Anusaya

Rape ignored - Script Writer's shame.

The story is oppressive in its execution, storyboard, and editing. It isn't a romance; it is a reaffirmation of the stereotyping of women and the financially disadvantaged of any gender in society. Meant as provocative entertainment, and not as social commentary. Note: Production missed that mark, too.

By episode six social stereotyping begins to irritate and becomes maddening because the story fails to acknowledge rape, assault, and kidnapping in a criminal way (Two of the main leads, are lawyers). Every gender is a target and women are getting the brunt of it. Men's brutality is portrayed as a given. While women are always jealous and the enemies of other females.

This repetitive; out-dated; poorly scripted; decades-old morality play has no purpose and no entertainment value. Even subject matter, couldn't keep the boredom away. The finale, a karmic joke. I blame the writer. I don't recommend it.

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An average drama, with a frustrating story-line.

Don't let that synopsis fool you - About as close as this gets to a female powerhouse is only as long as it takes for the female lead to toss away 8 years of free-will just by landing in Thailand. Because, the writer has abandoned the story they started, going for a well-traveled 18-episode road to the finale.

That opening sequence with the umbrella and note, a unicorn moment. Not even worth mentioning after a certain point. An average drama, that didn't deliver on most of it's original promises. That created frustrating characters; villains with no teeth; male lead with no backbone; side characters with no purpose; and family with far to many childish expectations. The story begins to meander from episode thirteen on, and just when you thought it may go full-on mystery reveal, it didn't. The final stumble, the female lead mom's secret - Proving the patriarch's words: women are to emotional, to lead. A final stray thought from a writer who wanted to do everything, and nothing, all at the same time. An average drama, with a frustrating story-line, that forgot it had purpose.

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My advice if you watch this. skip episodes 25, 26, & 27 of the DVD version.

At 29/32 (DVD/TV) episodes this drama became not a matter of love, or family, but of watchers' endurance. The romance was slow. The relationship cliches (I thought would be dispelled) - Were merely touched upon and then dropped. i.e., females being clingy and males using that as a gender flaw in general. In this series it was a plot-point driven home to a significant other. But, like most of the issues raised in this story, unresolved. While, the episodes plodded on.

Then, just at the climax of a two couple break up - Suddenly a lawsuit. And in episode 24; the invested time in both secondary couples was tossed out the window for a sudden detour into medical malpractice and filler.

Do I believe our capable doctor ran away, and that our female lead needed to make her impassioned plea to a patient's parents? Not, really. I assume it was all filler moments, because some of that precious screen time was handed over to the female lead's ex and new girlfriend. Both, late characters to this series that no one was invested in.

From the beginning, multiple couples were part of this series. It wasn't just about the mains. They had 5 EPS to resolve the secondary couples: San San and Gu Xiao, & Yin X and Jin Shi relationships. I assumed something happened in production, but since I don't know what that is. These, are my final words.

Get ready for a methodical hospital romance, with secondary stories and characters that don't matter, because they will be abandoned before the series ends. As for the main couple; misunderstandings abound. Which leads to break ups, childish choices, and repetitive hospital story-lines. Add a secondary female angst (watchers thought was vanquished in a heroic monologue early in the series) that rinsed and repeated into the last 5 episodes of the series, and I just can't recommend it.

My advice, if you watch this; skip episodes 25, 26, & 27 of the DVD version (29 EPS in total), and skip anything to do with those other couples.

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a community, and adorable couple

I think the writer wanted to play on certain audience misconceptions - real life judgment in a scripted environment. That made some people uncomfortable, some militant, and nulled some fans preconceived notions. Just because someone has played a gay person, or is a gay person in real life. Has mannerisms, or a job you believe are stereotypical, neither of which denotes character (or real life) sexual preference. But, just like the characters in this drama that misunderstood the male lead's orientation. All characters you are watching and their mannerisms are scripted, and not the actor that plays that part. That being said.

"You Are My Make Up Artist" is a romantic comedy series, with a main couple you could watch make cute faces at each other for an entire episode and it would be enough. But, even with that going for it, there are story issues. With a rocky beginning, and a writer that wanted to hit their audience over the head with teaching moments - known as misunderstandings. They had reasons; Highlighting the treatment of the LGBTQ community in Thailand. Drawing attention to the treatment of the vulnerable as second class citizens. While, emphasizing truth and forgiveness between individuals. And, if you can accept that, and a really adorable couple. With, an ending other dramas only dream of. I can recommend it.

