1000 Years Old (2024)

A GOOD 1000 YEARS LOVE STORY

I have to admit I initially got discouraged from watching this drama just because of the low rating, but once i started it, i just binged all episodes non-stop in one night. IT IS THAT ENJOYABLE! If you liked "I will Knock You", chances are you will like this too. Pun may be the greenest flag character in almost all of BL.

BL genre has fast evolved in the last few years - and so are the viewers. Nowadays, a lot of series without real substance gets good and high ratings even when the show isnt really deserving of it just by putting cutie cutie famous couples/stars in it or by putting a lot of shocking NSFW scenes . I will not put this one as one of the the best BL ever, but it certainly doesnt deserve to be in the low 6.

Just a quick recap. Yo is a university student who is fascinated by the extraordinary - thats why he became part of a gang of friends who are devoted UFO seekers, but deep inside his heart he knows something un-normal is happening in the world and he will discover that its not extraterrestrial in nature but something mystical. He was instantly drawn to Pun when he met him at a local eatery - was it love at first sight? Was it his mysterious demeanor? Then he adorably stalked him until Pun revealed to him what he is - a vampire! And you guessed it- this is how their love story began, and together with their friends and family they will prove that their love will conquer all odds. This just sounds about right, the end.

Eventhough the title of the series is '1000 Years Old' which pretty obviously tells us that one of the chracters is indeed an almost immortal, still the series managed to keep us guessing for the first half of the show if Pun is really what he says he is or just a weirdo who thinks he is something that he's not - after all he is not the familiar vampire we see from the lores - First, he is a poor vampire who lives in an old building. Second, he keeps saying he is burned by sunlight (SPOILER ALERT HE DOESNT) and always covers himself up fully and uses an umbrella . He is also not afraid of crucifixes, and he doesnt get burned by Holy Water. He aslo sleeps at night( not before the sun rises and in a coffin-like bed in a messy living room because the bedroom is his cat's room) Lastly and most importantly, he is not afraid of garlic and he also doesnt eat anything besides cooked Pork Blood Soup. He is weird but you just cant hate this guy!

One of the funny highlights for me was when he was trying to prove to Yo that he is a vampire and jumped off the building's rooftop!

Also, even if early in the series they showed a few flashback scenes from Pun's past, and even with the presence of another mysterious and scary character SoomChai - just like Yo, we as viewers still end up questioning whether he is really a true blooded bloodsucking immortal or was he just delusional?

While trying to hide the reality of Pun's true identity, the first half of the show felt like we were watching a Thai version of the Korean series "Start-up" when Pun and Yo and their newly formed gang were so focused on trying to make their food business succeed. The antics are so corny but you also cant help root for them!

It was around the later episodes when the truth was confirmed - that Pun is an alien.

Ok, he isnt an alien, but a real Vampire. The limited screentime of SoomChai is both annoying and effective - I would have loved to be bitten by that actor just like Shin. And as much as i hate it and just like a lot of other BL shows that create an annoying female character to be a villain, Janja's (she does look like a vampire seductress even without the fangs) presence is important in establishing the connection between Pun and Yo and the truth about their long history and past lives to make their love story seem more epic in scale and not just spur of the moment.

Let me also say that despite the many things that I enjoyed about the series it is not without shortcomings. First, for almost the entirety of the series nothing physical happens between the Pun and Yo (only a mild hint of a kiss) which is almost unbelievable. Second, I hate that the YOU.F.O and the gang were sidelined as if they never existed entirely when they were the group that opened the show. Third, the cluelessness of Pun's character to the current technologies is just unbearable and incredibly stupid (even if it was intentional to misdirect us about his true identity) like walking to mall, no idea how to get to point 1 to point 2, really? Fourth, Yo's contninuous denial about his feelings and Pun's intention to him is eyerolling.

