there are a lot of factors that go into developing and producing a series, and i think the most important thing to remember is that the studio that opted to create this series is not very large to begin with. because of this, and likely a lot of struggles to finance and cast the roles, i'm being a bit more lenient for both my rating and review.

to address the main concern: the acting. i think that david did a lot of the heavy lifting here, despite being a rookie with still a journey left ahead for him in terms of presenting a story. kinn was stiff to the point it made the set look cheaper and his interpretation to seem disinterested at times. i can't judge too harshly, as i am not an actor myself, but it does give me pause that the director, casting director, scriptwriter, and the team just went with this despite all that. i would've loved to see david work with someone experienced or that he had a partner that could help him immerse himself into the role better.

acting aside, the sets were interesting, but it all felt very boxed in. regardless of where the scenes took place, it felt very much like a "closed in" experience, where you don't really get a picture for the entire situation going on. you could say it made the series feel like it took place inside of a dollhouse. it could've been used to their advantage and portray a creepier space, but it just felt weird instead.

in terms of the story itself, i was still confused about what the ending meant. i wasn't sure how in the future there's a video, when matthew's family couldn't see khen so how could they be recorded? is the future just a loop now? was everything "fixed"? and had khen already met matthew in his timeline and had just never known it? i might have to pick up the book instead and read it, but i hope we can get more series from Violet Rain, their stories truly have the potential to change how media adaptations of queer novels are approached. i am particularly fond of the focus on historic/past thailand timelines.

overall, the series is not the best, and part of it is likely a failed budget, but i still think it deserves a watch.