Blkittykat

Stalkers and Mindreaders V2

The inherent problem with watching a remake of an adaptation because you want to watch the "remake", is that comparisons will be commonplace. Yes, maybe it's my fault for watching it because it's a remake, but curiosity + simping = bad decisions.

And if you've watched The Boy Next World (TH), you'll know what I'm talking about when I say this isn't really a story that you watch and go °wow°
The story is pretty bad, you're thinking plot twist but beneath all that it's just lousy writing. Yet, the wonderful thing about remakes is that you can everything that the adaptation did wrong, right. In this case, it's definitely the story. And it's so funny how they chose to keep in every bit of the trash writing that was in the Thai drama, not even toned down, just reduced in runtime.

Every single plot point is exactly the same, I was hoping they would make some changes, but except for the single one at the very end of the series, zero. By doing that, and reducing the runtime, they had to cut something out and the thing they chose to cut hurt me deeply. Because it's important to remember that the main couple in this series are kind of.. eh. They're not bad (I'll get to why later on), but I'd very much argue that in terms of dynamics, the second couple are so much better. And because I'm a simp, everyone will have to believe me when I say Jin was objectively the best character in there. Come on!

In the remake, they drastically cut down on his role in the story and the screentime my sweet cloud prince and his "Tiger" got was ridiculously low. The remake just lacked - and I can't believe I'm saying this - the charm of the Thai adaptation. Charm is a stretch but we get the point. It felt very lackluster, for the reasons above but mostly because of the following one.

The chemistry? The reason Cirrus and Phu worked for me was because of the chemistry between Boss and Noeul. Without that, well. It's basically this. Again, the leads here do have chemistry, but I'm missing the easy flowing one. That also extends to the interactions with their respective friend groups, each other's friends, etc. Even the interactions with the "villains" felt so bleh.

That's where we circle back to the story, because I think cutting down what I would usually consider "filler", actually made me like it less. The heart and the humour of the Thai adaptation was missing here, that one was equally egregious, but I had so much fun with it.

The Boy Next World is definitely not at the top of my recommendations list, but I would say my preference is the Thai drama. Objectively, this one for the concise story and okay chemistry, Thai drama for good chemistry and an expanded story, and not at all if you're not really looking for a story that's going to leave you with more questions than answers.

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I should've AT LEAST liked this, but I didn't

You know what the toughest part about sustaining a good love story is? It's the fact that you actually need a good story to get the love stories started and to keep moving them along. If what you have is basically the story of how two people met and fell in love, you need to be able to tell it in a creative or down to earth and heartwarming way, but if the only thing you've got is two people falling in love, you have the formula for a very basic, two hour romantic comedy. That's not enough fuel for a 17 episode series.

Two couples, falling in love over the course of 17 and maybe 10 episodes, give or take. One couple's screentime starts a little later than the other's, but both their love stories started years before what we saw on screen! Secret crushes that spanned years all around, that Pi/Nong power dynamic which I thought we'd moved on from, and some really bad communication all around as well, at one point the two different love stories just started to merge as one as far as I'm concerned, I'm still not sure which storyline were for Easter and Hill, which ones were for North and Johan, or if every single plotline they had was just repeated for both couples.
After a while, it's a chore to watch when the same things happen over and over again, even if it's just a love story, you need something new to happen to be interested in it.

Of course, this was also in addition to not having any other character or storyline have any impact on the plot. None whatsoever. There were four characters in this series, no other character, no other plotlines. No friendship moments in a series that was essentially billed as four best friends, falling in love with four best friends, which also made me question why there were no side couples??!
Even if South and West and their respective partners from the Faculty of Medicine boyband weren't main couples, they could have gotten some screentime as side couples?? One of the four directions didn't even get to interact with his love interest as far as I can recall! And the other direction and his love interest just looked at each other, full of angst every time they interacted, and I have no idea what that was about. Yet, I'm somehow more interested in two love stories that barely got any start, because there's no way they're both just versions of the one here?? Right?
I guess there was one side couple, but again, they got around a minute of screentime together in each of the episodes they appeared in.

