This review may contain spoilers
Kawee is down bad and refuses to admit it
Please note that I watched this raw, and while I’ve come to understand some Thai over time, I’m still not fluent, so that might have affected my enjoyment.Sawan Biang (2008) is one of my favorites, so I wanted to check out the earlier adaptation too. It’s interesting seeing how much rougher and more dramatic this version feels compared to the 2008 one. The build-up between Kawee and Narin is so good here. The execution can get a little messy, but the tension and yearning is everything: all the stolen glances, quiet jealousy, and little nice things he does but refuses to admit. Kawee falls fast and hard before he even realizes it. Kawee is also painfully jealous the entire time, even when he has no right to be, but this version of Kawee is almost adorably embarrassed about being jealous of Narin—almost.
Both Kawee and Narin are constantly fighting their own feelings—Kawee because he’s built this image of himself as a cold, heartless guy and can’t drop the act out of pride, and Narin because she can see he’s hurting and wants to comfort him… but she also kind of hates him for the way he acts.
After Kawee rapes Narin he acts proud at first, but the next day when she leaves the house early in the morning he immediately starts feeling guilty and remorseful. He gets so worried about her that he starts calling their mutual “friends” to discreetly ask if anyone has seen her. The longer he goes without seeing or hearing from Narin, the more irritable he gets, directing the anger he feels at himself toward other people.
The drama’s major issue is the pacing: it can be a bit uneven, and I wish they had spent more time on Kawee’s redemption arc instead of giving him like two episodes where he’s not completely horrible to Narin. That way, Narin could have had more time to genuinely fall in love with him.
It’s messy and frustrating at times, but the tension and yearning are so good that I was still pretty hooked.
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