This review may contain spoilers
Stalker Cloud
I like that the title sequence had scenes that were specifically for the title that artistically interpreted the theme of the story along with some scenes from the show sprinkled in.
Phu may be forgetful, superstitious, and unafraid of speaking to himself out loud in public like a maniac, but he's still capable of being self sufficient and thoughtful. He's also got steely spine when it's needed which makes him standout from the stock cutesy guy into someone more three dimensional. Phu standing up for his dumb friend Achi who was tricked by Cir's arranged fiancé to get Phu there to verbally and physically attack him was great, showing he's no doormat. I like that once he entertains that it may be true that Cir is from a parallel world, he immediate differentiates that he himself is different from the Phu that Cir is dating and thinking about how parallel Cir is probably sad that his boyfriend is gone. He does eventually come to the conclusion upon Cir's second brush with the car of doom trope that he would like to be selfish and keep this Cir with him. At least he thoroughly thought about it first. This series has the worst moms. At first it seemed maybe it's fair that Phu's mom is living her own life in Australia now that he's in university, but she left her own child while he was still in junior high. That's wildly selfish to not take him with her no matter if he doesn't want to leave where his dad lived. She should have finished raising him and he could still go back to Thailand for university as an adult. Grief never goes away, but she's chooses to deal with it in a way that also keeps her kid in even more pain with him losing both parents when he needed at least one to take care of him and help him process it. It's amazing he's not more of a mess, which could be credit to his unseen auntie who had to take him in. Perhaps they never showed her to keep the negative maternal figure theme.
It's immediately weird that as in love as Cir acts that he is with Phu, he doesn't make that distinction that the Phu that he knows and love is back in the other world with out him, but rather with a different Cir as well. It's an interesting twist that Phu isn't from another world, but has been creepy stalking Phu for 5 years which is how he knows so much and the brain trauma from his first brush with the car of doom in addition to getting dream access to seeing into the parallel world where he's successfully dating the object of his obsession pushes him to desperately skip straight to dating Phu. Cir isn't that smart, he could have just used his information that Phu is probably open to being with him as push for a start fresh with Phu instead of just going full I'm from parallel world schtick to both Wim who has known him since kindergarten and this Phu who doesn't know who he is aside from being schoolmates. Cir is 1000% getting past getting committed to the psych ward with his pretty and rich boy privilege and being an unhinged stalker liar once Phu has already fallen hopelessly in love with him. The writing also should have kept it ambiguous if Cir is lying or not if they Cir was going to keep lying to Phu for a long time because once it's confirmed to the audience, it just drags the story pacing down.
Wim is so funny, at first it seems like he may be in love with Cir and a really serious guy, being so concerned about him, but it's really just everyone puts way too much responsibility on him regarding Cir's behavior like he's Cir's keeper and it's so funny when he learns Phu gets along with Cir despite his weird behavior and giddly says no take backs. Poor Wim has been traumatized by being forced to witness Cir being abused by Cir's truly abhorrent mother too. Cir really needs to treat Wim, who is the best friend to him, better and not just sell him out by giving Wim's number to Jin just like that just so Phu won't go with Jin to the movies anymore. Wim and Jin's cloud interaction was cute, playing what animal shape the clouds are with Jin who happen to know things because he can read minds. But everything else after that was just pure red flags, forcing Wim to go on a date and kissing Wim without consent and it's just played off as cute. At least Jin stops being able to hear Wim when he realizes how much he really likes Wim. He supposes it's both because Wim always speaks his mind and because the strength of how much he likes Wim that he can stop invasively hearing the one he likes.
It's really cool that a different Cir travels to one where a relationship with Phu is already set in to get a taste of it before returning and meeting their own versions. I wonder if the black clothed Cir in the white room wished that they had a happy ending becomes in some worlds they do not? It also seemed at first it's only the mind that is changed, but Cir's physical scar leaves and goes depending on the consciousness, but the hairstyle stays the same. That doesn't really make any sense, the show should have came up with something extremely specific habit wise for Phu to be able to differentiate between Cir and ponytail Cir. I feel bad for Cir getting hit twice with a car for these switches to happen. Phu telling ponytail Cir to convey his message of love and goodbye was such good angst. The switchback was the perfect time for Cir to finally tell Phu the truth about him actually being the Phu from this world, but it's so annoying that he doesn't because it makes Phu feel guilty for taking the boyfriend of another him and he knows the pain of losing Cir. Phu snooping around in Cir's room and finding out Cir's stalking truth is fair with Cir's lie to get close to Phu. This was dragged out so long that there's no angst in it, it's only right that Phu is angry. It was annoying again that in Cir's clarification video, he doesn't add on that he saw the parallel world in his dreams to at least explain why he was saying that he was from there to begin with. They only finally make things clear post coital at the very end. As it was for the two lead actor's previous project, the NC scenes for the characters are character driven. I've seen remarks about Phu being different between his regular character and when he's in a sexual situation, but he's shown that he was always increasingly bold with every interaction.
