MarxistCat

I am on episode 5, and I can't stand that taxi driver. He keeps dragging people left and right along with him and got many people killed because he can't think to save his life. Not only did he drag that poor woman in the shed into it, he helped the killer murder her son too. Such an irritating character.

I enjoyed this fast-paced show more than I thought I would. I loved the relentless gore fest many kdramas with similar themes shy away from. Stories about gangs and revenge plots aren't supposed to be sunshine and rainbows, and this show understood the assignment very well. As promised, there was indeed mercy for none. When you peel away all violence, you are left witht a heartbreaking story about survival and one's sordid past.

There were some things that bothered me like the unrealistic lack of guns for the majority of the show and the main character somehow winning fights while being in dire shape. However, I am willing to still give it a 9 since I was thoroughly entertained.

Wasn't what Shu Qian did an act of war, though? The Southern kingdom shouldn't be "avenging" anyone, seeing as they're the ones that assassinated the crown prince of the Northern kingdom first. Now, the debt should be settled, so I am confused as to why Shu He thinks the Southern crown prince should be avenged. On a side note, I am glad the Southern crown prince is dead, and we're closing the struggle love chapter with his servant.

So far, I loving the series. Romcoms are ok, but I personally prefer melodramatic series with mature themes because they're more memorable and thought-provoking. I loved the acting in that scene when the crown prince revealed to Shu He Zi Ang's true identity. Zi Ang's actor did a very good job. The soundtrack is so good too.

Not that final scene with the deadfish kiss in front of the eunuch's salad. Also, I was much happier before I found out what was done to boys to make them eunuchs.

I think there isn't a single dull moment in this drama, and it has truly got me hooked like I haven't been in such a long time. For me, it's less about the romance and more about the flow of the story. I actually can't stand the horrible king and wish they had made him less awful and didn't base him off a real person even if a good deal of the details don't match up with historical records. The series is already fantasy, so creating a fictional king's reign would have been very interesting.

I agree. I don't take an issue with movies and series made about problematic and horrible historical figures, but I am worried about the romanization we will inevitably get seeing as this is primarily a romantic kdrama. The king the ML is based on was an awful person, and the ML himself comes across terribly. I personally can't imagine rooting for their romance later on and just wish they had made him a fictional king instead.

I understand the theme just fine. It seems like you're the one who didn't understand a word I wrote besides "KinnPorsche". People are allowed to have opinions different from yours, you know.

MileApo obviously had sizzling chemistry in KinnPorsche, and while they still do in Shine, I feel like Tanwa's character doesn't give the viewers much to work with. The actor pairing is well-matched, but I find that Tanwa and Trin's relationship leaves much to be desired, especially since the series is only 8 episodes. Don't get me wrong — I still like them together, just not as much as I thought I would when I first started the series.

Like others have said, Victor and Trin have more substance, though that's doomed since Thai ships are fixed. Based on this, Victor's romantic interest in Trin will almost certainly drive a future plot point rather than set him up as a serious love interest. Poor Victor never stood a chance, so I hoped the main couple's story had been more compelling, since there's nothing else to be quite invested in when it comes to their specific storyline. Meanwhile, there are many facets to Victor and Trin's interactions and interesting layers to peel against the political backdrop and conflicting views.

As for the secondary couple, I like them, but the good ol' smash-lips-and-hope-for-the-best kisses could be better. Personally, I prefer decent kissing scenes to sex scenes, since those can be very intimate if done right. MileApo do well in that department, which makes the secondary couple's kisses pale in comparison. Besides that, I like their storyline quite a lot. They're certainly stealing the show.

Chi Cheng reminds me of Kim Su Hyeon from Secret Relationships. I enjoyed all the characters, but I particularly thought Chi Cheng and Guo Cheng Yu had great chemistry together. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for the rivals-yet-friends-turned-lovers trope that's somewhat rare in media. Regardless, it was a nice watch.

Man, I forgot how dumb female leads were made to be in that era. The FL is so dense that it's actually irritating. No wonder the ML called her an idiot. I am only on episode 3, but she also comes across as very unlikable when she acts obsequious and trusting towards what's-her-face just because she views her as the prettiest but doesn't treat the two other classmates of hers as well as the ML the same way even though they have been there for her more.

I am on episode 1, and I really don't understand why he had such an over-the-top reaction to Mut presumably falling into the sea. Like, why was he crying and doing too much? I understand panicking in a situation like this, but his reaction was something you would expect more if the person in question was close to him. And why was Mut kissing the cheek of this person he barely knows and touching on him so much right after? They barely know each other. It's so weird.

While I agree that being anti-regime doesn't necessarily equate support for communism, the characters, as you said, would most likely express skepticism towards the U.S. (or even dislike), since it openly advocated for democracy but propped up authoritarian regimes when convenient and directly prolonged the suffering of the Thai people under such regimes through military and economic aid.

The student activism that led to the 1973 student uprising often included criticism of the U.S. and the ruling class's close ties with it. It feels like historical revisionism on the part of the writers to portray the students of all people as pro-American. The movement's main focus was definitely not anti-Americanism, but the distaste for the U.S. came largely from its support for the junta.

That aside, thanks for engaging. Great comment.

I know the historical backdrop against which the events of the show are set, which further aggravates me. The U.S. supported and propped the military dictatorship in Thailand at the time (60s and 70s) to combat communism, so why would the anti-regime characters parrot pro-U.S. propaganda?

I want the story's progression to prove me wrong, but I highly doubt it. The pro-Western stance parroted by the "good" characters is most likely a reflection of Thailand's current views rather than an accurate representation of how these characters would act and think in that time period. The writers are hitting the audience over their head with the on-the-nose commentary that ignores both the historical context of the show as well as the country's infamous track record of war crimes and terrorism cheerleading when necessary (i.e. Operation Cyclone, Abu Ghraib, and more).

I hope you're right or else the comments would be too on-the-nose.

I am a bit confused as to what the political message here is. Thailand at the time was under an authoritarian regime with extreme anti-communist leanings, so I was expecting to see some proper representation of communists that doesn't devolve into red scare propaganda. The scene with Victor's dad caught me off guard because why is such grace always extended to capitalism (the "every system has its flaws" line) but never to communism? If every system has its flaws, then communism shouldn't be demonized wholesale. We have seen a lot of chaos and tragedies happening as a result of both systems, but only capitalism is afforded nuance.

The icing on the cake was the clear pandering to the U.S.. Is a country automatically good because it's democratic? Does foreign policy even matter at all? Only those of us on the receiving end of this country's atrocities know what's like, it seems, but it really isn't hard to dig into what the U.S has been doing to the global south for a very long time. I am not against criticism of the Soviet Union, but to contrast it with the U.S in the context of good vs. bad is delusional and reductionist.

I liked it. I am just a bit worried about whether they will be able to tell a compelling story in only 8 episodes, since a lot of things were happening in episode 1. Strong start, though, with interesting social commentary.

Milk is mastering the art of jaw-acting it seems.

Willy moves his jaw a lot while speaking; I don't know why, but it's bothering me. I don't even know what's going on anymore, so they should just have Willy and Charlie kiss then roll the credits.

Yeah, it was more of a rhetorical question. The writers clearly believe "Arab" is a nationality, and MENA is one big blob judging by that attire.

Sorry, but what is Sabid's nationality supposed to be exactly? It seems like the writers came up with a racist caricature of an "Arab" and threw in a mishmash of something they're attempting to pass off as traditional clothing. This isn't the first time I have seen blatant ignorance of the difference between Arab and Arabized countries and casual racism in Thai series. I liked the series, but I am not sure how to feel about it now.