206
451
15
1
4
9
17
1
23
1
14
6
1
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42
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15
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1
10
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8
25
12
28
33
A forbidden love story with Lakorn choas and adults throwing temper tantrums!
Love in the moonlight is set in a fictional kingdom where secrets are traded as often as silk and adults who seem allergic to both sense and reason. The series starts with the classic formula - forbidden love wrapped in duty and deception. Prince Saenkaew, a gentle soul burdened by past trauma, crosses paths with Sasin, a hot-headed man, who happens to be the cousin of the bride Prince is arranged to. What follows is a slow-burn romance between trust, betrayal and over the top emotional whiplash. Add in scheming trash relatives, a gallop of political backstabbing and a suspiciously high number of evil adults and you have a 12-episode cocktail of chaos served with period-appropriate tears.
If “I didn’t mean it, but I did” could walk and talk, it would probably be Sasin. He is the archetype of the impulsive hero...quick to anger, slow to think, yet somehow forgiven because his charm softens every misstep.Sometimes I wanted to shake the screen and snap at him and sometimes just tell him that it's gonna be okay! He brought a full spectrum of emotions out.
Saenkaew, our sweet rabbit on the other hand is more on the emotional side. Very soft-spoken, painfully pretty and haunted by more trauma than a palace should legally allow. His “sad doe eyes” do a lot of heavy lifting, but sometimes they overstay their welcome. It works beautifully when he is in pain, but during playful moments, that eternal melancholy feels slightly off. Still, his gentleness grounds the show.
Pin, bless her pastel-colored soul, starts off as the cinnamon roll everyone roots for. She was sweet, sincere and initially immune to the typical “female rival” curse of BL dramas. But by mid-series, she veers dangerously close to the edge of that trope cliff and well, let’s just say the sympathy meter crashes. Her later actions are frustrating, though her eventual redemption arc tries to clean up the mess(emphasis on TRIES).
Then there is Saenkaew’s father, the royal poster child for bad parenting and questionable decision-making. He was just I-N-S-U-F-F-E-R-A-B-L-E. The way he tried to gaslight himself, Saenkaew and others around him , that what he was doing is the right thing for his child and for the family was just baffling. This is the brand of love that ruins lives and then blames the child themselves. He had no redemption arc in my eyes. One has to be blind and delusional to ignore everything and move on just like that. Technically, he should be in jail if you ask me.
Again, nothing is non redeemable in fictional world, but atleast make it feel earned.
Now, the reason why I stuck around was Sasin and Saenkaew. From the first time they met at the train station, their relationship was painted with that deliciously forbidden shade of love. You know the kind of love , that will burn everything in its path including themselves but can't help reaching and giving in the temptation anyways.
Every time they share a frame, there was this unspoken pull. They didn't need words... just intense eye contact, half-smiles and that dangerous proximity that makes you yell at the screen, “Just kiss already!” Their banter, especially early on is gold. I loved the rabbit nickname story! Their connection felt very natural. Even before they understood their feelings, they moved around each other with ease. I enjoyed their banters and I loved how gently they handled each other.
But this isn’t without its storm clouds. For starters, the show is drowning in villains who just seem allergic to both joy and logic. It’s hard to enjoy the love story when more than half the supporting cast are just terrible adults with morals in the mud. I didn't like how people who took terrible and selfish decisions were just redeemed in a single episode. Even if I put on a rose colored lens, the evil caricature-ness behaviour is still visible! In the end, I just got tired with them throwing temper tantrums.
The pacing also wobbles in the second half. It felt a little draggy. I understand they had to give us the angst but this could easily have been 2 episodes shorter! Also, alot of things happened because for plot conveinence rather than actually making sense of it. You have your leads abandoned on a deserted island, miraculous recovery, the infamous everyone knows everything, yet no one knows anything, the last minute change of heart...all conveinence.
Acting was a mixed bag. Pearl as Sasin was very convincing. Both his sassy and emotional side shined through. But Peak as Saenkaew could have been better. I felt he was too stiff and a bit melancholic even in the playful scenes. Supporting casts were also decent like Pin, Sasin's friends but others veered too far into melodrama.
Production seemed decent and cinematography was beautiful, capturing that period drama essence very well.
Overall, it's the romance between the leads that carried the drama and somehow overshadowed the clunky subplots. It's a mess but a chaotic one and that's the part of the charm I guess.
