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High-school student Zen dreams of winning the basketball championship, but his hopes are dashed when most of the team is suspended over drug use and the basketball club faces disbandment. However, Zen convinces the Principal to not ban them altogether, and recruits a bunch of rookie players for future matches. A new coach is hired to train the team, but they still need one killer player to qualify for the championship rounds. The missing key comes in the form of Zen’s estranged friend Ryu, a talented athlete who is constantly skipping school and playing street matches with local goons. Can Ryu and Zen put their past differences aside and play as a team?
Directed by Golf Tanwarin Sukkhapisit (“Wandee Goodday”/“The Eclipse”), the Thai series “The Rebound” stars Ping Krittanun Aunchananun and Meen Nichakoon Khajornborirak as protagonists Zen and Ryu respectively. As the two start to train for basketball together, there’s also evident sparks between them. Ping and Meen were last seen opposite each other in “My Dear Gangster Oppa”, where their chemistry was endearing, and the gangster theme managed to work. However, “The Rebound” unnecessarily adds a subplot about Meen’s character Ryu getting mixed up with dangerous, sleazy thugs, which just doesn’t fit well against the high-school setting.
While the first two episodes of “The Rebound” are mildly entertaining, the plot soon becomes far too formulaic, boring, and chaotic. It unfolds like a rehashed version of the 2018 Taiwanese series “HIStory2: Crossing the Line,” which focused on volleyball and the romance between a serious senior and a troublesome junior who bond over the game. “The Rebound” just throws in a love rival and a gangster subplot, making the series too convoluted. Frank Thanatsaran Samthonglai (“OMG! Vampire”) plays Atom, a new boy in town, who becomes romantically interested in Zen, but the potential love-triangle conflict doesn’t work at all because there’s no chemistry between them and it’s far too evident that Zen is infatuated with Ryu. Chin Chinawut Indracusin was unconvincing as Ton, a washed-up athlete turned basketball coach who pushes the team to their limits.
The second half of the show does throw in a few surprises through flashbacks to explain why Zen and Ryu became estranged, despite seeming to share more than platonic affection for each other. However, the villains in “The Rebound” are over-the-top and melodramatic. The basketball portions are well shot, and there’s consistent focus on the court through the show. It’s funny how the 12-episode runtime of the show feels too long, but when the climactic chapter plays, the series ends on a more abrupt note than expected. There might be a season two in the offering, but I might not be interested in watching it. Although, it would be entertaining to see Ping Krittanun Aunchananun and Meen Nichakoon Khajornborirak in a better-written romance.
You can stream “Rebound” on Viu.
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