La Pluie (2023)

An Unfortunate Failure

La Pluie's lack of a well-thought-out story, even with its vague hearing loss gimmick, is its undoing. An underdeveloped script is exposed the longer it goes.

A unique premise needs high level understanding of screenwriting to pull off successfully, especially in a series. Otherwise, the unique premise can prove too much for the novice to handle.

The result of a poor script don't just apply to the audience. The cast can be left to flounder with unclear or nonsensical character motivations.

La Pluie's faults are not rare in the BL space, but viewers are desperate to see them improved. To improve the BL space is to ditch the entire premise.

Your goal should not be to write/produce a "BL", your goal should be to create a great story for screen that just so happens to have a same-sex couple at its core. This would broaden project appeal to a wider audience, attract better talent and generate more revenue.

As for La Pluie itself: I would have challenged myself to write a first draft outline of La Pluie without the hearing loss premise. If we can craft a good story without the premise, then the foundation is laid as you then go about adding in said premise in future drafts. The ending should leave open the possibility of a second season, while also providing some closure.

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Is there truth to the soulmates trope?

This BL takes to task the fated mates trope and what it means to have love chained intimately to predestination. This show is about how faith in destiny before choice diminishes the authenticity of emotion, relationships, and connection.

This is a high concept to examine through the lens of a BL.

By activating + examining the soulmates trope this show is challenging a foundation of romance: the idea that there is one person meant to be your one romantic partner all your life. This means that we, as viewers, spend much of the show worried about it having a happy ending, and that’s the source of both its brilliance and tension: would the narrative have the strength to truly challenge its own romantic core?

But, ultimately, all this elevated complexity was executed in a somewhat shaky and clumsy manner with the narrative derailing into some serious pacing issues and characters manipulated by miscommunication.

However, with good chemistry and decent acting all around, plus some excellent high heat and representation of consent and a few other rare tropes, this one has to (like it’s sibling show My Ride) earn a high rating for me. I LIKE high concept. I like that we got something rare for BL. I enjoyed it even as it made me think, so despite its flaws.

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A Unique Fantasy Drama

There are many Fantasy dramas out there but what makes this unique is its introduction. Where Tai Says "I don't know what kind of world you live in. But in the world I live in............". As though the screenwriter is telling us that this drama is shot in an entirely different world and they are not trying to show some cringey stuff as shown in few dramas.

I may be a bit prejudiced about this drama as the first episode itself got me hooked and I have never felt like that for any of the BL's I have watched. I totally liked this drama and the actors conveyed the story really well. Although I had few complaints with Saengtai where he tried to act childish sometimes when with Phat especially in the cafe and the hospital. But in the end all my complaints disappeared.

The first part of the drama is really really interesting and the second half is all about how their relationship goes how are they going to tackle their issues it might seem boring but it was worth the watch. I think the highlight was Ep10 where leads try to figure out their relationship. I especially liked Phat's acting at the end of Ep10. I can justify that Phat was worried about their relationship if only Saengtai instead of remaining silent assure his feelings for Phat just like Phat did for Saengtai(In Ep8).

I really didn't like Lomfon's character (Not the actor lol). I wonder if people like him even exist. But then again thanks to him that our leads fought which made their relation even more stronger. I really liked Tien's Character always stable and likeable.

Kudos to the actors and the team for making this drama. If you want a good story with constant character development then this drama is for you. Go watch it!!

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“Unfuck it!” – that’s what I call good advice

I really like the premise of the series. I’m usually a bit meh on soulmate plots as they tend to be very cliché, I admit that, but I found this one really interesting. Probably because it’s something I haven’t heard of before. Also, the idea that both decided to not act upon the whole soulmate bond intrigued me.