Id like to end by saying that the final scene of Pun and Yo is genius but also both tragic and conflicting. While it was implied that they had a happy ending and they get to at least spend a really long time together in this lifetime, Yo's passing under the sunset is just so heartbreaking and it made me cry.

Overall its a 8.5 for me. Great leads and support with good direction , very rewatchable too.

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Not a typical vampire drama

Oof— first of all, I'd like to state that if you're here for some spicy, fiery vampire romance, this isn't it; its the most family- friendly BL I've ever encountered and they make it work so well. This drama isn't perfect, its main flaw being that it failed to make it clear that its a satire . This drama is a Satire y'all. It may not be your kind of drama, but its right down my alley- I'm easily pleased and I loved every single second of it. Why? Here's the reason:

Plot:
The synopsis pretty much gave it all away. That's it. The synopsis is basically the only thing the story is about. Nothing to add, nothing to take.

Cast/Acting/Characters
The acting was awkward, which can be kinda anticipated as they are mostly newbies. The cast was....not misplaced. The cast did exactly what they had to. (Almost) Every character plays a noticeable role in this drama and has some kind of depth that makes them who they are and makes them appealing to the audience (at least to me).

Pun (Shane)
I initially started watching this for Shane as I had just completed "My Engineer" by then. He does a great job embodying the character Pun. He was charming, as enigmatic as this vampire could be and... very beautiful. That's not all there is. Pun is a very dedicated pers—, I mean vampire. He has a heart of gold and a smile that warms your heart. His dedication and appreciation for whatever is done for him is through the roof and makes him an extremely loveable character.

Yo (Opal)
Opal is a newbie actor. He plays the character of Yo quite well. His acting was quite awkward at times maybe due to that fact, but the character Yo is, I think, written as awkward. Beneath that awkwardness is a very determined person. He sticks to whatever he has interest in and makes it his topmost priority to know more. Plus, the actor has a very cute birthmark which they managed to incorporate into the story, which, I think was really cool of the writers.

Mild (Kamsai)
Mild has already been in a project, but is practically still a newbie. Kamsai is what I like to call the "big sister" of the whole group. She is a thoughtful person. She is another determined person who chases after what she wants head on and looks out for the other members of the group.

Luktaan (Jam)
She plays Yo's sister. She is mostly a one faced character, only showing a few expressions. However, she is a very smart person. She speaks very few words but observes her surroundings very well and is good at reading the room.

YourMOOD (Shin)
Loved by many, YourMOOD is the comic relief you crave in a drama. His comedic timing is perfect and just like his name, he's a whole MOOD. Shin is a very down-to-earth character and one who aims to please the people he wants to please. It was never a dull moment with Shin around as he was bubbly, bright and was practically a happy pill throughout his time on screen.

BigBoss (Somchai)
Ugh—the actor is handsome. His character, a very annoying and frustrating one. The urge to b*tch slap him everytime he was on screen was a very huge one. BigBoss did a good job making everyone hate Somchai, even when he did the bare minimum. We hated Somchai when he spoke, when he smiled and even when he just appeared on the screen. That's got to be one character I even wish would abruptly stop breathing.I've got to hand it, Somchai did bring some action and tension by just appearing.

Jomjam (Janja)
Another character who did nothing but managed to be a good enough villain. She didnt have much screentime, but I disliked her anytime she was on screen, until ep 12 maybe(?).

The Friend Group.
The only thing I can say is, they were moral support when necessary.

Nosy Auntie
I dont know her name, forgive me. She is more than your typical nosy neighbour. I loved her even though she didn't have that much of a significant role; her only role being to gossip.

Yo's father.
Not much to say about him also. Except he was the second most supportive dad I've ever seen in a BL (the first being Pete's dad from DBK). He encouraged his son to go for his man. You dont get this kind of dad everyday.

Pork Blood Soup.
Ah— the real MVP. The cupid that brought our main couple whose destiny had been leading them together. Pork Blood Soup, you'll always be remembered. The clutches of Pork Blood Soup cannot be escaped by anyone who watches this drama. Its impact is huge as it brings our couple together (and is everywhere).

