This review may contain spoilers
Slow Burn at It's Core, Boring at It's Surface
I had anticipated Lost in The Woods since it was announced Nammon would be in it (one of my favorite Thai actors) so, when this started airing, I immediately started watching. What I got was half of what I had anticipated, and the rest was ehh, but with how short this series was, including the very few actors in this, I think it worked.
Let's Dive In.
What I had predicted before watching LITW was that it would remind me a lot of ATOTS. I know now, I have to stop expecting and comparing series, or otherwise, I'll end up disappointed. They had their similarities: city boy meets country boy, rural country side, slow burn, but it doesn't quite hit the nail on the head as ATOTS does, which is fine, and my own fault for hoping it would.
LITW is not bad by any means, but it is extremely tedious to get through. Lots of beautiful scenery/nature shots, but I kid you not when I say that that's what half of the episodes are: shots of the gorgeous setting they were in. Which isn't bad, but it gets to a point where it's entirely too repetitive.
I love slow burn, and this series gave me just that. When I say slow, I will now be referring to Fifa and Hem's relationship, cause it's exactly the kind of thing I yearn for. Which is what kept me to watch, but it's hard with a lot of the episodes dragging and giving us, at times, pointless scenes. Ton and Arm do a good job at building the tension between them. I loved the longing stares, the nights spent together, adventures taken. They did leave it very open-ended/ambiguous, which is another reason this series doesn't get much of a reaction out of me. Also, their one and only kiss is sorta non-consensual, and that really kinda sucks. I think with a better ending, and a mutual yearning kiss, this could've been everything.
Nammon's character has some kind of relation with Padme, which felt a little weird, but I can't complain too much since Hem's and Fifa's relationship had some maturity difference, but between Prod and Padme, it felt just really off.
I think what could've made this work better is a bigger cast. I would've loved maybe a few side characters, maybe another solid side couple, and a plot that differentiated from Fifa and Hem's story. Then, I feel like this wouldn't have been so draggy and felt so forceful to get trough.
Ratings:
Story: 6.5/10 - Beautiful shots of their rural country side, but it got to a point where it was too repetitive. Some really boring scenes, like anything to do with Padme or Fifa working and sitting around looking pitiful. Skipped the whole "Hem in the forest looking for bad men" part. Lots of this can be skipped so that you can reach the point faster. Loved LOVED the slow burn, which is where most of this score comes from.
Acting: 8,5/10 - Ton does a great job as the lead. Lots of character development by the end. Arm is good, but he had one facial expression, which kind of diminished his role a little bit. Everyone else did good.
Music: 7/10 - I liked the nature sounds, Not really the music, but I'll count it.
Recommendation Value: 5/10 - I don't see myself really ever recommending this to anyone. It felt like another generic BL in the sea of BLs we've gotten and will get this year. I would recommend it for a slow burn, but the tedious plot leaves me a little iffy.
Let's Dive In.
What I had predicted before watching LITW was that it would remind me a lot of ATOTS. I know now, I have to stop expecting and comparing series, or otherwise, I'll end up disappointed. They had their similarities: city boy meets country boy, rural country side, slow burn, but it doesn't quite hit the nail on the head as ATOTS does, which is fine, and my own fault for hoping it would.
LITW is not bad by any means, but it is extremely tedious to get through. Lots of beautiful scenery/nature shots, but I kid you not when I say that that's what half of the episodes are: shots of the gorgeous setting they were in. Which isn't bad, but it gets to a point where it's entirely too repetitive.
I love slow burn, and this series gave me just that. When I say slow, I will now be referring to Fifa and Hem's relationship, cause it's exactly the kind of thing I yearn for. Which is what kept me to watch, but it's hard with a lot of the episodes dragging and giving us, at times, pointless scenes. Ton and Arm do a good job at building the tension between them. I loved the longing stares, the nights spent together, adventures taken. They did leave it very open-ended/ambiguous, which is another reason this series doesn't get much of a reaction out of me. Also, their one and only kiss is sorta non-consensual, and that really kinda sucks. I think with a better ending, and a mutual yearning kiss, this could've been everything.
Nammon's character has some kind of relation with Padme, which felt a little weird, but I can't complain too much since Hem's and Fifa's relationship had some maturity difference, but between Prod and Padme, it felt just really off.
I think what could've made this work better is a bigger cast. I would've loved maybe a few side characters, maybe another solid side couple, and a plot that differentiated from Fifa and Hem's story. Then, I feel like this wouldn't have been so draggy and felt so forceful to get trough.
Ratings:
Story: 6.5/10 - Beautiful shots of their rural country side, but it got to a point where it was too repetitive. Some really boring scenes, like anything to do with Padme or Fifa working and sitting around looking pitiful. Skipped the whole "Hem in the forest looking for bad men" part. Lots of this can be skipped so that you can reach the point faster. Loved LOVED the slow burn, which is where most of this score comes from.
Acting: 8,5/10 - Ton does a great job as the lead. Lots of character development by the end. Arm is good, but he had one facial expression, which kind of diminished his role a little bit. Everyone else did good.
Music: 7/10 - I liked the nature sounds, Not really the music, but I'll count it.
Recommendation Value: 5/10 - I don't see myself really ever recommending this to anyone. It felt like another generic BL in the sea of BLs we've gotten and will get this year. I would recommend it for a slow burn, but the tedious plot leaves me a little iffy.
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