Patt & Tai: Their first meeting was adorable. I did find Tai’s sudden interest in his soulmate a bit weird. Why did he suddenly decide to give him a chance when he ignored the man for over two years? I can understand his wariness on the subject, but the sudden change was a bit unexpected. Is it only because Patt is hot? I can understand Patt’s decision to defy his destiny. He seems like a dream man. He has his life together, is loving, honest. I found the two adorable. There are a lot of things that I don’t really like about the two either. Tai is too forgiving and too understanding at times, he doesn’t know how to communicate his feelings and his needs. Patt tends to keep secrets, he doesn’t always see his faults and tends to react quite aggressively and impulsively. Pee and Title have great on screen chemistry, I can’t deny that. I really enjoy seeing the two together. Their kiss scenes were amazing! Title has also done incredibly in the silent crying scene. My heart broke for him, I think we all felt it.

Lomfon & Tien: I find Tien a bit childish at times. He’s a brat, that’s what he is. But he also seems to be quite mature when it comes to giving advice to Tai. And I really like that, because it shows that just because he is quick to anger, he can show maturity when needed. Or when he feels like doing so. He and Lomfon have everything set for a good enemies to lovers kind of story. With some love triangle thrown into the mix. And I am here for it. Tien’s confusion is something I am really enjoying. He’s so cute, especially when drunk. Lomfon appears to be much more responsible and often ends up being as a not so happy babysitter. He is also someone who tends to think about everything which sometimes ends up backfiring on him. He doesn’t always act rationally, even if that is something he tries to do.

The whole situation between Phat, Tai and Lomfon is interesting. I like in how many different ways the situation can be interpreted. I wanted them all to find some sort of clarity while solving the mess. It might not be a perfect situation, but it is what it is. I just wish this would play a bigger role in the series. The climax to the situation happened fairly late into the series, I expected it to happen sooner and be more important part of the story, especially as it was shown in the trailer for the series.

There are some plot holes or things that make absolutely no sense. From how the boys (don’t) know each other, to why they are keeping secrets from one another, to the café scene, the whole hearing loss soulmates thing … And even why Tai’s parents felt the need to keep their mouths shut about how they are handling the divorce. The boys were all in their teens and older when the two separated, meaning they were all old enough to understand it.

And while on the topic of divorce, I really like the message they showed through the relationship of Tai’s parents. Being soulmates doesn’t necessarily guarantee a romantic compatibility. It might set things up for it, but it does not mean it will work. Love is not enough, there are many other factors that play a big role in maintaining a relationship. And seeing the two parents still be friends is another great message – they might not be right for one another, but they can still be friends and raise their children in a loving environment. Coming from someone with divorced parents who have great relationship even after everything, I can’t stress enough how important is for parents to be able to act like adults and not try to make their children hate the other parent.

One of my favorite advice in all of BLs I have seen, is definitely Tien’s love advice to Tai. When you fuck something up, you need to find a way to unfuck it. Simple and straight to the point. All in all, I really liked the relationship between all four brothers, but especially Tai’s and Tien’s. It’s very realistic love-hate relationship. Like we can annoy each other, but when you need me, you know I am always there for you.

I really liked the scenery and cinematography of it. The locations were beautiful, and the rain often made everything look even prettier. The OST is nice, the sound effects weren’t distracting and it all went nice with what was going on in the story.

The ending though… is that a set up for second season? I am honestly not sure how I feel about that. With this series starting great and ending meh, I don’t know how they could turn S2 better. Plus, I don’t think I like the love triangle they have in mind for possible season 2.

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LA PLUIE IS PHENOMENAL

Listen, this show may take a couple episodes to warm up, I didn't fully lean in to it until Episode 4, but it is an utter masterpiece of writing, the way that it is able to subvert the ideas and expectations around a soulmate story. The fact that the barrier to the two main characters getting together is the *fact that they are soulmates* is an incredible, refreshing take on the idea of fated lovers. La Pluie has SO. MUCH. TO. SAY. about love, what you choose, and how regardless of how two people come together, you have to put in the work to maintain and cultivate a relationship. This show has one of the best eruptions I have ever seen displayed on screen when it comes to the BL "cursed episode" and the writers know exactly what each character deserves. Title is a master of microexpressions, Pee Peerawich is FANTASTIC in his macroexpressions, and how quickly and precisely he can run through emotions. Suar is a gift, and is so good, especially in the final episodes that I am now feeling compelled to watch all of the rest of his work. Copter is still new, and I think he may be a little stiff in general, but as the show progresses his performance gets better, and his character of Lomfon is reserved any way so it works out all the same. La Pluie has so much to say, and everyone need to listen to it's message. This show is perfection. Please watch it.

