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Pinoy Ares
FORGET THEM NOT!
Just when you thought you finally moved on from the heartache of not seeing these love teams, GMMTV gave us this series to make us crazy over these guys, all over again.The whole series is essentially a look at what our favorite couples have been doing years after their original series ended, banking on nostalgia for viewers' pleasure. Each episodes are all well made and is more like a movie rather than a series.
What I love is some of the episodes actually gave us closure to some of the couples' stories. In fact, we can argue that some of the episodes are maybe better than their parent series. It is very evident that these pairings are comfortable with each other, and they all look like they are enjoying themselves - they set the gold standard for their dedication and fan service.
Just a reminder, no, you cant watch this without watching their respective series. I didnt exactly love all of the original series, but I did love all these 5 couples in them, so watch them first, then top it all up with this.
What i hate about the series is it made me long for these couples once again, I thought i was over missing them and then here they are being cute and all, and after an hour i have to face the withrawal syndrome of not seeing them in these characters once again. I just hope they made each episodes longer maybe 2 hours each. Yes, I know I want more, and I know Im selfish.
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It is just one of the many 'what the f' moments, and there was a lot.
First the story - a love story with a supernatural twist and that's what brought me to the series. It was slowly setting up the mistery and then midway i felt duped into watching the show - the supernatural elements was so scarce (or was intentionally dialed down) that you almost dont feel it. To add to the insult, none of that was explained, not in the tiniest bit. The writers are just taking the viewers for a ride and they think you'd be ok with it. Seriously, more on that in the end of this review. Also, the way people grieve for their dead in the series is just over the top, its as if their love ones died just recently when the fact of the matter is, both featured loved ones died at least 5 years before the present time.
Second, the characters. Runway is pretending to be an angel but a user in real life. Dream is a perverted being. Guide is a 'confused' gay guy with a mustache. Yim is, i dont know what Yim is, you take advantage of him and he will say thank you. Yaimai is a martyr pretending to be a mean girl. Good may be the only good one here. Elle is a shapeshifting homecrasher/homewrecker demon. Oh there's also a rapist and a crazy mother. Did i mention 5 of them are in a love pentagon?
I do appreciate that they tried to do a series without any real antagonists and that comflicts and complications were the result of the characters acrions rather than creating fake bitches and villains.
The pacing was so painstakingly slow where in some episodes nothing really happens and then they just insert one small moment to tease the audience. Its like they had a story in mind and then the producers had a brilliant idea that this series can go on for three seasons and instead of thingking of new twists to the plot they just decided to cut their story into three parts and stretched the middle part into these 12 very long episodes. Yes this is the middle part because apparently from the teaser there is SUPPOSED to be a next season which is going to be a prequel of some sort. Whats worst, like i mentioned earlier, is when you realize in the end that nothing will be resolved and explained after very slowly building up the events, not even a single happy ending. To add salt to the injury, it looks like there is no more second season so yeah full marks for leaving all the stories hanging and bailing on the viewers.
I finished the series screaming to the telly "what the effin f**k?"
Stay away from this one. Dont even think about trying it. I wasted my time to see it so you dont have to waste yours. You are warned.
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This review may contain spoilers
Started out fun and engaging, even the cinematography (the yellowish filter which reminded me of the horror movies in the 2000s, i thought Sadako was gonna spring out out of nowhere) is A grade, Then somehow it got a little boring in the middle and then i realized i wasnt even looking forward to any of the episodes anymore, i just finished watching just for the sake of finishing the series.One big problem is the chemistry between Sahara and Toki. I dont mind and i actually like the awkward overacting, but they just didnt show enough to make me care about their characters and to root for the relationship. I didnt even understand the 'slap in the back' thingy which were supposed to be a thing of affection considering those were such strong slaps and didnt they say Sahara has (or had) a back injury?
The addition of Nekoto- and for goodness sake his emo hair is so annoying - n the last few episodes even made the show worse, no wonder why Sahara chose Toki isntead of him.
Let me get this out of the way too. The idea of a teacher getting into a relationship with a high school student is very cringy layered with too many inappropriateness that gets worse when being romanticized. I am not a conservative but this is not something that i would feel comfortable seeing in real life no matter how small the age gap is.
Is this something that happens normally in Japan and i wonder what is the targeted demographic for these kind of contents? it smells of something predatory.
