Wong Glom (Circle) by BuaChompoo Ford

Soundtrack of Rahut Rissaya ~ Envy Code
วงกลม Ost.รหัสริษยา | บัวชมพู ฟอร์ด

A new kind of entry of my blog, sharing some memorable or defining soundtracks of the dramas I watched and reviewed. Also giving little spoilers of what the drama has to offer. I feel soundtracks are part of what makes a drama able to continue to live on in our hearts.

I really love every time this song plays in the background, it has such a calming and beautiful melody. I can play it repeatedly and not feel bored. I mean just listen to it, and you will understand, when you get into the lyrics itself, you feel the pain of the female lead and the longing she has as well.

I can't really translate the lyrics since I'm not fluent in Thai but the main concept is on a person who felt hollow after a significant other has left and longs to feel complete like a circle again.

A Business Proposal (Korean Drama)

 

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama
Episodes: 12

Main Cast:

Ahn Hyo Seop as Kang Tae Mu

Kim Se Jeong as Shin Ha Ri

Kim Min Gue as Cha Sung Hoon

Seol In Ah as Jin Young Seo

Synopsis:

Shin Ha Ri is a single woman and works for a company. She has a male friend, who she has had a crush on for a long time, but she learns he has a girlfriend. Shin Ha Ri feels sad and decides to meet her friend Jin Young Seo, who is a daughter of a chaebol family. Jin Young Seo then asks Shin Ha Ri to take her place in a blind date and even offers some money for her time. Shin Ha Ri accepts her friend's offer. She goes out on the blind date as Jin Young Seo, while having the intention to get rejected by her date. When she sees her blind date, Shin Ha Ri is dumbfounded. Her blind date is Kang Tae Mu. He is the CEO of the company where she works.

Kang Tae Mu is the CEO of a company that his grandfather founded. One day, his grandfather informed him of an upcoming blind date that he set up for him. Kang Tae Mu is a workaholic and he is annoyed that his grandfather sets up blind dates for him. He decides to marry the next woman whom he meets at a blind date, so he won't be disturbed from his work anymore. That woman is Shin Ha Ri, but pretending to be Jin Young Seo.

On the following day, Shin Ha Ri receives a phone call from Kang Tae Mu. He asks her to marry him.

My Thoughts:

This was a pretty recent drama and was a pretty huge hit being released on Netflix. I will just share my thoughts since it can be pretty obvious why it was a huge hit. Will I be considered showing off if I say for this story, I was a reader before being a watcher? Yes, I mean this drama was an adaptation of an equally if not more famous webtoon/manhwa "The Office Blind Date". And before this drama was even released or I even know about this drama, I have completed reading the manhwa. I think there are some epilogue chapters, hopefully I will get back to finishing those soon hehehe.....

Anyways, to be honest, I really really love the manhwa, so I had a particular bias as I was watching the drama such as hey Kang Tae Mu was not like this, this scene was not in the manhwa, why is it different etc. Though after a few episodes, I decided that the manhwa and the drama are almost two separate entities. Because watching with such a bias was a pain for me... But it does somehow help in understanding parts of the drama better.

Onto the drama itself, it was a full-on romantic comedy. You will get those fluffy moments and sometimes cringe at the actions of the characters. But overall you will fall in love with the characters. The comedic elements are sometimes unexpected which made it more funny and of course some of the running gags that will never fail to make you crack. 

The drama was a star-studded cast which made it all the more worthwhile to watch not only because of their looks ahaha but their acting. It can be said that, since it's them, for sure the characters will come out alright. They each brought their characters to life, with all their quirks and brought about some of the most hilarious and trending scenes.

The plot was a simple and pretty cliche, what makes a drama really good if the ability to bring their own twist or colour to a well-used trope, not making you feel, "been there, done that" but more, "oh, so it can be done in such a way too!" 

In conclusion, there's a disparity between those who only just watched the drama and those who also read the manhwa. The content is close but not exactly same which I would say made it better because making an exact copy would make it more criticized if it did not live up to the original. It is a short drama, only 12 episodes, so don't hesitate to give this drama a try if you have not. You are welcome to share any thoughts you have on the drama.

