Kong Grapan Naree – First Look

I’m really excited that all of the new lakorns that are cropping up are actually really engaging. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. How could it ever be bad, you ask? It makes me want to recap them, that’s why. Right now time is an issue because I’m already picking up two shows, but if this show continues to stay engaging, I will occasionally write about them when time permits. If you’re into superhero storyline (which is few and far in between for lakorns) this one is for you. The cast, the action sequence and origin story is great so far. I don’t doubt that Broadcast Thai will put on a good show, and I’ll be watching this during its Mon-Tues timeslot.

So who is Kong Grapan Naree and what’s her story? 35 years ago a Buddhist monk brings two children to meditate in a cave, they are called Dam and Klaew and the monk insists that they have to meditate and focus their energy before it’s too late. The power that be tells the monk that every one thousand year, a powerful force inhabits earth to fight true evil, and if a person can combine three amulets created by this powerful force, and find Kong Grapan Naree (kinda like the Invincible Woman, I used the word Invulnerable earlier, but now it doesn’t sound very superhero-y) that person will hold true power. There’s only one girl that can be Kong Grapan Naree, and the amulet will choose its person when the time comes.

That powerful force gives the Buddhist monk three amulets, and the monk splits it up between him, Dam and Klaew. He advises them to keep the amulets and good will follow them. They should not delve in evil otherwise suffering will follow. As predestined, the monk has a feeling that Klaew will meet Kong Grapan Naree’s representative, so he hands over a second amulet. Turns out, his very own daughter gets selected at a very young age to be Kong Grapan Naree. In order to protect the amulet from getting exposed and taken from his daughter, Klaew embeds that amulet into her wrist. The monk advises him to keep the truth of her powers as a secret, even from the girl herself. All Klaew tells his daughter is that he had given her some of his powers and if she meditates and focuses, she can harness it.

Worramai aka Aerport aka Noona grows up knowing that she has special powers and that she hasn’t been able to control it. Her dad reminds her never to let other people find out because they will come after her. The two, father-daughter, travel around the world and constantly flee when they are discovered. Aerport (what an odd nickname..) uses her power to save people (every chance she gets) despite the power burning through her veins and turning her eyes blue. That is the mark of Kong Grapan Naree. She has to wear contact lens to hide when her eyes turn blue. Aerport constantly questions why they are always running away, but the better question would be WHO are they running away from?

Perhaps they’re running away from Dam, the archenemy, who uses his amulet for personal and evil gains. He wants the remaining two amulets and has his minions scouring the planet after Aerport and her father. They learn that perhaps Aerport has the amulet, since she manages to escape them even after getting shot at, but they don’t know that she is the Kong Grapan Naree herself. They are looking for said superhero as well.

Anyway, her Dad – Klaew – decides they can no longer sustain by fleeing anymore. They need protection. He seeks help from his friend in the police force, who settles them back in Bangkok at a former safe house. Klaew will assist the police with various tasks as a means to maintain protection. Aerport is to focus on school and harness her powers. She wishes out loud that it would be great if there are other special powered people out there – she could gather them together and create X-Men. Lol. I like that she doesn’t hesitate to protect people with her powers, she doesn’t hate her powers either, and she doesn’t try for a normal life, knowing that anything could happen in a blink of an eye.

That is how our Police hero Nattaded (aka Nat) finds her. Every time he meets her, he suspects something strange about her. He had been assigned to investigate the death of Luang Por (the Buddhist monk from earlier). They suspect it’s a murder case and Nattaded is determined to find the culprit since Luang Por had taken him under his wing when he was little. Nattaded is a bastard child, his mother makes him promised never to go searching for his father whom she assures that he’s nothing like his father. He figures that anyone possessing an amulet is a suspect for Luang Por’s death, since he thinks they were after Luang Por’s amulet. Officer Nat hears that his boss has taken a girl and her father in, and she must have possessed that amulet. Strangely enough, every time he sees Aerport, she happens to survive what could have killed a normal person.

Aerport begs her father to visit their hometown, for old time’s sake. She says that the late Luang Por and her P’Nat had saved her that day in the cave. She played with P’Nat as a child and wonders whatever happened to her hero. Aerport starts questioning the townsfolk about P’Nat and learns that he became a cop but nobody knows anything else. His mother is apparently still in town, but she lives in the outskirts, away from everybody. And for good reason – because we learn that she’s trying to stay unnoticed from Dam – who is Nattaded’s father (only Nattaded doesn’t know that.) It’s great how he’s an upright cop while his father is a villain. Dam learns of this new tidbit from his henchmen and decides he needs to pay a visit to his old love. His younger son is into ballroom dancing and is smitten with Aerport whom he met in Japan.

The first episode closes with Aerport applying for a part time job as a jujitsu instructor at the police force. Officer Nat spots her sparring with his badass partner and is impressed by Aerport’s skills. He also notices the same bike from the last altercation where he swears a woman took a bullet for him, and when he sees Aerport walking up to the bike, he tries to get her to admit that she’s the same woman. But instead Aerport denies of any occurrence and remarks that he’s just a cop who keeps going after women but nobody plays along because they all know he’s a pervert. Er, I’d like to know when she made that discovery. Our officer seems pretty solid.

Another aspect I like about the show so far is the directing – we’re made to feel as if we’re part of the story world. The gritty Bangkok scene and the expanse of the rural countryside. It all FEELS real, as if the location is a character in and of itself. Also, the setup is intriguing so far and I like the focus on her superhero-ness. Those of you looking for that particular plot will not be disappointed. The romance will naturally occur and get intertwined with the superhero story, as our heroine fights bad guys, save the world and fall in love. Now who doesn’t love that?

More pictures of everyone kicking ass and taking names (pic credit thairath):