Let's just cut right to it, this show was painfully boring. There, I said it. A story built around partial amnesia has real potential, but between the choppy scene structure and random flashbacks thrown in constantly, the whole plot ends up feeling more tangled than it needed to be. The romance doesn't fare much better either, it's written so poorly that I never really found myself invested in this couple. Both leads come across stiff on screen and deliver their lines in a really awkward way. The show runs 8 episodes, each somewhere around 30 to 35 minutes. Hanuel, a 29 year old language teacher, wakes up after an accident only to realize his memory stops at age 19. It turns out he'd been in another accident back then too, which is why his memories cut off at that point. He has zero recollection of the fact that he's currently living with his childhood friend Saebyeok, who's now a huge celebrity. That makes the whole situation even harder for Hanuel to wrap his ...
Thirty years ago, Korn and Intouch were university students in Bangkok. Intouch entered Korn's life despite knowing that he was the son of one of the most influential people in Bangkok, the mafia. At first, Korn kept pushing Intouch away, but in the end, he couldn't resist the boy who was so full of life where he was the exact opposite and decided to let him into his heart. However, in a time where homosexuality was unacceptable and having parents that were against their relationship and each other, Korn and In's love was bound to be doomed. Midst the chaos, Korn felt the pressure weighing down on him and soon decided to commit suicide and it happened to be right in front of Intouch and their fathers. Intouch was distraught and took the gun, killing himself as well. Years later, Pharm is a freshman in the university dreaming of something that always left him waking up with a wet face, fear of loud noises, and a birthmark on his temple. The boy has always felt like there is someone he is missing. Dean (21), the third year swimming club's president at the same university has also spent his life searching for someone whose faces he can not remember. The red thread of fate that had tied them together in their past life once again pulls the two boys back to each other, tying them to each other and a past that might not be worth remembering, but a love that is unforgettable. As the dots start to connect, things get way more complicated when they learn that they have swapped bloodlines, Dean being from Intouch's old family tree and Pharm being from Korn's old family tree. Things continue to get even more complicated as Pharm starts feeling more and more of how Intouch felt the day of the suicide and starts going through some seriously depressed phases that didn't feel like himself.
The series never unfolds in front of you as simply as I have shared the summary above. Every single episode, moment by moment, we see different layers being peeled off. Not everything is given to the audience at once. Small connections and similarities are shown between the two couples and how they maybe connected and this makes it very interesting because you never know what next incident would be connecting the dots. Pharm-Dean makes a cute couple. It took me a while to warm upto Dean but you cannot help but get charmed by Pharm. That smile.. OMG! And the way the romance blossoms between the two boys is just sooooo cute. I really enjoyed the little teasing that Pharm's friends Team and Manaow and also Deans friends would do to the couple. By the way, Team and Manaow were a real hoot and added some really much needed light moments in the whole series. I can see how friends would be teasing their friends when they see him/her falling in love. The friendship was amazing. Even though no student shows any shock on the sexuality of any character, the series also rightly shows that this could still be a concern for older generation. So when the couple introduces to each other's families, they still looks for stamp of approval which was good and real. Deans and Pharm's love story was a winner but the struggles they had and the shock you get as an audience knowing how their bloodlines have swapped over a period of time was a master stroke. i thought that was brilliant. the scene when Pharm meets Dean's grandmother who happens to be Intouch's elder sister was so heart-breaking. I couldn't control myself. There were so many other scenes similar to that. The last scene where Pharm is worried that Dean will kill himself again was brilliant. Needless to say that Pharm does a stupendous job completely immersed into the character. The first kiss of the couple when Pharm hides behind the curtain and eventually gives in was one of the cutest moments. There were soooo many more similar moments which would be hard to summarize all here. Somehow Dean doesn't leave that much of an impression. Similarly, between Intouch and Korn, its the former and his charming nature and personality that holds your attention. its the couples that hold this whole series together. Thankfully not many other conflicts happen in the relationship, like what happens with most other shows where the scenario just repeats itself. Team, Manaow and Win (As Dean's best friend) provide able support in all the scenes and so does Don and Del as Dean's siblings. In fact, none of the actors seemed out of place. In their limited roles, everyone did a fantastic job.
The plot of the show in innovative, fresh and even the execution was quite professional. Good choice of actors and some really good acting can still do wonders and make a fantastic show. I personally believe in the whole concept of reincarnation, so expectedly, I was able to connect with the series far better. The combination of linear and non-linear storytelling helps to soften the blow the audience receives with the tragedy that is Intouch and Korn, as the audience can take comfort in the fact that In and Korn live on through Pharm and Dean. The climax point of the show where Pharm finally finds out about how he is related to Korn's family is incredibly sorrowful and had my heart racing. The fact that he found the actual gun that they used to commit suicide was depressing. The scene where Intouch was talking through Pharm to Dean/Korn was heartbreaking and suspenseful. Intouch was obviously devastated and watching how a person talks through another person was so complicated and interesting to me and they did it so perfectly. now lets talk about some not so negatives of the show. The series was still a tad bit slow when it came to focussing on Dean-Pharm as a couple. Some of their reactions were so slow. I mean in real life, people don't take forever in reactions. And really, everytime they kiss, you dont have to put a song and make it slow motion. It was good the first time, but then it annoys. Make kissing scenes more realistic. Also a whole lot of time has been spent on food, both making it and eating it. Unless you are food connoisseur, you particularly wont care about the details of how every dessert shown in the show is prepared. I wouldn't have mind it, but some of those cooking scenes went on and on.
Despite all this, this show deserves audience and respect of the story writer, the director and the brilliant actors, who make this show worth watching. This is the first BL series I am seeing from the Studio Wabi Sabi. I will be looking out for more work from them. Watch this series NOW. (9/10)
Comments
You really did justice to it with this amazing review. Obviously less cooking and more kissing would have made it just perfect, but those minor details are nothing.
Just like you wrote, as a conclusion, people from all over the world, WATCH THIS SERIES NOW.
It is truly unique.
On a side review, I had my husband watch it with me. He totally loved it at first but finally quit on episode 9 or 10 saying "tell me when Pharm stops crying on every episode, and when it takes him less than 15min to accept a simple kiss from dean (saying a thousand "p'dean" in the process)". We even hadn't started the crying part with the parents so I guess he will never see the end lol.
Too bad because if you can bear the slowness (and over sweetness) of the show, you're in for a world of feelings and emotions.
Also I want to try every dish Pharm made XD
Can't wait to see the sequel with Team/Win this year!
Aah!! I laughed so hard reading this. But its true. He does say that sooooooooo many times. Part of me agrees with your husband. And that's one thing these Thai series have to learn. They sometimes just keep on stretching things to fill in 13-14 episodes and take forever torch a kiss.