Anerneq
From France with love
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An intriguing mystery
The storyline is really articulated. From the beginning we understand this has no overly sweet and sappy moments, but it gets darker and darker with each episodes as Fame discovers more and more about the truth. The story is so intriguing that I got obsessed with this and finished it in like one day, plus the next morning. There are plot twists at every corner and those cliffhangers are just too hard to ignore. What starts out as a mystery to be solved ends up in complete tragedy when Fame understands that her sister's death was just the tip of the iceberg.Minor and Kla definitely got the best character development stories. Minor is probably the most despicable character in the bunch, yet she goes completely unnoticed until the last episodes. Kla at first looks like the most harmless character, until we discover that he too has a scandalous secret and in the last scene where the Newtype members officially resign, he really showed how unstable he can be.
I think the best actors in their roles were Ploypailin (Fame) and Cherren (Smile). The others did a splendid job, but these two stood out in particular to me. Smile is such an ambivalent characters, because she behaves one way towards Farn, another way towards Yui and Fame and in a still different way with the core members of the group. That adds a lot of depth to her. Also the relationship with her mother is ambivalent: she is extremely submissive, but as soon as her secret gets exposed, she changes completely and she doesn't even want to talk to her anymore.
Fame is just the perfect character to lead you onto this mystery. She collects each and every evidence she can, she tries to balance her professional and personal lives, but she ends up realising that revenge is not the answer and that Farn killed herself because she too was becoming a monster. She got out of that mess before she could become a monster too.
What I love the most is on how many levels the story can be interpreted. On a more superficial level, it's an intriguing mystery where the innocent characters aren't actually that innocent and the evilest characters don't even realise the amount of suffering they have caused (to Farn in particular, they don't even know she committed suicide).
On a more philosophical level, we can analyse how celebrities are objectified by their fans to the point of being punished for tiny mistakes, like when Minnie got beaten up and raped by Kla. We see how the obsession over those we idolise can compromise our judgement and lead us to unspeakable deeds, but we also see how Minor exploited her fame and manipulated Tun to get what she wanted. I also appreciate how they touched upon the concept of revenge: is it really worth it? Fame realises Farn didn't need revenge, because the monsters she got bullied by also became the victims of Farn's actions, but at the same time revenge was Minor's biggest motivator, it was her only source of satisfaction. We could also analyse how the rules the idols have to follow are actually the source of all the suffering: the idols didn't break the rules for fun, they did it because they wanted to be free to be themselves. This is exemplified by Smile when she says that the ropes she gets tied with in her fetish shows are her source of freedom (or something of that sort). Those rules are so strict, that they prompt the idols to break them.
I think there are some points that could have been explained further. For instance, they didn't dig too much into Kirin's past before the plastic surgery. Also I got the impression Smile's mother used to be an actress, but she couldn't continue her career for whatever reason. I would have loved to know more about these two aspects, but to be honest it didn't ruin the experience for me.
I recommend this to everyone. This is a must-watch. Also the OST is a guilty pleasure.
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Girl from Nowhere: The Series
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May be polarising
The concept is intriguing. Nanno is a very peculiar character, whose nature is a total mystery. I liked the fact that each story was made to convey a moral message to the viewer and I think some of those messages were really important.Nanno is absolutely unpredictable. Her behaviour is so ambivalent, but at the end of the day the protagonist of each episode is the sole person responsible for their demise.
The show explores the human mind in a very deep, mysterious and horrific way. It shows how people are often manipulated by their impulsive emotions and a little trigger is all they need to become killers, monsters, deceiving liars or criminals.
The most important thing to remember is that each episode is a story in itself. As such some episode might be better than others. I particularly liked the second and eighth episodes. If you decide to watch this, just remember that you may hate some episodes. I think this aspect makes the show strangely polarising, depending on how many episodes you actually liked.
The music was so good and when they played the Danse Macabre in the third episode, I couldn't help it but feeling over the moon. It was a big surprise for me, I love that piece.
I recommend it to everyone who loves some scary mystery.
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Don't do drugs, guys... "Daughters" tells you why
This is so good, I can't believe it. I enjoyed every single second of it.The only thing I didn't like was the music. I understand the show is set in the 90's and they chose songs from the 90's to create the right atmosphere, but they could have chosen better songs.
Anyway, I loved how relatable the story is. Even if it's set in the 90's, it feels very contemporary, as the dynamics are the same. The protagonists are just a group of teenagers, with the dreams and desires every teenager has, that have to face harsh realities and resort to drugs to alleviate their pain. At first, I didn't even realise how big a role drugs played in the plot. The whole story is full of teachings and morals, I really appreciated it.
