I implore everyone to give this an opportunity without expecting it to be centered around romance

I want to start by saying that this is my first review on Mydramalist after creating an account. I know that I'm late in posting this review, but after hesitating for quite some time, I decided that it is better late than never.

Until now I only visited this website to view details of shows that I was interested in. But 'Spare Me Your Mercy' touched me so deeply that it became extremely special and close to my heart. I couldn’t help myself from posting a review about it.

This may not be a perfect series when viewed with a critical eye, but for someone in a situation who has experienced or is experiencing pain of a similar kind, it can be perfect. Words cannot fully express how I feel about this series, but I'll try my best.

It brought out unexpressed visceral emotions that I had kept bottled up within me for so long and gave me that release that I didn’t know I desperately needed. I feel so light inside after watching this, as if some heavy weight has finally been lifted after so many years.

I cannot thank the people involved in writing and making of this masterpiece enough, for addressing the complex and sensitive topic of Euthanasia in such a nuanced and beautiful manner in just 8 episodes. I consider this series as a divine timing that happened when I needed it the most.

For me, the highlight of this series is not just how the topic of Euthanasia is addressed, but also how it shows that early experiences can shape people's characters, views of life, and life choices later on, and this in turn can affect humanity at large in profound ways (positively or negatively).

Dr. Kan will forever be my most favorite character out of all series.

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Intense, Emotional and Impactful

Human minds are biologically wired to be drawn towards the "unknown" and I must say that this has unintentionally worked excellently in favor of this series. Since this has never happened before with any other series, the audience had a "novel" experience.

"Novelty" is also something that human minds are biologically wired to be drawn towards. It is clear that the creators did not anticipate or expect such a high rate of success and such an overwhelming response from the audience.

I have always liked watching stories with the enemies to friends/lovers trope, but this one does it exceptionally well without being explicit about what exactly the relationship between the leads is. It dangerously but effectively treads the fine line between friendship and romance which drives the audience crazy.

It is this "unknown" factor of their relationship that keeps the intrigue and engagement of the audience ongoing, as this "unknown" factor gives room for interpretation and imagination of the human mind to run wild.

Thus objectively speaking, the interpretation depends on the perception of the person who is watching it. My subjective interpretation based on my perception is that, this is a strong platonic bond of love between 2 boys.

Now that the elephant in the room is addressed, I would like to talk about specific points that I feel important to say.

I somehow feel that this series would not have been able to achieve this amount of success on the basis of its plot alone. The plot is definitely good and addresses some serious social issues, but it does have its shortcomings.

Not all issues are effectively or convincingly resolved. Also, one has to suspend disbelief in certain situations to be able to enjoy it to the fullest. I felt that some of the side characters did not have enough screen time to resolve certain conflicts convincingly (Peeta, Peeta's Mother, Ken, Ken's Father, Knot, Nate). Some of them lacked depth in their personalities (Thiu, First, Tangmay, Ging)

It is actually the actors and their performances that have stood out and have made this series a success. All the actors are great in their roles, even if some of them do not get enough screen time or lack depth in their personalities.

The chemistry between the leads is extraordinary and magical. Their acting talent is amazing and the portrayal of complex emotions just through the expressions in their eyes, facial features and body language even without voicing them, are outstanding and mesmerizing. Their screen presence alone oozes charisma and magnetism.

There is no way that the audience would not be affected by such awesomeness. So I'm not surprised that this series is a massive hit.

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A sweet and fluffy romance

This series has a typical Thai high school conventional plot. Still, since I was in the mood for something fluffy, I liked this simple, funny and sweet story to quite some extent.

Though it was a simple series, it did have emotional aspects while speaking about issues like bullying, stress of being the eldest sibling and being at the stage of completing school education before entering into college, insecurities and low self-confidence, sacrificing one's individuality and changing oneself for the love of another person, being concerned about other people's opinions and in the process ignoring the feelings of one's loved ones, lying and hiding things out of fear of being judged or rejected.

The chemistries between Ongsa & Sun and Aylin & Luna were endearing to watch. They leaned more on the fluffier side, though.

I liked the other characters as well. They all had distinct and unique personalities that contributed to my overall enjoyment of the series.

I liked the relationship between the teachers Nida and Bambam a lot, and wished to see more of their interactions, as they shared a very sweet and funny dynamic. I really appreciated their timely advice and support for their students.

