I Need Romance

Hey Drama Family! Coming at you with a drama from Thailand this time!

Title: I Need Romance

Apps: Netflix

Release Year: 2021

Region: Thailand

Episode Count: 16

Genres: Romance, drama

Plot: Najai is a woman in her early thirties who is successful at work, but not so successful with interpersonal relationships. She doesn't really have friends and romance is non-existent for her. Najai is perfectly fine being alone, but one day her life is turned upside down with the return of a childhood friend, Arlan, who inserts himself back into her life. Follow along on this emotional roller coaster as Najai, her coworkers, and Arlan all attempt to form new friendships and find romance.

I Need Romance was a drama I didn't expect myself to watch. Usually, I don't partake in dramas like this and, if I do, I don't always make it through them. Honestly, I almost didn't make it through this one, but I decided to buckle down and see where it went.

The characters in I Need Romance were a little complicated from time to time and really annoyed me. At least, most of them did. There was one that I loved while the rest had to grow on me. Let's look at who they are.

Najai (Pancake Khemanit Jamikorn) is our female lead and she is something else. She is work focused, selfish, and doesn't really care about anyone else. She has a troubled love life because she's unable to really feel anything. Not only does she not want to be involved in others' personal lives, she is downright mean sometimes. Honestly, she was a character I absolutely detested for most of the series, but her character development by the end of the series somewhat redeemed her.

Arlan (New Thitipoom Tachaapaikun), also nicknamed Tofu by Najai, is a cute character. Arlan was raised by Najai from the time he was a baby because his own mother was too busy for him. He is creative, nice, and considerate of others, although a little clingy. He deeply cares for Najai and tries to do his best for her, even if she is relatively mean toward him. Arlan does a lot of things to help those around him despite his own feelings. This happened to be my favorite character, but I think most people would fall in love with this one.

Kan (Peck Premanat Suwannannon) is Najai's boss and friend. He is a workaholic and everything with him seems to revolve around work. He is Najai's mentor and friend, but also someone she's infatuated with. He has his own complicated love life and it unfolds throughout the series.

Kiss (Kannaporn Puangtong) is another character I just completely hated through most of the series. When I tell you I felt the hate deep down, I mean, I really, really did. She is a former friend of Najai and ruined their past friendship trying to outdo her. She is a successful businesswoman with an unsuccessful love life. She is arrogant and constantly at odds with Najai over their past and present romantic interests. She is crafty and doesn't really seem to care if she hurts others as long as she achieves her goals. Overall, her character development revealed more about her and she became more likable toward the end.

Like I said earlier, this usually isn't the type of series that I watch. The amount of drama between characters really made me clench my teeth from time to time and wonder what in the world was going on in their minds. Najai is a woman that lives alone and seems to thrive being alone, no friends or anything of that sort. Her whole world is turned upside down when Arlan returns to Thailand after being abroad for several years. This story revolves around Najai becoming more emotionally aware. What I mean by this is that she doesn't really know how she feels. She can't relate to people easily, she doesn't really have any friends, and she doesn’t want to be involved in other peoples' lives because she views it as complicated. Her inability to feel also effects her ability to recognize what other people are feeling as well, so she can't really recognize when she has offended them or not. The plot is filled with ups and downs as a love triangle between herself and two others is slowly realized and chaos begins to ensue. Najai's romance isn't the only one featured in the show, though. There are side characters who experience the ups and downs of regular life as well as romance. There are breakups, makeups, flings, and so much more. On top of that, you get to witness Arlan attempting to help Najai realize her feelings and go after the man that she is interested in, despite his own feelings. He is always there for her and willing to help. Their relationship is actually the cutest one of the show, in my opinion, and the way it develops is the reason I stayed for all 16 episodes. I really just wanted to see how things turned out for both Arlan and Najai.

It wasn't a bad show to watch. I can say the only negative point for me was the amount of unlikable characters. Although, unlikable characters that make you feel really strong emotions are what let you know that the writing and acting are top notch. Characters that you are supposed to dislike or disagree with will lead you to those feelings easily if they are well written and acted. I think this drama was really successful in that area. There is a point, for me, where it is too much, though, and that's why it is really hard for me to push through these types of shows from time to time. But, that's just a pet peeve of my own. I guess I really just like shows that have characters that develop a little faster than this one. This show's character developments are rather slow, so don't expect character changes to happen to quickly. Sometimes, there is what seems like character development, but it's merely a ruse in a mischievous plotline to do emotional harm to one of the other characters. There is lots of scheming and emotional damage done, but the way the series is resolved doesn't leave you disappointed. Everything is tied up fairly neatly by the end and it is a pretty happy ending for everyone.

From what I understand, this is actually a remake of a Korean show of similar title, but I haven't seen the original. You can definitely see a lot of the tropes from Korean dramas featured in this, such as a man and a woman being forced to be roommates due to one reason or another. It seems like a fairly common plot device used in these types of dramas, but I don't hate it. I actually kind of enjoy watching two polar opposite characters attempt to live peacefully with one another. If romance happens to spring up out of it, that's nice too!

I know there are a lot of people how there who enjoy this type of drama and I can say I was glad I watched this one all the way through. Can I say I will watch it again or that it's one of my favorites? No, but I highly recommend that anyone who enjoys romance to check out I Need Romance and, if you get tired of watching the drama, just try to push through it because there is a satisfying ending.

Drama Mama Rating: 7/10 (Not my cup of tea, but I enjoyed it)