This review may contain spoilers
Incredibly torn about this one
It's been difficult to sort out my exact feelings about this show but if I had to pick out the most prevalent one it'd be "visceral disappointment".
I went into watching the series fully aware that it's a satire (which I'm generally quite a big fan of) and absolutely loved it in the beginning. I mean the setup is absolutely fantastic, there's just no two ways about it.
A Buddhist vampire with recessive genes? Excellent.
He's got a cat he takes everywhere, a coffin with no lid, and a vast collection of umbrellas he colour coordinates with his outfits? Showstopping, absolutely spectacular.
Add a cast of charming weirdos, a blood pork soup cart, and a very self-aware type of humour, and you've got a clear recipe for success in my book. Hell, I kind of thought this was going to be Thailand's answer to What We Do In The Shadows.
Whoever was responsible for sets and wardrobe absolutely went above and beyond and there are so many fun little unexplained oddities sprinkled through the story (looking at you, Yoh's haunted room) that clearly show a lot of love and effort was put into this production.
But unfortunately, that's where the good ends and the problems begin. For this type of story and style to work you need solid performances, precise comedic timing, and tight editing, none of which the show delivers.
A lot of the acting is quite stiff (I feel very mean coming after someone's performance like this but it really is a big issue here), the dialogue can be incredibly awkward, and the pacing is painfully slow. I don't mind a lack of plot and generally enjoy little more than watching a bunch of interesting characters just existing and living their lives, but I truly cannot overstate just how much time the show wastes with needless filler scenes, it genuinely put me in a sort of bored fugue state.
Towards the end the plot does pick up a bit but the show completely wastes the potential there too.
The concept of Pun being an unreliable narrator (or, more accurately, a lying liar who lies) could have worked so well if the writing had been slightly more consistent and if the whole "dramatic, blood-drinking vampires" part of his backstory had been woven into the plot from the beginning.
If we, as the audience, had had some indication of how limited Pun's time with his friends was supposed to be, if we'd seen him struggle with breaking away from his responsibilities to his "vampire family", how much more impactful would the sweet and emotional moments have been? A lot, in my opinion.
Even the "find each other in every life-time" cliche could have worked here if, once again, it had been woven into the story a bit more and if the romantic connection between Yoh and Pun had been given a bigger focus. I don't even mean NC scenes, hell just having them hold hands occasionally, or cuddle, or display any other type of non-sexual intimacy would have been enough. Or having Yoh engage with Pun's clear adoration of him more openly and acknowledging his own feelings earlier.
There are so many ways in which this show could have been great and so many ways in which it isn't.
So, on the whole, would I recommend watching this show? I honestly don't know. On the one hand I personally would rather watch a weird, off-beat, low-budget story with unique ideas than some milque-toast, cookie-cutter show with high production value that brings nothing new to the table any day. On the other hand, does it really matter how good a story's ideas are if the execution is this poor?
Since I can't figure out a clear answer to that for the life of me, you'll probably just have to decide for yourself.
I went into watching the series fully aware that it's a satire (which I'm generally quite a big fan of) and absolutely loved it in the beginning. I mean the setup is absolutely fantastic, there's just no two ways about it.
A Buddhist vampire with recessive genes? Excellent.
He's got a cat he takes everywhere, a coffin with no lid, and a vast collection of umbrellas he colour coordinates with his outfits? Showstopping, absolutely spectacular.
Add a cast of charming weirdos, a blood pork soup cart, and a very self-aware type of humour, and you've got a clear recipe for success in my book. Hell, I kind of thought this was going to be Thailand's answer to What We Do In The Shadows.
Whoever was responsible for sets and wardrobe absolutely went above and beyond and there are so many fun little unexplained oddities sprinkled through the story (looking at you, Yoh's haunted room) that clearly show a lot of love and effort was put into this production.
But unfortunately, that's where the good ends and the problems begin. For this type of story and style to work you need solid performances, precise comedic timing, and tight editing, none of which the show delivers.
A lot of the acting is quite stiff (I feel very mean coming after someone's performance like this but it really is a big issue here), the dialogue can be incredibly awkward, and the pacing is painfully slow. I don't mind a lack of plot and generally enjoy little more than watching a bunch of interesting characters just existing and living their lives, but I truly cannot overstate just how much time the show wastes with needless filler scenes, it genuinely put me in a sort of bored fugue state.
Towards the end the plot does pick up a bit but the show completely wastes the potential there too.
The concept of Pun being an unreliable narrator (or, more accurately, a lying liar who lies) could have worked so well if the writing had been slightly more consistent and if the whole "dramatic, blood-drinking vampires" part of his backstory had been woven into the plot from the beginning.
If we, as the audience, had had some indication of how limited Pun's time with his friends was supposed to be, if we'd seen him struggle with breaking away from his responsibilities to his "vampire family", how much more impactful would the sweet and emotional moments have been? A lot, in my opinion.
Even the "find each other in every life-time" cliche could have worked here if, once again, it had been woven into the story a bit more and if the romantic connection between Yoh and Pun had been given a bigger focus. I don't even mean NC scenes, hell just having them hold hands occasionally, or cuddle, or display any other type of non-sexual intimacy would have been enough. Or having Yoh engage with Pun's clear adoration of him more openly and acknowledging his own feelings earlier.
There are so many ways in which this show could have been great and so many ways in which it isn't.
So, on the whole, would I recommend watching this show? I honestly don't know. On the one hand I personally would rather watch a weird, off-beat, low-budget story with unique ideas than some milque-toast, cookie-cutter show with high production value that brings nothing new to the table any day. On the other hand, does it really matter how good a story's ideas are if the execution is this poor?
Since I can't figure out a clear answer to that for the life of me, you'll probably just have to decide for yourself.
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