Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
The wealthy brat Kanghan often bullies Sailom, a top scholarship student, and although they initially despise each other, their feelings begin to change after Sailom agrees to tutoring the spoilt teen on a request from Kanghan’s grandmother. Set in a high school, the twelve-episode Thai series “Dangerous Romance” (original title: หัวใจในสายลม) is directed by Lit Phadung Samajarn and Toh Worawut Thanamatchaicharoen, who last collaborated on the romantic show “Love in Translation”.
Chimon Wachirawit Ruangwiwat and Perth Tanapon Sukumpantanasan play lead pair Sailom and Kanghan respectively in this series. The two were seen together as supporting characters in the drama “Never Let Me Go”, where both of them leave quite a strong impression, despite their limited screen-time, which created quite a buzz among fans for “Dangerous Romance”. The first episode entertainingly sets up the “enemies to lovers” trope, where Kanghan tries to torment the smart Sailom, but the latter always manages to outwit him. It was enjoyable to witness the nerdy character not cower and cry but instead fight back with all his strength. However, despite Sailom’s academic success, he is a financially struggling teenager with no parents; he lives with an an older brother Saifah (Papang Phromphiriya Thongputtaruk), and the two of them are overwhelmed by debts and frequently harassed by creditors.
While “Dangerous Romance” primarily focuses on Kanghan and Sailom’s evolving relationship, the series also includes some secondary subplots that were unnecessary and poorly executed. One of them revolves around Sailom’s close friend, Guy Koraphat (played by Marc Natarit Worakornlertsith), who frequently gets into fights with Kanghan’s buddy, Nawa (portrayed by Pawin Thanik Kamontharanon). Once the two find themselves on the same football team, a potential romance brews between them. The Guy and Nawa love story felt forced, awkward, and could have simply been a “rivals to friends” tale. In fact, even Kanghan and Sailom’s love story felt slightly contrived because, for half of the series, Kanghan has a serious crush on his classmate Pimfah (View Benyapa Jeenprasom), and he shifts his affection towards Sailom rather abruptly.
Perth Tanapon Sukumpantanasan’s first major role was as a humble student from a middle-class family in the 2018 romance “Love By Chance” and in “Dangerous Romance,” he convincingly plays the rich and arrogant brat Kanghan. Kanghan’s mother has passed away, and he shares a complex relationship with his father (Nong Natchukorn Maikan), which is a significant subplot in the series and is well-executed. Pimkae Goonchorn Na Ayutthaya portrays King, Kanghan’s grandmother, who does her best to guide the teenager.
Chimon Wachirawit Ruangwiwat is incredibly endearing as Sailom, a level-headed character who, despite financial challenges, finds joy in simple pleasures like video games and good food, embodying the essence of a typical teenage boy among his friends. While Perth and Chimon perfectly embody their teenage characters, their romantic chemistry isn’t exactly electric, even though they do make a cute pair. Despite an interesting enough plot for a high-school romance, the writers of the show often resort to cliched outdated tropes to create moments between the lead pair. For example, episode four has a scene where Sailom slips in the school washroom and falls into Kanghan’s arms, which was pretty cringe-y, especially since a high-school bathroom setting is anything but romantic.
The series doesn’t really live up to its name “Dangerous Romance”, even though Sailom often gets into perilous situations due to the debts his brother owes to a shady gang of goons. Perhaps setting the story in a college environment would have worked better, as high school students have their limitations, while college characters could have been portrayed with a more adventurous streak. Overall, the story is pretty predictable, with some pointless sub-plots that could’ve been removed to improve the pace of the show. If you are looking for a high-school romance with the “enemies to lovers” tropes, this series is a pretty decent pick for the weekend.
Rating: 6 on 10. You can stream “Dangerous Romance” on YouTube.
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