FKA REY

Good that you kind of enjoyed it, but I can’t let you say it’s period accurate. The plot could be completely transposed to 2025 in a homophobic environment. It’s really not realistic for 1915.

You can't ask a psychopath to act normaly, and Hua Yong is clearly one.

I am french. And it's a big NO.

It depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a light little love story, you’ve come to the right place. If you want a series with some historical realism, better skip this one.

That’s a very good question. I admit I was a bit naive. When I saw that the story was going to reverse the roles and that the submissive would actually become the dominant, it intrigued me. But you’re right, a rape scene filmed like that in this kind of series, I should have expected it.

Personally, I think that playing soft background music during a rape scene and having the guy say things like 'oh, you wore pretty underwear for me?' isn’t exactly what I’d call denouncing sexual violence. And the way it’s filmed too: close-up on the underwear as he takes it off, with an almost slow-motion effect...

Don’t come at me about Irresistible Love. I hated the novel, which romanticizes sexual violence and portrays relationships between men in a negative way. The movies, however, completely go against the novel. Xie Yan is much less problematic (to put it mildly), and so is Ke Luo. I suggest you read the review I wrote before making comments. I think not liking the romanticization of sexual violence is normal. It’s never romantized in the MOVIES of Irresistible Love. It is in the NOVEL, but as I just said, I hated it.

Well, it looks like I’m not the only one shocked that they romanticized a rape scene. That’s a bit reassuring.

So quantity > quality. Got it!

Having realism in a series doesn’t mean watching a documentary. This show feels like scripted fan service. Can’t we have some balance?

But what's the point of adding all those modern elements?

The series takes place in 1915! Five people in the same circle, including two from high society, who don’t really hide being LGBT—that’s huge for the time! And you mention gossip, but back then it would have been a state scandal. A French official having an affair with a wealthy Thai heir? That would have been a major diplomatic incident.

We still have five characters who have feelings for men and don’t really hide it. The chess scene makes that quite clear. As for Mek, I still maintain that it’s unrealistic. And sure, I can believe that societies aren’t always homogeneous in their representations, but there are limits. It’s inconceivable that two men—one of them from high society—could live out their love story without really hiding it at that time, even in Thailand.

That many characters who are almost openly LGBT at that time? Impossible. That many people who accept them? Impossible. A guy who is illiterate in his own language but learns French in just a few lessons (not even the same writing system)? Impossible. Shall I go on?

The series is set in 1915. You married who you were told to marry. Disobedience was not an option.

This series makes no sense from a historical standpoint, and that doesn’t help.

Alright. In that case, it would’ve been nice if they hadn’t made us believe it was actually going to be a series set in the early 20th century.

Having them stay in the closet for 12 episodes would have been more realistic, but I think it wouldn’t appeal to the majority of fans who just want to relax with a romantic series.

100% agree with you. If you’re not looking for realism in terms of the historical context, you can have a good time. It’s a romantic series that works on that level.

They didn’t sell us a complete work of fiction, but a historical BL. So they’re supposed to at least respect the historical context a little.