Mawin was also a character that stood out to me. He was so kind and had such a good heart.

I found Ton to be hilarious, but I also found him to be an interesting character in one particular sense. I thought that he was a very good representation of famous celebrities whose bitter reality in life is that, they can love and be loved by all, but can not love and be loved by one person.

I also liked Cheroen very much for how sassy she was while never giving in to Ton's incessant love confessions.

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Totally worth watching for one of the most beautiful friendships even if not for anything else.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. SO, DO SKIP THIS REVIEW IF YOU'VE NOT WATCHED THE SERIES.
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The friendship between Fa and Namsine was the purest and best part of this series. I liked the chemistry and bond that Ajin and Fa shared too, but the highlight for me was the deep connection that Fa and Namsine shared. I wished to see more of their interactions and lives together.

Their bond was sacred and stood the test of time in the end, even if they had to face serious problems like extreme stress and pressure of studies due to the burden of high parental expectations, physical and mental pain, fear, separation, hopelessness, guilt, heartbreak, and trauma for quite some time.

I second Ajin's words when he says, "I'll give you 100 points for that" in the last episode after seeing Fa and Namsine finally reunite and hug each other on the other side of the pool.

I guessed who the culprit was right from the time they were introduced in the series, but that never took away my enjoyment of watching it. In fact, I loved the way the mystery unraveled. There was actually a much more bigger picture to the mystery than just whodunnit, so the intrigue factor remained intact throughout the series.

Namsine's situation was heartbreaking to watch, though. I wept and wept till my eyes were red and swollen, seeing that innocent, soft and sweet girl being transformed into someone unrecognizable due to the cruel treatment that she received from her mother, and not being able to do anything about it. The one person who was supposed to unconditionally love, protect and care for her, completely destroyed her instead.

I hated the fact that the mother did not face any consequences for her actions. She was apparently mentally unstable, for which she was having some medication and was hiding the fact from everyone including her daughter. Her abusive actions broke down and drove Namsine to take such a dangerous path.

The series was conveniently wrapped up ignoring the mother's atrocities merely by having Ajin and Fa pleading her to understand and allow Namsine to pursue digital art. It left me utterly dissatisfied, disappointed and angry even if they showed that everything ended up being okay in Namsine's life after that. I truly felt that it was dangerous to leave someone as young as Namsine under the care of such an unstable parent. I wanted to fiercely protect and take the girl far away. I didn’t want the mother anywhere near Namsine.

Anyway, keeping my emotional thoughts aside, overall, I really liked this series. It is a unique, intense, emotional, intriguing and well paced story, even if it comprises of just 4 episodes.

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A story with a decent plot

Things that I liked about this series:

1. The best part that stood out to me was that they did not use a love triangle situation to create conflict between the leads in order to further the plot, but rather used their life circumstances to create the conflict.

2. Even though attraction to Q from Min's side was there pretty early on in the series, I really liked that the actual romance between them was a slow burn and the building of trust, understanding and emotional connection between them was established progressively.

3. I also liked the emotional aspects of the plot that focused on the relationships between the brothers and the father & son to quite some extent.

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This sitcom was so enjoyable to watch

This series has a good blend of romance, comedy, drama, emotions, and values. The lead actors are amazing and have great screen presence and chemistry. Suttirak is the perfect boyfriend/husband character. All other actors have also played their roles very well. The humor is on point and never feels out of place for the most part.

The only thing that left me dissatisfied was the ending. I felt that it could have been a bit more elaborate, where we got to see the perspectives of both the leads about their feelings for each other, followed by a proper love confession from both of them.

A second season where we got to see their lives as a couple facing challenges from their families, friends, society and in their workplace environment would have been such a treat to watch. But unfortunately, I don't think that will ever happen, as its been so long.

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Enchanting, Heart-wrenching and Heart-warming

This series turned out to be the epitome of a perfect GL recipe that I had envisioned to watch someday. It fulfilled my long awaited desire for a GL series that had a deep emotional heart at its core, centered around an enchanting love, strong & complex familial bonds and bittersweet friendships with a touch of suspense.

I found this story to be beautifully executed for the most part, although I am hoping for a bl or gl story someday where the protagonist remains differently abled and is still able to find true love and happiness in the end or there is atleast the hope for it in the end.

