A drama that got lost in it own story

I felt the need to write this review after seeing a lot of good reviews and I wondered if I had seen the same drama...

The basic plot and the trailer promised an interesting drama packed with romance, mystery and conflicts aaaand... It didn't deliver.

First, the premise of the drama is Theo looking for "Enchanté" but whenever one of the potential Enchantés approaches him and tries to get closer to him he either looks annoyed or puzzled, consequently, we know close to nothing about the four guys because we have no connection to them, no real wish to know them and wonder if they are the real Enchanté.
Moreover, Theo starts looking for Enchanté after three boring sentences written in the book, there's no connection between him and the mystery person, why would he begin to look for them with such little connection? It's explained later in the drama but still... it doesn't make sense at the moment where we see it in the drama.

Second, a majority of the characters are not pleasant, including the main character!! Theo is self-absorbed, selfish, rather cold, stubborn.... Natee, Phupa and Wayo are manipulative, creepy and opportunistic. We don't want to follow their story! the way they try to act as if they are Enchanté/ flirting with Theo is painful to watch (they're either stalker-ish or cringy)
I hated that Akk is always there for Theo but Theo is not there for Akk and takes him for granted....

Third, the pace is problematic: everything goes too fast or too slow. At the beginning, we are introduced to all these characters but we have no time to get to know them, some of them are already "out" of the story because they are revealed not to be Enchanté and we don't care because we know nothing about them.
And later in the drama, it got so slow! I really didn't care about Theo's parents' divorce and that part of the story dragged on for too long and it did nothing to make the whole story move forward.

So to those who liked this drama, I'm glad you did because I didn't and though I decided to finish what I had started, it sure was painful!

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Over-the-top and draggy

[EDITED AFTER FINISHING THE LAST EPISODE]

I'm not sure if I'm objective on this drama because it's not really my style of drama but let's give my 2 cents anyway...

The acting is too much. The actors are probably directed in such a way that they have to act in an over-the-top manner, that gets exhausting the more you watch the drama: exaggerated facial expressions, loud exclamations, stereotypical "drag queen/trans woman" way of talking... it becomes annoying.
A slightly biased opinion: I think Joss (the original actor meant to play Prab) would have added a real something to the character, I think. Luke is alright but... I initially wanted to watch this drama for its storyline and to see Joss in this role.
However, there are some nice looks of real concern and affection in Luke's eyes when he looks at Grace and Grace does portray emotions quite well as well.

The story had potential (a super cis dude getting into the world of drag queens, a girl looking for her sister, mafia traffic.... how exciting!) but they had to make it longer than 14-16 episodes and it ruins the tension, the interest and the excitement. The last couple of episodes pick up the pace and are quite eventful and entertaining, shame we had to wait that long to get there!

Speaking about the storyline, it's a bit fuzzy and unclear.
-Why do Noona and Nadia look exactly the same? (I know they're twins but one is a transgender woman, the other is cis' so
Nadia purposely had procedures to look exactly like her sister?)
-Why is Prab acting like a trans woman (and acting like it's a ridiculous thing) when he could have easily passed as a transgender man?
-Why is Pran included in the investigation team when she's not even a cop?

Some characters are a bit too one-dimensional: Lucy is the jealous b*tch, Tanu is the "try hard to be funny" sidekick, Julia is the slightly dumb villain's minion however, Honey's character, Decha's character, and PlaToo's character were interesting and brought something, made us feel something.

I know the plot is based on secrets, misunderstanding, and double identities but the lack of communication between the two main characters ends up being problematic. Because they don't talk, and don't reveal anything to each other for a long time, they both sink into a situation that doesn't really evolve. Had they revealed their true motive or their true identity, they would have become a team that works in the same direction instead of doing things alone and there, it would have gotten exciting or thrilling. Therefore the plot drags on! (I know I said it already).

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A curse? What curse?

The story in itself is promising but the execution is a bit messy.
Three episodes in and there are pieces of the plot I wished were more installed and others I wished we'd discover later in the story to keep things fresh and make us feel like everything is planned out.
I'd have enjoyed the idea of a very present threat, of a curse every student believes in, to create a real tense and heavy atmosphere. As for Dika, I'd have liked it better if he was introduced a bit later, thus making Ayan look even more mysterious since we don't know his true motives.

A lot of things are put out there and it creates a bit of a messy development: the curse is mentioned but it's hard to know if students strongly believe in it or only think of it as a kind of joke or unrealistic threat, Ayan's uncle has come into the picture thus revealing Ayan's presence in Suppalo, Khan and Thua's relationship is unclear too since they both give each other the cold shoulder but at the same time, they seem to care about each other... and how can a powerful and elite school like Suppalo feel threatened by three students who aren't even that rebellious (they're only shown once or twice with casual clothes in school and end up complying with the rules even though they dislike it!)?
I think the further we go in the story, the more everything comes into place but it's a bit of a shame that the title of the series and its premise feel like it's just a mere detail of the story.

