La Pluie

Promising take on ‘soulmates’, cringey execution

The whole soulmate / destiny thing is horribly cliched unless the plot is properly thought through and executed.

I couldn't get myself to like Saengtai and Patt either. Saengtai is a petulant, somewhat unreasonable individual, and always in need of rescuing. His fight with Patt was a product of his poor decisions and even poorer communication, exposing the fragility of any relationship built on “destiny”. Also, their relationship was really cringey.

The side couple, Tian and Lomfon, turned out to be more interesting and in my opinion, more compatible than the main couple.  Their conclusion is not one that’s unexpected, but the writing could have been a lot smoother.

Verdict: What was this? The plot had potential but the execution was just awful.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/08/05/la-pluie-2023-bl-review/

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saengthian, my star

the start was good i'd give you that, the rest - not so much. 1 star for the start, and 3 stars bc saengthian was absolutely adorable.

jokes aside, the concept was promising. but... the execution not so much, it was quick to get repetitive, and the acting seemed to get worse as the episodes moved on - or perhaps i only started to notice it then because i became so extremely bored with the show, that i honestly might have used the skip 10 seconds button so much that my finger was starting to hurt.

also, the ending?? no words. what even was that?

anyways, it's over - we cheered!!

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What a waste of a good show!

Started off great but went to hell in a handbasket.
I'm so annoyed right now!!

I love the idea of soulmates. This is the first show I've seen that showcased the concept. It started off brilliantly but boy did it let me down!

In this world, people who have soulmates lose their hearing whenever it rains. But when they turn twenty years old, they gain the ability to hear again during the rain--but only their soulmate's voice, provided that both soulmates are in a rainy area at the same time.

One main character has soulmates for parents. But his parents divorce when he's a teenager. This leads him to "not believe" in soulmates and ignore his own soulmate, refusing to answer him, for two years.

The other main character is just a nice, cheerful man, despite having had his own difficult childhood. He doesn't stop being nice and optimistic, nor does he give up on his soulmate, despite the years of silence and neglect.

My issue with this show is that they take the concept of soulmates as it is accepted in this world and then decide to break the rules on us for the hell of it. (I'd have to spoil the story in order to explain this further, but I don't want to do that.)

Needless to say, I was and am pissed off beyond reason at the curve ball they threw at us and how they "resolved it".
I don't consider the resolution to be satisfactory and I'm not happy with the ending of the show (though the main couple does have their "happily ever after").

I'm not happy with how the side characters were handled either. Their motivations are all over the place and the secondary romance is one hot mess. Hated their ending too.

The acting was good.
The chemistry between the two main leads was great.
The music was good.
Rewatch value...5...6? I guess. (Knowing the ending will probably ruin the start of the show for me in the future)

Overall, an amazing concept that the writers absolutely tanked.

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Finally...!! Its overr..!!!

Acting- I actually felt that casting was good. But they could have been better gelled together...i could feel the bond btw Tai and Tien the most, next only to Tai and his father. The actors were good and performed what was expected of them, though there is a room for improvement in their expressions. The intimate scenes kinda felt orchestrated though they were spicy.


Story- Not gonna lie, this had a lott of potential for it to be handled like this. Tai redeemed himself in the final EP, yet i felt he didnt deserve to be forgiven easily like Lomfon was also forgiven. I kinda get that Phatt and Tien are in love but they got hurt and their partners werent greenest flags out there . The pacing was choppy, editing was also not very good(like who the hell shows that many flashbacks). The story could have been just about the soulmate crisis and the *kiss* arc could have been avoided, having crush is OK but the mess in EP10 &11 was kinda too much. Trimming it to 10EPS and simply showing Phatt and Tai getting to know each other and LomfonTai relationship progress from enemies to lovers would have been enough. Angst with adequate amounts of romance along with few NC/love scenes would have made this series a huge hit. Finally DreamNara could have had more scenes (could feel the chemistry).

Final verdict- If you seriously like watching shows with logic and continuity dont watch this and waste your time, but if you want to watch a good first half and a messy second half drama you can go for it.

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La Meh

It's not a good sign when the best acting and storyline comes just from the parent characters when the majority of it is about the main characters. Neither of the main couples where very interesting despite the supernatural conceit of a mystical rain powered connection.