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An intelligent show for the intelligent audience.

This show does not follow the traditional BL path. You have to be willing to watch with an open mind and accept the fact that things will not go as you expect. If you are willing to do that, you are in for an experience!

This show is aimed at a more mature audience. It doesn't only feature mature adult characters on paper - these characters actually live mature adult lives. They struggle with real issues, doubts, insecurities, and hang-ups. The characters are allowed to make mistakes and experience the consequences. It shows what real-life growth looks like. This show doesn't waste our time with fantasy and magic solutions, it does however, use the fantasy element of the soulmate connection to show how damaging it can be to relationships when you expect "magic" solutions.
This show is about making relationships work in the real world. This show is about communication. I think that what I love most about this show is that it uses a fantasy element to tell a BL story (a fantasy in itself) and ends up being the most realistic portrayal of actual relationships, of any kind for that matter. You get parents/children, brothers, romantic relationships, friendships, divorced couple. All are represented truthfully and thoughtfully.

I saw some reviews saying that the characters behave off-character and there are no explanations for their behavior. I think that this is a very surface level read of these characters. I would encourage you to re-watch the series and see how EVERY ACTION is justified and based in each character's actions and thought process since ep 1. Everything these characters do is justified and we are blessed with a show that really sees its audience as intelligent viewers. It doesn't insult us with useless expositions or characters that scream the subtext. It shows and tells its story in an intelligent, thought provoking way that is so satisfying to watch.

So, if any of this sounds good to you, you WILL enjoy this show. Just remember to come clean of the usual BL expectations and really watch the show.

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La Pluie Deserves a Standing Ovation

La Pluie has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had as a viewer of TV ever. This show told us exactly what it was from the very opening scenes, and then spent the entire show paying that off. This show opened with an explanation about soulmates, and then immediately countered that with Tai’s parents’ divorce, the note that the pairing of people is ultra-rare, and a happy couple that wasn’t a soulmate pair in a café. Throughout the show it repeatedly stressed that love is about how we treat each other and not something you win via a lottery. It’s so rare these days that we get a show that trusts their audience this much to follow the thread and think about the big ideas along the way.

Doubt and Faith in Acts
One of my favorite things I observed in the show is that only Patts and Tien consistently make the kinds of choices that lead to long-term love without getting their asses handed to them. This story featured four different kinds of believers: an apostate, an agnostic, a believer, and an atheist. It’s notable that the apostate (Tai) and the atheist (Lomfon) are the ones causing the most harm to other people in the way they treat others.

Throughout the show, both Tai and Lomfon keep making standoffish choices. Tai has cut off his mom and avoids his coworkers. Lomfon is rude and standoffish. Neither of them is able to hold on to their loves because they are incapable of letting go of their own bullshit.

Conversely, Tien goes out of his way to take care of his brother, his family, and eventually Lomfon. I actually liked that Tai and Lomfon had to make opposite choices in the finale. Lomfon needed to show in his actions that he was serious about Tien, whereas Tai needed to show in his words that he was actually listening to what Patts had been asking for.
For Patts, he doesn’t believe that he and Saengtai are meant to be together because they’re connected by the rain. He does the work of caring for Tai because he is kind. He loves Tai because he’s Tai and not because he’s his soulmate. Patts stays present for Tai. He respects his boundaries. He tries to help Tai deal with his problems. He trusts him.

The Ambiguity
As a lapsed Catholic, I gotta say that I really love the way this show ended without fixing all of the soulmate stuff and giving concrete answers. I like that the show holds firm to its conviction that love is not ordained by the narrative; it is something built by people doing the work to be together. I love how this show challenged the notion of the narrative itself mandating the characters be together and instead reminding them (and us) to be present for our loved ones and to listen to their needs.
I think this show would have been weaker if Tai and Patts had restored their rain connection at the end. Besides, I think it gives them room to play with that idea if they get a second season. I also liked that Tien started hearing someone at the end of the season. He is a believer in soulmates, and I think it’ll be interesting to see someone as earnest as him face that challenge.

