La Pluie

La Pluie is a show for the mature bl audience

Let me just say this upfront because there seems to be some confusion in the reviews here: the most important thing to understand about this show is that it is not, in fact, a soulmate romance, but rather a direct subversion and dismantling of the soulmates trope. La Pluie is a brilliant little show with tight writing and clearly laid out themes, and most viewers who are disappointed with it seem to be reacting more to what they wanted the show to be rather than what is actually is.

This is a show about the importance of choice and putting in the work in your relationships. It’s a rebuke of romantic fantasies that fate and destiny will take care of your love life. It is directly in conversation with the romance genre and the way it can warp our perspectives on love. There are no villains in this story - just good people trying their best and sometimes making mistakes anyway. It emphasizes that we need to communicate and treat our partners with respect. And it says that while some kind of fate may be at work to give us opportunities in life, what we choose to do with those opportunities is what actually matters.

The show is excellent - writing, story, pacing, directing, editing are all confident with no real wobbles. There are some less experienced players in the cast but the acting is all around up to the demands of the script. Pee and Suar in particular are very impressive and really rise to the occasion when the time comes for their characters to light up the screen. The romantic pairs also have fantastic chemistry and the show makes the intimacy scenes an important part of the relationship development - there is no fan service or fluff in this show.

This show is really meant for a mature audience that wants to think more deeply about its themes, and that can handle emotionally mature characters who tend to resolve things via quiet conversation rather than high drama. It’s not the typical fluffy bl that a lot of the audience prefers, so I’m not surprised that it didn’t resonate for everyone. But if these themes are of interest to you, and if you are someone who likes to see couples actually be in relationship with each other and work through their issues, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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RAINED ON THEIR OWN PARADE

T'was actually good until they decided to rain on their own parade - and when it rained, it poured.

Started out well. It wasnt perfect but lets say it was light and enjoyable and it was a breath of fresh air compared to the second-rate concurrently aired Thai BL (oh no I will not confirm or deny that I'm talking about Step by Step). The fantasy premise was intriguing and new.

The cast were all perfectly good looking. - i fell in like with Pee, its as if he was plucked from a Korean show and like he is always glowing, I already love Title in My Only 12% and im glad he finally got a starring role (also the main reason why i watched the show). Suar - i just love Suar, he is so lovable as Tian! I loved him im Youre My Sky but here he was even more adorable. Copter is gorgeous! I was also hoping to see more of Dream and although it was too short, her budding romance with Nara looked promising. ! I also appreaciate the fact that to some extent almost no one is made intetntionally annoying.

The pacing is alright, I was actually surprised when the main pairing happened quite quickly in the first few episodes without too much fuzz.

It was a perfect cap off to a busy week. I even considered it a must watch that I even subscribed to Iqiyi after watching the first episode just to see the episode earlier.

Leading to the 7th episode, I get the sense that the series was written a little blandly, and true enough that's when the series turned 180 degrees and decided to check all the tropes. Episode 8 and 9 were acceptable, and then the dreaded obligatory breakup episode 10 and 11 were things turned to crap.

First of all, both Pat and Sengtai's actions leading to the break-up scene were both very out of character, and I strongly feel that they were unnecessarily added just to make it more dramatic.

Second, I'd argue that there are still so many things to explore regarding their relationship and the phenomenon that they were in - I wanted to know more about them being soul mates - what was so special about Tai's family, and all the characters who were given this gift. That alone could be a throve of stories to explore. The makers are marketing it as an almost fantasy series so why didn't they sell us that mystery. And oh my, do I need to emphasize my jaw-dropping annoyance in one scene where one shout literally rid them of their connection to their soulmates.

I couldn't buy the soul-mate thing of Tai's parents. I just cant see the chemistry between them, and to be honest, the reason for their separation doesn't feel huge enough to break an enchanted love.

I am also sad that they ruined Lomfon.

