Giselle

So... I know I’m about to sound mad hypocritical in this review. I rated the series pretty “high” (especially considering the overall quality) even though I’m about to list a series of flaws. So let’s get that out of the way first: despite tripping all over itself, making zero sense half the time, and leaving gigantic plot holes, this show still managed to be enjoyable. It made me laugh, it made me hit "next episode" with intrest every single time, it even made me tear up a few times. And honestly? That’s the main thing I ask from a series, to make me feel something.
That being said... I'm not gonna sit here and pretend this was a well-made show production-wise.

The plot was plotting. San, our main protagonist, performs a ritual and gets 100 years to find the reincarnation of his dead lover, Wat (or Wad? Whatever, I'm calling her Wat). She was killed by her fiancé in a classic arranged marriage tragedy. On the 100th year, thanks to Sensei Tao's research, they finally track her down, or more accurately, him down. Here the beginning of San and Vee's relationship. And lemme tell you, they go through a lot (like, a LOT) just to get their happily ever after.

Some people complained that the series sidelined the BL plot in favor of action, family drama, rituals, and endless flashbacks. And honestly, I'm very much into this kind of BLs that are a little more grounded and less in their own "bubble". But here? The BL part got sidelined so much that when it resurfaced it felt awkward and super unnatural.
The relationship moved way too fast. San went from “I hate you and everything you are” to “I love you and would die for you” after Vee went to the hospital. O get that near death experience scares u, bit this was too much. Like... where was the buildup?? Two minutes of bonding in four episodes isn’t exactly “soulmate” material. If they'd just given them more time to actually be with each other, everything would’ve hit harder.
They have a confession, a date, and immediately the plot push the romance out the window again in favor of action scenes. So by the time they're kissing in episode 10, it just felt awkward (??).
(Also, who thought it was a good idea to have a love scene while one of them was basically half-dead and they were sobbing? Romantic.)

Speaking of plot holes... why was the reincarnation mystery never solved. You don’t know if Watfah or Vee is the real reincarnation. Like, the whole story hinges on this, and they just decided to shrug and give a speech about “the past being in the past”. Clever way to get rid of every thought they would have to put to solve the mess they created (If you’re curious: if they said Vee, they'd have to explain why Watfah looks identical to Wat and why the stone glowed near her; if they said Watfah, they'd have to explain why Vee was the one easing San's pain, and why the math added up to him. Basically, they wrote themselves into a corner and then ghosted.)

Another thing that gave me major ick was the timing of everything. Coincidences were off the charts. One convenient thing? Fine. Two? Eyebrow raise. Three? I’m rolling my eyes. It was like the universe was just serving them plot points on a silver platter. Example: the magic stone that glows when San’s soulmate is near just so happens to light up the moment they check it. Not before, not after: right when they are in the room. Or during a fight scene, random bad guys get “accidentally” offed to tidy up the story. Like... okay. Totally not lazy writing or anything.

Vee and San as protagonists? Solid.
Vee was annoying at first, very "man-child energy", but he grew on me. I liked that his decisions, even when dumb, actually made sense for his character. Same for San. He was more bearable overall, but I feel like they wasted a huge opportunity with him. Instead of doing a lazy 180 on accepting Vee's gender, they could’ve actually explored his internalized homophobia, especially considering he’s basically a dude from the early 1900s. Missed opportunity.

The side characters hineslty chef’s kiss.
Ju and Third were my favs. Third was suspicious at first (being the reincarnation of the prince who killed Wat will do that), but he turned out to be one of the few people with functioning brain cells at the end. And Ju? Girlboss supreme. Funny, independent, and finally a woman NOT reduced to a homewrecker trope. Love that
The villain tho? Cartoon-level evil. Zero backstory, zero nuance. They popped in, did evil things, died (twice). Look, I like unapologetic villains, but this was just lazy.

Fortunately, the actors carried the whole mess on their backs.
Especially Vee and San (Offroad and Daou): every emotional scene hit like a truck because they sold it. I even teared up during episode 10 (which almost never happens for me), so major props to the cast.
The only casting choice I was a little "eh" about was the actress for Wat/Watfah. She was gorgeous and looked perfect for the role, but she was just too sweet-looking to sell Watfah’s mean-girl energy. Every time she tried to look evil, my brain was just like "Aww cutie."

Now, the production...
Yeah. No.
I’m not gonna roast the video quality too hard because maybe that was just the site I watched it on. But the cinematography? Almost nonexistent. No "wow" scenes. Which is normal for those kind of series but for some reason this season completely lacked them
The color grading was the real crime. They were clearly trying for a red-orange palette (temples, the goddess, posters, yada yada), but everything else looked so dull. Even the reds were sad. So many scenes could’ve popped more with better colors.

And the slow-mo. The slow-mo.
It was giving Indian soap opera levels of dramatic zoom-ins and slo-mo, and I was CACKLING.
(Side note: not trying to be offensive, it’s just genuinely the first thing that came to mind.)
Special effects? Meh. They looked fake, but they didn’t make me cringe, so whatever. Stayed in their lane.

And finally: the thing I hated most. The music.
Not the songs themselves, some of them were actually really pretty, but their placement. They played that anxiety inducing violin instrumental during chill scenes, they played the same chill song under happy and gut wrecking scene . Why, just why


All in all, yeah, this series was a hot mess. Bad script and sloppy production.
But somehow? I still recommend watching it.
Turn your brain off a little, stop questioning every logic fail, and just feel it. Cause even with all its flaws, this show made me laugh, made me cry, and made me care. And sometimes... that’s enough.