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I like the way the story is told, the way the space the landscape itself shapes the tone of a scene, the way music also tells the story of the island's community, of their feelings and state of being. I also loved how they did the flashbacks to Nabbie and Sun Ra in 1940. The dialogue is also something to pay attention to: In some scenes words are never needed; in others, characters say what they mean, but in other words; and in some, words fall like stones into the still sea.
Only one thing, we are used to the somewhat yellowish tint in Japanese films and series -- but I felt that it was even stronger here? It must have been a conscious choice? Or else I am too used to digitally filmed media? Thinking about it, I notice that I haven't seen a colour film from the 20th century in a while.
It's sad that the film didn't capture the vibrant colours of the sea, the sky and the flowers, I think I would have loved to see that.
I'm glad that JFF provided us with additional material, especially the "Ryukyu Buyo" short (link to the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSX8VaAV4RQ), which helped a lot with understanding the music and why some of the scenes were acted the way they were.
The story elements of enduring love, leaving the island and coming back, community and spiritualism are probably much deeper than I as an outsider can ever see. It was lovely, and I cried for reasons I cannot explain myself.
Was it good? -- It was! It's deliberately slow, but well told, and I love the way they did the flashbacks to the old love story of Nabbie and Sun Ra.
Did I like it? -- I did. However, this is a film I have to be in the right mood for if I want to enjoy it.
Would I recommend it? -- To those who love to see something different, who don't mind a story that sometimes tells things coming from sideways. However, those who hate the colour palette in Japanese media should probably stay clear.
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"Wherever feels like home ... is home."
Having seen "Midnight University" and "Low Season", I was looking forward to a non-romance Thai-style horror comedy. Those other two titles managed to combine Thai silly humour with deeper themes of life to create something very unique.And "Peaceful Property" did the same. I laughed, I cried, I was moved.
If we're being honest, each element of the story on its own follows a trope or two: The family backstories of two main characters, the individual ghost stories, the way the friend group meets, fights and makes up -- but then, how these are weaved together, with colourful threads of goofy humour, heart wrenching acting, consistent writing and solid editing, it's become a beautiful tapestry that tells us about family, home, (familial and romantic) love and loss. About how important it is to tell your loved ones that you love them before it is too late.
Maybe a note before I go into more detail: Thai humour, especially the silly sort you find in ghost comedies has a lot of screaming, running, is even bordering on slapstick situational comedy. If this is not to your taste, you might want to proceed with caution. If, on the other hand, you are easily scared -- this is not that sort of horror. The ghosts look mildly scary at first glance, but they are definitely not.
The writing is extremely consistent for a light comedy -- some elements and hints are shown early, and picked up in later episodes, the main villain is not quite clear from the beginning, the ghost's stories (which have only one episode to unfold and conclude) are able to build a connection with the viewers in a very short time, and ! the series remains interesting until the last minute. I'm usually bored by longer "and this is what happened after everything was resolved", which takes more than 20 minutes here, and I was not bored at all. I even paused at some points to read PangPang's live stream chat (I recommend to pay attention to the chat throughout the series, some comments are extremely funny!)
I would have liked to see a bit more criticism of the capitalist and classist society, Kan's background would make a good starting point for that. But to be honest, I did not expect it -- it's not generically part of the genre, and doesn't fit the core themes (home & family).
Without good acting, even a good script can't save a drama -- and I loved the acting here. Nobody was awkward and out of character, and within minutes of meeting a new character, I was able to connect with them.
The first episodes focus on a "ghost of the week" story while the relationship between our main characters develops in the background. It's not too on the nose, but also not too subtle how the "cases" relate to the group's story -- and some of them are picked up in the latter part of the series, which focuses on Kan's and Home's backgrounds.
The theme of "home" is both already in the name of one of the main characters ("Home") and in its title "บ้านหลอน On Sale" /baan long/, i.e. "Haunted House for Sale".
บ้าน /baan/ means both "house" (as in the building) as well as "home" (in the literal and metaphorical sense). ที่บ้าน /thii baan/ usually means "at home" but is also sometimes used for the people living "at home", i.e. the family.
If we look at the ghost stories with this in mind, they all not only take place in some sort of house, it's also always about family, about relationships between people -- some of them literally dream of owning a house.
