MoonBeam
Asian Continent
The pace is a bit slow and story is told in a very leisurely way.
The plus side and take aways from the drama would be
1. No really horrible villains / evil mother in law trying to separate the lead couple- even the girl Yuri pursuing Zheng Lan and the guy protecting Shui Guang are shown with lot of character and fair spirit
2. The CEOs character is mature and he handles issues both at work and personal life with great amount of perseverance. I like to learn such things that a good leader cannot be impulsive and have lot of ego but must treat his employees with trust and kindness. I liked how the writer /director portrayed that this character accepts that their mother leaves him and young brother to go abroad (the reason is explained in later episodes and how she redeems herself by helping her sons boyfriend to overcome her own tendency to escape from reality) and despite this comes across as a sane and balanced guy.
3. All the characters redeem themselves in the end. They prove that love, understanding and patience/ kindness help in bringing back people together
(I believe we all become what we constantly watch so watching good things will influence us to make us better people- as watching hatred revenge etc make for interesting watch but they do not make us better human beings- sorry for the preachy tone...this is a reminder to myself)
4. The guy never gives up on the girl or his love - he makes up his mind and does not let others influence him unlike other dramas which create stupid misunderstandings. And the way Yuri accepts that she is rejected is nice and refreshing. She is very cute and along with Luo Zhi make a nice pair
The negatives the lead actress's acting is a bit wooden - yes her character is supposed to be that way but the liveliness and expressions after she falls in love could have been portrayed much better. The main reason why the lead girl is blamed for her ex-boyfriends death is too thin and doesnot warrant such a heavy reaction. The accident is nothing so ghastly as they make it out to be and the scenes are repeated a lot
The episodes from 32+ etc is a bit draggy and i ran through them as it was just fluff - could have ended by 30 i think. Some characters such as the policeman and his girl in coma are shown with lot of promise but end very thinly.
But overall go for it if you are in a mood (and a lot of time 45 mins of 40 episodes) for a light romantic flick with some techie background.
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Strongly recommend this lakorn for the following reasons.
Though the story is nothing great A spoilt rich guy being reformed by a strong and nice girl - the direction and acting makes it a very interesting watch.
The Direction is great and the Screenplay is refreshingly well written and Quite funny. It goes on to show how a typical story line when done well becomes a engaging drama.
Its nothing like a typical thai lakorn with screaming women (funnily the villain or exGF of the lead guy starts screaming in one scene and the lead girl admonishes her not to scream - i found that hilarious and fresh)- but for a change the characters especially women are shown as more intelligent and adventurous of the lot. The lead girl - a successful orchid farm owner & Her friend is a clever accountant are shown as self sufficient and successful women with a strong mind. I like that they are bold and unapologetic about their love and decisions and can take a strong stand when required.
The chemistry / romance and the interactions between the leads and second leads is very cute and humour is also quite subtle. The other side characters like the wayward stepmom and her wicked BF, the adopted grandson who is the main villain and the wanna be girlfriend of the lead guy are all tolerable and not too dark. Even the servants of the house are treated like normal people who even want to study and progress -so all the characters are well thought out and given some screen time. Even the corporate scenes arent silly and have been dealt with logical and intelligently.
The Director has done a great job on connecting the dots and events and doesnt leave any loose ends.
There are some of memorable and original scenes from the drama which I have not seen before.
In ep 7/ 8 the scene where Win-lead guy apologizes to the girl Pud with small notes being passed under the door is a very cute scene and also the one where he kind of proposes to her in the flower farm. It feels more like a korean drama (but not complaining as it is in fact a very good watch - a light romcom)
The second lead girl is a korean drama fan and her takes and digs at KD is quite fresh. The flower men pageant was really neat and novel(ep10)
The interaction between the leads and second leads will keep you smiling throughout.
To conclude i would safely say its one of my favourite Thai lakorns and one of the best I have seen in the romcom genre.
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1. Good insight into thai culture such as marriage ceremony - dialogues, story, direction - location and camera everything was superb according to me - all lose ends and situations were well thought of and tied up - eg; the sunflower following the sun its context in the drama is well explained and such interest to details makes this drama a great watch - the period setting was so on the dot you are literally transported to that world
2. Lovely acting and chemistry between leads - they share alot of screen time together and the romance between them is one of the few longest and sweetest Ive watched of any dramas
3. spiritual messages interspersed on various situations in life is given as advice by the mothers to their children - i liked it a lot
also messages such as the need for a country and its citizens to not indulge in corruption and its effect etc make the drama worthy of watching
4. Great camera work the opening scenes and food layout on their breakfast/ lunch tables look so beautiful. Music is also really enjoyable (though i dint understand a word - sounds very pleasant to the ear)
5. Realistic story about how marital life and how a couple grow into partners and family
6. Even in the adopting family everyone is shown with a good heart and have good understanding - even mother/ sisters are not shown as the evil step mother/ stepsisters type- which was refreshingly different for me.
7. Some people may be put off by the black magic and spells used by bandits but this shows the reality and culture where gullible villages in asia still strongly believe and practice such things
But the best message is when one practices goodness and has blessings and prayers of a lot of people it protects and helps overcome- i can relate to such beliefs
I thought of rating it 9 or so but the ex girlfriend was quite annoying but I felt the story needed a villain as almost everyone is portrayed as upright and ethical - so excused it as any drama would need something to test the couple so its understandable. But her repeated shameless attacks are a bit too much and doesnt match too well with the overall sensibilities and sophistication displayed by other characters.
Also the lead guys inferiority complex and his indulgence towards his ex and repeatedly allowing her take advantage of him is a little bit of a downer.
