Blkittykat

If silly.. also cute..?

I was floored the minute I realized the best excuse the super secret spy was going to come up with all series was "cockroach!"
But the best part? The guy he was trying to fool fell for it EVERY SINGLE TIME

There's no other way to put this, I love this series.
The plot is one of silliest, nonsensical and unserious one I've ever seen but every single time the two leads came onto screen I had forgotten all about the plot that never existed because, my goodness, are they wonderfully cute together.

The story is utter nonsense yeah - one guy is a secret spy investigating the other guy, and pretty much everyone but the guy being investigated knows that he's been spied on because the spy? He's not very good!
Between all this they somehow develop a fake relationship amongst a story riddled with plotholes.. but forget all that.

Don't dwell on the story when you watch. Ignore all your instincts that point out all the silly mistakes (there are so many).
And focus on Da Hei and Xiao Bai.
They are it. The chemistry is so off the charts that I willingly ignored every other aspect of the series and just giggled through it all.
The way their relationship started.. absolute nonsense. The way it progressed according to the plot, also nonsense but gaah! They were just so cute together.

This review makes it seem like this series is just a silly plot and an insane amount of chemistry.. and it is. That's all it is.
All the stuff involving the service house, the second couple(?), the investigation agency, the grandpa and the grandma, I cannot explain the extent of silly even if I tried.
But I also cannot explain just how good the romance was, you just have to see it to understand.

So a series about a spy and a hitman falling in love set against an action backdrop? Not really
A series about a fake spy and a supposed hitman who is scared of cockroaches falling in love and having the best chemistry? Yes, yes, YES!!

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The true meaning of Home

Let me just preface this review by saying if you're here for the comedy, obviously you're in for a treat. And even if you aren't, you're in for a treat. The amount of levels in this show is actually astounding because I came from hilarity and chaos, but somehow ended up crying into a packet of tissues every episode. An incredible story, amazing characters, good character development, this show had it all!

Where do I even start then? The story? Brilliance. I absolutely love the dynamics of unconventional team coming together due to "circumstances", it's one of my favorite friendship tropes, and you put together four distinctly unique characters in a comedy - horror setting, and it's like you've already struck gold. This was one step ahead, adding emotion to the anthologies and gradually building up the backstories of the leads until it gets to the point where all of it just makes sense. All the plot twists, even the one I predicted, managed to surprise me because of how they were executed, rather than relying on just the simple shock factor. This is the kind of story that gets better and better every episode and when you're done with the finale all you can think is wow.

Now add to this incredible characters you can't help but love from the minute they're on screen. They need their character development but it says something about the writing when you're able to root for the leads even when they're supposed to be horrible people. Watching them grow into themselves and become good, interesting people was a highlight in a show where even the supporting characters were charismatic.

Like I mentioned, most of the series was on an episodic format, and the backstories of the leads were slowly revealed, but anthologies within a structured series can be hit and miss. Might be the first time they all hit just right for me. Each story was equally exciting and emotional on it's own, but getting to watch the leads get closer as a team and become actual friends by helping these people was the cherry on top.

Another thing I loved: the friendships, relationships, all of it. In the anthologies, with Home and his family, Peach and Pang Pang, the ghost hunting gang, and literally everyone with Pi Suradech. I could write an essay on how incredible Pi Suradech is but that's for another time. Just the way they all stood by each other through everything (which I mean, it's a spoiler, but they way they did even when..), it's one of my absolute favorite things to watch in a drama. Strangers becoming family.

And finally, how can I not talk about them? Tay and New. You can see how well they actually gel together because even in the scenes where they're supposed to be sworn enemies, it feels like they've been friends for years. Which actually played well into the story because Home and Peach are honestly soulmates and you can't convince me otherwise. Even the characters knew it!

This is an endless list of positives, and as much as I would like to say there's something negative, I don't think there is one. Maybe I'm biased but I just loved it so much, I even love the OST! And that's what I categorise as.. a perfect 10.

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The summer of youth.. and the midsommer night's dream

Haaah..
I needed to let it just stew for a while after that finale because the feels.. all the feels I'm feeling.. haaah..

Between the poetic vibe and the bright lens they used to tell the story, there's a ton of whiplash on what you think you're supposed to experience, but none of that matters, because watching this is an experience in itself. I was left contemplating the meaning behind their actions as they left them in a sad and vulnerable state, while experiencing joy beyond explanation just by watching two people become the entire world to each other.