Overall, this is one of the Thai series that can be watched by anyone. It's funny, it's heart-wrenching -- I sobbed in every episode, and often laughed just a minute later -- and it tells us to cherish the people who are ที่บ้าน, (at) home.
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Aspects I find especially outstanding:
* The class: Even the background characters had their own personality. They weren't just there, the actors seemed to know what their characters were like at any time. I found myself rewinding some scenes just to watch them doing their thing in the background. There's not only our favourite drama couple (the original Cinderella & her prince) but also look out for: the guy who alsways has his little notebook with him, the foodie, the two boys playing games... I would actually watch a second series just to see what they were all up to during the whole relationship drama of Aoki and Ida. (The same is true for the volleyball team btw.)
* The whole atmosphere in the class. It reminded me of my own last two years of school. We had much less dramatics, or at least I wasn't aware of any, but this is what it can be like if young people are allowed to be whoever they are and respect that about each other.
* I liked every single character in this show. Yes, even the student teacher. They were all genuinely trying to understand and to grow.
* The friendship between Aoki and Hashimoto. Hashimoto could easily have been that stereotypical love rival but she wasn't. I love how we gradually get to discover that she is more than just a timid or shy girl.
* I haven't even said anything about the two main leads. They earnestly try to discover how they feel and what to do about it. I like how the drama focuses on the awkwardness of trying to figure out who you can be as a romantic partner, and what you want your partner to be like. I remember being this awkward at 16 and 17, so for me, it's actually quite an accurate portayal of a first love, if a bit exaggerated -- but it IS a Japanese show and adapted from a manga, so it is kind of expected.
Overall, this little series has become of my favourites, and is one of the series I choose to watch if I need a pick-me-up.
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And these are indeed the reasons why I would say it's worth to watch this film -- because the story itself is very predictable and did not touch me.
The cinematography, however, is beautiful, and quite stunning, especially considering the aged material. I loved the peek the film gives us into the lives of Thai villagers 70 years ago, and I loved with how much care the ceremonies were filmed. Among others, we get to see a school, Loy Kratong, a wedding, and the ordainment of a monk -- and the film takes its time to show them to us in detail, though without explanation.
The story itself shows us attitudes towards disabled people, towards women and towards marriage and family of that time (and modern audiences might see how much of it has (not) changed since then). It also, more implicitly, tells us about Buddhist mores, the relevance of the belief in Dhamma and Karma, and what is considered to be a meritful life. In Buddhist teachings, เกิด แก่ เจ็บ ตาย "birth, aging, illness and death" are the four natural inevitable aspects of a person's life. When Santi is "sees the light" (grows up), he sees the world in all its beauty -- and its suffering. Only now can he see his "right" path forward.
The film was thought to be lost for decades -- only in 2014 was the film negative found at the British Film Institute, and screening versions at the China Film Archive in China and the Gosfilmofond in Russia. More than 1700 hours went into the digital restauration.
Was it good?
It has very good cinematography, and it gives us a window into the past. It's also notable for its importance for Thai film history, as it is one of the first 35mm colour films.
Did I like it?
I didn't get on with the story, but I loved seeing the daily life of the villagers, and their ceremonies.
Who would I recommend it to?
To people who are seriously into the history of Thai cinema. And to people who want to see life in a Thai village in the early 1950s.
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no highs, no lows, just average
When I saw that "Sweet Tooth Good Dentist" is based on a novel by JittiRain, who also wrote the originals for "Vice Versa", "Fish Upon The Sky", "2Gether" -- and that the drama is a GMMTV production, I knew that there was a high chance that this would be:* a low-stakes rom-com
* with a shallow plot
* and characters who only feel/express sexual desire during love scenes, but feel more like good friends otherwise
* and a happy ending
(Given that she also wrote the original material for "Be My Favorite", there was a small possibility that there would be more depth, but I didn't hope for it.)
And I was right! "Sweet Tooth Good Dentist" is exactly what I expected.
Which means it is perfect for those days when you don't want to think, and just need some distraction from reality.
The script could have leaned a bit more into the silly aspects of the plot or, alternatively, maybe additonally, into the tragic / traumatic backgrounds of the characters. Both the rivalry between Jay and Captain and Sant's best friend's antics would have been perfect for more silliness -- and the background would have provided a good starting point for an exploration of what makes someone happy, of what it means to be the one who is left behind, and if it's worth to sacrifice your own identity to makes your loved ones happy. And I know that the writers at GMMTV are able to combine sweetness, depth and romance into a well-rounded script, they've done it before.
