Reverse 4 You

#JusticeForReverse4You

Do people just hate good art or something? Like, why does Reverse 4 You only have a 7.8 rating? Put some respect on its name because this show is so underrated. Honestly, it’s the best GL of 2024 in my opinion, even though we got robbed with only 8 episodes.

The balance of romance, comedy, and angst? Absolute perfection. And I mean perfect. Four is a masterclass on how to write a "mean" character. She starts off as an asshole, sure, but the way her character grows and deepens makes you fall in love with her. Then there’s Wa, she’s such a fun and likable character that you can’t help but root for her.

The writing is so good and does not get the love it deserves. Their banter? Pure gold. I was kicking my feet and giggling like crazy. I haven’t read the book, so I don’t know how faithful the adaptation is, but the delivery of the lines? Top-notch.

And let’s talk about that confession scene. The build-up was chef’s kiss, and the scene itself? Best one in GL history, hands down. So cute, so romantic. Writers and directors everywhere need to take notes because this is how you do it.

Even with only 8 episodes, the pacing was just right. Every episode felt complete and left you excited for the next one. Unlike other shows, it didn’t leave you feeling like something was missing.

I love everything about this show and will defend it forever. Absolute masterpiece.


2024 GL Ranking: https://kisskh.at/list/Ln8MOBO4
My Top 10 GLs of All Time: https://kisskh.at/list/4vGQqnb1

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fighting against fate

Very cute and sweet. I really liked this. It's not super angsty or dramatic. It has a nice healthy dose of cuteness and romance sprinkled with a bit of humor/comedy. I enjoyed the dynamic between our two leading ladies and the story overall was pretty interesting while being a light watch.

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● REVIEW
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[ --LIKES-- ]

✔ I really liked Wa's character. She is shown to be kind and upright. Despite her power having limited use, she still uses to help strangers or even people who haven't been nice to her. She also treats people fairly even if she has a bit of prejudice in her mind (like in the case of Four).

✔ I like that our two main ladies are both very strong, assertive girls personality-wise and not super timid or shy. They both protect and defend each other without hesitation. For the most part, they also communicate well and not afraid to speak their minds to others.

✔ It's funny to me that Wa uses her ability for even the trivialest/pettiest thing like in ep 3 where she rants to Four that she is jealous of Pak before rewinding. She doesn't have any reservations or hesitation about using her power for the most part until later on when she needs it to save her sister.

✔ Vivi is adorable. Very cute sister.

✔ I was a little worried about Khun's character development for an episode. I thought I was going to dislike him. Fortunately, he still turned out to be decent guy. After he confessed to Wa again and got rejected again, he realized his mistake regarding what he said to Four in the earlier episode. I liked that he was honest and owned up to his mistake and apologized. He accepted the rejection and even seemed prepared that she might not want to his friend anymore due to what he did, but I'm glad Wa still considers him a friend. She was very understanding. I've seen many series where rejection can lead one party to act indignantly or lead the other to be angry when they learn about the other's actions, but I'm happy they didn't go that route.

✔ There was a lot of things that I expected to happen but was handled rather maturely, or at least, not as dramatic as I expected, especially when it came to the earlier misunderstanding between Wa and Four. The relationship also felt pretty healthy. While there was some minor misunderstandings, it didn't feel draggy or dramatic.

✔ Rewinding time did not completely reset the relationship.



[ --DISLIKES-- ]

✖ Drunk kiss/sex trope where the drunk character doesn't remember or think it's a dream.

✖ I didn't really like Khun telling Four that she shouldn't make Wa uncomfortable or that he even assumed Wa felt the same way about him. This scene made me believe the series was going to make me dislike him, because I disliked that he confront Four and said those things. Fortunately, although I disliked that scene and that he initially did that, I didn't end up having to dislike Khun cause he was honest and owned up to what he did.

✖ Vivi didn't get to see her dad. =(

✖ Generic/basic antagonists/villains/bullies with your typical motivations. Although, to be fair, there wasn't a whole lot of character development in general outside of the few main characters. Even characters like Khun was mostly just set up to be a rival love interest and we didn't explore much else. We also didn't really dive into any origin or explanation of Wa and Vivi's abilities.