I love those bonds, just pure love. Where you know what the other person is thinking, can anticipate what they're feeling, when you know them better than they know themselves on every sort of level. The melancholy and excitement, and the growing pains of being a teenager who is suddenly thrust into unfamiliar and uncomfortable environments only to end up finding the one person who is going to be their entire life was so incredibly moving to watch.

A lot of my words until now have been vague and philosophical, so let me just say this, they perfectly managed to encapsulate the feelings of being in a new environment and then discovering that it's more home than anywhere else. Budding friendships, familial ties, first love, and all the confusion, happiness and pain that comes with it.. just perfect.

This was more than just a romance, not only because that wasn't the only focus of the story, or because they weren't the only couple in the story, no. It was because, more than a romance, this was a story of love. A love I can't quite explain, so it's best to watch and experience it firsthand.

Where's my season 2 though :(

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The Girl Next Room series strikes again, this time with a story about forbidden love. This was admittedly not one of the most popular parts, but it certainly holds up well against the rest and might I even say better than some. It’s modest and funny and seems very likeable, but all of these virtues do not hold a light to the way the leads are written. View Wiwa seems conceited and airy, but that’s just a character she portrays. Underneath all that, she is just a simple and down to earth girl, quite evident from the very first episode. Faigun. Man, Fai is honestly the best character I’ve ever encountered. He’s funny, smart, handsome, hardworking, truthful and so much more, but his most endearing quality is that he’s real. This is a couple you can honestly root for and rightfully so.

THE STORY:
So, View is an up and coming actress who moves into the dorm. Fai is this down on his luck character, who gets the security job at View’s dorm after saving P’Jam from a burglar. He also saves View from predators and she starts falling in love with him, but there is this evident gap between the two, causing cracks in what seemed like a smooth journey. Jealousy, a gap in financial income and societal status accredit to some of their issues. What will become of their love? That’s the main theme followed.

THE ACTING:
I’ve seen Gigi in a few other series ( Yes I’m talking about Pam ), but this is the first series of Kao’s I’ve watched and I can already say I love him. He just portrays Fai in a way that nobody else could. Also how cute was his intro?! Kao is one of those actors who just seems to thrive in every role. He has the acting chops to carry out those happy scenes as well as those serious scenes. Neo as usual is awesome.

THE PRODUCTION:
In my review of Richy Rich, I said that it had the best production, oh boy was I wrong. This one is right up there. I think it’s mostly because of Kao and the way he portrays Fai. Fai has been written as this sweet and innocent guy with an unwitting genuinity. Kao portrays him exactly as such. That’s what’s so endearing about this production. You can actually see the hard work that went into this. Also that reference to Kao himself in episode 4? Golden.

THE OST:
Still pretty standard stuff. Nothing different from the rest.

THE NEGATIVE:
The way View is treated by her manager and everyone around, no wonder the only person she is herself around is Fai. She’s being spoken for and one of the worst things you can do to a person is toy with their individuality. At this point she is being treated as a mere sexual figure and nothing more. Honestly, how disgusting do you have to be to demand sex from someone as a favour ? So frustrating!

THE ENDING:
What a cute ending! Remember the grilled fish shop Fai wanted to open? Well he did, and he set it up just like View asked him to, with the karaoke and gumball machine. ( Also well played GMMTV, with the Off Gun reference ). So now that she’s well established and so is he, they get back together and all is well. The rap at the end though. So cute! It gave us an update on all the couples after a year and spoiler, they’re all still together. A great ending to a great series.

I know this has been turned into a Faigun fan page, but don’t let that take away from the fact that this series is worth checking out. The story is cute and quite drawing. I hope everyone gives this a try because it’s worth the watch. Thank You!

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Dance and romance come together in a badly written story

Was this supposed to be about Likay? Romance? Unnecessary drama? We'll never know because you can almost watch this as three different dramas - episodes 1 and 2 are kind of weird but in a nice way. We're introduced the characters, everyone's finding their legs and it's not bad, just kind of shaky and scrambled.

Episodes 3 to 6 1/2 are the actual best. You get a bunch of stuff you will never see in BLs - communication, exes being amicable, break-ups that didn't occur over misunderstandings, a new love interest respecting their crush's past relationships, an ex not being a controlling jerk, I could go on and on, it was truly so nice.

From episode 6 3/4 onwards - they went full Lakorn. Shocking CEO reveals, characters who just want to live their life being killed off for the shock factor, memorial concerts that are hijacked by love confessions, I hate it all. Just got worse and worse.

The story itself is such a mixed bag, it's supposed to follow a rising star as he practices with a Likay troupe so he can look professional in an upcoming series, where he plays a Likay performer. But Likay itself plays no role in the story beyond that - even being a part of someone's identity doesn't afford it enough importance. Again, it's only in the first couple of episodes that they talk about specifics, show us tons of performances and it's amazing.

