Humbledaisy
Cast - Well, let's take a look at the cast first: Ken (Wonpuapan Theeradeth) plays the lead - Paat. He's a tea farmer, not terribly well behaved or educated but proud of rebuilding his family fortune and farm. I'm sure it's a part that Ken could play in his sleep but he really made you feel his sadness and anger at what he viewed as betrayals from his deceased wife and society in general. Yes, he's got a few friends and his workers see him as fair but that's about it. Think, walking thundercloud. It's a convincing act!
Every grumpy/mean lead needs a heroine to change him. In this drama, it's Namtarn (Wongsarattanasin Pichukkana) playing Rojanasnai, the innocent heroine. Friendly, good to her family (who does not treat her well as she's the adopted daughter) and a good student. Plucky to a certain extent but your are mostly believing it because she seems like a genuinely nice person. I've read this ingenue part was her debut role and she acted it convincingly.
The other main parts are all acted convincingly so I guess these actors did their parts well. Only a few seemed over the top and that eventually toned down. If you watch lakorns, you'll be familiar with the stereotypical roles - foolish servant vs. the proud servant, the brave soldier (in this case, the police officer), the villainous drug dealer, the humble, hardworking farmers, the ferocious beauty, the spoiled sister, etc. One item of note - the older actors playing the dads, moms, etc. were especially good.
Plot: Their forced-cohabitation romance comes about because their families' promises to wed their children together. It's a classic asian dam trope but with more of a city/country clash to it. He thinks she's too soft and she'll give up on the marriage. There is a fair amount of revenge-based behavior but it doesn't get too bad. In the script, his friends and mother know what he's trying to do and tell him to cut it out - but it still isn't something you'd want to experience. The side characters and plots - the women who want Paat, the drug dealers who want Paat to stop interfering in their trade and the guys who like Rojanasnai - all are well done. Even the monstrously bad behavior of her obviously mentally-unbalanced sister (whose been spoiled because her parents don't want to set her off) has some believable aspects. There are also some nostalgic plot lines involving the Hmong people now living in Thailand. Outside of the "will they or won't they fall in love" plot line - the most obvious storyline is about how lovely living in the Thai countryside is. The countryside and the tea plantation is filmed beautifully and seems like ad for Thai tourism at times.
Music: Nothing terribly special but nice. It doesn't overpower the plot although the theme song does get used a lot at what were probably commercial breaks.
Rewatch Value: You know, if it popped up on my playlist, I'd rematch it. Ken and Namtarn made a nice, believable couple There were some nice kisses and some witty dialogue. The countryside looked very soothing. I'm not watching lakorns for realistic, gritty modern life so, yes, it has a pretty high re-watch value.
I hope I'm not making this sound horribly bland. It's not a ground-breakingly exciting drama but it isn't the worst thing out there. It might help you acquire a taste for Thai lakorns.
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This review may contain spoilers
Ignoring the usual plot holes of a lakorn (direct communication between characters, for instance!), I was intrigued by this drama. How far is someone willing to go for revenge? Plot-wise, the story of Tawan Tor Saeng is quite believable although it starts out like a typical “meet cute but hot” rom-com drama. Horne Davika plays the lead role of Rasa very realistically. She obviously enjoys her work and her family. She is very caring to her adoptive parents but not a doormat. In the course of her work as an interior designer, she is hired to renovate a house belonging to Pakaphong, played by Lum Pakorn. She’s put off by his playboy lifestyle and they clash. Eventually, though, he is attracted by her warm family life and sincere personality and they begin to date.
Now, here’s the intriguing, almost awful part (and it is not a spoiler) - Pakaphong was an abandoned child and eventually, he discovers his mother is still alive. She refuses to acknowledge him and, in fact, her new family doesn’t even know she’d been married before. Pakaphong’s revenge? He plans to date his mother’s daughter, Prangthip, until his mom acknowledges him.
I think this is the part of the plot summary that turns people off. It just seems so - icky. How far can he take this? What is even worse is that his half-sister is really quite nice and even Rasa likes her, although she doesn’t understand why Pakaphong seems to be stringing them both along.
When Rasa finds out about Pakaphong’s plans for revenge, she is horrified. It is almost like watching a car accident happen in slow motion at this point - she sees him walk this path of revenge and tries her best to save him but he refuses. He’s basically sending himself to hell for this revenge and everyone in the know - his old nanny, his friends - understands this. It’s tough to watch! My only problem with this plot is that in this modern age of emails, texts and Instagram, no one steps up to let Prangthip, the unwitting victim of Pakaphong’s revenge, know about her brother. Like a whirlpool of revenge, Pakaphong pulls everyone down with him.