Just off of a surface level look, this is something I should like. I love series' that are first just love stories, but if it is JUST a love story, it's a lot to take in. Even more so when even the love story isn't written all that well. There were some cute moments between the two couples, but story wise, character wise, the writing was a miss for me. I would love to see South West and their love interests get a series, but I'm a little worried it'll turn out something like this, a swing and a miss.

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Buddy Cop Comedy, and what else?

This drama has everything you would expect out of an action/mystery drama with a basic premise: a brash male lead whose curiosity knows no bounds, his sunbae who is unwittingly dragged into his schemes no matter how hard he tries to get out of them, a maknae who seems like an amateur but is the one who's doing most of the work, or at least most of the work they're actually supposed to be doing.

A female lead who is kind of a badass but becomes kind of childish around the male lead (as does he around her) to depict their contradicting personalities, another sunbae the crew used to work with, and now the male lead dislikes for a reason that is very intricately connected to the plot and of course, a very handsome villain who puts his fists to use first.

We have the storyline of several different cases converging to seemingly become one case, and all signs pointing to our villain being the one behind all this. There are tons of characters and you don't really know what's going on, until you do, and of course, it all culminates in the final few episodes.

So what else? Well, the comedy is pretty good, as is the mystery. The drama being set around the Han river also makes it a pretty new addition to the genre. The pacing is good and for 6 episodes, they tie up the loose ends pretty well. And the crew actually seems to do their jobs (in addition to the crime scenes they inadvertently come across, of course). The small plotholes and few of the conclusions being not so satisfactory aside, this was a fun watch.

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The winner takes all

And boy how.

Let me prelude everything by saying - this season, objectively - was not bad.
They switched up the concept a bit and it worked wonders, changing the game to have at least one elimination at the end of a game day was a really good move.
The players - they got the brief. They came, they played, some of them slayed. They played within alliances, they played individualistic strategies, they even played their own alliances to get ahead and this is where it started getting on my nerves.

Nothing wrong with doing that, at the end of the day, you need to do that in this game and I'm completely sure not one person who actually played the game would feel chided or put off by it.. but I did.

Oof, I did not like this season as much as the first one. The winner in season 1 absolutely deserved to win, and the winner here probably did as well, but it's hard for me to see it.
The concept of the show is to literally manipulate your way to the top and the winner did exactly that, and oh so perfectly, but call it me being a goody - goody or whatever, I just really didn't like it.

The first few episodes were exciting, things were just getting started, I had anxiety watching every single episode, you know, fun.
But the more I watched it became incredibly obvious what was going to happen.. come on.. there was no way anyone but the person who won could have won. And just like that it got boring.
Netflix sort of baited me into watching until the end by pushing me on the UNEXPECTED twists and eliminations, but there was nothing unexpected about that. If you're watching and you think you know who's going to win, stick with your gut, you're probably right.

To be completely honest, I did not like any of the people who got to the semi finals by the time they got to the semi finals, and I could not have cared less who advanced and won, but I watched it and.. it was fine I guess. I wasn't really having fun by the end, what with all the betrayal and manipulation.

Maybe it's me, maybe I'm a little too emotional to be watching people behave this ruthless and crafty, and maybe someone else can see the rational side of this. But I'm going to stick with my emotional side and say.. I didn't really enjoy this.

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The best short film I have watched. A beautiful story about first love, a mother’s love and love in all.

THE STORY:
The story follows Than and his mother. Than and his mother have a close relationship and know almost everything about each other. What Than’s mother doesn’t know is her son is gay and in a relationship with Palm. When she discovers their relationship, she is angry and causes Than to storm out on her. While staying with Palm, he realises that he must right his relationship with his mother and returns home. At this time his mother does not talk of his sexual identity. All the while he has been chatting with a secret neighbour, who is revealed to have been his mother all along. Than realises his mother has always known. The next day, while he tries to apologise, his mother apologises instead. He also apologises for hurting her and they make up. The short ends with Than and Palm hugging signifying their happy relationship.

