One Year – Series Review

Kim recently moved to Phuket to live with his uncle's family. His mum consulted a feng shui master who thinks the move will bring good fortune. Kim isn't really a believer, but he loves his mom, so he goes along with it. He agrees to stay for a year and help out with the family tour agency. For his living arrangements, Kim stays with his uncle and his two cousins, Sang and Siu. Kim and Siu get along just fine. Sang, on the other hand, has an attitude problem. Those two clashed from the moment Kim arrived.

Day one in Phuket, Kim heads to the beach for a relaxing afternoon. He finds a nice spot, lies down, and soaks up the sun. Then, a stranger walks by and steps directly on his crotch. Not near it. ON it. This man didn't realize he used Kim's most sensitive area as a stepping stone. Kim is upset. The pedestrian, Tao Sor, does apologize at first. When Kim keeps making a big fuss, Tao Sor gets snarky and walks away. Kim is furious. He leaves the beach with a bruised crotch and an even more bruised ego.

That evening, Kim goes to a nearby resort for dinner. The food at The Presion Resort is incredible, so he asks to meet the chef. Guess who walks out of that kitchen. TAO SOR. The crotch-stepper himself! To his credit, Kim keeps it professional. He puts the grudge aside and pitches a business idea. His uncle's tour agency does day trips, so Kim wants to bring tourists to the resort for cooking lessons with Tao Sor. Talay, Tao Sor's older brother, isn't convinced. But Tao Sor says yes to the arrangement.

The next day, Kim shows up with tourists in tow, ready to get those cooking lessons started. Talay tries to shut it down, claiming Tao Sor isn't feeling well. Kim pushes back. A deal is a deal! When Tao Sor appears, something seems off. Surprisingly, Tao Sor doesn't seem to recognize him. Even though they met yesterday, Tao Sor seems like a different person from before. There's no way Tao Sor could've forgotten him, so Kim doesn't understand why the chef is behaving so oddly.

After catching Tao Sor crying alone on the beach, Kim goes looking for answers. Chef Daiji from the resort spills the truth. Tao Sor has severe memory loss. Every single morning, he wakes up with zero memory of the day before. Whatever happened yesterday is completely gone. That's why he had no clue who Kim was. Instead of backing off, Kim is fascinated. He makes it his mission to find Tao Sor every day and talk. Tao Sor never remembers him. However, Tao Sor has a habit of painting every day. Without knowing why, he keeps putting Kim in his pictures.

As the two grow closer, Talay is watching with deep suspicion. He doesn't trust Kim and wants him nowhere near his younger brother. The whole family is fiercely protective of Tao Sor. They've built him a comfortable little bubble, complete with a private doctor and zero freedom. Talay is the strictest of the bunch and makes his feelings crystal clear. Stay away. Kim, naturally, does not stay away from Tao Sor.

One Year is like the BL version of Rapunzel. Tao Sor has severe memory loss, so his family locks him away to keep him safe. He lives in The Presion Resort, and as the name implies, it's basically a beautiful prison with no freedom. Kim, the knight in shining armour, is gonna rescue him from this tragic life. The story has some cool ideas, especially with the protagonist whose memory resets each day. Imagine falling in love with a guy today and not remembering who he is tomorrow. That's a juicy premise for a romance!

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy One Year. And it's all because of the annoying lead character. Sorry, but Kim ruins the series for me. Early on, Kim entered my shit list because I hated how he talked to the resort staff. Like a customer from hell, he was so rude to the employees. At one point, he blackmailed the chef by threatening to leave a negative review. Kim's behaviour constantly gets on my nerves. Tao Sor says, "I don't like taking pictures…" Kim would just ignore him. "Lemme take one anyway!" Ugh! I know I'm being petty. Other characters commit serious crimes and psychological abuse. But whatever, I still hate Kim! This guy sucks!

Kim acts like an obsessed weirdo around Tao Sor. They've just met, but Kim is already a stage 5 clinger. Back off! Leave that guy alone! Since Tao Sor is emotionally vulnerable, I assumed the romance would be a slow burn. NOPE! The couple hooks up so quickly that it makes their connection seem shallow. I'm also uncomfortable because Kim controls the narrative, claiming they've gotten close. Tao Sor remembers nothing. He can't think back on their time together and verify his feelings are mutual. Kim is exploiting Tao Sor's amnesia to force their relationship to happen.

Kim's actor (Hearth) is trying his best to be lively. I can tell he puts in the effort and wants to be cheeky. But he doesn't pull it off. Instead of charming me, I find him so irritating. The writing doesn't do him any favours either. He's asked to deliver such unfunny jokes. The humour is really cringy! His co-star (Poon) seems wooden on camera. The only time he shows a spark is during the couple's physical intimacy, where he suddenly comes alive. He's awake! But where was that energy for the rest of the drama? I'm not sure if this rookie is ready for a leading role just yet.

Tao Sor's memory loss is such an unusual condition, so I'm intrigued by it. I liked learning his full backstory in Episode 7. However, I don't really care about Tao Sor's character. He reminds me of a plot device. We hear a lot about his amnesia, but what about his personality? Tao Sor's parents could have been interesting, yet they barely appear in the drama. While the older brother gets more screentime, Talay's scenes are too repetitive. There's also Siu, who has a random GL subplot, even though she's kinda irrelevant. If you take her out of the series, nothing would change.

Kim annoyed me from start to finish. He's meant to be the hero, swooping in to rescue Tao Sor from his manipulative family. Yet, I spend the whole series wishing for a better protagonist to arrive and replace him. It's not too late to introduce another love interest! Sadly, I'm stuck watching this awful couple until the bitter end. One guy I hate with my guts. The other guy I don't give a damn about. Worst of all, the finale doesn't even deliver a satisfying ending. WTF is that vague conclusion!? Ugh, One Year makes me wanna develop amnesia and forget I ever watched this crap!