Shadow

Incredible Thriller to Binge

I think some of the low ratings here are from people that expected this to be a BL because Fluke is a main character. It's not. But it is an amazing thriller series that will have you constantly wanting to watch the next episode.

Dan is a new transfer student to St. Lawrence all-boys school. He quickly learns of a kid named Trin who went missing the year prior, and the other students found it strange that Dan sat in the exact desk that Trin did. Dan begins looking into Trin's disappearance a bit more, with the help of his friends, and it seems as though things are more complicated than he thought.

However, Dan has more pressing matters than Trin's disappearance. A shadow figure keeps appearing in his dreams and attempting to kill him. This worsens, and begins to happen even while he's awake. With the help of his friend Nai, who can see ghosts, Dan tries to keep his reality separate from his dreams - though the ghosts and shadow man make this difficult. As these encounters worsen, Dan realizes these visions may be tied to Trin after all...

This show had me on the edge of my seat every episode. Watching the main character start to lose his mind in his attempts to distinguish what's real and what isn't was truly a highlight for me, and Singto's performance as Dan was outstanding. The effects were good, and the twists and turns the storyline took were absolutely excellent. The only reason this wasn't a 10/10 was because the ending could have been wrapped up a bit better, but overall it was excellently done. However, if you're looking for a new BL with Fluke, this isn't it. Still, give it a shot if you like thrillers/supernatural horror/etc.

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Twists and turns, steeped in Thai spiritualism

"Shadow" is an all-around solid supernatural mystery (not horror) with some gay main characters. It's not a romance, and there are no BL tropes in sight.
So, anyone who wants a BL romance should maybe not watch it.

However, those who are interested in a ghost mystery with a lot of twists and turns, to the very last second even, might have a great time with it.

Before I go into my thoughts about the script, let me say a sentence or two about the actors. They were fantastic!
This was only the second role of Fiat Patchata's that I saw him in. The first (in this year's "The Death of Khun Phra") was so different that I almost can't believe that this is the same actor! Both Fluke Natouch and Poon Mitpakdee were excellent; and Utt Uttsada led me by the nose with his portrayal of Brother Anurak.
And Singto Prachaya? If there was any doubt at all that he was brilliant as Dan, any doubt would have been swept away by the last eight minutes of the drama.

The sets, the camera work, the background music and the colours were appropriately done for setting the mood of each scene; I admit I am not overly fond of the end credits song.

The script though.
The script was *everything* I look for in a supernatural mystery.
It led me from one question to another -- I had so many theories while I watched it, and most of them made a lot of sense at the time, but then with the next reveal, all of them had to be discarded. And it was well-written in that regard: the new information *always* made sense, and in the end I saw that I had picked up on some important hints and foreshadowing, without understanding what I saw at the time.
When the story ended, there were only very few loose threads and unanswered questions, none of which concerned the main plot.

Apart from all the the parallels to "Hamlet", one other thing in the script I adore was that it managed to include some metaphorical commentary on some other topics, for example on Thailand's history and the influence of western culture, on how being viewed as different can lead to self-destruction, as well as how abuse shapes children, and more.
Just a few, hopefully non-spoilery examples:
* The forest spirit whose mutually beneficial co-existence with the locals is cut by the arrival of western (Christian) culture, and is consequently becoming twisted and malevolent.
* The silence of Thai society about the events of 6th October, which they call "Red October" in the drama (I suggest to read up on it, this is *the* scar on Thailand's communal conscience), ultimately leads to more pain and mistrust in the present.
* Trin, Dan and Nai are different from the norm -- and the difference in how they are dealing with it and if they have the good kind of support leads to growth or destruction.
* An abused and lonely child is easy prey for the next abuser, who can use the child's needs and trauma to forge a connection and the illusion of safety and belonging.

"Shadow" is also deeply intertwined with Thai spiritualism and Buddhist believes, and I'm sure I didn't understand all of it. Like with the events of 6th October, the writers assume that the audience are aware of it, and I'm sure that Thai viewers understand much of what is only implicitely said that I don't.
One belief that does seem to be extremely important is the concept of "karma" -- that is different for everybody from birth, and that we might be able to escape, or not.
I also suspect that the Thai and Buddhist way of seeing the world influenced the ending and the overall meaning of the drama -- which might lead to some disappointment by western viewers because it means the story goes towards a different conclusion than westerners might expect or hope for.