THE ACTING:
What great acting! Although this series has War as Than, the mother turned out to be the breakout star. The way she cried when apologising to Than had me crying.

THE PRODUCTION:
The production could have been handled better, but I believe for a short it did its job.

THE OST:
The OST is awesome. Boy Sompob is on the track list so you know it’s going to be good!

I hope everyone tries this at least one time, as this movie deserves way more love. I also hope this review makes you watch it. Thank You!

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A fun rom-com that misses a few beats

Enemies with benefits is your ultimate rom-com by the way. Maybe the series itself lol, but not what I mean here. Enemies to benefits in a workplace is the ultimate rom-com, it just hits different every time. You have enemies to lovers (arguably one of the best tropes out there), a FWB setup to add tons of tension and forbidden romance thanks to workplace proximity to give the audience the perfect balance of angst. It just works.

I wish Enemies with Benefits was actually that perfect. It was close, just did not live up to the expectations I had set for it. But to be fair, I had sky high expectations, so it is a bit on me. For the most part, it lived up to them - especially in terms of chemistry. It was absolutely incredible. Jan and Jingjing have always had incredible chemistry and nothing can take away from that.

Even the plot was pretty much airtight, we get their enemies to lovers arc, tons of angst and misunderstandings that come with dating in the workplace, great side characters who actually play a role in the story, and a proper story itself that was set in the workplace and concentrated on the love story without compromising on their relationship as coworkers.

I only really have two things I wish they'd done better. First, is buildup.
I love a good buildup to any relationship. Those yearning glares, the speeches that say "I would hate her face if it weren't so pretty", those unruly smirks thrown around just to see if it catches their eye. I love buildup. And we got? ONE episode. I needed more!! Genuinely, it would have been that much more amazing to watch them fall in love if we'd actually seen them be enemies. One disagreement in a boardroom meeting, unfortunately does not make for enemies I believe.
The second thing I wish they'd done better - the balance in the relationship. It's always a give and take, and most of the time it was Lal giving it her all, and taking responsibility for any conflict. Maybe it's just me (in fact, in both cases here) but it felt like I blinked and then Wine was suddenly in love? The lack of buildup and the disbalance in their relationship - because even being FWBs is a kind of relationship - really took away from the amazing chemistry that Jan and Jingjing (and to that extent, Lal and Wine) share.

That's all there is to it really, just those two facets I didn't enjoy. Sure, their relationship wasn't completely healthy, but what relationship is without fights and flaws? Lal was an entire green forest, Wine had some serious character growth and that's all I really want from my rom-coms, one or more characters who grow and change with their relationship.

Was this a brilliant series? Not so much. Was this enjoyable and fun, and just incredibly romantic? Yes, definitely yes. It was a fun watch and I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a good rom-com, with some slightly questionable behaviour from the leads, but mostly Good though haha.

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An action packed, emotionally invested ride

Japan never really shies from the depiction of things as they are as far as I'm concerned, whether it be the mundane or something as high octane as this. One other thing they never fail to do is bring in a level of emotional depth to the story, even if it is as action packed as this one.

A third thing Japanese movies and dramas always do is lean into the technicalities of things. And though the movie hits us with a ton of technical terms, not understanding any of them is okay. I didn't, but all the audience really needs to know is that the people doing the work know what they're doing and they're doing it well, because even with all the abrupt cuts and quick shots, this movie was always about the people on the train.

What we got was a fast paced and thrilling movie that felt grounded in many ways. The huge reveal that is inevitably present in such titles didn't come as a big surprise to me, and though the motive for the crime felt a little incredulous, it did produce it's intended emotional effect.

I thought the actors did an incredible job that complemented an already solid script, neither party needed to carry the other and for the entire runtime I was at the edge of my seat. I tend to have complaints about certain or sometimes all characters not getting enough screentime to complement their sudden growth, but I don't here.

