Dao Kaew Duen (2013) - Review

"Dao Kaew Duen" aka "the star circles the moon", is a lakorn that took me by surprise because I liked it more than I anticipated. It kind of reminded me of Sood Sanaeha with its urban feel and the lack of forced kissed, screams and too cartoonish antagonists. It is more of a light comedy with a build up in the romance.

What is this about:

Dao (Janie Tienphosuwan) is a photographer that really wants to start a family and have children, but she is very disappointed with her past experiences with her boyfriends. So, she decides that she wants to go through IVF, but she has to find the sperm donor. Jan (Aum Atichart Chumnanon) is a business man that has the reputation of one-date-man, but that is because his mother is always trying to fix him with women that clearly are not his taste. To avoid more such dates, he agrees with Dao to pretend that they are couple.

My review:

I am trying hard to think of any other lakorn that objectifies the man, even as less as here, but I can’t. this is as forward as lakorns can be and only for that I love it. It tackles a controversial topic, at least for the values of said society, of an unmarried mother, with sensitivity, humor and romance. You can't get better than that. 

Dao (Janie Tienphosuwan) is girl crush. She is autonomous, she is confident and loyal to her family and friends. She wants children because she wants to share the love with them and since she has money, she knows she can manage. Her conviction she supports with reason and is brave enough to pursue her dream. Love her. And hooray! A lakorn that admits that the female lead has boyfriends before the male lead! However, I have to say that it is quite apparent that she doesn’t want just a child, she wants the whole package, it’s just that she is tired of waiting for the right guy, since her previous boyfriends were assholes. 

Jan (Aum Atichart Chumnanon) is one of my favourite male leads, not just in lakorns, but in asian dramas in general. Yes, he is arrogant and doesn’t trust easily, but he is never rude or mean. He always keeps his manners and behaves with dignity. When he does a mistake it doesn’t take him long to apologise. Frankly, I don’t really find the actor very handsome, he is not my style, but here he sold his character so well, he gave this aura of gentleman that I fall in love with him alongside with Dao. This character in the wrong hands could have been boring and bland, but Aum’s gestures and way of caring himself brought more dimensions to the script. 

Very keen on dating ...

Love her!

My third favourite person in this lakorn is Jan’s cousin, Ying Nim. She is the ultimate shipper of this couple and we love her for that. She tries to bring them together and ease the misunderstandings between the fake-couple-soon-to-be-real-couple. She has her own storyline with the second lead that tries to win Dao over, but in the meantime fell for her. It was ok, but it took too much time until they both realized their feelings and do something about it. They did sell the cute, though.

The unholy union of ugly hair, makeup and overall style.

There are several antagonists that want to break Dao and Jan apart, for their own reasons. Didn’t care so much about them. Honestly, I have mostly forgotten about them, who they were and what they were doing. Anyway, they weren’t the focus of the story, so they can be skipped easily.

They started not liking each other very much, she wanted a sperm donor, he wanted to avoid his mother's arranged dates

The direction and the writing reminded me of my all time favourite lakorn Sood Sanaeha. The direction had a very urban feel, with many shots inside the city and the colours that were present. The writing was more interested in the characters than the plot, in a good way. Most of the characters acted according to their personalities and didn’t have lobotomies midway. Each one was right from their own point of view. Alas, in the final two episodes we had an abduction storyline that could have been easily omitted. Seems like there are certain things a lakorn cannot be without, otherwise it loses its identity. Another drawback is that this was filmed during the time the channel banned any kiss from its lakorns, so you will find next to zero skinship here. Finally, it was cut short one episode so the last one felt rushed.

Soon they warmed to each other

Why you should watch:

• If you like romcoms
• If you want something stressfree to watch
• If you like winning characters
• Nice direction and soundtrack

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like lakorns
• If you don’t like romcoms
• If you want more romance
• Nothing groundbreaking

Final verdict:

9/10. Definitely in my top five lakorns. It would have been perfect if the last episode was not so rushed.

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Song huajai nee puer tur (2015) - Review

“Song huajai nee puer tur” aka “Two spirit’s love” is a thai lakorn that heard high praises and it turned out they were right. This is fluff at its best.

