La Pluie

unique premise let down by writing

Overall: this could have been a 10/10 with solid writing but the writers wrecked the plot and the four main characters in episode 10 except Tien. 12 episodes 45 minutes each. Note: La Pluie means The Rain in French. Airing on iQIYI .

Content Warnings: punches

What I Liked
- a unique premise
- sweet moments
- couple funny parts
- pretty good consent with stopping in the middle, but realistic offering to do something else (except did not like the "can't hold back" in ep 10)
- how the brothers have opposite personalities and how Tien gave some solid advice, Tien was my favorite character (best line "talking to you is a waste of a good mood")
- Tai's dad
- supportive friends
- NSFW/kissing were decent
- GL (but introduced too late/underdeveloped)

Room For Improvement
- episode 10 ruined most main characters, they all somehow became more immature than Tien
- cliche plot points (the ex girlfriend and Nara had way too much screen time, how characters just happened to be at the right place at the right time and see misleading things and then storm off, etc)
- an exposition dump for most of the world building and then convenient/poorly done world building later on
- though episode 2 was nice from Patts perspective, it re-told too much of episode 1
- sound stuff (music during a serious part was comedy like, no noise at the bar in episode 3, awful gulp noise)
- episode 4 discovery was very anti climactic
- too many flashbacks
- unrealistic things (why is Tai always wearing sweaters in very hot Thailand?, he couldn't have walked very far, it took a whole night for a car to reach them? neighbors never ran into each other?)
- how they characterized the mom as it more of her fault (who was the breadwinner and likely trying to get 4 kids thru school without crippling debt) as the flawed one and the dad didn't have any flaws
- Tai was too immature to be in a relationship, I understand that even adults can be traumatized with their parents divorcing but walking out of a certain something was the nail in the coffin for his character's ability to be in a relationship
- what Lomfon did could be seen as manipulative and embarrassing instead of romantic, which he had talked to Tien beforehand instead of afterwards
- crying without tears
- I took a half point off my review for the nonsense at the end with Lomfon and Tien

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SO CLOSE TO BEING PERFECT

Honestly, the premise of the story is so intriguing and new. Everything was near perfect but the more it went on, the more went bad.

The first few episodes were honestly very nice and good. The fluff scene were also cute. TBH out of the characters, I like Phat and Thian the most. In my opinion, both didn't have any issues and they were both pretty honest about what they feel.

My issue is with Tai near the end, and of course Lomfon. WTF. Honestly, it wasn't so weird if the writers wanted to introduce a new element to the whole soulmate premise, but it feels very random and sudden, as if they just put it there to force a conflict arc.

Tai needs a reality check. Bro need to grow up and accept the fact his parents divorced and will never get back together. This guy reminds me of Theo honestly, whose personality I lowkey dislike. Moreover, why the fuck would he suddenly be confuse who to choose when Lomfon suddenly confess? Didn't you literally had a whole moment/went out a bunch of times with Phat??? Suddenly a new enemy appear and you have a change of heart or something? IMO, highkey feels like Tai thinking everything revolves around him or something. Yeh you're the main character but don't like it. //this is giving me Step by Step flashbacks//

The last episodes, I was only rooting for Phat and Thian. Both deserve way more. I honestly was glad Phat went somewhere far so that Tai has to be the one who searches for him. Phat did a lot already, bro is tired of waiting for you.


All in all, I only like the episodes before the conflict starts, because the plot was pretty ok as well as some characters. After that, it went downhill imo. :/

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A Cool Concept Marred By Stupidity

I had so many hopes that this drama was gonna showcase a unique perspective on the soulmate concept, but I guess my hopes were too high. I came into this as someone who has watched hundreds of hours of queer romances hoping to add another entry on my list of favorites, but was sadly disappointed. Maybe I was too excited? I guess I should now explain my score and how this drama let me down...

