A warm, comforting hug on a rainy day

This drama is pure comfort in its sweetest, most nostalgic form and I absolutely loved it for that.

Each episode had me smiling like an idiot while watching, desperately wanting more yet feeling so fulfilled and satisfied with each piece of the story. The two main leads, Jyun and Zhen Hao, have astounding chemistry. I was especially impressed to learn this is Zhen Hao's debut as an actor! His performance at times did not have the most depth, but he did great with the script he received. Jyun on the other hand, perfectly embodied the character of Qi Zhang. He is just such a beautifully open, warm and comforting person - watching him just made me want to give him the biggest hug. I loved that their characters were so different, and by interacting and getting to know each other, they both learned and grew in wonderful ways. Their interactions and the build of their relationship were so endearing!

The side ship, Ray and Ah Jian, was such a well-written contrast to the main couple. The two actors also had fantastic chemistry and their scenes, while at times feeling a little disjointed from the main story, were so well done that you can't help but root for them and enjoy their story. I don't feel it happens very often that I love all the ships in a drama but this one really hit it on the mark. The other additional characters all had depth and personalities that were great to see - I particularly loved Qi Zhang's band/friend group. The love and care they have for each other was just so good.

The story is nothing wild or crazy, but it isn't trying to be anything other than warm. That's the best way I can describe it - like getting a warm, comforting hug on a rainy day, when everything around you feels like it's falling apart, but the hug helps warm you up and keep you stitched together. There is fluff, there is angst, there is a lot of hurt and comfort. It portrays toxicity in family and relationship dynamics and promotes healing, learning who you are, what you want and how to stand up for your ideals. The OST is also fantastic! I've added both the intro and outro to my regular playlist.

This is definitely going to be a comfort series to re-watch for me!

Read More

Plain and simple: this series was dull and boring.

To be honest with you, describing the plot of this drama is difficult. Mainly because I really had no clue what was happening for the majority of the series, and when I was doing my very best to pay close attention to the story, I was bored to tears.

Our story begins with Sun, a debt collector. His father sends him out to collect a debt from Athit, who lives on a beautiful island. Athit has no intention of paying, and does what he can to make Sun's life as hard as possible. While this is going on, we also have two separate storylines playing out between various characters that are very very loosely linked together.

I don't even know if you can say this drama had a plot. It was confusing and difficult to follow. Character actions made little sense, the pacing was a mess - things either sped up too fast or were dragged out painfully slowly - and there were way too many characters with complex storylines than could be resolved in 6 episodes. What that led to was a surface understanding of all the characters and a very weak romance (I was incredibly confused when the leads were suddenly romantically interested in one another after having gone through so many episodes at each other's throats).

The series has some upsides though. There was potential here; the filming location is one of the most breathtaking that I've seen. The filming was done incredibly well, with gorgeous shots of the beaches and ocean. The cast is talented, but they just weren't given something good enough to work with. Had the writing been stronger, the drama would have had a leg to stand on. As it is though, I only finished the series for Boun and Prem and finished feeling like I barely understood or remembered what happened.

The subtitles were also an ongoing issue. The English translation was awkward at best, confusing and difficult to understand at worst. I wouldn't want to penalize a show for this but when it's on a paid platform (I watched on iQiyi) I really don't get it. This isn't Studio Wabi Sabi's first project and I've never had this issue with a series from them before, which made this even more puzzling. The lack of coherent subtitles makes this hard for non-Thai fans to access and enjoy.

Overall, I kind of wish I hadn't wasted so much time watching it.

Read More

Absolutely stunning. Do not miss out!

Trigger warnings: violence, blood, guns, kidnapping, abuse, torture, sexual assault (dubious consent)

This series is beautiful.

I could (and will) go on for paragraphs and paragraphs about all the different things that blew me away, but what I really need you to know is that Kinnporsche is beautiful.

From the very first moment that I watched the trailer, I was intrigued by this series. Finally we are getting a breath of fresh air in the BL industry: no university setting or young leads, but a mature, adult setting and plot. Kinnporsche promised to challenge the industry norms, to create something unique and interesting and breathtaking, and in my opinion - it completely delivered. This series will have you on the edge of your seat, it will make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll tug at your heart strings and make you blush; it’s cinematic, unbelievably acted by a cast with unmatched chemistry and managed to achieve so much in only 14 episodes. No, it’s not perfect - but perfect doesn’t exist, and a series doesn’t have to be perfect to be outstanding.

1: Cast

The strongest asset that Kinnporsche has, in my opinion, is it's incredibly talented cast and crew. I have never seen a show with such a vast cast filled with well thought-out, interesting and well-acted characters. We really get a little bit of everything here and there is a character for everyone - in fact, I’d be surprised if every viewer didn’t develop a little band of favourites along the way.

My favourite, and in my opinion the strongest actor, is Apo, who plays Porsche. He embodies the character of Porsche. He acts with every fiber of his being - everything from his hands to his feet to the shine of his eyes. I was so incredibly impressed with range - how he moved from playful, bright-eyed and goofy Porsche to broken and hurt, to confident and proud and everything in between. His acting is just phenomenal - I don’t even have the words to do it justice, you just have to watch and you’ll see what I mean.

Bible playing Vegas was just electric. I am still in disbelief that this is his first acting role because he took the role of Bible and brought it to life with such a desperate intention that it gave me goosebumps on more than one occasion. He really brings Vegas to life, and getting to see his character develop as we slowly are able to peel off the layers of the walls he’s built up… Wow. That’s all I can say - I’m so impressed by the performance he put out.