Of course, I do enjoy the "cat and mouse game" between Akk and Ayan. One teases the other, consequently, the other gets flustered... it's cute and quite well-executed (though it drags on for a long time). Akk and Ayan's actors have nice facial expressions and lively eyes.
I think Khan and Thua's relationship evolves nicely too (that scene when they're sleeping next to each other and Khan's owning up to his feelings...absolutely adorable!). It's a good thing that they've changed the dynamics they had in Fish upon the Sky, this way, it doesn't bring a sense of deja-vu.
Dika's story is, in my opinion, what is the most interesting aspect of the plot, and I found myself looking forward to knowing more about it while the curse is just a plot device that is not well used (at least at the beginning of the drama, the "mystery" behind the curse unfolds later and gets clearer).

Some dialogues and some scenes feel a bit stiff, nothing too cringy but there are silences that drag on weirdly between two sentences or the way the dialogues are delivered is not very natural with some actors.

No matter my criticisms, I've not dropped this series and it was a rather pleasant drama to watch!

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A nice story of growth and romance

First of all, the story is enjoyable. The beginning is a tad bit slow but aside from that, the flow of events is quite balanced and interesting to watch. There is action, character development and romance, great combo!
The characters are interesting as well, I like Nueng's attitude: he's not your typical obnoxious rich boy, he's actually quite brave, determined and resourceful, he shows that he wants to stand up for himself and for those he cares for.
As for Palm... he is a sweet character, I just don't really appreciate how he calls Nueng "Mr" no matter their growing fondness for each other, as if there's a power imbalance in their relationship and he is also quite over-caring.
However, I think the alchemy between the characters is more there than in Fish Upon the Sky therefore, I am quite pleased with the atmosphere of the series.
As for Chopper, he could easily have been the jealous, power-hungry rival but he's not and it's refreshing to see no rivalry between him and Nueng.
Some characters are too one-dimensional, mainly the adults: Tanya, Chanon and Kit are either white or black with no in-between. I understand the way they act but they lack depth.

I like most of the music, it changes from the usual "drama soundtrack", it gives a special something to the series, something a little bit less drama and more "arty" (some songs are a bit cheesy though). Same for some shots/frames, it's pleasant to watch and to listen to.

Overall, it's a nice drama that is easy to watch and get into, with a decent, eventful plot !

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Cute concept but some classical tropes

[spoiler at the end of this review]

I quite enjoyed this drama for several reasons but it doesn't mean it's perfect.

I like the apparent conflict mixed with affection between two opposing characters: the doctor saves lives, the Grim Reaper takes them to the afterlife. It mixes the typical "medical drama" genre with something more fantasy/paranormal.
It creates some tension and it makes us invested in the survival of the patients (will they be saved by Prakan or get taken by Thua?).
The acting is decent and it's nice to see the two actors from Grey Rainbow together again. The change between "work mode" Thua and "relax mode" Thua is interesting. He really goes from a stern-faced, serious, unshakable grim reaper to a sweet fun-loving person.
The subplots are quite interesting, enough to keep us watching: Metha's and Prakan's conflict of interest, Nathee and Keetha's relationship.

However, it's not a bl drama that reinvents the genre.
You will get the compulsory beach episode (though it was cute), the "accidentally falling on each other", the "I love you but I don't" feelings, the "let's not talk and let things go bad between us" moments ... tropes are comforting, we expect them, we get them but at the same time it feels a little stale.

[SPOILER ALERT]

I'm not sure if I dig the fact that Prakan and Thua knew each other when Prakan was a young boy. Thua had some brotherly affection for him so it feels almost a bit wrong to develop romantic feelings for that boy now that he is a grown-up man...

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Where's the story?

I watched it kind of knowing I wouldn't really enjoy it based on my impression of season 1.

The main problem is that it looks like a Wattpad fanfiction. There's no real story, no real conflict, no real problems. All the hurdles are overcome quite easily, the four episodes are mostly composed of a mix of fluffy moments that don't make a story.
Kuea is still an annoying baby with Li (and I can't f-ing stand it), Hia Yi is still a controlling freak and KonDiao is... alright. Lian is quite sweet, and really understanding toward Kuea's choices, so that's refreshing.

The other relationships don't really move forward as well so there's no progress (I know they want to make a drama series based on Kondiao and Hia Yi so this explains that) however, like many other viewers I think, I did appreciate the Syn-Nuer moments but aside from that... there are not many redeeming qualities.

It's quite short and quite poor so it's hard to go further than that in my analysis of this series.

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