One good thing about this drama is all the side plots. Oftentimes, in lakorns, the side stories are very slapstick but these secondary actors do a fine job. There’s a troubling romance for innocent Pim, Rasa’s adoptive family’s sister, and a wonderful second lead for Rasa in Chewin. The back story of Pakaphong’s mother is also very well written.
Music wise, it’s fairly typical for a lakorn. There are no standout pieces but there aren’t any obviously innapropriate musical pieces as well.
Rewatching - I’d recommend it. I’m already thinking of doing this. I think I want to go back and see if I can catch some of the subtle cues that indicate the upcoming horrors of revenge. Did I miss how Pakaphong became so determined to hurt everyone, including himself?
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At its very core, this lakorn is really the age old story of Romeo and Juliet. Heroine Yanin Jakrawut (aka Nikki), played by Jensen Sririta, returns to Thailand from living in America. As an heir to the Jakrawut fortune, she visits Thailand regularly to see her father even though she feels unloved as the odd one out - the “half-breed” her relatives call her - the only American in a large wealthy family. She meets her opposite number, San or Sanyakorn Rungsarith (played by Wasukraipaisarn Witaya) while traveling as an ordinary student. He’s the very proper son of the wealthy Rungsarith family - her family’s business rival - and Nikki’s half-brother’s cousin. Sparks fly between the two as they get to know each other despite their cultural differences.
Expect as a many twists and turns as an American soap opera or a Korean makjong drama in this story as there are deaths, birth secrets, hidden loves, conflicts between servants and masters, guns, and beatings as well as lots and lots of broken hearts. I was surprised by how addictive this story was and how, despite some pretty coarse language and situations, love wins out for all the surviving characters. Secondary characters Niyomsup Worawut as Bunleu and Yaowananon Pitisak as Kampanart/Raywat have a particularly deep story line. Unlike some of the more slap/kiss lakorns, this show features true loves and a fair amount of un-forced skinship that makes this a very appealing drama. Be prepared for some horrible relatives, though!
Ratings-wise, I gave this lakorn a 7.5 overall for its story, which surprised even me! Its plot involves several generations, love and hate, and appropriate business settings - all aspects that pleased me. There is a lot of almost-gun-violences, however, so that brought my overall score down in my opinion. The cast did a very good job with what they were given. You’ll see a lot of the standard lakorn characters but by the end, the writers did a great job explaining the very complicated motivations.
I don’t often wish a lakorn is longer but this one was so action packed that it really could have been extended by an episode or two. Music-wise, this lakorn was nothing to write home about. Even the theme song did not stick with me. Despite this, it wasn’t annoying or distracting so that is a plus. As a rewatch, well, this lakorn doesn’t call to me. It was actually so complicated that I felt like I gave it my full concentration the first time and it doesn’t need another viewing yet. Despite the 6 for rewatch value and a 7 for music, the plot (plots!) itself keeps my total viewing score higher than I’d expected.
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The storyline of Roy Ruk Raeng Kaen is of two lovers separated by anger and plans of revenge - a typical lakorn plot. Unlike many other dramas, however, RRRK's storyline is really of one man trying - and failing miserably - to live with uncontrollable anger and how it destroys his life and all around him.
Hero (or lead, at least) Kimhan is driven by thoughts of revenge for the death of his sister and by what he views as his betrayal by the love of his life, Mook. Although Mook (played by the lovely Fonthip Watcharatraku, aka PookLook) is on the receiving end of his physical, verbal and emotional abuse, I think she comes out of this drama in the best shape. She learns from her experiences while the lead never does. This is the storyline in a nutshell, excluding manslaughter, crazy wives, earth-mother/folk singer/girlfriends on the side and suicide. The story is interesting and there are some great bits of dialogue musing on the meaning of life and love - but no resolution for Kim's anger.
An "A-Lead" that never learns from his mistake? How can this be, you ask? Easy - Kim may experience loneliness and sadness by the end of the drama but he NEVER stops trying to get his own way. It's really the driving fault of this show. I believe the writers were trying to give this show an open ending, leaving it up to us to decide if he's changed, but his smirks in the end scene showed me that he did not.