On the whole the lead couple and their chemistry onscreen is so sweet that hardly forwarded any parts as i was afraid of missing a nice dialogue or scene- on the whole dont miss it
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This review is after about 20+ episodes as they are subbed only upto 20 now. But I went ahead and saw it raw and also watched the last episode on youtube. My overall reaction is its a very good drama. what i liked about it is (though it is about the couple meeting after a 7 year breakup- cliched though it seems the reason is believable atleast) the story is about a drug mafia is told in a refreshing manner and at good pace, and the chemistry between the leads is very good. Thankfully there are no scheming second man/ woman waiting to snatch the lead couple. I find that too tiresome. The villain in the story is the situations and choices made.
I liked it for the following reasons
1. There is a good message in the story about how harmful drugs can be without being preachy
2. The female lead is not pitiful damsel but spunky, bold and naive. The lead couple never give up on each other . You need to watch about 24 + episodes as the story is slowly unraveled.
3. Cast is awesome Pan Zhi Lin as Dou dou carries her role of a spunky smartmouth with great aplomb and her headstands are awesome. Her eyes and face convey a lot without speaking and Chemistry is great between Luo jin and her- Luo Jin conveys his love and angst in a very subdued manner and his facial expressions are quite good. All the other characters such as the Mafia Don Cai Bing Kun -have played their roles very well.
4. The college days romance is quite lively with nice memorable scenes eg: headstands . -and also the aftermath of their wedding - how Duo Duo tries to get close to Luo Jin is cute. Duo Duos interaction and her witty repartee's with the Drug Don Uncle Cai Bing is really enjyoable.
5. The friendship and concern the police man (second lead) has for Duo Duo is very interesting without it being diluted into infatuation and love. The time they share on the beach etc is told nicely without becoming cheesy
6. The island and picturisation of the locations - camera work i mean is quite good.
There are some loopholes such as the careless and rash actions of the lead couple and police in front of dangerous mafiaso - but this doesnt put you off. (the intelligent handling and use of technology etc in the fight against drug mafia is a bit lacking).
just my wild guess (spoiler alert :) On the whole I definitely liked it and i think there should / could be a second season - just so i can see more of the lead couple.
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The Love Knot: His Excellency’s First Love
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and - best part is the story makes sense the premise etc.
Its much better than the Korean drama Bride of the Water God - habeak
which it resembles to some extent (can put a finger to it but kinda feels similar maybe the names of the lead guy is Habeak in KD and here it is Helan)
I like the fact the lead girl cuts off with the guy once she knows about her BF cheating on her and doesnt cling on
My grouse is about the acting for a guy who has been in love for over 900 years the lead doesnt show much expressions and the lead girl doesnt have much range
even in their moments of togetherness looks wooden and no chemistry
If you overlook this its a very good watch...
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It has it all - understanding and overcoming handicaps and differently abled people but with lots of sweetness and love/romance.
It has romance, big time Bromance, angst, friendship, revenge, meaning of family and lastly Hartu (as they say heart in korean).
Wonderful Acting by everyone especially Kim Jae won, Hwang Jung Eum, Nam Goong Min and Jung Bo Seok (the mentally handicapped father). Its top class. The attention to details is just awesome.
I loved it all music, bromance, romance, sweetness, drama. and they make the whole story so believable and logical a rarity in dramas. The writer must have lived with such characters depicted in te drama otherwise they cannot prtray the characters and develop them so well.
The cinematography, music is so good. I can just go on and on.
That a deaf person could try and hide his problem is so convincingly depicted - they use voice to text feature on his mobile and have Nam goong min or Bong maa roo character who stays with him helping to cover up for him. Sweet moments especially between the lead pair and the brothers is plenty.
For example a scene where Dong Joo asks Bong Maa Roo a surgeon to stitch his little bean bag, and the friendship and jealousy scenes between the autistic father and his friend brought big smiles. All in all every episode has such cutesy moments that you cant ever fast forward the scenes lest you miss something nice.
Great care has been taken to cover even minute little details by writer and director showing what it really means when they say that a movie is crafted. Its been crafted with great amount of love and care just like how a sculptor or painter works on their piece of art.
Oh my oh my ... why dont they write /make dramas like this anymore...
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(a bit about Can you hear my heart -Kdrama - Hwang Jung-Eum is so cute and young and the Kim Jae-Won looks very good and acts well in this one)
I have a weakness for the lead pair to be in a kind of devoted love that overcomes all barriers and they stand by their love through thick and thin. I dont really like the wavering hearts where the person goes to and fro between their lovers. I am yet to complete but overall - i like it when the lead girl professes to say "I will follow you to the end". Im just at the beginning of 15th episode but I must say the lead guys acting is quite good his narrowing of eyes while trying lip reading is so on the mark.
I also liked it when the girl cleanly ends moping over her first love - when she says she (ep 12 i think) knew that the guy doesnt love her when she saw his indifference while she was being ill treated by her mother and the other woman.
The lead and her girl friend are very cute - all in all good cast and good story.
If you are looking for a a drama where a person overcomes a handicap like a hearing loss -this one is for you, without making it preachy and the actress takes it that way and still shows him empathy and love.
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Though a bit slow paced the story is relevant in todays time as we can see around us where even within families there is so much insensitivity and lack of love / caring for each other. The need for being ourselves in times when the media tries to make every story into a saleable product while compromising on truth is the message of the drama.
In my view it is a bit slow but all the side characters and their strengths and weaknesses are nicely projected - all in all a good drama with little fluffy romance but mature theme.
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