KingC

I am always skeptical when it comes to Domundi shows — they have a penchant for creating fun, light, yet wholesome, stories such as Your Sky or blowing it out of the box with nonsense such as The Next Prince, then drop Khemjira the next month, which undoubtedly put their future dramas into scrutiny.

A 9/10 rating for such a drama might be an overblown score, but I will explain why.
(To be more accurate, it will be closer to 8.7 for me. It has its ups and downs and I personally loved everything upto EP9. The rest are as enjoyable, but didn't pack the same punch as the previous ones for me.)

Being a character driven plot, Duang With You, by all means, is the perfect recipe for disaster, particularly for seasoned watchers and those who are expecting complex plots and no-nonsense characters. The funny thing is that the show itself is well aware of it --- it was meant to be a fluffy, albeit a little healing, and yet a fun romance.
And it does not attempt to disguise itself as something it was not.


✓ It starts off with a manic energy and ridiculous sound effects which further prove this point. Not to mention the rather cliché premise—

A popular interior arts student, Duang, pursues his icy love interest, Qinn, creating circumstances that would attempt to make them closer. Qinn is rather amused by his shenanigans, but when he is forced to pair with Duang for a college performance, he begins to realize that there is more to the funny fellow than meets the eye. He inadvertently begins to fall for him, complicating his guarded emotions and confusing Duang, who relentlessly strives to prove his sincerity.

✓ Adapting a book that has no definite plot has its setbacks. That too, with absolutely no conflicts.
I personally loved the first couple of episodes, because there was some purposeful drive for the relationship. For example, the senior, particularly, Alice, setting Duang up for both their show and trying to make his dream come true is the impetus that drove Qin and Duang's relationship forward and provided the time required for Duang to be seen past his goofy nature for Qin.

✓ The writers stayed true to the novel, though. Because most of the scenes and dialogues are a jumble of various chapters of the whole book. Some of Qinn's final sentences in the novel are at the beginning of the book.
But, I do think that things got a tad bit repetitive in some aspects.
I know the writers did not mean for it to happen, but by the end of the EP12, I was terrified of Qinn's love for Duang.


✓ Caveat, it is almost 100% Fluff. And told almost entirely from Duang's point of view. This personally affected me because we didn't get to see much of what was going on in Qinn's side of the story when some pivotal moments arrived -- I felt that it could've been 'shown' as tidbits instead of being 'told'. Particularly, about his family.

✓ Most of the plot is buoyed by the cast, particularly TeeTee, who delivers an unforgettable and lovable portrayal of Duang. Por is not far behind, and manages to stay on par with him.


✓ The true highlight of the series is the namesake of the drama, Duang. By all circumstances, he should've been a character that infuriates viewers, had something gone wrong.
Then, why, oh, why is everyone under a Duang Mania?
I think this is where the showrunners win.

And the title ‘Duang With You’ is the most suitable because Duang “is” the star of the show, played by TeeTee.
He manages to bring the maniacal, yet simple, and deeply empathetic character to life, switching between his tones and moods with ease, leaving us rooting for him at every turn.

Instead of being downright annoying, Duang is a character who knows his limits, pushing his emotions aside with a smile. He is never overtly jealous and somewhere, deep down, he was painfully aware that his pursuit of Qinn might be fruitless in the end.
Having to create a character who is unique, silly, unapologetically embarrassing and still manages to tug at your heart is no easy feat.

It reminded me of Lu Shi Yi from 'A River Runs Through It'. By all means, he could've come off as an annoying bully, but his consistent presence in Xiao Ju's life for years along with his natural charm attracted viewers. That drama will forever be a bitter memory for me for this very reason. Sigh... Anyhow.

Duang’s crazy infatuation drives him to make several plans that are frankly not from a sane mind, as his friends Jamie and Pae tell him.
We laugh at his efforts (I mean, he literally puts up his own stickers all over the hallway to catch Qinn’s sight) but as someone on YouTube commented, Duang was 100% serious about them.

To be honest, there is very thin line between stalking and attempting to woo someone, as Jamie and Pae tell him. But, the main point was that he was 'harmless'. If Qin asked him to stop, he stopped. When he felt that Qin wanted to drive him away, he stayed away.

He was consistent in his efforts, however ridiculous they were.
But, the bitter truth is that nobody in the world would wait for you as Duang did for Qinn.
But, who doesn't need a respite from reality?

That doesn't mean that Duang was a soft fluffball. He might be silly, straightforward and wears his heart on his sleeves, but he was honest and sincere. He masks his sadness with smiles, pushes himself away when he feels that he is not welcome and last, but not the least— he knows how to read the room.
(I am sorry to say that I know plenty of guys who would offer help when needed, but they all suck at romance.)