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Loved. Recommend.

"How to Be a Perfect Dad" is a comedy that begins with a little girl, and her non-custodial playboy father learning to become a dad, when the child's single mom is hospitalized. Maddeningly beautiful, and warmhearted. Frustrating, and saddening, even angering at times. All the emotions that such a story can invoke, the supernaturally-based "How to Be a Perfect Dad" does.

It is a family tale, with layers of ghostly hauntings and mysterious figures. The underlying currents of love, throughout, are worth it. A modern tale without baggage, and a production team confident in the story they were creating. Highly recommended.

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that joyless place. I like to call; The last 11 episodes

"Whoa. Speculation reset. Just toss everything we thought we knew last week out" (2 months ago). My comment after episode 6 aired - where the line draws, and romance ends.

Where, watchers thought maybe a great chemistry could climb out into the light toward freedom. A place, that hunted-young-couple would discover love and themselves in the process. But, that story-180, took our leads away from originality, and right back where they started.

Where, the rich can take your organs, ruin your life, kill your child, and force lust on you. While, clueless vengeance and misunderstandings loop repetitively. We all know that place, that joyless place. I like to call it; The last 11 episodes of this soap-opera.

That wonder of walking down a dirt road, in a crown of straw, with a pony-tailed man - With old nanny as witness to a wedding under a open sky. All fell to nothing, and in the end the house they built, meant even less. That couple; mundane, but rich; chemistry gone; wander the earth; to write five star hotel reviews in branded gear. What a difference, that time skip made.

There are better romances out there. This could have been something special, but, it isn't. Not recommended.

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a waste of talented actors.

"My Friend the Enemy" was a story in a perpetual loop; where the same outcome, without a resolution was played forward each week. Producers had an opportunity to do something creative; it was suppose to be about a law office, the people inside it, and friends with a less than friendly relationship. And, because of that, character development was the lifeline most watchers grabbed onto in this drama. In the hopes it would be worth it in the end, but the only thing that grew was frustration. Little did they know it was an anchor, to drown them in repetition and nonsensical eruptions of 'salacious' and 'exploitive' drama till the next episode. Then, they did the one thing I didn't expect, to lay all the karma, on only one female lead. So, in the end, this series is a lesson in nonsense (one of those lessons being a revenge gang rape), and a waste of talented actors is the final outcome. The finale didn't save this, because the previous 15 disjointed episodes didn't lead us there. Not recommended.

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The boring version. Not recommended.

The series is lackluster at best. There's no anger, or love, nor sorrow. Just continuous bland angst. The leads and seconds have no chemistry. I didn't believe any character was remotely interested in any partner. Romantic scenes were awkward and made the angst even more cringey. A revenge plot should have some passion. Whether it's for a lost love, or the murder of your sister. This has neither despair, nor desire. A badly executed story, and the mains were not well suited for the emotions they needed to express for their roles. I can't recommend it. Glad it's over.

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It isn't the cast change; it is the script.

I don't recommend season two - Go out on the finale from season one. By the time you get done with this, the questions you had at the end of season one will be unanswered, and that other dramatic finale will be the only thing you remember from this series. Because from this moment on, this story changes, and becomes an unrecognizable repetitive loop not vested in the original adventure except in title only. It isn't the cast change; it is production without continuity.

Season one's characters are regulated to little screen time, if they show up at all. Even, the effects, and choreographed action season-one was loved for, are absent from the screen. The main couple disappear into a cart for 75% of the episodes. I personally think the director just wanted to showcase the character Ye Hong Yu in this season - Pretty visuals, with no invested substance; filler. While, Sang Sang and Ning Que, the female and male leads, became secondary characters by omission.

Where, in the previous season the leads were the highlight of an intricate couple's tale (Sang Sang and Ning Que) of fantasy, revenge, and mystery. I blame production, that took the lively couple, and split them into a triangle, that was as devoid of color as they could paint it. With repetitive scenes, and dialog that sucked life out of a dynamic tale-of-adventure we came to know in season one. It was a waste of time, a waste of talent in 42 more episodes of what should have been amazing. I can't recommend it, not even for closure.

