Switch On (2021)

How I loved Switch On, let me count the ways!

Let's start with all of the awesome things.

First, I'm a sucker for gaming stories. I grew up watching "Tron" and then "Tron Legacy," so yeah, I love stories where people disappear into or out of games. Is it an original idea now? No, but that doesn't matter, because for me, it's a favorite plot. So all of the VR glasses and the moving between the game world and the real world was awesome. I also love the concept of AI becoming sentient (thanks Terminator), so having Akin reach a level of AI sentience where he can no longer be manipulated by anyone in the game or outside it is brilliant.

Second, his name is Gee and he plays Akin. Yes, please, and thank you. Gee has such a dynamic and expressive acting style. He sold every single experience his character(s) are going through, and by the second episode, I was completely invested in his side of the story. He also managed to wring chemistry out of his female lead, Aom. They were outstanding together, really just sold the relationship elements, and I suspect she wouldn't have given such a strong performance if she'd had a different male lead.

Third, and randomly, but I can't get the soundtrack out of my head which means it's a winner. Love that. If anyone knows the name of the song, please let me know in a comment.

Fourth, Michael, I mean, Peter Tuinstra who plays Michael. That guy is pretty dynamite. He truly knows the language which lent his acting a whole lot of credibility.

Now on to the not-so-great.

First, yes, there is a "twist" ending. But I saw it coming so I wasn't bothered by it, and it kinda made sense, but at the same time, the drama would have probably been stronger without it. Oh well, just skip the last 3 minutes of the series and you'll be fine.

Second, the secondary cast, almost all of them are extremely stiff and wooden, except for Phukhao who plays Leo who I liked. But everyone else, there were times when I felt like they were just reading their lines. This is a shame because I think with a stronger secondary cast the show would have shined more.

Third, yep, we've got some production issues, not so much in the filming itself, but in the fight scenes, doctor scenes, etc. I'm sorry, but I watch a lot of Japanese dramas where they know their martial arts to such a degree that they literally come without a hairs' breadth of connecting with their opponent. It feels real. This did not feel real, so that was disappointing. Gee needs more martial arts lessons if he's going to continue to do these types of dramas.

So there you have it. Even with the flaws, I am personally still rating "Switch On" 9 stars because I love it that much. I know there are complaints from people that it's a "rip-off" or "copy" of a Korean drama. That's fine. Let it be a remake. I love Thai dramas, and so I'm not supporting folks who are going "oh, but the K drama is so much better." That's your opinion and it's fine that you have it, but stop trying to influence folks to not even try "Switch On." If you like Thai dramas and enjoy sci-fi/gaming stories, then go for it. Maybe you'll love "Switch On" as much as I did. One can hope.

Coming up soon will be me watching "Let's Fight, Ghost" with SaintSup, and I am extremely stoked for that one. I actually did watch the original Kdrama "Bring It On, Ghost" and liked it a lot, but since I'm completely in favor of a Thai remake, like I said, I'm stoked. I'm sure Saint will blow all of my expectations out of the water. Because that's just what he does.

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I wanna give this a lower rating so bad...

But honestly, it's just because I'm annoyed. If I forget the last ten or so minutes of the drama, it was an amazing watch. In the first three and last three episodes, the acting seems a bit awkward, more in the beginning than the ending. It got better in the middle, though there were still some parts that seemed awkward to me, mainly coming from the FL, the second FL, and the FL's dad.

I was surprised by how much I grew to like the ML. I found this show through a clip I watched on youtube, and he was threatening the FL with a gun in that clip, so I really didn't like him going in, but he totally redeems himself. It helps that I'm not trying to compare him to Lee Jeong Suk, because there's really no reason to. I've seen some unflattering comments made about him, but he's cute when he gives a genuine smile, and he's easily the best act in this show.

The drama did leave me with a lot of unanswered questions. There were also a few mistakes that I caught that weren't really explained away. The fight scenes leave much to be desired, especially in the final episodes (final 3?) Some scenes felt so forced because they were trying to stay true to W and yet they didn't make sense in this story, I don't know if it's just the sub translations that made the scenes seem off. Also, that annoying ending.

I would rewatch it, but only the parts I really want to see. And I'm going to act like that ending never happened.

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