Wabi Sabi Studio’s 7 Project, a series about seven couples inspired by seven different songs, has been a Thai project I have long anticipated since its announcement.

It involves actors I have high expectations for, actors I’ve followed since early in their careers. I was also intrigued by the song inspiration, as I believe that music moves people. I spent much of my middle school and high school years daydreaming to music and my college years writing with it playing in the background. As a full-time author, I still write with organized playlists I listen to as I work. So, I found myself drawn into the musical foundation of this series. With only one two-part episode for each couple, the 7 project is more like a series of movies rather than a drama, but if the first episode is any indication, I’m going to be much more pleased than I expected.

The first story, Would You Be My Love, stars Thai actors Earth Katsamonnat and Santa Pongsapak as Ozone and Sun, two new students at a boarding school shunned from the moment of introduction in class. The teasing, mainly by two particular students, begins a series of bullying that both draws Ozone and Sun together and pulls them apart.

I related to this first episode in a big, big way. I am a victim of bullying, the kind that Ozone was mainly victim to, his effeminate, timid response to those attacking him making it worse on him than it did the more stoic, aloof Sun. Later in my middle school years, I moved to a new school, which became a horrible experience I will never be able to erase.

I was Ozone. Different in appearance but similar in character. Timid, poor, obese, and desperate for people to like me, I spent years being targeted by bullies simply because they thought I was weak. Maybe, to others, I looked that way, but to survive the brutality that followed, I can assure you that I wasn’t. From smaller incidents like having my hair cut while sitting in class to more significant traumatic incidents like being molested by three other students in a classroom I thought was empty, led to years of battling PTSD, thoughts of suicide, and an eating disorder.

Years later, after I’d pulled myself from the dark pit I’d fallen into, I started writing about it, turning my experiences into fictional, inspirational stories about characters who overcame hardships and rose above it to fall in love. For me, that’s what Would You Be My Love is all about, two boys with growing feelings for each other attempting to survive a toxic environment. They are trying to rise above the situation while falling in love.

Profound moments between these characters left an impression, especially the rooftop scene between Ozone and Sun where they discuss the meaning behind Ozone’s name. Like the air we breathe, Ozone feels invisible to those around him, rarely noticed except when attacked or looked down upon. This feeling is something we’ve all gone through at one point in our lives or another, where we feel like we’re being overlooked by the people we want to see us the most but noticed by the people we want to avoid. This feeling is what makes Sun’s nerdy and endearing response that much more poignant. Sun points out that the Ozone isn’t like air. Even though it’s invisible, it’s a gas that protects the planet and humans from the sun’s harsh rays. So, while it doesn’t seem important, it’s the thin line separating peril from life. Sun’s resounding statement carries viewers through the highs and lows that mark the rest of the episode.

At one point, Ozone feels abandoned by Sun, and rightly so. But, in the end, their feelings survive the bullying and the trauma. Sun gives Ozone an unexpected kiss, and upon separating when they graduate, Ozone hands Sun a note that reads, “Would you be my love?”

While the note feels bittersweet because it comes at a time of separation, there is also hope in the words, a chance at a new beginning, a chance at reconnecting at a different place under different circumstances.

In conclusion, the first story in the 7 Project was much more profound than I expected with good production quality, great chemistry, and thought-provoking acting. If Would You Be My Love is any indication, and I hope it is, then I highly expect the rest of this series to follow suit.

Check out Would You Be My Love for a thought-provoking, short watch about falling in love amid adversity.

Also, check out the song behind the series here:

Rating- 4 out of 5