Story: The story concept of hearing your soulmate in the rain was a good one. Where this went wrong for me was in the execution and flow of the story. The wishing your hearing loss away made the concept have no standing to the rest of the episodes. What was the point of the concept if you can just wish to not be soulmates with someone in a fit of anger? It was such a letdown for me to realize that the writer and director couldn't help but sabotage their own plot by erasing what made this a unique concept. I get that they wanted to add drama to the plot, but couldn't they have come up with something more unique like instead of being able to only hear your soulmate's voice, maybe when you reject them, you become deaf all together. All I needed was some consequences to the act of rejecting your soulmate.

Characters: I really only liked Patts and Tien by the end of this show. They were the only two who actually seemed to evolve as the story went on. Patts for me was a walking green flag. Reading the comments after the kiss between Tai and Lomfon made me think that he was justified in however he was gonna react to it. I felt like a majority of the comments complaining about how violent his reaction was to their kiss have never been in a relationship where one person is open and the other is secretive. Patts was open and honest with Tai from the beginning and was basically ignored and gaslit thru the majority of the plot up to that point. The childish behavior that Tai showed really justified the reaction he gave. From Patts' perspective Tai ignored all the signs that Lomfon liked him and was basically entertaining him. I ended up holding no sympathy for Lomfon and Tai after all of the mess that was episode 10.

Tien on the other hand was really charming thru the whole show. He started off a bit of a goof, but matured the way he should have as a college aged male. I was hoping that he would've wizened up to who Lomfon really was by the end, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

As for the rest of the cast, there were no other standout performances or characters that weren't annoying. I am sick of all these BL dramas with annoying female characters. All female characters in BL dramas I compare to Manow in UWMA. She was sassy, but didn't try to ruin anyone else's relationship. The vet clinic cast was way too involved in Patts' love life for me to really wanna be invested in their characters.

Overall, this was cool concept ruined by mediocre writing and poor plot development. Characters with no redeeming qualities and undeserved happy ending made this a crappy experience for me.

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Twisted a Serious Medical Condition...

To accept this series, you have to buy into its core belief or concept. This core belief was a functionally based condition that I simply could not wrap my head around either logically or scientifically. Apparently, for some individuals with ‘sudden sensorineural hearing loss’ when it rained, you lost your ability to hear but could still communicate and hear your ‘soulmate’. While I am all for ‘poetic license’, this was carrying something real so farfetched that it simply is not believable whatsoever. Even if it were remotely possible as a medical condition, you would not suddenly develop it nor suddenly lose it as the series implies. I am all for ‘fantasy’ but this one I had a hard time wrapping my head around. Even as a good story. And therefore, I could not. So, I stopped trying.
The true issue here is the lack of communication, not some misused medical condition that sounds fanciful. Not a particularly good or interesting series except for the character of Lomfon.

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Rainfall Ruined

Sometimes, soulmates may meet, stay together until a task or life lesson is completed, and then move on. This is not a tragedy, only a matter of learning.
- Brian L. Weiss

Perhaps this would have been better if soulmates really were meant to part sometimes or at some time. Basis aside, the story promised something new, something that would go against the very premise of the drama, that soulmates don't always need to end up together. A situation where the lead doesn't necessarily end up with the person who promises to be his soulmate, or with anyone at all. As the episodes go on though, it becomes evident that this is through and through a "I'm the one for you and you're the one for me story".

The drama definitely starts out strong, the chemistry is clear, the premise is interesting and the characters seem empathetic and fleshed out. However, as the show goes on, small cracks begin to appear, and the story loses it's steam. The creators definitely want to create tension with the "who will the lead pick" storyline, but it's glaringly clear who he will. Filler scenes, uncharacteristic behaviour, unreasonable misunderstandings and unnecessary characters really drag down what could have been a solid story and the more you watch, the more uneventful it seems. Even the genuine conflicts that are presented at the beginning of the show as a roadblock for the potential couple are resoundingly solved within a matter of five minutes, but something that can be resolved with a quick conversation is dragged out for 3 episodes.

Interestingly, with a premise as promising as this, you expect some kind of follow through or proper explanations, but everything is ultimately chalked up to the rain gods playing their games and the very thing that led to this huge snowball is conveniently tossed aside (rather underwhelmingly) when the writers realise they've messed with it too much.