The fact that this is the second Japanese BL within the past 6 months with this age gap (the other one is One Room Angel) kinda bothered me a little. One other BL with this kind of premise is Minato's Laundromat (with not just one but 2 of this kind of relationship) and that even got a second season. In these series, they show the younger leads vehemently pursuing the older guys, and they make you think it is ok. I somehow feel its not. These 3 series features younger HIGH SCHOOL male leads being partnered with adult guys (to be fair Minato's Laundromat handled it better) Im not against big age gap between partners but i think we have to be reminded that these high school students are STILL kids compared to the older guys they are running after. At least make both characters "adult" even if you make a 20-year age gap then it might be ok.
Overall, its a 6.5 for me. This is a series i wont even remember after a few months, and its not even entertaining enough to be rewatched.
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GREAT ACTING IN A PAINFULLY SLOW SERIES
If they made this a short series with 6 to 8 episodes i would totally eat this show. The painfully slow and repetitive execution has wasted talented new actors.The very good: the characters and the acting. I just love everyone, I think there was a treasure of character here that could have made the story so much richer. Add to thr fact that eventhough these are relative newbie actors, they all acted so naturally.
The so-so: the story. Started with a good overall plot, and then it became boring. And then they gifted us with Pangs couple, and then they bored us with it too. And then that final act - stretched in 4 to 5 episodes.
The really bad: the execution. For the love of the forces above, who gave them the idea that its fun to watch a series of about 14 20-minute episodes where there was almost nothing new happening every week. Waiting for episodes weekly is painful but for it to be uneventful was like torture. Adding salt to the injury is the unending reuse of footages disguised as mystery revelations but is just there to explain what actually happened as if viewers are kindergartens. Long intro, then a recap, then the repetitious episodes as if the recap isnt enough and then the long outro - you can just imagine how much time is left for the new content. If they transformed it into a mini series with about 6 to 8 episodes they could have given us a very solid series.
Will i rewatch- of course not, why would i subject myself to the pain again.
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The only problem is the continuity of the show. Is continuity too hard to remember by the writers? In the previous series:
1. It was revealed that the friends knew about PeteKao in the Kiss series, why the F did they forget about it in this series?
2. Kao was intially portrayed as a photographer in Kiss me Again, even being able to take a job because of it. But then here they showed Pete as the photographer and Kao was acting like he didnt know how to use professional camera, even asking Pete to teach him.
3. The houses - pete and Kao's houses were entirely different from the other series. I know Pete is rich, but then here they are kind of showing that Kao is not as rich. Did they become poorer to end up selling their house from KissMeAgain?
And then again, ill say it one more time TayNew is reason enough for me to watch the show, so im giving it an 8.5. Please, if anybody can tell me where to buy Pete, im in desperate need of one.
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The title says it all - Its an entire series about the SOTUS tradition, if you are looking for romance/love story, i feel like there was too little of it here. Kudos, at least for trying to show something a little bit different.
The strength of this series is the cast. Krist and Singto, and even all the support did a good job.
However, 20 episodes for the whole series is just way too much and I think they could squeeze the entire show into 10 episodes and it will still convey the same message. It feels like there were so many over extended scenes to fill up the time.
Lastly, the actual love relationship between the 2 main cast didnt really develop until the last few episodes leaving them with little time to actually portray the love story - there was almost no intimate scenes. Its like the characters stayed in the closet for too long and didnt want to ever go out. Even when they were alone there was almost no intimacy, leaving me to question if its really love or just bromance.
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This review may contain spoilers
Have you ever watched a show that made you feel like you are a dirty pedophile? If not, and if you are looking for one, then this one is for you!Before anything, lets talk about the good things:
1.Newyear and Jur's King and Burger. Newyear somehow reminded me of a young Ohm and Jur's obvious over acting is endearing. I think the series will have a more positive reaction had they made them the focus of this show.
2. Is there a number 2?
Truth be told, I cant tell how anyone behind the show thought this was a good idea. This series is so reminiscent of the director's past works- Make it Right and What the Duck, but it seems like they never learned their lesson and instead amplified what people hated from those shows. Now lets talk about the not so good things:
1. The story. Cramming so many things within a 6 episode show is just too much, plus you really cant tell what the show is about. Is it a love series? Is it a murder mystery series?
2. Just like Love Sick 2, they managed to add another 2 of the most annoying characters ever on a tv show. There's no need to explain why Bookko's teacher is so despicable. And there's Mint's Pakaiwan. Also, special honorable mention to Ning's Pimtha, because
3. I really dont understand why some showrunners are so intent on making girls the villains in a boy-love series. Adding hate-able female characters doesnt automatically make viewers accept boy-love, if anything, its just lazy writing.
4. Speaking of lazy writing- this one seems like a mash up of a few other shows but is much more poorly executed. It is quite obvious that Burger King's story is derivative of Kieta Hatsukoi and there's an abvious attempt to make this into an Agatha Christie show.