Rahut Rissaya ~ The Envy Code (Thai Drama)

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Drama

Episodes: 17

Website To Watch: Ohsweethaven ~ Rahut Rissaya

Main Cast:

Bank Artit as Siwa

Pink Ploy as Palai

Great Sapol as Thanakorn

Praew Chermawee as Dr. Nichada

Gookgiik Kochakorn as Janjaeng

Pym Pympan as Rasika

Synopsis:

The heiress of a billionaire loses everything: her parents were murdered, both their company and property were taken by her aunt and cousin. What can she do but seek revenge? She starts by blackmailing Siwa Ratthanarith, the guy her cousin is in love with, about his father's indiscretions and evil deeds. Over time they fall in love. She starts to value his love as she learns to forgive. But will these changes be too late?

My Thoughts:

To be honest, I dropped this once for the reasons that I am not a fan of slap kiss dramas or dramas that involve too much scheming and exaggeration. Like from the first episode I was able to sense what the drama will involve. I found this drama through the female lead, I loved her in Khing Kor Rah Kah Gor Raeng and found out that the male lead was also a familiar actor, watched some edits online which convinced me to give it a try and the scenes in the first episode already showed how this drama can get heavy and may bring me through a rollercoaster of emotions.

After a few months, not sure how long, I saw edits of the drama again, and got into a dilemma, ultimately I decided to give this drama a chance, skipping or fast-forwarding the scheming or fake acting of the characters. In the end, I found out what a gem this drama was. 

Past all the scheming, the nefarious plans, the emotional-heavy scenes, you get to see the characters, and how they grow from being a weak-willed character, to becoming a strong independent and able to fight for what's theirs. You start rooting for them, for their happiness, praying for their happiness to last, screaming at the villains for disrupting their bliss. And all of this is hugely thanks to their actors who brought these characters to life, making you feel sympathy on their every tear, feel anguished over the misunderstandings and successful plans of the villains.

The plot of the story was really refreshing to watch even though as I said there were a lot of wicked plans and ill-meaning villains. You get to see the characters growing out of their shells and really visibly see how much they have walked. You learn with them, you smile with them, you feel sad for them. From hatred, it slowly budded into concern and affection and into love. You slowly start wondering, "When will all the pain stop? When can they have their happy ending? It feels endless" And that to me, shows how valuable of a gem this drama has to offer. 

I really felt sad this drama had to end, I look forward to seeing Bank Artit and Pinkploy in another drama together because their chemistry was honestly sizzling and on fire, that it made me feel "impossible that these two are not a couple", their facial expressions, body language, eyes, it all made me believe that these were two people who are deeply in love. So, if after all that you're still unconvinced to watch this drama, then try searching for some edits of the drama and believe me you will watch the drama. I do this often to see the chemistry and whether the drama will be worth it. And surely, it was. If you already watched this gem of a drama, then I would love to read your thoughts on it.

The Romance of Tiger and Rose (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
Episodes: 24

Main Cast:
Zhao Lusi as Chen Qian Qian / Chen Xiao Qian
Ryan Ding Yu Xi as Han Shuo
Zhou Zixin as Chen Chu Chu
Sheng Ying Hao as Pei Heng

Synopsis:

Having finally sold her TV series script, aspiring screenwriter Chen Xiao Qian soon falls under the scrutiny of the male lead, who refuses to act out the role. Vowing to make her script successful, she starts re-writing. While napping, she is transported into her own story, becoming the Third Princess Chen Qian Qian, a side character. Armed with the knowledge of her own script in which her character is soon to be killed in the third episode by Prince Han Shuo, the male lead, Xiao Qian is determined to stay alive and find her way back home.

My Thoughts:

Back after a super long hiatus, I have to recommend one of the best Chinese dramas ever to kick start this spam of posts. I'm being serious when I say that this is among the top in my list of dramas. I will try to list the reasons I say so.