What should have been a simple story was needlessly contorted to create a drama that effectively lost all direction causing them to pull out a Hail Mary at the last moment, and let's just say this should have ended at episode 6, whether the story was complete or not.

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Rain that Dried Out

To be frank, I must admit that as the story progressed it just got worse. The beginning of the story was refreshing, and the storyline intrigued me, particularly the concept of two soulmates losing their hearing during rainfall, leaving them only able to hear each other. It's quite an endearing concept. The idea of having someone to communicate with on gloomy days and eventually meeting that person sounds incredibly wholesome. I still love this aspect of the story, but I have to confess that towards the end, when they started tampering with this unique element, causing it to disappear and involving Lomfon in all the confusion, it really irritated me. Why did they have to portray him as such a villain?

I absolutely adore Saengtai as a character. He's a loving individual who consistently tries his best, despite having certain traumas that may influence his judgment. This remains evident throughout the drama. His brother, Saengthian, is also a character I adored. He's a pure cutie pie, and the way he protects and wishes the best for Tai was just so heartwarming and had me melting.

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Phat though, and this sentiment became even stronger when the climax of the drama unfolded. The way he handled things and communicated with Tai seemed selfish and self-centered, a stark departure from his previous character just a few minutes ago. Moreover, simply disappearing and cutting off contact due to a simple misunderstanding infuriated me. I understand that such misunderstandings are common in these types of dramas, but what happened to resolving issues through communication? It felt like a sudden and out-of-place breakup, especially considering how happy and supportive they were in the previous episode. Really said 'who she? cause I don't know her.' It left me genuinely shocked in the worst way possible.

Despite these setbacks, the acting in the drama was outstanding. The emotions conveyed through the actors' eyes truly immerse you in the story. The quality of the filming was also breathtaking as well, especially when it comes to the settings in which the scenes were shot at.

Overall, if we set aside the unnecessary drama and sudden plot twists, I did enjoy the drama. The concept was unique, and the actors delivered remarkable performances in their respective roles. The message of the drama, emphasizing the idea of loving and being with the one you truly love, rather than conforming to the universe's idea of a perfect match, was both sweet and on-point as well. Love can take various forms, and this message was well-conveyed.

If they ruin the relationship between Thian and Lomfon with that ending though.... the rain will become a river which I will then drown the screenwriter in. :D

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forecast looks cloudy

if you are expecting depth, a nuanced storyline, or even chemistry, this is not it.

the attempt to break the soulmate trope was a swing and a miss. this could’ve been introduced differently, but I also saw the potential in their idea, it was just bad writing like usual.

the storyline suffered a lot when the (valid) dramatic reaction to seeing patt kissing his ex just ended up being them confessing again. I also was not a fan of the overtly violent reaction patt had since he literally hit his boyfriend too. that was a game ender for me personally.

I didn’t see any chemistry here, at least not the type that fit the storyline. it’s a shame since I really wanted to like this series.

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An Unfortunate Failure

La Pluie's lack of a well-thought-out story, even with its vague hearing loss gimmick, is its undoing. An underdeveloped script is exposed the longer it goes.

A unique premise needs high level understanding of screenwriting to pull off successfully, especially in a series. Otherwise, the unique premise can prove too much for the novice to handle.

The result of a poor script don't just apply to the audience. The cast can be left to flounder with unclear or nonsensical character motivations.

La Pluie's faults are not rare in the BL space, but viewers are desperate to see them improved. To improve the BL space is to ditch the entire premise.

Your goal should not be to write/produce a "BL", your goal should be to create a great story for screen that just so happens to have a same-sex couple at its core. This would broaden project appeal to a wider audience, attract better talent and generate more revenue.

As for La Pluie itself: I would have challenged myself to write a first draft outline of La Pluie without the hearing loss premise. If we can craft a good story without the premise, then the foundation is laid as you then go about adding in said premise in future drafts. The ending should leave open the possibility of a second season, while also providing some closure.

