1This review may contain spoilers
In the past year the BL community has had the odd experience of three expensively-produced BL productions reaching their final few episodes only to collapse under their own aspirations, angering viewers and overshadowing all of the elements that they might have gotten right. In all three instances it can be said that these series (HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count, 2gether, and The Shipper) were trying to do something "different" with the BL genre. For 2gether, the intent was to reach a more global and conservative audience by toning down the gay aspects of Boys Love and replacing them with bromance. For HIStory 3: MODC and The Shipper, the directors aspired to transcend the BL genre and deliver something more realistic and thought-provoking. Unfortunately, the way both of these series did it was by killing off a beloved main character.
For me, a main character's death is as inappropriate in a BL production as a high-kicking chorus line would be in a production of King Lear. In the case of The Shipper, an artful story was already being told very well, and the series actually did seem to be transcending the genre. So many commenters on the MDL page have mentioned how the body-swapping theme sounded unpromising at first, but after giving the series a try they found that it played exceptionally well. Why, then, did the series end up killing off one of the main characters, even before they'd had a chance to actually be in a relationship with their partner?
I still have yet to learn how Kim's death in The Shipper served the themes of the series. At least in the case of MODC, the director had a theme that she wanted to promote ("make sure you cherish every moment with the person you love because you don't know when they'll be gone"). Attaching such a theme to a BL series proved to be a mistake, but she had her reasons.
For The Shipper, the character death seems gratuitous because its theme about ships, shippers, and the people being shipped doesn't need for anyone to die in order to get its point across. (Plus there's that tease about a sequel in the very last moments of the final episode. If Kim can live on in a sequel then why not in the original?)
Now, I've seen where because the main character of The Shipper is Pan and the "real" Kim has limited screen time, people have said that the series doesn't qualify as BL. Pan's journey, though, is mainly about discovering who the real Kim is, and as she learns more about him the viewers learn along with her and their affection for him deepens. By the time she hits the paydirt that yes, Kim and Way have a relationship that goes beyond friendship, we've become completely invested in that pairing. We're in it to win it! We thrill over Way's epiphany that he actually loves Kim, then get even more excited over the proof that Kim also loved Way, and from that point on Kim has become as important to the series as any of the main characters who've had more screen time.
How sad, then, that none of these revelations can ever get acted on or rewarded because one of the boys turns out to be dead. We discover that what's been served up is a full-blown BL storyline but with a tragic ending. And if anything doesn't belong in a BL storyline, it's tragedy.
It must be said, too, that the longer Pan stays in Kim's body the less appealing she becomes as a character, deciding to intervene with the people in Kim's life to make sure they know that he's actually not a good person. At one point I became disgusted by her judgmental attitude and smug sense of superiority. I'm not convinced that she ever truly lived that down, thus weakening her standing as a main character that people can sympathize with completely. In this regard Way is the much better person, and all the more deserving of the happy ending that the series squanders on Pan.
It also bothers me that the hetero-normative couple gets the happy ending while the m/m couple gets the dead boyfriend. Back in the 1950's, death was in store for most gay characters because the morality of that era demanded that they meet a tragic fate. In this sense The Shipper is terribly unenlightened and regressive. It would have been so easy to give both the m/f and m/m couples a happy ever after, and it would have more effectively communicated how every kind of love deserves nurturing and respect.
A happy ending for all would also have been befitting the BL theme of the series.
I would have liked to listen in while the creative team for The Shipper worked on the storyboards and reached the decision that Kim would be killed off. What the heck were they thinking? They obviously misread their audience in a fundamental way, and I can only hope that GMMTV takes heed of misfires like The Shipper when they hire the next production company to mount a BL series.
In about three months I plan to do an experiment where I'll approach a few BL fans at random and ask them what they remember most about The Shipper. I think I know what the answer will be. In the meantime I'll be checking in with The Shipper's MDL page every now and then to see how many comments are NOT about the crappy ending. (Not many, I bet.)
This is the danger of messing with a genre that people absolutely love. But, after what amounts to three disastrous decisions in three expensively produced series, I'm starting to wonder if anyone in charge really cares.
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The Shipper is a love story, but not in the way you think.