First, I have always been a fan of transmigration stories among the fantasy subgenres, as can be read in the synopsis, this drama showcases transmigration and portrays it really well through the eyes of Chen Qian Qian, our female lead played by Zhao Lusi who I have to say is one of the best Chinese drama actress. More on her later. Another genre I love is romance and also comedy which this drama has in abundance and adequately so.  Sometimes the comedy can come suddenly and randomly which made it all the more hilarious to watch. And the romance of course was always worth the watch.

On the acting, I have to say this drama puts Ryan Ding and Zhao Lusi on the map for me, their acting really shined throughout and made me wholeheartedly believe that the characters Han Shuo and Chen Qian Qian are real people. Their emotions and facial expressions are all on point and really made the characters so memorable. To the point, that if I see any of their future works, they could be an actual reason that I want to watch their work because they both were such good actors.

On the characters, every character was memorable, no side character and extra were just an extra. They all contributed into making this drama such a successful drama at least in my eyes and I'm sure many others. They really made the whole drama alive and real to me, though sadly it was just a drama, but, they truly made me fell in love with each of them, though of course a bit less on the villains.

On the plot, the flow was really natural and did not felt forced. Character development was executed perfectly and we can feel as viewers, how the story changes its gears. A perfect balance was found between the angst, the romance, the tear-jerking and the comedic moments in progressing the story. 

In conclusion, I am really sad it ended but I'm happy that I've watched it and I can and will always rewatch this drama, it will always be my treasured drama. I dearly wish there would be a second season. If you have not watched this drama, you are missing on the fun. Do give it a try, and share your thoughts.

A Little Thing Called First Love (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Friendship, Comedy, Romance, School, Life, Youth, Drama, Family

Episodes: 36

Original:Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Thai Movie)

Main Cast:

Lai Guan Lin as Liang You Nian

Angel Zhao as Xia Miao Miao / Xia Liu Shui

Wang Run Ze as Lin Kai Tuo

Chai Wei as He Xin

Synopsis:

Tells the story of an ordinary girl who falls head over heels for the most popular guy in school. Xia Miao Miao is a shy, artistic student who develops a crush on a handsome, talented classmate and embarks on a journey of self-discovery through college. Because of Liang You Nian, Xia Miao Miao decides to make a change. Through the help of her friends, she starts to learn about fashion, join school clubs, and studies hard to raise her grades. Her ordinary life becoming more colorful by the day.

My Thoughts:

I stumbled upon this while checking Netflix for pretty much the first time. The moment I realized this was an adaptation of one of my favourite stories of all time, I immediately placed it on a priority in my watch list, especially so, that this is a drama and not just a 2 hour movie. I expected the story to flesh out and to have more screen-time for the couple and some more interactions.

This story was based on the Thai Movie of course, and I loved that movie a lot. It was pretty fun to notice some parts of the movie being played out in the drama. Like hey, this is that scene or can't wait for that scene to happen. Despite so, they arranged the plots and scenes so well that they made it their own story and not seem like just copying and dragging it out. The new characters were a plus and every character was well-developed. The flow of time was pretty smooth but sometimes I'm lost because they tend to skip a lot at times. 

On the characters, I only noticed the actor for Liang You Nian was Lai Guan Lin after awhile, which made me pay more attention to this drama since I knew WannaOne but not that deep. But he acted really well, I liked watching and noticing the scenes where he gets jealous and where he enjoyed being the centre of Xia Miao Miao's attention. His facial expressions were on point. The other actors also acted so well that together with the good shooting of the scenes, really brought the drama to life. 

A certain plot point that I feel kinda disappointed by was Xia Miao Miao's transformation. In the original, the before and after were so different that you would think they were a different person altogether when they're not, which really brings impact into the transformation. In this drama, not so much, and it's a gradual transformation. Besides another thing is that Xia Miao Miao's personality is so different that I would say if you watched the original and this drama, you would probably understand what I'm saying. It creates a different mood and picture of her. But like I said earlier, this is one of the things which made me this drama, a unique story of its own even though it's adapting the movie.

