I Saw You in My Dream (2024)

a unique premise with a slow burn

Overall: I was torn between a 7.5 and 8 for this series - one aspect in the finale made me rate it 7.5. I have not read the book this is based on and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (except: Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Philippines) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4579/i-saw-you-in-my-dream-2024-e01 and WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/w52tycxawaajel4-I%20Saw%20You%20In%20My%20Dream/w4100e6rju9-EP0A%3A%20I%20Saw%20You%20In%20My%20Dream

Content Warnings: attempted murder, violence, blood, past death/grief, vomiting, groping/non con touching/sexual assault, stalking, non con picture taking, trespassing

Watch Suggestions (to skip some of the love rival stuff and slow pacing)
- watch episodes 1-5
- watch episode 6 14:30-14:45, then 22:45-40min
- watch episode 7 13:30-end
- watch episodes 8-10
- watch episode 11 beginning to 15 or could even skip and watch 44-47
- watch episode 12

What I Liked
- good that a character apologized and promised to tone it down
- supportive friends
- supportive family
- sweet/caring moments
- intimacy/kissing done well
- consent
- showed how abusers can and do play the victim
- actual consequences instead of the "oh he learned his lesson" bs we normally see

Room For Improvement
- the character exposition dump to start the series
- comedy sound effects that detracted from the comedy
- Yu continued to prank Ai after what happened and Ai not telling Yu why he was really afraid of the dark for years, Yu didn't clarify his relationship in episode 10 which caused unneeded distress and then Yu still tried to prank Ai at the end of the series, Yu overall feels a bit too immature which is why I knocked it down to 7.5
- cringey guitar playing, time jump in the finale
- love rival aspect went on too long/the pacing was too slow
- too much blur filter
- nonsense stuff: a character didn't like the dark but then was cooking in a very dark kitchen, a character should have told another character about their experience at age 20, I don't think there would have been that many/severe injuries from that in ep 12
- episode 11 was so slow that it blunted the suspense aspect
- should have put the beginning of ep 12 in chronological order in ep 11
- the worldbuilding/supernatural aspect was kind of meh, could have been done better

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medicore story/acting, some cringe/fluff, neither fish nor fowl

The trend of lazy writing continues with this show. They had a good novel, the first episodes where interesting and then they buchered the story especially in the finale. That was so lame and so badly acted, just unbelievable.

There are some highlights like cute moments, building up friendships, supportive parents, but there are very cringe moments (very fake guitar playing) and many communication issues (you see it and think "wtf is he doing?"). The showrunners could not decide to make either a comedy or a mature drama and so they decided to go the safe route delivering us the worst of both worlds. If there are too many comendy elements (with of course lot's of stupid sound effects) it's hard to take the story seriously, on the other hand the finale showed they did not really like doing it in a serious manner, so it felt extremly silly and unbelievable. They had an interesting premise but in the end it got from good to bad.

So for me it's neither fish nor fowl, just a medicore show, leaning more to the bad side. If I had not seen this show, I would not miss a thing, but there are even worse shows out there. ?

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I Can Still Hear Ai going... P'YUUU...

Peoples, we got a rapping confession, followed by a guitar scene confession. It was a two-in-one double kill. I almost didn't make it out alive. It was brutal. Also, did anyone want to reach into the screen and shake P-Yu when he was treating his ex-girlfriend like precious cargo right in front of Ai's salad?

Well, that ending was super anticlimactic, after all that dreaming that was it? A pull out knife, and a neck brace? Arite then. It was also very criminal how we didn't get a last moment between Yo and Ing, we were robbed and I wanna have words with whoever was in charge of the script.

Anyway, can we talk about how dirty they did Wan. Sure, the dude just couldn't take a hint that Ai wasn't interested, and Yo misguided way to help backfired, but damn, did they have to do my man like that? Screaming on top of your lungs that you don't like him was just wild. Poor dude, he better than me though, still helping Ai, me, I'd have never shown my face to him again.