But they chose the middle ground in every aspect, which means there's not many lows, but also not many highs, and the script doesn't give the characters much depth, so the actors don't have much to work with. Mark Pakin and Jimmy Jitaraphol try their best, and succeed in places despite the average plot. This is the second drama after Kidnap I've seen Ohm Thiphakorn in, and unfortunately, with his role as Sant, he still didn't get to prove his abilities. View Benyapa's character Yada was utterly unremarkable.
However, Poon Mitpakdee, who played Gugg, was a delight, as always.
As usual for recent GMMTV productions, the product placements are everywhere, the technical quality is decent enough, and directorial choices were obviously made to appeal to the average BL audience.
One thing I disliked was that they tried to shoehorn the old and tired top/bottom dynamics into the story, which really wasn't necessary. Not only did they make Mark Pakin wear clunky shoes with thick soles, so that he gained a few centimetres height over Ohm Thiphakorn, in later episodes he was also stereotypically permanently horny (but only in the "love scenes", of course).
Was it good?
It was an average GMMTV BL production.
Did I like it?
I liked it okay, but mostly because I waited to watch it until I was in the right mood for a drama like it. If I had had more capacity for critical thought, I would have been annoyed, I think.
Who would I recommend to?
To people who loved BLs in the vein of "Only Boo!", "Fish Upon the Sky" or "A Boss and a Babe".
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I really liked this documentary. The narrative gently leads the audience from the process they use on the peninsula to the history of why almost every family made salt there to why they stopped doing it -- and how it came to be preserved nevertheless. And then it looks into the present of 2011 and into the future of how this traditional method might be preserved and maybe even help the economic situation of this rural part of Japan.
I admit it, I had an elevated level of interest already because in my home town there also is a history of salt making (from briney springs rather than sea water), and in the very early days, before the invention of Gradierwerke, they also boiled the brine to produce salt crystals.
So, I had a connection already, but the documentary wouldn't have held my interest if not for these points:
* They built the narrative so that someone who has no prior knowledge can follow along. It takes time to explain and show the process, and also gives room for the beauty of salt and the landscape. Its slow pace also underlines how slow and back-breaking the labour was and is.
* They were probably lucky that there are not only photos but also film footage of the family who were the only ones to make salt for dacades. I'm glad we got to see this.
* There's a good balance between the facts of salt making and the people with their emotions and passion. Neither could exist without the other.
* Regarding people, after the revival of salt making (mostly for tourism), there are several endeavors to do so -- and I liked how the documentary doesn't try to push a "We're in this together, ganbarimasu!" type of narrative, because it clearly is not the case. The original family's father is very salty about how things went in recent years, and they don't try to hide that.
* I also liked how they found a random granny on the street, decided to interview her, and kept that footage in the documentary.
* The documentary also doesn't gloss over the fact that industrialization changed Noto, that salt making is not a craft with a bright future -- but that is more tourist-oriented now, trying to bring in money for the people who are left while preserving salt making as a historical artifact, and that this has changed salt making itself.
Was it good? -- Yes. It was informative, and engaging. It was also a bit slow, but I think that's perfect for the subject.
Did I like it? -- Very much so. I do have questions after watching it, but they are follow-up questions that would deepen my understanding, not questions because there was something missing or unclear.
Would I recommend it? -- Absolutely.
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The acting and the production value was great, as it often is with Japanese films -- but this one doesn't have the tight writing I've been accustomed to by other Japanese productions.
The script wasted time on several love stories, but couldn't develop them all, and then proceeded to use cliches for additional drama. Cliches, I might add, for the women only. I was most diappointed by the mother's reason for "retiring", which is one of the most overused trope in films and dramas.
These tired plot points distracted from the two story lines that should have been at the centre of the movie: The love story between Takeshi and Johyun and the preparation for the tug-of-war. It could have been a sweet, community-focused slice-of-life. It could have been a love story of a man who struggles between his own dreams and expectations or between old dreams and new ones.
There were also hints at other stories: A man who's single misstep at high-school overshadows his whole life, a mother whose life has been dedicated to family and the family business, a divorced single mother who constantly is at odds with a sexist society; the list could go on and on.