Releasing the Tension
Before I get to wrapping up, I want to reiterate again that this show has two plot-relevant blowjobs in it. So often these shows tease us and then don’t release the tension. Worse, when they do release the tension it doesn’t always feel like it’s something the characters lean into with their new dynamic.

After episode 5 I had a moment of panic that maybe I was misreading the show and that somehow Patts wasn’t into Saengtai because of how often I’ve been tricked or teased. Instead, these two end up making out on the floor and Patts was going to blow that man. Then, we don’t cut away from them. We watch them talk about what happened and why Tai is holding back.
Later, on the mountain trip, they delve directly into the tension of having two people who are already dating and know they want each other to follow through on that tension as well with their second scene. Instead of cutting away from it, they keep up the drama of Tai’s hesitancy and allow him to maintain a sense of control by giving Patts pleasure instead. This is something so rarely shown in any genre.

Going further, they let Patts and Tai find peace and closure with Nara. Moreover, they treat Nara’s heartbreak seriously. She isn’t ejected from the group, and is allowed to be disappointed and sad about the loss. At the end of the show, they also confirm our suspicions about her and Dream.

It’s just incredible to have watched a show that didn’t rely on teasing us and instead treated the sex and intimacy seriously.

Thank You To Everyone Who Watched La Pluie
I think, if you have held off on watching this show because you’ve been waiting for confirmation about one plot point or another, just watch it if you’re still on the fence. When you do watch it, try to let go of what you think is supposed to happen or what you want to happen, and instead respond to what the show is giving you. This has been the most legible show at this caliber I’ve experienced since I Told Sunset About You (2020).

At no point did this show try to trick us about anything, and it trusts us to keep up and engage. This show is better when you lean in. It’s better when you discuss it with others. For a show so much about questioning belief, it is amazing how much this show rewards you for believing in it. I don’t know a better show this year.

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A misunderstood masterpiece

From the first episode of La Pluie, no, actually from the early trailers and teasers of La Pluie, we can acknowledge what we're signing up for. This is more than just a love story surrounded by rose petals and glitter; the roses' thorns keep on scratching the wounds and the glitter attempts to cover the vulnerable bruises. We can't merely depend on love in order to stay together with our loved ones.

In order to truly understand the story of La Pluie, you must be willing to take part in it.

La Pluie is a realistic portrayal of love, misunderstood feelings, lack of communication, and morals. Each character is imperfect in their own way, there are no antagonists. La Pluie truly grasps the philosophy as such; "no one is a bad person, we just do bad things". That's human nature. Everyone makes mistakes, what truly matters is whether they'll be able to redeem themselves for them or not. La Pluie explores these feelings of regret beautifully.

While La Pluie has realistic characters with their own individual morals and ideals, the writing as a whole is astounding. Some comments stated that La Pluie didn't fully explain things and that the soulmate system didn't make any sense in the end, some even thinking that the story wouldn't have been all that much different without their soulmate connection- but that's where I want to step in, because that's exactly the point of this show.

The soulmate system supposedly not making much sense isn't a plot hole. What would make it a plot hole is if we were continuously fed facts about it while being assured that it's a solid connection between two people, but La Pluie didn't do that. It was made sure that we knew that the soulmate connection is still a mystery in their reality as well, so it doesn't really have any known logic to it.

The message of La Pluie was that whatever your supposed connection is, and no matter how much you love each other, what matters most is whether you can get through your hardships together or not. That's true to reality.

To put it shortly:

What I liked:
- Depth of the characters
- Realism
- Phasing
- Writing

What I didn't like:
- Awkward cutting of OST at some parts
- Using a similar plot device twice

Overall, you won't enjoy La Pluie if you're expecting to get confirmation and explanations for everything, this story is told from Saengtai's perspective and therefore we know as much as he does.