I find the psychic hearing/loss portrayed interesting in that there is more choice in it than the characters realize. It's appears to be a strong connection of some kind between two people that doesn't require mutual love and can be broken unilaterally as well. The maturity of the parents was amazing, from their break up to supporting the mom's new path in life.

From the focus on showing how psychic rain hearing doesn't mean a magic unbreakable love bond and can be platonic soul mates, it's so nonsensical to push the main characters Tai and Patts back together. Their only connections are the psychic rain hearing, that they are both man children, and the doctor being the biggest one between the two. It would have been better if they just broke up permanently and Tai learns to be a stronger person on his own than to get back with a emotionally volatile and physically violent guy who has a ton of issues of his own to work through.

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Goob beginning but......

Okay the series started as an absolut bangwr, i love the comcept of soulmates but its delicate and has to be made rught or it will feel off and forced.
And for the first few eps this series did that really good, they showed the inner conflicts of having a soulmate and what it actually means , if the feelings you feel are actually yours or just drstiny forcing you yo like the one it picked for you.
The acting was good to that poiny especially the two main characters but i wanted a bit more of Patts ngl. Tian was played so well i cried and smiled with him

But it all went downhill with the double soulmate thibg because like why, to add conflict? There is enoygj potential for that jn the whole is this destiny or really love situation and i would have wanted to see the struggle of a soulmateless couple ( lomfon and tien) too, the way they resolved all that in the last eps was okay . But it felt like the acting part was being left aside for the story, i saw that especially in the confession scene of lomfon. His expression was ok but boy could have acted better.

And then what the heck was that last scene, was that really necessary, is there gonna be a second season if that mess.
Like why does tien need a soulmate, and if why another one, that just feels like the producer want to keep milking this concept because its pipular with the fans. Wicb u cant even say gor the ibternational fans.

Overall i liked the first eps after that it was a angering mess and the last ep made my blood boil witn the last scene. So take you bloodpressure meds kids and dig into this mess of a series if you want to.

I cant recommend or not recommend if to be fair.

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Like when you're rained on and left wet or damp and unhappy with that feel.

The premise was interesting and the series had a great start with good themes and some depth.

From the second half, it started losing it's interest on me. The pacing, for one, felt inconsistent. Sometimes it was good and other times, it dragged. Too many unnecessary flashbacks. It's not hard to forget something we just saw five or ten minutes ago or even an episode before for Pete's sake. Needless to say, some information could have worked as just being mentioned without the need for a flashback. I'm beginning to think some of these flashbacks are used to just fill out episodes and give a series more content. Episode 12 turned out to be more enjoyable for me than any of the preceding five episodes, which was a good thing at the very least.

The actor who played Tien did a good job and made this whole thing more interesting. It didn't hurt that I also liked Lomfon. I honestly preferred Lomfon and Tien than Phat and Tai. Phat was great, but Tai... I didn't like how the character was played and wish the actor would have been different.

And then there was the communication issues. I hate it when communication problems become the essence of the whole plot and are dragged on til the end. That it took almost the entirety of the drama for Tai's parents to have a talk with him, and even then, it wasn't anything so mind-blowing and was something he understood in fewer minutes than he spent fuming about. I get that they had to use that to fuel the other plot of him not believing in soulmates, but them hinging on that conflict for nearly the entirety of the series made it even more annoying. Since they were subverting a trope, they could have also done this one and have that conversation happen as soonest possible, but oop! then they'd have nothing to hang on.

Also having a gaping plot hole just for the sake of furthering a plot isn't it. It just seems lazy. Given that that wasn't the usual restaurant Tai went to, and it wasn't one they'd been at before and there was no communication of any meet-up to Tai, how Phat knew the exact restaurant to go to to just happen to see Lom and Tai and have his great misunderstanding, so he could quit his job and move out of Bangkok and Tai would have to take us on a tourism trip to look for him, is a mystery. At least he didn't find him on his first day.

It would have been much better if he was just going there and coincidentally happened to see them, but him showing up there with flowers, (and full intention of making up) makes no sense cause it leaves so many questions. Just lazy.

I wish I could have liked it better, especially since they took the subverting a trope direction, which is not often used in bls, but I just couldn't. The director had a good vision, but it wasn't put together so well. Too many annoying things that would undo any enjoyment I'd had and unfortunately, the main cp weren't enough to pull me in and make me ignore those, so really low attraction and rewatch value.