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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

Jattawa, or Wa for short, is a hardworking law college student who is able to stop and rewind time, but with some limitations. Vivi is Jattawa's little sister who can see the future but cannot control it. Vivi forsees that Wa will meet her soulmate when it snows in Bangkok. Wa eventually learns that the soulmate is Four, a female senior who is shown to be somewhat fierce.

I thought that the snow in Bangkok was a very interesting story element because snow is not a normal occurrence in Thailand. It's very rare, so the fact that it snows when Wa and Four cross path probably has important symbolism. Is it just to create a romantic atmosphere? There are plenty of other ways to achieve that, though without snow. It could have been used to symbolize a rare love, a unique experience. It's also a symbol for a new beginning and a fresh start. It could also symbolize Four herself. Snow is cold and harsh, much like Four was on initial impression. However, snow is also soft and gentle, which Four is shown to be when she is with Wa later on.

Snow in Bangkok is an abnormality, something that defies the norm. Is it a commentary on the nature of Wa and Four's relationship? A sudden shift in the weather is sometimes considered to be ominous. It is an omen. A sign of a coming disaster or tragedy. It is also sometimes associated with death. The snowfall is a foreshadow. Maybe it's all of the above. Regardless, I thought the presence of the snow was interesting to think about.

Another thing that was presented in the series was the idea of cause and effect. A fateful meeting between two people would somehow lead to a tragic event later on. The choice and kindness to help a stranger would also later help build a bridge between the two soulmates that would lead to the tragic fate. Wa helped prevent someone from getting robbed. Her intervention later helped her get an apartment next to Four's. This leads to Four and Wa getting closer. Four and Wa's relationship leads to Vivi's death as the killer was trying to kill Four. It is this chain of events that sets up the main conflict/struggle towards the end. While the plot of the series was pretty straight-forward, narratively, it still presented a few things to think about.


[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

Christine and Mae were both great. I liked their characters, I enjoyed their chemistry. They played their roles well. Manao was also cute as Vivi. They are all new names for me and it's my first time seeing any of them, but they all did great as far as first impressions go. Same goes for the other supporting cast members. I don't really have too much to judge on yet as they are all new face for me and this was a short series so we don't really get a lot of anyone aside from the leads, but there wasn't anything that I took note of that was bad. I think Hlinghling as Kie and Tanggo as Khun both portrayed their characters well. They were memorable as support characters. I look forward to and hope to see more from everyone in the future.

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

Honestly, I didn't really notice or pay attention to the OSTs while I was watching this the first time around. They didn't really grab my attention. I just looked up the song afterward. 'หมุนรอบเธอ' from ปาล์ม Chilling Sunday was a cute song, but not one I think I would listen to regularly. The song 'letterfromthemoontothesun.' from Naynae Bradley is also pretty and I think this one is my favorite from the series.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

As far a story that involves time travel/manipulation go, this one is pretty simple/straight-forward in term of plot. It's very easy to digest and not something you have to try and make sense of like in some other series. However, I wouldn't say it's boring cause it makes up for the lack in complexity with cuteness and romance. I can see myself rewatching this.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

When it comes to Thai GL, I think this one is my favorite so far. At the time of writing this though, I haven't seen 'Reverse with Me' yet, which I think is in the same universe. In general, I haven't seen many Thai GLs or many GLs in general, regardless of countries. However, what I'm finding it that the ones that are more than just a straight-up romance or drama genre are the ones that resonates with me more and that I vibe with most. While this one had some tropes I don't care for like a drunk sex scene and simple villain motives, there was a lot of things this series I though it did well. So not perfect, but I loved it a lot. It also reminded me a little bit of the game 'Life is Strange' as the female protagonist of that game also has similar powers. Depending on your choice, the protagonist also has a relationship with another girl while a guy friend likes her. It also explores cause and effect and has an abnormal weather event.

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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