Prajan Daeng (2021)

Forbidden Romance between The Beauty and the Beast - Thai style

I really like this drama, I wish I could write a recap article about it. Alas, my article quota is full. So, here is my full review:

STORY
First, I will write the synopsis from the Female Lead point-of-view. Parichart comes from Bangkok with a mission to educate tribal children. Upon her arrival, her ride broke down, so she continues her journey on foot through the jungle. Unfortunately (or fortunately, lol), night comes, and it is red moon (Prajan Daeng, the native title means red moon), where Tiger King roams around to hunt down poachers. She passes out during her encounter with the ghostly tiger. Nontha, a young tribesman who is also the son of the late chief, saves her and takes her to Dr. Sama’s clinic. Upon knowing that Dr. Sama has dedicated himself to working in the remote area like that, Parichart is happy that she finds someone like her, an outsider who has a heart for tribal people. The romance blooms between the two.

This is where the forbidden romance is: As you know in the synopsis, Dr. Sama gets possessed by Tiger King’s spirit since young. Something happened in the past. He’s not supposed to have any romantic relationship. Also, the tribe doesn’t want the two to be together, as Tiger King should stay with the tribe.

Some attempts to thwart Dr Sama and Parichart relationship are planned by the tribesmen. On top of that, plans from bad outside parties who are money hungry.

Finally, this drama is heavy on the message of nature preservation/forest protection. So, if you don’t like that kind of advocacy agenda, better think twice about watching it. Since I like nature, I don’t mind on the messages.

ACTING
First, I’d like to commend the acting of Tono, who played as Dr. Sama. ‘Cursed’ from young with Tiger King spirit possession, Dr. Sama has to live forever with the tribe as he can transform into the ghostly tiger to protect the jungle. He’s a complicated character: remorse of past, conflicted of present, and fear of future. The actor delivered all emotion. His transformation to aggressive tiger-like characters is also great.

Richy, as Teacher Parichart, is misunderstood as an unemotional Female Lead. Her character is calm and quiet, thus doesn’t show much of emotion. Besides, she’s a city girl with a high education background and logic, facing with bizarre phenomena and myth. If I were Parichart, I will be confused and disbelief most of the time too, especially when I found out my boyfriend is also a tiger, lol.

Dr. Sama and Parichart form a calm and quiet couple, unlike the second one I’ll describe below.

Nontha, played by March, is a conflicted character. Born as the son of late tribe leader, he is supposed to inherit the Tiger King spirit from his father. Unfortunately, it goes to an outsider. Nontha delivers conflicted character between envy/jealousy and admiration/fear of Dr. Sama. Having seen March in a similar character in Sand Princess, I knew he could do such characters.

At first I hate the character of Kahlong, played by Xiang, She seemed a typical bitchy second female lead of lakornland. However, after watching sometime, I understand she’s just a young tribe girl who groomed by her dad to marry Tiger King since little (which they thought the Tiger King was in Nontha).

Nontha and Kahlong form an explosive couple full with bickering most the time, not realizing that they actually care of each other, like an old married couple. I’m glad that both characters mature in the end.

There is a third couple, Saksit (Ak) and Dr. Atchara (Ticha), whom I really like, uncommon since I don’t actually like multi couples I thought as fillers. A filler or not, they have great chemistry and I wished to see more of their romance. The female character is really cool.

An individual character whom I also like is Euang, Dr Sama’s nurse/assistant (who was also his dad’s nurse). I watched the actress Rudklao, in You’re My Destiny (Thai remake of Fated to Love You) as the Female Lead’s mom and she was great there. Euang is like a mother figure to Dr. Sama. The only thing that distracts me is her black lipstick, not sure why they made her wear that.

The supporting actors who played as the tribesmen did well with their respective characters. I especially like the comedic relief from the duo boys Lee (Yoon) and Za (Graphic). The villain characters are forgettable.

PRODUCTION
With only 12 episodes I don’t have any complain about the pace, no draggy scene. But I think the ending is rushed. Probably since the filming is taken during the pandemic. There are some unbelievable explanations in the end. I docked 0.5 point for the loose ties/rushed ending.

