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.