multifaceted protagonist: relatable, funny, sassy, confident, but also hesitant, thoughtful and mature. The culmination of the series – at least for me – was the ep. 7 scene with Nakun and Phop confessing their feelings for each other. JJ is great in that scene, displaying actual range: starting reserved and hesitant, he lets his guard down for a moment, then becomes serious to finally admit defeat when emotions overcome him. When Nakun hugs Phop and begs him to forget about their love, there is so much emotion in that simple gesture – the way JJ moves and grabs Net is almost frantic, showing true desperation. It is a sad, heartbreaking scene, tense and emotionally charged – and it relies almost entirely on JJ, supported by Bowkylion’s vocals.
JJ’s Nakun reminded me of Punn Winnala from "Revamp" portrayed by Prem Warut Chawalitrujiwong: someone hiding a secret, someone who is more than he appears, someone falling in love, but painfully aware that this love cannot last – and then realizing he should fight for this love regardless of everything. I like BL characters like that: strong, but also experienced and wise in their own way, aware of how unfair life is, yet longing for love they think is impossible – only to find out that it is achievable and standing firmly to defend it.

As for JJ’s screen partner, I was never fond of him, mainly due to the taint of "Bed Friend". Still, Net’s LUAT performance as Phop is at least serviceable – and, at times, better than that. Also, I like Phop – for his straightforwardness and honesty, and for standing his ground when faced with an ultimatum regarding him and Nakun. Thai (and Asian in general) BLs need more characters like that. JJ and Net have very good chemistry, which allows me to appreciate Net’s performance in LUAT even more.

Kim gave my second favorite performance of the series – making Kaew more than a shallow, token feminine male character. The writing is not overly generous to Kaew and Kim does a lot to give his character some badly needed depth. Some BTS footage for ep. 10 convinced me that Kim was the most mature cast member – and I think it translated to Kaew. He was able to realize what he wants early on, express that, accept one rejection, survive another, curse Jom, mourn and move on – that is actual strength.

Latte and both of his characters are on the opposite side of the spectrum than JJ and Kim; as Jom Latte is wooden and stiff like a plank and switches to annoying and unfunny as Thee. It is worth noting that Jom is the only character who undergoes a significant development - as Nakun is more on a discovery journey, while Phop and Kaew remain unchanged; all three of them are aware of their inner strength and are wielding it to solve problems and combat adversities. Jom – at the start of the series – is very different: a closeted gay man afraid to come out, hiding behind pretense and excuses, even going into full denial. Latte had an opportunity to show Jom going from that to coming out, seizing the moment, overcoming his fear and going beyond that – and he wasted it. Jom has his character arc, but it is solely because of the writing – the performer added nothing to it. More than that: Jom remains bland and weirdly emotionless throughout the whole show because of how Latte portrayed him, reciting his lines like an automaton (which probably was meant to sound serious and mature).

As for other cast members, two deserve a brief mention: Nont – portraying an awful character in an interesting way – and Lookwa, who is always a delight to watch and listen to.

LUAT’s OST consist of seven tracks available through DMD Music, listed below in order of their release.
- "ภพเธอ" by FirstOne Wannakorn Reungrat, which is nothing special and gets a basic score of 2 stars in my ranking.
- "แค่เธอตรงนี้" (Still You) by JJ Radchapon Phornpinit, which is alright and gets 3 stars.
- "ฝากฝันชั่วกาล (Everlasting Dreams)" by "Ice" Saranyu Winaipanit – one of only two songs performed by an actual singer. It is rather good and I give it 3,5 stars.
- "คำคะนึง (Within)" by Net Siraphop Manithikhun – 2 stars and let’s forget about it.
- "ปักใจ (Still)" by NuNew Chawarin Perdpiriyawong, which I disliked almost as badly as I dislike the performer; 1 star is all I’m willing to give.
- "ดั่งใจฝัน (daydream)" by "Bowkylion" Nitchapha Veersutthimas, easily the best part of the OST with great vocals and lyrics – it gets a whole galaxy of stars. Listen on repeat if possible.
- "ยอมรับหัวใจ (No More Hiding)" by "Kim" Pongsaton Sittipan – imperfect, but genuine (almost personal) and sensual; 3,5 stars.
A rather long OST for a show consisting of 12 episodes – which can mean various things. BTW: what was the point of having Lookwa in the cast, but giving the songs to NuNew or Net?

All in all – a good show and even better BL from a company that served disappointment after disappointment. Got to rewatch is asap.

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A Dark & Psychological Piece That Pushes Limits

The performances in this drama were masterful—raw, realistic, and emotionally gripping. The character development was gradual and immersive, drawing me in before I even realized how invested I’d become. Despite that, this was a difficult watch and definitely not for everyone.

While this is heavy subject matter, it didn’t feel exploitative. That said, it explores the darkest sides of human behavior—mental health struggles, manipulation, enabling, mind control, assault, toxic relationships, and delusional thinking. Though I understood the characters’ backstories and motivations, it was an emotionally taxing narrative, and I grew to deeply resent both main leads and the destruction they caused.

It’s been compared to Goodbye My Princess, but Love & Bid Farewell is even more disturbing and traumatic. Watching this depends on the viewer’s sensitivity to the subject matter, and trigger warnings are essential.

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Not Till the End of The Moon, But It Hits Similar Notes

This was an okay watch and I liked it, but it isn't the best production and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone (there is a lot to forgive). It is low budget and you can tell from the execution, the script, scene transitions, and the set. The version I watched had terrible English dubbing, so I couldn't watch it with audio and the subtitles were so simple that it was like reading at a beginner's level. With that said, it has several elements of Till the End of the Moon and for those who know me, this is my favorite Chinese drama and I have to watch everything related to it. So although this was an okay feature for me, I enjoyed all of these elements, including wardrobe.

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