5. I mentioned earlier that this show can make you feel like a dirty pedophile - the short shorts (it somehow felt like shorter shorts from Make it Right) is just too much and way too distracting. There was also quite a lot of disturbing shirtless scenes. I remember i was cringing during that scene when King removed his shirt and is trying to strip Burger - they obviously doesnt have what it takes to do that mature scene (they look like naked 10 year olds with those tiny bodies) but to force it does not look sexy, at all.
6. Bigboss' permanently constipated puppy sad look face. No matter what scene he is in, its the same sad face.
7. If they're planning season 2, which we all know is coming despite all the company's drama, I sincerely hoped they kept Pakaiwan dead because we dont need to see her anynore.
What's sad is there are hints that this could be a much better show. Overall, if you lower your expectations, it is still watchable and because of Burger and King i will give it a 6 (and also because i hate giving lower than that). Skip if you can only watch a few shows a week and save your viewing time for something much better.
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ITS JUST A GAY BUSINESS
This is a trap - a Business Gay Performance, and im a sucker cause I fell for it.As a KPOP fan, i loved the concept. Also, as a KPOP fan, i felt disrespected.
Like some of the other Korean BLs out there, i dont know why they couldn't just add maybe 5 or 10 more minutes in each episode to make the story a little bit more cohesive and enjoyable. Its such a waste cause there are so many hints that this could be a good show.
Its the story of an idol Eden, being selected and paired with Jihoon to be in a duo, What 's unique is that they are marketing the group as a gay lover - supposed to be just a business concept, only for the pair to really fall for each other.
There are too many characters and too many subplots but everything felt rushed. They spent so much time with the antagonist, when they could have used that time to build up the chemistry between the main leads and show us when or how the two exactly fell for each other. In episode 7 and 8, i kept checking the runtime cause it feels like the show is just rushing to go to the end and yet I still havent seen what I wanted to see between the 2 leads. Unfortunately as i feared, the show ended too soon without giving any satisying ending. This is a problem with translating a 40-chapter webtoon into an eight 15-minute drama.
It is such a shame really cause the leads are very charming - and Nine kept reminding me of a young Seo Kang Joon. They were both amatuer-ish but they both did enough to be likeable. a few times I was on the verge of really caring about their characters but the show just didnt show enough to make me really reach that level.
I wont forget that cringy scene in the plane where they were both holding hands and sleeping head to head with a smile on their faces looking so uncomfortable when they both could very well be sleeping comfortably in that cushy business class seats even if they were holding hands.
From the onset it felt like a small project conjured up to promote the idol group. The "Business Gay Performance" using homosexuality as a concept was a little bit offensive if you think about it and at first i was thinking they were trying to mock and expose it, but by the end I felt even more ashamed of myself for being a fool and falling for it, even though they were clearly saying FROM THE BEGINNING that this is a Business Gay show and nothing more.
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WHAT THE F*CK!
What the Duck should have been titled What the F*ck!This whole series is filled with a lot of 'what the freaking f*ck' moments.
I had high expectation for this series, after all its only one of the few that's not set in high school or university. In paper, that should have been a refreshing change, but instead what we get are bunch of cliches and annoying characters all rolled into one annoying series. Let me break it down by the shows couples (or triple).
First is Pop and Mo and Oat. Pop is a vain and an obviously gay guy but with a mustache of a martyr gf in Mo, who followed him in his dreamjob which he failed to get so he went for a catering job instead. This is where he met this despicable guy Oat, and because this is a BL series, of course he would fall for Oat even if nothing about this guy is worth adoring - not even a dose of redeeming quality. The fact that he dropped Mo's ass like its nothing and chose Oat is just a lazy storytelling.
Second is Pree and Rambo and Pent. These 2 (err 3) are so sexy and their sex scenes are just so hot that i wished they just made this series a soft porn movie with these 3 and remove all the other things, then id rate it a 10. Alas, they just have to give these guys speaking parts but all i can remember Pree and Rambo did was cry, cry and cry. I should mention that this couple ended their relationship because Rambo was supposed to marry this girl and Pree was so self-righteous that he cant see beyond his reasons. But then later, it was revealed that he was still inlove with another guy and is willing to pusue/steal it from his sister! And then he got the audacity to be more pissed off when he found out that Rambo had sex with other people while they were broken up. See i told you another 'what the f*ck'!