So.
Was it good? -- Yes, the script was solid and engaging, the acting excellent.

Did I like it? -- Oh, yes. It had everything I want in a mystery, made me develop theories and ideas and gave me lots of twists, right until the very end. And I *loved* the ending.

Who would I recommend it to? -- To everyone who likes supernatural mysteries, and like to explore the mystery together with the characters. Not to those who are looking for a BL.

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One Suspenseful Ride

Warning: If you are looking for an average and fluffy BL storyline, this series is not for you.

Overall, this was an awesome series. Then again, I am a sucker for suspense filled paranormal storylines. I also loved this series because it was a paranormal/mystery drama first with underlining gay storylines incorporated into it. The script was excellent and had me immediately hooked by the first episode. This had so many twists and turns that will keep you guessing what’s going to happen next. However, I’m not a fan of how the series ended. All of the actors did an amazing job with portraying their characters. The cinematography and special effects were outstanding. They also did a great job using different screen formats to establish the changing time lines to reduce possible confusion.

Random Notes:
My only criticism is the ending was too ambiguous which left too many questions unanswered.

Don’t stop watching after the ending credits in episode 14 because there are additional scenes after it.

Although there are no standardized directions on giving it, the way Brother Anurak used the Rorschach inkblot test was very random.

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?

The first seven episodes was great, had the viewer totally
engaged in what was going on but when it came to the
second half parts of it they just completely lost me with
final seven episodes. The final episode only served to leave
the viewer "well me" scratching "my" their head with even more questions
then when it left at the seventh episode. That cliffhanger in the final ep
wasn't necessary at all. I doubt that they'll have more episodes
or even one follow up episode to explain what the hell I just watched
with that ending. This is definitely not a show I'd rewatch.

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A Disappointing Watch Despite a Good Casting

This show is a horror series through and through. Dealing with evil entities and spiritual witchcraft that made no sense and would have been enjoyable had they made it fun. But the whole story was dark, brooding, almost pointless, and incomprehensible to figure out. It mixed religious beliefs like you were mixing ingredients for a cake batter and expecting us to believe the cake was going to come out looking like something edible. Instead, it was half-baked, and it fell flat. Frankly, I do know what this series was supposed to be. However, I can tell you what it is not. It is not a BL. And it is not scary. It is not mysterious or even a thriller. But it is confusing as hell (no pun intended) wasted the talents of fine actors, and offensive on two fronts. I am rarely offended by anything, but this series was offensive to gay people and to how it portrayed Catholics, and I am no great admirer of the Catholic Church.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/02/08/shadow-series-review-ep-1-to-14/

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A bit confusing and an unsatisfying end but worth a watch!

Honestly I came into watching this series because I thought it would be a thriller BL series--an interesting combo that stands out from the usual BLs out there. While I would definitely call it a thriller, it didn't have the typical BL elements. Like I get that there was a thing going on between Nai and Dan. Nonetheless, I will say that I don't refute it as a plot choice.

All in all, like other people have said, this show does an amazing job at offering a very complex storyline. I will say it is pretty heavy so I honestly had to take some breaks watching these episodes as it ended up being stressful to watch especially towards the end. This drama featured domestic violence, suicide, government repression against activism, murder, grief, homphobia, bullying, etc.

But with that being said, I found that the storyline was still captivating and each episode left me wanting to immediately watch the next to find out what the characters discover.

On the negative side, I will say the way they executed some of the scenarios were a bit awkward.

For example, the way things went down with Anan and Yada felt a bit rushed and anti-climatic. I thought for the buildup leading up to their (off-scene) arrest was a lot and very comprehensive. But it ultimately ended with them just being mentioned that they will probably spend time in prison and that's it. I felt like they could have at least showed them having this huge arrest and being taken away.

Additionally, when Dan wakes up after being dead, I thought the reaction from his friends were mild. It was very "welcome back" but I thought it would be more natural for them to carry more astonishment and disbelief that their friend died for however long but literally came back fine and dandy. I mean, throughout the series, they end up witnessing hella supernatural shit so I guess they'd be unphased...

And while I found the big reveal about Brother Anurak pretty shocking, it was a bit confusing how that wound up and I found his characterization changing from this stoic person to I guess frazzled and very concerned about Dan a bit weirdly played out. Granted, I guess it makes sense considering his true identity being revealed and that (for some reason) causing a lot of anguish for him.