Slight spoiler ahead:
It was a pleasant yet significant detail that La Pluie is a book published by Saengtai himself, therefore the story is told in past tense and we get to see other viewpoints even while he might've not acknowledged them in those moments. An amazing end to a series and I can't wait for the hinted season 2.

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So happy to watch this. Interesting plot that in my opinion done right. Haha... Read the review, read the comments not everyone think good about this drama. Especially for the last couple episodes.... Yeah I agreed, some last episodes kinda stupid & rushed, but for me that's not enough to condemn the whole drama for it. Haha... Let me explained

I most agreed with lurkingshan writing. Yeah this not casual, fluff romance like any other simple story about soul mates or romance. This have more deeper meaning to the story. This drama actually kinda rebuked the concept of soul mates & that's what I love about this drama.

For some of us soul mates mean the perfect fit, it's like a perfect pair of gloves, but this drama talked about relationships not only need love, but also communication & how to put some efforts in your relationships. Like Saengtai's parents, they're the soul mates, but decided to separated cause life happen & they in the end have different focus & goal in life. And that's OK, that's just life. No matter how fit our soul mates with us, sometimes we find out that we actually have different set of goal. What I regret is just Saengtai's parents not really explained to Saengtai about it until much later, which for me already too late & damaging Saengtai's view of love & relationship.

What the rushed...? How to 'ruin' the relationship between Saengtai & Phat. Yeah the explosion of Phat's anger toward Lomfon is really out of character. If Phat & Saengtai haven't really settled their relationship it more make sense, cause Phat feel insecure about their relationship. But this happen after Phat & Saengtai already in the relationship, so no matter how insecure Phat, he's not supposed to exploded like that. Phat from the beginning is the mature one in their relationship, so he supposedly can hold his emotions & talk like grown man, not just burst his emotion out like that.

I agree with Pinoy Ares, the writer better spend the rest of duration by give us more explanation about the soul mate connection than just give us the bullshit about the explosion of Phat's emotions & their break up.

Overall this really one interesting concept of soul mate that's quite different from the others

Below is SPOILER ALERT!!! Read it with ur own risk.












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SPOILER ALERT!!!
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One thing that's pissed me off the most is the very last scene. What's the heck is that....??? How can they give us the open ending like this.......!!!! Hope we get second season about Lomfon & Saengthian.

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It was an all-time favorite... till it wasn't. Enough holes to swallow me up.

La Pluie started out on a fast track to being an all-time favorite of mine. It started out so strong. The aesthetic and cinematography of it all caught my attention before a word was even spoken. Then we got that gorgeous monologue overtop Tai riding the bus in the rain. We're told immediately what kind of fantasy world we're getting into. A world where people believe in and even trust in soulmates - because on your 20th birthday, people with rain-affiliated hearing loss can hear another person, and only that person, so long as both of them are in rain at the same time.

An interesting premise. Made all that more interesting by the fact that our main character is stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his soulmate. And that his parents are divorced, despite being soulmates themselves. It had all this set up to create a memorable message about not putting all your faith in destiny, that relationships take a lot more than love to make work. A message that they did exceedingly well throughout.

I fell in love with our 2 main leads immediately. And was giddy when ever they were on the screen together - with all the adorable awkwardness of getting to know and getting comfortable with each other. They were respectful, fun, and very cute together. They both had insecurities stemming from their pasts, as well as all the miscommunication/misunderstanding trappings that a new relationship and those insecurities are prone to. In theory, this all fit who the characters were. Tai, who learned from a young age that talking before things are resolved doesn't do anything. Who prefers to solve things on his own. Patt, who reached out for love and acceptance, and got shot down with silence instead - making him wonder if he's worthy of the love and acceptance he sought out. But when push came to shove, when it was time for the writers to deliver, it felt out-of-character. In one singular fell swoop, it undid all of the progress, development, and communication the leads had had prior.

