This review may contain spoilers
This drama started really strong but around the middle slowed down a lot and even became rather boring. The final episode was excellent, though. I loved how they all connected, became friends, that at the end, it wasn't just the ship couples but one big interconnected group of friends who shared different interests, these two and them two, but everybody had everybody else's back. It felt very... rich.I also really liked the introduction of a gay character and how one of the characters reacted to finding out that he had been said person's first, unrequited crush. That was so sweet and lovely.
And it featured one of my favorite tropes too: older woman/younger man which also covered cold woman/warm man. Thumbs up!
Overall, a really good, solid series, though a bit heavy-handed with the "you're your own first and foremost" message.
Was this review helpful to you?
What I cared little about was the relationship between Ko Moon Young’s publisher and the young nurse, that one didn’t really click with me. I also didn’t like how the publisher treated his assistant. Sure, the girl knew how to use her young looks to her advantage but that didn’t justify his behavior towards her.
Overall, an excellent drama that I can highly recommend.
Was this review helpful to you?
Boring
Unfortunately, this was just plain boring for me. There were some really good scenes in it - like when Bar set some boundaries for Gun because he didn’t want Gun to work himself to exhaustion - but overall, this drama made me realize anew that “coffee shop” stories, ie stories with little to no angst or drama, just don’t work for me. I need some push-n-pull, some tension, some conflict to happen to keep up my interest.Or maybe, it was the acting. The actor playing Bar was amazing - but the one playing Gun... wasn’t, to be kind. I felt that Folk Thitiphat who played Bar carried the entire show by himself and, really, when the story is very plain then the drama needs to be build on the actors. And here, one part of the couple was simply lacking in acting skills. Or maybe in experience. Maybe Win Achawin will turn out to be a fantastic actor in the future but here, well, he simply couldn’t keep up with Folk in the acting department. Which is too bad.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It’s about a web toon artist who decides to make a BL web comic about archers and so she joins a boys’ archery club as their manager for inspiration. But then she actually gets to really like the boys and she helps them become really good and win a competition. And she also realizes that two of the boys might actually have feelings for each other so she decides to help out… I watched it for Seo Ji Hoon who plays Yoo Ji Wan, the sweetest boy there is. Yoo Ji Wan and Joo Seung Joon are childhood friends and they are very close. But when Yoo Ji Wan gets hurt during a training in the country - he is bitten by a snake during a night training - Joo Seung Joon gets absolutely terrified and he realizes he can’t stop thinking about his best friend. Enter gay panic of truly epic proportions.
I’ve seen many people accuse this drama of queerbaiting. Sure, the lead girl’s fantasies are played up for the lulz, but, IMHO, there’s no actual queerbaiting in the story itself. Because Joo Seung Joon’s feelings for Yoo Ji Wan are 100% not just friendly. And the drama doesn’t debunk it, it doesn’t go “but NO HOMO,” it’s simply left unresolved, open-ended, but with them closer than ever at the end. And that’s not queerbaiting.
Was this review helpful to you?
But I will be forever grateful to TTS2 for LeoFiat and for introducing me to the awesomeness that’s JaFirst and their chemistry and for directing my attention to Ja Phachara in particular who was criminally underused and ugly-wigged in UWMA hence he flew under the radar for me (which reminds me I need to re-watch his scenes from that). But LeoFiat, their strange push-n-pull, their odd dynamics... yeah, that gave me life and kept me hooked. It’s too bad that they weren’t given more space, more background and development. Oh well...
Was this review helpful to you?
Love by Chance Season 2: A Chance to Love
3 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
Perth Tanapon was the best actor of that bunch and Can was a pint-sized - though slightly dull-witted - knight in shining armor. Basically. What truly got me, though, was the TulHin pairing. Maybe because it came out of left field, totally out of nowhere, and stole my heart. Hin was so soft and kind and sweet and around him, Tul became a better man. Tul was a bastard. Don’t get me wrong, his terrible backstory explained his behavior, but even Hin who was head over heels for him found his actions inexcusable. And yet, he still couldn’t stop loving Tul...
So yeah, TulHin were THE pairing of this drama for me. Their dynamics, the fact that Hin never stopped calling Tul “Khun Tul”, it all fascinated me to me no end. And they were also very hot together.
TinCan was cute, I’m still mad that they didn’t bother to ask Saint to do at least a cameo and I didn’t care at all about the rest. Also, the product placements were downright ridiculous.
Was this review helpful to you?