One of the things I loved here was that the couple scenes are lengthened and more in depth with more backstories and hints here and there. The original had so little screentime for the couple which made me feel so dissatisfied but I got my dose of what I needed here. They adding more couples also improves the dynamic of the story as there was more to see. I liked how they explained how Liang You Nian fell in love with Xia Miao Miao much more than an album of pictures with messages, and that they both actually dated for quite a few episodes.

This drama was such a refreshing take on the movie and I simply loved it a lot. If you're a fan of the original, do watch this drama. It's as good as the original. There are parts where the original is better but this drama is more than 10x longer to watch than the movie so there's more to see and more to enjoy. Have fun drama-watching! 

Likhit Haeng Jan ~ Moon's Destiny (Thai Drama)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

Episodes: 14

Website To Watch: 1fanthailakorn ~ Likhit Haeng Jan

Main Cast:

Namtarn Pichukkana as Duangkaew (Past) / Opal (Present)

Puen Khanin as Luang Osotworrawech / P' Morr

Ting Kratingg as Peepope

Jome Sukol as Phraya Rit Preecha (Past) / Damrong (Present)

Mai Natha Lloyd as Duangduan (Past) / Khun Ying Anchalee (Present)

Synopsis:

On the night of a full moon, two people from two different worlds that look alike switch places. From the past is Duangkaew, a conservative and quiet girl, whereas from the present is Opal, a girl who is tomboyish and outspoken. When these two switch places, what will happen to them and the people in each world?

My Thoughts:

The premise of this story reminded me of Bhuppae Sunniwat which made me started on it. Besides, I find myself liking the concept of a modern person being brought to the past and living life alongside ancient people. Though it is definitely different in plot from Bhuppae Sunniwat, it was a pretty decent story.

About the story, I don't know Thai history but it seems that this story is very loosely based on history or actually really fiction as there was no mention of historical chronology or anything in this story other than things related to its own universe. Even if so, they did implement introduction of a few Thai customs such as the garlands, Thai cuisine, full moon festival and so on which boost the stories' appeal to me.

As mentioned in the synopsis, two girls who look alike and have parents who look alike swapped places unintentionally, having to enter lives of a person completely different from their own. Opal being more tomboyish causing hazards and shocking Duangkaew's family with her behaviour and actions. Duangkaew being more feminine surprising Opal's family with her talents and soft nature. Both having to deal to live in a world much different than their own.

My comments on plot devices and the plot, they pretty much touch and go on things, like Opal having her modern items and devices which were only used for like an episode or two and then never seen again. They don't really mind the repercussions of changing the past as they have not touched at all on that unless them changing the past was already pre-written. To be honest, I was not really paying attention when the scenes change to the present time as they were not really appealing to me. The couple, the plot and mostly everything in the present. I only liked it when they were deciphering the ways to go to the past which made me curious. I focused more on watching the past scenes.

Namtarn is a very good actress, she did very well in portraying polar opposites and making me as a viewer completely able to identify which character is she immediately. Like, I can really see Opal and Duangkaew as two completely different person from her portrayal. And that I really enjoyed watching her interactions as Opal with Luang Osot/ P'Morr played by Puen Khanin. They were so cute together. Puen Khanin was very expressive with his face. He excelled in being cute, serious, concerned, happy etc. His emotions really light up the scenes. Their chemistry was over the top compared to the other couple which I don't enjoy at all for reasons I can't really put a finger on.

All in all, it was a really good drama for the most part. I downloaded the whole drama, part by part because the subber released the episode by parts, which goes to show how much rewatch value this drama has. I really recommend giving this a try as it was very decent to watch and try out. Enjoy drama - watching!

Extraordinary You (Korean Drama)

Genre: Friendship, Comedy, Romance, School, Fantasy, Drama

Episodes: 16 (32 half hour episodes)

Main Cast:

Kim Hye Yoon as Eun Dan Oh

Ro Woon as Number 13 / Ha Ru

Lee Jae Wook as Baek Kyung

Lee Na Eun as Yeo Joo Da

Jung Gun Joo as Lee Do Hwa

Kim Young Dae as Oh Nam Joo

Synopsis:

What would you do if you found out that you were, in fact, a character in a comic? And an extra character on top of that? Change the course of the story, obviously!