What is this about:

Khun Tharatorn (Mario Mauer) is a young businessman who is engaged with Champagne (Pat Napapa). However, due to an accident he occasionally loses his memory and he dreams of a girl in his sleeps, while he can control electricity and move things with his mind. Kewalin (Mint Chalida) works with her brother to repay their parents’ debt. In an accident Kewaling meets Tharatorn, but he doesn’t remember who he is and call himself Mek.

My review:

This lakorn has a lot of things in its plate, from telekinisis, dissociative identity disorder to past lives and incarnation. If I was to explain how all these are connected, I would write a lengthy essay that wouldn’t help anyone. In paper and in principle this should be a hot mess and shouldn’t work.  At all. But I heard so many good reviews that I was really intrigued to see how this could be a good lakorn. Against my expectations I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Kewalin (Mint Chalida) is a young girl that has to work with her brother to pay off their parents’ debt. She is a tomboy, feisty and cute. She has a very moral sense and she will speak her mind. As much I love her, I have to confess that there are a lot in her character that are cliché and a bi annoying. But she is definitely on the better spectrum of female leads. What impressed me was the actress. The first time I saw Mint was in “Pathapee Leh Ruk” where she was anything but impressive. There she was wooden and seemed like she was reading her lines, rather than acting. After a 180o turn, she is natural and has many expressions on her face. Hooray! Her effort really paid off. 

 

As Tharatorn

Tharatorn (Mario Mauer) is more of a typical rich man that is used to get his way. He could care less for his supposed fiancé, but he isn’t rude to her. Actually, he isn’t rude, just arrogant, but not always. His saving grace is his sense of humor and his love for his little sister. Mek is the most loyal and courageous. He is like a child that has no idea what is going on and he is the cutest. The pairing of  Mek’s personality and Mario’s cheeks is irresistible. This is the first lakorn I see with Mario Mauer and he has impressed me so much that I will look for his other works. He played three different characters (when you watch the lakorn you will understand) and it was always evident who he was, from the body language to his voice. Kudos to him.

And as Mek

Champagne (Pat Napapa) is the evil female lead. I knew from the first moment that she was evil solely from her hairstyle to wardrobe. I liked that she wasn’t from the first episode the antagonist, but she was given a reason for her actions (this isn’t the norm with lakorns). We learned that she was adopted and treated like dirt by her father that wanted to marry her off with Tharatorn only for business. She was even sweet and pitiful in the first episodes. Her path to the dark force (hehe) was slow and more satisfying. 

Anima (Jin Glawgao) is Thartorn’s little sister, aka the shipper between Tharatorn and Kew. I loved her, she was so sweet and cute. Also, her relationship with Tharatorn was a highlight. In various movies or dramas I sometimes catch myself thinking “oh yes, they are siblings”. Here I always felt that these are family and warmed my heart.

Korn (Panjan Kawin) is Kewalin’s big brother and he acts like one. Similarly to the other sibling pair, I would always feel them as brother and sister that look out for each other even though they argue most of the times. His love story with Anima is both sweet and cute and they were cute as buttons together. 

Thanon (Kratoom) is the main villain of the story. In the first episode I didn’t actually notice him. He is cartoonish and cannot be taken seriously, but the actor was obviously enjoying himself, so I didn’t mind him. plus, he got what he deserved in the end. 

The gang, aka Kewalin and Korn’s friends, are super funny. In most lakorn I skip scenes with second leads that are too ridiculous. I don’t know what happened this time because I loved them. I literally laughed out loud with them. And it was nice to see their bond as friends throughout the lakorn.

The directing wasn’t anything interesting, but the writing felt fresh. It had many unrelated things and somehow it made them click together. I am honestly unable to pinpoint what was the factor that made everything work. Was it the different storyline, the slow reveal of each element, the actors having fun? Maybe it’s all of them together.

Loved these costumes

Because it dealt with past lives, the lakorn had several scenes in the past, especially in the latter episodes. I have never seen period lakorns so these scenes were interesting to me, as well as the clothing and styling of the actors during them.