Regarding the ending (I almost missed it but thankfully kept GagaOOLala running lol), I was disappointed about the reveal of Trin actually being in Dan's body. It is a still a horror genre......so I am not refuting it, but it just sucks for Dan haha. My only gripe with it is that it characterized Trin in an evil, malicious way, whereas his whole storyline was him constantly fighting for justice and truth.

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TL;DR:
All in all, I would recommend the series for someone that enjoys a mystery thriller, not necessarily to the typical BL watcher. While the plot could get very complex (arguably borderline too much) and some scenarios being awkwardly played out, I think Shadow significantly offered a vastly different vibe from the Thai drama series out there.

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Crazy show

To firstly start I would like to say if you came to watch this show for the bl content... Don't expect so much like me because when watching this show I was expecting it to be in the show! Buttt no it was only 3 gay characters in this show lmao besides that, this show barely has any romance it is mostly just a thriller if I'm being honest and I'm mentioning all this so you won't get click-baited like me, and in the end up watching it all while expecting bl content and romance (When I went looking for bls this pop up so I watched it expecting just that)

Secondly, the storyline of this show is super good! I really enjoy watching this show it is very different and extraordinary I honestly thought I wasn't gonna get through this show, for I don't watch thriller/horror shows like that. So when watching this I was like wait why is this actually so good and continued even if it wasn't what I watched the show for which of course I'm now here rating it here meaning I've finished it and let me tell you expect to be so curious after you finish this show! I'm pretty sure there'll be no season 2 sadly since Singto is now with GMMTV and is now in the making of a show... Which I'm so excited for! But I really did want a season 2 of this lmao.

Acting + Muisic + Overall
Honestly, I could care less about acting it just has to be bearable tbh, but what I will say is the acting wasn't bad at all it was good and I have nothing bad to say about it + the same with the music. Overall I think you should watch the shows if you like thrillers, weird mysterious shit, and investigation not for romance, or bl lol.

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Atmospheric and ambitious modern dark fairytale

Singto and Fiat are the acting standouts with Singto carrying the whole show wonderfully as Dan and Fiat as Trin who is Dan's opposite and parallel. It's so fascinating that they set the Catholic side as the scientific sceptic against the Buddhist side with the practical solutions to Dan's supernatural issues. There is also the shaman that takes no one's side. The Catholic boarding school lends to the gothic imagery and the color grading is nicely done with care, with skin tone and clothes popping over the gray instead of just a bland gray wash over everything. The music is also very good, the mdl credits list the actor who plays the murderous bully Anan doing double duty as the composer as well. The opening credits is stylish and fun to watch before every episode. The slow burn nature of the story works best when the editing is strong, with the ghosts shown in restraint, their ability to commune directly with Dan limited. I also like how Dan and Nai's ability to see the supernatural is different. It slips during the over long fun house segment that spans the end of one episode and the beginning of another. Other weak moments of the story is Nai never reporting the pedo teacher Yada who has been having sexual relations with Anan, merely using the photo evidence luring him into the funhouse that lead to nothing but him attacking Dan for the billionth time and the whole plot with brother Anurak being the one armed man. Brother Anurak's was innocent regarding the university student's deaths in the past but acting really shady and keeping the student's remains inside the statue pedestal. What was well done was hiding in plain sight that Brother Anurak had a hand cast the whole time.

The story is not a bl, but does have gay characters. The romance is limited to the messy crushes among the four friends. Both Nai and Chaaim likes Dan, but Dan rebuffs both. Nai is lucky to get a dance date from Dan though while Chaaim settles for shady Josh who will smack talk Dan at a drop of a hat. Dan meanwhile does like her, but as much as he likes the creepy shadow creature. Though fearing it for much of his life, the increasing power of the shadow to manipulate what he sees in dreams made Dan see it as more of a comforting presence. The scene where he decide to hug the shadow was a fascinating moment. Then soon after the shadow makes it really weird, taking advantage of Dan physically for the first time when he's high, then again in the middle of the school day when Dan is just not feeling well. It's mirrored by how teacher Yada takes advantage of Anan. At the very end it's revealed that his terrible father made a deal with the forest spirit who is the shadow to have Dan in order to keep his abused wife with him. The shadow seems want Dan to itself like Hades wants Persephone. The solid form of the shadow didn't really work, probably would have been better just as a shadow the whole time. As soon as Dan started speaking in a deeper voice, I knew that it was Trin in Dan's body, then doubly so at his joy to see teacher Joe drop by. Teacher Joe was the only authority figure he didn't have an issue with, but unfortunately was an adult he had a huge crush on. It's a low bar that it's commendable that Teacher Joe turned him down.