Eun Dan Oh is a 17-year-old high-school student from a wealthy family who suffers from a lifelong heart condition that inevitably means she will not live past her teenage years. However, when Dan Oh realizes she is experiencing long gaps in her memory as well, she comes into the unhappy inheritance of another fact in her life: she is a character in a Korean webtoon and all of her actions are predetermined by the artist who draws her. To make matters worse, she discovers she is only a supporting character in the cast. With her newfound understanding of the world she inhabits, she is determined to find true love in her own plot-line and circumvent the author’s plans for her character by utilizing the flashes of storyboard she alone is able to see.

My Thoughts:

I chose to watch this drama because of the synopsis, the concept of a comic character being self aware has been used before but it feels refreshing to know that this is an extra who got self aware and not a main character of the comic. I like how the different dramas I watch based on this concept has very unique plots and doesn't intersect in their rules of the game. An interesting here to note is that, this story was based on a successful and popular webtoon, if you think about it, a comic book character inside a comic book got self aware and keeps on breaking the fourth wall in a sense. That's a refreshing perspective to look back on the drama.

This is mostly a high school romance story with a blend of fantasy. My favourite combo. Here we got a character who is hell bent on changing her character setting to just enjoy life as a normal high school girl, and how she tries to use every method at her disposal until she met Number 13, an extra who has no role or character setting who suddenly was able to save her from an accident which she saw on the storyboard. She then constantly finds Number 13 to hopefully have him help her. Another side of the story is the leading characters of the webtoon story, where every character in the universe of the comic has to help them get together unwillingly, which becomes a source of frustration for people like Dan Oh who hates that her life is used to bridge the love between the leading characters. But those scenes by the main characters are also what becomes their gossip to criticize the author for the lack of creativity and going with all the cliches of a typical romance story.

The actors and actresses are awesome even though many of them are rookies. The one playing Eun Dan Oh, Kim Hye Yoon was the star of the show especially with her capabilities to perform and switch between two personalities smoothly. One being her comic book personality and another being her self aware personality. Others who got self aware also has those symptoms but none of them as total opposites as Eun Dan Oh. I salute her for her acting. 

I also love the soundtracks and background music used by the drama. It increases excitement and creates tension with ease. About the plot and storyline, it is not too heavy which is good. Whenever the mood of the story becomes sour or the characters is stuck in a troublesome situation, there is always an injection of side stories or random stuffs to balance the mood. The drama really makes you think about the existence of all the extras you see in other dramas and how their existence is what makes the drama livelier and wholesome. 

The love story between Dan Oh and Number 13 or Haru is just bubbly and cute and sweet ahahah... I love watching the process of them falling in love and being in love. They really complement each other and really makes each other happy. It's kinda no wonder since they've been lovers in a previous story. Then, talking about the ending, I love it kinda, it is not a definite ending, but enough of an ending but also have enough to set the story for a second season with all the unanswered questions. I'm not sure but maybe the webtoon which this story is based from is still ongoing or the drama only covered a part of the webtoon, because the drama is certainly not completely ended. It's a open ending in a sense.

Want to know more? Curious about the story? Do give this story a try! If you already did, do type down in the comments about what you think of the ending with a spoiler alert of course. I gave minor spoilers here and there in this review because I can't help it but hopefully just enough to get you all watching this awesome drama. Happy Drama-Watching!! 😼

Put Your Head On My Shoulder (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Friendship, Comedy, Youth, School, Romance

Episodes: 24 + 1 Special Episode

Main Cast:

Fair Xing as Si Tu Mo

Lin Yi as Gu Wei Yi

Daddi Tang as Fu Pei

Zheng Ying Chen as Wang Shan

Synopsis:

As Si Tu Mo’s graduation is nearing, she is confused about her future plans. She tries out all sorts of things all the time and is unable to make her own decisions. Her ordinary days are suddenly shaken up when the genius Physics student Gu Wei Yi appears in her life. The two accidentally end up living together and chaos begins.

