Story: From the beginning I was so excited to see another, Soulmate AU as they are one of the most popular fanfiction troupes I’ve ever seen, yet there are surprisingly few dramas using this as a central theme. This baffles me, as there is so much you can do with the concept of ‘soulmates’. Anyway, the use of soulmates in this series is basically “character who becomes deaf in the rain can only hear soulmates voice until the rain stops”. This is quite an interesting premise and the first half of the series did an amazing job. The main leads have great chemistry, particularly in episodes 4 and 5, and in terms of speed and progression the pacing has been good at times, but awful in others, particularly the use of unnecessary flashbacks constantly. I liked that they spent the first episode laying out the plot and backstory so we didn’t get confused later on. The audience is immediately aware of what is happening with the two soulmates, how they can communicate, and why Saengtai refuses to talk to his soulmate. The second episode was really sweet, the whole scene at the vet was adorable too, but then I was quite disappointed with the first half of the third episode, as it was all a flashback of events we’ve already seen, it added nothing to the plot and was just pointless. The second half was okay but dragged a bit, but episode 4 immediately made up for it, being so amazing and sweet my heart melted watching Phat and Saengtai. Episode 5 helped show the relationship develop between the two of them while episode 6 slowed the pacing down slightly, focusing on the steady progression of their relationship and beginning the set up for Lomfon and Phat’s first meeting. The chemistry between Phat and Saengtai has been incredible, especially the kiss scenes. With episode 7 and 8 came La Pluie’s gradual downfall, the conflict with both Lomfon and Phat’s ex girlfriend Nara was so badly done that it was hard to watch. I’m glad, however, that the conflict didn’t drag out, and while some people were disappointed with how Phat and Saengtai handled the conflict I honestly don’t think it was too bad, however the miscommunication got worse after this point. Episode 9 was more of a filler episode with important backstory and from episode 10 came the huge conflict and disappointments. Tai went from a sweet and loveable character to frustrating and silent, letting so many misunderstandings happen and acted like they weren’t his fault. I don’t know what the writers were thinking, even Phat went from an adorable green flag boyfriend to an impulsive and drunken person who suddenly lashes out in anger and violence when it’s the complete opposite of his characters personality so far. I was glad to see the parents finally talk to their kids in episode eleven about all the things they kept hidden, although I’m still frustrated they didn’t do this sooner. Admittedly, until the final episode I wasn’t loving the side couple at all, they weren’t giving the chemistry I was hoping for but I thought they were super sweet in episode 12. Phat and Saengtai finally resolved the misunderstandings but even that was a little rushed. The plot is definitely a little confusing, but after rewatching and paying close attention to the explanation at the beginning, I got there in the end. I was really hoping the final episode would make up for all the past miscommunications but unfortunately it didn’t and this series went from one of my favourite airing series to one of the most frustrating series to get through.

Acting/Cast: Title as Saengtai- Honestly I thought his acting was fairly good, I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in the future. The scene at the beginning where he accidentally hit his foot again the bed made me laugh, and was definitely feeling for him with the whole “parents divorced/negative view of soulmates” outlook. With his mum already moving on while his dad is still stuck loving his divorced wife, I understood why he was so afraid of letting Phat know they are soulmates. When Phat knew Saengtai was his soulmate and Saengtai opened up to Phat, introducing him to his friends, family and Dad, I was hoping to see the journey of Saengtai facing his dislike of soulmates and confronting his parents soon. Instead I feel like the writers have taken the previous representation of Saengtai’s character and completely twisted it, I felt like I was watching a different person from the Saengtai we met in episode 1. While Saengtai was still clearly very insecure in his relationship with Phat, I was hoping we could see Saengtai facing his insecurities more. Instead he became immature and I wanted to slap the back of his head and tell him to grow up lmao. Even after he realised he messed up, it was all too late for me. I don’t understand why he couldn’t have actually spoken to Phat instead of letting the misunderstandings build up. I miss the Saengtai from the first half of the series, whatever the writers tried to do with his character failed completely.
—Pee as Phat- I’ve seen this actor in projects before so I was really excited for his first main role (not counting Y-Destiny as he was only in 2-3 episodes). He’s a great actor, his facial expressions are great and I loved his character so much. I was hoping his character would stay good and we wouldn’t get any sudden toxic moments from him as his character was so sweet and loveable, but obviously that was too much to hope for. With the conflict coming with Lomfon’s character I hoped that Phat would stay kind and stick by Saengtai’s side without getting swayed with Lomfon’s future words and actions. Phat was definitely a green flag boyfriend and I loved how understanding he was initially, not trying to push Saengtai into something he wasn’t comfortable with. I will admit that I was disappointed with how he handled the situation with Nara, but I can still understand that he cares for her even if he doesn’t have those feelings for her anymore. However, his actions in episode 10 were so unlike him I honestly struggled to take it seriously. I don’t understand what anyone working on this series was thinking by changing the characters so much, it was like Phat became a different person altogether. His drinking and the sudden violence was just too much. Honestly, I don’t think he should have forgiven Saengtai just like that, episode 12 was just far too rushed.

Music: The opening for this series is beautiful and maybe this is just me being picky, but there’s something about the song that just doesn’t seem to match the general vibe of the series. I guess I just love the song but not for this series? I don’t know, maybe my mind will change later on but for now I just don’t find it super fitting. The background music was also okay, but nothing particularly memorable. I’ll wait and see how it improves.

Overall: Amazing first two episodes, okay third episode, incredible fourth and fifth episodes, great sixth episode, mediocre seventh and eighth episodes, okay nineth episode, bad tenth and eleventh episode, and rushed final episode. Most of episode one was spent establishing the plot, while the second was building up to the big “soulmate reveal”, three was a little boring, so there isn’t much to comment on, four was beautiful and heartwarming, five was sweet and trusting with Saengtai finally opening up, and the first half of six was sweet with amazing chemistry, while the second half was great as it sets up the setting and conflict to follow in future episodes. Seven and eight were a little unnecessary and dragged out, I think the director seriously needs to work on the pacing of this series from this point. Nine was definitely more of a filler episode but I enjoyed learning more about Phat and Saengtai’s backstory. Ten was like watching a different series altogether, enough with the miscommunication and jealousy please, we didn’t need it to go that far. Eleven was okay, but dragged out a little. And the final episode was just too rushed, the misunderstandings were resolved but I still wasn’t satisfied. The storyline itself was definitely a 10/10 for me although the execution was very much lacking somewhat. This is definitely another series where the idea is better than the execution. Overall, this isn’t a must watch series, but I still found it enjoyable to a certain extent.