If you are a fan of action thrillers with heart feel, I highly recommend.

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What a Series! I was skeptical about watching it at first when the initial trailer was released, but I changed my mind after watching the pre series trailer. I was hooked from episode one and I still am. This was one of the series that everyone was looking forward to and it does not disappoint!

THE STORY:
The story is so fluffy! It will keep you smiling throughout the episode and is extremely addictive. It is sweet at times, makes you cry at times, but at the end of the day, it is extremely satisfactory . The storyline follows Tine and Sarawat and their relationship, most of the times. The rest of the time is dedicated to Mil, Phukong, Type and Man. Every single episode is so cute and makes you feel all warm inside.

THE ACTING:
So natural. The actors suit their roles very well and have executed them very well. The leads as well as the supporting actors are very good. Props to Win as this is his first series and he’s already amazing as Tine. He surely has a very ‘Bright’ future ahead of him?( Sorry for the pun). This series has made me fall in love all over again with actors I’m already familiar with, that’s how good it is.

THE PRODUCTION:
The production was handled very well for this series. The story has been consistent and so has the quality of the series. The team has done a very good job with this series.

THE OST:
The OST man! Every time I hear it I start smiling like an idiot and my grandma has started giving me dirty looks about how often I’m smiling to myself. It perfectly encapsulates the series and the feel the series is trying to give out. Bonus, I also love Scrubb now.

THE NEGATIVE:
The only negative of the series was how the story progressed. Until the minute, Sarawat and Tine were pretending everything was perfect, but once they became an actual couple, the story was thrown out the window. Also, it seemed like Tine was way more into Sarawat once they were dating. The last few episodes were extremely out of character for Sarawat, who at the beginning was very intent on announcing to the world that he loved Tine, but when it came to telling one girl, he was suddenly hesitant? This was what I didn’t like. Other than that still a great series.

THE ENDING:
This was seriously such a beautiful way to end the series. While I will admit I would have liked them to at least hold hands, this ending was perfect enough for me. All the couples got together in the end, and I would like to believe they’re all happy. I just finished it and I saw a lot of people complaining about the lack of kissing, so I’m saying this once again, it’s not just physical touch that matters. Every time I see Tine and Sarawat on screen, I can feel their chemistry and love, and I feel that’s enough. A great end to a great series.

I hope this review was helpful to everyone and helped you make the decision as to whether you were going to watch 2gether the series or not. Thank You!

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Miscommunication ≠ Plot

Let's break this down before we even discuss just how badly the series itself broke down.

Misunderstandings do not equal plot.
If you're still basing your 10 episodes on your leads not being able to have a mature conversation, you need to do better.

Just off the premise alone - meeting your ex while you raise your niece and they are raising their kid is such a rich vein for storytelling. Especially when you have unresolved feelings and you want to get back together because not only are you exes, there are now two children involved in your life, depending on you, and your decision must have them involved in some capacity. I'm not going to do a deep dive into just how complex and well written a story about navigating dating your ex when you're both caring for children can be. Why should I when they didn't?

In the finale of the series, there's a massive montage of scenes that show us how the relationship between the leads would have gone down if they could talk like actual human beings. It was over in maybe 10 minutes (I think, I watched it sped up), and to think that the series itself could have been over in 10 minutes was a huge slap to the face. Because I sat through ten episodes of the most bland, boring and irritating pairing who couldn't set aside their stupid pre-conceived notions or their ego to have a proper conversation.

Both of them were horrible people. There's not a single redeeming quality about either of the leads because you don't even have time to get to know them or understand their thought process. They're so involved in making their lives harder for themselves, and we should care why? It took two children, actual children, to get them together in a civil manner. Children! That should tell you enough.