I loved every one of the main leads and their stories touched me. The only complaint I have is about Poy's background story: the other characters have such tragic background stories that hers looks like nothing serious in comparison. I just wish they gave her a more traumatic background story to match the horrible lives of her friends.
I also have to complain about Yok. His character is really ambiguous: at times he looks like one of the main characters, but then he looks more like a secondary one. This ambiguity made me feel like his role wasn't as important as it should have been. I really loved his suicide scene, though, it really hit me deep.
Everything is so real. No fairytales, no smiles: only the harshest and crudest reality without any filter. This made the moral message of the show more powerful.
The ending is also real. It's not a sad ending, but not a happy one either: it's just real and like all real things it's a compromise between the hopes each one of us has for a bright future and the harsh past we've been through.
Also I found it so funny when I found anachronisms. Like the story is set in the 90's and yet Ngoh wants a Peppa Pig plush toy and when they start selling t-shirts, one of the stand has a "The Fault in Our Stars" t-shirt.
If you can handle strong and traumatic scenes, I recommend this.
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This is what I look for in a horror
I love horror as a genre, but I frequently avoid it, because it's extremely easy to get it wrong. This series has everything I love about horror: it's raw and rough, sometimes disgusting even, and since the very beginning, we understand the producers weren't afraid of strong scenes.The plot is very interesting. At first the stories seem totally unrelated, but things slowly start checking out. Some parts may be unclear, but I think that's what makes it even better: mystery is always horrifically charming. I think a rewatch is a must, if you want to understand those little details that help you connect the dots and that in a first watch you didn't give much attention to.
I really don't have anything to say about the acting. Everyone was perfect in their role.
The music is also nice. Really suitable to the atmosphere. The OST is interesting, it's a shame I couldn't find the rest of the songs played in the other episodes (you may want to consider a rewatch for this reason as well).
To be honest I don't like giving 10 stars to everything, because I feel like I'm lying. There's always room for improvement, but in this case I really see nothing major that should be changed. The ending is maybe a little bit anti-climatic, but I wouldn't say it's bad either.
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Sleepless Society: Nyctophobia
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A moral story about how our own feelings can manipulate us
I think the concept is really interesting. At first I was expecting something supernatural where the boy is actually the ghost of her dead son, but the story heads in a completely different direction.It's more of a mystery series, where the main protagonist, scarred by trauma, is absolutely clueless about everything that's going on. It really shows how much of a control our emotions can have on us. The ending may be a little bit disappointing, but I think it's actually really realistic. Meena's story could have had a better ending, but her trauma hurt her so much that her son is the only thing that keeps her going, no matter if said child is not truly hers.
The story is really articulated, although after a certain point it becomes predictable. Although I think the story is really good, I think they should have expanded it a little bit. For instance who's Tom's uncle? Why was Arm thinking of killing him? How did Arm and Tom meet? Is their striking resemblance just a coincindence or they may actually be related? Who was part of their sadistic game, besides the boy wearing glasses (can't remember his name)? When did Pete join the scam scheme and why did he hate her wife so much?
I think the fact we don't have an answer to these questions doesn't spoil the story, but it would have still added a little more flavour.
Maybe it's not the best series out there, but I think it's still enjoyable. Recommend it.
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A Tale of Thousand Stars
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Flawless
The story is really articulated. At any moment you have no idea on how the story might develop, which keeps the interest up. I also appreciated the fact the love story isn't too sappy or irrealistic. Actually they don't even show too much affection in an obvious way. They don't need to show anything to know that they're in love and this is really interesting and clever, because it makes their relationship look genuine, deep and intimate.The actors were just perfect. Mix in particular was always able to efficiently portray the emotions of his character. There were a lot of sad and emotional scenes (like A LOT), but despite this I never felt like his acting was exaggerated.
What I didn't like was Sakda's subplot. It didn't add much to the story and they didn't even finish it. They just implied the police was tracking them down, but there was no actual development. I really don't understand the point of that subplot, but because it was so minor, I'm not going to complain too much either. At the end of the day the show isn't impacted by it.
Anyway, I recommend this 100%. According to my personal taste, there are better shows, but I can't deny this is absolutely top tier in its category. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone who loves the genre. Just beware: many people nicknamed this "A tale of thousand tears" and to be honest this is really accurate. The emotional involvement is extreme (this might be a good thing or a bad thing, depends on your personal taste).
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Girl From Nowhere Season 2
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A decent sequel
In the first season everything was about Nanno, so the stories were all disconnected from each other. Here there are more elements that tie the stories together, including the Nanno vs Yuri subplot developed all throughout the season.Chicha shared on social media that the episodes would be dealing with social issues in Thai society and to be honest I could see some social topics being briefly touched upon, such as the respect towards authorities in episodes 5 and 6 (which I interpreted as being related to the protests against Thai monarchy) and wealth inequality in episode 3. This is something I really appreciate, because it gives more depth to the whole show, since the first season also tried to teach some morals.