The major support characters were also so fun. Tien was an adorkable brat and fantastic (and accurate) little brother to Tai. I wish we got more background to why he was so pettily antagonistic to Lomfon in the beginning, but by the end I was solidly sold on the Tien and Lomfon couple. They were equally as adorable as Tai x Patt when they let themselves relax, and they had the benefit of similar interests and passions to keep them talking, even when they clashed.

We even got a lesbian couple! One that felt pretty natural, even though they had very little screen time. But I am a little bit salty that the other pair of girls, who got quite a bit of screen time, did not become a couple. In fact, they gave one of them a HEA with a character we never even saw or heard about! Even if they didn't put Bow in the lesbian couple they seemed to had been hinting at, they could've ended her story in a different way that didn't feel as out-of-left-field. Even just her flirting with a coworker or thirsting after guys as usual. In a story where we literally get told that love can come in several forms, it felt artificial.

But the thing that really put a sour taste in my mouth and changed my overall view of the story isn't any of the above oversights and pacing changes. It's not even about the fact that it started feeling like a different screenwriter took over in those last few episodes. But rather the fact that we have several plot holes.

In episode 1, minute 1 of this drama, we get told how this world works:
- Certain people have a form of hearing loss where they can't hear anything when it rains (as suggested by the fact that everyone knew Tai had hearing loss already before the rain on his 20th birthday, and that he apparently never heard the sound of rain before).
- These people with hearing loss start to hear their soulmate on their first rain after turning 20 years old.
- That hearing loss is irreversible.
- That everyone is only able to hear 1 person

But suddenly, Lomfon spontaneously develops hearing loss. Spontaneously, Lomfon can hear Tai. And Patt. And Patt and Tai can hear him. No where near a birthday that we know of either. Oh, and spontaneously, you can just yell to the universe that you don't want the soulmate bond, and suddenly you won't have it anymore.

Absolutely none of this is questioned. None of this is explained. None of this is even pondered. In fact, in the last few minutes of the drama, we quite literally get told that it doesn't matter. "In the end, the hearing-loss and soulmate stuff are still questions that no one has an answer to. Rather, no one chooses to find an answer anymore." That love is all that matters.

I'm sorry. I'm all for making us and the characters question how the world works, but you don't get to just set rules for the world, break them, and expect us to be content because everyone gets a happy ending. That's not how worldbuilding and writing works.

And the fact that technically, Tien and Lomfon don't have a happy ending yet. Because, what do you know? Tien suddenly, spontaneously develops hearing loss and a soulmate bond too! And not on a birthday!

There's also a few smaller plot holes. Such as how Patt knew where to go to see Tai - when that was not Tai's usual café. And no one knew Patt was going there/went. Also, Patt apparently has had a long-time desire to resign and open up a vet clinic in rural Thailand? That definitely wasn't set up in the story. But the reason for it's existence was apparent: gotta have a good ol' ill-placed and ill-timed tourism ad for that final episode.

I love these characters. Some I loved almost immediately. Some, grew on me as their characters shown more depth in the story. And I loved that this drama didn't go the typical "villain" route, even while it did go the typical "misunderstanding" route. For probably 75% of it's runtime, this drama was a favorite. I was in a rush to get through the week to see the next episode. I scoured every corner of the internet for fanfictions and fan-edits of this story or similar premises. And I still highly recommend it. But I don't know what happened in those last few episodes. The writing went downhill along with the plot conflict's impact on the happiness of our leads. It stopped being thought out, and it shows. But can a terrific start truly make up for a lackluster ending?

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I really enjoyed this series. The cast is simply adorable. I have loved Title ever since TharnType 2 and Saur since You're My Sky. While I didn't really recognize he rest of the cast, they did a fantastic job in conveying their emotions and rounding out the characters. The storyline was definitely unique and interesting, and the screen writers did a great job keeping things moving in a timely manner. The music was okay, but maybe a little old fashioned for me personally. I really enjoyed the scenery and all the different parts of Thailand they helped us explore. While the makeup did get a little heavy handed a few times, it wasn't so overly done that it took away from anything. All in all, well done.

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