Things that I loved about Pluto:

1. Loved the chemistry between the leads and their performances. They were outstanding. It is evident that they share a beautiful bond in real life and that they were genuinely, deeply & emotionally invested in this series.

2. Loved Ai-oon's, Ob-oom's and May's painful yearning/longing for true love and acceptance from their families and love interests. Also loved all their angst.

3. Loved the complex but strong relationships between the sisters and the grandmother throughout the story and how it affected the sisters' lives. Also loved all the emotionally moving scenes surrounding them.

4. Loved how the importance of universal architecture for the differently abled was discussed to make them feel comfortable and a part of the society.

5. Loved that Ai-oon wanted to write a novel and become an author. In episode 5, there is a scene which I would like to elaborate, because it felt lyrical and enchanting to me. When Ai-oon loses her confidence in writing her novel, May quotes a Dhamma Poem that helped her get through the first phase of her blindness. It is the bathtub scene where May helps Ai-oon relax and feel good. I love the deep spiritual message of this poem. It goes as follows:

Lay it down, let your burdens fade
Release the worries, shade by shade
Let body and mind drift gently apart
Feel the water that warms your heart
In stillness three characteristics you'll find
A realization right before your eyes
Impermanence, selflessness and touches of dismay
Come, linger, then slip away.

Listening to May's soft voice reciting this poem, Ai-oon tells May that it is euphonious. When May asks her if she knows what the poem means, Ai-oon replies:

The three characteristics in Buddhism-
The nature of all things in this world
Impermanence, Suffering and Non-self

This meaning felt very profound to me.

May then encourages Ai-oon to add euphony along with meaning to her writing to enhance it and make it artistic and beautiful, thereby restoring Ai-oon's confidence.

6. Loved the mystery aspect of the story and how things unraveled through the course of the episodes. The storytelling was wonderfully executed, though I hoped for the suspense to last longer.

7. Loved the Pluto and Charon references. I found them to be enchanting.

8. Loved the friendships, but I personally felt that the side GL love triangle wasn't adding any value to the plot, but was rather distracting my focus from the main plot. It would have been better to have a separate spin-off mini-series dedicated to them. That way their efforts would have been appreciated, as the audience would have solely focused on them.

9. Loved the message that love is about seeing the people we love, happy. It can feel sad, difficult and even painful to let go of someone close to our heart, but there is still a sense of happiness in it. It is better than seeing the people we love get hurt because of us. If we ignore the feelings of the people we love for the sake of our own happiness, we would never really feel happy about it inside.

10. Loved the music.

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Refreshing storyline

I found the storyline to be refreshing as this is the first time I'm watching a story which starts with a boy group on the verge of disbanding, but slowly comes back together after resolving their differences.

So far, I'm really liking this plot and the slow burn romance between the leads is quite endearing to watch. The chemistry between them is palpable and one can feel the tension in the air between them whenever they are in close proximity.

The friendship between the group members is also a very good aspect of this series. Usually friendship takes a backseat while romace takes the center stage. Here there seems to be a right balance between the two so far, which I really appreciate. Each member has a unique and distinct personality and equation with the group's leader.

I'm looking forward to continue watching this series and update my review once I complete watching all the episodes.

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Charmingly Humorous

Earth, Mix and Phi Krit are amazing in their roles as Heng, Mo and Kongdech. I'm usually not a fan of love triangles being used as a plot device to create tension or conflict between the main couple. But in this case, since comedy was used to portray their dynamic so far, it did not put me off. It is left to see how the story progresses, though.

I must say that Earth looks so good in this hairstyle with bangs. It makes his face look smaller and gives him a cuter and younger vibe that suits his character as Heng very well. The other characters apart from the 3 main characters are also interesting.

The first episode was so well done with showing the backgrounds of the main characters. I was immediately invested in them. The humor is so good so far, that it feels charming to watch. Especially, the rooftop scene in the second episode charmed me the most till now. It was extremely hilarious and cute at the same time 😂😂😂. I'm smiling and laughing out loud all the time thinking of it.

I have not watched the original version or any other version of this story. So I think it allows me to enjoy it more without any expectations. So far, I'm really liking it and am looking forward to the upcoming episodes. I'll be updating my review once I complete watching the series.

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