MuTeLuv: Love Lock

The ghosts of the past

I'm not really sure if this is a recurring theme - and I don't really want to re-watch some of the last few parts to find out - but there seems to be some common connection between one part of MuTeLuv, and the part that came before it. In this case, it is - a love triangle adjacent and a lead who has some growing up to do.

Love Lock follows Phayu, who is constantly haunted by visions of his ex-girlfriend May after she broke up with him on their third anniversary. He believes the reason he's seeing her is because of an Ema plaque she dedicated to their love in Japan, and decides to go there to remove it from the shrine where she has tied it. Only problem? There are 90+ shrines, and one broken ankle, because as soon as he lands in Japan, he meets with an accident when Thai speaking Satsuki almost runs him over with her scooter. To make up for injuring him, she agrees to go around with him and help him find the Ema plaque, in exchange for him not reporting her to the police.

Love Lock is more about growth than it is about comedy or romance. And I really liked that about it. Yes it did have a few funny moments and was a story about romance, but the common link from the last part? It's a lead that needs some character development, and these four episodes follow his journey of realisation that he in fact does need some.

Bit by bit, we see Phayu recall his relationship with May as he searched for the elusive Ema plaque, and see just how he could have been a better boyfriend, and maybe just a better person. That is quite literally the entire story, with him moving on and gaining closure, and finding a new love interest, but it was quite heartfelt. I would not have minded if it had zero romance but I think I focused more upon Phayu and his journey than the romance so that may be why I feel that way.

As for the characters, even though we barely see much of her, May may have been my favourite. She was smart, kind and mature and she did make a great impression. Jamie played May very well and Kucci was also good as Satsuki. But I think I'm most impressed with Dew because Phayu was the character who carried this story, and he did so well. He's really grown as an actor and it was nice to see him in a more comedic role.

I really liked the major themes of this story, they were ones I always appreciate and they were done quite well in four episodes. The story was not the best, but the characters were likeable, the cinematography was really beautiful and it was, all in all, an enjoyable watch.

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An Honest Effort

A lovely mini-series about self-reflection and personal growth through the scope of a breakup. The episodes blend the comedic and dramatic elements well, making it easy and fun to watch. The writing is not bad at all, but the plot developed in a more predictable way than I expected, adding elements that didn't really enhance the storyline, leaving me with a somewhat underwhelmed impression, personally.

Visually, it was really beautiful and well-made, with a unique cinematography and the Japanese setting just added to its charm.

As for the acting, it was good. Seeing Dew in a more comedic role for a change was a nice and unexpected surprise. He was actually pretty good at it.

Overall, it was a nice story with good pacing and character development, and I do recommend it for a casual watch.

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Mr. Misogyny

Phayu who is rightfully broken up with by May who realizes she's better than to be the only one putting in all the emotional labor of their relationship. He begins seeing hallucinations of May whenever he's trying to flirt with a new woman and of course makes it her problem, accusing her of cursing him. It's so gross how Phayu always acts like he's a victim when May is angry, flinching like she'll attack him when her hand is merely close to a drink he feared would be hurled at him when she was just grabbing her bag to leave. She is never violent towards him while he would lash out violently at the hallucination of her which hurts the people around him. While a man at a party merely got a drink tossed in their direction by Phayu and got to punch Phayu back in return, the other people he hurts are all women in his direct strike path. His friend Jab even throws a fry onto real May's head and we don't even see him apologize. These men are all terrible people. He assumes it's a dark magic spell May did in Japan and also immediately makes himself the problem of an innocent Japanese woman, Kucci who was unlucky enough to be on the road when he runs into it.

It turns out Kucci works at a Thai restaurant where he gets to play hero and help correct a recipe to a violently loud customer's liking. That guy should have been kicked out for so rude to the all women staff aside from the male chef. Phayu is called out by a couple Chinese tourists and be arrested by a nearby police officer when he attempts to cut down all of other people's wishes to get to his own. Phayu was a terrible boyfriend to May, he always says he'll remember what she asks him specifically to remember and he never does. Even something as big as a Japan trip that's planned ahead of time, he chooses to go to a soccer match and has her go on her own. He didn't even argue or chase after her when she broke up with him. He clearly has no feelings for her. Kucci falling for him is going from her red flag boyfriend to a red flag rebound. Phayu being rewarded with moving on to another woman is so sickening. May is a saint for picking up Phayu's call from his weirdo friend who threw a fry at her and agreeing to meet him. I really like that she has zero interest in dating him again and was genuinely disgusted at the idea of him begging to get back with her. His apology is very lackluster for all the harm he caused her. As for Kucci, there's no helping bad taste. It's too bad she and May never got to have a conversation at least.

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L'amore in teoria dovrebbe migliorarti

Questo è un po' il senso di questa storia, l'amore dovrebbe poterti rendere migliore e invece non sempre lo fa. Alcune volte addirittura ti rende peggiore di quello che sei e poi guarire diventa difficile, complesso e bisogna fare molti sforzi. Alcune volte per guarire bisogna prendere una strada lunga, molto lunga, e su quella strada molto spesso succede che le persona che si incontrano sono quelle che migliorano la vita e che ti mettono nella condizione di cambiare. Anche se avrei preferito che il personaggio di Dew non si mettesse assieme alla fine, sono contanta che sia stato mostrato il cambiamento che ha fatto e che sta continuando. Diciamo che poi sono felice per il mio amore Cliize che abbia avuto questo ruolo, un po' di fantasma dell'amore passato, di quell'amore che ahimè non ha migliorato nessuno dei due protagonisti. Anche se non è la mia storia preferita di MTL devo dire che sono proprio contenta degli insegnamenti che regala questa serie.

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Short and cute series

This was a pretty cute short series! The concept of it from the trailer seemed really fun and I think it was pulled off pretty well! I absolutely love Dew, so I was more than happy to watch a series with him in it as well! I am glad it wasn't any longer because I feel it would've felt dragged out and overstayed its welcome.

Phayu was actually so awful, especially as a boyfriend. I'm happy in the end he realizes that apologizes and turns himself around. That was nice to see. Poor May! I'm glad they didn't get back together but found peace with each other in the end. Satsuki was a fun character as well. Her and Phayu are pretty cute together and I don't think anyone was shocked they got together in the end. I was just more shocked he left for nine months to do all he did before coming back.

Overall, it was really cute. It was cool getting to hear different languages too.

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