From day one, as people fussed over endgame, what is and isn’t BL, what was appropriate for TV or what wasn’t, I felt something was different about this show. Scratch that—I knew something was different. The writing had something to say, and as I continued to watch the series unfold, what I wanted this show to be didn’t really matter to me anymore. I was simply content to see where the director, Aticha Muilanie (who has proven herself quite adept at injecting narrative with purpose), wanted to take us.The Shipper, at its core, is a humble parable. It’s about trusting in yourself and trusting in others. It’s about learning to forgive and to be forgiven. Growth. Relationships (in and out of them). Love…
The Shipper is a love story, but not in the way you think.
This is a story about what it means to be loved. To understand that, no matter where our place in the grand scheme of things, we are worthy of being loved.
That seed is planted from the very first episode and carried all the way to the very end through all the shenanigans and hijinks that ensue. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, but most importantly, it will make sure you remember what it has to say.
With its expertly directed cast, excellent use of colour, pleasing camera work, and charming soundtrack, it’s a grounded fantasy that’s hard to say goodbye to. I know I will be coming back to it again and again.
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A minority of one here
I can understand the praise which all the other reviewers shower on various aspects of this series. The cinematography. The acting. The writing. The music. From a thoroughly dispassionate standpoint, I am able to give "good" ratings to some of those dimensions too. Anyhow, I leave it to The Shipper's many enthusiastic fans to praise it to the skies, as they do. But I found the series so intensely disagreeable that my feelings of shock and unease will probably stay with me a long time whenever I think of The Shipper. In brief, it gives us a very weird message about life and death, and a bitterly homophobic account of human love. The one and only love story here is a heterosexual love story about a girl trapped in a male body. This might lead to an interesting exploration of trans identity, or an attempt to look at a non-binary self-understanding. But no. She's in a male body, that's all, and the nature of the relationship is utterly conventional heterosexual girl/boy romance. As for the same-sex possibility here (no point even referring to the concept of "BL"), it is literally killed off, stone dead. There is no chance of love between males, the storyline seems to say - it's doomed. Fatal. Something which has to be terminated, erased. As happens here. The only way love could exist between two seemingly male persons, the series tells us, is when one of them in reality is a woman - meaning it's not really any sort of "m/m" relationship at all. It's a hideous and cruel message and it's what this whole series is based on. Hence my low rating. Yes, I should have abandoned it long, long ago. And I did. But I came back to see how it ended. I'm sorry I did.Footnote: I realise I am not in a minority of one. Fortunately. There are a couple of other discerning viewers who were equally alert to, and dismayed by, the crude homophobic message conveyed by The Shipper. Meanwhile, however, I've read the other reviews here, and I'll say that I'm - well, intrigued. One could say they exhibit a ... striking unity. First of all, there are a great many of them. A huge number of reviews. All for The Shipper. OK, very well. This suggests that it was an exceptionally popular series, watched by a very high number of viewers. Was it? I'm not sure I got that impression ... Next: many, if not most, of the reviews are rather close to identical. They seem to follow a set formula. Read along, and you'll quickly get the picture. The reviewer immediately announces that the series isn't "BL" - and always finds space to make some dismissive comment about BL fans. Then we're told that The Shipper is a vastly superior product - with more than a few reviewers going out of their way to pour scorn on BL, yaoi, m/m romance, LGBT material etc. Next, they tell you that this series is an edifying moral lesson, or a series of inspiring moral messages. Finally, they award it a series of 9s and 10s.
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This has been a series I’ve been looking forward to since the initial trailer was released and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. From the very beginning the story has been consistent, heartfelt and funny. The Shipper is a perfect example of a fujoshi’s imagination, including how far it can be taken and how far from reality it actually is. Initially promoted as a BL, the story soon takes a different turn, a very good diversion.I myself am a BL lover and the reason I started this series was actually to get my replacement for 2gether the series, but this turned out to be something I very much enjoyed. I’m still very confused about as to who to ship, but that’s what makes this show itself- it’s extremely unpredictable. One minute you’re on a BL ship, the next a heterosexual ship and the next, ( I’m actually ashamed to say this ) a sort of incesty ship. But that’s what makes this series so good, the fact that it’s realistic, but at the same time doesn’t take itself too seriously.THE STORY:
This is what I imagine fujoshis to be like. It’s very realistic, you know, except for the soul swap stuff. Seriously though, this series has an extremely investive story and very real, very flawed characters. The ones we never get to actually see on our screens. The characters who make mistakes and are able to admit it. The characters who sometimes act before thinking, just as actual humans do at times. The characters who have problems and don’t have perfect lives. The characters who very much resemble ourselves and the characters who are actually worth rooting for. Although I would have loved to see Kim in Pan’s body, I can’t say I’m disappointed. They gave us the exact story that they promised, in a well written way too.
