La chica nueva

I don't know what the heck Nanno is but she serves the best justice.

When a new student joins the class of a school the life's of the students and teachers are exposed for their wrong doings. The theme of the first two and last two episodes were righting injustices but the ones in between seemed to be about Nanno instigating people to do bad deeds. Overall well acted quirky stories about school life and a maniacal laughing Nanno serving justice.

While not the most technically proficient series, 'Girl From Nowhere" is entertaining, perplexing and totally Thai. Most of the episodes end up with morality tales that don't always fit western mores. You almost expect typical lessons learned, but this show surprises with its sophistication in grappling with societal issues, especially involving young people. It doesn't take itself too seriously, dropping in scenes (like the one in ep 2 with the main character dancing to herself in the schoolyard) that you don't expect. The acting is not that great although the main character is played admirably by a stoic-faced Chicha Amatayakul. Her devious, trouble-making actions put all other characters in tricky positions they have work their way through. Amatayakul's inscrutable demeanor captures the coldness of this mythic creature, whose origins we are never sure of, then explodes with wicked laughter at the malleability for evil in all humans. She carries the series. Special note should be made of the music which is wonderfully low-key and unobtrusive, used sparingly at the right moments to elevate the action. The theme song is equally fine with its Brian Jonestown Massacre shoegaze vibe.

This Thai series is centred on mysterious school girl Nanno. She starts most episodes in a new school where she quickly starts to shake things up; turning the tables on those who abuse their positions... teachers, senior students or just those whose popularity makes others follow them. It soon becomes apparent that Nanno isn't a normal girl; she often returns from being killed! In some episode she comes across as an avenging angel, in others a malevolent spirit bent on destroying those she has targeted for vengeance.

This series is hard to classify; at times it is horrific and violent; at others it is comical and sometimes it is both. Nanno is a delightfully ambiguous protagonist; her maniacal laughter is quite disturbing. There is a fair amount of violence, some of it quite bloody as well as many disturbing moments. The way the stories progress means that the viewer will initially be firmly behind what Nanno is doing; then when she takes things further the viewer is left feeling somewhat complicit. Chicha Amatayakul does a really fine job as Nanno and the rest of the cast are solid. Some viewers are less keen on season two but I thought it was just as good as the first and liked the addition of a second Nanno-like character... this one even more vengeful. Overall I'd certainly recommend this series even though its somewhat disturbing storylines will mean it won't be for everybody.

These comments are based on watching the series in Thai with English subtitles.

In a way. Oh boy is this a nasty little show. I pretty much enjoyed every episode. Nanno is something else! There are some aspects of her character that reminds me of Tomie. The lead actress is just right for the part & the first time I heard that laugh it creeped me out. I won't give anything away but I will say this...... Some really wild stuff goes on in this show. These kids are NUTS & Nanno is just the "person" to crack them.