KingC

Thanks for reading! 😁

You have a point... Sort of.
Plus, Duang with You (and all other lower budget/modern series) was easily available on YouTube which made it accessible to many.

Simultaneously dropping one episode of LUAT and then disappearing pretty much takes away a lot of viewers. (Casual viewers who seek a break with no excessive investment on time.)

Also, this is a historical drama, which is not much popular among regular viewers unless they are freely available somewhere.

Thanks! 😄

The last episode is obviously for fans.
And like I said in my review, it was intended to be fluff for brains.
Most people won't be able to digest this drama unless they like either Duang or Qin.

I liked how they managed the last EP in Khemjira although those two dramas can't be compared, but it still shows that you can fit in a finale without losing direction. The trip, I'm sure was a last minute addition -- it felt disconnected.

I don't know if the writers wanted it to be this way, but by the end I found Qin to be the more clingy and obsessed one -- yes, Qin changed. But, we barely got to see him out with his own friends after he and Duang got together.

The way the issue with Qin's parents was handled didn't sit well with me at all as it was dropped like a bomb - there were glimpses in the beginning, but shaping it as a major plot point for like an episode didn't work out for me. (In the novel, Qin simply tells Duang about it. Nobody attempts to solve anything. The novel itself had no substance, if I'm being honest. Just a slice-of-life account of two people in love.)

All the friend groups uniting was definitely the build-up for their reunion at the Freshy Night 2026; like a closed circle in reverse, just like in EP1.
Frankly, it left a lot to be desired because I felt like they attempted to put too much thought into making the last episode go back in reverse (Loy Krathong to the Freshy Night) and didn't know how to smoothly transition.

But, it sure is good if you simply want to watch something without overanalyzing anything.

After watching 4 episodes , I think the writers purposefully wrote it this way. I don't find it bothersome as I've read the novel, but it can definitely scare off a lot of viewers.

That is, the viewers are as stuck as Nakhun is in the past. If Nakhun gets some crumbs about Klao, we do too. If Nakhun meets someone suspicious, we become suspicious with him. We as viewers only know what Nakhun knows and pieces together. Nothing beyond that.

I personally think that the plot is going at a faster pace than the novel because they dropped some stuff really early whilst in the novel Nakhun doesn't figure them out until much later. Probably to adjust the pacing?
And the Nakhun here seems more careful because he observes people more than interacting with them. (Cherd, Han, Wanna.)

So, yes, it can be either frustrating or interesting.
I'll give this drama the benefit of doubt, considering that this is a time travel one. The book was a nice one, so the writers have to seriously mess it up for it to be unsatisfactory.

You can't take MDL ratings as a gold standard for quality because most of the people rate it based on their enjoyment, that is subjectively. Not on the quality.

Pretty sure that most of the top rated dramas in MDL like Hidden Love, When I Fly Towards You, Me and Thee, Lovely Runner and now Duang With You are all fluffy dramas that are an escape from reality. Like @ohani_jay mentioned, they are not meant to be nitpicked and critically analysed. Actors' performances are the ones that buoy the quality.
Most viewers prefer light hearted dramas and they attract more traffic. Not to mention, they are easily accessible on YouTube.

Dramas such as Love Upon a Time and Khemjira are on leagues of their own. They are intended to attract different viewers. For example, if you don't prefer mystery, there's no point in suggesting LUAT since mystery is the backbone of the series.

Thanks for reading! 😄

I actually like Nakhun's characterization. He knows whom to mess with and when; yes, he may make a fuss, but only with the people whom he knows he can get away with.
He can also completely focus on what's important, too, when necessary. Not to mention, he is desperate for some clarity about his situation/Klao's situation.
As for Jom and Kaew's story... I think they added a bit too much of the 'angst' cause everytime they come onscreen, it's just sad. They didn't stray far from the book. Unless Jom does something that evidently reveals his feelings, I will be happy if he ends up getting cursed by Kaew.

Sure!

Pretty sure that's Nakhun. If you are talking about EP1. There is a very similar scene in the novel, too. Also,
Nakhun has earrings. Klao doesn't. (From the flashbacks.)

Anytime. :)

Me too. The story is really wholesome -- perfect blend of mystery and romance.

Klao get's justice.
Nakhun makes sure of it.
And I think they are going the same route in the drama.
(The opening scene with the gun? It's important.)

But, the time travel part is 100% real. That's the tragedy.

Exactly.

In the novel, Phop guesses the truth.
But, there is absolutely nothing he can do.

Well, yes. It's particularly sad when you realize that he died without anyone ever knowing about it.
A short unfulfilled life.

It's a bit different...

In the novel,
Phop from the past does not realize that the Klao who he was with was Klao's rebirth, Nakhun, from the future.
And their story ends just like that.

If you are talking about Nakhun, yes, he gets to know that Klao and he are the same person.

But, if you are talking about Phop, the answer is a bit different. (This part is why many people find the story tragic.)

My pleasure. 😁

"We" know that Nakhun is Klao, but Nakhun doesn't know that. He knows that he "looks like" someone named Klao.

The drama is about him trying to find out what happened to the real Klao and go back home after finding the real person. (It is a mystery story, not full romance.)

They think he is Klao because he looks exactly like him, but we know from EP2 that Phop is starting to doubt if he is the real Klao. And you are correct.
Phop and the others don't know that the original Klao is dead.
And the Nakhun who time travelled is 400 years from the future. But, the people from the past don't know that.

Klao was killed actually. In EP2, Chuay told Phop that the last time he saw Klao was by the riverside and then he went missing.
Nakhun himself finds out about this during some of his last dreams about Klao, close to the end of his time in the past.