Khemjira

WELL DONE STORY

This is the first BL series I've watched to the end and I didn't miss a single scene. Well, I haven't watched any BL series until the end, until this one. The book may not be the best, but the premise is a chef's kiss, and what makes this series special is that they do justice to the book... Overall, this series has the best cinematography, acting, and soundtrack.
The cast's acting is extraordinary, especially Keng Harit's. The portrayal of the character through his eyes is everything. Namping's acting, on the other hand, successfully portrays a child who has suffered alone and still maintains his good side, but I really liked the other side of his acting in episodes 10 and 11. In episode 12, Green (Rampheung) managed to make me cry and want to hug her.
Overall, the Khemjira soundtrack is heaven, there's nothing that isn't my favorite.
What bothered me a bit is that sometimes there are parts where the actors pause a little too long between their conversations. and sometimes there are parts of the background music that I feel don't need to be added to the scene, let the cast carry the scene because oh my god their acting is really standout.

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a diamond in the genre

words can not express how much I loved this BL, even with its defects, even though it made me cry like a baby. I will try not spoiling anything.The good: the cinematography is incredible, I don't have knowledge on photography at all but I found myself pausing scenes in order to appreciate the beauty of the lighting and camera work. the plot is unique in the genre, it's interesting and great to keep your interest the whole 12 episodes. the acting is just superb, before Khemjira I had never gotten emotional by watching films or series but this one had me crying repeatedly. The ending is even better than any BL fan could have wished. The visual effects and spirits are realistic enough. the antagonist is just great. I love having minor GL couples in BLs, so that was a plus for me. JET MY BABY is the best friend ever and perhaps my favorite of the 4 main characters. Charn is so so funny, I love my nerdy boyy. Master Paran is HAWT, the most handsome human ever created, he is sooooooo distractingly good looking, also had me pausing in order to try to figure out how can a person be so beautiful omg. Namping (Khem) is an awesome crier, he cries a lot and I want to hug him every time. Khem is a cute little cinnamon roll who deserves to live. Thong and Ake are my fav characters, they are so cute and fun! also, the villagers are well written and interesting. overall an excellent BL.the bad: unfortunately, this show has two great flaws. 1) Khemjira is the weakest character of them all and 2) the side couple was way better developed. as for the first, I really struggle to find substance in Khemjira's character, as his whole persona is based on trying to survive. If he has any skill (other than cooking), preferences, or personality outside of trying to survive and being a good person, I've completely missed them. I hope this is the last Domundi show with the "cold top" and "pursuer cute bottom". it got old. regarding the second point I have some problems with, is that Jet and Charn are the better couple. Why is Khem, in his present life, in love with Paran (other than him helping him and being hot af)? why is Paran in love with Khem? Why would Khem accept Paran's love after Paran being SO cold and ruthless with him just one episode before? Also, Khem, you have to open your mouth when kissing. even if it's your first kiss I can't fathom you've never seen how people kiss in movies or c0rn... I also find the chemistry between the two leads a bit lacking, and when I started watching I thought Khem would end up with Jet. I have none of these issues with CharnJet. Their personalities are so distinct, they build up the relationship so well and even their NC scene is better, more intimate, and hotter.Go watch Khemjira NOW

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DMD FINALLY DID IT! TAKE A BOW!

You know when you finally come across a show that has EVERYTHING so its literally CRACK?! Khemjira is that show.

I started watching it as soon as the first episode aired and i am so proud of that decision because waiting a whole week for the next episode to drop was so worth it. It is adapted from the novel (which I have not read) and according to the fans who have read it the storyline was adjusted without loosing the essence of the novel and i love me a good drama like that. I cannot name a single scene that i can categorize as a filler scene because each and every scene made up the show and its atmosphere.

The storyline kept you on your toes and the stakes kept getting higher every episode. The characters were fleshed out and were given a chance to grow throughout. You cant hate any character not even the antagonist and that alone is a feat in storytelling. I am going to miss the show so much and will probably be rewatching it. looking forward to all the new projects of the actors because they truly TRULY deserve it.

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Overhyped and boring

I'm not going to lie I didn't enjoy this as much as others seemed to. I've heard it getting hyped up since it was airing and I honestly don't get the hype. Is it bad? No, but I wouldn't say it's great either. The plot was fine but so drawn out and the episodes were just way too long. It could've been so much shorter. The plot of Khem being haunted and cursed to die on his 21st birthday had so much potential, but I think because the show was so long and pretty boring, I just didn't care by the end.

