I think this is one of those shows that is better watching weekly rather than all at once bacause the show discourse does heavy lifting. and it's probably also better if you're less familiar with this specific genre of regression/reincarnation so you aren't expecting certain plot beats and character actions/reactions and instead going in without expectations.
in a way it's fascinating all the ways it's subverting every expectation you have and shows how even if you can go back, the factors impacting you the first time still Impact you again despite coming to situations with more knowledge. you could definitely analize it as a critique of systemic power and how those not born into it are always at the mercy of it no matter the talent and knowledge. those who have learned to game the system do it at great personal cost. at the same time, the regression genre at it's core is a power fantasy about taking back the control you once lacked in your life. so to see the tropes subverted in this specific way feels like removing character agency. he doesn't win at the game of wits. he needs a rich man with power to turn the tide of his career, despite his improved skill. he nearly fucks up every opportunity he gets because he is drowning in the pain of the past rather than using the pain to fuel him toward revenge.
it gets compared to shows like marry my husband, but it is a fundamentally different type of show where he has no particular desire for revenge despite the similar premise and marketing. he just wants to improve his career and cut the nasty people from his life. however, if you don't carry the expectation of revenge and dominating systems of power the genre isbknown for into this show, then there are interesting ideas you cam explore in characterization. though there are other plot-related things to nitpick about. honestly, its best watched like a wild soap rather than revenge fantasy. you cant take the plot too seriously
It always shocks me when guys who look like him get involved in sex scandals. I mean i highly doubt he had trouble…
situations like this tend to be more about power than attraction. people in power exploit those they feel are below them as some power play because of their superiority complex. hes not getting off to the girl, hes getting off to his own self-importance and the idea he can get away with acting badly because nobody will challenge him.
is it stupid? yes. but you'll notice the trend that men with more money and fame than they know what to do with usually are. regardless of how attractive they are.
I think you misinterpreted it wrong-- he didnt sleep with a woman in the last episode? in fact, his girlfriend…
no problem-- I'm glad I could clear that up for you 😄 its easy to miss the details/nuance/context when trying to watch stuff with questionable subtitles haha
I think you misinterpreted it wrong-- he didnt sleep with a woman in the last episode? in fact, his girlfriend…
ooooh, THAT email. that email was a spam bot lol.
if you look at the email address, it was "eroero.deai" which means "erotic encounter" lol. the email introduces itself with her age and offering to swap sexy pics, but she clearly is fishing for personal info/engagement with a shady site but doesnt actually know him. the email's title (I cant forget) doesnt match what is inside the email because it was trying to get him to click on it by feigning a personal connection-- and it worked lol. he excitedly checked his phone hoping Sei had responded to his email and "couldnt forget that night" but it was just a spam site trying to get him to engage. you can see the frustration on his face when he realizes what happened.
I think its supposed to contrast the phone call he just had telling him to move on, showing that he isn't ready to move on yet and is still desprately hoping Sei will reach out to him to reconnect.
To me, last episode where i think they implied that hagiwara have a one night stand with a women is so unnecessary..…
I think you misinterpreted it wrong-- he didnt sleep with a woman in the last episode? in fact, his girlfriend said she wished it had been a woman he slept with because she could have forgiven it but he slept with a man, so thats somehow worse. so that kind of says there wasnt anybody else?
so far as Sei and kazuaki are concerned...its kinda implied that kazuaki forced himself on sei and physically assaulted him...not sure I want them to be together after that. even beyond that, Kazakh chose to lie, string sei along, and isolate him from his peers so he would be emotionally dependent on him after sei's parents died...instead of just agreeing to date sei like they both wanted. idk, I liked him in the first half of the seriese, but they totally assassinated his character in the back half. a little sad about it.