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So happy to watch this. Interesting plot that in my opinion done right. Haha... Read the review, read the comments not everyone think good about this drama. Especially for the last couple episodes.... Yeah I agreed, some last episodes kinda stupid & rushed, but for me that's not enough to condemn the whole drama for it. Haha... Let me explained

I most agreed with lurkingshan writing. Yeah this not casual, fluff romance like any other simple story about soul mates or romance. This have more deeper meaning to the story. This drama actually kinda rebuked the concept of soul mates & that's what I love about this drama.

For some of us soul mates mean the perfect fit, it's like a perfect pair of gloves, but this drama talked about relationships not only need love, but also communication & how to put some efforts in your relationships. Like Saengtai's parents, they're the soul mates, but decided to separated cause life happen & they in the end have different focus & goal in life. And that's OK, that's just life. No matter how fit our soul mates with us, sometimes we find out that we actually have different set of goal. What I regret is just Saengtai's parents not really explained to Saengtai about it until much later, which for me already too late & damaging Saengtai's view of love & relationship.

What the rushed...? How to 'ruin' the relationship between Saengtai & Phat. Yeah the explosion of Phat's anger toward Lomfon is really out of character. If Phat & Saengtai haven't really settled their relationship it more make sense, cause Phat feel insecure about their relationship. But this happen after Phat & Saengtai already in the relationship, so no matter how insecure Phat, he's not supposed to exploded like that. Phat from the beginning is the mature one in their relationship, so he supposedly can hold his emotions & talk like grown man, not just burst his emotion out like that.

I agree with Pinoy Ares, the writer better spend the rest of duration by give us more explanation about the soul mate connection than just give us the bullshit about the explosion of Phat's emotions & their break up.

Overall this really one interesting concept of soul mate that's quite different from the others

Below is SPOILER ALERT!!! Read it with ur own risk.












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SPOILER ALERT!!!
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One thing that's pissed me off the most is the very last scene. What's the heck is that....??? How can they give us the open ending like this.......!!!! Hope we get second season about Lomfon & Saengthian.

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Strong start, weak finish.

Story: From the beginning I was so excited to see another, Soulmate AU as they are one of the most popular fanfiction troupes I’ve ever seen, yet there are surprisingly few dramas using this as a central theme. This baffles me, as there is so much you can do with the concept of ‘soulmates’. Anyway, the use of soulmates in this series is basically “character who becomes deaf in the rain can only hear soulmates voice until the rain stops”. This is quite an interesting premise and the first half of the series did an amazing job. The main leads have great chemistry, particularly in episodes 4 and 5, and in terms of speed and progression the pacing has been good at times, but awful in others, particularly the use of unnecessary flashbacks constantly. I liked that they spent the first episode laying out the plot and backstory so we didn’t get confused later on. The audience is immediately aware of what is happening with the two soulmates, how they can communicate, and why Saengtai refuses to talk to his soulmate. The second episode was really sweet, the whole scene at the vet was adorable too, but then I was quite disappointed with the first half of the third episode, as it was all a flashback of events we’ve already seen, it added nothing to the plot and was just pointless. The second half was okay but dragged a bit, but episode 4 immediately made up for it, being so amazing and sweet my heart melted watching Phat and Saengtai. Episode 5 helped show the relationship develop between the two of them while episode 6 slowed the pacing down slightly, focusing on the steady progression of their relationship and beginning the set up for Lomfon and Phat’s first meeting. The chemistry between Phat and Saengtai has been incredible, especially the kiss scenes. With episode 7 and 8 came La Pluie’s gradual downfall, the conflict with both Lomfon and Phat’s ex girlfriend Nara was so badly done that it was hard to watch. I’m glad, however, that the conflict didn’t drag out, and while some people were disappointed with how Phat and Saengtai handled the conflict I honestly don’t think it was too bad, however the miscommunication got worse after this point. Episode 9 was more of a filler episode with important backstory and from episode 10 came the huge conflict and disappointments. Tai went from a sweet and loveable character to frustrating and silent, letting so many misunderstandings happen and acted like they weren’t his fault. I don’t know what the writers were thinking, even Phat went from an adorable green flag boyfriend to an impulsive and drunken person who suddenly lashes out in anger and violence when it’s the complete opposite of his characters personality so far. I was glad to see the parents finally talk to their kids in episode eleven about all the things they kept hidden, although I’m still frustrated they didn’t do this sooner. Admittedly, until the final episode I wasn’t loving the side couple at all, they weren’t giving the chemistry I was hoping for but I thought they were super sweet in episode 12. Phat and Saengtai finally resolved the misunderstandings but even that was a little rushed. The plot is definitely a little confusing, but after rewatching and paying close attention to the explanation at the beginning, I got there in the end. I was really hoping the final episode would make up for all the past miscommunications but unfortunately it didn’t and this series went from one of my favourite airing series to one of the most frustrating series to get through.