The characters were the best part of the show for sure. I liked our main cast of characters a lot and think the actors all did a great job.
I liked Peem a lot and liked the layers to him.
Khem was such a cutie patootie and I liked watching him a lot.
Jet was my favorite. I liked how funny he was but also caring and serious when needed to be.
Chan was adorable. I liked seeing him get more confident throughout the show.
The two kids were so fun and cutie.
Pour one out for Rampheung. Girl went through so much. When we got her backstory, I couldn't even blame her for what she was doing anymore and I'm glad she found peace at the end.

I think visually the show was beautiful with the sets and the visual effects. The camera work did bug me sometimes but overall, that wasn't a big issue. The show was fine, I just think it was WAY overhyped.

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The story follows Khem, a young man born into a family cursed by a terrifying fate: every male in his bloodline is destined to die a horrific death before reaching the age of 21. To protect him and “hide” him from the spirits, his mother gives him a feminine name, Khemjira, which means “forever safe.”

As Khem approaches his 21st birthday, the protective measures his mother put in place begin to fail. He starts seeing vengeful spirits that are not only haunting him, but actively trying to kill him. In order to survive, Khem and his best friend Jet travel to Ubon Ratchathani to seek help from a powerful shaman.

There, they meet Master Pharan, a young yet exceptionally skilled spiritual protector. Pharan is initially cold and reluctant to help, believing that one should not interfere with another person’s karma. However, as they spend more time together, it is revealed that their souls are bound by a deep-seated grudge and a tragic love story from a past life—one that involves a vengeful spirit named Ramphueng.

Slowly, something begins to shift in Khem and Pharan’s relationship. At first, Pharan tries to deny his growing feelings, refusing to form attachments of any kind. But eventually, even Pharan can no longer deny what is developing between them.

Now the questions:
Can they successfully overcome the curse, and will Khem survive in the end?
How is the curse truly connected to Khem?
And how does everything ultimately end?

That's pretty much the story without giving anymore spoilers. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ Unique drama, because it focuses heavily on Thai folklore, shamanism, and horror elements rather than just romance.
+ The 2nd lead story. And how they're also linked to Khem from his past life.

What I don't like:
- Napatsakorn can't act. He can act well when nothing happens. Well I mean, when he just needs to be a calm boy who is just enjoying his day… But when he needs to act sad, hurt or even jealous, that's when his lack becomes obvious.
- The ending… It's just, they made it too pretty… Everything just peacefully ended like that… Ugh… talk about lazy writing…

Overall this really offers us a unique story about Thai folklore, shamanism, and horror elements rather than just romance.

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A League of Its Own!

This is the first Thai BL series I've watched that every episode brings out something that makes you love it even more. They explained the curse well, gave us the steps they took to fight it, and brought us to a closure without leaving anything behind. In other words, the development is so very well thought out.

Casting is superb - the past and present characters look so much alike, and all of them delivered. As someone who has read the novel and kinda felt amused that Khem is a character that cries a lot, I must say that Namping did such a good job getting the balance between novel Khem and his Khem in the series. Paran's development from the cold shaman who didn't want to care to going all out to save the love of his life is endearing. It felt like he held back, but when he decided they must be together, he did everything he could.

Jet and Charn are fantastic as well, and I'm happy that despite being the second couple, the screentime gave them justice (don't come at me for this because I just came from a series where the second couple had minuscule screentime lol).

The other characters also leave a mark - Khemika, Da, Jin, Grandma Si, Uncle Chai, Khem's mom, Chayod, the twins, monk Kasem, Jane, Kachen, Ramphueng!

Truly, Khemjira The Series brought their world and shared it with us because we feel for them and with them.
All kinds of love are in the show, romantic, parental, platonic, communal.
Khem, Jett, and Charn are the friends we want to have and aim to be.
KhemPeem love is what we long for.

Congratulations to everyone who gave us this series. I am happy that it received and is still receiving A LOT of love. Cheers to the more shows that will follow Khemjira's footsteps and I am looking forward to what these actors - Keng, Namping, Tle, and FirstOne would give us in the future!

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DOMUNDI delivered it - the best supernatural bl series yet !

I found Kemjira standing up to it's expectations in almost all fronts. It was a great watch and totally worth it.

Going into the details, the supernatural part was really captivating as well as realistic. Though, I somehow didn't find it frightening, except first and last few episodes, I felt something was missing for it to be actually bone chilling.

