Esther Yu's Love Game in Eastern Fantasy domestically beats Zhao Lu Si's The Story of Pearl Girl
Be prepared to sniffle a bit, or a lot because these lakorns are going to need your box of tissues. All the couples here are awesome and their love stories are full of twists and turns. These are the best angsty tearjerkers I’ve ever seen.
Warning: Sawan Biang and Rahut Rissaya contain rape scenes.
Sawan Biang
Network: Channel 3
What is it about? Kawee is furious at his father for many reasons, but especially because he marries a woman around his son’s age, Leela. She got married to Kawee's rich father to get back at Kawee for rejecting her advances earlier, she is willing to do whatever she can just to hurt him.
Kawee strikes back at Leela by kidnapping and raping Leela's younger sister, Narin, a spirited young woman who gets caught in the middle of the fight between her sister and Kawee.
Why is it interesting? I first watched this as it was airing with subs. Had I known what I was going into, had I read the synopsis, I probably would never have watched it. But I did end up seeing this lakorn and now it’s one of my top five.
The main pra'ek Kawee is a rapist and a kidnapper, yet because he is acted by Ken with an air of vulnerability and hurt, I felt for him in spite of that. His actions are inexcusable and reprehensible, but if you watch this from the beginning to the end, it's almost impossible to not have some sympathy for him and Narin. You would also wish they could end up together.
This stands as a testament to the strength of the acting, writing and directing in this lakorn. It also helps greatly that Kawee grovels repeatedly over and over again and gives up everything (literally) to be with Narin. This has some of the best pleading scenes I've ever seen in a drama, and they were definitely needed to provide a convincing ending.
Do you need more convincing? Here's an MV that gives you some hint to the angst to come. Credits to the owner:
Rahut Rissaya
Network: Channel 7
What is it about? Palai blackmails Siva into marrying her to get revenge for her parents' death. She believes that his father is responsible for her parents' death and tells Siva she has a website filled with his father's wrongdoings that she'll release to the public if he doesn't marry her.
Siva already has a girlfriend and has no intention of marrying Palai, but he also has a beloved mother with a weak heart who cannot handle stress. So he marries Palai and she sets out to find the truth about her parents' deaths. But what will happen to them when love enters the picture?
Why is it interesting? Palai is one of the strongest female leads I've seen in any drama! She's totally kickass, intelligent and determined. Siva, on the other hand, is a warm caring person who matches her quite well and they have great chemistry together.
This is also one of the best acted (with one exception), and directed lakorns I've ever watched and the love story is compelling, gut wrenching and memorable. Yet in spite of all the pathos and angst of the story, there are lots of laughs and light moments that brighten the darkness of this masterpiece.
Do you need more convincing? Here's a nice couple MV. Credits to the owner.
365 Days of Love
Network: Channel 3
What is it about? Hotheaded Lanaree falls for Toon at first sight. After a short courtship, they marry and the rest of the lakorn deals with the problems in their marriage. Lan goes to a fortuneteller who tells her the marriage will end in divorce in a year. The fortuneteller also gives her a book to put under her pillow when she sleeps to see if her prediction will come true.
The book takes Lan into the future, where she finds she is indeed about to divorce Toon. So Lan travels back and forth through time, trying to figure out what went wrong with her marriage and correct it before the future prediction comes true. But an increasingly desperate Lan finds out that the more she tries to fix things in the present, the more things seem to go wrong in the future and all along she is racing against a deadline of 365 days.
Why is it interesting? Yes, it's Ken and Ann again, but what can I say? They're wonderful together! They make a totally convincing married couple, and their many kisses, embraces and bed scenes (not that kind!) will leave you melting from their explosive chemistry.
Lanaree is the type of character you've probably disliked in the past, fighting, yelling like crazy at some woman for stealing her man. She's selfish, very needy and not very nice at all. There are reasons behind her behavior that you'll learn throughout the lakorn. She is also 100%, completely and absolutely in love with Toon, and over the course of the lakorn she really grows and matures as a woman and wife.
Thanks to the wonderful acting by Anne, I found myself moved to tears on a number of occasions. The writing could have been better at times. The first episodes are a little slow, but overall Toon and Lan made one great couple!
Do you need more convincing? This contains spoilers, you have been warned! As usual the credits belong to the owner.
I hope you liked my recommendations. Don't hesitate to comment about them below.
Missed Thai lakorns introductory article? You can read it here.
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