I think the first and last episodes were a bit of a mess, but I loved everything in between. they did manage to wrap things up in the end, but I cant shake the feeling it should have had like 2-3 more episodes to pace everything out better.not the full two seasons of the original, but like 1.5 seasons. still, I loved the journey and I'm sorry to say goodbye.
it was pretty obvious from the beginning that this was a series with a lot of newbies both in front of and behind the camera. I aligned my expectations with that and enjoyed it. there were zero surprises plot-wise in any of the episodes, but it was cute. most importantly, this was a learning experience for people just starting their careers. I appreciate the necessity and value of these types of projects in that regard.
as a serial watcher of MeenPing shows, I can say I saw a shift in their on-screen dynamic that pleasantly surprised me. these roles gave them a little more opportunity to flex their acting muscles and explore a range of emotions within these characters that was a lot broader than previous shows. some of the scenes were quite effective with some depth of emotion we haven't seen much previously. some were less effective and deep, but I think the writing and acting were some of the best ive seen out of a MeenPing show. kinda made me want to see them lean into the tragic romance genre with lots of pining and longing glances. I think theyd be good at the sad slow burn shit if that got a good director/script.
that said, this show was some real sports anime bullshit. which 10/10 no notes, I love that shit. but I was laughing my ass off at some of the rediculous scenes they delivered with the utmost seriousness and sincerity. this was veering very near the side of unappologetically camp for me and really lovingly embraced its nonsense plot that was barely hanging on by the last few episodes. a plot I somehow remained invested in the entire time despite the continuity flaws and plot holes.
was this a masterpiece? no. was it an indulgent, fun ride? yes. this is the kind of stuff I like and I will probably go back and rewatch some of it tbh.
the NC scene in the first ep had me in tears. I laughed like a howler monkey when he ripped the dirty shirt open. no idea what the heck happened the rest of the two episodes but 10/10 worth the watch just for that experience
considering the overall quality and reputation of this show, it engaged with the plot of healing from a toxic relationship a lot more seriously than I expected (is the bar on the ground for me based on my experience with other series? maybe). Rak worked to speak up and set boundaries in a way he had given up on in his previous relationship because he was always ignored and Dino listened and respected those boundaries with an understanding of why they were there. i also appreciated how seriously Rak and Dino took the SA plot and how when his ex apologized, its clear he refused to be alone with him for his own safety and his forgiveness was for himself so that he could cut all ties with their past relationship and move on. it wasnt real forgiveness, but just not wanting to waste anymore mental energy on this person.
there were bad/cliche/nonsensical parts of this show as well for sure, but there are just little hints that with a more experienced/better team behind the scenes, the show could have been decent for what ir was.
had a random thought about this show's ending today. the time skips in the final episode were big. if we were to assume the main story took place 2022, then that last scene would have happened after gay marriage was legalized in Thailand. retrospectively, it recontextualizes things there a bit, doesnt it? not a bad thought.
this was such a product of its time. you can see where they had to make adjustments in order to get this done within the filming constraints of the lockdown with the single hotel as a shooting location and the skeleton cast and crew. not to mention their fully embracing a pandemic plot. I suspect they had to make very last minute adjustments as they rolled with the punches and the plot suffered as a result. shame they couldnt have the whole ensemble cast together for filming but the cameos were nice.
ive thought about it and I think this show's greatest weakness is its failure to properly frame Win's actions in the first episode. because they dont properly build up to it, the explosive levels of anger at the reveal of the will feel unjustified. they go from a strong, loving bond to enemies at the drop of a hat and it would have made more sense if there had been a more gradual lead up where more hints of interactions and comments that sew doubt in their relationship or there were hints to the pre-existing cracks in their communication leading to insecurity. furthermore, the way he treats his sister is jarring, again, because its too abrupt. we see too little of them getring along in any capacity and dont get a great feel of their relationship beyond this conflict. just one interaction where he initially calmly rejects her business plan and explains at least partially that "no. we are struggling already, I cant handle trying to expand the business right now. theres already so much to do" beforehand could have done a world of good. its clear he's taken on the burden of running the farm with zero support and the only interest in the business expressed by his mom or sister being a restraunt. so showing the buildup to the explosion being directly related to their dismissal of his wishes as the company owner and crumbling under the weight of not having any trust in or support from his co-owners in the day-to-day making their lieing and going behind his back feel like a betrayal would better frame his mental state and, while it doesnt excuse his actions, it makes the logic behind his actions in the seriese more sound and easy to follow for the audience. which would help with buy-in for those who struggled with getting invested in Win as a character due to his character flaws. it would jus clarify things a lot. these actors act the hell out of their roles, but I blame Win's worst moments as a character on the weaknesses in the script and/or directing because they packed rhe wrong kind of punch
in a way it's fascinating all the ways it's subverting every expectation you have and shows how even if you can go back, the factors impacting you the first time still Impact you again despite coming to situations with more knowledge. you could definitely analize it as a critique of systemic power and how those not born into it are always at the mercy of it no matter the talent and knowledge. those who have learned to game the system do it at great personal cost. at the same time, the regression genre at it's core is a power fantasy about taking back the control you once lacked in your life. so to see the tropes subverted in this specific way feels like removing character agency. he doesn't win at the game of wits. he needs a rich man with power to turn the tide of his career, despite his improved skill. he nearly fucks up every opportunity he gets because he is drowning in the pain of the past rather than using the pain to fuel him toward revenge.