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Mixed feelings

This was an 8/10 for me until the group trip and it got gradually worse from there.

What I liked: The concept, the actors, and the production quality.

What I didn't like:

1. It was a good start, then it got a little stale, and then it got so messy. It is completely unclear to me what the purpose of the soul mates serves to this plot. The parents didn't end up together. Tai had a soul mate for 2 years and then randomly a second one? All Tai had to do was get overwhelmed and scream to sever his connection with everyone? So then the show is like create your own fate! Soul mates don't matter! Then dropping a bomb in the last few seconds of the finale?! The concept is good, but jeez pick a lane.

2. The relationships were undeveloped. Lom spent 99% of the show obsessed with Tai and then at the very end he's like Tien I love you! & when did Tien even fall for him?? Did not see that lol. They barely had any moments that could sell me on their romance. Tai and Patt's was a lot better, but could've had more depth.

3. EVERYTHING WAS LITERALLY TAI'S FAULT???!!! How did everyone just sweep under the rug that he knew people were telling him Lom liked him. He intentionally LIED repeatedly to his BOYFRIEND so he could spend the day with Lom. Let Lom kiss him. & this is all after he yanked Patt back and forth with his uncertainty. Yet Patt was the villain.

4. Patt's meltdown, behavior, actions, etc. were so out of character in episode 10 it's not even funny. I could get the crying and frustration, but not that physically violent behavior and screaming. He was the sweetest, most patient, softest character and then randomly they were like "slam things around and push Tai while you punch Lom" like hello?

This show is still enjoyable, but there are definitely some aspects that make me go huh???

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Raindrops and Illusions of Love

If you're coming into this show expecting a simple soulmate story, then this show might not be right for you. This show challenges the romance trope of "soulmates" and the notion that being soulmates is sufficient for any relationship to survive. So let me reiterate, if you're looking for a fluffy, one-true love type of story, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

La Pluie lets you know that the soulmate idea is going to be challenged since the very first time that we meet the protagonist, Saengtai. We learn that his own view on 'soulmates' has been broken since the divorce of his parents; he's become jaded. This caused him to have no intention in meeting his soulmate, so he becomes a recluse when it rains, he shuns him out for years. Like any good romance show, he does finally meet him. His opinion and world-view is challenged multiple times throughout this show, and his character growth can sometimes be equivalent to that of the speed of a turtle. La Pluie lets him be messy, and immature at times, purposefully, because even with this magical disability, he's still human! He can be unlikeable at times. He's self-absorbed. He's nice, but he's not necessarily kind. He generally sucks at communicating because he's scared of getting hurt. The show lets us key in on this by showing how he interacts with his brother (Saengtien), the rest of his family, his soulmate (Patts), and even with his co-workers.

If you engage with his storyline knowing this, the eventual conflict that arises with Patts and him is not surprising. Instead, it's expected and you're just waiting for it to happen. The show drops hints of this occurring since episode 6 (peek at the Nora Roberts book Tai is reading). This conflict has been set up since episode 1, it's not out of nowhere. Patts and Tai have conflicting personality traits, and as anyone who has had a relationship is well aware, this can make or break a relationship. La Pluie is showing that no matter whether a couple are "soulmates" or not, a relationship takes effort.

The four main characters of this show are at different stages in their belief of the 'soulmate' effect and are at different levels of understanding on how to make a relationship survive. Out of the three, Saengtien, the one without the soulmate bond, is the only one that truly believes in that soulmate bond. La Pluie is playing with the irony of their circumstances and beliefs. It's challenging the beliefs of every single character in the show. Much like in our own world, beliefs shape who we are as people and how we present ourselves. Sometimes we act in ways that may be considered "out-of-character" when our beliefs are challenged. Again, for a show that brings in a fictional disease, it makes the characters very, very, very human. Humans make mistakes and may act terribly; this show sets up this idea for each one of the characters. Their beliefs play a direct role in how they each interact with love.

This theme carries out throughout every relationship you see in this show, Tai's parents and their soulmate bond, Saengtien and Lomfon... Everyone of them have soulmates, minus Saengtien, but that's not enough to make a relationship or even enough to let it survive. Love isn't simply eros, the parents are an example of that. Love is a choice. Making a relationship work is a choice. La Pluie explores the underutilized idea in romance dramas that you have to choose to love and who you love. You have to work for that love to survive. No flimsy notion of 'soulmates' is going to be enough.