Slice of Life
This was a slice of life drama. And it was really lovely. It always filled me with calm when I watched it. The way it was filmed, the music, the slow pace... it was very calming, peaceful, indeed. I also loved how the whole story and background of both Eun Seop and Hae Won were revealed bit by bit throughout the series.Some of the character reactions irked me - both the leads’ in certain moments - and a few of the characters rankled a bit - Eun Seop’s little sister was too much for me, just like Ji Eun Shil - but overall, I fell in love with all the people living in that village. And with Hae Won’s mother and aunt, too, once I got to know them better and found out why they behaved the way they did, how much they both suffered. I think that the one character that I felt truly sorry for at the end was Crybaby because he never stopped loving Hae Won’s aunt.
If you like slow dramas with little action/suspense that focus on character development and relationships more than anything else, then I highly recommend this drama to you. But I need to stress the word ‘slow’ here. Because everything happens slowly in this. And that might not be everyone’s cuppa.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This has been, hands down, the best gay drama I’ve ever seen. Did it have its issues? Sure. Would I change some things? Yeah. But generally, it was made with a lot of heart and warmth and a genuine desire to give people a fanfic-like story about a mob boss and the cop chasing him, literally. Out of the 3 main pairings - Shao Fei/Tang Yi, Jack/Zhao Zi and Hong Ye/Dao Yi - I was most interested in Shao Fei & Tang Yi, the least in Jack & Zhao Zi, which was probably obvious from my recaps. But I really liked Hong Ye & Dao Yi, the only het pairing, and that’s a rare thing in gay dramas, that the het pairing isn’t there just so not everybody’s gay but that they actually have an interesting arc, too. So much kudos for that.
I loved Tang Yi and Hong Ye’s sibling relationship. I loved the glimpse of what could’ve been between Shao Fei and Chen Wen Hao. I loved the unexpectedly multi-layered relationship between Shao Fei and Captain Shi. I loved Tang Yi’s friendship with Doctor Jian. And I loved the flashbacks to Boss Tang mentoring Tang Yi…
What I didn’t expect was how non-cliché turned out Shao Fei to be. No crisis of sexuality or morality when he realized he fell for a male gangster. No, just pure love and determination to save Tang Yi even against Tang Yi’s will.
And the same goes for Chen Wen Hao. I started off hating that guy and ended up crying for him. He truly was a man screwed over by fate - and his friends. If only Boss Tang tried harder to get him out of jail. If only Li Chen waited for him. Everything could’ve been different.
I was one of the few who liked the music choices in this drama - from smooth jazz to the tinkling bells - and the slo-mo. But then, I’m old-school *shrugs*
Was this review helpful to you?
Kamen Rider Build NEW WORLD: Kamen Rider Grease
2 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
This movie was the purrfect ending of the whole Kamen Rider Build era, it really was. It corrected everything the previous movie messed up - that annoying girl was gone, gone, gone! - and we - or at least I - got everything we wanted: Sento & Banjo together again, Kazumin & Misora finally dating, Gentoki & Sawa finally dating, Grease finally getting an upgrade... and we saw Build fighting on-screen one last time!I loved that we laso got to see Mad Scientist Sento Kiryu one more time, him being all clever and devilish, doing dangerous experiments juuuuuust this side of evil, considering his subjects were human, and yet being a ball of sunshine - and Banjo being happy simply because Sento was happy. That was so good!
I admit that the beginning was a bit over the top but at least it was actually a part of the overall story, not just some crazy shenanigans for the sake of crazy shenanigans, so there's that.
Overall, this movie made me grin when it ended which is all one can ask for from the last movie in a series, right?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
South Korea really upped their ante lately when it comes to BL dramas. Though short, most of them hit just the right spot with me. And this one was no different. Why?Because it ended up going in a completely different direction than I thought at first. I thought that Jaeyoung would be your typical jerk and Sangwoo the soft and emotional woobie or... whatever. But no. Jaeyoung turned out to be much softer and sweeter and Sangwoo much more cynical and clinical that I expected. It sure made for a very interesting storytelling.
The story itself was very standard, there was nothing exceptional or all that original about it - for original or downright weird and twisty stuff one really has to dig into Japanese BL - but the characters sure elevated the whole thing, they made me smile while watching which is always a big plus for me.
Overall, a sweet story. Loved it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Oh, wow. Korea is sure on fire with their BL dramas. Sure, they’re very short but it’s quality entertainment, well written and well acted stories. And with each one they raise the bar. Incredible.With this one, I wasn’t sure what to think of the characters at first. Kang Seo Joon seemed like your typical spoiled rich airhead whereas Han Ji Woo was his typical cold and stand-offish counterpart. But then... Then it turned out that Seo Joon was sweet and kind, immensely capable at handling his affairs and all around just a really good egg. And Ji Woo wasn’t so much cold as so very, very afraid of getting hurt that he would rather prefer not to let anyone in. Until Seo Joon happened, that is, someone willing to go the extra mile and climb over all the walls that Ji Woo erected around himself to protect his heart. Wonderful.