THE ACTING:
Perfection. The acting is perfect. Each character is beautifully portrayed and written. Every single member of the cast is perfect as their character and even out of them. If I mentioned every actor and how well they’ve been portraying their role, let’s just say this would be a very long review. I’ll say just this, this series hit the jackpot with the cast. The way every emotion is clear and correct for every scene is very rare and this is some of the best acting I’ve seen in a while.
THE PRODUCTION :
The production has been spectacular. The level of production has been significantly high in GMMTV shows, but this is a cut above the rest. The premise may be repetitive,what with the soul swapping, but this series has genuine life lessons and a well executed plot. It may be unrealistic at times, but I believe that was the point production was trying to make.
THE OST:
The OST honestly slaps. It’s sweet and light hearted, very much like the show. The video for the OST though! That’s the cutest s**t I’ve seen in a long time. The second track though. I have a feeling that after this finale, I might cry a bit every time I hear it and I listen to it a lot. Like, a lot!!
THE NEGATIVE:
Now I know the student- teacher relationship was needed to move the plot along, but come on! She’s 40 ( sorry 39 ) and he’s 17? I cringed so hard at those scenes. Also, violence is never okay. It doesn’t matter what the situation is. VIOLENCE IS NEVER OKAY. One thing I have to say is never, ever expose someone’s life or secrets. We may never know what it is that they’re going through, so stay considerate.
THE ENDING:
That’s the ending you’re going with huh? I was honestly hoping that WayKim would have a happy ending, but it is what it is. My heart is broken and guess that’s that. Despite that, the finale was quite good. Everyone got their happy endings and the last frame of the series makes me believe just a little bit that WayKim will have one too. I really hope there is a second season. ( God, please let there be another season! )
The great thing about this series is that so many of us started watching it for the BL, but we seem to have continued watching it for what it truly is, a beautiful and heartfelt story full of laughter and tears.
This series has quickly become a favourite of mine and for good reason. Despite having low viewing and not much exposure. I hope everyone gives this show a try. The cast and crew deserve that and more. Hope this review has been helpful to all you confused individuals out there. If you do decide to watch it and are confused about who to ship, don’t worry, I’m pretty sure the characters themselves don’t. Thank You!
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm not disappointed with the series / the story but I'm very disappointed with the ending.
1. Twisted genre - first episodes are very funny. I was laughting so hard that my stomach hurted as hell. The last episodes were so sad. Seriouslly. I couldn't breath. I was choking on my tears.AT FIRST I thought that it would be a great series since it was suppose to be a comedy. Unfortunantelly I got very dissapointed with the ending.
Just how could they do this ?! Why?! Oh, please... I really can't believe that producert had killed the main character - Just why?
2. Actors and acting... I fell in love in Kim (First) and Khem (Ohm). They vere amazing in their role. For a moment I thought that Kim was real and not just a character.
In reality I like this series a lot because it so colorful, playful, joyful, and it is a really nice comedy but... they ending is actually the worst they could ever make! The killed the main character! They killed the ship (this series was about that ship so why did they destroy it?)
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If you are looking for a regular BL story from Thailand, this may not be the series for you. But if you are looking to watch a unique and different series that will have you both laughing and crying, give this series a chance. I personally took a break from Thai BL's, cause I was annoyed with the same repetitive storyline over and over again. I watched other shows from other Asian countries (some BL, some not) to replace Thai BL's for the time. And I think that it worked out for the best of me, cause it made me appreciate this more and to rate it for that instead of being all in my feelings over a series. Also, people need to realize that The Shipper is most closely like that of Great Men Academy and My Dew, not like the regular Thai BL that they are accustomed to.Story-9/10
There was some aspect of the story that I liked, while there were a few that I didn't (one being the teacher/student relationship). This series dealt with love, life and death. It starts off in a comedic tone, but it does not stay there. Yes, I was rooting for Way and Kim to end up together, but they don't as it is revealed that Kim dies. I was devastated when this happened, but Kim told Way to live his life for him and not for anyone else. Yes, he loves him and they can't be together but he should live his life for himself to be happy, which I see as sad cause Kim lived his life for his parents and also for Way and not just for himself. And due to that he was not able to get the happiness that he wanted/deserved.
