Caitlyn Wong

Surprising tearjerker

I don’t submit reviews often and this is only the 2nd Thai BL I’ve written about. I think Love Sea deserves a watch. I found it a very pleasant watch and in fact, have rewatched it a number of times. The male actors totally carried the drama but I think the women did a good job as well. Initially, I found the assistant Mook very annoying and whiny. She became tolerable towards the end. With Vivi, one would wonder who would chase after someone by giving them more work and inconveniences? But she sees clearly what Mahasamut meant to Tongrak from the start and was pivotal in talking sense into a stubborn Tongrak at the end. So the ladies were important to the story but it didn’t require them to be a couple, in my humble opinion. My favorite character must be Mahasamut. He is so sweet and endearing. I really enjoyed the scenes on the island when he was teasing Tongrak. I was moved to tears when his love confession was met with rejection and again when he learned from Kwan the significance behind the number 8 for Tongrak. I love Meena, Tongrak’s niece. The actress who played her did a fantastic job. Island scenes were a refreshing change. Story has a happy ending. Appreciate the Special Episode.

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Not that bad, watch for brotherhood and Ren Jia Lun

This is my first review. I just want to say the drama is not the worst I’ve seen and in my opinion, not as bad as the other reviewers say. And so far romance is not front and center. There are funny moments and touching moments, the kind I expected from this type of drama about forging an elite firefighting squad. I think it adequately depicts the honorable profession and the sacrifices they make to society. That said, I think Ren Jia Lun carried the drama with some of the guys on his team. I certainly didn’t continue watching this for the romance. The 1FL’s acting is a bit flat (I think she was better in Pearl Eclipse) and the 2FL’s character is a bit too aggressive and annoying for my taste.

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Wow! I Can’t Believe I Enjoyed Most Of That

Let me just say, I feel compelled to write for the underdogs. And this is one of those that won’t win any awards but did I laugh? Yes. Did I cry? Yes. There were touching moments such as when Orn and Dinneaw try to trigger Sangmin’s memories (he lost a lot of his memory after surgery) . I teared up when Sangmin was leaving for Korea with his birth mom and his song Memories was playing in the background. Love that song by the way. I laughed at half of the antics but cringed ant the other half. Cringy scenes were mostly with the 3rd couple (Guy & the horny one, Rikter, both attended the internship program but worked at Hana’s resort). My favorite characters were Sangmin and Orn. Sangmin’s backstory was just so tragic. We find out during the ten years he was in Korea, he was neglected by his mom and frequently beaten by his stepdad. His biological mom and stepdad were scum of the earth. Just a comment here that I don’t believe Sangmin meant to murder his stepdad, as he mixed the poison they intended for him (in pill form) into a powder substance that his stepdad drinks. I think the drug potency was diluted. Just a little payback, not outright murder.

I quite liked the second couple and Hana as well. They were very good friends to Sangmin & Dinneaw. Oh, almost forgot freaky Ms. Pony. Don’t know how I feel about her as she was sometimes sweetness and sometimes cringe. But she was instrumental in Dinneaw ‘s success as an artist and in saving the homestay so can’t dislike her.

Anyway, I have rewatched this series a few times, and definitely have scenes where I totally skip over. Despite some of the more juvenile attempts at laughs, I found this drama better than some others I have watched.

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Unique Drama - strengths & weaknesses are balanced

So this is my 2nd review. I think I only write to defend a drama. While I do feel a lot of the previously stated negatives are valid, I just want to say that Allen Ren’s character comes across as emotionless because it is built into the story. It is said that while he was asleep those 3000 years, transferring energy into the last remnant of the Saintress (feather) that he would risk becoming indifferent. That said I found a few characters annoying. I feel acting was okay but characters were written to be a bit grating. Li Qin is supposed to be a rough, lady bandit so she’s not meant to play the demure damsel. That Gu fella that likes her is also a bit over the top in his impulsiveness and single-mindedness. I just don’t love many of the characters, but that said, this is also the uniqueness and freshness of the drama. I’ve never watched another republic fantasy romance drama about bandits and spirits. I think they are few and far between if indeed there is another one out there. I am watching because I like Ren Jia Lun and I’ve just finished everything else I think worth watching: love Love Like The Galaxy, like Love Between Fairy & Devil (but not love). Need me a modern drama for a change of pace…

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Not a bad watch

My first foray into Thai BL and I don’t think it that bad. Haven’t even started the Sky-Prapai section so I can’t speak to that. I just want to say for pure entertainment value, it is a good watch. I didn’t think about morality or feminism. Initial thoughts were positive, I even thought Payu a good influence on Rain as he advocates responsibility and being true to oneself. Payu is commendable as he helps strangers in need, is good to his juniors and seems to be both smart and charming. He looks to be the complete package. I’m watching with English subs so I don’t know if certain things were lost in translation but I find it simply entertaining. I can see why some people are sensitive to certain aspects of the series but speaking for just myself, I really wasn’t looking for a social commentary or anything serious & I didn’t look deeply into each character.

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