And even though the film took the time to explain about the tug-of-war in several dialogues, I didn't even understand what was exactly happening during the tug-of-war. What is the purpose of the disruptors exactly, what was that about the loops, why does the rope have to be cut at the end?
The film gives us tantalising glances into a fascinating cultural event as well as into interesting plot lines -- but none of them is ever developed to a satisfying point.
All in all, I would have rather watched a documentary about the Sendai Tug of War.
Was it good? -- Everything was great -- except for the script.
Did I like it? -- Not really. Script and characters are at the centre of a film for me, and here they frustrated me.
Who would I recommend it to? -- I'm not sure. To people who want to know about Japanese culture maybe? But then there's not enough explanation fo it.
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Intended for a domestic, not international, audience, this documentary does not need to tell the story of Tsukemen, the ramen variant invented by Yamagishi-san in 1961, and it does also not need to tell us about the dish itself.
Instead it focuses on the last active years of Yamagishi, and some of his years after retirement -- as well as how his work and marriage has shaped his life and his legacy.
As always with these documentaries that follow a person's personal life, I admire how close the film maker is able to get to the subjects of his film. The raw honesty with which Yamagishi can show us his life is the main reason this documentary can evoke the deep feelings viewers can feel while watching it -- personally, I cried throughout the last third until the very last second of the closing credits -- they were tears of suffering, of relief, of nostalgia for a life I did not live. Every moment of happiness was tinged with a deep melancholia for the passing of time and the changes it brings with it.
The way Yamagishi suffers through most of the film, and how he is still able to look back on his life and see the good things -- how he can accept the finality of age will stay with me for a long time.
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And, as expected from any film shown on the JFF Theater platform, the actors are brilliant. They are indeed so brilliant that there is no need for dramatic music, or experimental camera work -- the actor's way of portraying their characters is what carries this film.
Most of the film's value comes from how the characters react to their circumstances (or, rather how they try to shape them) -- which is why the actor's capabilities are so important.
I don't want to spoil anything about the plot and its little twists and turns. Maybe just this: This is not a "firework of jokes" kind of comedy -- yes, there are some scenes that made me laugh out loud, like right in the beginning, when Kanae Mizushima straightens her desk and then takes out a small vacuum cleaner for the finish; most of the comedic bits are more subtle.
And a short word about the romance -- yes, there is a romance story -- it was very cute. Two oddballs falling in love with each other, over their shared passion for plans and lists, was sweet to watch. And the hug in the end was everything.
As the best comedies do, this film also touches upon question of human existence: What is love? And what are you willing to do for it? What makes you "you"? How do you "know" who you are? And can you be an ethical killer?
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Kiyoi's and Hira's love is a twisted one, one that is more co-dependency than love. One feels that his only meaning in life is to adore the other. The other needs another person to look up to him. It reminds me of the relationship in "Double Mints", just without the drugs and violence.
I can see that this is a story that fascinates a lot of people -- it's raw, painful, and beautiful in its pain.
Additionally, the quality is exceedingly good. The actors are excellent, I don't think any viewer could imagine another actor in their roles. I love that the drama tells the story as much through sounds and silences as through visual elements, colours and inner monologue. The script is tight, and there's not a second that is unnecessary for the story.
For me, though, I would have needed a different story-telling to enjoy this drama. As a victim of bullying myself, I would never be able to adore my tormentor, even if I would have found them attractive (and, sorry, I don't find Kiyoi attractive at all, let alone beautiful). I cannot, for the life of me, see how Kiyoi's non-action (he just enters a room!) is more impactful for Hira than his college friend's active support from minute one.
Maybe it would have helped if I got to see Kiyoi's internal struggle earlier -- but then, he does not seem to see anything wrong with his actions during high school at all.
I do understand that we need stories about twisted and painful relationships, we need more than just sugar-coated rom-coms -- it's just that this one with it's central theme of school bullying is not the right story for me.
So, if you ask me: Should I watch it? Then, yes, absolutely, do so. Even if you, like me, will never understand their story, watch it just for the outstanding performance and the beautiful way this drama was made.
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This review may contain spoilers
Does what it set out to do.
"You Are Mine" is a classic office rom-com with a boss-employee romance. This drama thankfully doesn't pretend to want to be anything else, and it does it well.In accordance with its theme, the drama is rife with tropes -- from the gaggle of secretaries / colleagues, to the meddling friend/co-worker, and of course, both working overtime and the all-too-common work outing and more.
