2013 Semi-Half Yearly Lakorns in Review

This year thus far has been an incredible year for lakorns. I’ve decided to compile a semi half year review as oppose to attempting to review an entire year’s worth of lakorns in one post. What is surprising to me though, is that in looking at the list of lakorns that I’ve personally watched, there aren’t many. The ones that I did end up tuning into however, are oh so good. Quality over quantity, no?

The diverse and variety of lakorns released on the small screen this year are rather refreshing. We have controversies surrounding Neua Mek2– which is actually a really good lakorn emphasizing more on good overcoming evil- but apparently the government didn’t like the comparison so much- resulting in the first ever pull from the television prior to completing its run. I enjoyed the fast paced and CSI type aspect of it, not to mention the chemistry between Mteam. Pon Prom Onlaweng became a surprising hit, introducing Bella Ranee as nang’ek Tanyong who resides in Nong May’s (Nong Unda) body. There were a lot of things I liked about that particular lakorn, it brought Boy Pakorn to my utmost attention, and offered if not a better, but a different interpretation of the original version. Nong Unda is a true gem and I hope to see more of her in lakorns. Then the epic series happen by, Channel 3’s biggest project to date, 5 Gentlemen Juthatheps for our weekend installments, and TV scene’s endeavor with the 3 Musketeers Series to get us over the hump of the mid week. Despite the 3 Musketeers Series being remakes (and Pon Prom Onlaweng alongside Pan Rak Pan Rai are remakes as well), we are given refreshing new stories to indulge with in the handsome Gents series, as well as the many anticipating lakorns that will air for the vast remainder of the year.

Due to the Spring and Summer’s demand on my career (oh yes, I do have one of those..) as well as a few races that I’ve signed up for- and requires some commitment to daily outdoor runs (not to mention 3 weddings this June!)- I will be taking a break from lakorn recapping. I will still watch lakorns of course, and will write impressions and reviews. Should any lakorns grab my attention, and no one else is recapping it or english subbing it, I may consider picking it up but at a slower pace. If you feel I NEED and SHOULD recap a particular lakorn, do, by all means, send me a note. I love receiving what I call “love letters” from my readers, a quick, sweet request in my inbox (contact page,) at least to let me know that they exist.

Pan Rak Pan Rai is good solely on the basis of the pairing. I didn’t care for the plot nor the fact that one girl can stir up so much damage, but Id-Korya was worthy enough to watch if you use your FF button. Like J said, that’s what it’s for right? I also went back in time to watch Headman Lee and Mrs. Ma which got me fangirling over Ploy-Por pairing. Perhaps the country pacing, characters’ growth and development, along with the lakorn’s plot got me in a different state of mind. It took me away from the here and now, and brought me to the upcountry in Thailand. For that, I enjoyed my time with Phu Yai Lee Gup Nang Ma. I also took a diversion and watched On Call 36 Hours, a Hong Kong drama that reminded me how much I love medical dramas. A race against time indeed, as we watch our doctors face their patients (and even themselves) while trying to be the best doctor they can be. Sometimes one needs to expand one’s horizon and watch other dramas to get a sense of what it is one likes about lakorns.

Returning back to lakorns, Maya Tawan is a disappointment (as far as remakes go) to me. Lakorn watching is so subjective and as a fan who adores Sam’s (Ch.7) version, it didn’t hit me in all the right places. There were certainly scenes that I liked, but overall, it fell flat for me. But it did perk my interest in the additional pairings to follow this first part- Mon Jantra and Fah Krajang Dao. New pairings and new stories that I haven’t already seen, now that will be refreshing. Pan Rai Phai Rak is currently being put on hold, I need to be in a different state of mind to enjoy this cute drama. Maybe I’ll return when other lakorns bore me. Are you surprised that I dropped Raeng Pradthana? Perhaps it wasn’t the right time for me. I like Kimberly and Nadech, but the storyline didn’t appeal to me, and so much of the conflict is fraught on by insensible misunderstandings or manipulations. Khun Samee and Tawanchai bored me in the first couple of episodes and I decided to drop them like hot potatoes. I heard that Khun Samee did improve as the lakorn progressed, so if you are curious to see how it all played out, you should probably continue watching!

The lakorns that really took my breath away was Khun Chai Pawornruj and now the next brother in line, Khun Chai Puttipat. Because the stories in the series build upon one another, Khun Chai Tharatorn has to start very low, as far as plot and pacing go. The story serves to introduce us to the five brothers, their personalities, as well as hook us enough to continue, because we want to find out how the rest of the stories fare. And I wasn’t disappointed. As the stories connect and grow, I grow to love all five gentlemen. Each story has a higher stake, a more dangerous conflict- there’s definitely a lot more to lose. Khun Chai Tharatorn didn’t get to marry his beloved as he has to send her to continue her studies abroad. Khun Chai Pawornruj never imagined he would win the heart of a princess, he was insecure with his own place in his particular noble class, and he didn’t want to take her down with him. But he gets his girl in the end and marries her. Khun Chai Puttipat on the other hand, is a confident, strict doctor who doesn’t believe anyone is above a lecture, including powerful people. There’s so much to adore about this character, he’s also not afraid to express (in the best, confusing way that he can manage) that he is falling for our girl, Krong Kaew, who makes it very challenging for him because she denies her own feelings. Due to her own humble, commoner upbringing, Krong Kaew doesn’t think she should reach for the sky. Oh but each pairing is meant to be so I do enjoy watching how they surrender to their beautiful fate. And not only will our third pairing get to marry, but they will also have many love scenes, including the marriage bed. Who isn’t looking forward to that? Stupid, rhetorical question.

Alas, I am really sad to finish off the Gentlemen Series. Thankfully there’s the rest of Khun Chai Mor to spazz over, and additional two stories of Chai Lek and Chai Pee that are about to get even more fierce and dramatic. Also, Taew and Mint Chalida! Need I say more? Weekends are so awesome! And our mid week is about to get even better with Mon Jantra premiering right around the corner. I am on the fence on whether I want to watch Wun Nee Tee Ror Koy, which is one of my older favorites. I don’t know if this remake will do it justice, and they have Om Akapan, Mr.Stiff playing Bird Thongchai’s role, he’s good to look at, but I have serious concerns on whether he can pull it off. And I don’t want to be scarred, not to mention that it’s a channel 7 drama, and the last one I watched (Ubatheehet), it made me want to pull my hair out. The same goes for Dao Reurng, I originally planned on recapping this lakorn, but Yaya to me, seems to pair best with her koo kwan, Nadech, and I’d like to see Por in a different role than another upcountry officer.

So what are you looking forward to? Are they similar to my list or are there additional lakorns you’re keeping your eyes on? There will be lots of remakes still in our era (Yah Leum Chan, Samee Tee Tra, Sai See Plerng, all starring very intriguing pairs) but I suppose the pairings in and of itself, is worthy enough of a follow. There will be some exciting lakorns for the latter half of the year so stay tune, and stay spazz-tastic!

(Pic cred as tagged. I’ll be keeping this post at the top of the page for now. Feel free to chime in- especially for those who have seen the lakorns that I haven’t partaken with. I heard that Koo Kum (Bie & Noona) was a big hit among many, as well as Roy Lae Sanae Luang (Weir & Mai!)