The first time I cried for this series wasn't even for the love of the boys but was with Pan and her stepfather. That's how I knew this was different. I wasn't crying over any of the boys but due to an actual love between the stepfather and his stepdaughter. That moved me so much. I was glad that in the end Pan choose her happiness over trying to make others happy and that her and Khet were boyfriend and girlfriend. P.S- I also adored every scene the Angel of Death was in. P.PS- the ending left kind of an opening for Kim as he may be able to comeback as he was given a proposition from a voice. Comeback as himself or as someone else, that is what is still left up in the air.
Why I didn't give this a full a score is due to the bullying that was included in this series, the cliche girlfriend and also the student/ teacher relationship.
Acting-10/10
All of the actors in this series were excellent. They were able to bring across a story and it was beautifully told. None of the characters, not even the supporting ones, dissapointed me.
Music-8.5/10
The beginning OST was so cute that it reminded me of an opening for an anime. And then in the last episodes with all of them dancing to the song was the icing on the cake for me. The ending OST was beautifully song as well.
Rewatch Value-8/10
I would rewatch it, but not right now. And that is due to the emotional rollercoaster that I was carried on by binge watching this series in a space of two days.
Overall-9/10
It was a great series. It taught lessons where one of them is be happy for yourself and not just for others. It took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, making me laugh, cry, be in shock and kept me on the edge of my seat for twelve episodes straight (not a lot of dramas can do that for me). I would most definitely recommend this to others to watch.
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Such an underrated gem!
When I first saw the trailer, I thought it was funny and amusing since it was a jab on those hardcore yaoi fans. I immediately shared the video to my friend and told her that I think this is a good follow-up after 2gether plus it has P'Jennie in it so I thought this would be a funny, light-hearted show that doesn't take itself seriously. I was debating whether to watch it while it was on air but held back because I don't want to wait for a week again just to watch a new episode and I'm glad that I did. I already watched this twice (can't help it lol) just to understand the characters' actions and to look at the story in a bigger view. Be warned though that this is not a BL story overall.STORY/PLOT:
There might be some aspects of the drama that may not sit well with everyone (case in point: teacher-student relationship, pedophilia, & unsolicited video recording). First of all, we all know that this is a dramatized and exaggerated drama. I understand the sentiments of others that the team shouldn't have included the teacher-student part but if you look at the bigger picture, things like this exist in reality-- it may not be exactly like it was portrayed but it does happen (teacher predator thingy..). I like how they included themes that reflects our reality. There are parts that are nonsensical but it adds comedic relief to the plot when it gets kinda dramatic. Some viewers are disappointed at the last part-- Kim dies and Way didn't get to be with Kim in the end. If you look at it, this was Pan's story to begin with. She's the main character in this one. They let us focus on WayKim's story since this was what Pan wants since the beginning (hence making a yaoi fic and shipping WayKim hard). She fought tooth and nail to make this happen even if it leads her to making absurd and frustrating decisions throughout the drama (trying to make decisions in place of Kim without any consent) but in the end, realizing that it was not what Kim wants, decided to forgo with it. I understand her actions of doing things without rationalizing everything. Imagine being stuck on a body that you have no assurance of getting back on your own and things escalating fast and being a teenager at that.. give the girl a break.
I was hoping to see a closure between Kim & Khet though. I wish they could have just included one part of Pan and Kim having a conversation before Pan gets back to her body just to have a closure too :( I think that would be pivotal to the story so that we would at least know what Kim thinks. I think he knows what Pan was doing all throughout. It's just that he decided to talk to Way personally for the last time, to make things clear and for Way to accept the new reality--without Kim. Overall, this drama made us appreciate our life and our love ones while living worthwhile. I bawled my eyes out on the last 2 episodes just because.. :( it was such a bittersweet ending but I'm not complaining.
To those confused or hoping during the end credits scene, I think the proposal what God was talking about is when Kim went back to personally talk to Way. I don't see this having a 2nd season not unless you want Kim to rise from the dead lol
ACTING/CAST:
Can I just say how great First' acting was? The way he acts as Kim and Pan is just.. ? magnifique! You can really can tell the difference. I can feel Fluke's pain and sadness especially on the last episode. His chemistry with First is just good. That conversation scene at the last episode was just heartbreaking. You can feel their emotions, their acting will take you. Apart from them, everyone was great too. I like how the cast has good chemistry with each other. I'm looking forward to watching them again on other shows in the future.
