Leh Ratree (2004)

rape is not romance.

The settling of a debt; the sins of the father lay upon one child. One punishment for having jerks for parents - rape. Or, as in the remake; A slightly different context, & same outcome. A romanticized, albeit outdated and cautionary, human trafficking tragedy.

Both families were 'a piece of work' in both versions. Both little sisters, being half of a strange and surreal tag-team. In this, both of their roles were well defined. The male lead's sister; the brothel-enforcer (same character in remake) redirects the second male lead's hopes, to protect the family's unpaid (Dad embezzled) baby machine (female lead). While, the female lead's sister; the wannabe brother-in-law's mistress (changed in remake) moves in with the mains, trying to initiate wifely duties. The series is depressing, characters questionable, and motives having nothing to do with 'love at first sight' (see discussion). Rape is not romance, and does not belong in the romance genre. Avoid.

(source; read; My Custom List "Rated One")

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I decided to watch the Original Version of "Leh Ratee" first!

"Yesterday you treated me nicely, but today you are slicing me with thousand knives. Why are you doing it? Do you want me to die?!" -Sak

***
I don`t know what came over me. I just wanted a quick popular slap-kiss lakhorn watch and i checked this title out and decided to immediatly check the original version out from 2004 since the lakhorns back then have something i strongly adhere to, i don`t know what it is quite, but i think the way stories were executed back then have this magic and how passionate they used to be. In "Leh Ratee" we have much to see, fateful lovers and all the obstacles and misunderstandings coming their way to separate them. Both are very strong headed individuals in their own way, especially our domineering devil prince Sak Sutthakorn who argues against everyone and never backs away from a challenge. He is a force to be reckoned with. Already cold-blooded enough, he becomes more ruthless than ever when he knows of his wife`s deceit. Like a formidable villain he is after the thief that stole money from his company, that man desperetaly tries to find a chance for safety when he knows he is to be doomed together with his family, so he mixes cards together one last time to find the card that will give him last hope- he gets one card: The Heart Queen.

He is instantly relieved, because he knows at that moment that Sak is destined for his stepdaughter, the sweet and innocent heroine Kate. Ah, i loved Sak`s furious face when he requested his awful proposition in selling Kate to him, to give him a heir. But Sak had indeed always been secretly attracted to the angelic heroine, they were destined to fall in love. They bicker, fight and challenge each other, but we have so many sweet moments between them were they connect and try to understand each other. Sak will have to learn to trust his heroine, his future wife. What a lovely story in its core, such a beautiful romantic story. The OST and the romantic heartbreaking themes made my heart burn! I am so glad i watched it, got me binge watching three days in a row. Pepper & Ann in my opinion have wonderful chemistry, so much sparks in their every scene, this is such a underrated classic.

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