Swoooooooon

For me the two best aspects of this lakorn that will make your time worth are the physical comedy and the romance. We have plenty of both. All the actors, except the bad guys, deliver the humor not with just the dialogue but with their facial expressions and body language. And the romance, once it started it never lost focus. And once Tharatorn realized he has feelings for Kewalin he becomes so much nicer. Not that he was bad before, but he clearly needed someone that would not freak out with the whole incarnation thing. It’s hard to fault him.

Why you should watch:

• Fluff, fluff and again fluff.

• We have romance and we have humor.

•  Great chemistry between the leads.

• The relationships between the siblings and friends are very strong.

• If you are bored with the typical lakorns.

• Fresh writing and dialogue.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like lakorns.

• If you don’t like romance.

• If this too all over the place for you.

Final verdict:

9.5/10. The editing and the villain could have been better, but otherwise this is great! Highly recommended.

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Dropped like a hot potato - Roy Marn (2011)

Usually if I don’t particularly like a lakorn, I skip the annoying scenes and keep a strict diet of scenes with the leads. But this was truly dropped only after four episodes. Either this was that boring or my resilience is significantly shortened over the years. 

I had heard really good reviews about this lakorn, that it had elements different to lakorns. From the reviews and the synopsis I honestly thought this was a drama. So my first surprise was with the opening theme that was too happy and resembled more that of a rom com. 

They certainly didn't want to get married

I have to confess that it starts with a bang – metaphorical. Our hero, Mark, and heroin, Bee, are forced to get married because the real bride has escaped. Bee’s uncle has orchestrated the whole thing due to debts – I was a bit confused about them – and for the debts to be repaid there must be a marriage between the two families. Uncle’s logic has so many plot holes like cottage cheese. Then the lakorn proceeds to explain how things came to be. 

Mark

After the strong start the story seemed to drag. At first it felt nice to establish the characters and show us their personalities, rather than tells us about them. But an episode could pass – a lakorn episode is one and a half hour long – and almost nothing happens. And I wasn’t attracted to the leads. Mark was a nice person but wasn’t anything interesting, while Bee was tending to get annoying more often than not. This couple is supposed to be koojins, which could be loosely translated to love team, meaning they work better as a pairing. I never any sort of chemistry between them, even in their first pairing. 

This haircut didn't warm up to me

This looked like a nice lakorn in paper, but for me it was boring and wouldn’t really recommend it.

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Aum Rak (2006) - Review

Another collaboration between Ann and Ken, a pairing I loved in Sood Sanae Ha. This is three years prior to Sood Sanaeha, so both the leads are younger and a bit less refined, but they remain charming. This is a more funny and easy lakorn, exactly what I needed in the summer time.

What is this about:

Pat (Anne Thongprasom) is a beautiful but head-strong model. During Pat’s first magazine photo-shoot, she meets a fast-mouthed photographer, Chen (Ken Theeradeth), who predicts she will never be famous in the industry. However, despite Chen’s “prediction”, Napat turns out to be a huge success. In their econd meeting, due to a drinking competition during the party, both Chen and Pat get badly drunk and end up in bed together. It isn’t long before Pat realizes that she is pregnant.

My review:

Pat (Ann) is a famous model, who is arrogant and a bit childish and wants to focus to her carrier. The last one doesn’t go as planned after the accidental one night stand. Her attempts to get rid of the baby are funny because it is obvious that she doesn’t really want to, that she actually wants a family despite what she says. Since, she and Chen have started on the wrong foot and she believes him to be irresponsible, she decides to keep her baby but she will find another father to raise it with. However, she is quite famous and all, the news spread so she was forced to marry with Chen – insert cohabitation shenanigans. Her biggest flaw is that she thinks she can manage everything on her own and she doesn’t accept help from anyone, especially Chen. It takes her a while to realize what a great guy she accidently found on Chen – to her credit his childish ways half of the time didn’t help  -  but she sees the light in the end.

