Ready, Set, Love

Asks interesting questions

This had been something I'd been meaning to watch since it was released but I have only gotten around to watching now. I watched it over two days and can say that whilst it is both entertaining and intriguing, it does leave much to be desired.

[THE GOOD] This show is visually captivating. From the bright colours and attractive cast, it is very pleasing to the eye. The set design of the dating game, which makes up the bulk of the show, is brilliant and heavily inspired by 'Squid Game', and you can see a lot of effort and care was put into the production. The dating game in of itself was amazingly done and though the explicit concept of the Gentlemen being essentially sold of as cattle left an uncomfortable feeling, the games of the show being used to win dates was both refreshingly different and similar enough to current dating reality TV shows for it to be plausible for such a show to happen today or in the near-future.

I didn't have a problem with the acting in this show, it was neither brilliant nor awful. Simply acceptable. For some the acting may be considered too exaggerated, but it's done in a way which matches Thai humour and you adjust fairly easily to it. The characters, bar a few, are likeable with interesting stories. The female lead (FL) is one of your typical headstrong and true-to-herself leads but it's not overly forced and given the ridiculous world she is placed into, her awkwardness is understandable. The male lead (ML) starts off as a typical cold character but you quickly come to realise it is a facade he puts on as one of the Gentlemen and the person he is with the FL is much more real and likeable.

A character I didn't expect to love so much was Chanel but she ended up becoming my favourite. Although she is one of the elites of this society, she is still a victim who suffers under the expectations of her mother. Her character development is great as she moves from being somewhat emotionless only acting on her mother's instructions, to being emotionally vulnerable with Max (her eventual love interest) and then having the confidence to go after what she wants. I really wanted her to win the dating game and I was so happy when she did. Chanel's story also reveals certain things about their society which beg questions of what would happen if we lived under a matriarchy. Though their society is completely matriarchal, it is still not enough to be a girl. Chanel reveals to Max that her mother's tough expectations of her stem from the fact that she wasn't born a boy in a way that reflects many societies today. In this matriarchy, the male sex has remained a symbol of status and power.

I also enjoyed the stories of many other side characters. The queer representation on this show was done very well as although heterosexual relationships are viewed as almost sacred given the scarcity of men, this worshipping is questioned briefly in the first episode and there does seem to be a general accepted lesbianism of that society. It is nice to see an actual lesbian couple go through pregnancy and the difficult decisions they are forced to make upon learning they have a son. The gay storyline of Paper was also done really well as that was one of the first questions I had early on in this film; what if some of the men are gay? Whilst Paper was able to have that gay relationship by the end, it would be interesting to perhaps explore a man who had had to deny that and be part of a heterosexual relationship, maybe in a second season.

What I would also like to be explored more in a second season, if they do one, is the familial relationship between Valentine, Almond and their mother. Though you could see the plot twist of Almond being the missing brother from a mile away (most plot twists were very predictable in this show), I think it sets up a very interesting story to explore as though Valentine misses her brother and wants him back, Almond is in a completely different situation. He has never grown up with that family, he never expected it to be something he could have and how can you miss something you don't know?

[THE BAD] This show tried to do too much with too little space. It was obvious from the start that this was going to be an issue but the mixing storylines began to feel much clumsier towards the end than they had appeared at the beginning.

The story building is weak. Yes most dystopian stories have massive plot holes (almost all of them forget that other countries exist and that no country acts in isolation), but the actual premise for this show doesn't make sense at all. The disease that has caused the decrease in the male population is terribly explained and not expanded on at all. It isn't clear whether or not this disease only affected birthing rates or if it killed the male population because if it only affected births then there should be a lot more men in the show from the ages of around 50 upwards as it is only set in 2024. The lack of this older generation of men suggests that they were killed off by the disease, but then it doesn't explain why the few remaining men and those being born aren't affected by the disease. The cause of the disease is implied to be rooted in women, but as the female sex have no control over the sex of the child (only the male sex carry the Y chromosome) it just doesn't seem plausible that women are the issue. Not that it really matters as there seems to be no talk of finding or creating a cure at all in the show.