The open ending with Trin's body reappearing and having drowned for a few days makes it possible that either Dan is still trapped separately in the other realm or Dan had also returned in the wrong body in the middle of the lake and drowned to death, with Trin living on in Dan's visage. I felt sorry for Trin who didn't have people looking for him in the way that Dan has even though he's surrounded by the same people. Trin doesn't accept that status quo for what it is and looks beyond it and he tries befriend and defend people that are picked on. He managed to encourage fellow students to be curious in history and question the teachers on why they aren't teaching them something that is common in books and at other schools. I really like the scenes where Trin and Brother Anurak actually has productive conversations about what Trin is advocating for and why it doesn't work like the bathroom improvement issue. It shows Trin is still naive to things from his youth. He gets understandably overwhelmed by seeing the shadow in the second part of the ritual. Fiat played Trin's strength and vulnerable moments really well. The final scene of Trin smiling in the mirror reminds me of the Twin Peaks "How's Annie?" moment. He looks sad though in the final seconds. I hope Singto signed an excellent contract with his return to his former management company and a season 2 of Shadow can happen. There's is so much potential of Dan and Trin actually interacting in regards to their ideals and other things.

Overall a good watch and I hope there will be more to continue it. Otherwise the ending it still works as a dark fairytale, where the terror of the supernatural is but a symptom of the horror of what humans do to each other in life.

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THIS BL IS NOT BL'ING

if you're going to watch it because it's a bl series, i'd say wait first. yes, there are queer characters in the series, but calling it a bl series is a bit of an exaggeration. it would have been enough if they'd called it a queer series.

the story was the best among the horror series i've watched. there was a constant puzzle, and we always saw scenes that needed to be in the right places. the series may not be what you expect, but as a series, it was very good. as a bl series, it was terrible. seeing male-female relationships instead of queer people wasn't what i expected.

the production was excellent. the filming and acting were superb. when I saw singto and fluke, i focused and watched, but it was nothing like i expected. eventually this bl is not bl-ing.

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Fresh Plot and Good for Horror, Mystery, Psychological, and Suspense

I love to see new pairings and new plots because they're adventurous and mysterious. As for myself, I was frustrated because of the same or lame story plots. But this is quite a fresh plot and good for horror, mystery, psychological, and thriller genre lovers, but not that terrifying. We all know that Singto and Fluke are well-known actors in the Thai entertainment industry. Of course, their acting in Shadow is superior. Their chemistry was okay, but there were no sparks. I think this is because both of them are acting calmly. The drama itself is a Pandora box. Because when you start to watch the drama, it feels like every character is somehow hiding something from the world. Specifically, you cannot identify who is the white or black character in the drama, though they include villains. Somehow, the main or minor characters tangled with the unsolved mystery. And the setting of the drama is quite unique because everything happened at a missionary school. Because within Christianity, there are a variety of views on sexual orientation and homosexuality, which raises a high level of doubt about a happy ending.

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Good Attempt But Confusing

If you looking to watch Shadow because of the horror or BL element, then better skip this. It is neither. Might be slightly scary in the beginning but for the most part not at all. And this is coming from someone who avoids horror like the plague. It's strange because Thais are supposed to be amazing at horror.

The mystery element of Shadow is good but the problem lies in never understanding and solving the mystery till the end. Mainly why the shadow is obsessed with Dan. There were quite a few things about the shadow's behaviour that didn't make sense. And some of it got very weird (sexual). Trin's character was also a confusing one in some moments.

The actors did a good job overall but the story could have been laid out better with at least the main answers. The ending was interesting which begs the question if we will get a follow up season to this. If yes, then I hope they tackle the doubts left in people's minds. Although I believe this show meant to end at a shocking note.

It's good for a one time watch. The OST at the end of each episode is nice. The VFX are also decent.

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