This show is one of those that grows on you. When it started I was like, meh, really? But along the way it became my comfort show, it was wholesome and I enjoyed watching it. The two pairs had good chemistry, the plot, when the writers remembers their main objective wasn't bad, and I had a few chuckles. Oh, and the parents were really kind, which was refreshing to see.

Listen, the writers had a good plot, however, they did not execute it to its full potential. At some point it felt like they forgot the main plot-line, so they had all those floating dreams to fill the gap. They even forgot how Ai was playing some investigator or another with that closet wall full of drawings and stuff. They could have done so much more with this plot, instead they tiptoed around it to show us a whole episode with Yu's ex, Pan.

No, cuz what in the random arse was them dedicating a whole episode to Yu's ex for? When she returned I was like, 'oh, you still in this show?' then they gave her a whole episode as a result of things that didn't happen on screen. Who even cared about that character? Sure they needed that side-story for that Ice fellow to play a part in the finale, but a whole arse episode for characters no one cares about is wild.

And she only added to my anger. Yes, I felt bad for her, was even rolling my eyes at that annoying Ice and going 'how about you go melt somewhere creep.' but at the same time, let's be honest, she put herself in that situation. She had a good boyfriend, living in a big arse mansion (how they pay for that house? or did their parents leave them stack of paper in the bank?) who loved her, and she broke up with him, so she could go fake date someone and became famous. I felt bad for her, but the whole time when she was there and Yu was treating her like a newborn baby, feeding her and making my blood pressure go up, I was like, yeah, Sharon, you walked into that one yourself.

YU AND AI
These two were cute when they were bickering in the beginning of the show. And their little church scenes. P'Yu always somehow managed to make Ai angry. I did like their friendship, and when they got together as well. I assumed Ai was gonna be passive in the relationship, but he wasn't, episode 10 ending had me going... ooo... so this is where we are at? okaii. I liked how protective of each other they were. I also really love how it seemed like they lived in two houses, just going from one to the other, and the parents were so chill about the whole thing.

However, these two needed to communicate. Ai putting himself in constant danger was not it, all of those could have been avoided if he'd communicated with Yu. Sure he didn't want him to worry by keeping his dreams a secret, still, feels like trusting the one you love is better than keeping secrets that are putting you in harms way.

Yu had me until he decided to be a good guy and help his ex-girlfriend. Yes, yes, I understand, and in reality if an ex needed help, I'd have done the same, but damnnnn that episode made me glare at him over my popcorn and wine. Another place I was glaring was when Ai took all those pills. Child, you cannot be this stupid, sure your friend gave you a bad advice, but surely, Ai knew how dangerous it was, no? And to think nothing happened to him. They shook him a bit and he woke up. #facepalm.

But all in all, cute couple, wholesome-ish, it was nice seeing their friendship grow into love. They did well as leads and had me invested in their story. I really liked how they felt like a happy family with the rest of the cast, all those eating together scene was very heart-warming.

YO AND ING
Now, we were all rooting for them, seeing as anyone with eyes could see that Yo liked Ing back. What I didn't like was Ing's attitude when he confessed and more-or-less got rejected. Yes, it was frustrating to see Yo pretend, but when all was said and done, it felt like Ing somehow forced Yo to accept his feelings? I don't know, he deserved to be angry, but stopping to be his friend, and all that anger was not it. Still I was happy when Yo finally accepted his feelings and they got together. I cringed so hard during that rapping scene, was it cute, perhaps, but I watched it between my fingers out of secondhand embarrassment so...but anyway, glad they figured out their stuff and got together. Cute and whatnot.

All-in-all a nice show. It wasn't the greatest, but it grew on me, and it had its moment. I'll recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different other than school setting as a main focus. I'll definitely be checking out the future work of the cast.

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Promising, light hearted premise that drifts in the second half!

The series unfolds the evolving journey of the childhood friends Ai and Yu, from rivalry to affection while incorporating supernatural elements.