This being said, the rest of the cast really brought their A game and it shows. Mile is Kinn. He owns the role, which is so incredibly different from himself, and he never breaks from it, down to the smallest of gestures. Build as Pete brought a warmth and fun light, which slowly cracked when put under too much pressure. Not to mention Tong as Tankhun - nobody else could play Tankhyun like Tong. He is such a gifted actor who really threw himself into the role. There are so many newbie actors in this show, such as Nodt who plays Big or Bas as Arm, but they really shine; it’s clear the crew is so supportive and gifted with direction.

2: Characters

I fell in love with so many characters along the way. Another gift that Kinnporsche brought us is so many interesting and engaging characters who show so many different sides of themselves along the way. Of course, the most obvious would be Porsche and Kinn - their character development from episode 1 to episode 14 is nothing short of staggering. They really grow with each experience, learning and changing because of each other as well as those around them, yet still staying true to themselves. We have Porsche, a fiercely loyal fighter with this intense need to protect - it begins with his brother, but after falling in love, extends to Kinn. I love that you can see how protective Porsche is with his actions, big or small; choices that he makes and by the way that he touches Kinn, the way he puts himself between Kinn and danger.

Vegas is just so overwhelmingly complex and I loved his character way more than I anticipated. He begins as the guy you love to hate - the classic villain set up, as if intentionally, as a mirror image to who Kinn could have been under different circumstances. Vegas is beautifully written as he is acted, this broken, shell of a person who’s fucked up by nature and that energy has only been fueled by the abuse he’s grown up with. Watching Vegas leaves you with whiplash, and I loved every second of his screen time.

All the side characters are fully fleshed out individuals, not just meant to take up space and create a backdrop for the leads. I loved Kinn’s friends Tay and Time, and the hint at whatever is happening with the two of them and Tem grabbed my attention immediately. Tankhun is a rockstar, there is absolutely no disagreeing with me on that. Arm and Pol are such wonderful friends to Porsche, Big is a hard-ass but so unbelievably loyal to his work. I truly found something enjoyable in every character.

All three main relationships had my attention, which is honestly a first for me. I often feel that dramas with multiple ships try to cater to different audiences while doing so (which often leaves many viewers disinterested/fast forwarding through certain ones) but here we had three huge home runs. All three ships worked so well together because they were so different. We had the volatile, intense and passionate Kinn and Porsche, the sweet and innocent yet steeped in dishonesty Kim and Chay and rounding it off, the broken and tortured Vegas and Pete.

3: Production

The production value of this series really helped it from falling into typical cliche BL tropes. The editing, the sound production, the simple quality of the way that the scenes are stitched together. Some episodes can be a little bit jumpy (it feels like there were so many more scenes than they had time to fit into each episode), but the gorgeous filming makes it all worth it.

The action scenes in Kinnporsche are unmatched. They're action movie quality; it never feels cheesy or unrealistic. I've yet to ever watch any BL that could come close.

One thing that is so important to note is that the sex scenes are not gratuitious, and I have yet to watch another series ever where none of the sex scenes feel like they’re just there for the simple fact that sex sells. Rather, each sex scene is so important to the plot, so steeped in the character’s emotions. The actors are so impressive in how they carry out these scenes - I was just left jaw on floor impressed every time. The way they manage to imbue so much emotion, so much care and love into every scene just leaves me so, so impressed.

4: Writing/Story

The writers of this series took a complete U-turn from the original novel which I am so grateful for. I haven’t read the novel (and plan to never do so) because the themes in it are so toxic… I much prefer the series. While the writing isn’t perfect, I found it quite enjoyable; there were surprises without too many plot holes, and while I did have some complaints, they were minor.

I love how this series weaves comedy in with the intensity to keep it from feeling too much; there’s always some comedic relief to follow the high tension, making the series feel well-rounded.

Of course, all of this isn’t to say that the series was perfect. There were definitely some plot holes or just choices I didn’t agree with, but overall, it was so enjoyable.

Finale spoilers below - skip next paragraph to avoid!

I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole plot line with Porsche and Porschay’s mom, but that will really depend on how it all plays out in season 2. It was definitely unexpected, and honestly, I would have preferred they take another route. However I don’t hate it, and that was my only qualm with the end of season 1. Oh, that and how they handled Big’s death… we got a hedgehog funeral but none for Big?! What’s up with that BoC. What’s up with that! Jokes aside, the finale was satisfying. At first I wasn’t sure I liked Porsche becoming head of the minor family - but then I saw him walk out in that green suit with his head held high and I immediately changed my mind. It’s such a smart move, to put Kinn and Porsche as heads of the families, to ultimately bring everyone under one collective and make them easier to control. I also just have to mention. The ending for VegasPete?? It was not what I was anticipating but it was what I was hoping for. Oh my gosh. That hit my right where it hurt and in the best way.

Overall:

Strap in for a roller coaster of a ride. You’ll feel every emotion under the sun and finish it ready for more.

This was actually the first Thai drama that I watched right from the drop of episode 1 to the finale, every week. In between episodes, I regularly rewatched those that had already aired. I’ll be desperately missing Kinnporsche Saturdays - I’m ready for season 2, and in the meantime, I’ll be rewatching season 1 constantly!

Read More