My favorite moments happened towards the end of the drama. When Kang Seo Joon stood up for himself and let the reporter have the CCTV vid. When Han Ji Woo realized that his boss planned to blackmail Seo Joon, that it was someone from his life who threatened Seo Joon this time. When Seo Joon came to deal with Ji Woo’s boss - Ji Woo’s face! When Seo Joon wouldn’t let Ji Woo push him away, saying (basically), “If you can’t come to me, I’ll come to you.” The whole of episode 9, of course, their soft intimacy...
But also the whole plot with Kang Seo Joon’s panic attacks, the way Ji Woo did his best to protect Seo Joon from the triggers once he realized what was going on. Seo Joon’s manager’s and his boss’ reactions when they realized that Seo Joon was still suffering from them and he just kept it to himself. That was wonderful and it gave the drama depth.
I think this is a drama that demands a re-watch once you reach the end and understand all the characters better. Because then you go all, “Oh!” in certain places and it makes the story seem all the richer.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I’m not sure if you can actually call it a “series” considering it’s just 3 barely 15 min. long episodes - you can find them on YT subbed under WarperTV - but it’s so good. Very dark, very, very tragic but also very good. A pretty simple and straightforward story but told in a very weird, almost convoluted way. Beware, though, it’s a horror tale and not a happy one, not in the slightest! Also, the story is pretty much carried by Jeff Satur and Gameplay Garnpaphon’s insane chemistry - if you have seen Ingredients then you know what I’m talking about. Here they also play lovers and, holy smokes! Now I really can’t wait to see them in Kinnporsche, hopefully playing a couple again! They’re both such amazing actors that you really get Peem’s anger and sadness and Mike’s anger and grief and guilt when he realizes what he’s done, that he took out his anger on the wrong person. Gosh, it’s heartbreaking.
Was this review helpful to you?
My favorite characters were Newwiee’s Win and Namtan Tipnaree’s Pat but for very different reasons. Where Pat was consistently good and likable and sweet and understanding - Win was the character who went through the most obvious change: he started as a spoiled, selfish and rather entitled brat and throughout the drama he learned to be kind and considerate, to apologize for his mistakes and right the wrongs he did. It was a truly fascinating journey.
After several Thai dramas that felt like candyfloss - sweet but empty - this one was a good change of pace. Yes, it was still silly but I loved the family arc and many of the emotional scenes really hit me, they were so well acted I honestly bawled. I’m very glad that I watched this drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Why, oh why couldn’t this Cdrama have focused on Mi Kaka and Qi Mu and their conflict with Poker? Why did it have to focus on Edison who, despite being a spy and a traitor, was the most boring character of the whole drama? Seriously, this could’ve been so, so awesome. As it is, it’s barely a 6/10 drama and that mainly because I really liked Mi Kaka and his relationship with his big brother, Mi Jie, and the madman that was Qi Mu…So, if I get it right, the secret organization called Poker had built a machine that could calculate anything, even the future. But it needed a human brain to work. And for that, there were two candidates, two kids: Qi Mu - and Mi Kaka. Qi Mu’s mother willingly gave her child up but Mi Kaka’s parents tried to save him - they died in a fire, though. It was his older brother who pulled little Kaka out of that fire and since then, he’d been keeping his existence a secret. But because he never told Kaka any of that, Kaka didn’t know what was happening. Sure, he did feel that something was wrong which is why he kept his real intelligence secret, even from his big brother, but not knowing about Poker, he started playing their computer game, Inference Notes, the one they used to ferret out really smart people all around the world and because he excelled in it, Poker - and Qi Mu - found him…
Gosh, if the drama had focused on that, it would’ve been just about perfect. Qi Mu’s obsession with Mi Kaka - the ending, when Mi Jie saw Qi Mu’s drawing of Kaka! O.o - and Mi Kaka’s relationship with his brother, those were namely the saving graces of this series. And the wasted potential just miffs me to no end… Argh!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
At first, I really liked this drama. There's space for cute dramas just like there's space for realism and/or angst. One isn't better than the other, it really depends on what mood you're in. So...Like I said, at first, I really liked it. But the longer it went, the less I understood Aoki and by the end, he really got on my nerves. IMHO, Ida hat the patience of a saint. I mean, after one date, Aoki already wanted a love declaration but at the same time, he wanted Ida to lie to his friends about dating him. He wanted to hear Ida say that he loved him, but when Ida did, Aoki told him not to say it out loud like that because it was embarrassing. It felt like Aoki truly didn't know what he wanted and it was no wonder that Ida was so confused. It was really irritating. Aoki could be very kind and selfless but also a complete idiot and the latter was far more prevalent in the second half.
Overall, it wasn't a bad series but not really something memorable.
Was this review helpful to you?