Episodes 3 to 6 1/2 are devoted to romance. Honestly, very well done - for all the reasons I mentioned above, but also because it felt like three mature adults in a grounded relationship. There's a love triangle by the way, but it really had one of the best executions of a trope I usually hate.  It's quite hard to explain just how well all the love stories came off.. If it helps, I'm still convinced the MC had more chemistry with his ex than the ML. It was not the romantic chemistry or the banter or anything that got to me, it was the calm, grounded relationship they had.

I was pleased too soon though because episode 6 3/4 onwards - DRAMA. They leaned heavily into it and it ruined everything. Every piece of good writing was thrown out the window. Characters behaving like children, which is jaring going from wholesome adults to petulant children. I kind of wish it was just six episodes, I could've managed without knowing how the series in the series turned out. Which, if this is any indication, was probably pretty bad. This phase almost completely ruined the experience for me but I pushed through and it got a little better, just not in the way that the audience completely forgets everything they tried to sell us to create drama.

The acting is not bad, I did enjoy the Likay performances and the cinematography was well done too. It was just a very strange way to tell a story that could've been insanely straightforward. Even the characters who at times behaved completely out of character (thanks to the plot) were actually well written and just overall great people. At the end of the day, I wouldn't categorise this as a must watch, but for a one time watch, it wasn't completely terrible

(Note - the last two episodes do not currently have any subtitles but Thai auto-generated ones, and I'll remove this note once they do. Hopefully they do)

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The funniest horror movie I've watched

Oh my god this was hilarious even without comedy being one of the genres, because it was so bad! Towards the end I was in full on tears from laughing because what happened there?

Let's start with the positives, because the horror - was horrifying. Lots of jumpscares, a decent amount of gore, I'd say it was better than movie two as far as the scare factor goes.

Another thing which I've always appreciated about this series is the emotional bondage to the characters - which, once again, they nailed. Good on them, because if they hadn't done this properly, the movie would have literally no redeeming factor. The family and their extended family is what keeps the plot interesting even when it isn't.

Because the plot, wow, the plot - if the last part was two movies in one, this was like 10 in one. So much happening! Seriously, I was clutching my stomach reeling from laughter the more I watch, it wasn't even scary after that. Just for reference, the first film worked because it was set in a single location and focused entirely on their family, not despite. Granted, there was more interaction between the siblings in this one than the last, it was still not enough. You don't have to go on adventures every other movie to make things interesting.

One minute they're at home, the next a forest, abandoned village, horror cave, I don't get it. There are so many new "one-and-done" characters who add nothing to the plot, and the explanation I've been craving for three movies was laughable. Lady is out here haunting because she hates love?

The story was so incredibly weak, I couldn't explain how all over the place it was even if I tried. It's not a terrible movie by any means but watching the last two has given me newfound appreciation for part one. If you must watch for continuity purposes, you can do it, but I'm sure there are other scarier and more coherent horror movies you can watch. I've learned that horror movies are never completely logical or coherent, but I've got to say, there's definitely got to be ones better than this.

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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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A sequel that could've been solved in five minutes

I do not think Checkered Shirt needed a sequel. Finishing S1 I thought it was necessary, having finished S2, nope.

The main reason it needed more was because of the cliffhanger, but I just watched just over 60 minutes of footage for a resolution and conclusion that could have been handled with a phone call. I refuse to accept the story they gave us, because what do you mean "you couldn't see him and your phone broke"?

That is a terrible excuse and I do not accept it.

They used this story (it's them, five years later by the way), as a way of introducing angst and character development, which fine, but I really did not like the resolution that came with the excuse, it gave them character but felt like a last ditch attempt.

I guess what I'm trying say is, it was nice, but a misunderstanding is not plot and we need to stop using it that way. Anyway it was cute and kind of angsty and pretty short so not bad :)

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A decent horror that relies on jumpscares

I'm trying to dip my toes into the genre of "serious horror", aka, movies that will definitely give me nightmares, ensuring my sleep cycle is ruined. And Netflix has been on me about watching Death Whisperer and I said why not. I want to watch more horror movies despite the fact that they are evidently not great for me.

To the horror end - Death Whisperer is a very good movie. Tons of jumpscares, extremely scary looking ghosts and ghost adjacents, an incredible cast who've done a great job at pretending to being scared and actually scaring me. Plus, tons of gore (which I was not prepared for so that was a nice surprise!). It's a classic horror formula I've seen lots of times.