Through all this, the one bright spot (as far as romance went, because the leads had as much chemistry as a piece of wet cardboard), were the second couple. They had chemistry, they had banter, and though it wasn't much, they actually spoke to each other. Much more than the leads did anyway. But of course, the writers had to go and do that. Did the contract of one of them run out? Is that why the writers just had to do that? I can't say it out loud, and because it's a massive spoiler, I won't say it out loud but I am still furious about that writing choice.

Everything just closed in on itself the more the story went on. Again, this could have been a 10 minute episode. Just one, 10 minute episode. Instead we got 10 HOURS.

Don't watch it. Yes the kids were absolutely adorable and carried the show, and the grandparents were so iconic, but don't watch this mess.

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When the sky meets the sea breeze

First up, let me just confirm that Tonfah and Typhoon may be my comfort couple.

With that out of the way - wow?! I enjoyed this so much. The thing about being a show purely about romance, is that you need to get the romance right - and thank you because they did. They are my comfort couple, but it's actually a little unbelievable that they did because I'm someone who did not enjoy S1 of Fourever You. Before we talk about Fah and Phoon, let's discuss what actually made me flip.

It's only a couple of reasons, the first being, giving them their own part in the umbrella series. The wonders it did must be watched. Instead of doing three couples all at once, I'm so glad they gave us just one of them and have decided to give us the other two couples in their own parts, in the same timelines. Doing this made sure that the audience focuses on the leads without getting too caught up in the specifics like "which storyline is for which couple" and "why are there so many couples?!"

The second thing they did well was have the F4 and The Directions play an actual role in the plot. The fact that Fah and Phoon's respective friend groups not only shaped the plot, but also shaped their character growth was the best improvement they could have made, as compared to last season where each couple was in their own world with much else to do. Each interaction between the friend groups made my heart soar.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about THEM.

Beside the Sky follows Typhoon, a first year university student who is deeply scarred by his past. When he moves to Chiang Mai for university, he meets Tonfah, the older boy who lived next door, after three years. In those three years, Phoon's life has changed completely, but Fah does not know that. So when they meet, Phoon is caught between the truth and his feelings for Fah, which may be ruined if he ever tells him the truth.

I finally understand the appeal of slow romance. In my experience, slow romance is often filled with excessive trauma and too many misunderstandings, but Beside the Sky is executed in such a way that I think I can watch other dramas with the same trope.

Not because there wasn't excessive trauma. No this was brutal. Terrible parents all around, tormenting and blaming their children. Typhoon himself blaming and punishing himself because of his past, and doing it forever because of his family. It was downright despicable. But the thing about this plot was, they could've so easily jammed in a hundred misunderstandings between Fah and Phoon as a result of all the things Phoon did and said to protect himself. They didn't and I'm so happy they didn't.

Tonfah is a literal green grove - filled with green flags, he's such a perfect male lead when it comes down to that. He will always look after you, keep up your facade to make you comfortable, spoil you with trips to Japan so you can meet your estranged mother.. what won't he do?

And Typhoon is a green flag as well - just a flag for him, not the entire grove. Because he is a deeply scarred person, and our Maew needed some closure and some comfort before he could come out of his shell. Obviously, thank goodness for the other directions and Fah, but mostly good on him for being able to identify the toxicity of his family. And he is such a sweetheart by the way, they're both genuinely amazing and sweet characters.

I hope now you can see why this is my comfort series, yes it was a little too slow for me, but hey, I don't mind. Eight episodes of Fah and Phoon was well worth it.

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The Love that Never Rose

This is no slow burn, this was a no burn.
It went on and on without actually going anywhere or towards anything.

The plot picks up with Ice returning to university after being dismissed a year ago, and Saint has been tasked with taking care of him, making his student life easier. They've actually known each other for a while though, not talked for several years because of something that happened in the past, but now that they're back together, Ice hates Saint, and Saint wants to win Ice back.

Their entire relationship has been riddled with problems since the beginning - everyone is opposed to them being together for some reason or the other, and the entire story is basically how they get over their past to heal as individuals and a couple, and face all the other obstacles to be with each other.