The chemistry between Ai and Yu was undeniable, especially in their initial playful banter and eventual support for each other. As the drama progressed, their bond grew strong although the miscommunications led to unnecessary tension that could have resolved more easily.
Yo and Ing's story added an entertaining layer to the overall drama. Their romantic struggles with humour and relatability were executed well in the short screen time that they had. The supporting family brought a certain comforting warmth to the story. Yu and Yo's interactions with Ai's parents was heartwarming to see.

However, what started as an interesting supernatural romance fizzled out in the second half. The pacing felt uneven, especially in the second half. It started feeling dragged repeating the same scenarios without much progression. The slow-burn romance was sort of appealing but then considering the long history of them together, it was frustrating at times as to how the characters reacted particularly when the love-rival subplot was introduced (multiple times -_-).

The supernatural element introduced initially felt very anti-climatic. The supernatural was used as a catalyst for Ai to Yu in romantic light , but it lacked the necessary development to evoke curiosity or tension. I wish they focused a bit more on that rather than on the common tropes.

Overall, An interesting premise that started strong but falters in its execution during the second half. Recommended if you are for something light and entertaining to watch that doesn't delve into profound themes.

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Finding love in premonitory dreams

Finding love in premonitory dreams
From the first scene, 'I Saw You in My Dream' not only grabs the viewer, it also proves to be a special LGBT-themed romantic drama with its cozy vibes, delicate emotions and tender sentimental messages.
Each well-written scene highlights the protagonists and their charming personalities, helping me understand them as individuals. I empathize with the skillful narrator, who describes a tender bond between two neighbors and childhood friends. We are facing a healthy and beautiful youthful romance.
The possibility of romance does not take long to emerge on the screen. Although initially focused on platonic interactions, the main characters are one a university student and the other a freelance photographer, who have shared their entire lives in games, noble fun, and a lot of camaraderie.
However, everything changes when Ai, just on the day she turns 20, in the middle of the Christmas and New Year holidays, begins to have premonitory dreams, that is, those that end up happening later. Having dreams that seem to foresee future events causes him distress and confusion, since they are related to Yu, his friend, whom he sees suffering a tragedy or kissing him in the privacy of a darkened room. This triggers in him, on the one hand, the desire to protect him, and on the other, love, but at the same time he does not know how to handle the situation due to the fear of losing his friend.
This is how the series immerses the viewer in the complex labyrinths of friendship, love and self-discovery, presenting the moving story of two inseparable friends, who find themselves on an emotionally challenging journey. What they believe about themselves and what they feel about each other is not a constant – unlike many situations shown in the series that seem to remain unchanged: games in the garden of the house or in one of their bedrooms, the search for hidden treasures, sharing the birthday gift...
In the environment of their childhood and adolescence, their homes have witnessed countless laughter, games and shared secrets. However, as they reach adulthood, they face new desires and emotions, and endless questions about who they really are and what love is. What makes this period of changes a sea of ​​confusion for the protagonist is that over time he realizes that he loves Yu. Do you have to hide your feelings to preserve a friendship intact or is it time to take a risk to be authentic with yourself?
Ingkarat Damrongsakkul, the actor who plays Ai, is sensational. He brings sweetness and youthful innocence to an emotionally honest performance. Ruy, as he is known by his nickname, embodies his character so convincingly that Ai feels like a genuine person with complex thoughts and feelings drifting from his premonitory dreams.
This role is perfectly designed to highlight the best qualities of the actor who starred in 2015, at the age of 12, in the film 'How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)', a drama for which he won the coveted Best Actor award cast at that year's prestigious Suphannahong National Film Awards/National Film Association of Thailand Awards.
'Quarantine Stories', 'Fierce & Furious Academy', '2 Moons' and '#HATETAG' are other BL series in which Ryu had the opportunity to take on important roles.
For his part, Putter Phubase Pratumrat, who plays Yu, radiates a pleasant charisma. The actor who starred in one of the stories of the series 'My Universe', specifically the one titled 'Lucky Love', and who made his debut in 2022 in a supporting role in the BL 'Our Days', has a cheeky charm boy next door guy who helps you understand why Ai dreams about him. Unlike his friend, Yu is an outgoing and confident boy who likes photography and video games.
Ryu and Putter are a joy to watch: they establish an engaging and comfortable relationship, while sharing wonderful chemistry, which never makes accompanying them in their developing relationship boring at any point.
Visually beautiful, 'I Saw You in My Dream' contains many reflective messages about the loves between two boys of the same sex, members of the small Thai Catholic community, something that is new in BL series from that country, especially if we take into account that for the Catholic Church, homosexual acts and behaviors constitute a serious mortal sin because sexual relations must have a procreative purpose and take place within marriage, which is indissoluble and made up of the union of a man and a woman according to their identity. biological.
