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The official trailer immediately caught my attention. I was expecting a university romance with supernatural and psychological elements, a mysterious wish-granting character, dark secrets, manipulation and complicated relationship dynamics. I didn't initially recognise Tee Boonyakait Wongsajaem and Heng Thatpong Rojsangruang, although I eventually realised I'd seen both actors in other series. With Tee Bundit Sintanaparadee directing and Dee Hup House producing in collaboration with iQIYI, I was genuinely looking forward to this adaptation of Hwang Sol's novel.

The premise was easily one of the series' strongest selling points. Jane Patrick, or Big Jane, is a mysterious university senior who has built a reputation for granting people's wishes in exchange for favours. Through his network, Favor, he can manipulate situations, establish obligations and make people indebted to him. Little Jane, or Jane Aree, is a university football player and comic artist who is refreshingly uninterested in exploiting Patrick's influence. Their unexpected encounter, followed by being paired for a ballroom dancing class, gradually develops into an intriguing relationship. Patrick becomes interested in someone who doesn't want anything from him, while Little Jane starts discovering that the intimidating senior has a softer side.

Unfortunately, the storytelling became increasingly uneven after the initial episodes. The recurring conflict between Big Jane and Little Jane started feeling repetitive, and the series relied heavily on exposition to explain its characters and motivations. The middle stretch was considerably more entertaining, largely because P'Jane was such an interesting character. I enjoyed trying to understand his behaviour, intentions and complicated relationship with Little Jane. However, the show never quite delivered the psychological depth I was hoping for, and several supporting characters felt more like plot devices than fully developed individuals.

My biggest issue was the relationship itself. Big Jane is presented as the ultimate red flag, supposedly someone with a devilish reputation who should never be trusted. Yet, I often found him to be the one more emotionally invested in the relationship. He was blinded by his feelings, constantly trying to protect Little Jane and repeatedly chasing after him despite being pushed away. Little Jane, meanwhile, seemed emotionally half-committed and consistently chose to leave whenever misunderstandings or problems arose. I genuinely started wondering who was actually the red flag.

Little Jane's characterisation was particularly frustrating. He frequently made questionable decisions, struggled to communicate and rarely seemed willing to confront Patrick properly. He would hear something, misunderstand the situation and immediately distance himself rather than attempt to resolve the problem. Heng is undeniably cute, but I found his performance rather wooden in certain scenes, with limited emotional expression and some unusual facial reactions. He reminded me of Bella Swan in Twilight. I honestly felt the character could have been written with considerably more depth, allowing the actor to demonstrate more of his potential.

Big Jane was easily my favourite character. Tee delivered a solid performance, and the man is ridiculously handsome and attractive. However, I couldn't entirely understand Patrick's obsession with doing favours or why he remained so devoted to someone who repeatedly hurt him. The series never adequately explored the origins of their feelings or the deeper motivations behind their actions. There was so much potential in Patrick's morally grey personality, but the writing never fully capitalised on it.

Dan's storyline was another missed opportunity. While he could certainly be annoying, I struggled to understand why he was treated as such a terrible person when his initial intentions were largely protective. His eventual transformation into an antagonist, complete with an increasingly contrived revenge and kidnapping storyline, felt forced. The actor did a decent job, though, considering how ungrateful the role was. Putt's storyline was equally frustrating, with his fate serving more as a convenient excuse to separate the leads than a meaningful development that genuinely strengthened the narrative.

I was also disappointed by the lack of an actual supernatural element. The trailers gave me the impression that we were getting something much darker, perhaps along the lines of My Demon or Lucifer. I wanted wings, blood-signed agreements, a genuinely demonic mythology and a Big Jane who was more than just an influential university senior running a questionable favour business. Instead, the supernatural promise amounted to very little. Even the blood-filled lockets Patrick collected felt rather silly without a convincing explanation. They looked like cheap accessories with glued-in thumbtacks, and I couldn't take them seriously.

The series also struggled with its tone. What initially appeared to be a dark supernatural romance gradually shifted into a conventional romantic drama before eventually becoming an over-the-top soap opera. The constant misunderstandings, separations, reconciliations and conveniently manufactured disasters became exhausting. Every time the leads seemed to be making progress, another unnecessary complication appeared. Putt's storyline, the repeated break-ups and the eventual amnesia arc all contributed to an increasingly disjointed narrative.

The amnesia was particularly unnecessary. It felt like another lazy storytelling device designed to reset the relationship and prolong the inevitable conclusion. The accident and the resulting conflict could have been explored without taking away Little Jane's memories. Instead, the storyline wasted valuable time that could have been used to develop the characters and give their relationship the emotional payoff it desperately needed.

I actually stopped watching around episode eight because I was becoming bored and increasingly disconnected from the story. I eventually resumed watching because I wanted to finish the series before writing my review. Unfortunately, the final episodes didn't improve my overall impression. The plot holes became more noticeable, character motivations remained underdeveloped, and the repetitive storytelling made it difficult to care about the outcome. I simply couldn't establish the emotional connection the series expected from its viewers.

On a more positive note, the cast deserves credit for their efforts. There are several capable performances, particularly from Tee, and the supporting actors do their best with the material they've been given. The soundtrack is another highlight, especially 'You're a Red Flag but I'm Colourblind', which is ridiculously catchy and arguably captures the central relationship better than the actual script.

Ultimately, Don't Be Too Emotional had an interesting premise, an appealing lead pairing and plenty of opportunities to become something genuinely compelling. Unfortunately, the execution fell short. The series needed a more coherent storyline, better pacing, stronger character development and, most importantly, characters who actually communicate and think before making decisions. Being based on a novel doesn't automatically excuse reproducing storytelling problems in a television adaptation.

It's disappointing because I genuinely wanted to enjoy this. Big Jane was fascinating, the cast was appealing, and the supernatural concept had so much potential. Instead, I got repetitive relationship drama, questionable character decisions, unnecessary tropes and a romance I struggled to connect with.

A massive case of wasted potential. I hope to see the cast again in a better-written series that gives them more room to shine.

And Big Jane, you're gorgeous, but where are your wings?