The cast was actually quite good - especially the veteran actor Leesuwan Watcharabul (aka Note) who plays Tada, the man behind all the drama. It is his wife that dies and predicates all the revenge action. He is a character that does learn from his mistakes! The second lead girl's father is also another tragic male character - I wish I knew this actor's name. It is largely his handling of "how to make his daughter happy" that leads to her mental illness and I think her father knew it. It broke my heart.
Lead actor Pataradet Sa-nguankwamdee Michael (also known as Michael Wu) has been criticized for being stiff but I think he's just a young actor. He certainly can do the "woo woo" scenes of extreme love, hate, sadness - but he doesn't show much for everyday thought or meaning. The script seemed to camouflage this by having him drink a lot but it didn't give him much of an acting range.
The music of this show was particularly nice. Each character had some sort of theme that clued you into their thoughts and there were no annoying "funny" soundtrack noises to get in the way of the story.
I think this show has some nice rewatch value - mostly so you can see the secondary characters (the brother, his girlfriend, the general, his daughter) do the heavy emotional lifting of this show. Several times, I've reflected on some of their lines and how they expressed feelings. Don't let "bad" hero Kim put you off this show - the real story is from the characters that swirl around in the wake of his bad decisions.
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Instead, I really felt the leads had more attraction to each other than in the remake. Be warned, it is a culturally-older-styled lakorn - lots of shooting and screaching second lead females along with a less than believable child actor - but the show worked. I guess I would split the appeal of the show between the cast and the writing.
Yea for Shirtless Pong - he was underdressed quite a lot! - and yea for the writers. The writers couldn’t maintain a totally believable storyline all the way through but there were some great scenes that were written as though real human beings were speaking, not actors. That, for me, is the mark of a good script.
The character or second lead actors really shone as well. While Por (Pong)’s sister Putt was crazy from the get-go, her motivations weren’t so complicated that you couldn’t understand her. Also, The ups and down of Kaew’s and Por’s love story ran the gamut from lovely romance to harsh realities. Even the second couple (I’d say this was Kong and Pe) and the third couple (Kaew’s friend and her co-worker/boss) had some very realistic moments.
The music really fit the show and I thought the whole series was re-watchable to boot.
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Story-wise, the background between Yuan Fei and her first love, Hao Jian Ren, was interesting but I never really felt that anyone who was so anti-marriage and children could have captured her heart. The rest of the cast played their assigned drama roles - loving best friend, scheming new girlfriend, evil mother-in-law, bratty office mates - well but their acting was nothing you haven't seen before in a Tdrama. Even handsome Melvin Sia was wasted without much to say as Yuan Fei's stoic new beau.
The best of the lot was the foolish sidekick played by Gao Shan Feng - I want to see that actor again!
Music wise, the opening song was catchy but also wasted since it was played over a series of awful graphics. If you are bothering to show us scantily clad leads, why cover them with childish doodles? The ending music is lovely, though. So nice, in fact, that it seemed to belong to another show entirely.
As a rewatch - well, I just don't see it happening. Perhaps if you are a Annie Chen or River Huang completionist - but I will go on to something more satisfying.
Please don't get me wrong - this is entertaining but it is just not very meaningful. Even silly dramas need to make you believe in them.
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The town's children are the main characters - they study, socialize and scare each other - but that doesn't mean viewers don't catch glimpses of adult life and troubles as well. Soya and Hiromi both grow and change during the film - it's a bit like watching a plant grow from a seed to a bloom. Enjoy it as it happens. I think it would be an easy film to re-watch every so often just as it is charming to look at pictures from your youth.
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At school, she's lost her heart to her popular and outgoing schoolmate Shone. Although she doesn't feel up to his standards, she uses this one-sided love to build herself up into the woman she'd like to be - a studious, pretty young lady. What I liked is that she didn't stoop to using the boy-catching tricks of the more popular girls at her school. Instead, she improved herself through study and by trying different school activities.
Many reviewers have commented on the discussion of skin color as a method of rating beauty. While it comes up in conversations, I don't think Nam is all that worried about it. Mostly, she is just growing up into someone comfortable in her own skin - from a gawky, glasses and braces wearing plain teen to someone who feels able to wear more fashionable clothes and hairstyles. By the end of the movie, even her friends have found their own styles as well.
The secondary relationships in this film are also very well done. The actors playing Shone and his father showed their very affectionate bond. The actresses playing the high school girls also did a very natural job. They especially seemed to respect and enjoy their madcap man-crazy teacher - a modern Ms. Malaprop.
Music wise, the score seemed just fine. It just didn't seemed designed to catch you with a great "hooky" OST.