VISUAL
I docked another 0.5 point for the CGI. The tiger is actually not bad, because it’s supposedly a ghostly tiger, not a common one anyway. But the other CGI, especially towards the end is bad.
The nature setting is beautiful. Dr. Sama’s old house, with antique furniture, looks creepy like in horror shows, with flowing curtains blown by the wind through open windows. The house really represents the beast’s mansion.

OST
Opening song รักคืน (Night Love) by Bowkylion
Ending song บนเส้นด้าย (On a Thread) by Tono and the Dust
Insert song สัตว์ร้าย (Beast) by Tono and the Dust

Leia Mais

Unique storyline with a lot more potential that had me wishing for more

What attracted me to this drama was the storyline. There is also the overall theme of protecting the wildlife and forest. The romance story and development between the two leads was not very convincing, and honestly, I didn't care for it. This is rare, as I usually am a romcom person. I only wanted it because I wanted Sama to have love and happiness. This story was full of events that moved at a pretty good pace, where I never felt it dragged too much or I needed to fast forward. The Suea Phaya storyline is definitely more dominant and interesting than the romance. Maybe this is also why the romance plot falls short? So, if you are wanting a full blown romance story, you won't really find that here. There are some cute scenes at the beginning and end, nothing too memorable, but that is mostly it.

As for characters, I would have to say Kahlong is my favorite female and overall character. She is adorable from beginning to end. Ali, Asa, Tuamahka, and Mong are also in line of most liked characters. For me, it was the FL that didn't cut it for me. This is my first time seeing Richy act in a drama, so I am not familiar with her work. However, in this drama, she is either crying, her leg or ankle is hurt or needs to be rescue. She tends to have this worried/ serious/yet blank look to her with a monotone voice. Yes, there are some positive aspects to her, but overall, she is a rather flat and boring character and yet, out of no where, she is key in some major plot development. She loves him yet it isn't really conveyed in her facial expressions, actions, eyes, or even voice, which you do see in Sama (thank goodness). Her love isn't very convincing. For example, even though you can see the pain on Sama's face, she didn't even try to understand how the mom of her student was killed or his feelings. Later, he gave her the one thing (enchanted dagger) that can kill Suea Phaya, and she just left it out and about and even used it on Hunter Boon (who she knows is hunting Suea Phaya), which is how they lost possession of it. I think it's part acting and part writing that makes the FL just insignificant. Even Aunt Euang had more facial expressions than the FL.

Sama's character is complex, with a sad and traumatic past, who is a good and reserved person by nature. His character could've used more depth and attention. I'm grateful for the flashbacks to his past, but I wished more was elaborated on what it was like when he was first shot at, the first transformation when he found out, his loneliness, his parents, etc. I also wished there was a scene where FL sits down with ML and ask him about this - how scared and alone he must have been. I think Aunt Euang and Kahlong were the top two characters who understood his sufferings and loss and were trying to do things in his best interest. I also think Sama didn't get the love story he truly deserved. Lastly, this is the first time I would have been ok with the ML facing death, as it makes sense to what he has endured, but the ending was alright. I like Tono and he was able to showcase the sadness, frustrations, sweetness, and the Suea Phaya side of his character.

What I also didn't like: Some of the characters just die a quick and unexpected death and you're left just accepting it and moving on. Some plots were pointless, had no real closure and/or wasted time - Teacher Fon, Police Director's backstabbing, Sama transforming without the red moon (I wanted more on this), and the Chief's daughter making a ruckus. Dr. Atchara's character wasn't completely necessary but she wasn't horrible either. There was a time where I wished she was the FL (the tiger specialist who ends up falling for a man who becomes a tiger), but I also wanted her to be with Officer Saksit lol. I wished there was more of a balance and focus of Sama's story and Suea Phaya's, as both are equally important. I was a bit disappointed it had the stereotypical happily ever after ending. I wished the FL reassured the ML it was his decision and not start off with how everyone needs him so he should return to the living world. At the end, the drama can be summed up as "hunters trying to hunt Suea Phaya but fails and dies."