Lastly, the last episode was so uneventful and uninspiring that I almost didn't finish it. I can't even fathom why they spent quite a long time with the new couple - what's the connection to the overall plot. They got more screen time than Patt in the finale, they even have their own flashback scene. And when the leads finally meet again, did you also notice how blank Patt's face is?

Against everything I hated, I also loved a lot of things. Overall its an uneventful 7 for me. Will I re-watch - not a chance.

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Sometimes low ratings make you miss hidden gems, and this series is definitely one of them

Just finished this series and I'm honestly confused by the low rating.

The concept is fresh, the actors are handsome, and their acting is really good. I only found it recently because the rating made me overlook it before, which is a shame.

Compared to so many dramas that are packed with unnecessary scenes and dragged-out storylines, this one felt refreshing and enjoyable from start to finish.

I genuinely don't understand why it's rated so low. It deserves a lot more love than it's getting.

"Don't let the rating stop you from giving it a chance—you might end up enjoying it as much as I did."

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A master class in bad writing

This series had so much potential - a talented cast, good cinematography, scenic locations, and everyone involved was giving it their all. This is all wasted on a terribly written story. It's as if they were about to start filming and realized they forgot to get a script, so they sent an intern to go grab the first thing they could find on Wattpad.

The story leans heavily on the implausible-misunderstanding-caused-by-showing-up-at-just-the-right-second-to-misinterpret-something-causing-them-to-drop-the-token-of-affection-they-were-bringing-and-walking-away-sadly trope. If they were to show up one second sooner or one second later there wouldn't have been a misunderstanding. This happens many times, in every case a simple conversation would have cleared it up, and characters never learn from it and make the same mistake over and over.

Everyone behaves wildly out of character to suit plot points. Tai becomes a lying cheater, and the gentle veterinarian exhibits horrific violence. The discussion forum didn't seem to have a problem with this, presumably because Lomfon deserved to be savagely beaten for being a confused teenager. That there were absolutely no consequences to the violence is astonishing and disturbing, and Lomfon neither presses charges nor has even so much as a scuff mark after being the target of what can only be described as attempted murder. Again, lazy writing.

Lomfon, who is so emotionally constipated that he can't tell Tien how he feels, suddenly bursts into a long monologue, while Tien has just stormed off from seeing Lomfon's film, which explicitly and unmistakably showed him how Lomfon feels about him, yet he says he doesn't understand what Lomfon was trying to say with his film. Seriously?

People in general don't act like people. Patts doesn't seem at all surprised to see Tai in Chiang Mai and stands there expressionless for the entirety of Tai's long soliloquy.

There is an enormous number of extraneous characters that materialize out of nowhere, have no effect on anything, then are never seen again. In the finale, the friend who gives advice to Lomfon claims to be a close friend to both him and Tien, but we've never seen him before, or at least I can't remember him. He and most of these characters pontificate about love and life with the profundity of a motivational poster.

In the last episode, in a long and completely pointless sequence, Tai runs out of gas in front of a nice man's house. The man tells him it's very difficult to find gas in the area and that he should spend the night. His girlfriend shows up then they have a long conversation where the couple tell Tai the story of their love. In which THEY HAVE A FLASHBACK. Almost the whole flashback is a random character giving a long expository dump to a friend. The next morning Tai drives off, presumably having filled the tank with his overflowing love. None of this has the slightest effect on the story.

Perhaps most confounding of all, you can just sever your soulmate connection, which negates the entire story, the plot of which is based on destiny - without that, this is just a pile of stupid coincidences, like Tai's grandmother living next door to Patts since his childhood, and he and Tai even communicate by notes and kind acts to each other, but never meet. Really? Tai shows up at the precise moment to misunderstand Patts being kissed by his ex, but never ran into his actual soulmate for 20 years despite his living next door?

That's how awful and frustrating the writing is.