La Pluie is more than a 'soulmate' BL, as the story unfolds, we're witness to every single characters' journey with self-discovery and understanding what love is and means. It's not a high stakes drama, it's not even a particularly fluffy drama. It's a BL that subverts an incredible amount of common tropes, that brings these characters alive in a world with a mythical disability, but it grounds them in very human conflicts that we experience in our own.

Engage with this drama, engage with the visual imagery in each scene, the show conveys much more than just dialogue to let you understand where the characters are in their own journey. If you do so, I'm sure you'll have a greater appreciation for La Pluie.

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Just Stop At Episode 9

This was kinda cheesy, kinda cute up through episode 9. I wouldve recommended it up through episode 9. I liked most of the characters through episode 9. Except Saengtia, but we'll get there.

Episode 10 ruined what could of been a solid, good BL series. Patt was my absolute favorite character and the side couple was excitingly cute with good chemistry. Saengtia was there, but let's get back to positives. The music was great, I actually tracked down quite a few of the songs and playlisted them. The chemistry was *chefs kiss*, you vibe? And then Saengtia decides to start lying for literally no reason. And I do mean no fucking reason.

I hate lying plotlines because, for me, a character can rarely come back from it. I already had trouble liking Saengtia, once he started lying (and to P'Patt ffs. Why??? Patt was an angel) I went from mild dislike to outright vitriol. I dont want to watch people I don't like fall in love. Lomfon was also part of the stupid fucking storyline that wrecked this show, so despite how much I'd liked his character, episode 10 - 12 was spent just fast forwarding or straight up skipping Saengtia and Lomfon scenes.

Saengtia irks me so, so, so much. He lies, gets mad at P'Patt for being mad at him for lying, stonewalls him when he asks Saengtia to be clear about who he wants, tells Patt he doesn't like his tone to shut him up like he didnt just spend a full day frolicking about with someone EVERYONE has said likes him, kisses that same guy (fucking over his own brother in the process), gets pissed at Patt for being pissed considering he just found his boyfriend cheating, stonewalls Patt AGAIN..... such a repulsive character, I was f u m i n g throughout the last three episodes. Even before episode 10, I had no sympathy for Saengtia. A grown ass adult throwing the worlds largest tantrum because his parents divorced. Amicably. All the blame on his mom with no knowledge of anything that happened. A. Grown. Ass. Adult. And then to be so overinvolved in overthinking about his parents divorce that he ignores his soulmate for TWO YEARS????? yeah, he never deserved Patt and Patt has my sympathy for apparently deserving Saengtia. I hope he has better karma next life.
Frankly, rip Saengtia out of the story (not replace, remove. Patt can kiss the air or something) and the rating would immediately go up to an 8.

I dont even want to get into the jenkiness of the trope. Wouldve been fine and dandy, but the writers were salivating to have Saengtia fuck everything up so bad they did it themselves. If you cant follow (or at least define, damn) the rules of your trope, skip the trope. You yell a bit and get real sad and now you can hear in the rain??? Youre nearby and stressed and now youre the third wheel soul mate???? S p a r e. M e.

I loved this series so much, which is really a shame, because I hate this series. Again, stop watching after episode 9, or dont watch at all, if only for your blood pressure.

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“Unfuck it!” – that’s what I call good advice

I really like the premise of the series. I’m usually a bit meh on soulmate plots as they tend to be very cliché, I admit that, but I found this one really interesting. Probably because it’s something I haven’t heard of before. Also, the idea that both decided to not act upon the whole soulmate bond intrigued me.

Patt & Tai: Their first meeting was adorable. I did find Tai’s sudden interest in his soulmate a bit weird. Why did he suddenly decide to give him a chance when he ignored the man for over two years? I can understand his wariness on the subject, but the sudden change was a bit unexpected. Is it only because Patt is hot? I can understand Patt’s decision to defy his destiny. He seems like a dream man. He has his life together, is loving, honest. I found the two adorable. There are a lot of things that I don’t really like about the two either. Tai is too forgiving and too understanding at times, he doesn’t know how to communicate his feelings and his needs. Patt tends to keep secrets, he doesn’t always see his faults and tends to react quite aggressively and impulsively. Pee and Title have great on screen chemistry, I can’t deny that. I really enjoy seeing the two together. Their kiss scenes were amazing! Title has also done incredibly in the silent crying scene. My heart broke for him, I think we all felt it.

