Soju

THE SHORT REVIEW:

🌷 Would I Recommend? YES
🌷 Did I love it? YES
🌷 Should you watch it? YES

💕 What I Liked —
• Lovely female lead & male lead. You could love and root for them!
• Excellent cast, very talented
• Great chemistry between leads
• Wonderful story-telling. Rich & included multiple characters.
• Good world-building. The story wasn’t tunneled to just the main leads or restricted to 1-2 settings — but included various characters and locations. The world felt rich and alive.
• Good budget (Nothing felt like cost was cut)
• Costumes were a treat to watch!
• Soundtrack was gorgeous and suited our FL well
• The romance was whimsical and fairytale-like. I didn’t feel this happiness since I watched Prissana (2000)
• Once the ML finally decided to own up to his feelings. Nothing could detour him. Not even his mum. Not even Anong’s brothers. Not even society.
• The ending. The best ending I could ask for!

💕 What I Didn’t Like —
• In the first arc where the ML was judging husband prospects for the FL — it felt like the two leads were speaking two different languages. Like they both liked each other, and not the other characters (eg: Chat) — but when the other would say something like “Oh you love so so”, the opposite lead wouldn’t say “no I don’t love him/her” …. I was peak frustrated 😂

• During certain scenes the production team used artificial lightening to create this glow effect, but to me it was jarring because what do you mean this circular bright glow is right between the leads face? Is there a moon in the bedroom?😭

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🌷 PLOT & THEMES:
I found the premise behind the show refreshing, having not seen such setting in a while. A story about a spoilt but kind young lady who comes from new money in a Thai era that still segregated between aristocratic people and others. I found it very interesting to see a new-money heiress pursue the eldest widower son from a disgraced aristocratic family. The story moved through various arcs, and touched various themes such as family, women empowerment, autism, homosexuality, self-integrity, and how Thai society worked in that period.

Despite these various arcs and themes it explored, the show remained very engaging from the first episode tot the last. the plot’s balance remained steady throughout the show and I didn’t think it needed any less or any more number of episodes – it started well and ended well.

🌷CHARACTERS

The show also had 3 dimensional characters, all well-written and with purpose to the plot. They felt like real people with real stories, with traits both good and bad. The character relationships were convicting & there was no issues about chemistry between the couples of the show, even the gay couple did amazingly. Almost every character (except the two elder brothers of the female lead) managed to learn and evolve throughout the narration of this story — ultimately becoming better versions of themselves.

For example: The male lead’s mother, after her husband’s disgrace and death, was left to raise four children alone. This hardship made her hard-hearted and foul-mouthed, as she adapted to protect her family and restore their lost prestige. Her obsession with planning their lives stemmed from a desire to shield them from further disgrace. Yet, despite her sharp words, she wasn’t inherently bad. By the show’s end, she realised she could soften her exterior and let her children live freely.

Another character was the female lead’s brother, who knew he couldn’t be with the man he loved, and so wanted to bring the man over and pair him up with his sister Anong, so that the lover could be close to him. This was so foul of him, but by the end he decided to forgo society and had a reunion with the man he loves just as he is (thanks to Ml & FL) — realizing that not everyone needs marriage, but some just need a lifetime of companionship with their love.

🌷WORLD-BUILDING

The production team did an amazing job at world building. The show moved in various locations such as the characters’ homes, high society clubs, tennis courts, the mall owned by the female lead’s family, the courthouse where male lead worked, beaches, fields, and a village province where the male-lead relocated for a bit. The world felt large and real— it felt much larger and real than the main characters — & because of this, the show’s experience was even better!

🌷TECHNICAL ASPECTS
• Cinematography — The cinematography was excellent! Each location, each frame, and each angle was a treat! The leads had such gorgeous backdrops of the sky, the sea, the mountains and flowers! The ending scene where the leads hugged at the beach while the high tide rolled in slowly from all sides & the sun set behind them was unforgettable!

• Music — Violette Wautier captured the female lead so beautifully in “The Trouble is.. ปัญหาของฉัน” — paired with how well Yaya brought Anong to life, Violette’s sweet voice, and the lyricism of the song — really brought the story to life and made this soundtrack is unforgettable! I still have it on repeat in my playlist.

• Costumes & Production Design — The production team did an excellent job at the costumes & production design! Anong’s outfits, makeup, and hairstyles were absolutely gorgeous! The set designs such as their homes, the usage of vintage cars, etc — was done very well! Nothing looked out of place and the dedication to creating a rich and believable period really paid the team off!

• Editing & Visual Effects – The visual effects & editing for most part was dreamy and well done. To bring out this whimsical, dreamy effect the post-production editing team set the colour grading of this show to be warm, with these green tonal changes — without the green effecting the faces of the characters (which was kept warm and rich). This made everything look more vintage and believable. I found my gaze moving around the backdrops and appreciating the colour grading done in certain scenes — especially since most Thai dramas, even those done recently, have these pasty, low saturated colour gradings done in their dramas which doesn’t do it any favors imo.

🌷 ACTING & CHEMISTRY

As a longtime (but picky) Lakorn watcher, I must admit I have not watched many of Yaya’s shows, nor did I understand the hype. In fact I have probably just completed one show, and put another on hold. However, this show really made me appreciate her as an actor. Yaya’s sweet candy-like voice paired with her portrayal of Anong (the light hand movements, how she carried herself as a lady from that era, and her facial expressions) – really made me stop and think: Yaya is beautiful, & she is exceptionally talented. No one could be Anong except for Yaya.

Tor did amazingly well too, no one could be Khun Phra except Tor. No one. His appearance, his gaze, his dialogue delivery and his mannerisms … were all top notch! He was the character.

Everyone in the support cast did very well too! All their storylines were believable and their emotions real.

Often times, extras cast in shows are cast because of their cheapness rather than talent, so their performance ends up choppy and this deducts points from the show, but even extras chosen in this show were talented and believable. Kudos!


🌷 FINAL THOUGHTS

I loved it. It has been so long after Prissana, Padiwarada, and Khun Chai Puttipat that a show was made so successfully whimsical. I adore the show. I wish I could erase my memory and watch it again. I don’t rewatch shows but I will rewatch this I know.