(Watched as aired.)

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If you watch this - watch to episode 35, then skip to the last ten minutes of the finale.

I always wonder about drastic changes in continuity, and since I will never know why. I will ask. Whose idea was it to add multiple bar-scenes to the last six episodes? But, what's even more noticeable; our bullet proof couple was hijacked by the powers-that-be; stripped of their armour; romantically dumbed-down; while the male lead was regulated to shadowy figure.

I blame production. Who took a good love story; then voided the previous 30 great episodes, visual ascetic (remember new bar scenes), and side characters in episode 33. To end on a break-up trope, complete with ex-girlfriend. I know what they wanted to convey, choice, but then they launched a misunderstanding loop in the last 5 episodes. Leaving unresolved side stories, while everyone that deserved karma, was given a walk.

"She and Her Perfect Husband" began as a good drama, that stumbled in the final dump of the last ten episodes into confusion, cliche, and nonsense. An average watch now, that should've ended sooner. Do I recommend it? Three-quaters of this drama I loved. If you are going to watch it, all I can suggest is watch to episode 35, and avoid the filler by skipping to the last ten minutes of the finale. It had such promise.

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The actors were amazing, and I will follow their work in the future.

There is no moment that doesn't propel this story forward. No moment that doesn't involve you in a complete love story. No moment that doesn't engage you in solving a good mystery. And, all done in under 10 minute increments in twenty fast-paced episodes, you will want to binge. Because, it is that good.

While longer and bigger budgeted drama couples can be stuck in limbo until the last 10 minutes of the finale. Here, "Destined to Meet You" runs the full loving and romantic relationship gambit - With a bulletproof power-couple and a mystery that keeps you guessing right up to the final reveal. Highly recommended.

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rape is not romance.

The deviants, the avenger, and mommy dearest. What better way to make an evil mom acknowledge the tortured male lead's existence than revenging his own clueless teen half-sister. While the female lead makes a sad uninformed cameo appearance at the happy siblings engagement party. This is where the deviants step-in under the disguise of director and writer - providing some much needed last-minute on-screen main couple time and segue into parenthood. With a criminal kidnapping at the party, complete with rape of the female lead by the male lead.

This is a revenge plot that doesn't include the female lead. This had budding romance where a stranded night of stargazing would have been enough. There was no reason to include that in story. Rape is not romance, and does not belong in the romance genre. Avoid.

(source; read; My Custom List "Rated One")

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soft porn and boring horror

Note: Horror was only added to legitimize the pron* scenes. The writer, did neither well.

After Dark will embarrass you whether watching alone, or in a group. It neither titillates, nor scares. It's embarrassing and not for the sexual content. Personal, cringe-worthy moments are built into most episodes; where, you feel for the actor, or a scene that just hurts to much to watch. With a story that is confusing, repetitive, and cliche-driven starting in episode one. You eventually wish it would just be over, and the actors could move on to better scripts.

Horror and supernatural fans avoid like the plague - A really bad plague film would be better than this. The rest of you not so familiar with the genres, this series is soft porn and boring horror. There are better films and series out there. Avoid.

* internet alternative spelling intentional.

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Still recommended

Both Korean and Thai series have issues, mainly viewers are expected to read the mute male lead's mind in both scripts. Writers in general in this version (Thai) kept that oppressive black-hole (silent-stoic male lead) of the original intact while not skimping on the lighter side stories to soften the main topic. Sadly, they did nullify a perfectly good outcome in favor of the Thai penchant for forgiveness. I seriously wanted to see those original scenes played out in full, with Pong's character as 'apathy's' target. But it wasn't meant to be.

Strictly as a lakorn and under its own production; "VIP" with its seasoned cast follows the original Korean story nearly line for line, while fulfilling that need for the dramatic that some Thai soap operas are well known for. Long awkward moments for emphasis, overly played dramatic music, split screen longing, a second female lead that will not stop crying, a male lead's stare instead of dialogue, and flashbacks a must. Closure going far beyond the original; tying up loose ends in a neat future bow. A life lessons script; that needed to be itself, but didn't quite make it. Loosing the original's final impact in the transition. I blame production. An average series, with a few too many episodes. Still recommended. Watch accordingly.

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