This may not be the worst drama ever written. Maybe. But it's a strong contender.
Featuring Lee Da Hae (who really should have known better) as the typical Cdrama FL who is innocent and naive to the point where her character is of virtually sub-normal intelligence (and that's even if you're willing to ignore that the writers gift the character with "math phobia" har har) and whose noble idiocy is so galactic you may wonder how she's managed to avoid living sainthood and
A second FL who is so spoiled and childish, no male character in the world could be reasonably expected to have anything remotely like sexual feelings about her and
A third FL who is a dishonest narcissist who lies and tricks her way into the ML's feelings (but his character is so weak, so wavering and spineless, you can be forgiven for thinking that he deserves what's coming to him.) and
Writing that is so bad, the writers give you a scene where the FL has just gotten out of the hospital BECAUSE SHE MIGHT GO BLIND, and the two ML's argue about who is entitled to have her while SHE'S STANDING THERE GETTING READY TO FAINT. (Sorry about the yelling.)
Do Chinese audiences want female characters like this?
This drama has everything you hate about Cdramas (unless that's the stuff you like Cdramas for.)
Viki will be airing/subbing. (As for synopsis, Viki's is even shorter than the one above as of 2/28/19.) I'm thinking this is going to be revenge genre, but I haven't been right about anything since 1990.
The struggle is REAL! lol I actually didn't know that about China but it's interesting what's allowed/not allowed…
Thanks for the follow up. I wonder, though, why Viki did not pursue proper licensing for lakorns? Clearly, it's doable. Netflix ha acquired some Thai programming. I wish Viki would, too.
Omg, I was exactly like that! This is actually my second year since I watched my first lakorn but I only started…
I'm so grateful to the lakorn subbers who make it possible for me to understand dialogue.
Subbers who don't complete a drama just annoy the hell out of me, which is so bad, because the half of the drama that they subbed--it's not like I paid them for their work, right? Plus, their work is getting ripped off by trolls. Actually, I think dramas that are abandoned by subbers happens most often in the Jdrama community.
The struggle is REAL! lol I actually didn't know that about China but it's interesting what's allowed/not allowed…
I don't have facts about this, but the conversations I've glanced over on Viki forums say that the problems for showing lakorns there are on the Thai side--it's the Thai showrunners or networks that are the obstacle. I discovered lakorns the month after they were all dropped by Viki. D'oh.
The challenge for watching lakorns currently is finding them subbed. It's completely possible to watch most lakorns on youtube on the channel where they're broadcast, but they're raw. I've watched one or two lakorns that way (only to find later, when if I get the opportunity to watch the same episodes later with subs, that my understanding of what I was watching was--shall we say--off?)
It took me a year to warm up to lakorns, principally because I started out with a strong dislike for the way the language sounded to me. Now that it no longer sounds strange (and gaining a tiny Thai vocabulary) I really enjoy how wildly over the top they are.
Lakorns are moving away from the rapey scenarios of the past. Slapping (I hate slapping the most) is still prevalent, though (usually the 2nd FL slaps the face of the 1st FL--but when that happens, it's not uncommon for the 1st FL lead to hit back now.)
I love lakorns. Given a good, steady source for subs (I love you to pieces, Neko and Thippy), I'd probably watch the things all day.
With the completion of subbing (thank you!) I need to revise slightly my earlier comment.
I don't dislike this drama as much as I did initially, and I think it does a fairly decent job of presenting characters that appear to be damaged beyond redemption. (Of course if that was true, the drama wouldn't exist.) As the drama develops, the writers manage to make Hoshino somewhat sympathetic. Also, I managed to stop despising Ogawa, the FL, by the last episode but only barely.
I'm glad I gave this show a 2nd chance, but I couldn't possibly re-watch it.
I tuned in originally, hoping the drama was going to be steamy. But no. I watched every episode, with anticipation, but I can't recommend this. It's a three-hankie drama, and the child actors perform remarkably, but I thought the drama was ultimately pointless.
If Go Ara is in the drama to provide a river of tears, as per usual, I'll give any drama she's in after this a hard pass. She may not be in control of the words that writers put in her mouth, or the directions she receives to cry, but she is in control of the roles she chooses. If she cries from one end of this drama to the other, I'm going to assume it's because she wants to do that in her dramas and that's going to be the end for me.