Third is the 3 stoogees. Like honestly, do they need these 3 stupid guys just to drive the plot? Their attempt (and the show's) to be funny always ends flat and these guys are really just annoying and nuissance. After watching the first two episodes, it took me months to move on to the next episode because i am just so annoyed by these 3 (and those bitchy flight stewards) that the thought of continuing watching this series just made me cringe everytime.
Did i mention that Pop is ready to give up on his dreams just because of a guy?
It is also worth mentioning that sitting through 20 friggin long episodes is just so hard to do because nothing really happens throughout. They could have condensed it to 6 or 8 episodes without losing its essence. Oh, and they left Season 1 without really finishing any storyline, meaning they are forcing you to sit through another 8 episodes which to be honest, is just so hard to do (Im trying and i really cant even finish season2's first episode after 6 tries)!
Ok, i already said way too much and i can probably say a whole lot more bad things about this series, and i guess no one would read this anyway, but if you are, and you are thingking of watching this, do yourself a favor and stay away. Just watch a rerun of Love of Siam.
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BETTER THAN EXPECTED, I WANT MORE
I love short series - if its good then your lucky, if its not then you wont feel like you wasted too much of your time. Im happy to say that this time I was pleasantly surprised with the whole series and i end up wishing there were more episodes cause i was intrigued and I wanted to see more.There were things the show got right - from the execution of the simple plot, to the entire bunch of the cute and capable cast. There is also a perfect amount of titillation of the viewers.
Should you watch it? YES. Its just about 20 min long each (give or take the opening and end credits). Its just like watching a normal full length movie. I wished there was a continuation cause when it ended I waasnt ready to let go of them yet.
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The story started out strong and there is good development throughout up until episode 8. There were less noticable cliches than other Thai BL dramas like too much unnecessary 'classmates seating together in the bench with irrelevant conversations' scenes. This is not a teenybopper show and the sexiness has even surpassed the first season.
The cast also did a good job, especially Boat and Ryu (Em and Pun). Tar also did good with the little time he was given. The weakest of the bunch is the main lead Net (Sib)- his character and his acting was annoying as hell and that says a lot considering the one supposed to be annoying is the female lead, but still, even with that mentioned, I enjoyed their delivery overall.
Just like in some of my other reviews and as a decorator in real life, id specially like to mention the good quality of the sets. The one thing i hate is that eventhough the homes were all beautifully decorated, it was too obvious that they were using the model units and all of them were in the same condominium (the logo of which appears so prominently throughout the show - this is not how you do product placement).
But like I said in the beginning and unfortunately, for me, the last 2 episodes were a mess - some of the characters were making questionable decisions while the main actor was stucked in indecisiveness. That time jump in the end was also arguably unnecessary - they cant even bother to change the looks (at least a haircut) of the 3 characters just to show that 3 years has really passed. Also, it feels like the writers cant decide who is the best match and totally blotched the ending making me feel so sorry for Em and Tar cause they totally deserved better.
I gave it an overall score of 7 stars out of 10. Would I rewatch, i dont think so, unless Pun somehow magically chooses Em.
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Season 1 was fun and engaging, this one is just a snoozefest - i cant remember how many times i dozed off while watching the entire season. This whole season is a continuation of season 1 which could have been done in 1 or 2 episodes. Scenes in each episodes are stretched far too long, just boys trying to be cute, with zero sense to what they were saying and doing.
There were so many things to hate:
1) almost all students in this boys school are gay with very few straight characters who dont even matter;
2) gay teacher who engages in online chat with student;
3) forced coupling (lukmo and yok);
4) oversexed high school student (book and frame);
5) i thought the jean issue would never end;
6) inconsistent characters (Nine, Rodtang, Fing)
7) absent parents who allow high school kids to live on their own with almost no supervision, parents who let other people care for their kid in the hospital, and those parents who are present but were mostly annoyance;
8) did i say the whole season was stretched far too long, the pacing was so slow, there were so many filler moments and just boys staring and sweettalking to each other that doest add to the whole story. By the end of this series, im also almost annoyed with the 2 main leads.
Just run away, skip this series. Just read the plot summary and be done with it, no need to torture yourself by watching this.
Im only giving this an overall 5.5 just because Ohm and Boom are so cute.
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This review may contain spoilers
RUSHED ENDING (ALMOST) RUINED THE SERIES
Big Mouth should have been an easy 9.5, but that bit - the last 10 minutes of the finale almost ruined the entire series.To be honest, this series was one of the few that i have watched and waited for every week. This is probably Lee Jong Suk's best role to date. The very first episode will snare you like a mouse to a mouse trap, and youll find yourself wanting to see and know more. It was a fantastic setup.