It's a well established, character driven plot, which always has the potential to be great! But my goodness the pace moved slower than a turtle. Whether it was the conflict resolution or the movement of their romance, it felt like I was the one moving heavy furniture across a room, each episode was a push and a pull, and so much of a struggle.

It's not the worst blunder, especially if you can write brilliant characters. Except..
They weren't really written to be the best.
No argument that both Ice and Saint were quite complex and flawed characters who had good development, but what use is it when the writers seem to have a trauma complex that neither of them can get past?
Saint is always perturbed by his father's presence in his life, which is suffocating, annoying and straight up infuriating. His father's actions made him lose the love of his life, and when he meets him again, the aforementioned love wants nothing to do with him. He has to gain back Ice's trust and defy his father's orders to ensure he doesn't get trapped again. And he was written well.

But Ice.. oh Ice.
He wasn't even the lead in his own story.
He meets someone he loves in a life where he has no one to love him, and gets told that this guy doesn't want him either. He is assaulted, thrown out of space that should've kept him safe, faces the consequences of someone else's actions and comes back to university as a broken man, only to continue breaking everyday because he's dating a POS, and the people who ruined his life the first time around are back in it.
The writers took a hold of this and went 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳?
The man could not catch a break, shots from every direction at all times, like the writers actually hated him. Everytime I saw a glimpse of growth, they just dumped more trauma on him to wreck him more and more until I could take it no more.
Honestly, I reduced my rating just based off of the fact that they absolutely butchered a character who should've carried the story.

If it wasn't for Ja's absolute knockout of a performance as Saint - adorable, charming and enigmatic - I would once again be rating this much lower, but thank you Ja. The rest of the actors were not bad performers by any means, but they barely had the chance to actually showcase their skills or flesh out their characters.
Especially Tae as Ice.. who was the actual main character and deserved much better writing than he got (as covered above) but he did a decent job.

The frustration you feel towards all the characters never really goes away though, because of the bad plot. The affinity towards some of them may come from the fact that they are leads, but the amount of conflict itself is off-putting. Did we really need the dirtbag ex? Or the movie shoot that spans for episodes in a bid to bring the leads closer, only to push them further apart? Or the father who has no boundaries and is an insensitive manipulative jerk just because he cares about his son? Noo
(On that note - let's also stop writing terrible parents a redemption arc? I pray all things in holy BL, let's stop giving horrid human beings redemption just because they shed a few crocodile tears)

The most frustrating thing is not the conflict, but how each one was handled. If you're going to have soooo many things they need to overcome, why not start with actually having the leads talk to each other? If your story is going to be riddled with problems that you can easily face together, why not do it? Or if it's your burden to bear, why avoid the confrontation? It's right in front of you!! Again, the character writing taking a serious blow, we get one step forward and ten steps back for 12 episodes.

The finale was the miserable now that tied it all together - a happy ending for all for the sake of giving one, or forgiveness I guess? This show was filled with horrid, horrid people who should have rotted in prison or in their own misery but yay to extreme pardoning complexes I guess.

This love should've set seven épisodes ago, but oh well. Don't waste your time on this and if you absolutely must? 2x speed is your friend.

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The plot that cried wolf

We know the story about the boy who cried wolf? This is the plot that did. The wolf in question here, much like the actual story, arrived only at the very ending.

Before everything else - I'd just like to clarify that I have neither read the source material nor am I the domain expert of Thai history of the purported time period. I have attempted to familiarise myself with it, but nowhere near enough.

I'm the Most Beautiful Count is a story about politics, social life, identity and love, all set at the crux of a period of change. The story begins with Prince, a popular artist, announcing that she is part of the LGBTQ+ community - to the joy of some and the chagrin of others. After a night out, she discovers that she is now in the body of Worradej, a nobleman from the kingdom of Thongburi, who was presumed to be dead. Now Worradej himself tells her in a dream/vision that Prince needs to identify and fulfill his desire - citing that both their desires are one and the same. With no other way to return to the present, Prince decides to discover what this is and fulfill it, and the very first clue she gets is that Worradej was involved in a secret tryst with someone he knew.