Chen (Ken) is a photographer who likes to flirt with the models. He seems like a playboy and irresponsible and childish (the last one is partly true), but in reality he is sweet and sensitive. By lakorn standards he is quite unique, because from the first moment he realizes his mistake he accepts the responsibility. This is not something we see often in lakorns, so we much cherish it when it happens. Not only he doesn’t shy away from his responsibilities, he actually wants to have this baby and be a father (!). Chen’s character is hot-tempered and childish, the exact opposite of Din in Sood Sanaeha, and the actor brought a lot of physicality into his role.

Anna is Pat’s best friend. Basically she is the only person Pat allows to help her. She is much more sensible that Pat and secretly she helps Chen win over Pat. Firstly, she wants the baby to be with both its parents and sees that Chen wants the baby. And secondly, she is in love with Pat’s old flame and Chen’s adversary. 

Mark is Pat’s old flame and current father nominee. He is absolutely bland, both the actor and the character. He took a turn to the dark side but not too deep and not for long. The only thing that I remember from him is that he looked like Korean. 

Jasmine is another model that hates Pat just because. She is very typical lakorn second lead, therefore forgettable. Only her makeup and general styling can make your eyes hurt.

And last but not least, Chen’s aunt is the same actress as Din’s mother in Sood Sanaeha. How much I love her cheeks. Here she is less sweet, since is determined to have a grandchild and becomes very rude sometimes. 

The scene where they wake up the next morning is hilarious

This lakorn had a very progressive storyline for its time and when it broadcasted it made a huge splash. Honestly, this is the lakorn with the most sexually active couples I have seen so far. Granted, the couples are married and they want to have children, but still, this is new. Meanwhile, it draws a parallel story with these couples that want to have a baby and they can’t, whereas Pat and Chen accidently got one. Even though, the story feels refreshing for a lakorn, it follows several standard points like the over the top humor, childlike behavior, annoying second leads. So, if you thought Sood Sanaeha too silly or over the top, I wouldn’t recommend this. 

This is what I mean by over the top humor

 Why you should watch:

• Ann and Ken pairing.
• Lots of comedy.
• A storyline that is not usually seen in lakorns.

Why not to watch: 

• Over the top humor.
• If you don't like lakorns.
• Early 2000's fashion - it can get ugly.
• Not enough romance between the leads.

Final verdict:

7/10. Nice comedy, with a winning pairing – they really can’t go wrong – and a semi-fresh story. But I wanted a bit more romance and the silliness to be dialed down. I don’t complain though, because I had fun.

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Karn La Krang Neung Nai Hua Jai (2016) - Review

“Karn La Krang Neung Nai Hua Jai” or “Once upon a time in my heart” is my newest addition to thai lakorns. I got interested in it by reading the recaps at Lovefia, which made me addicted into it even before watching the lakorn. When the subtitles were released for all the episodes, big thanks to the neko meow meow for subbing this, I got into it as soon as possible.

What is this about:

Directed by Tietawan. Star Mick Tongraya, Pimmy Pimprapa Tangprabhaporn, Boom Piyaphun. Fahsai (Pimmy Tangprabhaporn) is heartbroken when her boyfriend leaves her for another woman, so she decides to accompany her friend to Japan. There she meets Daniel (Mick Tongraya), a Hong Kong mafia leader who confuses her with his dead girlfriend. And so, their story begins.

My review:

It could have been the perfect lakorn but fell short in the end. The broadcast channel cut it short by two episodes and it’s one of those rare cases where it would benefit more with those extra episodes. Things fell rushed in the end and we didn’t get all the answers we wanted. But, I think, it was best that I knew that, thanks to Lovefia’s recaps, so I adjusted my expectations to like it for what it was and not for what it could have been.

Fahsai (Pimmy Tangprabhaporn) is your typical heroine, cute, sweet, loyal daughter and forgives easily. What I like about her and what makes her stand out is that, even though she can’t fight back using her fists, when the need arises she will use her mind and put the other person into his/her place with clever words. Also, just because she is weak physically, doesn’t mean she is a weak person. She has perseverance, patience, forgiveness and is willing to do anything to help her parents and her close friends. We can see why Daniel likes and admires her.