What I liked the most about this season compared to the first one is how much more horror it got. Right from the first episode, we see how sick things get. Nanno is way more severe in her punishments and I can't say I didn't enjoy this.
The Nanno vs Yuri subplot is a little unnecessary. It gave more flavour to the show, but I don't think much would have changed if it weren't there.
What disappointed me was the ending. Not because Nanno died or because Yuri won, but because Nanno was trying to make a difference in the world, while Yuri was motivated only by hate and anger. Nanno is a sadistic character, but at least her actions serve a purpose, i. e. make the culprit repent (at least in the first season, in this one we don't see this side of her too much). Yuri, on the other hand, is a very dark and negative character, that doesn't care about who is right and who is wrong, she just wants to see people destroyed by their own actions. The final episode was also a bit stupid. The whole thing about mum vs daughter in my eyes didn't justify Yuri's words, according to whom Nanno couldn't be the judge because it was unclear which character was at fault.
If I didn't count the last episode, I would rate this a 9.5, but that episode really let me down.
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Wholesome
It's a really nice story about friendship. I enjoyed this, although such sweet and nice stories aren't really my cup of tea.I appreciated more the psychological side of the story: on the one hand, we've got a young boy full of energy and love for his life, although he can't accomplish anything; on the other hand, we've got an old man who's already lived a fulfilling life and can't see the purpose of keep living, especially now that his wife is gone. Their friendship is not just a dialogue between generations, it's also a complementary relationship where each one gives the other what they're missing the most.
If you like the genre, I definitely recommend it. Although it's short, it's extremely emotional.
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The effect... of a trauma
At first I didn't want to watch it, because love stories aren't really a priority to me, but got convinced by the "self harm" tags (I like these controversial and impactful topics). Turns out this is not a BL and has nothing romantic in it.The acting was strange. In the first episode I felt like the main leads were a little bit inexperienced, but in the other two episodes their perfomance was flawless. I don't know if it was just an impression or something.
So the plot is really interesting, because at first you have absolutely no idea how everything is going to develop. Starts out pretty normal with the two main leads slowly getting closer to each other. Then everything escalates quite rapidly. It really shows how people affect you in different ways: how the expectations of Keng's parents affect his behaviour, how the rape affects Shin's mental health and how everyone's perception of Keng changes because of his actions.
The show is extremely realistic. I really felt Shin's trauma and I loved how, towards the end, they showed how things developed for everyone, leaving Shin to meditate on how things could have been different if it hadn't been for his trauma.
The ending is also nice. It's an open ending that some might not like. I just wish it was less enigmatic, because I have so many interpretations for it and I don't know which one is correct.
I'd absolutely recommend it.
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I admit I may be biased, that doesn't mean it's a bad show
So this is the show that got me interested in Thai series and the first BL I've ever watched. I may be biased because of this, but I got seriously obsessed with this, so much so that I rewatched it a second time (I normally never watch anything more than once, because I lose interest in it and that would be a shame if I actually ended up liking it).The story doesn't offer anything original or new, but the way things are told and shown creates a very special atmosphere. Everything develops naturally without anything coming across as forced or strained. The actors are both good-looking and talented, which helps keeping the viewer's interest high. There are some things that were maybe a little bit exaggerated or that should have been developed further, but nothing that ruins the show. Actually some scenes are hilarious in their craziness.
The kisses were quite disappointing, but the chemistry of the actors was enough to portray the love the characters felt for each other. I really enjoyed Bohn and Duen's relationship, because it really shows how relationships aren't easy: in the beginning both have big expectations, but they soon have to face reality, which creates misunderstandings and fights (some of which exaggerated, but still not enough to ruin things).
I really appreciated the balance of screentime between the couples. Every character was necessary to the story's development and this helps keeping the storyline interesting.
The production value is not bad, but could be improved. I guess this comes down to the budget, though. The dubbing of Mek didn't bother me too much. I noticed his voice was weird, but had to read the comments to realise he was actually dubbed. Still, I don't think this ruined things for me, I've actually felt touched by his subplot, which was a good thing because the sadness of MekBoss's subplot counterbalanced the sappiness of BohnDuen's main plot, together with the storyline of the other couples.
The music really helps keeping the atmosphere alive, although I was not a fun of those Youtube-like little sounds.
Looking forward to season 2.
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Nothing like you'd expect
I really enjoyed this show. I feel it's original and I've completely immersed myself in the atmosphere.I normally don't watch many crime series and don't like action scenes, but this show had a little bit of everything in a perfect combination so that nothing was too much and at the same time was justified to be there (i. e. no unnecessary sub-plots). The only thing I can complain about is that at times it was a little bit predictable, but the main plot (i. e. finding the murderer) was never too obvious.