My Thoughts:

It's been a long time since I finished watching this so my memory is a bit foggy but I've been planning to write a post for it since it's such a good drama. This started from YouTube Recommendations and I decided to give it a try. And I enjoyed binge-watching to the point where in some episodes I had to pause many times to prepare my heart for what's coming.

This is a nice and refreshing love story, no angst or evil and jealous second leads. The whole story is mostly about the both of them and how they got through their final year in university. Gu Wei Yi is a genius to say the least in his field but is a little bad at relationship stuffs. He is straightforward and direct, and it is fun to watch him try his best to impress Si Tu Mo. Si Tu Mo is more of a hardworking and honest person, who is probably one of the only people who can handle Gu Wei Yi. 

As I said, there is no angst and heavy love triangle or anything, it is almost really close to reality, how their relationship develops and the struggles and challenges they faced and how they support each other. I find it funny when Gu Wei Yi just doesn't know the right thing to do sometimes and can be oblivious, those times when he wants to cling to her and his plan fails, or those times when he misspoke. 

Another couple is Fu Pei and Wang Shan. Fu Pei was the crush of Si Tu Mo, Fu Pei knows that if I'm not mistaken haahha but he never acknowledged it and kinda always give her false hope until one day when Si Tu Mo became fed up and quits, that made Fu Pei suddenly wants to cling to Si Tu Mo. The Cliche of wanting something when you lost it. Wang Shan was always next to Fu Pei supporting him and had a crush on Fu Pei. I love how their relationship developed and Wang Shan molding Fu Pei into a better and driven person, and also more studious since Wang Shan is a studious type and their relationship kinda first started with Wang Shan tutoring Fu Pei.

I don't know what else to say because usually I make a review immediately after I finished the drama but now the memory is not fresh in my mind but still I can assure you this is a very cute and fresh drama to watch. It is comedic and has good use of sounds to make itself more interesting. Do give it a try and comment down below what you think

Nee Rak Nai Krong Fai ~ Love Debt in A Cage of Fire (Thai Drama)

Genre: Action, Romance, Drama

Episodes: 18

Website to Watch: Neko Meow Meow ~ Nee Rak Nai Krong Fai

Main Cast:

Alek Teeradetch as Kawin/ Mark Reeves/ Nai Noi (Young Boss)

Patricia Tanchanok as Belle

Pop Karnthip as Luk Bpong

Jieb Lalana as Yang Mei Hua

Deaw Suriyont as Chakrit Reeves

Bie Teerapong as Nick Reeves / Nai Yai (Big Boss)

Savitree Samipak as Patcharin

Synopsis:

On her seventh birthday, Chalita's entire family was killed. Kawin/Kevin, was given the option to slay three people in order to protect one. His guilt drove him to distance himself from her.

In her youth, Chalita is adopted by a mysterious stranger who is known as, "Nai Noi (Young Boss):" He turns her life around and is her means of support. Kawin moves next door to Chalita and their lives become entangled. Feelings blossom, and happiness is reintroduced to Chalita's life, but Kawin risks losing her, if his secret were to ever be revealed. If Chalita ever recalled the past, he will lose everything.

My Thoughts:

Let's begin with the reason I wanted to watch this drama, it started from the pretty good trailer but the main point was not the trailer but more so that Alek Teeradetch was the male lead in this drama. I enjoyed the role he played in another romance drama, Sanae Rak Nang Cin which I didn't made a review on yet hahaha... But, nevertheless he was perfect and dreamy in the role that I expected as much here so, I started this. As an added bonus, the actress who portrayed Pawee's mother also acted in here which I love.

I was hesitant many times of starting the first episode because of the mood of the drama from the get go. It was serious and pretty dark at times and super tenseful which to be honest was not really encouraging for me. But I persevered to give the drama a chance. But again to be honest, it was tough to actually finish this drama. It was on the most part depressing to watch. I tried to be satisfied with the sweet and cute scenes to compensate for the all the anguish and scheming but when it gets deeper in, the scenes don't quite make the cut. Though, I do have to mention that the leads were perfectly capable of making really good cute and fun scenes, if there were less pain and sadness, those scenes would make a perfect balance because I really loved them.

