Does destiny exist? Everyone has their point of view, there are those who say that everything happens for a reason, there are those who say that destiny exists and that we cannot escape its designs. Therefore, if so: are we directed? Does our life have meaning if we are already anchored to a future that, whether we want it or not, we cannot avoid? I, personally, do not believe so, I am a little more scientific, to put it somewhat, and I believe that each person takes the reins of their life, and that there is no destiny, but rather cause and effect... However, This already remains within each person.
Whether you believe in destiny or not, soul mates are a myth about love that has remained alive for centuries, perhaps because we are all searching for it, because we know a story that reinforces it or, possibly, we have seen many movies and romantic television series.
Film and television have delved into the search for perfect, magical and lasting love, and have shown more than once that soul mates exist and are in the places you least imagine.
If destiny wants two boys to remain united in an indissoluble bond, so it will be, regardless of whether they both live more than a thousand lives, and in each of them they somehow manage to fall in love with each other. This is the premise of the Thai LGBT+-themed romantic drama 'Every You, Every Me', from director Sutida Singharach, university professor and director of the Film and Creative Media Arts program at the Faculty of Communication Arts (International Programme) Bangkok in his official debut behind the cameras, based on the script by Saipirun Chaichiangpin, renowned author of BL series such as 'Love Sick: The Series Season 2' (2015) and 'Reminders' (2019), and also debutant Jeong Thunyathorn.
However, this is not a story of reincarnation or time travel. So the viewer will find it interesting to discover how the characters will live the more than a thousand lives indicated in the synopsis. Through independent plots, without a visible thread that unites them, without a tie that connects each of the stories, we will sometimes see stories with happy endings, at other times with closures that will make us cry; often with performances by part of the well-known supporting cast, occasionally with supporting actors who have recently entered the series. But yes: always with the presence of the two stars who dress in luxury and touch the sky with their performances..., always to tell us a better story than the previous one, which will keep us intrigued and expectant.
The truth is that with complete naturalness the two protagonists exchange personalities, characters, attitudes and characters from one chapter to another, since each story is completely different and if they have a connecting thread it is the performance of the same actors in each episode. The series is perfect for giving Mick and Top the opportunity to showcase all facets of their acting skills, something they achieve superbly.
Without spoilers, following what is narrated in the trailers, I will give my impression of the first episode, so that the reader can assess what awaits them:
It's raining heavily in Bangkok. The weather forecasts have been accurate: while people return home after the work or student day and seek shelter from the rain at a bus stop, a female voice on the radio alerts us that the effects of warming global warming has caused it to rain every night of November in the Thai capital for 30 consecutive days. But at the same time, the same voice gives hope to certain people: "If this can mean bad luck for many, it could also be the opportunity for singles to find their soul mate in the rain thanks to being able to see all the bright colors".
And in this situation our heroes find themselves, one selling umbrellas and raincoats to people in his path, and the other returning home after an exhausting day of work.
'Every You, Every Me' is discussing these topics, through a magical and fortunate encounter, and this encounter occurs between the characters played by two handsome and talented actors with meteoric growth within the BL industry in the Southeast Asian country: Mick Monthon Viseshsin and Top Piyawat Phongkanitanon.
The first, known for playing Lukchup in 'La Cuisine' (2022), plays Dol, a young worker at a company who does not believe in soul mates and denotes a certain coldness in his actions. In his opinion, there are many people who love each other without being soulmates, while for others, even if they are, their relationship does not work.
Mick proves that there is no series that cannot stand out for its presence, being the type that BL lovers find attractive and intelligent; in other words, pine for him.
He is the common man for fans of the genre. Mick's Dol is a serious, restrained, self-deprecating and attractive protagonist whose charisma the series conveys.
For his part, Top plays Sun, a messenger, food delivery man and motorcycle taxi driver, who has an eccentrically adorable belief in destiny and everything related to the Rain Color Verse and other beliefs related to this topic.
Sun, the object of Dol's love, is a boy who brings sweetness, joy and genuine concern for his soulmate, even if the other does not believe in this. Fun and sexy, he would gladly make any guy jump through all the crazy hoops he places in front of him for a chance to show his affection.
All of this looks good on paper, particularly the casting of Mick, who brings an elegant touch of romantic drama class to everything he touches. And if you add to this a good script, a haircut and custom-made clothes, you have everything in your favor.
For its part, Top is the one that promotes mischief, humor, and laughter, without lacking dramatic and tense moments, as well as those of tenderness.
