Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
‘Century of Love’ follows Mr. San, over 100 years old, has been waiting for his lover, the beautiful Ms. Wat, to reincarnate after she sacrificed her life for him by taking a bullet. By day, he appears as a handsome young man in charge of a wealthy household, but by night, he endures immense physical suffering, a price he pays for his eternal youth granted by devouring a magical stone, all in hopes of reuniting with her.
Directed by Mi Thanawat Panyarin and Wo Worawit Khuttiyayothin (Laws of Attraction), Thai romantic-fantasy series “Century of Love” (original title: ปาฏิหาริย์รักร้อยปี/Patihan Rak Roi Pi) stars Daou Pittaya Saechua as protagonist San, the man ready to wait a 100 years for love. Spanning ten episodes, episode one begins in 1920s Thailand, where San falls in love with Wat (Cookie Yada Suwanpattana), a beautiful young woman from a wealthy noble family. However, class differences play an obstacle to their love, and Wat dies while eloping with San to escape her forced marriage to a prince. A devastated San swallows a magical stone to remain youthful until he meets Wat in her next life. But when San finally runs into a person who is supposed to be Ms Wat, to his shock, it’s a young man called Vee (Offroad Kantapon Jindataweephol).
The primary premise is a lot like the Korean series Korean mini-series “First Love Again,” which also features a man who retain eternal youth for over 300 years to have a “happy ending” with his reincarnated lover. In Century of Love, San must perform a ritual with Wat within 100 years of consuming the magical stone, or he will face a cursed, excruciating death and eternal suffering in the afterlife. What unfolds is a somewhat exaggerated drama that may seem silly at times and unintentionally funny in parts, yet remains an engaging romance-fantasy about reincarnation, love, and acceptance.
Despite all indications that Vee is the reincarnation he’s been waiting for, San instructs his family priest, Tao (Gumpuns Koravich Sarasin), to continue searching for the “real Ms. Wat.” However, no matter his denial, the chemistry between San and Vee is pretty strong courtesy Daou Pittaya Saechua and Offroad Kantapon Jindataweephol’s performances. The two played romantic leads in the Thai series “Love in Translation, where they won over fans with their chemistry.
The ‘Century of Love’ story is filled with twists and turns, although the villain is a comically stereotypical baddie. Jab Penpetch Benyakul portrays Mr. Chen, a wealthy but ailing old man who covets the magical stone: a part of which is still in San’s possession. Like in one of the climactic scenes, Chen literally turns up in a bathrobe with his gun-toting goons to attack San, and that was simply hilarious. In-fact, that reminds me, the costume team has done an awful job at dressing up San through the series, he is always in weird, loud, gaudy clothes. I understand he is an ancient old man in a young body, so he probably has no sense of fashion sense, but his outfits were an eyesore throughout “Century of Love”. Also, in another funny discrepancy, San has the same hair-cut across all the flashbacks, they should’ve given him different hairstyles as the era change, made him wear a wig maybe.
Daou Pittaya Saechua as San has generous amount of action scenes in “Century of Love”, and even though the combat sequences weren’t very exciting, Daou displays signs of an action star in the making. His movements are clean, intense, and convincing. While he struggles to accept that Vee could be the love of his life, his great-great-Granddaughter Chu (Xiang Pornsroung Rouyruen) tries to play cupid between the two. Offroad Kantapon Jindataweephol is blindingly bright and cute as Vee, a young, cheerful convenience store worker, who has a dramatic meet-cute with San in 2024. Although sometimes his cheery demeanor comes off as creepy, and it is the director’s fault, because they needlessly prolong his smile-y scenes.
As a fantasy show, Century of Love incorporates numerous magical elements, but some of the special effects fall short, coming across as sub-par and unintentionally humorous. For example, a scene where a bullet exits San’s arm looks particularly absurd. San’s unattractive wardrobe further detracts from the show’s visual appeal. However, the series does shine in its cultural aspects, with some charming scenes of San’s family temple and glimpses of the Chinese Opera adding a nice touch.
The creators maintain significant suspense over whether Vee is really San’s re-incarnated lover, or if it’s simply a mistake until the end. Some viewers might not like the open-ended way in which “Century of Love” finally ends, but overall, the show is entertaining, even though some of its tropes and conflicts are childish. If you enjoyed watching “The Sign,” you will like “Century of Love” too.
Rating: 6.5 on 10. The series is available on Netflix Thailand and YouTube.
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