BLISS RATING: ★★★+
“Passion is the quickest to develop, and the quickest to fade. Intimacy develops more slowly, and commitment more gradually still.” – Robert Sternberg
This series tries just a bit too hard and, in that process, expanded the story way beyond credibility. Too bad because its sentiment was good, even if it was not feasible or realistic. While it is another in a long line of soul swapping sagas, the machination got confounding and unnecessarily convoluted. I wish just for once the story went for rich to poor rather than the usual poor to rich. Nonetheless, we are forced to enter yet again into a world that most of us only dream/fantasize about. A world that is opulent and full of issues only the wealthy can relate to. But perhaps that is the purpose and fantasy of BLs.
Phopthorn (Park Anantadej) is a hapless individual working to try and get ahead but at each turn he seems to be thwarted. Employed at a convenience store for a boss that takes advantage of him, he is now nearly broke. One evening as he shares his dinner with a neighborhood dog, the dog lunges all of his remaining food and runs off only to return with a lottery ticket in his mouth. The dog gives Phopthorn the lottery ticket. Whether it was by fate or chance, this lottery ticket is the winning ticket! As Phopthorn dances around in exhilaration, he is hit by a car. The next thing he knows, he wakes up in what appears to be a hospital but, in a body, while looking like himself, is not him. Propthorn seems to have traversed into a parallel universe or at lease his soul or essence has. Phopthorn is now Apo. To make all of this work, he is going to need to blend the two personalities somehow together.
The original Apo is not a very likeable character at all. He is loud, pampered, spoiled, impulsive, and arrogant. Apo is in an ‘arranged’ marriage which is strictly for business purposes with someone named Suriya (Big Thanakorn). Yet, from Apo’s point of view, he really does seem to love Suriya. Initially, Suriya is only interested in the pending marriage to Apo to only further his own business interests. Additionally, a unique characteristic of the male side of Suriya’s family lineage is that they can read minds. So, Suriya finds out immediately that Phopthorn has swapped souls with Apo. However, the ‘new’ Apo takes on more and more of the personality of Phopthorn. As time passes and their relationship softens and develops, Suriya begins to fall in love with the new Apo and the Phopthorn within Apo also begins to fall in love with Suriya.
This series is based upon weirdly assuming a lot of disconnected events sort of falling in place. The story itself is simply preposterous and at least in its initial stages, almost cringeworthy in its development. There is an element of outlandishness about all of it before it begins to settle down into a somewhat sane story. I am always fascinated with how easily and quickly individual souls can manage to add to or detract from their existing corporal form OR simply adjust to such a major transubstantiation. One knows literally NOTHING about the body he is being housed in, yet the adjustment and settling in all seems so relatively seamless.
The story did a relatively good job in deemphasizing the bad qualities of Apo and emphasizing the good ones of Phopthorn to make this love relation work smoothly. It did make the transition from a purely business one to a more intimate one seem more natural. Certainly, the overall development of their love is entertaining, and the story itself was interesting in spurts but was not sustainable throughout. For example, Phopthorn helps Apo reunite with his brother Ashin (Tommy Sittichok). He helps Apo break down the walls the old Apo created between them with Phopthorn creating a more nurturing brotherly relationship. Thus giving the new Apo a transitional leap from an ugly state to one of acceptability.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Unfortunately, for me I did not discern a strong connection between either the characters of Apo and Suriya nor an intense chemistry between Big Thanakorn and Park Anantadej. While it was not necessarily their fault in terms of acting, as their roles for the longest time forced them to be separate and unsure of their relationship, it should have been detected as more ardent than what it was. However, even when it became more intense, I never felt a spark of sincerity between them. It just did not work for me. It all felt too contrived. It all felt like a giant acting exercise, always looking cute and good. What did work with surprising intensity was the relationship between Suriya’s brother Chanuk intensely portrayed by Pan Bhumintr and Apo’s best friend, Tailah masterfully played by Jeng Chotipat. I was so enamored by their connection both as characters and as actors. Their union evolved by natural progression with a dimension to it that we could follow and relate to with complete understanding. They connected to each other on so many different levels that it became an almost inevitable consequence of them being together. Oh, the way they looked at each other. Wow. I have seen my fair share of intense rapaciousness but none and I mean none more sincere and honest than these two showed. And when they kissed for the first time, I saw and felt the rockets going off. These two looked at each other as if no one and I mean no one else existed in the world. They longed for one another; lusted for each other; wanted the other. It was simply magical. I have not seen such ravishing sexual chemistry between two men in a long time. They both looked like they were enjoying the company of the other and were in total ecstasy and bliss together. A rarity among BLs and something I have not seen since the early days of BLs. I truly detest shipping couples with every fiber of my being, but I found myself shipping Pan Bhumintr and Jeng Chotipat together. Kudos for putting sensual romance, affection, and dreaminess back into a BL couple. They made me believe an intense sincerity could be displayed in a BL couple again.
I found myself drifting off while watching this series. It was hard to relate to it. The story so glided into silliness at times. The whole nonsense of Butler Francois (Poppy Ratchapong) was superfluous and creepy. The role of Master (Jitraphan Hajjavanija) was wildly buffoonish until the end when we really find out who he is. Had that been handled with more sophistication, his role could have been pivotal rather than seemingly like a caricature.
There is nothing wrong with this series, honestly. It is entertaining to be sure. On the other hand, there is nothing much right about it either. The love story is unrelatable to most people who watch this series. The story itself is implausible. It is a comedy for sure with some funny parts but is so overdrawn. What made this series jump out and be noticed is the outstanding performances that Pan Bhumintr and Jeng Chotipat did not just in acting but also stealing the interest of the series main theme.
Their relationship was so sincere, so soft, so gentle, and developmentally approached that it became real and oh their connection was simply divine, which is what the protagonists should have been. This is one of only a handful of times I can recall where I can say that while I was watching Pan Bhumintr and Jeng Chotipat kiss, it looked like they were enjoying kissing because they liked to do so and were really kissing because they were sincerely in love. Rare combinations for actors in BLs as of late. For that alone, it was worth my time.
Leave a Reply