Prince discovers from Worradej's attendent Jade that it may have been one of two men - Kosol, the exiled prince of the kingdom or Banjong, a nobleman and scholar. With these clues in hand, "Worradej" soon discovers that the relationship between the three of them is much more complicated than thought previously - it now involves a conspiracy to dethrone the current king and Kosol's younger brother, Chaiyached, so that a new rule may be established along the lines of democracy.

I'm going to pause here for a second. Because just in this small portion of the plot, which spans around five episodes, we got a lot of information. We're introduced to all the main characters and we learn what drives them. Worradej, Kosol and Banjong were all part of a movement to establish a new form of governance, even before Prince arrived, and it is one of the biggest plotlines, that spans every episode.

Keep this in mind as we move along. Now, Chaiyached is the ruler once his brother was exiled, but he wants nothing more than to play around, relax and live his life, because he's a child.. an actual child. He does not seek the throne, he just wants to be himself and live with his brother because unlike everything that was said about him, he is kind, considerate, and again, just a kid. It is again heavily implied that the narrative of Chaiyached being the one who exiled his brother, of being a ruthless ruler, actually comes from Lord Somdet, a member of the court. Meanwhile, Prince discovers what actually led to Worradej's death was indeed related to a matter of the heart, as he had been in love with Banjong, but not as straightforward as Worradej being heartbroken over Banjong rejecting his feelings. The particular incident that led to Worradej's death had more to do with the movement they were all part of - and Worradej's father, who strongly opposed his son's involvement in it.

Prince believes that this is it, Worradej wants Banjong, and that is his heart's desire. But things are complicated once again because Prince is starting to develop feelings for Kosol, who was already in love with Worradej before Prince had arrived. Now obviously, being with Banjong is not Worradej's desire, evidenced by the fact that Prince doesn't return to the present, and the fact that she has now fallen in love with Kosol. Their desire is something else entirely. There's a huge portion of time spent on trying to confuse the audience about who Worradej will choose because with Prince's arrival, Banjong has developed feelings and Kosol has fallen even harder - and Prince believes that finding true love is what Worradej actually wanted, not Banjong.

Pause again. If you're wondering why I'm spending so much time on the romance and the love triangles, it's because they did. First however, it's easy to think that both Prince and Worradej's desire is equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community - because that is a huge plot point. It is one of the first things mentioned in episode one. It is very clearly a desire near and dear to Prince's heart, so it's easy to question why wasn't that her first instinct? The explanation is never really clear, but I believe it could be one of two reasons - mainly because Prince slowly but surely discovers that the reason Worradej joined the movement was to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and his own identity, as his own father has expressed his disdain and hatred towards Worradej, but also could be because Prince herself craves true love, believing that Worradej did the same. Again, it is not expressed clearly, more so in passing during many scenes, but never clearly during one.
Then, it is very clear that Kosol is the one Prince loves, making it so that Kosol is the one Worradej loves as well, in turn making the entire push and pull of "who is my true love" irrelevant to the plot.

Back to the plot. We'll pick back up with Worradej and Kosol entering into a relationship just as Banjong realises he loves Worradej, and Chaiyached deciding to stay with his brother and help him overthrow Lord Somdet, who has assumed de facto rule of the kingdom at this point. A lot of other things have happened between episode one and this point, events that directly contributed to the movement of the plot from hereon - including the clearance of all suspicions on Kosol, leading to a royal pardon. Now that Kosol is once again part of the royal fold, Chaiyached wants him back, but the situation is complicated by Lord Somdet and his ploy to take over the kingdom. So they decide to face him head on, gathering troops and marching to the capital to overthrow him. When this doesn't work, they decide on a more tactful method - they decide to trick him. Now again, much more has happened along the lines of political ploys, resulting in a culmination at the palace, leading to the events in the finale - which both delighted and disappointed me.