I loved the cast. Title is much improved, Pee is as good as ever, Suar is charming, and Copter is the MVP with a fantastic performance as the repressed Lomfon. I hope to see them in something better than this series.

I can't recommend this. I gave it a 5 because the cast was great, but unfortunately there was only enough material for three episodes and the rest is a jumbled mess that will cause you to dislike all the characters. Except, apparently, Patts, who is consistently called a big green flag - I guess becoming so enraged by jealousy as to try to beat someone to death isn't the red flag I thought it was.

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The themes discussed are really deep!

So, the premise of story is light hearted, with supernatural elements, yet subtle hints of deep ideas were shown throughout the episodes. Questions about destiny, fate and altering it were presented throughout the series.
Let me dwell into the supernatural element part of the show a bit further. Tai suffers from sensorineural hearing loss when it rains. However, as fate decides, he can only hear one voice when it rains. And its his... soulmate.
The family dynamics, the complexities of what being a human means, and how sometimes, love is simply not enough. The relationships between parents, the ex and the remarriage of the mother were handled so well with maturity, no melodrama, just pure emotions.
I like how they tried to further dwell into the supernatural element, but it was too late. The last episodes were rushed. And I completely understand why Phat and Tai did what they did in last three episodes where Tai and Phat lose their connection. For them to lose their mind was completely normal. For people who don't understand why, just imagine yourself suddenly losing your sight, the very thing most of us are grown with and you simply don't know why. Of course , for a while you will lose it. And they did too, Phat lashes out on Tai because he was connected to him. And this is why they thought the relationship might fall off, it's because they were connected to each other for 2 whole years, of course they will lose it, but they handled it well. But the conversation they had in last few minutes, should have been longer. It was rushed. -1 for that. But props to them for realising that love goes beyond destiny and fate!
And another -0.5 because they made Lomfon completely a homewrecker.
Rest I really liked the series and it conveys something beautiful that... Love goes beyond time and fate, but sometimes it simply is not....enough. It's a happy ending!

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Find the spark in simple moments - La pluie

rule no 1 of mdl, never believe the rating and the comments, this was a great series. in a life where everything is going so fastpaced i loved how slow paced it was. The relationship between the siblings, friends, partners and even aquaintances.

la pluie is about saengtai who doesnt believe in soulmates after his parents divorce but after meeting his soulmate he realizes he knows nothing about love, he learns about love slowly,how to communicate and how to love and adjust. I loved how they introduce us to a universe where soulmates exist and then go on to defy soulmates, destiny and talk about the importance of understanding in a relationship.

If i compare to many many other dramas which i watched la pluie is very average, it did not have much spark but thats what makes it great for me who is tired of trying finding the spark in everything and want to see spark in the simple moments. la pluie made my week great!!

P.S
Loved Saengtai’s cardigans!!

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Best before: the last couple of episodes

Upon re-watch of this series, I feel like I either didn't pay enough attention the first time around or blocked certain things from my memory. I remember liking it a lot (which I still do) but now I notice so many flaws that I just didn't give enough mind to at the time.

The beginning of this series had so much going for it: interesting and unique plot, good acting, two main couples that I found equally intriguing and was invested in. There were legit reasons for Tai to be against the soul mate idea and the inquisitiveness of Lomfon had everyone asking the question about "destiny's choice vs our choice" based more on science. Everything felt natural and organic, as much as a supernatural theme could be.

There was even good communication between Tai and Phat from early on about their reservations and feelings that didn't take away from the relationship but instead added depth to it.

Then we get to episodes 10-12 and it all went south. All of a sudden we have Phat being unreasonable and uncharacteristically pushy while Tai couldn't have been more obscure and vague with his words. No wonder Phat got suddenly insecure. I could understand if they showed this side of him throughout the series but, even after his breakup with Nara, he was always this confident if not reserved guy. But then this came out of no where and makes him almost completely unlikable in the process.