MUSIC:
I looooooove the OST! It really pairs up with the story. When I first heard Chan Pen Khong Thoe Thuk Wan on ep 5, this nice I thought to myself BUT, lo and behold comes episode 8, it changes everything lol I will never hear this song and not feel sad :'( Can we talk about the scoring?? omg I cannot rave enough about the scoring! From instrumentals during mellow scenes to reaction and comedic scenes. 10/10!! Banana Studio really thought about it.
OVERALL:
I was surprised this had low ratings during its air. It is such an underrated melodrama. A rollercoaster of emotions.. at first, it will make you laugh and the next thing you know, you're already sobbing and then at the next scene, it will make you laugh again to compensate the past somber scene (I see what u did there). I will miss this cast terribly. I never expected to sob hard watching this. I already felt mid show that it will have a sad ending and boy I was right. Would I recommend this? Definitely. I just want to give a heads up that this is not solely a BL drama.
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BL? Maybe
Do I sincerely call this series BL? Not necessarily, but I won't say I didn't enjoy myself either. My initial reason for even tuning into this BL is because of how everyone told me not to watch it, and of course, I just had to after that. While it was very disturbing in a few spots, as well as being highly controversial, I still guiltily really liked it.Let's Dive In.
The controversy of this series is drawn from two aspects. One, Kim and Khett are brothers, and even though Pan is the one controlling Kim's body, the problem is still there. Initially, Pan wrote a story about Kim and Way, but when she was Pan, her and Khett had their little lovey-dovey thing going on so that basically transferred from Pan into Kim that stayed. I honestly liked how Khett could tell that something was up with Kim before I realized that they were falling in love. Ohm played Khett very well, but that's nothing new because I absolutely love Ohm and any series he's been in. The other controversial part is the girl becoming a boy in which I see the problem, but I don't necessarily mind it until I see signs of it becoming an issue. For the most part, Pan being Kim led to some pretty humorous moments of her freaking out over male body parts and trying to navigate her way into becoming Kim. I believe this was my first time seeing First in a series, and he did an excellent job. I loved how he played up Kim's personality after having transformed.
Some other small things to discuss, Jennie’s character carried this ENTIRE show. She was hilarious and is an incredible actress. I want to see her in more stuff. I really hated the whole fangirl aspect of this, but the series wouldn't be the series without it, but I don't like seeing the over-fascination that BL girls have for BL. It's weird, it fetishizing, and it's just downright embarrassing. There was a lot of that in this that made it a bit hard to watch.
Overall, I had fun watching this series. l wouldn't really recommend it for a BL series, but for anyone wanting to see more of Ohm or just an entertaining series, then I think I would recommend this.
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Do not go into the show with the expectation of it being a BL drama.
As the title states, I'd suggest watching The Shipper without expecting the story to be about two boys falling in love. As we see from the summary, the focus is on Pan trying to figure out how she can leave Kim's body and back into her own. Does the story contain BL themes? Yes. Does the story have two men that care for each other as more than friends? Yes. But do understand that the journey is not about Kim, it's about Pan in Kim's body.Story:
In all honesty, I can say that I did really like the ending. I loved the theories that circulated around it but I do love the canon explanation. I liked how it was resolved, I liked how they showed the impacts the ending had on different people. It was raining on my face for a long time.
Re-watch value/Recommend:
The odd themes in TS makes one raise their brows. When watching the show, we understand what is going on and why it's happening. Frankly, it's weird (for me) which is why I would re-watch the show but not recommend it to another person that knows me in real life.
Acting:
The acting was phenomenal on all sides. Every actor that was on screen for more than two seconds had done really well. I applaud First, he had to act as a male character that was possessed by a female character that differed largely from Kim. Not once did I feel that Pan was not in Kim's body except for the scenes in which we meet the Real Kim. There was a clear difference in acting when it came to the Pan version of Kim and the actual Kim.
Ploy, Fluke and Ohm have also done really well. They had the most screen time right after First and they were always delivering their characters perfectly.
If its possible, to please have Ohm and First star as a couple in a show or Ohm and Fluke, along with Fluke and First. They are great actors that deserve more time in the spotlight. This was a well selected cast and I can't wait to see more of their work in the future.
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Happy yet a bit sad!
Highly recommend this to all BL craze fan like me! It will take you on a wonderfully ride.Story:
Prepare your heart for the ending though! Had me in tears! I was rather hoping for some miracle at the end lik all clichés! In that aspect it surprised me at every turn.
Acting:
I always adore ohms acting, he s one fine actor who can mold himself into any role, from his journey from wars, make it right, he is coming to me..his acting has wowed all. I specifically like how gentle, nice and protective he was as Khet.