Let's talk about the male lead, I think I was too much into his other role, that I felt he was not that suited for the really action and serious style of characters. It kinda really throws me in a loop to really believe him to be a person who grew up in a mafia, the aura he's giving me does not really fit the image of a character he's supposed to be. He was capable of doing all the action scenes perfectly and handles the role of Young Boss pretty well but there's something lacking about his character portrayal as a whole. I don't know if I'm being bias. But on the other hand, his scenes with the female lead felt more natural and in his zone, effortless. I was able to believe him as a person who really cares for Belle because he proved many times about this and was able to deliver the image of a dependable and caring person. 

Belle on the other hand, I really pity her, heck I pity almost everybody in this drama, everyone had their circumstances and shortcomings, everyone had a reason for their actions kinda, even if it can get overboard. There was this line which really struck the heart, first the male lead says, "You don't know how much suffering it is to remember everything" which I can understand very well since remembering everything makes you envy those who remember nothing. Then Belle says, "You don't know how suffering it is to live an empty life, remembering nothing" and when I look at her perspective, it's also true. One wants to forget but couldn't, another wants to remember but couldn't. 

Continuing about the story, it was hard for me to truly invest on the leads since whenever I do, I always get heartbroken by hard facts and the secrets that are slowly manifesting itself. But, I continued to the end and finished it because I felt the characters deserved the chance to see themselves being happy in the end. And they did, fortunately. There were also some characters who I believed was the villain but as the story progressed, I wonder whether are they really a villain only to find out through twists that they were trying to be the good guy in their own way, ways that the leads did not even expect it. And that was why my heart really break during the final episode, when all was revealed, it was so touching. As we reached the end, it gets even better. 

Overall, the leads did a great job at "being in love", I really loved their interactions. The side couples were also a shock hahaha, watch this drama and you will know what I mean, they were hilarious. The villains and so-called villains were also good at making the drama tense and suspenseful. There were some really weird and hilarious characters also so do be prepared for some laughs. This drama is not rewatch-able material but I could rewatch some scenes again especially the scenes of our leading couple because they were great. I wished I had dimples, but humans would always wish for what they don't have....  Do give this drama a try, it may not be 100% my taste, but it could be your 100%. Happy Drama-Watching!!!

King Gor Rah Kah Gor Raeng 2019 ~ Ginger is Spicy, Galang is Hot (Thai Drama)

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama

Episodes: 34

Website To Watch: Neko Meow Meow ~ King Gor Rah Kah Gor Raeng

Main Cast:

Ko Vasin Asvanarunat as Pawee

Paparwadee Chansamorn as Nit

Kana Rinyarat Watchararojsiri as PiangPhen

Moo Dilok Thongwattana as Saranat (Pawee's Father)

Savitree Samipak as Rungthip (Pawee's Mother)

Mean Woranporn Patchuay as Nee

Synopsis:

Nit works as a reporter and has a fierce and strong personality and also has a strong sense of justice. One day, she accidentally wrote a wrong news article about Pawee’s father and this angers Pawee. When she tries to ask for forgiveness, Pawee did not give her that chance and instead looks down on her and disrespects her, then he caused her to lose her job. This caused a strong tension between these two strangers as Nit swore vengeance over what he has done to her.

Nit consulted with a nun who she depends on a lot. The nun brought her to the psych ward to meet someone. Here, she met Pawee again and had another misunderstanding which caused them to argue. Then, Nit found out that his mother is in the psych ward, who went crazy from Pawee’s playboy father while young, alive unlike what’s written in the news and was the same person, the nun wanted Nit to meet. Pawee’s mother took a liking to Nit immediately.

Nit also has a older sister, Nee who has a weak personality which was the reason for Nit’s strong personality to protect her older sister. Nee is also a mistress to Phen’s father.