Qinn, played by Por Suppakarn, is rather difficult to portray, particularly when opposite to a character such as Duang, who is a perfect antithesis to Qinn. But, the writers gave him his time, throwing in glimpses of his turmoil and most of Qinn’s emotions depend on actions rather than words, which further complicates their relationship.
He reminded me of a more subdued version of Xiao Yao (Lost You Forever) as both characters had been shaped by their past experiences.
He lets Duang’s pursuit be a test for himself as well as for Duang and we spent half of the drama along with Duang – on a straight rope with no clear idea about what their relationship was exactly. Or rather a situationship.

While Duang is unsure of whether they were just in their ‘talking’ stage, Qinn has already claimed him as his person, whether Qinn was ready to accept it or not. Qinn was far more unsubtle with his emotions, having explosions of jealousy and is overtly more possessive than Duang.

✓ Maybe this slow burn and clashing characters are the true charm? I don't know for sure.
Also, the drama contains certain events/characters that push their relationship forward, a necessary change from the original novel, which was more of a collection of accounts of their daily lives. Much of the time Qinn understands Duang is during their summer break when they are practicing for a college programme. (There is a two week time skip which indicates this.)

✓ Duang’s efforts are flanked by his bestfriends, Jamie and Pae, who cheers him and also helps him realize the truth, offering comfort and caution whenever he needed. They don't come and go as they please and are active participants of Duang’s life. Both of them were comedic and clear headed and their friendship with Duang was another highlight. So was Qinn’s Tong and Kim. Characters existed for the vitality of the story rather than just to move the plot forward.

--- Family relationships play an integral part in both characters' upbringing. Qin was an only child with a rather strange family, but Duang's was vibrant and a sheer delight. I was happy seeing Yim as Funan. It has been years since I last saw him and he'll always probably be that 'Sadhu' guy from Cutie Pie. Whether family or friendship, this show did manage to brush all the parts.


✓ Aesthetically, the drama is pleasing to watch. It is completely splashed in colours with a cheerful tone. I don't know a thing about cameras and production thingies, and I won’t speak on that.


✓ The soundtrack reflects the same sentiments as the drama. My favorite ones are:

• Not the Best, but Still Good.
• Someday, Say Yes.
• Don't Give Up.
• Freeze ( Not an original, but two characters, Peem and Sol performed it in EP6 and it stuck with me since then.)
• Heart’s Timing.
• 101% Love.

Qinn being a Jazz music student had his fair share of performances onstage.
So, were Peem and Sol, two vocal students (played by Punch and Nice - two idols) who actually are one of the reasons why Qin and Duang are together. I loved their performance in EP6.

The drama also has several BG sound effects that add to its silliness, but it was endearing and reminded me of youth dramas such as ‘A River Runs Through It’.

For example, there is a scene where a serious character is jealous, but the pip-pip-pipee! BGM made me laugh and it wasn’t until much later, when it was evident that he was more critical about the issue, did the tone change.
This also affected the arrival of Marvis, Jamie’s person of interest, because the BGM and his shocked expression made me feel amused instead of awed. I feel sorry cause this feeling continued till the end whenever those two turned up. But, I have to give it to them– they had the most shockingly straightforward scenes.


—That reminds me; there are scenes that are quite risqué, but the way it was choreographed and directed seemed more emotional rather than gratuitous – almost too intense at times and made me watch through my fingers.

Moreover, there were instrumentals of certain songs that played during them that stuck with me.

✓ There was a slow build up BGM in EP6 where the boys are worrying about their performance that struck a cord in me. It was simply captivating and made me rewatch the previous episodes as it revealed the shift in their relationship. Hope it gets released.

✓ Unfortunately, this drama also just highlights the fact that honest and sincere people are a rare thing to find in the present world. And it was also relatable to me as I had seen two similar incidents happen over my time in college.
Well, at least, I'm happy that Qinn found his man. And Duang found his man, too.
It's not everytime characters like Duang, Lu Shi Yi or Lu Xun exist and get appreciated. I'm glad that atleast two out of the three of them got their happy endings.

Sometimes simply watching two characters grow up, face their fears and fall in love with no pressure is what we need. And that's exactly what this drama was for me, particularly during my University Examination period when it was a gift for an hour of break to break the stress. It was also the first drama I began this year.

I’m rating this a 9/10, not because it is a masterpiece. But, it simply is lovely, heartwarming, wholesome and memorable amongst the deluge of dramas in its own league - not the best, but still good.