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Shasha

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7 Days Before Valentine thai drama review
Completed
7 Days Before Valentine
0 people found this review helpful
by Shasha
Feb 11, 2024
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.5
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

THIS IS NOT A BL!!!!!

Yes, there is romance! Yes, there are hot guys kissing! And yet, it is not a bl, it is so much more! So if you are here for the bl, you are bound to be disappointed, hence the awful rating this drama has on MDL! Go watch something else!

This is a story about grief, relationship break up, life, selfishness and love.

Sunshine is an up-and-coming actor whose boyfriend, Rain, dumps him a week before Valentine's. He finds himself drinking in a bar/flower shop, and someone takes him home dead drunk. That someone turns out to be Kyu, a cupid reaper who offers him seven chances to win his boyfriend back by erasing people he thinks are responsible for the break up. As the days go by and people get deleted without Rain coming back to him, Sun comes to the realization that the break up was actually his fault!

What an interesting concept as grief management! Sun is incapable to see his own flaws and erasing people puts those flaws in the spotlight, so the more he denies them, the more they are visible until he has to admit it is his fault and nobody else's! Sun is young, cocky, full of certainties, like a lot of young people are, unwilling to accept that they do not know everything and that they are not the centre of the universe! Kyu, the cupid reaper, tries to warn him, make him realize the error of his way but he stubbornly ploughs forward. Their relationship is admirably well written: starting from the initial animosity and impatience to friendship and to love. Nothing is rushed!

The production is perfect: it is well written, very theatrical in its set up since we mainly see Sun and Kyu on screen talking. Most of the action (dialogue!) takes place in Sun's small flat. They talk a lot and the director transposed to tv the theatrical set up with different lighting of different parts of the flat. When Sun tells the story of his relationship, we see the flashback acted out in the background. Amazing idea! Works perfectly well!

The acting was top notch by the entire cast but especially by Atom. That guy is a walking, overflowing fountain of talent that just needs a bit of streamlining. He managed to show every side of Sun's personality: the odious, self centred one, desperate one when the realization struck(lots of crying involved: he's rather bad at it!) and finally a new man who matured through the experience (he actually looked older and calmer!). And that smile! The rest of the cast was just as good: the dialogues are delivered lively, realistically. There is a scene where Sun and Kyu argue while talking over each other. I was stunned by it: for the first time in a drama I see a real argument. Or Sun's audition scene: extraordinary piece of acting! Some side characters could be deemed annoying but Jared, the flower shop assistant and the landlady were just quirky and lovable!

The music was excellent: two songs played during the drama giving subtle hints as to the plot!

Last, but definitely not least, the cinematography and set design: breathtaking. The colours were mostly dulled shades of cold colours, so the only visible colour was red. There were touches of red all over the place: red lamp, red flowers, red taxi, red chair etc.etc. usually one single item per scene! There were also indication throughout the set of the widespread consequences of Sun's deletions: through posters, costumes and sets! The constant in all those changes is the poster campaign for the new perfume Sun did an ad for: Once the Devil! Which makes watchers wonder if Kyu is an angel of the Devil. The final scene explains that they were both a Devil, once for each other!

The ending is a bit surprising. Suffice to say it is a happy ending! Almost perfect, Kyu(not Kyu anymore but Sky) and Sun meet on the plane calling each other Q! They were actually each other's Q: halloween Q and cupid Q and they saved each other's lives! I binged it in two days: episodes are short and easy to watch if you are fan of slow burn dramas!

Just one final remark: the character of Kyu (or Q) reminds me of Star Trek: The Next Generation character Q! Kyu puts Sun through trials by demanding him to erase people in order for Sun to learn about himself! Didn't Q do similar thing in Star Trek? Just a thought!!!!

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