As a rewatch, I wouldn't rule it out. I almost wish it was a drama format instead of a movie - that would have allowed some of the reasons for Nam's and Shone's behavior to be better explained.
Give it a try - it was a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
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Story: The vampire-love-me-or-loathe-me synopsis seems shop-worn - something straight out of a quickie romance novel. Despite this initial setting, the plot generally made sense and the supernatural storyline dovetails nicely into the other school story lines. It’s a puzzlement why these Japanese vampires seem to follow the traditional European vampire rules but - it doesn’t happen enough to block the flow of the story. Twists and turns within the plot are also not telegraphed ahead of time. I was about halfway through when I realized that this series was going to have a noona-romance component - you’ll have to guess how!
Acting/Cast - Another surprisingly good performance from the Japanese idol actor Nakayama Yuma as the conflicted, would-be vampire Kuromiya Ruka. He’s such a willowy guy who always looks likes he’s going to break into whatever the Japanese equivilant of aegyo is - and then he hits the ball out of the park when it comes to portraying a questioning, modern man.
Actress Kato Rosa who plays the slightly older teacher Natsukawa Makoto also does a great job. She’s innocent, caring, funny, kind - without going over board. What is also pleasant is that she is a slightly rounder shaped actress so it’s completely believable that guys from all walks of life would like her. You just want to hug her.
As this is set mainly in a school, there are a variety of of idol and teen actors involved. I don’t know how the director pulled it out of them but the ensemble cast did great jobs being classmates and romantic rivals. Sometimes, school dramas take this over the top but this group seemed like a real classroom in all its teen angst and glory. Also, Kyo Nobuo who plays the teacher heroine’s school principal and other romantic lead, Fujii Masayuki, also did a fine job showing how love can sometimes veer into madness.
Sadly, someone has inflicted a ridiculous costume cape on the man with the largest photo on the poster, Masahiko Kondo, playing the vampire Kaito. Even though he plays an essentially selfish role as a vampire who simply wants some company, his dialogue was also surprisingly deep. That damn cape, though, keeps you from taking him seriously. Thank goodness it doesn’t appear to be standard Vampire-issue wear.
Music: Really some lovely piano music that grows quite organically from the plot.
Rewatch Value: I would definitely watch this again, if only to see Kato Rosa pull off her kind, real-life performance once again. This probably won’t be my highest rated J-drama ever but it is so much more than that synopsis and poster would lead you to believe. Give it a try!
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Along the way, they interact with the staff and management of the small town hot springs inn where they are staying. Conflicts and misunderstandings occur to make the journey difficult but eventually, all the main characters come to decision points in their lives. The series doesn't have a conventual happy ending but it is truthful and hopeful. The humorous side characters (and potential romantic partners) help them steady their boat along the journey.
As a television series, the show is beautifully shot and is not just a 'travel drama." Its soundtrack is nothing special but perfectly suitable - after all, you wouldn't want something to interrupt your peaceful mood. All in all, Egao no Hosoku isn't a gripping or gritty drama but it is funny, uplifting and entertaining and I'm sure you'll go on to look for the main actors in their other dramas. Just enjoy it and drift along for the ride.
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Spunky yet cheerful poor orphan falls in with rich lonely boy. Romance ensues. Like-a-brother-but-not-really second lead (also a orphan) interferes and tragedy ensures. Lots of birth secrets and hidden motives. Amnesia. Revenge. Organ donation. Contract marriage. Noble idiocy. Dramatic ending.
The main adult characters are either wealthy business people or entertainment stars on the way up or down. Beautiful clothes, houses, cars and careers.
What makes it a memorable watch, however, is the acting. Heroine Barbie Hsu (as Xia Mo) has some great chemistry with her male co-stars. It is totally believable that both Peter Ho (as Ou Chen, Xia Mo's rich boyfriend) and Huang Xiao Ming (as fellow orphan Luo Xi) would fall for her. Real emotional change does occur over the episodes if you can stick it out.
Xia Mo's girlfriends and acting co-workers also develop complex love-hate relationships with her in their search for fame. I really love her fellow trainee who goes on to become her manager - she is so positive.
However, there is also the usual emotional tug of war between heroine and heroes so - if that isn't your thing, this won't be for you. I thought I was pretty hardened to all this emotion in dramas but I confess that I cried more than once!
Probably not a rewatch drama for me - but it was certainly sweet in places and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. The music was fine and not overwhelming - but oddly country-and-western in places. I think the music directer was trying for childlike simplicity but most of the music came off as simply childish.
