RSL continues a hot streak of Thai shows that I thoroughly enjoyed. It doesn't try to be too much, and you know what you're getting from the very beginning - an underdog story set against corpo elitism with some dark dystopian undertones. Nothing fancy. All of it easy to see.
What never ceases to amaze me is how these Thai shows end up far more enjoyable than their Korean counterparts who have 10-20 times the budget. But look closer and it is easy to understand why. In Thai shows, people act in harmony with their personalities. Not always logically, but consistent with how they are portrayed and how their history/up-bringing makes them as adults. In Korean shows, the never-ending illogical behavior, overly dramatic and nonsensical posing, and the martyrdom has gotten incredibly old. Just look at my reviews of Doona, Record of Youth, Castaway Diva, Welcome to Sandal-ri, etc. To see examples of how NOT to formulate a love story. K Dramas are trying to hard to be artsy and chic, that they can't get out of their way. Even Gyeongsong Creature features ridiculous choices by the lead characters.
RSL has none of that. It is simple, stays on message, and delivers an emotional ride.
So, why not 10 stars? Why only 8? Because I took off 2 stars for the completely unnecessary and pointless post-credits scene. It, a) Ruins all the good "feels" the ending provided, and b) Is an obvious attempt to tease a 2nd season. Though, this fails because the way the show ends does not lend itself easily to another season. It would have to be a drastically different show for that to work. (Think Hunger Games dark.)
So, do yourself a favor, and stop watching right when the first credit starts to roll. You'll thank me later.
