Bringing Back Yearning!
I was super excited to see a historical drama from GMM, and I'm so glad it turned out as amazing as it did! The romance was so soft and sweet, though not without its challenges. The directing was incredible, and the backdrop of the time period really tied it all together. While the show was sometimes a bit slow or the conflicts a bit repetitive, it was still an amazing watch!Rati (Inn) was born in Siam/Thailand but grew up with his father in France, and now works as a translator. At the beginning of WWI, Rati travels to Siam to teach the nobles French as France attempts to recruit Siam's help in the war. While there, he meets Count Thee (Great), and the two quickly become friends, though it's clear from the beginning that there's more feelings than that. However, their love seems impossible with everyone against them.
Great and Inn really surprised me in these roles! I watched them before in Wandee Goodday and really enjoyed them together, but this was so different from that show that I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I ended up LOVING them as Rati and Thee! They did a great job portraying the longing and heartbreak of their characters. The conflicts were very predictable (of course there's an arranged marriage, parents finding out about their relationship, etc. etc.) but I still quite enjoyed them and thought they were done very well. I wish we got a little more on the issue of France and Siam - the biggest issues seemed to be that Rati would have to return to France, as opposed to the political issues of their relationship. Still, it was a great watch and I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy historical dramas!
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A Soft Take on a Few Soft Boys
I don’t usually watch Period dramas, but I always enjoy BL dramas, and someone here on MDL recommended this to me, so I thought, why not?I can positively say I’ve never seen anything like this before. This drama really drew me in from the very beginning. Like a cowboy that wrangles a rope around a horse, it held on tight and never let go.
The first thing I must commend this drama for was blending French and Thai languages and cultures. I don’t see this very often in dramas, and the act of bringing cultures together makes this drama more universal and it was executed in a beautiful and compelling way, with Rati coming from France and meeting Phi Thee in Thailand(in that era, it was known as Siam). Even though there was some resistance from both countries, they still did their best to work through their differences. Rati was eager to be in Siam to fulfill his duties, and Phi Thee eager to embrace someone from another country.
My second point I’d address would be the portrayal of respect in regard to social class and professional standing. I understand that your supposed to respect those that rank higher than you, but there were certain characters that would abuse that in this series, which I found to be rather ridiculous. If everyone is an adult, then surely someone can take a stand and speak against unjust criticism and outright discrimination, but that rarely happened until something extreme occurred like public physical assault. If everyone in this drama just stopped being so damn reluctant to speak up, a lot of the violence could’ve been prevented. I can’t really speak on if that’s what it was really like in that era in that country, but that bothered me.
The third thing I would touch on was the romance aspect of Rati and Phi Thee. Throughout the series, there was a lot of hidden promise for them. It was evident that Rati had never been in a relationship before, so it was all the more exciting to see Phi Thee pursue him in such a gentle and reassuring, and flirtatious way. I’ve never seen a man pinning for someone so innocently before, so those were my favorite scenes of the series. I can somewhat understand the direction the writers were trying to take with this relationship; letting their bond grow over time and creating a delicate sort of sophisticated romantic dynamic, but it was almost like this romance was one-sided sometimes.
This drama was thrilling, ambitious, and aspirational. I was really impressed that this drama really went the extra mile with its use of the French language and multiple cast members speaking French and Thai throughout, and made me appreciate it that much more.
If my hypothetical future relationship doesn’t look like this, I don’t want it. Overall, everyone in this series did such an incredible job bringing this series to life, watching it was a pleasure and an honor.
I would definitely rewatch this with a friend.
Memoir of Rati, I 💜 you
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Very beautifull, i loved it!
First of all, i really don't understand the ranting many people do about GMMTV, i love most of their drama's.This was a very beautiful drama, very slow burn, but i really like a slow burn like this once in a while.
I loved the story and i like period drama's. The visuals were stunning!
I also liked it that they used actors who spoke French in a native tongue for the roles of the french men. It happens to much that they use actors who can't fluently speak the foreighn language they are supposed to portrait.
The acting was amazing, everyone did a great job.
Both couples have great dynamics and chemistry.
Definatly a must watch if you don't mind a very slow burn drama.
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The Most Romantic Series of The Year!
That's what they promised in the trailer and they kept their word. From start till finish, this series, above anything else, is deeply romantic. It's the old-fashioned romance you'll find in novels, which may sound cliché or cheesy by modern standards, but it's also so charming and pure and very fitting for a period piece. The costumes, the cultural and political references along with the careful attention to detail, crafted a really strong and authentic world, successfully maintaining the illusion of a true period setting.Despite the series' main focus being on the more serious themes, clever humour and light hearted moments have been naturally incorporated into the story, without feeling out of place. All the characters are multidimensional with their own goals and motives, as well as their own unique sense of humour, which makes them more charming and lovable. Great, Inn, Aou and Boom did an amazing job portraying their roles and delivering a wide range of emotions. Even the smaller characters contributed more to the plot than just being a comedic relief --like they usually are-- and gave heart to the series.
However, as good as this show was, it would have been amazing, had it had more episodes. It's among the few BL series that could have sustained multiple seasons, without getting tiresome. Many plotlines, close to the end, got a bit rushed to wrap up the series neatly with no loose ends, resulting in less depth and emotional impact than it could have achieved.
Overall, I definitely recommend this show to people who enjoy period dramas and romantic stories.
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Watch for Mek and Dech — the two absolute cuties!