As Ai experiences various challenges, she must learn to handle these difficulties with maturity and confidence. Fortunately, our hero has a great support system, from loving parents to supportive and respectful friends.
Likewise, the story of Ing (Game Orarig Tanoi), who in turn is secretly in love with Yo (Surf Patchara Silapasoonthorn), Yu's younger brother, will be interesting. Both will give rise to an always-awaited second couple that will increase tensions and conflicts.
Tee Bundit Sintanaparadee, the director, opts for a sweet romance, filmed in warm tones with soft touches of romantic comedy. The Thai director, who with the series 'I Feel You Linger in the Air', 'Hidden Agenda', 'Step by Step', 'Something in My Room', 'Lovely Writer' and 'TharnType', among others, has been years is a chronicler of love and the daily struggles of a young generation, he returns to familiar territories to reveal some of his obsessions: homosexuality, family, traditional culture, the school process, the work environment, youth and its ups and downs emotional.
For this, it has the collaboration of Prig Apichayar Sinithichayanon ('Hidden Agenda'), Chot-anan Kasamwonghong ('The Rebound', '609 Bedtime Story' and 'The Eclipse', Wannapa Lertkultanon and Natithep Wong-In, in charge of writing the script based on the famous Afterday novel of the same name, who build real and sincere characters and follow them in an unprejudiced and natural way.
'I Saw You in My Dream' is at the same time a coming-of-age and a coming out, that is, a traditional growth story in which a firmly closed closet timidly begins to open to the outside and from which those who are inside. The director obtains from the young cast naturalistic performances – although clearly marked by a classic script in its structure and route – that are largely credible and fresh.
At the same time, it explores in a simple and kind way the process of growing up and self-discovery, and the complexity of human relationships even in a context that seems to be simple and comfortable for the characters. After all, they are lifelong friends, they are doing what they love to do most, which is sharing time together, and they have beautiful memories of what their lives have been like.
The casting decisions are correct, the cast being made up of actors and actresses committed to fiction and the performances being very natural. Nothing is forced in this series and that makes the story take its time and immerse the viewer in the thoughts of each character, without looking for a plot, a turning point or a moment of dramatic explosion.
The choices regarding locations, even those public places due to their scarce presence of personnel outside the filming, are successful because they do not distract from the central point of 'I Saw You in My Dream': the indescribable bond in words between Yu and Ai. The characters are the ones who have to be there; There are no distractions of any kind during the series. At times it may seem like it is moving slowly, but deep down it is because it is a work more focused on the development of the characters, instead of a traditional narrative structure of beginning-middle-end, although it does not lack this aspect either.
The series seeks to portray first love, self-discovery, friendship, family ties, study, passions, among other issues, in a very natural way. Although young people go through situations full of doubt and confusion, the audiovisual gives a certain luminosity to the messages it transmits and the way its characters are followed.
The director knows how to capture the sensitivity of the story he wants to tell and the feelings that blossom in the protagonists. At no time does it fall into common places, neither in relation to the construction of the characters nor in the development of the plot. Let everyone be as they are, do not judge them or justify them.
The characters are very real and sincere and the cast does a good job of carrying them forward. The actors manage to portray the universe and the stage of life in which they find themselves in an unprejudiced, natural and enjoyable way, showing the sensations and reactions of young people their age.
The setting is also achieved. The cheerful landscape of both boys' houses, the shared garden, the fence that divides one home from the other, the university, the church and the places they visit, are settings that color the series with a certain nostalgia, joy and romanticism.
The other notable aspect, and nothing minor in the plot and form of the series, is the music. This plays a fundamental role in the story, being a means to express the characters' feelings without them having to recognize them or have uncomfortable conversations. Many times they even don't know what's happening to them and the music lets those sensations flow. Plus, the soundtrack is original, catchy, and sounds good.
The musical score by Banana Sound Studio, and the songs composed by Sorawit Sangpupas and Thanawin Keawsri, and performed by Ryu and Putter, are not so much company as they are an essential complement to the story. That is, the songs help tell the story, but not in the usual way of the musical genre but rather as a soundtrack that expresses youth, doubts, and also fears.
In summary, 'I Saw You in My Dream' is a coming of age and an effective coming out that turns out to be sensitive and intimate, simple and complex at the same time, quite original, without the need for large concrete conflicts to resolve.
The work of Tee Bundit Sintanaparadee invites the viewer, depending on the moment in life they are going through, with empathy or nostalgia the process of growing up, of making decisions, of self-discovery, of being young but not so young, of risking what one feels, and to travel through love even when there are doubts and fears: wait for it in premonitory dreams.
YA