Phu may be forgetful, superstitious, and unafraid of speaking to himself out loud in public like a maniac, but he's still capable of being self sufficient and thoughtful. He's also got steely spine when it's needed which makes him standout from the stock cutesy guy into someone more three dimensional. Phu standing up for his dumb friend Achi who was tricked by Cir's arranged fiancé to get Phu there to verbally and physically attack him was great, showing he's no doormat. I like that once he entertains that it may be true that Cir is from a parallel world, he immediate differentiates that he himself is different from the Phu that Cir is dating and thinking about how parallel Cir is probably sad that his boyfriend is gone. He does eventually come to the conclusion upon Cir's second brush with the car of doom trope that he would like to be selfish and keep this Cir with him. At least he thoroughly thought about it first. This series has the worst moms. At first it seemed maybe it's fair that Phu's mom is living her own life in Australia now that he's in university, but she left her own child while he was still in junior high. That's wildly selfish to not take him with her no matter if he doesn't want to leave where his dad lived. She should have finished raising him and he could still go back to Thailand for university as an adult. Grief never goes away, but she's chooses to deal with it in a way that also keeps her kid in even more pain with him losing both parents when he needed at least one to take care of him and help him process it. It's amazing he's not more of a mess, which could be credit to his unseen auntie who had to take him in. Perhaps they never showed her to keep the negative maternal figure theme.
It's immediately weird that as in love as Cir acts that he is with Phu, he doesn't make that distinction that the Phu that he knows and love is back in the other world with out him, but rather with a different Cir as well. It's an interesting twist that Phu isn't from another world, but has been creepy stalking Phu for 5 years which is how he knows so much and the brain trauma from his first brush with the car of doom in addition to getting dream access to seeing into the parallel world where he's successfully dating the object of his obsession pushes him to desperately skip straight to dating Phu. Cir isn't that smart, he could have just used his information that Phu is probably open to being with him as push for a start fresh with Phu instead of just going full I'm from parallel world schtick to both Wim who has known him since kindergarten and this Phu who doesn't know who he is aside from being schoolmates. Cir is 1000% getting past getting committed to the psych ward with his pretty and rich boy privilege and being an unhinged stalker liar once Phu has already fallen hopelessly in love with him. The writing also should have kept it ambiguous if Cir is lying or not if they Cir was going to keep lying to Phu for a long time because once it's confirmed to the audience, it just drags the story pacing down.
Wim is so funny, at first it seems like he may be in love with Cir and a really serious guy, being so concerned about him, but it's really just everyone puts way too much responsibility on him regarding Cir's behavior like he's Cir's keeper and it's so funny when he learns Phu gets along with Cir despite his weird behavior and giddly says no take backs. Poor Wim has been traumatized by being forced to witness Cir being abused by Cir's truly abhorrent mother too. Cir really needs to treat Wim, who is the best friend to him, better and not just sell him out by giving Wim's number to Jin just like that just so Phu won't go with Jin to the movies anymore. Wim and Jin's cloud interaction was cute, playing what animal shape the clouds are with Jin who happen to know things because he can read minds. But everything else after that was just pure red flags, forcing Wim to go on a date and kissing Wim without consent and it's just played off as cute. At least Jin stops being able to hear Wim when he realizes how much he really likes Wim. He supposes it's both because Wim always speaks his mind and because the strength of how much he likes Wim that he can stop invasively hearing the one he likes.
It's really cool that a different Cir travels to one where a relationship with Phu is already set in to get a taste of it before returning and meeting their own versions. I wonder if the black clothed Cir in the white room wished that they had a happy ending becomes in some worlds they do not? It also seemed at first it's only the mind that is changed, but Cir's physical scar leaves and goes depending on the consciousness, but the hairstyle stays the same. That doesn't really make any sense, the show should have came up with something extremely specific habit wise for Phu to be able to differentiate between Cir and ponytail Cir. I feel bad for Cir getting hit twice with a car for these switches to happen. Phu telling ponytail Cir to convey his message of love and goodbye was such good angst. The switchback was the perfect time for Cir to finally tell Phu the truth about him actually being the Phu from this world, but it's so annoying that he doesn't because it makes Phu feel guilty for taking the boyfriend of another him and he knows the pain of losing Cir. Phu snooping around in Cir's room and finding out Cir's stalking truth is fair with Cir's lie to get close to Phu. This was dragged out so long that there's no angst in it, it's only right that Phu is angry. It was annoying again that in Cir's clarification video, he doesn't add on that he saw the parallel world in his dreams to at least explain why he was saying that he was from there to begin with. They only finally make things clear post coital at the very end. As it was for the two lead actor's previous project, the NC scenes for the characters are character driven. I've seen remarks about Phu being different between his regular character and when he's in a sexual situation, but he's shown that he was always increasingly bold with every interaction.
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