MuTeLuv: Fist Foot Fusion

Frozen Fist Frustration!

I am a little disappointed in this one because despite the actors being at top form, it just completely failed to deliver - as a comedy or a romance or even a heartfelt story.

Fist Foot Fusion follows Khlairung, a Tik-Tok boxing influencer who has been at odds with Sunshine, an influencer debunking influencer (he basically goes around "exposing" people's online presences). Sunshine says Khlairung is a fake boxer, so he asks for help proving that he's a real boxer from the shrine of a former Thai traditional dance teacher, by promising that he will dedicate a performance to the shrine. But when he forgets to do it, his fist is frozen into place. So to fulfill this promise, he enlists the help of Malai, the teacher's granddaughter who is an aspiring idol.

And that's it. That's the story. They say so and so has to happen, it happens. Done.

I loved all the performances - acting and dancing. Sky was his usual best, I actually enjoyed Prim's performance, Mark just gets better and better, and though we don't get to see much (or as much as I wanted) of Piploy or Thank, I think they did a solid job.

The script just let me down though. Everything felt like a half attempt. Hingeing on a few reactions for the entire comedic plot. The romance not really hitting the spot. And I think there may have been a encouragement/heartfelt try at writing but it fell flat.

It's a nice little addition but definitely the weakest of the anthology (until now) for me. The other three until now had a balance of heart and comedy and/or romance, but Fist Foot Fusion tried so hard to have all three and ended up with almost none.

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Surprise Mother Father

The initial sports and influencer scheme wasn't much interesting until the supernatural conceit kicks in and Klairung has to figure out what is happening to his stiffening hands. This entry really benefits from casting two of the company's more capable actors that also have camera presence as the leads and good supporting roles as well, which importantly comes into play for Klairung's deep insecurities that's preventing him from properly boxing for years and Malai's difficulties from her debt and not receiving any help despite having a magical spirit grandma that grants the wishes of everyone that makes some at her shrine. There's inherent romantic chemistry between Kairung and Malai, but the growth of the character's relationship with each other makes sense. The rival influencer Sunrise whose schtick is to expose the schemes and facades of various other influencers has a funny catchphrase where he says "Surprise, Mother Father!", but the funniest moments are when the shrine spirit grandma uses her power to show herself to people behaving badly towards her or her granddaughter like when she scares the jerk scamming Malai by endlessly extending her debt and smacking down Sunrise all in her giant form. It was funny too when Klairung is giving her the updates and mentions that Malai is staying at his house and peaces out of the dream before she can say anything. There are also little moments that have that wonderful Parbdee trademark comic timing that's fun too.

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A drama, comedy with a twist

The lead actor named Sky Wongravee Nateetorn, is not only an actor he is also a model and a brand endorsers and has been a Brand Ambassador of a 2 products. He’s been in the industry for over 10 years now and acted in a lot of series and also made a movie during those times. And this series made his remarkable comeback as solo after long years.This is well directed from the sound effect, cinematography, lightning as well as the cast acting powers. The director made sure it is perfectly executed and delivered well.They all good in their own characters and they perfectly excel.

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Absolute fun to watch

I generally do mot write a review after the first episode only but so much happened in the first episode, I felt I should share it here.

This story of Muteluv has started nicely with comedy with tinge of horror and suspense. All the characters and their comic timing are really good. What I really liked so far is that though this is based on comedy yet there are other elements too like a little suspense and horror which is blended with comedy perfectly.

Klairung, the character played by Sky Wongravee is shown as a tiktok influencer who do boxing just for fun and making videos. But from the way his father loves boxing, idolized a boxer and expect Klairung to do good, I feel there's more back story to it.
The trio at the boxing club are really fun to watch. I am already loving this trio.
The rivalry between Klairung and Sunrise, the character played by Mark, is the starting point of all the events. Eventually he met Malai, the character played by Prim. Prim's traditional attire and dance is really good. It's eye pleasing. There is some chemistry building up between Klairung and Malai, which will probably be shown more in upcoming episodes I feel. Also I wonder what is Malai's backstory with her grandmother.

Overall the first impression is very good specially Sky's expressions and acting are top notch.

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I would have liked to give this series time to fully show its potential, but each episode disappoints a little more. The plot, though comical and promising, suffers from a lack of fluidity and scenes that are sometimes too long.

I'll start with the trailer. The story gave it a central place, as if it were the most important element. However, when it came out, it held no surprises (since we already knew the plot). The surprise actually came from its execution.