The story - is okay. I expected a bit more. I wanted a good setup and some decent explanations but going scare heavy, the plot was all over the place, and we got no real conclusion (rectified, hopefully, by the fact that there are three more movies in the series). I know it's based on a novel based on real events, but I can't but feel a little let down. This is an occult based story and I don't usually expect them to have a detailed backstory, but some would've been nice? We got, "it's been happening for centuries, now it's happening to you".

The characterization - that was the worst part. Again, I know it's a real event, but this is a fictional version, no matter how true to the original event it is, and I think they could have done a bit better there. Characters do things that are completely out of.. well character. And the explanation is that the evil spirit made them do it. There are more than 10 main characters here, which ensures that you can't really develop them as characters, which is okay. But I refuse to believe that in what should have been moments of desperation, these people were so cavalier about stuff?

Overall, this is a decent horror movie. I'm hoping to get more out of the sequels because the story here left much to desire - but I would recommend it if you're in the mood for something pretty scary.

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A photo in the pocket

I like indecisive leads and indecisive plots as much as the next person, granted they do not like it at all.

Checkered Shirt is about a checkered shirt.. in the beginning because buying one catapults Jeong Woo and Hangyeol into each other's lives, and they're attracted to each other and the story picks up from there.

I can handle my indecisive leads, Jeong Woo is on the greener side of things when it comes to being an indecisive lead - he is kind of a jerk but he actually apologises and he seems like a standup guy in the little we see of him.

Hangyeol on the other hand is actually quite a well written character, especially when you factor in the fact that a lot of his backstory is yet to be revealed in S1.

Indecisive plots though? It's like they wrote the first seven episodes, and only then remembered the plot they established in episode 1 and at the very last minute, pivoted towards that. Which is not that frustrating knowing the second season is already out, but still a little irritating.

I'm hoping S2 provides better context and characters (not a fan of a lot of them here), but this was an okay story that made a panic jump at the last moment to be something good.

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Like a meet cute in a bus

This was um.. cute!

I genuinely do not know what else to say because the series was basically 10 minutes start to finish and was essentially about someone's car being in the shop and them meeting a future love interest thanks to public transportation.

There's some weird conversations with AI, some actual cute conversations between human beings and of course there's a happy ending, because why not!

It's as filler as filler can get. If you're looking to bridge your last completed show and your next watch but you're kind of stuck on which one to choose, and you just need to scroll for ten minutes - go with this one.

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Legends and non - linear logic

If you want a recommendation for a BL that gives Indiana Jones × Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes, do I have the one for you! Let me point you to this. It's not as good though but it's there!

The lore is this - there was an ancient city called Tambralinga, founded by four element benders - Wind, Water, Fire and Earth, that has been lost for centuries now, ever since one of the four founders of the city declared a rebellion in order to gain full control of the city and its neighbouring regions and by an extent, just absolute power. Knowing this, the three other founders managed to lock the soul of the fourth in an enchanted box and hid the city in the mountains of Nakhon Si Thammarat.
In the present day, there are multiple people and groups looking for the city, because inside it is a lost treasure that could help each of them with their pursuits - personal gain, a longtime dream or fulfilling a prophecy.

The story basically picks up from zero, with no real context and we get three seperate timelines - one of the founders in the past, the second of a past where some secondary characters tried to find the city and finally, the present, where the leads themselves hope to find it.

I'm always an advocate for a well written story, honestly, consistency over innovation for me because the faux - pas with having complete originality is that you often lose track of what makes it so. Even then, I have to give some points for the story they came up with, it was truly innovative and had some semblance of originality to it - but in trying to make something exciting they completely messed up the execution.

The most coherent timeline of the lot is set in the ancient city, even though the actions and motivations are inexplicable nonsense, it makes sense as a timeline. We get the backstory behind the fall of the city - including details of all the romantic pasts of the leads and supporting characters and a glimpse into what went down between the four founders as the city fell. It's not the most fleshed out but yes it made sense.

The other two - not so much.

The present is the timeline that is most important, it is a culmination of all the actions undertaken by different characters landing upon the heads of the leads, leaving them to deal with the consequences. We have Siwat - who is looking for the city because it was his father Michael's lifelong goal, because he believed there was something in there that could help Siwat. There's Khun - who wants nothing to do with the city because it was in pursuit of it that his father died. So when Siwat shows up asking for his help, he immediately refused and asks him to leave. Because it was by helping Siwat's dad that his father died.