Music:
The right songs were used in the right scenes, in my opinion. These stood out to me a lot:
1. The opening music- It was cute.
2. The Superman song - It was so ridiculous, yet oddly addicting.
3. There was a song in ep 12 with a guitar riff that I thought was so beautiful and cool.
Overall, the music is very good compared to some other soundtracks I've witnessed.

Other aspects:
The aesthetics are pretty and very visually appealing. This and other factors such as build up are similar to "I Will Knock You", as they have the same Screenwriter/ Director.

The story is more character driven than plot driven. It runs on character development and not plot development, which I loved in "I Will Knock You" as well.

The styling of the actors was on point, especially Yo and Pun. Their styling really stood out in the drama. Pun with his signature umbrella and 90s styling was really good to look at. His wardrobe combinations was one that made me want a wardrobe tour so badly. Yo's accessories were to die for. The little accessories were on point each time.

This drama had the sweetest and cutest wedding I've ever seen; both in works of fiction and in real life. That's a plus for me.

The ending— that ending was absolutely beautiful. This is the cutest last episode I've ever seen and I'm not even exaggerating.

Rewatch Value:
I'd actually rewatch this when I want something cute and easily digestible to watch. No worries about unnecessary drama; just a cute drama of 12 episodes that are easy to swallow.

With all the above, here are some flaws of this drama I thought to point out.
- The 1st episode failed to grasp me. I mean, the first episode has to have some kind of flair that pulls you into wanting to watch it right? The first episode for this drama did not hook me in, on the contrary. I would've dropped it if I only gave it one episode to impress me. This, I think isn't a good thing as the first episode is where a lot of people gave up on the show.
- In the 1st and 2nd episodes, Yo's behaviour felt a bit stalker-ish, which could be a turn off for some people.
- They practically wrote off the whole friend group at a point and brought them back at another. The back and forth made them look like extras. Poon not making an entrance anytime after the beginning episodes may be because he's in another drama which maybe was shot at the same time as this. But they should've addressed it better than just making him disappear.
- There was a ghost whose story I wish would have been explored.

I don't know, these were the only major flaws I found. It could be because I loved this so much so my judgement may be a bit clouded.

The Satire:
I mentioned earlier this is a satire. The question is... what is it satirizing? In my opinion, its mainly the vampire stereotype.

We know vampires to be scared of sunlight. Well it doesn't happen here. Apparently, vampires are burnt by holy water, but in this case, nothing happens to them upon contact with holy water. Accordingly, vampire hate garlic and can't stand crucifixes...well...you guessed it. It doesn't apply here. There's also the blood drinking. While some vampires here drink blood, one doesn't and prefers other things (which I won't mention cos I want this to be spoiler-free). There's also the talk of vampire fangs, and right! A vampire here has no fangs, due to their removal by choice. And these are just the ones I was able to catch. Just think about what I wasn't able to notice.

I think villains are also satirized here to an extent. The typical villain is a person who does ruthless, unforgiveable things and tries heaven and earth go bring down the lead character. Here, the villains do practically... Nothing. They just annoy watchers by their existence and thats that. There's no crossing of any line by any villain.

That being said, this show is one that you either like or hate; there's probably no in between; it's just a matter of preference. Maybe with this review, you'd be able to tell whether or not its your cup of tea. I'd however suggest giving this a chance before you decide you hate it. I'd suggest not to pay attention to the ratings and negative reviews before trying it out because who knows?...you may like it.

Overall, I'm bummed this has ended and I can see myself rewatching it occasionally until I get tired of it. This is the kind of drama you'd watch after a stressful day when you need something lighthearted to take your mind off your problems of the day and it's such a big bummer a lot of people hated this so much, but that could be my utter bias speaking here.

In the mean time, ALL HAIL PORK BLOOD SOUP!!

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