Because true to form, they addressed the two major plotlines in the story, almost wholly, but again true to form, I believe a little more would've gone a long way. In trying to actively establish all that hadn't been said in the last twelve episodes, the plot lost track of itself and eventually resembled something that was done to enhance the romance while also alluding to the plot.

Before I make my actual observation, based on the series and series alone, I do want to talk a bit about the adaptation from the novel itself. Once again, I haven't read the original content, nor am I the domain expert on the history of the period. A lot of my knowledge is based on the research of others, and I am not here to comment on the changes made or the details excluded in the adaptation. There's just one thing I would like to highlight relevant to the series itself as someone who's watched it, that the intensity and direct approach to the story would be tempered down in the adaptation.

Now it's not the actual plot points or storylines from the novel that I'm referencing here, it's simply the notion that any and every reference to political or social issues has been tempered down - which is true. The series is my only material source of the story, and even then, it's very obvious that they never actually made it a point to make any points.

Take the fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community for example: it is the crux of the whole story - it is Worradej's desire in the past, Prince's in the present, and a key part of the new governance that all the characters are fighting for, including being very personal to Kosol, who was exiled for being a part of the community, and Banjong, who is discovering his identity.
And I will never say that they did not address it, they did and it was incredible, but I only wish they'd done it completely.
Because every plot point in this series came to a stand still before it was ever concluded, only for a slightly rushed tie - up in the finale, and so did the thoughts and sentiments they were trying to express along with it.
Changing the setting to be a fictional kingdom meant they could once again refer to history at their discretion - history is written by the victor after all, but fiction somehow allows history to be redetermined?
So many details like this allowed them to make a point without really making it - making me appreciate the conversations they did create, but leaving me lost in limbo between trying to determine if it was enough and struggling with the prospect that they could have done nothing at all.

It's confusing.

The plot itself was incredibly confusing because of this intermittent point making, it takes some connecting of the dots to make complete sense of everything brought to the screen, and then some fill in the gaps to get it to be coherent.

They tried to fill in the gaps by including a ton of romance and relationships between all the characters, including friendships, kinships, and brotherly bonds. Which worked to an extent, but only because of the actors.
Nut played Prince and Worradej with incredible depth and flair, balancing what little we know about both Prince and Worradej themselves to create a great character.
Ping as the stoic and resilient Kosol, Pop as the shy yet sly Banjong, Lee as the kind and faithful Jade and Aton as the playful and smart Chaiyached were all equally well played by their actors.
They carried the series where the plot couldn't and I really appreciate that.

At the end of the day, I'm just incredibly disappointed that this was a chance to make something of note - and that's not a claim out of left field, and also not a claim that they didn't try - but the final outcome read more as a romance than much else, and makes you wonder what could have been.

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The loop to find happiness

We know the drill. You have the worst day ever. Everything goes wrong. You make the silliest mistakes or the worst choices. Feels like the universe is out to get you. Eventually, you end up reliving it all over again. Only you're not lying in bed at 2AM, scrolling through the 'worst moments of my life' highlights reel in your brain. You're literally living it. Over and over again.
We know the drill with time loops.

But what happens if the time loop is your horror movie, which somehow transitions into a rom - com, only for you to end up realising that.. your time loop is not yours to control after all?

Some Day With Someone took that exact trajectory, and has become one of my favourite time loop stories in the process. Without giving too much of the story away (it's a good story), this had everything you look for in a groundhog day feature, while also being heartfelt and grounded.

I loved that the FL, Mesa was so relatable. I loved that I could personally relate to her on so many levels. I loved that the ML, Ben was the dorkiest sweet pie ever.

The humor was understated, the romance slapped and the acting was wonderful.

I walked into this expecting a quintessential - finding true love - kind of story but this was so much more.

I hope you like this when you watch it, because I kind of want this review to have convinced you to give it a try! I kid, but seriously, give it a try :)

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