Ok, at ep 7, the Thee x Rati story is getting to be mega repetitive. They are in love, but they are jealous of one person after another. Sometimes its Thee's fiance, sometimes its the prince, sometimes its the French guy Rati is friends with. I gotta say, the start was strong but the leads' storyline is getting hella repetitive and their relationship is boring to me.HOWEVER, I am not ashamed to say that I am now watching Memoir of Rati almost ONLY for Mek and Dech. These two cuties have my heart omg. AouBoom are so cute together, and the storyline of a kind-hearted baronet and a sweet and scrappy peasant becoming friends and then eventually something more is an absolute delight. I love how their relationship is progressing, and the class divide (and the ultra A hole dad) is making it all the more delicious.
AouBoom absolutely NEED a series as leads, they are so cute together.
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Favorite series after The Next Prince. Phenomenal music, from the era of Siam, I guess, the main actors are of a high standard, the story unfolds, interesting, easy to digest, too good to watch. Everything is possible when you want. 2024/25 Thai took a step in the right direction.
Little borring
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Memoir of Rati
First of all, thank you to everyone who made this series possible. I really like this kind of genre. I think GreatInn are already beyond doubt when it comes to acting. They have great acting quality and their chemistry is excellent. I also really enjoy the OST. However, I feel that the story is too short. The transitions between scenes and places are too fast. I still enjoy each scene, but it feels like I’m being rushed to move on to the next one. I hope GMMTV will produce more series with this kind of genre more often.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Sadly it was kinda boring
Phew, that was an experience. I have to say, without AouBoom as Mek and Dech, I probably would have stopped watching this show. The pacing was so slow. I almost fell asleep at times. For the first time, I increased the speed of a video because I couldn't stand it anymore. I thought the main characters didn't really work, but I can't say if that was the acting or the writing. Most of the supporting characters were pretty boring too.Unfortunately, it really wasn‘t that great, but that's just my opinion, of course.
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It's good but could be great if GMM-TV had some nerve
It's excellent to see Great and Sarin in a series that truly showcases their talents. Memoir of Rati is a series that truly deserves more recognition. It's a very interesting story but unfortunately something is missing.I love the chemistry between Great and Sarin and they're excellent actors, but the characters are very shallow here.
For a story with the depth and impact of a romance between two men from different nations in an era where such a relationship would be scandalous, to say the least, the script never manages to create the tension or the feeling of a forbidden romance.
The characters lack personality; they're there but they barely add any impact to the plot. They begin and end the series the same way. Rati could be a spoiled and arrogant boy sent to Siam as punishment by his father. Thee could be a man full of charm and dreams that conflict with his image and what his grandmother wants him to be.
But what we have here is a very subtle romance, a very peaceful narrative and characters who simply accept their status quo. Thee has an interesting arc and I like the conflict between him and his grandmother but there's no interesting development there.
The supporting couple works well and while they don't have any big moments, it's great to see Aou and Boom get more screen time and decent development.
It's a fun series, it's light, it has great moments but it lacks emotion. It's all very dull and I miss a greater depth. It lacks conflicts that take the characters out of their comfort zones, it lacks more elaborate cinematography that captures the beauty built there, it lacks courageous direction that can bring out more expressive performances that embody emotion.
Rati's departure for France and his return five years later is an example of this. This should be an impactful and moving scene but it's so boring and predictable with weak dialogue that doesn't convey any feeling.
And I'm really tired of GMM-TV's pattern of adding time jumps at the end of its series and its lack of courage to tackle more serious topics or create more impactful stories.
It's certainly much better and superior to Wandee Goodday and is far from being a bad series but unfortunately, it's a series that borders on forgettable and lackluster.
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Beautiful love story
I really loved this show. I thought it was really well done. The acting was top notch, chemistry top notch and the script was good too.There were some continuity mistakes in the show (small irrelevant issues), the one that stood out to me was Mek getting hurt by Dech's father, leaving a big wound on the back and a later scene/episode we get a scene where Dech is rubbing Mek's back and there is no scar or wound present at all haha.
Another issue was that the show was very unrealistic and lots of times had to turn my brain off, cause they were kissing and holding hands in public yet had little consequences. Yes homophobia was present but not as bad as it probably was at the time, but it's ok, it's a fictious tv show.
All in all I was pleasantly surprised by the show and it filled the void in my heart left by IFYLITA.
Ps: I'll miss them 🥹
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A "secret" historical romance
Such a nice change for a gmmtv series. This historical approach was refreshing for me. The gentle love, all the yearning. My heart melted each time. Although I started it bc of AouBoom (wish we got more scenes of their couple, for me their story was more interesting) i enjoyed GreatInn enough as well. Their story was so sweet. Thee valued and loved Rati with his whole heart and he made it loud and clear. He has fallen so hard for him! They both waited for each other. Even after their separation they truly stood by the "my heart belongs to you and only you". Every scene was full of emotions that you had to read them in their eyes and gestures.We got a glimpse for both economical statuses at the time. The wealthy ones and the ppl that worked for them. AouBooms couple was a great way to show how each one valued money. While Dech took part in muay matches for fun, Mek did it to get more money exposing his body in danger when he should be taking better care of it bc his strength was what was keeping him into work. I loved the fact that all Mek needed was a chance into education to get him do great stuff. He prooved that poor ppl are also intelligent when given the right tools.
My only complain is that we didnt get to see Thee's father relationship with his other son. I wanted to see them get even closer then just one dinner together. And also get a lityle more development on the brothers character too.
For me the rating isn't unfair. Having more subtle shows isn't bad. It was serious and romantic at the same time. While we also got some funny moments from MekDech (classic AouBoom that teases each other on their own way and we love that).
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Very touching
Although the love of the lovers involved is called into question because of class arrogance, traditional stubbornness and greed for profit, I am enraptured by the realisation of the theme, the acting talent of the protagonists, the scenic setting and, last but not least, the emotional musical accompaniment to the events. A captivating series that I am happy to recommend.Was this review helpful to you?
