This review may contain spoilers
Missed potential
Bless Gawin for being an incredible actor who tried really hard to have chemistry with Krist. Despite the commendable attempt from Gawin and a really good script, I found Krist's acting quite lackluster which ruined the series a little bit for me.
Here's the thing, for a series to be good, the viewers have to actually like and connect with the character. This premise is not new, this formula is the lovechild of "About Time" and "When We First Met". I absolutely adored Pisaeng's character in this - he was sensitive, in touch with his feelings, and has a chronic case of puppy eyes which makes you really feel for him. However, Kawi is a hugely different story due to the execution. Kawi is very flawed, which shouldn't be a problem if it was portrayed by a more skillful actor who could help balance out the negatives with some humanity. I usually love flawed characters, it gives their personality some dimensions. This is not the case with Kawi. The script wasn't the problem in this case - the problem actually lies in the delivery. The script gave Kawi so much chance of redemption: the internalized homophobia, low self esteem, and eventual self acceptance. The delivery was the main issue. Internalized homophobia & low self esteem appears as selfishness and disingenuity. The eventual self acceptance didn't actually feel like self acceptance - it just appeared to be "oh, I know what outcome is the best for me now, so I'll go with that". This could've been much better with a slight tonal change in the delivery. The relationship ended up feeling imbalanced, with Pisaeng's character giving in to everything Kawi wants.
I couldn't fault anything else, really. The theme was interesting, side characters were very well developed, and each scene was made with purpose. I just wished they casted a different actor to play alongside Gawin.
Here's the thing, for a series to be good, the viewers have to actually like and connect with the character. This premise is not new, this formula is the lovechild of "About Time" and "When We First Met". I absolutely adored Pisaeng's character in this - he was sensitive, in touch with his feelings, and has a chronic case of puppy eyes which makes you really feel for him. However, Kawi is a hugely different story due to the execution. Kawi is very flawed, which shouldn't be a problem if it was portrayed by a more skillful actor who could help balance out the negatives with some humanity. I usually love flawed characters, it gives their personality some dimensions. This is not the case with Kawi. The script wasn't the problem in this case - the problem actually lies in the delivery. The script gave Kawi so much chance of redemption: the internalized homophobia, low self esteem, and eventual self acceptance. The delivery was the main issue. Internalized homophobia & low self esteem appears as selfishness and disingenuity. The eventual self acceptance didn't actually feel like self acceptance - it just appeared to be "oh, I know what outcome is the best for me now, so I'll go with that". This could've been much better with a slight tonal change in the delivery. The relationship ended up feeling imbalanced, with Pisaeng's character giving in to everything Kawi wants.
I couldn't fault anything else, really. The theme was interesting, side characters were very well developed, and each scene was made with purpose. I just wished they casted a different actor to play alongside Gawin.
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