At the very least, with the way Tai's character did a 180 turn, they showed how stupid he was being when they showed a side-by-side of his actions mirroring what his mother did when she left. He even used that as fuel to get his tush in gear to go after Phat. That was the only time the flashbacks were actually useful.

That being another odd thing I didn't remember... the use of flashbacks and re-playing of the same scenes. They weren't necessary and it just made me think the director or editors thought the audience were dumb and needed weekly refreshers. I mean, yes, I forgot details after a couple of years but when this was airing, it was week to week.. give the viewers some credit. I also figured they just needed to fill time so they put replays in.

After all that, I still really like this series and I would still recommend it. I don't know where you can find the uncut version anymore but the cut version is fine too. Not as NC-17 but their good chemistry is evident throughout so it's okay without those extended scenes.

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Did it raise my expectation?!

I dived into the show with no expectations at all but damn did it raise my expectation? Oh hell! it did. It started pretty good but it fell short towards the end. The whole premises of soulmates and hearing loss disease was so unique and I really liked the overall premises and even enjoyed the episodes. But then it messed up a tiny bit in episode 9 and totally in episode 10 with all the drama rising and the whole Lomfom coming in between. Damn I love Lomfom and more so Saengthian. I felt so bad for Saengthian. I was like come on Lomfom look around how can you not notice a sweety like Saengthian mahn. How can he not see? Confused? He did all that because he was confused. I don't know. I mean it was so clear then it was all over the place. Saengthian deserves better. Anyway they got together in the very end and I won't lie it did make me smile. I had been cheering for them for ten freaking episodes mahn. Then, we have the main couple, Phat and Saengtai, their chemistry surely is off the charts. Damn those stares, kisses and smiles it had me smiling. But the whole writing messed it up with that unnecessary drama and it totally felt like the soulmate thing meant nothing. It broke so easily that it left me pondering on what I had even watched. Moreover it just happens, just like that. For instance that end, the freak was that even hinting to. I don't know anymore.

Overall it's still a series worth trying but honestly only till episode 8.

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Let the Rain Make a River So I Can Go Drown In It

I LOVE a good soulmate trope, but THIS? My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. It was set up for success: interesting enough plot, good and known actors, under a big production company…what happened?!

When I started watching La Pluie, my interest was peaked as it follows people in a universe where, when it rains, they can only hear their soulmate no matter if they are close to them or not. I was really interested in the worldbuilding of this universe, but as it took a more surrealist approach, I let it never being explained slide.

To break down this broken narrative, let me divide it into sections:

Chapter I: Plot
We follow Saengtai (Tai), a writer, and Phat, a veterinarian, as their love life unfolds after they meet each other in a café one day. This was a very interesting set up with them starting to like each other but both being unaware of their role as each other’s soulmate. It was a nice aspect for the viewer to have a leg-up on information. And it remained interesting to watch their dynamic unfold, with Tai soon finding out Phat *is* his soulmate, and him facing the complication of navigating this. But, why would that be a complication, you may be asking. Well, that brings us to my biggest problem…the characters! (yes, many of them!)

Chapter II: Characters
Saengtai is our main character. He is one of four sons to a divorced couple. After his parents split, it tore his world apart and it caused him to not believe in the whole “soulmates” thing; resulting in him always ignoring Phat whenever it rained for ~2 years straight. Ummm. Rude. This wasn’t the best opening to Tai’s character, as I have always seen him as selfish for this matter. He held on so strongly to the anger he had for his mother, and he was never understanding of their decision for their happiness. Maybe this is my own experience as a child of divorce coming out, but he was very extreme in his irrational grudge regarding the divorce. And, in terms of him as a soulmate to Phat, I thought he was the same level of poor character.

Phat is a sad result of the third-act break-up trope. Phat was great — he was a walking green flag, even. He was communicative, sweet, sometimes shy but also upfront about his feelings. He was protective and sensitive. You could see he really cared for Tai and wanted their relationship to go far. He dealt with Nara (his ex) decently (wish he didn’t let her kiss him, but it’s ok). And then episode 10 hit, and everything (I mean EVERYTHING) went downhill (just like Tai on that countryside trip).