Not until you reached that last 10 minutes that you will realize how stupid (or incredibly smart) the creators must have thought of their viewers - that they thought they could wrap the whole 16 episodes in a few minutes. It just doesnt feel rushed, it felt like a betrayal of trust. In the risk of being spoilery, the ending felt very out of character for the main leads. After the credits rolled i have to double check if there were more upcoming episodes, because for sure they didnt just wrapped the series in less than 10minutes. Or did they?
Would it hurt to add another episode or at least extend the finale by another 30mintues?
Like i said earlier, this could be Lee Jong Suk's best role to date. Im Yoo Na was also amazing until the character wasnt. Kim Jeo Hoon is impressive as hell and gave LSJ a run for his money. Yang Kyung Won maximized his screentime until the creators relegated him into a useless minor character by the last three episodes.
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ON REPEAT PLAY! WHAT A SATISFYING ENDING To a Fantastic Series
I have to stop myself screaming while watching the finale, my sister was telling me Id wake up the whole neighborhood. Yes, Im an old guy and I screamed like a 15 year old high school girl.Even after watching the finale for the 5th time, i still feel the same way when i watched it the first time. I have never been so happy for characters in a show, and i have never been this attached to a show - im addicted!
Also, I have never been prouder for a Filipino content like i am proud of this one - ample plot, smart and timely dialogue, and above all - amazing acting from amazing actors.
After watching tens (if not a hundred) BL series, it is such a good change to see one which is not setup in a school or a universiry. The idea of social media style cinemathography is not original but was geniusly utilized here. Who knew that this idea of a love story in this time could work so well and has added to the viewers eagerness and excitement whenever the 2 characters meet. Also, what an amazing writing!
Elijah and Kokoy are both a revelation. I specially liked their little nuisances and quirkiness - its really like watching two real life gay guys and not straight guys playing gay characters. And i really really love the idea that the 2 lead characters are flat out gay and not straight guys suddenly realizing they like a guy. You see, gay characters can be good too, if it is written properly. Adriana is also such a breath of fresh air as Pearl, she is such a beautiful and lovable character, i kept seeing myself in her shoes. I just love her.
I am amazed that a small production outfit can come up with this amazing series. It is so.much better than all the shit that you on primetime TV. I am genuinely interested to see the other works of the director and/or writers.
I hope this series finds a wider audience cause they deserve it, and im really glad and cant wait for the spinoff and the season 2.
Again this is an amazing BL series , maybe one of the best BL series not just from the Philippines but from all over. Thank you so much for this.
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This review may contain spoilers
Is it a Perfect Propose(al)?
This is six-episode, too short, yet too realistic episodes of two people coming together against a world full of expectations and responsibilities. Although I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and wished they added just an episode or two (or made the episodes 5 to 10 minutes longer), I’m also afraid doing so would change the dynamics of the story. So, I’m just taking in what is given to us, and just enjoy every minute of it.Did that first paragraph make sense? If you think not, then that’s how this show is, starting with the title, shouldn’t it be "Perfect Proposal"? Somehow, a lot of the things shown in this series doesn’t make sense at all too, yet somehow, we accepted and took pleasure in it. I bet that controversial forced h*nd-j*b hooked a lot of viewers in - but who will not be, if a good-looking guy like Kai is giving it to you?
What I related most was the robotic slave nature of Hirokuni's work. Thats how I was in the real world for almost 2 decades - until I realized it was too late to change things and I’ve already missed out on a lot. Kai wasn’t only a person who needed a place to stay - Kai was also Hiro's saviour. I wish someone had saved me like that 10 or 15 years ago.
Both characters have difficulty expressing in words how they truly feel, and it’s frustrating - but that’s how we are in real life even if we don’t even realize it.
But I’m also afraid the show didn’t show me enough to make me fully understand both their situations. Flashback to their youths are so minimal and too edited, and their individual back stories are almost non-existent, that I feel like I’m just starting to unravel the mystery but never really got to the point of really caring about their characters - it’s a shame cause I feel like I want to care and know more about their individual characters and to know what happened to them as a couple.
With that said, is this a Perfect proposal? Not exactly but watching this still gave me a good feeling inside. Would I recommend this? YES! Will I rewatch? I’m not sure yet, maybe when I get bored in a layover or stuck in traffic. I also have a feeling we are going to see a lot more of these 2 fine actors in their bright future as actors. Giving this an overall score of 8.5
PS. While watching the show, i initially thought Hirokuni was being played by Thailand's Din Teerapat Ruangritkul that I had to look it up after the first episode. Their similarity is uncanny.
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