So GMMTV really shot themselves in the foot with Cupid’s Last Wish.
To begin with, there are two very distinct versions of it.
The version that aired two nights a week on Disney+ Hotstar Thailand is, to put it as frankly as possible, something of a mess, in terms of colour grading, editing and sound design, all thanks to what according to the team was a rushed schedule and a lack of time. The other problem is that since the Disney+ version was made available only in Thailand, it made its way onto every illegal drama site possible.
So I am going to preface this review with one statement: if you’re one of the many, many people who watched the Disney+ release of this show on one of the pirated sites, what’s on YouTube is a vast, vast improvement, and definitely worth a rewatch.
First Impressions:
Cupid’s Last Wish is the story of Win Warodom (Mix Sahaphap), his sister Lin (Janhae Ployshompoo) and Korn Chaiphithak (Earth Pirapat). Win’s family runs a dairy farm, and when the series begins, he is dealing with the recent death of his father. Korn is not only Win’s closest friend but also helps on the farm and is something like family to the Warodoms. The whole thing comes to a head, however, during the reading of Win’s father’s will, where he has left a substantial portion of his farm’s shares to Korn. This leads Win to leap to the conclusion that everything that Korn has done has been to worm his way into his father’s good graces for his wealth, and has a complete angry meltdown that results in him basically throwing Korn out of the house, and his life.
Cut to one year later when Win has another meltdown when he learns that Lin is still in contact with Korn, leading to him erratically driving both of them to confront Korn; resulting in an accident that doesn’t kill them but switches their souls. Win’s soul is in Lin’s body, and Lin’s is presumably in Win’s body. A monk tells them that the only way to switch them back is to collect holy water from seven temples within seven days – and that Win can’t go alone, he needs to go with Korn.
And thus begins the actual plot. Cupid’s Last Wish is a road-trip series, chronicling the adventures of these two former friends as they go on their collection quest. The second and third episodes showcase some of the beautiful landscape that they are travelling through, relishing local cuisines (and bickering) on the way. They also allow us to see Korn and Win’s dynamic as it is now, and how it is different from how soft they were to each other in the past. Win, particularly, is extremely prickly and has anger issues that he definitely needs to reign in. One does wonder how Korn puts up with him, but then you see the lovestruck way Korn looks at him and realise the man is, for lack of a better term, whipped. It’s clear that in future episodes we will see how both of them grow as people and mend their relationship.
The series isn’t exactly an example of very complex storytelling, but what it is, is funny and light-hearted. Unlike what was feared in a body-swap show, there is absolutely no doubt to the audience that it is Win that Korn has feelings for – he even sees Lin’s body as him after the swap – which is a huge relief. In fact, one of the most interesting things the series does is smooth transition between Mix and Janhae in the same scene – one picking up where the other left off.
And that brings me to the biggest strength of Cupid’s Last Wish, and the main reason I am recommending it – the actors not only look amazing, but they turn some great performances. In particular, Mix and Janhae playing the same character is pitch perfect, they mirror each other brilliantly and they both excel at physical comedy when necessary. Earth and Mix have proven their chemistry since A Tale of A Thousand Stars and it does not disappoint – you know from the first minute of the series that Win and Korn could never be ‘just friends’. Even supporting characters like White Nawat and Gunsmile turn in good performances.
I recommend Cupid’s Last Wish if you’re looking for a fun road-trip rom-com with plenty of humour and its heart in the right place.
Rating- 4 out of 5
The BL Xpress 
Thanks for your great review, Yarnball! It sounds like I should be lucky I’m watching the re-cut version of this series. For me, “Cupid’s Last Wish” is covering some interesting territory for a BL, both literally – the visuals of rural Thailand are gorgeous – and figuratively. Halfway through, here are my six takeaways:
1. Win was a challenging child who has grown into a complicated man. Toss in what seems to be some internal homophobia, a lot of grief, and a worry about his ability to head the family business, and you end up with a pretty challenging lead character for a BL. Director Golf, Mix, and Jan deserve credit for making Win someone to root for, despite his demeanor.
2. I laughed and laughed during the scene at the hotel restaurant. Win/Lin shooting jealous daggers, Korn looking like he wants to crawl under a rock, and Phat appearing absolutely confused. This series has provided some humor that goes far beyond standard BL broad comedy. (The convenience store “I’ll just buy one of each product and hope Win can figure it out” scene was a pretty funny, too, because it’s most likely what I would have done!)
3. My friends who could care less about BL have been intrigued by some of the philosophical questions posed by this series. If the switch was permanent, could Korn love the new Win/Lin as strongly? What percentage of attraction is spirit and what percentage is the spirit’s vessel? Would Win unconsciously sabotage the mission in order to remain in his sister’s body if the prognosis for his own body was dire? And what is the status of Lin’s soul? Is she aware of her surroundings and silently staring through Win’s eyes at the handsome Dr. Chanon?
4. Google Maps can be just as infuriating in Thai as it is in English.
5. I will now know what to do for a cow that has sticky saliva and a bloated stomach. (I live in farm country…this could end up being valuable information someday.)
6. I can confirm that the Katin doll is as cute as it appears on the screen since she is currently sitting on my bed.
So far, this series isn’t a ride without bumps – some of the editing is pretty choppy – but it does seem to be a BL journey with the kinds of adult complexities many viewers have been clamoring for from GMMTV.
James, Minnesota, USA
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