Acting/Cast: Title as Saengtai- Honestly I thought his acting was fairly good, I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in the future. The scene at the beginning where he accidentally hit his foot again the bed made me laugh, and was definitely feeling for him with the whole “parents divorced/negative view of soulmates” outlook. With his mum already moving on while his dad is still stuck loving his divorced wife, I understood why he was so afraid of letting Phat know they are soulmates. When Phat knew Saengtai was his soulmate and Saengtai opened up to Phat, introducing him to his friends, family and Dad, I was hoping to see the journey of Saengtai facing his dislike of soulmates and confronting his parents soon. Instead I feel like the writers have taken the previous representation of Saengtai’s character and completely twisted it, I felt like I was watching a different person from the Saengtai we met in episode 1. While Saengtai was still clearly very insecure in his relationship with Phat, I was hoping we could see Saengtai facing his insecurities more. Instead he became immature and I wanted to slap the back of his head and tell him to grow up lmao. Even after he realised he messed up, it was all too late for me. I don’t understand why he couldn’t have actually spoken to Phat instead of letting the misunderstandings build up. I miss the Saengtai from the first half of the series, whatever the writers tried to do with his character failed completely.
—Pee as Phat- I’ve seen this actor in projects before so I was really excited for his first main role (not counting Y-Destiny as he was only in 2-3 episodes). He’s a great actor, his facial expressions are great and I loved his character so much. I was hoping his character would stay good and we wouldn’t get any sudden toxic moments from him as his character was so sweet and loveable, but obviously that was too much to hope for. With the conflict coming with Lomfon’s character I hoped that Phat would stay kind and stick by Saengtai’s side without getting swayed with Lomfon’s future words and actions. Phat was definitely a green flag boyfriend and I loved how understanding he was initially, not trying to push Saengtai into something he wasn’t comfortable with. I will admit that I was disappointed with how he handled the situation with Nara, but I can still understand that he cares for her even if he doesn’t have those feelings for her anymore. However, his actions in episode 10 were so unlike him I honestly struggled to take it seriously. I don’t understand what anyone working on this series was thinking by changing the characters so much, it was like Phat became a different person altogether. His drinking and the sudden violence was just too much. Honestly, I don’t think he should have forgiven Saengtai just like that, episode 12 was just far too rushed.

Music: The opening for this series is beautiful and maybe this is just me being picky, but there’s something about the song that just doesn’t seem to match the general vibe of the series. I guess I just love the song but not for this series? I don’t know, maybe my mind will change later on but for now I just don’t find it super fitting. The background music was also okay, but nothing particularly memorable. I’ll wait and see how it improves.

Overall: Amazing first two episodes, okay third episode, incredible fourth and fifth episodes, great sixth episode, mediocre seventh and eighth episodes, okay nineth episode, bad tenth and eleventh episode, and rushed final episode. Most of episode one was spent establishing the plot, while the second was building up to the big “soulmate reveal”, three was a little boring, so there isn’t much to comment on, four was beautiful and heartwarming, five was sweet and trusting with Saengtai finally opening up, and the first half of six was sweet with amazing chemistry, while the second half was great as it sets up the setting and conflict to follow in future episodes. Seven and eight were a little unnecessary and dragged out, I think the director seriously needs to work on the pacing of this series from this point. Nine was definitely more of a filler episode but I enjoyed learning more about Phat and Saengtai’s backstory. Ten was like watching a different series altogether, enough with the miscommunication and jealousy please, we didn’t need it to go that far. Eleven was okay, but dragged out a little. And the final episode was just too rushed, the misunderstandings were resolved but I still wasn’t satisfied. The storyline itself was definitely a 10/10 for me although the execution was very much lacking somewhat. This is definitely another series where the idea is better than the execution. Overall, this isn’t a must watch series, but I still found it enjoyable to a certain extent.

