This review may contain spoilers
Disneyifed
My overall thought...you saw the title. But outside of that, I think there is such a disconnect for me when it comes to this series, and I was seriously excited about this one. Memoir or Rati showed us a beautiful take on love in a Thai historical setting, but the overall presence of everything: characters, plot, romances, political upheaval, etc., unfortunately did not meet the mark for me.
Let's Dive In.
I want to dive into my statement about this being Disneyifed. Because that's exactly what it feels like. When I was first introduced to the premise of Memoir of Rati, I had so much hope that this was going to be less fluff more grit. Unfortunately, that was the complete opposite. I wanted to see fight, I wanted to see tragedy, especially in an historical piece like this. But, everything, even the more tragic scenes, had this veil of fluff that followed. I didn't hate the comedic parts of this, I think it worked, but it just completely threw me off of what was at stake here. Too many times, when I wanted to feel something for a scene, it cuts into a moment where it's trying to make me laugh. Urgh. And then by the end, everything worked perfectly for everybody, which is completely unrealistic for a setting taking place in 1915 CE. But GMMTV just had to make this happy-go-lucky, just had to make everyone's scenarios so perfect. Personally, I wanted more. A lot more tears and less comedic background music. On top of that, I really disliked the cinematography. I try not to compare every Thai historical BL to one another, but this was so white-washed and dreamy-looking, I hated it.
In my humble opinion, I think this series was rushed, as in, they made this too quickly, and because of that, the plot and the characters fall short. I really think they had an idea what they wanted to happen, and then, because of whatever obstacles or challenges, it just didn't end up being what it was suppose to be. And to also add to my point, some scenes felt like they were oddly cut, or the music would start and then randomly cut, not fade out, or have a smooth transition. I think in all aspects, this was rushed, the editing, the performances from the actors, and the overall plot.
Now, moving onto the plot. I was confused. I won't lie, I have zero idea who anyone was, what their roles played, or how historical Thailand worked. That might've been a me-thing, but I couldn't keep up. Also, with what little time Inn had to learn how to speak French, I personally didn't find it to be just god-awful, but I also don't speak french, so this is coming from a person that could obviously hear the struggle in his voice when speaking french, but I think to learn a language in a short amount of time, he did good. This also goes back to my point of, why not a hire somebody that is Thai who speaks fluent French (i'm sure they're out there somewhere) to play the part. Because GMMTV priorities the actors before the piece of work they're trying to create.
Moving onto the romances: I think they were fine. I think both couples do well, with Aou and Boom coming first. I think there was a giant disconnect for me when it came to Inn and Great's romance. It felt... awkward almost? Aou and Boom performed great, and, even though I wasn't a huge fan of the comedy, it was nice to see them play these funny dudes. I think should've seen more from them, but oh well.
But, don't worry, there was some stuff I liked! Again, I really liked Aou and Boom's characters, and their romance. I did enjoy seeing the wardrobes, especially Thee's outfits, which were immaculate. There are also some scenes that I did find beautifully told, or just beautifully shot. The plot with Rati's aunt is whatI found as the most interesting, especially as we learn that his real mom died and his aunt was the one that raised him.
Rating:
Story: 6.5/10 - Eh. Okay. kinda boring, won't lie. Thee and Rati's romance felt stale and stiff most of the time, also seemed extremely awkward in some cases.
Acting: 8.5/10 I think everyone did well. Nothing spectacular, but good.
Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay much attention to it.
Recommendation Value: 5/10 - I'd recommend only if you just love AouBoom or GreatInn, but otherwise, this historical BL can be skipped. Not even Great's abs could help save this for me.
Let's Dive In.
I want to dive into my statement about this being Disneyifed. Because that's exactly what it feels like. When I was first introduced to the premise of Memoir of Rati, I had so much hope that this was going to be less fluff more grit. Unfortunately, that was the complete opposite. I wanted to see fight, I wanted to see tragedy, especially in an historical piece like this. But, everything, even the more tragic scenes, had this veil of fluff that followed. I didn't hate the comedic parts of this, I think it worked, but it just completely threw me off of what was at stake here. Too many times, when I wanted to feel something for a scene, it cuts into a moment where it's trying to make me laugh. Urgh. And then by the end, everything worked perfectly for everybody, which is completely unrealistic for a setting taking place in 1915 CE. But GMMTV just had to make this happy-go-lucky, just had to make everyone's scenarios so perfect. Personally, I wanted more. A lot more tears and less comedic background music. On top of that, I really disliked the cinematography. I try not to compare every Thai historical BL to one another, but this was so white-washed and dreamy-looking, I hated it.
In my humble opinion, I think this series was rushed, as in, they made this too quickly, and because of that, the plot and the characters fall short. I really think they had an idea what they wanted to happen, and then, because of whatever obstacles or challenges, it just didn't end up being what it was suppose to be. And to also add to my point, some scenes felt like they were oddly cut, or the music would start and then randomly cut, not fade out, or have a smooth transition. I think in all aspects, this was rushed, the editing, the performances from the actors, and the overall plot.
Now, moving onto the plot. I was confused. I won't lie, I have zero idea who anyone was, what their roles played, or how historical Thailand worked. That might've been a me-thing, but I couldn't keep up. Also, with what little time Inn had to learn how to speak French, I personally didn't find it to be just god-awful, but I also don't speak french, so this is coming from a person that could obviously hear the struggle in his voice when speaking french, but I think to learn a language in a short amount of time, he did good. This also goes back to my point of, why not a hire somebody that is Thai who speaks fluent French (i'm sure they're out there somewhere) to play the part. Because GMMTV priorities the actors before the piece of work they're trying to create.
Moving onto the romances: I think they were fine. I think both couples do well, with Aou and Boom coming first. I think there was a giant disconnect for me when it came to Inn and Great's romance. It felt... awkward almost? Aou and Boom performed great, and, even though I wasn't a huge fan of the comedy, it was nice to see them play these funny dudes. I think should've seen more from them, but oh well.
But, don't worry, there was some stuff I liked! Again, I really liked Aou and Boom's characters, and their romance. I did enjoy seeing the wardrobes, especially Thee's outfits, which were immaculate. There are also some scenes that I did find beautifully told, or just beautifully shot. The plot with Rati's aunt is whatI found as the most interesting, especially as we learn that his real mom died and his aunt was the one that raised him.
Rating:
Story: 6.5/10 - Eh. Okay. kinda boring, won't lie. Thee and Rati's romance felt stale and stiff most of the time, also seemed extremely awkward in some cases.
Acting: 8.5/10 I think everyone did well. Nothing spectacular, but good.
Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay much attention to it.
Recommendation Value: 5/10 - I'd recommend only if you just love AouBoom or GreatInn, but otherwise, this historical BL can be skipped. Not even Great's abs could help save this for me.
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