What I liked: The music was good and appropriate. It takes place away from the city and the drone shots of the forest and mountains were beautiful. There were a lot of support cast that I ended up liking and enjoying. No complicated love stories. Not a lot of fillers. The creation of the tiger was better than expected. I'm glad Nonta matured throughout the drama and even Aunt Euang softening up was a weird delight in its own way.

Leia Mais

Meet the Tiger King!

I'll preface this review by saying that the cast was one of the main attractions for me to start watching the lakorn "Love in Twilight. And they didn't disappoint me at all! The acting was on point.

Combined to the acting, the writing was effective in creating such nice characters. I was rooting for them all (except the villains :P). From the villagers and the main couple to the forest rangers, they all captivated me. They blended and connected to the story SO well, if you know what I mean (When watching some dramas the side characters don't seem to belong to that universe or whatever, totally misplaced). Another importanting thing was how intriguing the situations were, rather than annoying. I could understand where the characters came from and why they were acting that way.

Leaving the characters aside, the story (and the journey) was beautiful. Since the very beginning, I was impacted by the Tiger King scenes. The forest preservation aspect only potentialized it, and the overall message it's awesome. Romance was there too, and i could enjoy it as well. I just wish they had stretched some situations out in the end, it was so fast!

There's a lot I could tell more, but I'll just end the review here. That's my first time doing it, so i hope it didn't get so confusing. :)

Leia Mais

Thailand's version of Twilight .

But instead of vampire as ML here we have tiger as ML . He can moves fast with a strong sense of smell and hearing .

So I am in a drama slump. It's been more than a month I struggled to finish every drama that I've started, ended up dropped lots of them. It was like I was stucked in a loop with no way out. Everything seem uninteresting. Even watching hyped drama did not helped. I used to enjoy watching Thailand drama/lakorn back in the days. But in these last few years, I mainly sticked to Chinese and Korean drama. So one day , I watched episode 1 of Love in Twilight ( without first reading the synopsis) and I was immediately sold! Finished this in just 3 sittings. So this was my first completed Thailand drama after 3 years.

Plot : Supernatural romance is always my cuppa tea. The storyline was quite angsty. If you're familiar with thai drama , every episode is long with 1 hour and 30 minutes. So feeling of dragginess can't be avoid . I skipped a lot of scenes regarding forest rangers, hunters and the bad guys. Their scenes was too much to the point I feel not enough of main couple's screentime.

Acting & character : This was my first Tono Phakin drama and WOW he did delivered! I was charmed by his acting & great visual here. His acting as Dr.Sama & Tiger King was impressive. When Tiger King was about to appear , his animal mannerism was evidence like he was really a tiger inside and out. How he roared, sniffed, did physical gestures like a tiger really embodied in him. It was not easy to act as an animal but he did it. I liked how mature, rational and gentle he was. Most of the times,I feel sad for his character. I could feel his loneliness, self-hatred and inner turmoils. To be something he did not want to be but had no choice in the matter. Fortunately he has Aunt Aung to share his emotional burden all the time. Richy Oranate was also good at acting as Parichart. All the confusion & dilemma she faced, I think if I was her I would be acting the same too. It took her frustratingly some time before she come to a decision. But when she finally did , it was all worth the wait ❤ . Chemistry between them was very good too. Their love to each other was evidence even without passionate kisses. Acting of the supporting characters (Nontha , Kalong, Aunt aung, Lee , Sa) were also good. At first, I was annoyed with both SFL and SML but later when their character matured, I grew to like them . But I understood the reason behind why they acted like that.

Cinematography & CGI: Good . I especially love the tiger effect. Adorable. But some of the CGI was laughable. The scene where Dr. Sama carried Parichart while moving fast through the forest. He wanted to show off his supernatural power to her then but instead of making the scene & he look cool they made the scene looked cartoonish instead lol.

Overall, I enjoyed this drama. Emotionally I would rate this 8.5/10 because this drama made me feel so much. But I settled for 8/10 when I considered all the aspects in the drama. If you like supernatural romance, in a drama slump like me or you enjoy emotional drama with good chemistry between leads try watching this maybe you will enjoy it like I did.

Leia Mais

I enjoyed this more that I thought I would!

Dramas set in the rural parts of Thailand, typically involving a volunteer teacher have unexpectedly become a hidden pleasure of mine. watching this drama only reinforced the enjoyment I get from this setting.