it gets compared to shows like marry my husband, but it is a fundamentally different type of show where he has no particular desire for revenge despite the similar premise and marketing. he just wants to improve his career and cut the nasty people from his life. however, if you don't carry the expectation of revenge and dominating systems of power the genre isbknown for into this show, then there are interesting ideas you cam explore in characterization. though there are other plot-related things to nitpick about. honestly, its best watched like a wild soap rather than revenge fantasy. you cant take the plot too seriously
is it stupid? yes. but you'll notice the trend that men with more money and fame than they know what to do with usually are. regardless of how attractive they are.
if you look at the email address, it was "eroero.deai" which means "erotic encounter" lol. the email introduces itself with her age and offering to swap sexy pics, but she clearly is fishing for personal info/engagement with a shady site but doesnt actually know him. the email's title (I cant forget) doesnt match what is inside the email because it was trying to get him to click on it by feigning a personal connection-- and it worked lol. he excitedly checked his phone hoping Sei had responded to his email and "couldnt forget that night" but it was just a spam site trying to get him to engage. you can see the frustration on his face when he realizes what happened.
I think its supposed to contrast the phone call he just had telling him to move on, showing that he isn't ready to move on yet and is still desprately hoping Sei will reach out to him to reconnect.
so far as Sei and kazuaki are concerned...its kinda implied that kazuaki forced himself on sei and physically assaulted him...not sure I want them to be together after that. even beyond that, Kazakh chose to lie, string sei along, and isolate him from his peers so he would be emotionally dependent on him after sei's parents died...instead of just agreeing to date sei like they both wanted. idk, I liked him in the first half of the seriese, but they totally assassinated his character in the back half. a little sad about it.
-i think I wanted to own every pair of pants three wore the entire show. some real outfit envy there with his beach outfit
-(spoiler) the confession scene had me cringing so bad. truley did justice to its western romcom story roots of public declarations with that one.
-(spoiler?) dont watch if youre hoping for much in the way of sweetness or skinship.
-wow women sure arent respected in this show
-the way they're so cavalier about cheating/forgiving awful behavior from friends and partners is wild
- I frequently and affectionately said "these motherfuckers" and "dramatic bitch" out loud while watching
-i think this could count in the toxic romance genre. definitely counts as having a red flag love interest
that said, this show was some real sports anime bullshit. which 10/10 no notes, I love that shit. but I was laughing my ass off at some of the rediculous scenes they delivered with the utmost seriousness and sincerity. this was veering very near the side of unappologetically camp for me and really lovingly embraced its nonsense plot that was barely hanging on by the last few episodes. a plot I somehow remained invested in the entire time despite the continuity flaws and plot holes.
was this a masterpiece? no. was it an indulgent, fun ride? yes. this is the kind of stuff I like and I will probably go back and rewatch some of it tbh.
there were bad/cliche/nonsensical parts of this show as well for sure, but there are just little hints that with a more experienced/better team behind the scenes, the show could have been decent for what ir was.
god, the number of musical refrences/memes in this show.