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You are my dream

I'm not going to pretend like I haven't had some weird dreams, no. I've dreamt of some genuinely peculiar stuff, sitting on trees, dreams about crushing on someone, I've had ones with full storylines, sometimes better than a few dramas I've watched, lol.
Dreams are fascinating, and if your dreams tell you that your annoying childhood friend/ neighbour is your love interest, maybe you should take a chance, because you might end up discovering that it's a love you never realised even existed.

Such a brilliant concept they came up with, by the way, dreams and romance, because when you say fantasy, with or without it taking up too much screentime, the love story works. It could have been played into completely, or used a plot device for the romance, but either way, they set themselves up perfectly. I absolutely loved Ai and Yu's dynamics and chemistry, the gradual incline from being someone who annoys everything out of you to being someone you realise even with being annoying, is someone you want in your life forever. It's the slowest of slow burns, but never boring because you get to unpack some rather complex connections they have as a pair, having known each other since they were children.

But it was beautiful watching them become a romantic couple, it felt comforting and easy, how you want it to feel despite there being complications. The second couple were also great to watch, they had similar dynamics in some ways to Ai and Yu, but their love story was adorable as well.

In stark contrast, if you're watching this for the fantasy aspect.. it was quite underdeveloped, to say the least. Like I said before, this definitely worked as a romance, but the fantasy was merely a plot device to further the romance, it never felt like a plot of it's own. Even when they tried to flesh it out, it felt rushed and nothing more. But that's okay, it's alright, watch this as a romance and I can guarantee something great. Just don't expect much of the fantasy.

Even though at a point it felt like they could have concluded the story with fewer episodes, I enjoyed it throughout. A good story, a great set of characters, amazing couples and chemistry, I can't ask for more from a rom com, and as I finished, there was a feeling of satisfaction and that's saying a lot.

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The concept of the story was interesting, it's a decent watch, it was even sweet and cute but I was still a bit disappointed in terms of the fantasy plot and some parts could be improved.

But maybe it's his pattern (P'Tee), for example, he could give us a great idea but when he execute it, it lacks something.. Nonetheless, I thanked him for making and trying this kind of project.

I can not say so much, that's weird. I feel like I'm kind of confused because at first it was surprisingly good but looking back, I'm nitpicky and find it average..?

But hope to see the mainleads in another series with different vibe and maybe a better storyline.

I think this is my least favorite shows of P' Tee.

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A case of throwing plot devices at a wall to see what sticks

From the first episode, I found the premise vaguely interesting in a "if this is done well, it could be really good; if it's not, I'm going to roll my eyes hard enough to see the future" way. And I promise you that it plummeted like a physics class egg drop experiment (Google it). Did it get better? Euh, kinda? Did it get good? Absolutely not. Did it get tolerable? In the same way that the sound of a dripping faucet does when you're waiting for maintenance to come.