Ep 10 in short: Phat found out Tai lied to him about where he was, so he went to confront him. After seeing Tai with Lomfon (more on him later), Phat goes absolutely insane and starts plumbing him (Lomfon, a literal college student). I, honestly, stared at my paused screen for a good five minutes because I was so taken by surprise. When I say this came out of left field, I’m saying it came out of left field from another country. After this, Phat and Tai fight (Tai was very rational in this conversation), and then part ways…until Phat shows up to Tai’s place drunk and they fight some more and THEN they break up. *sigh* WHY WHY WHY?? Last Saturday, I closed my laptop with only “what happened?” running through my head.

We don’t get any scenes of them directly interacting in ep 11, and I was praying that Phat would show me *some* reason to find him the tiniest bit redeemable, but I was left disappointed. Sure, Phat was sad, but he was sad because they broke up, not specifically because of how insanely abusive he acted. I have no clue what drugs the writers were on for this last bit of the drama, but I hope they never experiment again.

The aforementioned character of Lomfon is the classmate of Tai’s brother, Saengthian. Initially, the two hated each other, but after some school group projects, they both began to develop feelings. Lomfon hung out with Tai because for some weird reason, he can also hear Tai in the rain (soulmates??) and he wanted to figure out why. He kisses him, and then Phat finds them, chaos ensues. BUTTT Saengthian also shows up with Phat, so he sees his crush kiss his brother…hard thing to get over. In the end, Saengthian iconically delivers this line: “Because I like you, a**hole.”

And this brings me to another issue: Random plot points

Chapter III: Randomness
There were some things I found a bit odd that were just thrown in the watchers face and we are supposed to accept it:
• In ep 9, Tai and Phat were revealed to have been childhood neighbors who helped each other through hard times by passing notes to each other. You’re telling me they NEVER saw the other walk outside of the house? Not even a glimpse?!
• When was Lomfon able to hear Tai and Phat? He mentioned that it was after their visit to the countryside, but he expressed interest in Tai long before that. Was that out of a crush??
• Tai saved Lomfon from getting hit by a car the day his parents divorced…okay…
• Tai and Phat can no longer hear each other in the rain all because Tai screamed, “This f*cking destiny, I don’t want it anymore!” Like…okay, why was it that easy…

Chapter IV: Conclusion
The fantasy element is okay-ish. It is nothing that special, and it rained so. much. to a laughable amount and I began to question if it is really like that in Thailand YEAR-ROUND. The script is honestly mediocre, and the pacing sometimes fell a bit flat. I liked the second leads at times more than Phat and Tai. The cinematography also isn’t that special, but the few countryside eps were pretty.

Overall, I am so sad by how this series is ending, and the bad taste it will leave in my mouth. I already know it’s going to end with the two couples getting together and that’s honestly so messed up. It’s giving Love in the Air…detour!

Love in the Air follows two couples: first is Rain and Payu and the second half of the series is on Sky and Prapai. Both couples are toxic in their own way, but would you guess it, they all end up with each other. Writers need to acknowledge that, for a realistic and more impactful ending (and in this sense/context, a positive one), it is perfectly fine for a character to not end up in a relationship they were building them towards if something drastically changes. For LITA, I would have wholeheartedly understood if Sky told Prapai that he was not ready for a relationship after being mentally and physically harmed by his ex again. For La Pluie, I would understand if Saengthian says he doesn’t want to be with Lomfon if he’s not confident in his own feelings. Or Tai if he is uncomfortable with how cruel Phat acted without even trying to understand him (Phat became a traffic light with a broken yellow light). People change, so relationships and hopes do as well, and it is fine for a character to divert their desires based on their needs.