Pawee actually has a girlfriend, Phen who he has dated for a long time and they both liked each other. Pawee’s mother did not like Phen and only liked Nit. Pawee’s parents then made him get married to Nit, which upsets Phen so he promises Phen that he will divorce Nit within two years. But he won’t get married that easily and continues to disrespects her and tries to humiliate her. Their life which is full of arguments and fighting, with more and more misunderstandings and problems, will they ever find love with each other, when Nit is determined to have her revenge on Pawee?  How will the relationship between these two stubborn people be?

My Thoughts:

First things first, the synopsis above is written by me to make sense and be true to the story since the synopsis I found wrote things that were not proved by the story or mentioned in the story. So, I rewrote my own synopsis, if there are any errors, I apologize beforehand. Now that's out of the way, I actually decided to watch this story more because of Pawee's mother because in the trailer she looked like she will be a super funny character and I truly did not made the wrong decision.

King Gor Rah Kah Gor Raeng in fact has three version, the version I am writing this review for is the latest 2019 version, the older ones were released with roughly 10 year gap in between but with pretty much the same storyline and characters. There were some troubles with the subber while watching this drama so I ended up watching a part of the 2006's version until the end because I could not stand the cliffhanger. I was not lost in the story which shows the story's essence is carried forward but this also shows how good the story because I could not stop myself from clicking next after next.

Talking about the characters, as mentioned above, the two leads always argued and it's pretty much their identity, liked the FL said, "The day when we are in harmony, that will be weird". They pretty much hated each other a lot and this kind of constant arguing works because none wants to surrender and are stubborn at that but somehow sometimes both of them are able to make the other surrender on some parts. What I loved about these two leads is seeing how they progressed from hating each other to death and seeing the effect Nit has on Pawee which slowly changed him into a better and sensible person, breaking apart both of their first impressions and then fall in love, though that's the thing I never really saw them fall in love, it's just as ML said, "I don't know since when, but when I knew, I have already fallen hard in love with you". Which kinda made me forgive the writers for not showing specifically how they fell in love. Another character to note and you must not missed out on her is Pawee's mother, my goodness, she was the bomb and the highlight of the show! She was crazily clever and knew well how to use the right methods and of course she's the most satisfying character of all.

On the casting, comparing both versions and also the tone of the story for this version, the casting was perfect. ML has the ability to show cute and clingy sides while the FL was born for the role with her looks that can easily look fierce and then easily be vulnerable. This created an interesting dynamic in their relationship compared to the previous version, though both versions has perfect casting. The most perfect casting would Pawee's mother, as I said I came to the drama because of her, since I have seen the actress in many other dramas so she had a very good reputation in my mind. In this drama, she completely did not disappoint and owned the role. Fun fact, she acted as Nit in the first version so I think this allowed her to perform her given role better. 

Talking about the romance, the two leads were very cute in their role and I really loved whenever there were scenes where they treat each other goodly and with lots of care. Towards the end, their arguements became sort of petty and childish fights and also had much emotional weightage as both have clearly loved each other already. This version was long with 34 episodes but given that much episodes, I expected their lovey dovey scenes were much longer because I loved this couple a lot but they did not gave me that so enjoy their scenes while it lasts, they tried to compensate with the epilogue but that only made me 40 percent happy since it was a cute epilogue, I will give you that.

I don't like the music whenever they have a fierce moment or was going to fight, I will tell you that, it's loud and abrupt. Though I loved the OST, it was nice to listen and truly captured the essence of the leads' story. Enough said.

In conclusion, really give this version or the 2006 version a try, both were great and many has testified to how good these two versions could be. If you want more testimonies on the bad and the good of this drama, head on to myDramalist for more. Both versions were great and also different in their tone and the way they tried to express and progress the story. Some scenes in the older version were cut, characters increased, scenes were revamped and redone better in the current version. I would like to take this chance to salute Neko Meow Meow who was the subber I depended on for this drama, despite her troubles while subbing this drama with her website, she still managed to finish subbing and subbed really fast as well. Go to her website to watch the current version subbed, she's amazing!