Daniel (Mick Tongraya) is your dream guy, at least until the two last episodes where the director decided to change his personality and make him a noble idiot. He was calm, collected, a gentleman but used his hands when he had to, he follows his heart but in the meantime he uses his head to do the right thing. Even though he is a mafia leader, he wants to break free from the illegal activities of the past and live a normal life. If you don’t count the last two episodes, Daniel was a lead man that every lakorn writer should take an example.

Chen Ming (Boom Piyaphun) is the third wheel and walks the line between first and second lead. He was best friends with Daniel, but some tragic events made them enemies. Unlike Daniel, Chen Ming is emotional, he is carried away by his emotions, can’t think clearly and, most of the times, takes the wrong decision. It is apparent early on that he didn’t want to be a gang leader, instead he wanted to be an artist, so he puts his trust to people he thinks are better than him. He starts as the least likable of the three but his progress to become a more matured version of himself is satisfying. 

What I loved and enjoyed the most about this particular lakorn are the strong friendships. On one hand, we have Fahsai with her two friends, Puifai and Nuch, who are best friend material. In many cases they were expressing my thoughts about the situation. Especially Puifai who gets her own love story with Daniel’s bodyguard, Chen Biao, is the exact opposite of Fahsai. When Fahsai tries to use reason or doesn’t respond to other’s mean words, Puifai will use her fists. She is loud and outspoken and wants to live her life to the fullest.

On the other hand, Daniel has two different bromances, one with his former best friend-now enemy,Chen Ming, and one with his bodyguard/right hand, Chen Biao. On the first bromance, it is sad to see their friendship being ruined and Daniel getting accused for things he didn’t do, while he still tries to protect Chen Ming. But it is also satisfying to see their relationship getting slowly back to what it used to be, when the truth gets unveiled. On the second romance, Chen Biao is always there to protect Daniel and help him, feeling gratitude for Daniel saving his life when his family was murdered. He is a no-nonsense and sharp guy that doesn’t waste his time in unnecessary things. And his romance with Puifai is so charming in its own way because she teaches him to enjoy life again.

Even though this is an action lakorn, do not expect Daredevil level of awesomeness. It takes an episode or two to get used to them trying to look cool and mucho, but I have definitely seen worse. For lakorn standards, the action scenes are quite decent, with one or two short scenes being very good.

Regarding the rest of the production, the songs used are nice, easy on the ear, although none of them stood out for me. The direction was very good, with the first two episodes being the best shot, especially the scenes in Japan. I suppose in the beginning of the filming they had more time to prepare.

The only drawback is the direction of the story in the last two episodes. Suddenly, Daniel became an noble idiot and took not very clever decisions, resulting to Fahsai crying and me shaking my head with frustration. If only it had one more episode and didn’t rush things, this would have been my favorite lakorn.

Why you should watch:

• Nice characters, each with his/her own faults and charms.

• Two different love stories, both interesting and with great chemistry between the leads.

• Strong friendships that are just as important as the romance.

• Nice direction.

• Pleasant music.

• Decent action scenes.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like romance.

• The action scenes are decent by lakorn standards. By different standars, not so much.

• The songs are repeated more often than not.

• The bad guys are bland at best.

• The ending was rushed.

Final verdict:

7/10. I am being harsh, only because it started so well and didn’t hold the level of addictiveness until the end. But knowing what to expect you can enjoy it much more. So I certainly recommend it to those who like romance with action.

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Sood Sanae Ha (2009) - Review

“Sood sanae ha” or “Recipe for love” is my first thai drama, or lakorn as they are called, and I couldn’t have made a better choice. Now that I have seen a bit more lakorns I can say with confidence that this is one of the best that thai dramas can offer. Honestly, if I had watched some other lakorn, I wouldn’t like them as I do now.

Image from google

What is this about:

Directed by Ampaiporn Jitmaingong. Star Anne Thongprasom, Ken Theeradeth Wonpuapan. Alin (Anne Thongprasom), a thirty-year-old actress, is without job for the past two years due to her difficult character. An opportunity arises with a cooking show, which she accepts so she can come closer with the producer, Anucha (Willie Ruengrit McIntosh). The problem is that she doesn’t know how to cook, so she hires a chef, Din (Ken Theeradeth Wonpuapan), to help her. More info

My review:

One of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen. Even though it is more on the comedic side, it has enough romance, especially in the second half. It is considered a classic by many and deservingly so. Also, it started my love for the two leads, Anne and Ken, whose projects I follow since then.