Which brings me to the acting. What a disappointment! The big exception is Prim, who brings incredible positive energy. She literally carries the series, performing her role with obvious experience. She is naturally funny and sparkling.

The main reason for my low rating is Sky. Despite his experience, it doesn't show in his acting. It seems like he's content to play a version of himself by exaggerating the comical side. As one of the central characters and the headliner, we had a right to expect better from him.

The supporting characters do their job well and meet expectations.
A quick note on the music: only the opening credits stand out, hence the low rating in this area.

Finally, as for re-watching, once is more than enough.

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I love the series and their acting

Every single moment was so beautiful. I really loved the acting. I absolutely enjoyed every scene with Sky Wongravee and Prim Chanikarn. I’m really hoping that these two will appear together in another series because their acting and emotions felt so real.
I really noticed that everyone in this series worked really hard, and it shows—it’s really well done. Sky Wongravee and Prim Chanikarn, through this series, performed Thai cultural dances beautifully. The director, Dome, has truly showcased the country’s culture to the audience through this series. It’s really a matter of pride to watch.

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MuTeLuv: Fist Foot Fusion

Das quatro histórias lançadas até agora, essa foi a minha menos favorita. E olha que eu queria gostar, de verdade. Os atores estão ótimos, entregando tudo o que podiam dentro do que receberam, mas o arco simplesmente não funciona como comédia, nem como romance, nem como aquela história sincera que tenta tocar um pouquinho o coração. Fica num limbo estranho, tentando ser três coisas ao mesmo tempo e tropeçando em todas.

A premissa tinha tudo pra render algo genial: um boxeador-influenciador, Klairung, que vive como TikToker coach de Boxe, sendo perseguido pelo Sunshine, o influenciador que existe unicamente pra expor outros influenciadores. Sunshine faz o que sabe fazer: acusa o protagonista de ser um “boxeador fake”, e pronto, a vida do rapaz vira uma espiral de caos. Ele é obrigado a voltar pro ringue, morrendo de medo porque sua experiência passada foi traumática, e sinceramente, esse medo poderia ter sido melhor trabalhado, dava até espaço pra humor físico e emocional que a série não aproveita.

Aí chegamos à solução espiritual. Ele vai ao santuário da vovó, uma ex-professora de dança tradicional tailandesa, e faz a promessa de que, se vencesse, dançaria pra ela. Ele vence… e esquece completamente de cumprir a promessa. E claro, o universo responde com karma instantâneo, mãos que não fecham, e uma série de cenas que deveriam ser hilárias, mas acabam funcionando menos do que poderiam. O conceito é bom, um boxeador que não consegue fechar as mãos tem, sim, potencial pra comédia física, mas a execução fica meio perdida entre o absurdo e o óbvio.

É nesse ponto que entra a neta da vovó, Malai, o suposto par romântico. Ela ensina ele a dançar, tenta ajudar com as mãos abertas, guia o protagonista, e toda essa parte até funciona, porque os dois têm um tipo de química leve, quase infantil. Só que o romance em si não convence. Parece que a história empurra o casal pra gente aceitar, como se alguém nos bastidores tivesse decidido “precisa ter um beijo, coloca no final e segue o baile”. A sensação é de amizade, não de interesse romântico, e isso deixa tudo meio anticlimático.

O rival é um caso à parte: irritante de propósito, exagerado na medida perfeita pra gente pegar ranço. Ele realmente funciona como antagonista, principalmente porque a história quer que a gente fique com raiva dele. A luta final tem até um toque de injustiça poética, já que a vovó resolve ajudar justamente ele. Não deixa de ser cruel, mas dentro da lógica espiritual e cômica do arco, faz sentido: a neta nunca teve um pedido atendido, então esse é o primeiro, pra poder ajudar o protagonista que a gente está acompanhando.

O chatinho é que prometeu muito: humor, crítica ao mundo dos influenciadores, romance, espiritualidade, e acabou não entregando bem nenhuma dessas coisas. Tem momentos bons? Claro. Tem cenas engraçadas? Tem. Mas a sensação é de potencial desperdiçado, como se a história estivesse sempre a um passo de ser melhor, mas nunca chegasse lá.

Infelizmente, esse arco tentou, mas não conseguiu entregar a comédia e o romance que prometeu. É divertido em alguns momentos, vale pela atuação e pelo conceito, mas não deixa aquele gostinho de “quero rever”. É uma boa ideia que não encontrou o equilíbrio certo.

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