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La Pee-ew

La Pluie started off promising enough with an interesting concept and characters that worked within that concept, however, it quickly snowballed with ridiculous, unnecessary drama that contributed nothing to the story and eventually concluded by ghosting one of its leads for almost the entire episode. It could have been much better than it was if the creators had a more solid grasp on what kind of story they were wanting to tell. As it is, it strays into the absurd and eventually loses any kind of credibility. This is one drama that almost isn't worth the watch because the script is so bad.

The concept of rain related deafness was interesting where the person is unable to hear anyone except their "soulmate". It's not well explained or really developed, but at least initially that was fine. You have Saengtai and Phat who have experienced hearing loss for at least two years at the time the story starts and are soulmates. However, due to his parents divorcing, Tai doesn't believe in soulmates any longer and actively ignores Phat whenever he tries to communicate with him. I liked Phat and Tai initially. The fact that both of them were determined to defy their destinies and then ended up falling for each other in the end was cute. There was a decent build up and I liked their interactions. What ended up killing it for me was throwing Lomfon into the mix. The drama that created was unnecessary, particularly suddenly having Lomfon develop hearing loss and hearing both Phat and Tai. From there it was just a constant back and forth of misunderstandings that got tiring to watch. The final episode sent Tai on the hunt to find Phat and we spend almost the entirety of the episode Phat-less which was certainly a decision. He finally shows up with about 5 minutes remaining, they make up and everything is great. Throughout the series there's the side couple of Saengtien, Saengtai's younger brother, and Lomfon who start to develop feelings for each other, but it's complicated by Lomfon's feelings for Tai as well. Basically everything gets neatly and conveniently wrapped up and leaves you wondering why it took so long to get to that point as well as feeling like nothing was really gained.

I do feel a lot of issues would have been cleared up if the parameters of the rain deafness were defined. This is supposed to be a medical condition and yet there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to how it works and I lost interest in the idea of it as it was manipulated to forward the story. Lomfon, who has feelings for Tai, doesn't seem to have a chance because he's not Tai's soulmate until he very conveniently develops the hearing loss and can hear both Tai and Phat which, it is never addressed or explained that he seemingly can hear both of them, he just focuses on the fact that he can hear Tai. They also talk about how it's not possible that they can hear more than one person which makes it seem like this is a complete anomaly and again, isn't that just convenient. And then when Lomfon and Phat start fighting over Tai, all Tai has to do is yell that he doesn't want this destiny and suddenly they're all cured? It just completely strayed out of the realm of plausible within the confines of the story to the absurd and took away any and all credence it had to begin with. And I do get that a lot of it was probably deliberate. Half the point of the drama is this debate of whether soulmates are real or not. But there needs to be some level of grounding as well and there was not.