I think this drama will appeal to fans of the main three actors as well as those who like dramas set in the entertainment world.
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* Our hero, Tonnarm - crazy pants though he may be - is played by the pillowy lipped Wisetkaew Sukrit, aka, Bie. It may just be the writing that gave Tonnarm such an angry expression throughout the show but personally, I wanted to see him move from simmer to boil. Kind to his family but cold to our heroine.
* The plucky heroine, Peerot Yaapin Mueangngaam (Mew) as Mean, is cute in a very natural way and is able to tease the unusually-angry-eyed Tonnarm. Unfortunately for her, he responds with more arm grabs than a Korean drama. Mean looks - tolerant.
* Side characters include Tonnarn’s forgiving grandma - played by a Thai actress who usually plays very strict and intolerant characters. She did a lovely job here - but it was a bit disconcerting after see her play “mean” for so long. Family and friends are also very naturalistic - kind friends, foolish servants, screechy greedy evil leads, hardworking parents- the director used all the character tropes in the book. It did feel a bit like a mixed bag but it worked! One nice plot point were the medical situations. I like a show where doctors/nurses/hospitals appear professional. All together, my acting rating was a 6.5.
* Plot - ah, plot. Revenge for an idiotic reason. It was so thin that I can’t believe it made it for 31 episodes. Basically, Tonnarm is the most unlucky hero as he has not one but two fiancees who get hit by cars. I’ll let you guess just how that happens and the results. And on his birthday, too! My rating - 4.
* The music was a pleasant background to the acting. Sometimes bad music can take center stage in a drama - either poorly fitted to the action or an obvious rip-off of another show - but this show's music was not distracting in any way. I’d say that made it a - 6.
* Rewatch value is practically nill. Actor Bie was lovely to watch but most of the time, our heroine, Mean, looked scared of him. Not interested, not intrigued, not tempted - just scared.
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Character-wise, the cast did a good job. Sonia Sui's character isn't in the marriage meeting biz just for romance - she also wants to know why people want to get married. She does spend a lot of time perfecting her "I"m thinking" face, though! Her office mates and relatives give her some pretty funny glimpses of why people look for mates - and her writing research is also enlightening. I felt like I learned quite a bit about relationships in the process. Plus, the main romance leads are all very good looking!
As for the music, I don't know who is on the soundtrack but the songs fit well into the action and create quite a moody little series. Don't let the peppy opening number scare you off - the rest of the soundtrack is lovely but not overly saccharine.
I see a high re-watch possibility for such a slow and odd but sweet little story.
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The plot, while fairly mild, had to do with real life experiences - who believes in your dreams? Who helps you achieve those dreams? What are the costs? Where does love - filial or romantic - fit into this? I like a plot where characters hold real jobs and real relationships.
Cast wise - I knew of actress Lee Min Jung (Na Ae Ra) before but once again, she surprised me by developing a real, honest drama character. Yes - some nobel idiocy rears its head. But the rest of the time, her character is a nice, honest, hardworking-without-being-a-Candy kind of girl. The guys did a good job as well - you could really see Joo Sang Wook as the geeky-smart but not good at relationships Cha Jung Woo. Although he made some rough decisions, he was never off the charts as a hateful lover. And Seo Kang Joon's thoughtful co-worker Gook Seung Hyeon - what a charmer. Quite frankly - either guy would have been a good choice for our heroine.
The supporting casts of co-workers, parents and siblings were also charming. What a great group portrait of a workplace and families! I am so glad I took the time to meet these characters - they deserve a much better plot synopsis.
Although the main song in the soundtrack was definitely overused (think shades of the theme song of BOF!), the rest of the music was appropriate to the scenes and quite pleasant.
All in all, this was a surprisingly good, short drama that drew me in and encouraged me to find other works by the main actors. Heck, I think I'm going to look up the writer as well! High rematch potential without too much over-emoting.
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Unless you are a Peter Ho completionist, I wouldn't recommend this drama. It is so short that the episodes seem completely plotless and all the actors' emotions just seem too over the top for the scant amount of storyline.
Filming-wise, it is nicely shot and the music is quite lovely as well. Unfortunately, both seemed designed for a much longer series. You only just settle into the episode and, suddenly, up swells the beautiful theme music. It only leaves you with more and more questions.
Peter Ho (and his magnificent nose) does a fine job expressing a tortured soul. What made him so tortured we may never quite know.
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