This past - with both their fathers - is the worst one. It has no fantasy elements, it is simply a means to provide more context to the inner conflicts and motivations of the leads and other characters. But it makes no sense. They say they found the city in one episode, they say they didn't in another. They say that Khun clearly remembers that it was during the mission to find Tambralinga that Siwat's father caused Khun's father's death, and in another we find that Michael was nowhere near the country when it happened and the mission was called off at that point?? None of it made sense.

The story is non - linear, jumping between the three timelines and incredibly confusing. There are over ten characters who seemingly play an important role in the story but from the beginning that it's just the plot that's convoluted, but neither it nor the characters have any real depth.

We have a bunch of villians - Siwat's step mother and her lover, and an evil tweed wearing professor Thakoon, who very clearly come off as cartoonish. The only thing the evil professor didn't do was twirl his faint mustache while deep in thought, otherwise they read as Looney Tunes characters.

Then the protagonists. With Siwat and Khun we have Thara and his mother (in the present), and both their fathers (in the past) who are all presented as the absolute good who can do no wrong, and though I was pleasantly surprised to see some cracks in the stereotype, all of the writing just felt very one - dimensional. Things happen because the script said so - there's no internal conflict (when there clearly should be) and they missed a massive chance to make a romance of epic proportions because Siwat and Khun? Yeah, they're reincarnations of Wind and Fire elementals, along with Thara, the Water elemental.
I know this was a soulmates kind of story but it's unacceptable that the plot moves along because they've recognised that fact. There needs to be depth there - pain, anguish, the push and pull between past and present feelings and events. Maybe it was because Thara was salty about being the third wheel in both timelines but we got a severely watered down version.

The character motivations are one - dimensional when they shouldn't be, the story is both extremely clear but the logic is not clear enough, it's all a very rich tapestry. There's no huge plot twists, it all moves along for the sake of it.

The romance too, most importantly, it moved along because it needed to be moved along. I love a good soulmates story but falling in love just because you were in love centuries ago doesn't work. The chemistry between the leads was decent but again, if you want me to believe they're in love, I need to see it develop, even just a bit.

That ending though, worst part of the series by the longest shot, it was laughable because you do not write endings like that that for stories like this. Maybe you do but with this particular kind of execution it was entirely unexpected and unnecessary, I mean I'm not even angry, I'm just.. well maybe I am. That should have been such a sad ending but ooh boy, it was just incredibly bad - so bad it actually made me bring down my rating.

But there's no way they manufactured this series intending for it to be as unintentionally hilarious as it was, it was mostly fun and a nice glimpse into what "could be", but there's still a long way to go as far it comes to blending myths and legends with fiction.

6.75/10

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Found family trope done well

I quite enjoyed this movie, between the found family dynamics and the well executed visuals of ice sculpting, it was a nice watch.

The show starts off in a juvenile detention centre where one of the instructors Chom, is dissatisfied with her job and wishes to go visit her father in Japan, the person she looks up to most. But the way to get there is through an ice sculpting competition for which she recruits four boys in the centre - Jab, Toom, Win and Jo - who along with another instructor, Boy, all try to gain a scholarship and fund to travel to Sapporo and participate in the competition.

Through the movie we get to see the group grow closer, and move forward from their pasts while training for and participating in the competition. It's got all the tropes you would expect of a found family story, and perhaps that's why it didn't make as much of an impact on me as I had hoped it would.

But I really enjoyed the bond between the six of them, it was light hearted yet deep, and despite stemming from a place of enmity or spite or selfishness, it grew into something incredibly beautiful.

It was a nice movie overall, a good one time watch.

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It's not bad

Yeah.. this was better than the original.
In terms of story atleast which seems like an outright outlandish claim, but hear me out.

The basic plot was exactly the same
Beach - NC scenes - City - Unnecessary drama.. and what would come here would be "rushed ending to the actual emotional core of the story". But here, as a pleasant surprise, it didn't feel quite so rushed.
I'm going to say that's because they managed to get a concise plot from the mess that was actually Love Sea.

This version was much better balanced, five episodes in an island setting and the rest in the city - and while I still carry the complaint that an abrupt tone and genre shift will bog things down, the reduced filler scenes actually helped make a more continuous plot. Again, it's the exact same story, just executed better.

The chemistry was not bad either - not better than Fort Peat though (their chemistry was pretty much the sole thing that saved Love Sea for me), but not bad I guess.

Even the side couple was much more palatable in this version, a lot of unnecessary scenes and characters were cut out or had reduced screentime.

Add to that the only constant in all possible version - beautiful beach and ocean cinematography, always a win in my book.

So yes story, okay chemistry, not a bad production after all.

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