Alin is a spoiled, arrogant, self-absorbed actress with remarkable superiority complex. In real life she would be insufferable but here she is hilarious. From her one liners to her attempts to charm her producer she brings tons of laughter. But, beneath all that, there is insecurity and a child-like approach to life. She is so absorbed in her little perfect world that has no idea how the real world is.

Din is the perfect male lead. He is good looking, clever, compassionate, a good son, knows what is right and he isn’t afraid to fight for it and he doesn’t put up with other people’s bad behavior – read Alin here. His only fault is that he feels inferior to others and to the rest of his family because his mother is a maid. That causes him to take a lot of insults from most of his siblings – apart from his older sister – and sometimes he doesn't fight for what he wants.

The second leads are boring. Anucha is a mama’s boy that can’t stand up to his mother. Frankly, I don’t see why Alin likes him. Ta, Anucha’s ex wife and Din’s friend, is the tormented woman that has to deal with her sick daughter – such a sweet child – and Anucha. They are not irritating or make you throw things to your screen, certainly not. It’s just that everytime they have scenes with each other I bless the creator of fast forward.

Lom is Alin’s lawyer and only friend and Din’s best friend. Because Alin’s father helped him with his practice, he thinks that he owes her family – something Alin never fails to remind him – and does everything she asks. On the other hand, his relationship with Din is more brotherly and they support each other. Their bromance is very cute.

His constant mode when dealing with Alin.

As for the mothers, Din's mother is the sweetest. She is so kind and so sweet with her son and with the others, not to mention she is an avid fan of Alin. On the other side, we have Anucha's mother who is your typical lakorn mother-in-law, mean and values people based on their money.

She is so sweet I want to pinch her cheeks.

Lady Amara is rocking 80's hair.

The directing is very city-like which appeals to more international viewers. It seems they paid close attention to every aspect to create this feeling, from the fashion, to how the houses where decorated, to what cars they are driving. And I think this is what makes it classic for me, apart from the storyline and performances.

There are so many Alin's outfits that I love. I wish it was shot in HD so I could swoon over them better.

Another thing that I love about this is that the progression is not fast. Even though this can be viewed as a fault, I really like that there is no defining moment where their feelings change, instead episode by episode we see a little change that eventually builds into something. And we have the combination of two tropes. First, Alin and Din started with not very nice feelings about each other and then became friends and then lovers. So, we have rivals turned to lovers and friends turned to lovers. Two in one.

However, “Sood sanae ha” is not perfect. As I said before the secondary couple, Anucha and Ta, are boring. Moreover, there are many annoying side characters that I fast forward. If a scene doesn’t have Alin or Din in it, I skip it. I don’t miss anything important, there are enough flashbacks to fill me in. Also, the sound effects that are used are very childish and cartoonish and I was put off at first. But after an episode or two I got used to it.

Why you should watch it:

• One of the best rom coms.

• Excellent performances and chemistry from the lead couple. They are so natural with each other.

• Very nice ending song. A bit dated, but so romantic.

• Great amount of physical comedy.

• Funny cooking scenes.

• Steady progression of the romance.

• Easy, breezy watch. Even though every episode is 1 hour and a half, it passes by very fast.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like romantic comedies or lakorns in general.

• Over the top sound effects.

• Very, very annoying side characters.

• This is supposed to make you laugh, don’t look for any deep meaning.

Final verdict:

9.5/10. I would rate it 10/10 if there weren’t all those small things. If you are interested in lakorns but haven’t started yet, watch this, it’s the perfect choice. If you have watched lakorns but you weren’t impressed, watch this, you will possibly change your mind. In any case, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Last but not least, below are two MVs that feature my two favourite songs from this lakorn. Considering that it has three, I think, songs in total, my favoring two is a good ratio.

Kon Tummda

Ter Tung Nun

 

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