This is not the first time that both actors have met on the filming set, nor is this their inaugural performance as a couple in an audiovisual production. Already in 2023 the first plays Korn in 'My Universe', specifically in the story 'You Are My So(ul) Mate' Korn, while the second got into the shoes of Butr, his partner in this BL series.
On this occasion, they play two city dwellers who meet by chance and fall in love after "each one getting wet in the rain and seeing the other in full color". This is the sign: you are soul mates. Sun has just broken up with Au, a toxic and violent boyfriend, while Dol seems like he hasn't known love yet. Without a doubt, I was waiting for him in a downpour.
The first episode of 'Every You, Every Me' keeps the audience's heart in its hands from the first to the last scene and, although it squeezes it at times and leaves a bitter taste when learning about unhappy childhoods due to the death of one of the parents and the mother's interest in finding a new boyfriend, on the one hand; or a dysfunctional family and the suffering of a child in the midst of his parents' constant arguments, on the other hand, the series provokes a delicious catharsis in the viewer's brain in the inevitable reflection "Do you love me for who I am or just because I am your soulmate?" That is, "Would you still love me, even if we weren't soulmates?"
But 'Every You, Every Me' goes much further, as she reflects on how much of love is destiny and how much is a choice.
The life stories of the protagonists, which we will learn about through flashbacks and conversations between the characters, serve as the necessary emotional burden for a plot that deals with so much baggage.
The main reason this series works where other romantic dramas fail is the casting. Mick and Top are affable leads with solid chemistry that meshes well enough and quickly enough for the audience to become reasonably invested in their activities and their budding romance.
Sun's best friend, Heung, the Minimart worker, is an enthusiastic and friendly character who brings a good dose of joy to the series. As much chemistry as Top Added to the mix is Meen Nattakrit Hamontri ('On Cloud Nine', 2022), although his work is uncredited, who steals every scene in which he appears as Dol's work senior; and Fiat Patchata Janngeon ('Shadow', 2023), who plays the bartender or clerk at the cafeteria where Sun and Dol frequently go.
The beautiful photography of Danupat Thananurak, a skilled craftsman in his craft, helps the series take off with the growing closeness between the two young people, physically and emotionally, and the way it unites the changes that both go through in their lives once they know each other. The back and forth between the protagonists makes it clear: this is a love story. And each reunion, usually at night and in the middle of a downpour, is the apotheosis.
There are sad, boring, dull series... But that is not the case with 'Every You, Every Me'. And there are also those that make you laugh, make you sing, make you cry, make you have a pleasant time, make you feel emotional. And this is useful for all that, but it can also be used to identify yourself.
Or even to extract reflections, for example about destiny. Which is behind everything. When decisions are made, perhaps it sends signals, it will depend on how we interpret them to be happy or not. Or if that assertion, practically shattered today, is true, that if a single person appears in your life that you really want to be with, don't hesitate, this is your series.
Philosophical disquisitions aside, this television delight of romanticism and the BL genre is a breath of fresh air, of legitimately sentimental and enveloping audiovisual production.
The protagonists, the always elegant and serious Dol and the joking and lively Sun, in maintaining balance, are irresistibly charming, adorable, one follows them in their smallest and largest gestures with great delight.
It's one of those beautiful series, really really beautiful. And although it exudes a certain bitter aftertaste, both bitterness and sadness, although it may sound strange, can generate a strange happiness, as is the case. And so, once the final credits roll it is easy to be overcome, as happens to me every time I reviewed the episode to write the review, with a feeling of lasting happiness and a tremendous desire that this couple can continue meeting in one and a thousand more lives.
In the line of Thai romantic dramas of the BL genre such as 'La Pluie', 'Century of Love', 'The Notebook' or the South Korean 'Color Rush', 'Every You, Every Me' joins the queue of scripts full of unlikely encounters and improbable disagreements to question or dismantle the initial theory held by one of its protagonists, Sun, for whom concepts such as "chance", "accident" or "destiny" are precisely the only way to know what is before him. soulmate. By chance he meets Dol and they both dedicate themselves to forcing fate to bring them together again, between "time lapse" and "time lapse", or what is the same, between life and life. Or is the script forcing them?
Of course, the soundtrack is in charge of doing its thing to recharge the cake even more and one ends up thinking that it is worth trusting and believing in destiny.
And although it tells us something implausible because it is unreal, sometimes it is nice to see stories like this.
I will not hesitate to return to update the review later.