Ohhh the drama can be frustrating ( I am not even exaggerating) and some characters deserve permanent exile, but when Sasin looks at Saenkaew like he is the only light left in the world, all those flaws kind of melt away.
It’s not perfect like few things drenched in moonlight ever are but it is entertaining. I will recommend it if you are okay with thai lakorn style storytelling (over the top, dramatic, soap opera-ish).
If “I didn’t mean it, but I did” could walk and talk, it would probably be Sasin. He is the archetype of the impulsive hero...quick to anger, slow to think, yet somehow forgiven because his charm softens every misstep.Sometimes I wanted to shake the screen and snap at him and sometimes just tell him that it's gonna be okay! He brought a full spectrum of emotions out.
Saenkaew, our sweet rabbit on the other hand is more on the emotional side. Very soft-spoken, painfully pretty and haunted by more trauma than a palace should legally allow. His “sad doe eyes” do a lot of heavy lifting, but sometimes they overstay their welcome. It works beautifully when he is in pain, but during playful moments, that eternal melancholy feels slightly off. Still, his gentleness grounds the show.
Pin, bless her pastel-colored soul, starts off as the cinnamon roll everyone roots for. She was sweet, sincere and initially immune to the typical “female rival” curse of BL dramas. But by mid-series, she veers dangerously close to the edge of that trope cliff and well, let’s just say the sympathy meter crashes. Her later actions are frustrating, though her eventual redemption arc tries to clean up the mess(emphasis on TRIES).
Then there is Saenkaew’s father, the royal poster child for bad parenting and questionable decision-making. He was just I-N-S-U-F-F-E-R-A-B-L-E. The way he tried to gaslight himself, Saenkaew and others around him , that what he was doing is the right thing for his child and for the family was just baffling. This is the brand of love that ruins lives and then blames the child themselves. He had no redemption arc in my eyes. One has to be blind and delusional to ignore everything and move on just like that. Technically, he should be in jail if you ask me.
Again, nothing is non redeemable in fictional world, but atleast make it feel earned.
Now, the reason why I stuck around was Sasin and Saenkaew. From the first time they met at the train station, their relationship was painted with that deliciously forbidden shade of love. You know the kind of love , that will burn everything in its path including themselves but can't help reaching and giving in the temptation anyways.
Every time they share a frame, there was this unspoken pull. They didn't need words... just intense eye contact, half-smiles and that dangerous proximity that makes you yell at the screen, “Just kiss already!” Their banter, especially early on is gold. I loved the rabbit nickname story! Their connection felt very natural. Even before they understood their feelings, they moved around each other with ease. I enjoyed their banters and I loved how gently they handled each other.
But this isn’t without its storm clouds. For starters, the show is drowning in villains who just seem allergic to both joy and logic. It’s hard to enjoy the love story when more than half the supporting cast are just terrible adults with morals in the mud. I didn't like how people who took terrible and selfish decisions were just redeemed in a single episode. Even if I put on a rose colored lens, the evil caricature-ness behaviour is still visible! In the end, I just got tired with them throwing temper tantrums.
The pacing also wobbles in the second half. It felt a little draggy. I understand they had to give us the angst but this could easily have been 2 episodes shorter! Also, alot of things happened because for plot conveinence rather than actually making sense of it. You have your leads abandoned on a deserted island, miraculous recovery, the infamous everyone knows everything, yet no one knows anything, the last minute change of heart...all conveinence.
Acting was a mixed bag. Pearl as Sasin was very convincing. Both his sassy and emotional side shined through. But Peak as Saenkaew could have been better. I felt he was too stiff and a bit melancholic even in the playful scenes. Supporting casts were also decent like Pin, Sasin's friends but others veered too far into melodrama.
Production seemed decent and cinematography was beautiful, capturing that period drama essence very well.
Overall, it's the romance between the leads that carried the drama and somehow overshadowed the clunky subplots. It's a mess but a chaotic one and that's the part of the charm I guess.
Ohhh the drama can be frustrating ( I am not even exaggerating) and some characters deserve permanent exile, but when Sasin looks at Saenkaew like he is the only light left in the world, all those flaws kind of melt away.
It’s not perfect like few things drenched in moonlight ever are but it is entertaining. I will recommend it if you are okay with thai lakorn style storytelling (over the top, dramatic, soap opera-ish).
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