Wimarn Sai (2021)

Less violent and worthy remake

First off let me explain the title of my review. I call it a WORTHY remake because that's what it is: a good, solid remake. I don't know if it's good enough to make us forget the original but it's trying. One thing that I like is that they changed the setting of the story and made it a historical. From the clothing, I'd put the era around the 1960s. It doesn't matter too much to the story, but I liked the touch of exotism it added (the clothes and the cars). It also made a few plot points more relevant (like the fact that a rich family could easily bully a single mother, or how one would make a living through painting), which was clever.

It is also less violent than the original drama. Not that there is absolutely no violence, some characters are really mistreated in this, but thankfully our FL is not, and most importantly not by the ML. Oh he's not tender towards her, but he's not physically abusive and even the arm-grabbing is reduced to a minimum.

The story in itself is pretty cliché by now, so I won't go into details about it.
The acting was pretty good, especially Esther carried the show with her talent and her beauty. Jes is not bad, but he didn't fully meet the expectations set by Chakrit for this character. He had me in the beginning but by the second part of the drama, I was a bit indifferent to Jes' portrayal. The chemistry between Esther and Jes is good though. REAL KISSES, though few of them.
The rest of the cast was good, though the 2d FL was given too much screen time, but eh she's pretty so I don't complain.
The kid actor was adorable. And other actors were pretty good too.
I never notice the music in shows, so that's that.
I recommend this whether or not you've seen the 2005 version, it's well worth watching or rewatching.

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I am quite surprised by how much i enjoyed watching this remake since the original one is one of my top favourite guilty pleasure lakhorn of all time. This new version decided to step it up a notch with the business intrigue, making it less violent and toxic and putting a great importance on the child`s psychological problems.

The noble hero Panin Nirapai is portrayed by Jes Jespipat who did well with the script he was given. He portrayed the Panin character as his own and was more serious,less cynical and less emotional, more in control of his emotions than Chakrit`s portrayal of Panin in the original version. It didn`t make me like him less and made him more relatable. He has the pressure of caring for his younger sensitive brother and taking on the burdens from his father to make their family company bigger and really tries to avoid the idea of getting married to a woman he does not love, which is also something his father forces upon him.

But as all heroes do in LakhornLand he meet the love of his life Arisara on a fateful day running from thieves on the beach and accidentally ruins the sand castle she has built for herself to paint. Arisara saves him and spending the night together near the sea creates a bond...in which their love began somwehere and it will be a tie between them until their last breath. They will face many horrible obstacles to finally end up together. It is beautiful, painful, dramatic and intense. I love their journey.

Esther Supreeleela portrayed the lovely and headstrong Arisara Chunhagon and totally ruled this character who got a character development of her own that wasn`t quite there in the original version. She is a victim in all this mess. But she dearly comes to love the fruit from her and Panin`s love: a son Pete who she is forced to leave because of Panin`s cruel father. Panin is saddened yet again, thinking Arisara left her son. But alas...fate have plans for them.

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Good story, well-paced episodes, great chemistry and satisfying ending...

I was anticipating this lakorn because of Esther and Jes pairing as the main couple, Arisara and Panin. Since I watched them in "Leh Ratree", I have been hoping to see them star together, but this time with Jes as the male lead. And they did not disappoint! I liked the chemistry between them, and they looked so gorgeous together. In fact, I wrote this review after watching it twice because there were scenes of them that I wanted to revisit and appreciate the gestures, the effects, and the words.

Visually, musically, emotionally - The story unfolded pretty nicely for me, and the episodes flowed quickly, keeping up the pace and never losing the momentum. The show was by no means perfect, and there were loopholes in the plot. At times, Arisara's questionably stupid actions made me mad, but I chalked those up to the show trying to create melodrama to move the story along. In general though, this show was a good watch, and I never felt tempted to fast-forward or skip.

I wish that there were more episodes earlier focused on Arisara and Panin falling in love. The development of their relationship felt too short and somewhat rushed. That said, they were so lovely together, and Jes' portrayal of Panin falling hard and fast for Arisara was done nicely, and it was believable. There were only a few kisses and almost kisses, but the scenes hit the right emotions for me with the touching background music.

Panin was one of the best MLs I have seen in a Thai lakorn! He was charismatic, suave, and charming. Always the gentleman but assertive too, Panin never hesitated to express his feelings, and I loved watching Arisara's reactions whenever Panin flirted with her. He was really quite smooth - haha! Panin was also intelligent, and he can fight! Best of all, he was mature and reasonable, allowing the progression of his and Arisara's relationship to happen realistically despite years of major misunderstandings and separation. Panin was also savvy, knowing when to manipulate the situation to his advantage, and I like that he never misled the second female lead and remained true to his heart. He was also able to respect his father without bending to the unreasonable demands.

Jes can emote well with his eyes, and I enjoyed watching how Panin pined for Arisara, the stolen glances, and pensive stares. Jes did a great job overall, but he is not quite there as a male lead yet. For me, something is missing, and he does not have the male lead aura yet. I am sure that he will get there after a few more dramas under his belt.