The lack of talk surrounded a cure suggests that this society doesn't want to find one. Given how they treat men in this show and our current patriarchal societies, it is entirely plausible that they dislike the male sex in spite of their worshipping of the Gentlemen. It was noticeable in the show that society was functioning totally fine without the male sex and actually seemed more peaceful. Outside of The Farm, there were no police officers and there was no mention of crime whatsoever. In fact, as I was watching, I caught myself wishing that I lived in such a place where I could be free to go out without worry and simply have fun as a woman. They don't explore this at all, but I wish they would have because there are many reasons why women would prefer to live in a male-free society.

The reproduction in this show also doesn't work at all. Though there are many ways they can make children, whether it be through sperm banks, artificial sperm (through stem cells) or even asexual reproduction (which could potentially happen due to the lack of male sex), the gene pool is significantly reduced. You'd either end up with most of the population related to one another or as clones, an inbreeding that would make them extremely vulnerable to disease. The female population would eventually end up naturally decreasing to match the male population or it would be the end of the human race entirely.

[SUMMARISE] This show was entertaining with a good love story, good characters and intriguing plot. However, the dystopian world was poorly constructed and was avoided for most of the show. It had a good beginning but weak end, I especially disliked the time skip, but I will be watching a season 2 if they create one. Most importantly, this show introduced interesting questions such as:

(1) Would patriarchal ideals still be present in a matriarchy?
(2) Would the rights of gay people be restricted in response to a population crisis? - particularly relevant when looking at current CCP policy in response to China's population issues
(3) If given the option, would women choose to live in a world without men and at what cost?

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Alternative Cinderella

I'm not sure if this is a satire, a commentary on society or a romance; maybe it's all of those things.

The 'elite' live privileged lives while everyone else doesn't. The elite include different types of people (usually men, but there are some are female) and the odds are definitely stacked in their favour....and many want to be part of that. Who wouldn't? One lucky person gets to play in the same playground as the elite but was actually chosen so that others would think it was a fair game. She gives it her all and is determined not to be pushed out.

As you get involved in the story, you will have an idea about how it will turn out, but that didn't stop me watching. Actually I really liked it because it's a rags to riches, Cinderella-type story. Throw in a bit of unrequited love and you are ready to go!

What I liked: the ending, even though some of it was likely to happen. Some of the silly behaviour by one of the men - surely there's only so many times, and appropriate places, you can take off your shirt...? The reason the female lead desperately wants to win - obvious but still heartwarming. Her determination to win made me want to cheer for her.
What I didn't like: sometimes irritated by the FL's silly faces.

Overall, it was fun and watchable.

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Interesting dystopic universe but lacking on many points

The premise of the drama is super strong: in a world were men birthrate is ultra low, women must compete on a reality TV show to gain the right to be in a relationship with the rare men available. I found it quite fun with some of the games played by the participants of the competition. It also attempted to approach deeper societal topics to which the habitants of this dystopic universe are confronted to. However, I found it overall too surface level and the resolution felt like a quick fix to reach an outcome but without really addressing all the societal issues approached.

I also some whiplash with the abrupt shift of tones : the drama oscillates between heavy over-the-top comedic moments and heavier situation...I did not find the balance between those very well done. The acting did not impressed me. It was okay overall but clearly there was a bit too much overacting for me for some of the characters. I particularly had some issue appreciating the female lead character "Day". I found her acting quite stupid in a lot of situation. There was a lot of Deus Ex Machina to help out the character all along the series, which I did not enjoy. The main romance was not my favorite part of the series but I truly loved some of the side relationships with the friendship and family bonds.

The production value was great. The sets of the "TV show" part of the drama, with the various games were super colorful and beautifully made. The scenes in the "real world" were also very well conceived with a very believable urban vibe. It totally made the world convincing. The soundtrack was okay, nothing that memorable, some jazzy tunes as well as indie ballad.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a different type of series. It has some strong YA dystopian book vibe, so if you are an adept of the genre, I would suggest to give it a shot. In my opinion, it is lacking on many points: romance, acting, writing but I cannot deny the fact that it was pretty entertaining to follow, with a great production value.

