Kaen Kaew (2021)

Adorable Main Couple and a Super Cute Elephant!

It's been a week and I am still missing the main couple, Lookkaew and Saran. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them together in this Lakorn, and their chemistry was palpable. There were many sweet and cute moments as their relationship transitioned from hate to love. I have seen Tita Chayjaroen in Thong Ek, her first Lakorn, and I am glad that she got the leading role despite being new to Dramaland. There's something about the way she, as Lookkaew looked at the male lead, that got to me. It's not your typical deep stare but rather a more soul-searching gaze like she was genuinely trying to understand Saran, probing to determine if she can trust him. Likewise, with Saran and how he responded to her looks. Just using his eyes, he can emote so much care and invite trust. Phet Tawanpong was truly perfect for the male lead role. Not only does he have the tall, dark and handsome vibes, but he also has charisma. It was unfortunate that their skinship did not go beyond hugs and nose sniffing - haha! Lookkaew was an awesome female lead, smart, brave and confident but also had her flaws which were tempered by Saran's maturity and calmness. As for Saran's character, he was a strong, intelligent and prideful type who transformed into this adorable guy after he finally confessed to Lookkaew.

I cannot really get into the storyline since the synopsis is pretty general with no spoilers. The Lakorn itself was pretty good and overall quite entertaining with the plot twists. That said, there were loopholes and "convenient" moments, and at times, the story became quite predictable. Still, the villains did a great job raising my blood pressure and kept me engaged. There were a few selfish bitchy characters, a couple who screamed a lot but is almost a norm in a Lakorn :)

I have to say that the most useless character was Natty. Janis Phomphadungcheep played the annoying character well, but I think Natty's character development could have been better. In contrast, the show's hero has got to be P'Thanu, the most selfless, understanding second male lead. I was actually shipping Thanu and Lookkaew together initially, but I am glad the plot played out the way it did. I like Judo Tharinpirom and have seen him in a couple of Lakorns. Hopefully, he will get more male lead roles in the future.

Also, a lot of drama happened for drama's sake which can be frustrating at times. Some viewers like me might feel that certain characters deserved more punishment, but as with many Thai dramas, there was a strong focus on forgiveness and karma. Minor spoiler - it's a happy ending...for most characters. There was a secondary couple, but their progression was more towards the end and was not super exciting.

There were not many songs played in the drama, but two were memorable for me. The theme song was fun and reflected the saucy tone throughout the drama, as indicated in the title. The other one is the song that played during the romantic moments. As expected, it heightened the romantic experience for the viewers. For posterity, I have listed those two here:

OST Kaen Kaew | แก่นแก้ว

1. อย่ามอง Don't Look - ปาล์ม (Chilling Sunday)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A4zNmc5tyI

2. ตอบกันได้ไหม Ost.แก่นแก้ว Can We Answer That - ว่าน ธนกฤต (Wan Thanarit) (03:19)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdEcuMliQvw

Will I watch it again? Yes, but mainly for scenes of the main couple. On the whole, I do recommend this Lakorn. It's fun and entertaining with a happy ending. If nothing else, perhaps the good looks and the side character of a super cute elephant would be enough to keep you watching.

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Lakorn ini cukup bagus dan overall cukup menghibur with plot twistnya. Konon, ada celah dan momen "nyaman", tapi terkadang plotnya menjadi cukup mudah ditebak. Tetap saja, para penjahat melakukan pekerjaan yang bagus untuk meningkatkan tekanan darah dan membuatku tetap engange. I really enjoyed watching this lakorn, terutama karena Lukkaew dan Saran. Chemistry mereka terasa banget. Ada banyak momen manis dan imut saat hubungan mereka beralih dari benci ke cinta. Aku baru ini sih ngeliat Tita, dan ternyata ini first lakornnya sebagai female lead role. Aku suka tatapan Lukkaew ke Saran, itu bukan tatapan dalam yang khas, melainkan tatapan yang lebih mencari jiwa seperti dia benar-benar mencoba memahami Saran, menyelidiki untuk menentukan apakah dia bisa mempercayainya. Begitu juga dengan Saran. Hanya dengan menggunakan matanya, dia bisa menunjukkan begitu banyak perhatian dan mengundang kepercayaan. Phet benar-benar sempurna untuk male lead role. Dia ga cuma punya aura tinggi dan tampan, tapi dia juga memiliki karisma. Sangat disayangkan skinshipnya mereka ga lebih dari pelukan dan cium hidung - haha! Terlalu sopan😅 Ini lakorn tersopan pertama yang pernah kutonton. Jarang soalnya ketemu lakorn yang sesopan ini.

Banyak terjadi drama demi drama yang terkadang bisa membuat frustrasi. Beberapa penonton kayak aku maybe ngerasa kalo karakter tertentu pantas mendapatkan hukuman lebih, tapi seperti kebanyakan lakorn, ada fokus yang kuat pada pengampunan dan karma. Spoiler kecil~ini happy ending untuk sebagian besar karakter. Ada second couple, tapi perkembangan mereka lebih menuju akhir dan tidak terlalu menarik.

Lukkaew adalah female lead role yang luar biasa cerdas, berani, dan percaya diri, tapi juga memiliki kekurangan yang dipengaruhi oleh kedewasaan dan ketenangan Saran. Sedangkan Saran; tipe cowok yang kuat, cerdas dan sombong, tapi berubah menjadi pria yang menggemaskan setelah kenal Lukkaew.

Ga banyak lagu yang dimainkan dalam lakorn ini, tapi ada dua lagu yang berkesan: theme song yang menyenangkan, mencerminkan nada yg cakep di keseluruhan plot and other song yang dimainkan di saat-saat romantis.

Apakah aku bakalan rewatch? Ya, tapi hanya untuk first cople. Overall, I recommend this lakorn, menyenangkan dan menghibur dengan akhir yang bahagia. Kalo ga ada yang lain, maybe ketampanan Saran dan karakter sampingan dari gajah yang super imut udah cukup untuk membuat kalian tetap menonton.

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