The world might be doomed but fiction is keeping hopes alive.
Thailand has joined the bandwagon in producing compelling stories in the past few months.
One that touched my heart was Analog Squad.
Now, a new Thai series has premiered on Netflix. Called Ready, Set, Love, it is a swoon-worthy, suspenseful, and romantic creation.
There are six episodes only but they form a total length of around six and a half hours. So, does Ready, Set, Love deserve your time?
Find out in my review.
Ready, Set, Love Synopsis
A pandemic wipes out Thailand’s male inhabitants and makes a dent in the global population of men.
To sustain them, the government mandates their protection and provides males a secure facility to be raised at.
After their grown-up period is over, they are married through a TV Reality show called Ready, Set, Love.
The series is created by Yanyong Kuruangkura. It stars Pongtiwat Tangwancharoean (Son), Kemisara Paladesh (Day), Nichapalak Thongkham (Chanel), Natthaweeranuch Thongmee (Jenny), Panadda Wongphudee (Kwan), Trisanu Soranun (Almond), Jaytiya Naiwattanakul (Valentine), and others.
What Works for Ready, Set, Love?
I have never seen a concept so wildly unique unfold on the screen (it doesn’t mean there may not be any such movies or shows).
The makers go to extreme lengths to set up a foundational base for Ready, Set, Love.
Can you imagine a world with a 99% female population? A 1974 pandemic affects the hormonal activity of women, which leads to a drastic decline in male birth rates. With zero male births in the past four years, Thailand’s current population of men tatters at a meager 314. To protect the men (can you imagine?), the Thai government provides them a secure place called The Farm. Moreover, it makes sure they get married to the right girl through a reality show, Ready, Set, Love. Day, a normal girl, enters the final draw of selected women, thanks to a random contest. But all is not as it seems.
The Plot of Ready, Set, Love
This interesting framework hooks the viewer into watching the series even though it might seem lengthy at first.
The story takes over a well-built setup and manages to sustain a fictionalized reality show within.
You have contestants trying to win rounds so they can get the date of their choice.
The makers carefully stitch a suspenseful narrative laterally.
As much as it is cheerful, Ready, Set, Love is also gripping, to some extent, although I wish the creators were a bit more meticulous while doing so.
Barring emotional headwinds, the Thai series manages to bring cheers and smiles through its tale.
It also becomes tense when the mysterious elements kick in.
Moving forward, the screenplay is brisk and lively, precisely because of its theme.
I liked the colorful ambiance of the games played in Ready, Set, Love.
Moreover, the show is enjoyable in parts, thanks to its extremely light-hearted nature in the first half.
It doesn’t put any burden on the audience and nurtures a flow of warmth.
How are the Performances?
Kemisara Paladesh portrays the female lead in the Thai show. She takes the bull by its horns and completely plays by the sketch.
Her act is charming but she is let down by a poor, squirm writing setup. Kemisara is more potent in scenes that do not demand her to be extrovertish.
Overall, she has more good things to her performance than bad.
Pongtiwat Tangwancharoean leaves a stylish impact as Son. He is tidy and visually appealing. The actor maintains a dominant mien throughout the show.
His conviction can be seen in his delivery-expression coordination.
What Doesn’t Work for Ready, Set, Love?
Sadly, it is forcefully childish at times. The female protagonist is made to behave weirdly to justify the tag of a free-flowing, normal girl.
The dialogues are cheesy and the comedy scenes are mostly too cringe. You’ll hardly ever laugh your heart out.
The real problem is the flashiness of Ready, Set, Love. It pretends to be funny when it is clearly not, in the absence of humorous writing.
Furthermore, the second episode is riddled with audio quality issues. The English dub is poorly edited or maybe not given enough attention.
Ready, Set, Love doesn’t have very good VFX support. Its editing is below-par or laggy, to say the least.
Lastly, there is a small clip of a magazine’s cover in the fifth episode.
The title is “Empowering Woman of the Year.” Going by its literal meaning, it aims to appreciate a character for women empowerment.
In a country with only 300 males, why would a magazine cover talk about female empowerment? That doesn’t make any sense, does it?
Stream or Skip?
Despite all the flaws, Ready, Set, Love is watchable.
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