I started out overall liking most of the characters, particularly Phat. They each had their own distinctive personalities and I was hopeful that there was going to be some real character growth, but I was frankly disappointed the farther along we got.
-Saengtai was one of my least favorite characters, but I also found him interesting in his decision to defy his destiny. I didn't approve of his treatment of his mother and his childish behaviour regarding his parents' divorce. The fact that he laid the full blame on his mother and evidently made absolutely no effort to understand why his parents had reached the point of concluding things were not going to work out was frustrating the more that got dragged out. That his parents had to sit him down and explain things in detail that didn't feel like they should need an explanation was ridiculous. He was old enough that he should have been able to figure a lot of that out himself. Aside from that, I also found his passiveness to be frustrating as the story progressed. Things that seemed like they should have caused a reaction didn't and especially after he and Phat broke up, he was just far too calm about everything. And then there were other times he made unilateral conclusions without waiting for any kind of explanation. All in all, he came across as quite selfish and self-absorbed at times.
-Phat started out pretty perfect. He was friendly, kind, compassionate, and an all around good guy. He was incredibly patient and considerate with Tai, he communicated and communicated well both with Tai and with his ex, Nara. Even with Lomfon he was initially polite. He was an absolute breath of fresh air but in hindsight a little too perfect. He lacked some personality. But then Episode 10 hit and his character went up in flames. His reaction to finding out Tai had lied to him and finding Lomfon kissing him was to beat the crap out of Lomfon. The sudden aggressiveness that permeated his every action that episode was completely out of the blue and out of character. And he never shows any real remorse for those actions. He never apologizes to Lomfon for attacking him nor does he apologize to Tai for going off the rails. It's all very neatly swept under the rug. He later goes to try to make up with Tai, sees him talking to Lomfon and immediately interprets that as them being together and decides the best course of action is to disappear. We see him in Episode 12 for a grand total of about 5 minutes during which he mostly stares blankly at Tai while he monologues. It's a disappointing ending for the character.
-Saengtien is a loveable, mischievous brat and I absolutely loved his relationship with Tai and him as a character. I don't recall a good explanation being given for why he and Lomfon are at such odds initially, other than they are very different people. Lomfon is obviously more introverted and Tien is much more extroverted. I liked the way that Tien's attraction to Lomfon was developed as it felt natural. I truly felt bad for him when he saw Lomfon and Tai kissing and his reaction and his behaviour afterward felt justified. The love confession scene with Lomfon is such a good scene, just his hesitancy to believe, rightfully so, and then the hope. It's beautifully done and the range of emotions always gets me. The ending though where he suddenly develops hearing loss feels a tad ridiculous. Again, I know it's driving home the point of the show, but still.
-Lomfon left me feeling conflicted regarding his character. On the one hand, I liked his interactions with Tien and I liked the build up of their relationship. And initially there was nothing wrong with him liking Tai because at that point, Tai was single. His continued pursuit though of Tai even after he had entered into a public relationship with Phat was over the line. At that point, it didn't matter if his feelings were conflicted as to whether he liked Tai or Tien. Even with developing the rain deafness suddenly and being able to hear Tai, the fact that Tai was already in a loving relationship should have told him that he was now off limits. His continual pushing of the matter made me lose a lot of respect for his character. And while I was glad he did apologize to Tai, he also owed an apology to Phat which he never does. I do still love his confession to Tien though and I think they're adorable together.

The acting was overall decent. I liked the chemistry between Suar and Copter. I felt it was lacking more between Title and Pee, but I think that's in part because there were times where it felt like Title forgot to emote and his expressions were just dead. They did have their moments though, just not enough to be consistent. Aside from the last episode where he just seemed devoid of any real emotion which felt out of place, I liked Pee's performance. Suar was great and I was impressed with his chemistry with everyone he interacted with. Copter was a bit wooden at times which worked to an extent with his character, but I did feel he could have given more.

There were several elements that were thrown in without much explanation that really didn't contribute much to the story. One of the main ones being that both Phat and Lomfon had history with Tai without any of them realizing it. Phat's grandmother had lived next door to Tai and he and Phat had communicated via notes over the years, however, had never actually met. And then Lomfon had his own connection to Tai as Tai had saved him from being hit by a car, that one encounter resulting in Lomfon falling in love with the stranger who saved him and making Tai Lomfon's first love. Nara and Dream's developing relationship came out of left field. While cute, I don't think there was time to give it the attention it deserved so it wasn't well executed and felt rushed. And finally, in the last episode, we have a random couple show up to help Tai when he runs out of gas and for some reason get their life story. They get more screen time than Phat.

This was essentially a drama with an interesting concept and a decent cast that was let down by the writing. It started out well but went downhill during the last couple of episodes and the ending was disappointingly anticlimactic. Frankly, this is one drama that you're not going to be missing out on if you skip it.

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