It hurts me to say, but I honestly would not recommend this series to others. Go watch Until We Meet Again for a soulmate trope, Be My Favorite for another fantasy, or You’re My Sky for more of Suar’s (Saengthian) acting <3

EDIT: i finished. i have thoughts.
• Saengthian and Lomfon- whatever, they can end up together. But it would be very weird knowing my partner had a crush on my sibling first.
• I don't like how Tai apologized to Phat and he didn't even apologize back. Tai was saying he was being selfish...NO. You just had good boundaries, babes.
• LOVE LOVE LOVE Nara and Dream <3
• I was going to actually bump my review up to 5 stars (a result of too much coffee and sleep deprivation), and then the ending with Saengthian getting a soulmate happened and I was like...wait...what are you thinking?? I have no clue if they plan to do a spin off, but I honest to god hope not.

Pinterest plug: https://www.pinterest.com/ed3nelle/drama-la-pluie/

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The last scene RUINED IT

This series doesn't have an amazing reputation but to be honest, i thought it was pretty good besides some unrealistic character attitudes. However, the last scene was unnecessary and completely ruined the entire storyline of the side couple. The writers were obviously intending to leave open an opportunity for season two. They wanted the last scene to be a transition into season two but if I'm being honest, i highly doubt there will be one. So now we're just left with a cliffhanger that came absolutely out of nowhere and gives us a shitty feeling about the side couple.
Despite this last scene, i really liked the series. I am probably not gonna rewatch it but it was really well made besides the things i mentioned above.

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Women? In my BL? It's more likely than you think

The family dynamics are the making of this. Tai and Thian being so attached and facing similar personal issues gave us really lovely contrasts in their characters and growth. Tai's parents demonstrating their way of being soulmates, and how being both forever linked by fate but also deserving of a life that isn't solely tied to that aspect of their lives, was so beautiful and important.

The friendship dynamics are properly considered as well, which is a much better way to make space for character growth. Each lead had meaningful connections with other people and love in their life that wasn't just romantic love. Including women! I'd love a Nara and Dream spinoff.

And, possibly controversially, I really liked Lomfon. He was young, and lonely, and had no idea what to do with big feelings and philosophical questions, which is kind of what your early 20s are about. So hoping for a second season to follow Lom and Thian.

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When You Try to Rewrite Destiny

While the reviews may find this series underwhelming, I, on the other hand, have found it quite enjoyable. The premise of the show starts by introducing the main issue of our character, that is, they go temporarily deaf when it rains, but with the exception of hearing their soulmate.

It was an intriguing and unique concept to say the least, and that has what gotten me hooked into it. The pace of the series was up and down, honestly. It was great in the beginning, but after the camping arc, that's where everything went rough. However, beyond those, that was when they introduced the greatest plot twist ever (no reveal to make it spoiler-free).

I do understand why some were hating during the last episodes, but I also do understand the reason why Tai was able to do that. While many were criticizing the main reason why Tai solely hated the soulmate idea, it was also the reason that made him understand it more. It was a full circle moment to him, especially after the talk. People go through different emotions, and given the fact that Tai only sees Fon as someone who is his brother's friend, you have got to go easy on him.

The start of the last episode made me bawl my eyes out, and that was when we finally closed most of our conflicts, but Tai has still got some on his plates. The ending, like the actual ending, does seem a bit rushed—I could understand why they have got to settle it that way. It was already proven that Tai, unconditionally, loves Patt, and given that we have seen the portrayal of their mannerisms when they are in love, there was no need for it to be repeated.

There was a lot that I did not mention in here, and it's because you, as a watcher, should be fully invested in. I came to say that when we are given the idea of forcing someone to love us, we really need the guts to try and face those ideas. It wasn't just a simple love story filled with 'I love you's—it was a story of trying to be your own person, with no criteria prior given to use for love. That is why La Pluie gives you a fresh new perspective on soulmates, because you get to question it, you get to defy it, you get to rewrite your own destiny.

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