THE STORY:
This drama explores how the male lead, an outsider gains a gift that has been a tribal secret for generations. This gift not only gives him a lot of responsibility, but also a lot of trouble. The drama shows how the ml has been handling this responsibility and the drama that comes alongside it, whilst of course falling in love with the new volunteer teacher.

The premise of this drama is something quite new to me, it felt unique and original. I loved the tribal aspect, as it presented a different part of the Thai culture. That being said the primary message of this drama is to protect wildlife against hunters and such, which also allowed the drama to present the absolutely breathtaking scenery of rural Thailand.

Consistency is a problem the story struggles with unfortunately. with this story, there are always going to be established rules to world build and make sure the actions and behaviour of the characters make sense, however there are times that this drama fails to remain consistent with the rules they set up. for example; when/how Dr. Sama (male lead) can become the tiger king.

THE ACTING:
There is honestly not much to mention on the acting ability of the cast. As a whole, the acting was very much fine. it never brought me out of the story, nor did it annoy me.

the male lead put on a really convincing performance, and definitely embodied the role of a volunteer doctor with the spirit of the tiger king. Admittedly I found his acting style to be strange at first. however, as I got into the drama, I realised that his acting perfectly suited his character. A man who has literally grown up with the spirit of the tiger alongside his own. in the main leads acting you can see this conflict throughout the entire show, and its very interesting to watch.

The female lead, Parichart is played by an actress in a very different acting style. Hers is vey subtle and simple in comparison to the male lead. I enjoyed her acting because it went perfectly with the character, a simple, sweet, and young volunteer teacher who loves children. Additionally, the fl's acting style and character perfectly compliments the male lead.

The main couple's relationship in this drama develops rather quickly. they where attracted to each other from the moment they met, and throughout the entire drama, you can see how well their own personalities compliment each other. they're chemistry was warm and simple. I think part of my love for this couple comes from their overall situation, despite having such a simple love for each other, they went through a love to get together. their relationship was forbidden and unaccepted by basically the entire tribe, so the forbidden lovers aspect just made me more in love with their love.

THE MUSIC:
The music was fine. it never annoyed me, despite playing rather repetitively which I know is common.
- my favourite song used was probably night love by Bowkylion.

in conclusion, this drama left me with a very warm and happy feeling. it was sometimes emotional and slightly angsty but it was never boring.

Leia Mais

COPY CAT THIS IS "Twilight" movie. Edward Bella and jacob

Acting is good, casting good but Seriously dude , atleast you should have make some changes. Copied entire movie. Even the meadows scene.
The only change from entire series is, in TWILIGHT movie Edward is Vampire, Jacob is wolf. Bella is human. Here ML is Tiger, second male Lead has no spirit.

I don't know how this series is highly rated, may be people haven't seen Twilight movie.

Even the tribe part is copied.

Very disappointed.

People please watch
TWILIGHT newmoon, 2009
Twilight breaking dawn
Twilight Eclipse.

Copied decade old Hollywood movie , may be writer and directors should be die hard fans of Edward and Bella.
And Jacob yaar second Male lead do you have to copy that tooo.
Disgusting.

Leia Mais

When You Love Someone You Love All Versions Of Them

This is my first time writing a review for a Lakorn and it obviously is because this is a Lakorn worth taking out time to write about. The plot itself reminds you of the twilight saga but believe me this is a very different concept and honestly a quite good one. I started this drama because of it's unique story line and was not at all disappointed.
This is a great drama where you may think of romance of the main concept but in the depths the main concept is a great message of how wildlife should be protected. This Lakorn had good amount of drama and a fantasy part to it with a great plot for romance. It shows us how love should be and how love conquers all in the end.

Speaking of Tono, I had first watched him in 'Flash Marriage' and loved his part there so I came here to explore more of his works. He has done a great job in this Lakorn too. He always makes you feel that you need someone like him in life. Even after having such a huge responsibility on his shoulders which he never wanted or was destined to burden he did not expect anything in return for fulfilling it. His character showed great development from someone who did not want to handle the responsibility he was given to understanding that someone needs to burden it and accepting it and fulfilling his duties well. Dr. Sama's character was really very well written and his journey was shown quite well. His story will make you pity him and him finding love again will bring a smile on your face cause that's how happy you will be seeing someone with these struggles having someone to love and be loved.