I agree the love story was not a typical soap opera one, but it was the specialty of the series, and they did show it really beautifully towards the end.
The Story was well written, complete. The execution and direction was great. Although, some of the episodes felt slow, and could a bit dragged. But, it was still engaging enough.
I do have to agree with the fact that the main cast were really good looking and "cute", which added to the charm of the series!

Overall, it's worth at least watching once.

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A Well-Executed Supernatural Drama

I watched this alongside the GL series 'Runaway', as both share a similar premise involving a shaman saving their soulmate. I’ll avoid making direct comparisons here. What stood out immediately was the quality of the visuals, the VFX were well done, and the prosthetic makeup added a lot to the atmosphere. While it wasn’t scary for me, the story itself was engaging enough to keep me hooked, to the point where I didn’t even mind the hour-long episodes.

One thing I really appreciated was how clearly everything was explained. Every question I had was answered as the story progressed, and nothing felt confusing or poorly handled. The production quality overall was solid, and the narrative flowed well.

Personally, I found myself more drawn to the side characters than the main ones. As for the antagonist, her actions felt justified within the context of the story, I couldn’t help but agree with the idea of long-held, agonizing revenge driving the plot.

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DMD's best BL out there

At first, I didn't want to watch it because I am a scaredy cat and can't handle horror. But this was fine once you got used to it (after watching with a friend).

Khemjira is the biggest BL this year, maybe even in the last few years and if you would have told me a few years ago DMD would be able to produce this kind of BL I would have doubted you HARD.

It's obvious DMD is really picking up on production now, the setting is great. It really takes you to this little village somewhere in the north of Thailand.

The Plot itself is very compelling and interesting, truly unique in the BL game. As a Non-Thai person it is super interesting to watch so much of their shaman culture/beliefs. The characters are all likable, even the antagonist to a certain point. She is not just evil, but a broken woman with backstory. So that was great! Obviously doesn't excuse her behaviour, but makes it easier to understand why she's doing what she's doing.

The acting is, for a BL, quite decent. I say this with all my love for Thai BLs btw. But there are still moments where I feel like I'm getting pulled out of the moment because I wonder what's going on with the acting. Pity. But I have seen far FAR worse in another dramas.

The music is amazing, it really fits the whole setting and 'Mantra' wow what a great song.

My biggest problem is, unfortunately, the final episode.

I don't know if I was expecting too much or something, but the episode was more of a 6/10 for me. I personally didn't really like the way Ramphueng's scene was written and produced. I think it's beautiful that her deepest wish was just to see her child again and that was very emotional. But I feel like the way it was handled was just meh. Also, the whole Khem is getting whipped but barely makes a sound? Eh. Even if he was holding back any screams to spare Paran for example, the camera should have shown that.

Their NC scene is imo one of the weakest NC scenes DMD has produced so far, which is honestly incomprehensible to me because their first NC scene in ep 8 was so beautiful. I had high expectations for this one, but it felt a bit too chroreographed for me. I don't mind awkwardness, but something felt just a bit off. Maybe I have to rewatch it, but I don't feel the need to rewatch it, you know?

I do appreciate them squeezing in a full hour of fluff, so plus points for that. But I'm so confused about so many things. Like why does it feel like in the two years until graduation, PeemKhem haven't met? If so, why? Also, I felt like afterwards, it lacked a little bit of natural flow between the main pairing who has been in love and been together for years and therefore should be without any stilted awkwardness. The latter point is more of a Thai BL problem in general, though.

So in total, it was still most likely the best BL of the year, truly unique in its own ways. I'm glad the leads had such a great break out drama and look forward to their future projects. I try not too have too much expectations for future DMD projects or else I will be disappointed (like with TNP). Would definitely recommend the drama to friends.

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Khemjira is peak.

I still haven’t recovered from this BL. I have already watched it 3 times and I cannot get over it. I watched this every week in my flat with all my friends and it became Khemjira Saturday. I don’t think I’ve seen a BL that all of my friends have enjoyed to this extent before.

The supernatural storyline mixed with romance was pure gold. I was so happy they didn’t go crazy with the sound effects like in some other shows and showed a more mature approach. The emotional connection between characters and how you slowly learn more about everyone and see how their love unfolds really keeps you captured, all while seeing how they’re going to make it through unexpected challenges.

Keng and Namping really outdid themselves, the soundtrack is still on repeat and the whole setting of the show was perfect. I am so jealous of my friends who watched it as their first Thai BL.

I really can’t get enough of this series and don’t think I’ll ever get over the impact it left on my life. I am probably being dramatic but it was genuinely so fun to watch and I will definitely watch it again.

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