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Dystopie entraînante saupoudrée de comédie, romance et thriller

En février 1974, une épidémie a affecté la population mondiale impactant notamment la population masculine. Malgré plusieurs recherches, la cause reste inconnue à ce jour. Par conséquent, et parce que les hommes sont devenus rares, le gouvernement a décidé de les protéger en les rassemblant dans un même endroit, la Ferme. Après quatre ans sans naissance masculine enregistrée, l’émission télévisée « Ready, Set, Love » revient pour sa septième saison. Organisée par le gouvernement, elle permet à des femmes de gagner l’affection de certains hommes afin de se marier et de fonder une famille.

Personnellement, je me suis lancée dans l’aventure sans rien connaître à l’exception du résumé de Netflix et l’affiche promotionnelle. Le premier épisode est aussi absurde qu’excentrique. Cela dit, peut-on vraiment attendre autre chose d’une dystopie thaïlandaise noyée dans un amas de couleurs vives ? L’excentricité de la série m’a à la fois rappelé Hunger Games et Squid Game par les décors, les tenues ainsi que l’ambiance loufoque. Mais derrière ces débuts vivement éclatants se cache une réalité bien plus sombre.

La série exploite diverses thématiques et remet en cause la liberté de chacun à plusieurs reprises. Sans avoir besoin de se torturer les méninges, Ready Set Love ne tente pas de brouiller les pistes ou de livrer de faux indices aux spectateurs. On découvre en même temps que les personnages la vérité au-delà des murs de la Ferme. Ainsi, le jeu devient aussi palpitant que l’aspect thriller qui nous pousse vers la quête de vérité.

Au cœur du jeu, on retrouve tout d’abord les prétendants : le beau et populaire Son (Blue Pongtiwat Tangwancharoen). Le sérieux et amical Almond (Man Trisanu Soranun). Le gars torse nu parce que c’est Max (P-U Phuriphat Jiramethapon), après tout. Le discret et mignon Jin (Ohmi Ryota) qui sera le personnage le moins exploité. Et enfin, l’incertain et adorable Paper (New Chayapak Tunprayoon). Ensuite, les candidates où seules trois reviennent régulièrement. Tout d’abord, la tirée au sort Day (Belle Kemisara Paladesh). La fille d’une famille bien placée Chanel (Lilly Nichapalak Thongkham). Pour finir, la meilleure amie de Chanel, Bovy (Kiw Anongnart Yusananda).

Les personnages sont parfois ridicules et stéréotypés, mais on s’attache sincèrement à eux. Chaque participants a ses points forts et ses points faibles. Les rivalités entre les personnages sont là, mais avec une jolie nuance. Aucun n’est un manipulateur alimenté par la haine ou un personnage stupidement gentil. Chaque personnage suit son bout de chemin avec ses idées, ses envies et ses rêves. C’était agréable de passer entre les mailles des drames inutiles et les longues scènes de larmes. L’histoire s’est axée sur l’intrigue principale avec quelques touches d’humour et de thriller. C’était parfaitement dosé pour donner envie de poursuivre et avoir le fin mot de l’histoire.

Cependant, c’est un drama thaï. Naturellement, c’est cliché et prévisible. Or, les choses fonctionnent jusqu’au bout. Les épisodes sont longs (une moyenne d’une heure et plus), il se passe quasiment quelque chose dans chaque scène. Une épreuve, une découverte de la vérité ou une manipulation révélée, un rapprochement entre un prétendant et une candidate… Ready Set Love place au bons endroits les temps morts et les scènes de transitions. Comme à son habitude, Netflix laisse une porte ouverte à une potentielle suite avec une scène pré-générique intéressante. Cela dit, c’est une série parfaitement indépendante qui peut très bien se satisfaire de sa saison unique. Tout dépendra des choix scénaristiques si suite il y a.

En bref, derrière son générique peu flatteur, Ready Set Love s’amuse des apparences en offrant bien plus que le drama laisse prétendre. La comédie, les quelques arômes amoureux et le thriller se sont parfaitement intégrés à cette dystopie originale et entraînante.