This was my first time watching Richy in a Lakorn and I honestly liked her play the lead role. She really felt completely suited to play Paarichart. She has the innocence that was needed for the character. Also her acting was quite good as needed by the character. One thing I felt could have been improved were her reactions when Dr. Sama was hurt or in trouble, at those moments it felt a few times that enough emotions were not put or her reactions as someone whose lover is injured or in trouble should have been more pitiful.
Overall I loved the pairing of the actors. They seemed perfect for the roles and had good chemistry too.

Xiang did a wonderful job in playing Kalong. Couldn't have asked for someone else to play such a sweet role. Her smile itself was so full of warmth. I could actually see a young immature girl who is loving and caring in her. Her journey since childhood and how she developed all her emotions were so well explained and shown brilliantly. I don't have much words to describe Kalong but she is one of the cutest characters for sure.
March was also a perfect fit for the role of Nonta. He was able to show the viewers how a boy ridden from his birthright would act as he grew up. At some points he did a good job in troubling Dr. Sama. His character development can be considered the best one as he overcame hi issues as well as made peace with his past. Being still considered a young man his character proved to be written very well by giving him a mature side too.

All other actors played their roles well especially the hunter who did manage to keep bringing till the end.
A special mention to the characters of Lee and Sa cause they were a treat to watch. Seeing them could easily bring a smile to your face. They are the cutest brothers you would see.

The OST was really good. If I'm not wrong 2 songs are played most frequently and of them the song when there are sweet moments just stole my heart. Completely deserving of being added to your playlist.

Pacing of the drama was also quite fair enough. If it would have been more episodes it would become boring so honestly a great work on editing to keep it a 12 episode Lakorn. All things were explained clearly in the drama and nothing remained unanswered.

Definitely worth a watch if you wanna watch something in the fantasy romance genre. And honestly this was a Lakorn with a very good concept and something new.

P.S- I tend to not give any spoilers regarding the story because I feel the summary given by MDL is enough to get an idea of the drama's/Lakorn's concept. If you wanna know more about the story or about something particular in the Lakorn feel free to ask me.

Leia Mais

So unexpected so much potential.

First i like the beaty and the beast storyline.

The idea is fresh and i was so hyped after the first episode just unbelievable. Love the message of the film and the romance between FL and ML. A sweet and soft romance. I love the cast and acting. Music is quit nice and fit the scenes. I will rewatch the first episodes many times.

unfortunately the writer didn't pay much attention to character development from the middle on, so I think that many decisions are not true to character. Also, some events are never thought-out enough. the Series could have been longer, unusual for a Thai drama.

So now more detailed:
The ML is always on point. Nonta (for me the second ML) is it most times. I like the male character more because they are more on point and have more character than the female ones. I have the feeling the person who wrote the script wanted certain plots and made the female characters act strangely therefore.
I can't understand the reactions of the FL sometimes. She is smart beatyful and know nature, but sometimes her reactions is quite the opposite. Kahlongs (for me the second FL) character isn't understandebale at all, to innocent for where she lives.
Dr. Atchara could have been cut out or given more meaning, same for Fon. Euang i don't know what to think of her.
the whole setting isn't worked out well enough.

For the Plot:
I hate the scared FL that make only mistakes from a certain episode on. At the beginning she is smart and help a lot, but at some points she is stupid and i don't know why. She could have beeen more importent for the spirit and ML get together in harmony part. She could have understand him and helped him understand what he is and how to connected. then they are separated by the misunderstanding because of his ex. And not as it is shown, as soon as she knows what he is, she is only afraid of him and later on, enchantment: the fear is gone.
I also hate that no one knows something about the Tigerking from the tribe. When i as a viewer understand how the spirit is passed on, without any indication, why not the characters too. And that the dagger was not destroyed.
I am not a fan of the Nonta and Kahlong as a romance couple.

So all in all there is room for improvement. But i loved it.

Leia Mais