The cast was perfect, especially the ultimate killer who perfectly embodied the killer mind. The romantic scenes between the two main leads were absolutely gorgeous, at times funny in a good way. I also liked the fact that the romantic plot wasn't too prominent and over the top, but everything developed naturally with the main crime plot as the ultimate protagonist.
It was a really beautiful journey. The only thing I would have changed is the relationship between Bun and Janejira: I had the impression they had a very strong bond, but this wasn't portrayed too clearly in the series. Apart from this, I really have nothing to say. I suggest it to everyone who is trying to look for a surprising and sudden plot development.
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Captivating
Not only is the story interesting, but each element of it has been cleverly exploited. The time-travel adds more dimension to the mystery, which makes the whole story intriguing, filled with twist plots and unexpected turn of events.After the first episodes, there are 3 or 4 filler episodes. I personally liked them, but I felt they slowed down the pace a little bit. Overall it didn't ruin the show, but as I was watching them, I was afraid the mystery would be solved in the very last episodes and all the middle episodes were fillers. Luckily that wasn't the case.
What surprised me the most is that in each episode they give you a lot of information (we even discover who is the culprit mid-show), yet no amount of information is ever enough to get to a full solution of the mystery. I think this clever management of the elements of the story and the information shared with the viewers is what made the show captivating.
I didn't watch the original version, so I don't know how much different this is, but it was still a good watch. Highly recommend it.
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Sabpaak Jai Naai Jomying
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Wholesome
It's been such a joy to watch this. There is no unnecessary drama, no tragedy, nothing too scandalous. It's just the story of how two people fell in love with each other.I appreciate that all the characters have some depth to them. The story is very simple, but still enjoyable.
What I think is the biggest flaw is that it's too short. I felt disappointed everytime an episode ended, because I fully immersed myself in the story. It's like when your parents bring you to an amusement park and you would stay there all day long, but time flies by and when you start having the most fun, you already need to go home.
On the other hand I understand that this wasn't meant to be longer than it already is. There are some things they could have explored further, but they don't add nothing to the main love story.
It would be a good watch for when you're spending a day out and you have two hours to waste. Also the OST is so cool.
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Sleepless Society: Two Pillows
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Pathetic
This is the worst in the "Sleepless Society" saga. I thought of dropping it halfway, but then I convinced myself that it wasn't that bad. I should have dropped it. After a certain point I started hating the two protagonists and the last episode was just a big disappointment. I swear to god, I just wanted to see them dead.So the story doesn't offer anything interesting. It starts as a very strange mystery: the protagonist wakes up with a dead body besides her. The most obvious conclusion is that she is the killer, but we are led to believe that she is innocent. All the characters are trying to uncover the truth, by creating even more problems. People get killed and after everything that went on, the most obvious conclusion turned out to be the right one.
I really hated Kate. She starts acting victimistically, pretending to be helpless and fragile, but in the end we discover she had all planned out since the beginning. In the last episode she implies that the producers wanted us to hate her, but this actually made everything worse for me, because it means that the series is not only bad, but it's bad ON PURPOSE. I empathised more with Rat, who was supposed to be the bad guy, because at least he had a sensible reason to go about blackmailing and killing people, whereas Kate did everything out of sociopathic selfishness.
The main concept of the story was already mentioned in "Sleepless Society: Insomnia" and further developed here. It's really about what is more important between Love and Justice. Kate is a sociopathic character who is able to manipulate her victims by messing with their feelings and sense of empathy. I think the moral message in the last episode is really important, but they failed miserably at portraying it with this story.
Don't waste your time with this, it's not worth it.
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Sleepless Society: Bedtime Wishes
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Bad story development
This starts out promising and then quickly falls.The first episodes are really interesting. They all end in a cliffhanger (something that, as a viewer, I don't appreciate, although it's really clever production-wise) and from the very start we understand that there are multiple mysteries. At the end of the series each and every character is, in some way, correlated to one another.
What started as a promising stories, quickly let down every expectation I had. The mysteries anticipated in a handful of episodes are quickly revealed in the span of two or three episodes. From there the story becomes a rivalry between two families and everyone wants to kill each other. Everything comes to an end when the inevitable happens: the mentally unstable character kills the ONLY TWO INNOCENT PEOPLE and everyone realises how much of a dick they had been.
The story shows how fragile human relationships are, but they do it in a very uninteresting way. The whole story ends up revolving around jealousy, desire of revenge and greed. It's just too toxic for me to like it. I even started hating the protagonist, I just couldn't stand her madness anymore.
Also the special effects are just poor. Luckily they haven't used them too often.
Watch it if you're bored, but don't expect anything.
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