There's one story aspect that doesn't quite fit.
The main struggle in this story is that there's an imbalance of power between a boos and his employee -- and I do love that they address this! -- but it doesn't quite make itself clear through the script and the acting. For the longest time, it seems as if our employee is the usual "bottom"-type who is reluctant to enter a sexual/romantic same-sex relationship. The writing emphasizes this aspect too much and for too long, while the much more interesting and *actual* hurdle is only truly visible near the end.
I also am not too enamoured by the music. While the songs themselves fit the vibe of the drama and are likeable enough, they are unbearable as background music and distract from rather than support the scenes.
Both these aspects though are overshadowed by the amazingly on-point performance of the main actors, and also by the supporting actors -- it feels as if they know their characters inside out. The comedic timing is usually perfect.
I also love the "interviews" at the start of each episode (except episode 1, which has it at the end), which are funny in their own unique way.
Overall, it's a nice and fun watch for a gloomy day.
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This review may contain spoilers
Colourful!
Let me be shallow for a moment: Hiroko would absolutely be my type of woman, if I had a type. Competent, always friendly, a boiling mass of emotion behind a nice smile, and that hair? Mmh, yes.Now on the the actual review:
From the first minute, this drama surprised me with its colourful design: From the worklpace and Ayaka's home to her clothes, the light outside and inside -- I think I've never seen a Japanese television series with such clear and crisp colours.
This colour scheme does fit the upbeat and light-hearted story -- only tempered by the past experience of discrimination of LGBTQ+ people and the subsequent emotional state of one of the characters.
This is one of the best points, story-wise: Discrimination of lesbian women (and also the inherent misogyny, heteronormativity and sexism that go with it) are not glossed over but are part of the story itself; and the positive outlook we get at the end does not detract from that.
On the other hand, Ayaka's character feels unfinished. Why was she the way she was before her transformation? Is her "new" self closer to who she really was all along or did she completely change her persona? How does she manage to go from uncommunicative and reserved to an outgoing and socially adept colleague? Something's missing here, which is why I had to subtract a point.
Mori Kanna's (Hiroko) acting is suberb; her comedic timing and her facial expressions are excellent. Especially the first part of the series (which is more hilarious than the serious latter part) lives because of her inner and outer reactions to Ayaka's flirting.
Overall, I think this is a series I could recommend for a first-time GL viewer.
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underdeveloped plot, underdeveloped characters.
There's three things you should know before you watch this:1. The producers of this series are also the people who made "Second Chance", "Coffee Melody" and "Tin Jem Jai".
If you liked those, you might like "Ai long Nhai".
2. There are a lot of scenes, where it's clear that they intended to have a product placement. There are no product placements in the whole series. Either the production company is very bad at finding a sponsor or all potential sponsors did have no interest.
3. Ai long Nhai -- อัยย์หลงไน๋ -- Ai is infatuated with Nhai. That's it. That's the story.
[As an aside, the dictionary I use also gives two other meanings for หลง, which are a) [is] lost; confused; forgotten; neglected; mentally weak; b) to lose one's way, to go astray, to get lost, to be mistaken or forget; to be absorbed; to be absent-minded -- which is Nhai's personality in a nutshell]
The series -- I hesitate to call it a drama -- suffers from these points:
1. Interesting plot ideas, which never go anywhere and unconnected scenes, with plot holes and inconsistencies.
2. Side characters who can't even be called "one-dimensional".
3. Old BL clichés, and not the good ones.
4. Low funds, static scenes.
Let's elaborate:
-- 1. The series had a really strong start. I especially loved the banter between Ai and his father. When Ai first met Nhai, I expected this story: Ai falling in love at first sight, and subsequently pursuing a clueless Nhai, in more and more ridiculous situations; to the great amusemant of ai's father and friends -- I would have loved this comedy.
I liked that it was Nhai who made the first move, and his subsequent self-exploration. He was a classic case of a gay man deep in the closet (pining after a girl he will never get, getting physical with men when drunk, insisting that another man is just a friend and some internalized homophobia -- vocally claiming that touching another man is "eew"). That also would have made a really good story, maybe finally something more LGBTQ+ than BL. And they could have made this story light-hearted and funny, if they wanted. But that was quickly discarded.