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Určite to stoji za pozretie

Bola som spočiatku skeptická, nejaký seriálik o hre a´la : Přijmeš moji růži? ... ale teda už po prvej časti sa to zvrtne a zatiahne vás to do deja, že sa vám ani nebude chcieť ísť spať, kým neprídete k časti, ktorá nie je napínavá resp. nejak zaujímavá ;-)
Tematika seriálu o svete, kde sa rodí len cca 0,01% mužskej populácie a smotánka si ich necháva pre seba, aby sa mohla množiť, pričom na oko, sa v rámci súťaže, o priazeň mužov môžu uchádzať aj dievčatá z nižšej vrstvy. Hlavná predstaviteľka je tvrdohlavá, ešteže existujú mladšie a ešte tvrdohlavejšie sestry, ktoré im radi popletú život, a láska, ktorá sa prederie na povrch aj vtedy, keď je zakázaná.
Seriál je vtipný, napínavý, so súťažami s akými sa bohužiaľ u nás nestretávame, (max ak ste pozerávali Takeshi castle) s krimi - dramatickou zápletkou. Koniec je fajn, ale ostal otvorený, tak som zvedavá, či sa odhodlajú na druhú sériu a celý "svet" dajú do poriadku.
Serial mi ponúklo v rámci Netflix-u a to rovno s cz titulkami, a keď som videla, ze tam hrá Man Trisanu Soranun , nebolo o čom, a pustila som si ho,xi
Jednoznačne ho môžem odporučiť a prajem vám prijemné sledovanie ;-)

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Fui com baixas expectativas e me surpreendi...

No meio das andanças do catalo da Netflix, encontrei esse drama que a premissa tinha uma vibe dos livros de A Seleção, com um estilo Big Brother Brasil e uma pequena pitada de Jogos Vorazes. Achei que seria uma trama meio bobo sem construção de personagem e enrolado. Mordi a minha lingua.
Assisti toda a serie em apenas um dia, ela te instiga de uma forma inexplicável. Amo cada um dos personagens desse drama. Tenho algumas ressalvas sobre alguns pontos que não foram abordados nessa temporada e que eu queria que fossem melhor explicadas. Mas isso não é um problema, com aquele gancho final no ultimo episodio, ja estou esperando a próxima temporada.
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SPOILER SOBRE A PROXIMA TEMPORADA:
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Tendo em vista isso o que espero ver na próxima temporada é:
1) O que aconteceu com a fazendo depois do programa, o governo interferiu em alguma coisa ?
2) O desenvolvimento maior do que aconteceu com o pai do Son.
3) Como estão o Son a Day e o filho com os rebeldes, por que aquela cena final pra mim ficou parecendo que ta tudo perfeito, não tem mais problema no mundo.

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¿Así sería un matriarcado?

es una serie buena pero hay ciertos detalles que vendrían bien pulir. En ciertos momentos la historia se hace incosistente, no me creo que la Bovy deje tan libremente ir a la Chanel, Bovy eres super bollera me niego a creer que te pinten como hetero. Tampoco me creo el amor de Max a Chanel , ni como dejan que la Day haga su discurso para que inicie una revolución.
Pesimas actuaciones en ciertos momentos como la caida de Valentine despues de descubrir la prisión de las madres, asi como otros momentos que por favor piden una mejor ejecución. Es una premisa buena pero siento que se centran demasiado en el programa y podrían haber hablado mas de la pandemia y como es que hay tan pocos hombres y toda la creación de granja. Si quieres hacer una distopía, hazla bien y profundiza y crea mayores problemas sociales y explica bien sus causas, si por el contrario quieres centrarte en el concurso que es totalmente legitimo , centrate en el concurso.

Me ha gustado la historia de Son y Day y me hubiera gustado conocerles mas, siento que podrían haber hecho mas de 6 episodios y haber explicado mas cosillas. El actor y la actriz de Day me han encantado. No es que hubiera gran quimica en ellos pero son las unicas actuaciones que me han gustado.