Esther fitted the role of Arisara, our long-suffering female lead, perfectly, but then again, this is not surprising. I think she plays this kind of role best, and she looked really pretty in the show. Arisara can be considered as a plucky optimistic female lead with an admirable spirit that cannot be broken down. She can react too quickly and emotionally, which led to some frustrating outcomes. Still, Esther, who seems to be able to bring life to any character, was able to lead the audience to sympathize with Arisara was truly the victim and cheer for her as she bounced back, determined to right the wrong she suffered.

There was also a secondary couple, Lin Jong and Nont, whose endearing interactions increased my enjoyment of the show. Also, the young actor playing Pinyet/Pete was also pretty good and added the cuteness factor.

The villains also deserved kudos for adding the layers of manipulation and scheming that kept things fresh. It was also enjoyable to see the villains unravel as they got closer to being caught, and it was so gratifying to see them punished. Nicha Chokprajakchat was awesome as Lookmee, and she pulled off looking beautifully cold-blooded and ruthless. In my opinion, Lookmee got too much screen time, but since she always looked amazing in her outfits and hairstyles, I guess it was ok :D. Pokhai, the other antagonist, was played quite well by Chopin Noochintra. He appears to be new to lakorns, but I would say that he is off to a great start, acting in two of Esther's dramas.

However, the true villain has got to be Panin's father, Puchong, portrayed superbly by Kob Songsit Rungnopakunsi. Oh, he made my blood boil throughout the show with his prejudice, narrow mind, and ignorance. He was not a stupid man, but he was blinded by misplaced hate and self-righteousness. He was really the cause of all the heartache, but it was only during the last episode when he got his redemption.

The OSTs were well-done, with appropriate instrumental pieces underscoring the more poignant scenes. The theme song, Song Krai Kid Teung by Bird Thongchai is very fitting and sets a romantic, emotional tone for the show. The more I listen, the more I like it! Unfortunately, I could not find the links for two other songs played in the show. My one complaint is that, like most other lakorns, the music producers have not mastered the effective use and timing of melodramatic/suspenseful background music. It got too loud, and sometimes, the scenes fell flat because they did not match the music.

For posterity, I have listed the tracks that I could find in this review.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kh-re0Wass
ใครคิดถึง Krai Kid Teung - BIRD THONGCHAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM3uFeJNlRk
ใครคิดถึง Krai Kid Teung - cover by Jespipat Tilapornputt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm2N4gntigI&list=RD2kh-re0Wass&index=3
Undo - POP PONGKOOL X WONDERFRAME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emv3FYWFcLY
Chairai - BOWKYLION

On the whole, I do recommend this lakorn. The story moved quickly with a great ending, good-looking actors who can act, and great music. So give it a try, and who knows, you may get hooked on it just like I was.

Leggi di Più

Aaaamzing OST

I remembered watching this lakorn when it was Bee and Chakrit and it was definitely one of my favorite lakorn during that time, but there was also a lot of flaws in the plot. I personally love Jes and Esther in Leh Ratree so this reunion was a must for me.

I know a lot of people aren't too fond of Esther but her acting always come through. You're either a fan of her or not.

Jes on the other hand still have a lot to do and learn especially when it come to expressing emotions, anger, hurt, and pain. There was definitely some scene where I needed more from him and it just didn't delivered. Although I will say Jes was able to expressed sadness in his eye so that was good enough.

I kind of wish they prolonged the romance between Panin and Risa like it felt so short. IMO the time they spent together was not enough to even build up the angst of the painful memory and love between the two. I wish we got to see more of how the misunderstanding led Panin to sleep with Risa and how this led to Risa being hurt because Panin deceived her. The beginning of them all just felt too rush.

For some reason I felt like the love was lacking. I couldn't really feel the love between Risa and Panin (again this could be because I needed more romance of them in the beginning). Sometime I have to question are they even in love? Or did they ever even fell in love. Also maybe its just me but I feel like there was little to no scene of Panin and Risa love blooming again after six years.

I have to at least mention the dad...I absolutely, absolutely hate the dad from both version!! The dad from the old version make my blood boil that I really just want to strangled him. The dad from this version is tolerable but man I hated the dad character like he is one selfish ass human being.

If I remembered correctly in the old version ML found out about his son in such a dumb way, honestly FL was like "Pete is your son". So thank gah they didn't do that in this version. Panin facial expression when he put one and one together was amazing. Jes really nailed that expression for me. I just love that they created a situation where Panin found out he's the father.

Overall let me just say this, Thai lakorn has been a huge disappointment for me. It's either great castings, but the plot, script, and direction of the story just fall through. Although this lakorn didn't fulfilled me with the emotions, feelings and satisfying storyline, it is definitely a remake that I will find myself watching again instead of the original one. I am just glad that they wrapped this version up so much better than the original version, although I wish we got to see more of Panin and Risa after six years and more family time but it is a good ending.

Oh and before i forget, the OST, omg it was what sold me to watch this drama.