Soda's char was done well. Pans char could have expressed herself more better, the actress has scope but.
The BL couples now, they did good. Way still has a long route to perfect his acting skills.
Music: was ok. Nothing i could think to mention.
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A Moral Lesson Disguised as A Nonsensical Comedy
Throughout the first half of the show I did not take this drama seriously which is probably why I’m so shocked by the past two episodes. There was always this darkness looming in the background but the tone and cinematography of the series always made me ignore it. Why would anyone take this nonsensical series full of weird characters and dialogue seriously? By the fifth episode I just gave up on trying to wrap my head around the plot; I would just sit back and enjoy myself.All things considered I did enjoy myself. I really enjoyed the humor, most of the characters, OST, and cinematography. That’s why I’m simply not going to give it a low rating because i was unsatisfied with the final episode.
The series is about two high school students, Pan and Soda, who writes BL fiction about their Ship. The Ship consists of Way who is the resident bad boy with a record but is balanced out by Kim. Kim is the ‘perfect’ top student at school but as the episodes progress we find out that he’s not as ‘perfect’ as every one thinks. That’s not to say that he’s this horrible person but he’s human. Like every other character he makes mistakes and is flawed. Another important character is Kim’s younger brother (and is crushing on Pan) Khet.
Without going too much into the plot Kim and Pan switches bodies after a near fatal accident. The problem is that only Pan wakes up in Kim’s body but he doesn’t. The twelve episodes follow Pan as she struggles to keep the secret hidden and find her way back to her original body. Throughout this journey she, and the audience, are taught lessons. We are taught how toxic shipping real life people can be, you can’t judge anyone by its cover, people can make mistakes without becoming a villain, life is short, etc. There was so many moral lessons that were hidden behind the comedy and I have to give them kudos for it. I feel like a lot of the lessons were relevant but I can understand why a huge proportion of the audience will be upset by the ending.
I don’t want to go over ever little plot point but I do want to address a few things. Keep these in mind if you ever decide to watch it because the way it’s framed (the synopsis/first few episodes/poster) you could be mislead. Not all of these things I’m going to address is bad but I believe still should be mentioned. Obviously there is going to be plenty of spoilers mentioned so if you don’t want to see them refrain from reading below.
The most important thing to remember is that this is NOT a BL. The series wants you to believe that the main characters are Kim and Way but they are just the supporting cast. Pan and Khet are actually the main characters. There is nothing wrong with that but it’s understandable why people would be upset about the back and forth. I pretty much assumed Pan and Soda was just reading too much into their relationship and that the big lesson we would learn is that ‘we shouldn’t push feelings on people’ but...I was wrong. Kim and Way has genuine feelings for each other. Even when Pan is in Kim’s body the drama makes that fact known. It was so refreshing even if I feel like these two characters go the short end of the stick.
There are also incest undertones. I repeat there are incest undertones that happened way too frequently. It’s obvious that things would get weird when your crush is in your brothers body but I feel like the series went too far. I blame this on First and Ohm’s amazing chemistry though. Actually, every character on this show can be shipped together hence the title. If these types of plot lines makes you uncomfortable than you might want to avoid the show. It might be Pan’s soul but it’s still Kim’s body. That’s something that was kind of addressed in the show but pushed aside too: free will and consent. Either way all these characters will need to undergo lots of therapy because the events that take place in this show can scar you for life.
I’m trying to not list every bad aspect of the show because it was enjoyable but the reason it won’t get a higher reason is because of the ending and incest undertones. I just feel really let down. Should I, though? Feel let down? Is it my fault for never taking it seriously or is it just poor writing? There was such a sudden shift in the last two episodes that I feel whiplashed.
So...is this drama worth it? Maybe. I’m not sure. I do want to say that my complaints solely are because of the plot. The cast did a fantastic job and they deserve praise. Especially First (Kim) and Prigkhing (Pan) but all the cast did a phenomenal job. It’s not easy for First to play two distinct character, one of them he even has the mannerisms and nonverbal cues that Prigkhing has as Pan. The cast is a big factor on why I never gave this series up and why it still has a special place in my heart despite how messy the plot is. The OST and cinematography deserves a special mention too. Basically I feel like this stellar cast went to waste. If the writing wouldn’t of been so inconsistent and the ending so jarring I would give it a higher rating but because there is no chance of a second season (which means the characters with unresolved endings will stay unresolved) I can only give it a 6.5.
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