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hmmm, tôi không biết đặt tên tựa đề đánh giá như thế nào

vâng, thực tế mà nói chung thì..
1. về diễn xuất và khả năng phối hợp giữa tất cả mọi người đều chặt chẽ, không có sự rời rạc.
2. phim tạo nên nhiều tình tiết bất ngờ, tạo tình huống hồi hộp (đặc biệt nhất là các phân cảnh cuối cùng đến từ tập 6 [ví dụ: tính từ vị trí của chanel (do lilly thủ vai) lên trước khi lilly chọn cưới người đàn ông cho mình,v.v...]
3. âm thanh, âm nhạc đều được hòa âm và phối khí cực kỳ tốt, nghe rõ ràng.
4. hiệu ứng hình ảnh linh hoạt.
5. nichapalak thongkham (lilly) diễn xuất trong bộ phim này thật sự rất tiến bộ ^^
6. đây là suy đoán của tôi, ban đầu tôi đã nghĩ nó dành cho người 16+ trở lên, tôi đã đúng.
kết: đây là ý kiến riêng của tôi, bạn có thể tham khảo nó.

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Amor en tiempos de lotería genética

Una mezcla atrevida de comedia romántica, distopía y crítica social. Ambientada en un universo paralelo donde los hombres son escasos y considerados “tesoros nacionales”, las mujeres deben competir en un reality show patrocinado por el gobierno para ganarse su afecto.
La protagonista, Day, entra a regañadientes en esta competencia surrealista, y lo que comienza como una sátira ligera se transforma en una historia con capas de conspiración, resistencia y vínculos emocionales inesperados. El tono es juguetón, pero no superficial: hay momentos de ternura, tensión y hasta crítica al control institucional sobre el amor y la libertad.
💭 Personalmente, me pareció una propuesta fresca y provocadora. Tiene ese aire de “Hunger Games conoce a The Bachelor”, pero con un corazón propio. Aunque algunos personajes tienen nombres tan peculiares como “Almond” o “Paper”, logran transmitir emociones genuinas. La química entre Day y Sun es cálida, y el final deja espacio para reflexionar… y quizás para una segunda temporada.
Ideal si te gustan las historias que mezclan romance con mundos alternativos y un toque de rebeldía.

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Fui assistir sem nenhuma expectativa e me surpreendi

No começo, achei que seria só uma série de comédia romântica bobinha que parodia realities shows. Eu não tinha expectativa nenhuma, mas mordi minha língua. A historia é completamente intrigante e bem feita, te prendendo do início ao fim. A série tem um universo distópico muito interessante que me fez criar mil teorias em cima.

Os momentos de comédia são muito divertidos e engraçados, o casal principal tem uma química maravilhosa e uma historia incrível. Eu ficava com borboletas na barriga toda vez que eles estavam juntos em cena, eles são muito fofos mesmo. E toda a parte tensa focada em investigação é ótima, você entra de cabeça pra saber cada vez mais como o sistema opressor daquele universo funciona.

Sem contar que o casal gay é muito fofo, mesmo com o pouco tempo de tela eles exalaram uma química gigantesca, o fato do garoto da fazenda ter começado a se apaixonar por ele por ter ouvido sua voz no rádio é adorável demais. Se tiver uma 2 temporada (e eu espero mesmo que tenha!!) eu quero ver mais cenas deles.

Minha única reclamação é aquele final em aberto, teve muitas pontas soltas que eu torço pra que sejam explicadas na segunda temporada. Enfim, essa série é uma mistura muito boa e bem executada de distopia, romance, comédia, suspense e investigação. Uma farofa gostosa que te faz querer mais. Recomendo com toda certeza.

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Distopia, crítica e amor

Eu já ia reclamar do final pq se passaram 4 anos e pra mim distopia tem que ter início, meio e fim, achei que eles iam se juntar pra tentar derrubar a fazenda e alguém de dentro também sabe mas o final do pai dele estar vivo me deu esperança de ter uma segunda temporada, mas será que eles vão se envolver agora que construíram uma família? Eu queria que o elenco todo estivesse caso uma segunda temporada seja confirmada
Mas enfim, eu gostei muito do mundo distópico que criaram, achei que foi bem desenvolvido apesar de algumas coisas que me incomodaram, tipo muito drama, cenas de comédia que não foram tão engraçadas, algumas coisinhas no drama mesmo que ficaram fracas, até alguma diálogos mas enfim, quem sou eu pra falar críticas não é, mas num geral gostei! A ideia é promissora demais além de ter não só a crítica principal mas muitas outras sobre a opção sexual também que é uma coisa que a Tailândia fala muitooo apesar de ser um país totalmente preconceituoso.

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