Leggi di Più

TL;DR - I have some issues with the romance but I give it a pass; if you don't think too hard, you will enjoy it. Good story and casting, and overall had a good time watching.

I guess to start, can I just comment on the English title for this lakorn? I found it to be quite lovely and also apt at how I would describe the romance in this, in which somewhere, somehow, their love began. I say this with some romantic awe but also some critical inklings, of which I'll explain later and first start with what I enjoyed.

The story in this was very well done and kept me riveted throughout the lakorn. It was fast-paced but you could still digest what was going on, and every scene mattered. Production and script was also great. I'm surprised it was done so well as the last OneHD lakorn I saw was not so good. I will comment that I didn't realize that this was supposed to be set in the 1970s until I saw how the FL's best friend was dressed, so I suppose they could've done that better. Otherwise, I thought this was a well-produced show.

The casting in this was also spot on and I think everyone acted very well. In particular, the roles of Pokhai and Lookmee as the antagonists were done very well and I liked how they were clearly evil but also had their reasons for why they were like that. Especially Pokhai, I felt so bad for him and could not completely hate him, and almost wanted him to win and bring his shit father down. I also felt bad at how he was used by Lookmee, although he was pretty much playing with fire with her. Lookmee was also a scary, cold-hearted villainess that genuinely made my blood boil, but also impressed me with how far she would go to obtain her goals. Her desire to win was what brought her demise and it pretty much stemmed from her father, who can only regret.

Speaking of fathers that can only regret, we of course have to mention Panin's father, who was the source of all the problems this show had. He was awful and prejudiced, and it took Pokhai dying, Lookmee scorning him and Ris taking a bullet to realize he was wrong. I wish he was punished more for what he enabled and I'm surprised Pokhai's mom didn't spit in his face after everything (like all he could say was sorry but would that bring back her dead son? I think not).

I also want to shout out the MVP of the show which is Linjong. The best and sweetest friend anyone can have. I also really liked the child actor who played Pete, as he is probably the best child actor I've seen by far.

Now to discuss the romance; overall, I liked it. I liked Ris and Panin, and I was surprised that Panin was not angry at Ris for long; in fact he was reasonable and kind, and it made it more believable for why Ris would still like him. I actually thought the beginning part where it seemed like he insta-loved on her was well done and didn't make me cringe. But here's the thing that holds me back; if I were Panin and found out that the girl I really liked but only knew for a couple days was the object of my brother's year long crush and had a baby with him, that would kill any feelings I'd have. Similarly, if I were Ris and was deceived by a guy I only knew for a couple of days, who turned out to be the brother of my best friend, and had to deal with a shit father-in-law, that would also kill my feelings. I didn't see why they had to be together. I also just didn't see how they could love each other again but somehow they did, and I kind of just went along with it. I don't really want to think about this too hard, so I'll just leave it as it is and be happy for their HEA.

The music is what got me into watching and it was appropriately played, so it gets full marks. I wouldn't re-watch this, but I'd remember the good experience I had watching. I know this was a remake but I haven't watched the original, nor plan to, so I can't comment on that. Overall if you're in the mood for a romance set in the 1970s with a good story and good cast, I'd recommend you give this a watch.

Leggi di Più

Pintura, filhos e relações de paternidade conturbada.

Serei breve.

Descobri esse drama por causa de um vídeo curto, e com trecho que vi me despertou a curiosidade que ponto chegou da mae cuidar em segredo. Neste ponto toda a trama a mãe Arisara, apesar dos requintes de maldade, superou e com sabedoria foi dando o melhor para o filho. Mas o que ainda me espanta é os dramas Tailandeses romantizam a cultura da violência sexual a mulher, a humilhação e agressão psicologicade fato isso me deixou aborrecida. E ficaram ao meu ver umas falhas em desfecho ou fizeram cortes secos.

Esse drama mostra muito a paternidade.
Um pai que não cuida do seu psicológico, tende a descontar nos seus filhos as suas frustrações.

Panin e Arisara se conhecem de forma turbulenta em um evento de violência urbana e em meios a tantas variáveis eles se apaixonam, ambos estão lutando para vencer na vida , ela com sua arte e ele com o negocio da família. Ambos tem irmãos . Ela tem uma amiga irma que tem uma paixão mal correspondida e ele dois irmãos, o Yoh um sonhador e pintor e outro irmão, um ambicioso a possuir todos os negocios da família para si, por vingança do pai tratá-lo diferente. So dessa apresentação, dispenso apresentar os outros personagem, que são os vilões, mas faltou uma dividao entre vilão e mocinho, porque na real todo mundo ali precisava de apoio psiquiátrico, sem dúvida. É nítido que aquelas pessoas precisam de ajuda para colocar duas vidas no rumo. Até a brigas por ações da empresa, estão com pedidos de socorro.

Enfim, achei que faltou muitos pontos a serem explorados e que ficou muitas cenas com corte seco.
Vou buscar mais informações sobre a fonte do drama e se foi baseado em algum livro, porque acabou e me senti sem respostas.

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