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Vice Versa (2022)

A force to be reckoned with

Vice Versa is a very interesting series especially to those who are into multi-universe stories and mystery. At first, what got me interested in watching is because of its director and writer, P'X and Jittrain, who, have established great reputation in their respective fields (Theory of Love). P'X is one director I admire and I've been a fan of his directing. For some reason, regardless of the actors, if a show is by P'X, you can count me in. Anyway, Vice Versa surprised me in many ways:

• Main characters and their chemistry, Jimmy and Sea, both quite new in the biz, has this undeniable rapport and it's as if the characters were made for them (P'X awesome casting!). Watching all aired episodes (1-10), JimmySea's growth in acting can be seen as their characters Puen and Talay deal with the challenges in the parallel universe. Acting alongside veteran guest actors Ohm and Nanon, Jimmy and Sea did not falter at all and in my opinion even surpassed a certain "newbie" level, in short, they exceeded expectations.

• Plot - this is where viewers get so confused. The story is set in modern time where when you die, you get a second chance but in a parallel universe, in a different person's body. That's the mystery, "how to get back?". To me, it was clearly stated that it IS NOT CLEAR, how things work. So far, the blurry answer to that question is to find your "Portkey" also known as, sort of soulmate in the parallel universe, so you can both return and be back to your real bodies. I only got the gist by watching the series. So I don't know how come other viewers don't get it. To me, it's a matter of taste I guess. Who doesn't love a mystery? But then again, we have OhmNanon fans watching because of Ohm and Nanon being in the first few episodes, who, might not be, fans of this genre because Bad Buddy the series is way different than Vice Versa. I think that is one reason. The audience who watched weren't the target audience. Anyway, that doesn't stop the series from being great.

• The Morals - What most people don't get - Vice Versa requires of course a mind that is ready to go beyond love life. Life itself is not easy for main characters Talay and Puen. The challenge here is to live the life of the person they're in without knowing if their switch mates Pakorn and Tess would do the same with theirs. Is that hard? YES! It requires a lot of heart to understand this and sorry for being blunt but maybe some viewers are confused by this because they're selfish by default. So more and more kudos to Puen and Talay for accepting the challenge. If you can see, some of their fellow travellers have been in the parallel world longer than they have, what does that tell us? Finding the portkey isn't easy at all. I may say, finding your soulmate is not easy at all. Vice Versa introduces us to different life situations that are hard to face and I see why some don't get it because they themselves are troubled beings or immature or just...slow. Anyway, to me Vice Versa nails all morals, from day 1 it has always been about selflessness. Why not focus on the portkey from day 1? Funny some confused people ask because that's the main focus since day 1, it's just that, you're looking for something that isn't there YET! Get it? You don't find your portkey unless you try to find your soulmate, we are talking about people here, not some treasure hunt with a map. It takes time to know someone well by heart. I'm saying this because Puen didn't tell Talay his name to avoid the usual bias of him being a popular actor in the real universe. So yes, Talay fell for the "Tun" he is with in the parallel universe. Again, Vice Versa tackles life itself, that it's not something to waste and that it is precious.

• The ensemble - P'X is an expert for an ensemble cast. He never fails to give each character a purpose. I love this about his works (Theory of Love, I'm Tee Me Too). I'm attached to the Tees and the Gangstas because of how P'X handles the whole cast. In Vice Versa, the presence of their friends are well-timed and each scene they come out is significant. And in the later parts, you will even miss Friend Credits, Kita, Fuse, Dol, Jeab and even Pang. They are not over exposed or under exposed. Each character is given time to shine.

So I will end my review here. Vice Versa might receive extreme scores, either 1/10 or 10/10 as it is either Superb to the right audience or confusing to the latter. I'm part of the target audience so it's 10/10 for me. I can't preach to those who refuse to give it a chance but I hope this review makes a lot of viewers understand how one of a kind and what a masterpiece this series is. P'X and Jittirain, I salute you both. JimmySea, I love you both, you deserve all the love. To the cast and crew of Vice Versa, you guys are part of something so special. Congratulations and cheers!

Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area (2022)

The usual unnecessary drama

I don't question the skills of the actors, they're great individually but what I dislike in Korean shows is that they add these overly dramatic story lines in their version. It's obviously seen here because the basis is the original Money Heist series. The beginning is promising but it all died down mid-way, and they completely had me at "Why Tokyo?" "Because we're going to do something bad". What the hell. The line wasn't necessary and if they want to spark an old issue with Japan through this show...I'm like how lame. It does not live up to the original show one bit.

Bad Buddy (2021)

Promising at first. Ohm and Nanon chemistry is the show's greatest asset

This show started with a very promising and intriguing plot but went a bit off towards the end. To me some characters and events were no longer relevant to the story and I find some even inconsistent. I'd give a perfect score to Ohm and Nanon's chemistry and acting. It is certainly what anyone is looking for in a love-hate story. As for character development, the PatPran loveteam delivered beautifully but at some point the main plot of "Bad Buddy" seemed neglected. Truly, the issue of both parties (their families) is reasonable but after the revelation, everything seemed to die down but no closure at all. It would have been more meaningful if the parents recognized the friendship (relationship) of Pat and Pran or Pat's Dad would've done something huge to make up for what he did in the past. The series ends with us viewers looking stupid for thinking they really broke up and still, the 2 families continue their rivalry (with less anger).

Not Me: Episode #1.13 (2022)

I can't believe this is the penultimate episode

I can't believe this is the penultimate episode. We are still trying to solve who is behind all the corruption. Who is the super villain? Not Me should have more episodes! So far, we are presented with a harsh and sad reality that corruption is rampant or worse, established in the country. These scenes are presented well and the actors portrayed their roles really well. I'm hoping not to cry in the end.

Not Me (2021)

A work of art

This is interesting in every way. We start together with the protagonist White, trying to figure out what happened to his twin brother, Black. As secrets begin to unfold, the more confusing the story becomes. Confusing in a good way that you'd want to watch the show more. I'm a follower of most actors of the show especially Off and Gun. I must say Gun's acting never fails to impress while Off surprises with his amazing take on Sean's character, opposite to the roles he usual portrays. Alongside them are skilled supporting actors as well like First K, Mond T and Fluke Gawin. The show tackles a lot on political issues and human rights which most viewers can relate to and to those who are not aware of such issues, this is a very good introduction; for your awareness; and at the same time the development of the characters is also interesting. There is a lot going on and a lot to look forward to in this show. I'm halfway through it and it just keeps getting better. The directing, music and cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. Indeed, a work of art. Not Me is entertainment that is relevant in this current time. See for yourself.