Nhai's characterization as dirty and generally being a slob could also have been something new and interesting, people could have asked Ai "Why that guy?". It was kind of important but didn't translate into his appearance. He always looked styled perfectly, and I couldn't even see that his shirt was not ironed.
Scenes were often not connected, side stories discarded. I never could tell how much time had passed. Between a scene and the next, there were inconsistencies several times. Example 1: The friend group talk about Ai and Nhai several times, whether those two are together -- but there's no continuity, the discussions are always as if the friends haven't talked about it before. Example 2: In episode seven, a hickey appears and disappears, and reappears.
There's more, but this is getting long, so on to the second point:
-- 2. The side characters. I'd complain that the female characters are there just to advance the plot for the main characters -- but the friend group is more or less the same. They stay remarkably bland, considering they have quite a bit of screentime. At the end of episode two Nhai tells us about his friends in a voiceover, but this information is never important for any of the plot.
-- 3. Clichèd BL tropes that I hate.
Top/bottom dynamics, including the use of "hubby" and "wife" -- The top is manly, sucessful, knows how to get through life, perpetually horny, while the bottom is whiny, fragile, needs help constantly, reluctant when it comes to sex. There's a review here by RemmiKay, who says "This is a CLASSIC exchange of power relationship." There's actually some textual clues for that, so it works. While I don't think this interpretation is in any way intended by the writer or the producers, it made watching the series bearable. Still, even from an exchange of power relationship I'd expect that both are shown as into the sex -- Nhai continues to look like a nervous virgin whenever things turn sexual, and it gets worse the longer the series goes on. (Even if Nhai would only be playing at being reluctant, as part of their relationship dynamic, the audience should get to see that he wants it.)
There's the stereotypical gay (maybe transgender?) friend; there must be a gay friend in a romence, right? Of course, they are flamboyant, have pink hair, but they are definitely not beautiful or attractive. And it's disheartening that Nhai goes to this friend when he's unsure about his attraction to Ai and gets "Yes, of course you are the wife" as an answer. That's not helpful and also sexist.
Too many side couples. While other Thai BL productions in 2022 seem to have learned from past mistakes, this one tries to give a male love interest to everyone in the friend group. Not only do most of them not go anywhere (the one that does, just ... does, behind the scenes), the three friends also had explicitely stated that they are straight in previous episodes. (see above, inconsistent plot)
and, finally,
-- 4. low funds. The sets, few as they are, look empty. Ai's condo is supposedly "like a labyrinth" (Nhai, somewhere in the second of third episode), but it's not, and you can see that -- the living room and the kitchen are in the same room, for example. The props in the shelves etc. are obviously placeholder props; had they filmed in one of the example rooms in an IKEA, there would have been more personality to this living space. There are no knick-knacks or anything that makes a home a home. Ai's car seems to have cost most of the money they had.
That everything, the sets, the clothes and so on is mostly in white and black, really does not help.
Scenes often just were two or more people standing and talking, which made the already slow pace wven more static. Some actors need more acting classes.
Overall, I feel that the writer had some good ideas, but shied away from anything that would have made the series more interesting, either writing a good conflict (inner or external) or more comedy. Was it too daring for him?
But even if they intended to make a slice-of-life series, they would have needed something more plotty and consistent.
It's like a teenager's first fanfiction -- they love their characters, they don't want to hurt them, they write things they wish for in their relationship. But for a product that is supposed to bring in an audience, who'll remember the story, this is just not enough.
That being said, there have been two small things that need to get an honourable mention:
* I think this is the first Thai BL in which lubrication for anal sex is mentioned, and hopefully used.
* Ai explicitely states that he is bisexual. In most BLs they don't even use the word "gay".
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180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us
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From a single line you can draw a wall -- or a bridge.
This is one of those dramas that leave me with a lot of feelings and with many thoughts, none of which I am able to express in words.I often give some insight of what I think a drama is about, what I believe its core themes are. I won't do so here, I think this is one you should go in as blind as possible.