Lomfon & Tien: I find Tien a bit childish at times. He’s a brat, that’s what he is. But he also seems to be quite mature when it comes to giving advice to Tai. And I really like that, because it shows that just because he is quick to anger, he can show maturity when needed. Or when he feels like doing so. He and Lomfon have everything set for a good enemies to lovers kind of story. With some love triangle thrown into the mix. And I am here for it. Tien’s confusion is something I am really enjoying. He’s so cute, especially when drunk. Lomfon appears to be much more responsible and often ends up being as a not so happy babysitter. He is also someone who tends to think about everything which sometimes ends up backfiring on him. He doesn’t always act rationally, even if that is something he tries to do.

The whole situation between Phat, Tai and Lomfon is interesting. I like in how many different ways the situation can be interpreted. I wanted them all to find some sort of clarity while solving the mess. It might not be a perfect situation, but it is what it is. I just wish this would play a bigger role in the series. The climax to the situation happened fairly late into the series, I expected it to happen sooner and be more important part of the story, especially as it was shown in the trailer for the series.

There are some plot holes or things that make absolutely no sense. From how the boys (don’t) know each other, to why they are keeping secrets from one another, to the café scene, the whole hearing loss soulmates thing … And even why Tai’s parents felt the need to keep their mouths shut about how they are handling the divorce. The boys were all in their teens and older when the two separated, meaning they were all old enough to understand it.

And while on the topic of divorce, I really like the message they showed through the relationship of Tai’s parents. Being soulmates doesn’t necessarily guarantee a romantic compatibility. It might set things up for it, but it does not mean it will work. Love is not enough, there are many other factors that play a big role in maintaining a relationship. And seeing the two parents still be friends is another great message – they might not be right for one another, but they can still be friends and raise their children in a loving environment. Coming from someone with divorced parents who have great relationship even after everything, I can’t stress enough how important is for parents to be able to act like adults and not try to make their children hate the other parent.

One of my favorite advice in all of BLs I have seen, is definitely Tien’s love advice to Tai. When you fuck something up, you need to find a way to unfuck it. Simple and straight to the point. All in all, I really liked the relationship between all four brothers, but especially Tai’s and Tien’s. It’s very realistic love-hate relationship. Like we can annoy each other, but when you need me, you know I am always there for you.

I really liked the scenery and cinematography of it. The locations were beautiful, and the rain often made everything look even prettier. The OST is nice, the sound effects weren’t distracting and it all went nice with what was going on in the story.

The ending though… is that a set up for second season? I am honestly not sure how I feel about that. With this series starting great and ending meh, I don’t know how they could turn S2 better. Plus, I don’t think I like the love triangle they have in mind for possible season 2.

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A Unique Fantasy Drama

There are many Fantasy dramas out there but what makes this unique is its introduction. Where Tai Says "I don't know what kind of world you live in. But in the world I live in............". As though the screenwriter is telling us that this drama is shot in an entirely different world and they are not trying to show some cringey stuff as shown in few dramas.

I may be a bit prejudiced about this drama as the first episode itself got me hooked and I have never felt like that for any of the BL's I have watched. I totally liked this drama and the actors conveyed the story really well. Although I had few complaints with Saengtai where he tried to act childish sometimes when with Phat especially in the cafe and the hospital. But in the end all my complaints disappeared.

The first part of the drama is really really interesting and the second half is all about how their relationship goes how are they going to tackle their issues it might seem boring but it was worth the watch. I think the highlight was Ep10 where leads try to figure out their relationship. I especially liked Phat's acting at the end of Ep10. I can justify that Phat was worried about their relationship if only Saengtai instead of remaining silent assure his feelings for Phat just like Phat did for Saengtai(In Ep8).

I really didn't like Lomfon's character (Not the actor lol). I wonder if people like him even exist. But then again thanks to him that our leads fought which made their relation even more stronger. I really liked Tien's Character always stable and likeable.

Kudos to the actors and the team for making this drama. If you want a good story with constant character development then this drama is for you. Go watch it!!

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