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This review may contain spoilers
Khon - of Ramakien, in the past and to the future
I really liked this - and I'm genuinely excited to be telling everyone why. The Masked Hearts was a perfect blend of story, romance and culture, and the perfect way for a drama to find a place in my heart.
The series was produced along with the Thai Ministry of Culture and is about Khon, a traditional dance from Thailand, based on the Ramakien and is part of the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (let me be, I'm nerding out a little). And though the story doesn't focus on the intricacies of Khon itself, the narrative is beautifully weaved between past and present, situating the importance of Khon in each landscape.
In the past, we witness the struggle of the leads Saen and Rak as they attempt to establish themselves as part of the Royal troupe, amongst the very few people who could practice the art. But besides being artists who dance together, Saen works for Rak's family, and ever since their first meeting, they've quickly and quietly been falling in love. Unfortunately, the time they live in does not reward love, passion or dreams - making them face all kinds of obstacles to protect their love - both Khon and each other.
In the present, we're introduced to Sandy and Lucky, two students who love Khon but have very opposing views on how it should be performed. One of them argues that the tradition must be kept in all aspects, while the other wants to modernize the performance for newer audiences. When one such argument is filmed and posted on the internet, they have to work together to create content and ensure the Khon club is not shut down.
I adored both the timelines, not only because I'm a nerd who enjoyed situating a traditional art form in ancient and modern societies, but because the story was very well executed. All throughout, we get the sense that both timelines are very connected - it's an apparent reincarnation story, and the past is full of angst and tragedy, while the present is more light hearted. And immediately it works because it's a reincarnation plot done right.
Every aspect of the series felt grounded, all of them got equal importance in the flow of the story. The romance wasn't forgone to give us a history lesson, the story wasn't ignored just to give us a happy ending. It was beautifully done and you constantly want to figure out how the past is connected to the present, what exactly happened, and you look forward to it, even if it may be the most predictable plot ever.
I will say, I wanted to see more of them in the present (because I love enemies to lovers, and this was a genuine enemies to lovers setup) and towards the end of the series, I would've liked a lot more answers than we got. But for the most part, this short series was a very enjoyable watch that I'm quite impressed with.
The series was produced along with the Thai Ministry of Culture and is about Khon, a traditional dance from Thailand, based on the Ramakien and is part of the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (let me be, I'm nerding out a little). And though the story doesn't focus on the intricacies of Khon itself, the narrative is beautifully weaved between past and present, situating the importance of Khon in each landscape.
In the past, we witness the struggle of the leads Saen and Rak as they attempt to establish themselves as part of the Royal troupe, amongst the very few people who could practice the art. But besides being artists who dance together, Saen works for Rak's family, and ever since their first meeting, they've quickly and quietly been falling in love. Unfortunately, the time they live in does not reward love, passion or dreams - making them face all kinds of obstacles to protect their love - both Khon and each other.
In the present, we're introduced to Sandy and Lucky, two students who love Khon but have very opposing views on how it should be performed. One of them argues that the tradition must be kept in all aspects, while the other wants to modernize the performance for newer audiences. When one such argument is filmed and posted on the internet, they have to work together to create content and ensure the Khon club is not shut down.
I adored both the timelines, not only because I'm a nerd who enjoyed situating a traditional art form in ancient and modern societies, but because the story was very well executed. All throughout, we get the sense that both timelines are very connected - it's an apparent reincarnation story, and the past is full of angst and tragedy, while the present is more light hearted. And immediately it works because it's a reincarnation plot done right.
Every aspect of the series felt grounded, all of them got equal importance in the flow of the story. The romance wasn't forgone to give us a history lesson, the story wasn't ignored just to give us a happy ending. It was beautifully done and you constantly want to figure out how the past is connected to the present, what exactly happened, and you look forward to it, even if it may be the most predictable plot ever.
I will say, I wanted to see more of them in the present (because I love enemies to lovers, and this was a genuine enemies to lovers setup) and towards the end of the series, I would've liked a lot more answers than we got. But for the most part, this short series was a very enjoyable watch that I'm quite impressed with.
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