This felt like the writers started out by giving the audience too many characters to start with, and then made most of them immediately unlikeable. Great on paper, as I'm someone who's a huge fan of a (well-done) redemption arc, but maybe give me more than three minutes to learn a name and associate it with a face - especially when we're talking about new actors. Each time the characters started to settle into their storylines and it felt like we were going to get a moment of cohesion, we either got a new character, a new story arc, or both. If you're at all familiar with the genre, I'm sure you can guess the percentage of clean resolutions to introduced conflicts (hint - it isn't 100). There are entire scenes/occurrences that are never explained or even addressed and incidents that just show up toward the end of the series as though it's just canon that's been there all along. To be fair, I have not read the book (I actively try not to read a book when I know it's being adapted into a series), so this may be something that just didn't make it into the adaptation.

Will I watch this again? Absolutely not. No. Not even if I lose a bet. Take my eyes out first and then maybe. No, actually, still no.

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Sweet and Fluffy

This series is a light and fluffy comedy with a little bit of supernatural elements thrown in. It is not the most intellectual series I've watched, but it was nice to see a series that had more than a few normal looking people. Putter, playing Yu has redefined what handsomeness is. The character of Yu has unique features, but as the series progressed, I could see why Ai could fall in love with him.

I could have done without the ex-girlfriend but she in the source material, so I had to live with the unnecessary conflict this brought to the couple. A weakness of this story is, I feel that there were times I could not read their thoughts as well as I would have liked. I think that if I had access to a translated copy of the novel, it would have helped me understand the inner thoughts of the characters better.

I recommend this for people who like fluffy, not super deep or philosophical. The characters are like people I would be friends with in real life, so they were relatable to me.

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It was an interesting dream.

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and interesting series. However, I am a sucker for series that have a supernatural/strange element to it. The script was good for the most part, but needed a little more tweaking and had some very weak aspects towards the end. My main complaint is key information was always misplaced which created some confusing, well for me at least. I recommend being patient because they do eventually reveal the information. The cast did a great job with their characters. I thought Putter did a great job making Yu a very likable character without him being a complete A-Hole. Ryu also did a great job making Ai appear innocent and loveable without being annoying. The cinematography was very good and did a great job keeping the consistency between the scenes involving the two different outcomes (dream version vs reality version) depending on Ai actions.

Random Note:

I went in with low expectations because this is a product of Dee Hup. Their series always seem incomplete and/or never fully hitting the mark at the end. I was very pleasantly surprised how good this series was. Apart from my main complaint and notes in the spoiler alert section, I would definitely rewatch this.

It was cute how they slipped in a quick nod to another Dee Hup series (Lovely Writer) which seems to be a running theme in their series.

If you are not going to show actors actually playing a sport, don’t bother including a match scene.

The English subtitles on GagaOOLala were good with the exception that it didn’t show English subtitles when printed content appears on screen a few times. GagaOOLala did not edit out the break credit between the episode sections.



********Spoiler Alert********

I liked that they kept the teasing aspect of the relationship to a minimum and ended it by the first episode.

Just a few examples about the misplace of information. One was the age difference between Ai and Yu. I was confused at first because I assumed that Ai and Yu were the same age. This was eventually cleared up later on, but this could have been addressed during the character introduction at the beginning of episode 1. Another was the relationship between the characters. I was a little confusing in the first episode because it introduced a lot of them without fully explaining who everyone was or their relationship between each other. They slowly give this information but they could have found a better way to do it.

Although it was a happy ending and I did enjoy it, it seemed rushed. Once again, they reveal a lot of key information at the very last minute.

Episode 10 came across as very random. I understand the main purpose was to introduce the treat Ice will play, but It could have been written better. It also had so many illogical things about it. If they knew a stalker was roaming around, why was the front door unlocked?

The script for episode 11 was the weakest out of this series. The entire storyline involving the slipping pills was not realistic. I understand they wanted to give a sense of urgency, but no one would have survived that amount of pills Ai used. Not to mention that you do not take medication prescribed to someone else. You also don’t take pills from an unmarked bottle. How did he even know it had sleeping medication?

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