Awe, for me, I didn't even have to think hard. Most definitely Bie and Noona's version is the best so far. And I'm glad that we are comparing only lakorns to lakorns and not lakorns to movies because lakorns and movies do have a different feel. First off, am I mistaken? I thought Mam and Warrut's version was a movie.
I admit that I only saw bits and pieces of Bird and Kwang's version years ago, but could not get into it and I blame it on the fact that I was not mature enough at the time to appreciate the intense storyline. But I did really enjoyed Num and Benz's version when it came out and that was when I first fell in love with Kobori and Ang as characters. But the thing is, as much as I wholeheartedly loved the characters and the storyline, Koo Kum, for some reason, could not make me say that it was my favorite lakorn...........that is until I saw Koo Kum 2013.........WOW!!!........and what made this version stand out is two parts...the interpretation of characters/storyline and the actors successful portrayal of their roles.
Let's start off by saying that when it was announced by Exact that Bie had been given the role, my heart just sank. I wasn't concerned with the looks, but I was concerned with the acting. Bie is a sweetheart and although I have never watched any of his other lakorns completely, of the bits and pieces that I've seen of his dramas, I know that his acting had not matured enough for the prized role of Kobori.....but he proved me wrong. His acting has improved tremendously and he really shines in this lakorn. When I saw him onscreen, I didn't see Bie, but I saw Kobori......everything from his mannerism, movement, speech, and expressions work to bring this character to life.......and that is when you know an actor is doing his job well, when you no longer see the actor, but the character he portrays. Also, Exact really took a risk by making this Kobori more lively and playful, but it worked. This really allowed Bie to make this character his own because a little of Bie's bubbly personality peeked through his character.....and it worked because there was a balance......not only did this Kobori smile more and flirt more, but when he was sad and in pain, this Kobori displayed more range of emotions than the previous Koboris.....there is a rawness to this Kobori.....he drops more tears, is more in tune to his emotions, and is sensual........and this is where Bie gets the credit, he was able to portray this character with all of this rawness that made us feel Kobori's pain, but Bie did it with a firmness that let's us know that this is still the strong and confident Kobori we've come to associate with this character.
As for Noona, to me, she is the perfect Angsumalin. The key to her portrayal is how sweet she looks, but with one glare of her eyes, we are able to see the fire that brings feisty Ang to life. Plus, I love this interpretation of the character......everything from her short hair (which adds to the freshness of the character) to how affectionate they made her. The previous Angs, in my opinion, were distant in their feelings towards Kobori. What made this Ang more relatable, is that we saw moments when she simply melted for Kobori. With the previous Angs, you couldn't really tell that she loves him until the ending when she poured her heart out. I felt this version did a better job with showing us her inner struggles between love, hate, loyalty, and duty......her struggle between what her heart longed for (Kobori), but what her head denied her because of her promise to Wanat and the fact that Kobori was Japanese (the enemy). I felt Noona did an excellent job and portrayed her character with much strength, beauty, and emotions. Noona really is an amazing actress and a beautiful crier.
Overall, I felt that this version is less gloomy and had more passion than in previous versions. Yes, the early episodes were lighthearted and Bie's smiles might have fooled us in the beginning, but the integrity of the characters and the intensity of the storyline was all there. The storyline was very detailed, the scenes were beautifully interpreted by the screenwriter, and wonderfully translated onto the screen by the director. I felt Exact was able to successfully take a storyline that we all know and make it exciting and relevant again. Even the author of Koo Kum, Khun Thammayanti watched this version , enjoyed it, praised the screenwriter, and the overall production....and she rarely watches her work that gets turned into lakorns.