But maybe as an advice for those who think about watching this drama, this is what you should *not* expect:
* fluffy, steamy or whirlwind romance,
* kissing or sex
Instead, you *will* get this:
* a slow paced drama about grief, about loss, about trans-generational trauma,
* a drama that focuses on the relationships between four people, one of them dead,
* many dialogue-heavy scenes,
* a slow reveal of what exactly happened in the past and what it means for the present,
* complex relationships,
* an ending that you will have to decide whether it is a happy one,
* excellent acting, minimal sets, and extremely intentional camera angles,
* metaphors,
* and did I say that this is slow? It's slow. And the story is not in what is happening, it is in what the characters are feeling and what they have to say (or choose not to say). And in that, it doesn't feel slow at all -- every short dialogue, every camera view is filled with meaning.
Don't expect a "BL", don't expect a drama that is focused only on a love story between two men.
The story is at least as much about the triangle between the mother, the father and the father's best friend as it is about the relationship between mother and son -- and the lines that can divide or connect them.
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What will you sacrifice to make your loved ones happy?
What might be important to know:* This is not an action/crime series.
Yes, there are some action scenes. And yes, there is a crime ring, drug smuggling and a murder case. But it's not at the centre of the plot. The main characters are even only marginally involved -- but the crime sub plot majorly influences certain reactions and decisions.
* This is not (only) a fluffy rom-com.
Actually, after the meet-cute and the scenes when Min follows Q in episode 1 and the preview for epiosde 2, I was convinced that this would be a shallow rom-com full of tropes and over-the-top Thai humour.
It IS very fluffy at times, very cute, with two soft boys who fall deeply in love with each other. But it is not only that.
In its core, the drama explores a much deeper question: How much will you sacrifice for the people you love?
Will you sacrifice your money, your health, your prospects in life? Your life itself? Will you do things you would never do otherwise? Will you sacrifice your own happiness?
And are these sacrifices you make -- are they the right choices? Will they make the other person happy?
I love how these questions are slowly asked and how they are answered differently over the course of the series. Both Min and Q search for the right way to achieve happiness for their loved ones -- with twists and turns, with laughter and tears. As the audience, we get to slowly learn about their lives and history, what made them who they are now and how traumatic events in their lives have shaped their views.
The script is well-written in that regard, there are no dragging parts, and the events of the present and the past are told in a way that they make a cohesive whole.
There are several inconsistencies, both in the writing and the execution. Just to mention some of the most obvious: the scene in front of Q's house in episode 7 would have had more impact if the actors hadn't swapped places for the close-ups, which brought me out of the immersion into an extremely emotional scene. I don't understand why Min's bedroom was restored to its original state after Min had taken care to rearrange everything in episode 2. Also, Min was shown as speaking English very badly (ep. 1), but later, he has no problems with instructing tourists at the surfing school.
One major flaw in the writing is the character of "James". I think he should have been two characters -- because he both has connections to the criminal underground (which are never explained nor explored, and Yada or indeed anyone else doesn't even really seem to know or notice him) and he is this good friend and mentor for Min with connections in the film industry, who is supposed to be extremely likeable and trustworthy? It would not have been hard to write a second character for the criminal connected side (another stuntman, maybe?), and keep James for the rest.
Mhen was unfortunately a bit bland as a character, he was never able to become more than "little brother who is ill and loves his older brother very much" -- and though Ohm Thipakorn obviously tried his best, he was not able to give his character much more colour. (Also, how does he get a heart transplant that quickly?)
Throughout the series, it's never clear how much time has passed, so that some scenes seem to happen very fast after another, when it's probably not the case -- a flaw a lot of Thai BLs seem to share.
But I can overlook these flaws because of the solid technical execution and mainly because the script gets the emotions right, and knows how to tie them together with the main theme of the drama, -- and because of the acting. Both Ohm Pawat and Leng Thanaphon are very convincing in their roles. They were able to make me feel with their characters, to be immersed in their story and to believe their emotions.
Leng surprised me, because I was a bit sceptical if a rookie would be able to portray a character that is at odds with himself and with the world -- and indeed, especially in the beginning, when Q is trying to show one kind of emotions to the outside, while he has opposite emotions on the inside, Leng reaches his limits fast. In his defense, these scenes would have been a challenge for more experienced actors, too.
Overall, I find, again, that it's best to follow a drama's story without preconceptions about what it "should" be, but instead listen to what the writer, the director and the actors are showing us -- and here, they showed us a story about how traumatic experiences can shape your world. They showed us a story about about devotion, about love between parent and child, between brothers, between lovers and what it means to make another person truly happy.
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