I like love triangles in melodramas, especially dark melodramas about revenge. And they're essential to Thai lakorns--what on earth would a lakorn be about if the drama didn't have a scheming, screaming, slappy 2nd FL?
I love revenge plots also. Are there any other good drama's out there with a similar story line?
If you haven't seen it yet, watch Money Flower. Superb drama. Otherwise, there are many lakorns with revenge themes. You can also do a search here at MDL using the tag "revenge."
I'm really grateful to the person who subbed this drama. I really wanted to watch it, and the subber made it possible.…
Kanya, the villainous 2nd FL is really awful. The actor who brings the character to life does an outstanding job.
The main FL spends at least half this drama pale and sobbing. Even when you know that she's going to rise like a phoenix from the ashes, at a certain point you just stop caring if she does. Writers overdid pathetic.
Thada, the ML behaves badly. Very badly. So bad, you would not be wrong for feeling like he deserves a tire iron in his goolies.
After the FL is reborn, she gets a really shitty hairdo, wears borderline tarty clothes and hideous shoes until the drama ends. Which is super disappointing, because no matter how much a lakorn might suck, the women characters usually wear fantastic shoes that no ordinary person could possibly wear.
This isn't a great drama, but it's pretty good--one of the few I didn't FF through.
A second FL who is so spoiled and childish, no male character in the world could be reasonably expected to have anything remotely like sexual feelings about her and
A third FL who is a dishonest narcissist who lies and tricks her way into the ML's feelings (but his character is so weak, so wavering and spineless, you can be forgiven for thinking that he deserves what's coming to him.) and
Writing that is so bad, the writers give you a scene where the FL has just gotten out of the hospital BECAUSE SHE MIGHT GO BLIND, and the two ML's argue about who is entitled to have her while SHE'S STANDING THERE GETTING READY TO FAINT. (Sorry about the yelling.)
Do Chinese audiences want female characters like this?
This drama has everything you hate about Cdramas (unless that's the stuff you like Cdramas for.)
Don't. Just don't.
I wonder, though, why Viki did not pursue proper licensing for lakorns? Clearly, it's doable. Netflix ha acquired some Thai programming. I wish Viki would, too.
Subbers who don't complete a drama just annoy the hell out of me, which is so bad, because the half of the drama that they subbed--it's not like I paid them for their work, right? Plus, their work is getting ripped off by trolls. Actually, I think dramas that are abandoned by subbers happens most often in the Jdrama community.
It took me a year to warm up to lakorns, principally because I started out with a strong dislike for the way the language sounded to me. Now that it no longer sounds strange (and gaining a tiny Thai vocabulary) I really enjoy how wildly over the top they are.
Lakorns are moving away from the rapey scenarios of the past. Slapping (I hate slapping the most) is still prevalent, though (usually the 2nd FL slaps the face of the 1st FL--but when that happens, it's not uncommon for the 1st FL lead to hit back now.)
I love lakorns. Given a good, steady source for subs (I love you to pieces, Neko and Thippy), I'd probably watch the things all day.
I don't dislike this drama as much as I did initially, and I think it does a fairly decent job of presenting characters that appear to be damaged beyond redemption. (Of course if that was true, the drama wouldn't exist.) As the drama develops, the writers manage to make Hoshino somewhat sympathetic. Also, I managed to stop despising Ogawa, the FL, by the last episode but only barely.
I'm glad I gave this show a 2nd chance, but I couldn't possibly re-watch it.
I watched every episode, with anticipation, but I can't recommend this. It's a three-hankie drama, and the child actors perform remarkably, but I thought the drama was ultimately pointless.
The main FL spends at least half this drama pale and sobbing. Even when you know that she's going to rise like a phoenix from the ashes, at a certain point you just stop caring if she does. Writers overdid pathetic.
Thada, the ML behaves badly. Very badly. So bad, you would not be wrong for feeling like he deserves a tire iron in his goolies.
After the FL is reborn, she gets a really shitty hairdo, wears borderline tarty clothes and hideous shoes until the drama ends. Which is super disappointing, because no matter how much a lakorn might suck, the women characters usually wear fantastic shoes that no ordinary person could possibly wear.
This isn't a great drama, but it's pretty good--one of the few I didn't FF through.