I was hesitant with good reason.

I initially skipped this, then with some free time I decided to try it. Couldn't make it all the way through, skipped a lot in each episode. I'll break it down why starting with;

THE GOOD;
1. Visually appealing. Budget was obviously not bad for this.
2. Sky was (for the most part) a likeable and fairly grounded character.
3. The kissing scenes (only, and not including the very, very, veeeery long lean in shots leading up to most kisses) didn't feel forced, especially between and Sky and Prapai.
4. ...I can't think of anything else.

THE BAD;
1. Rain (as an overall character) was not likeable and his stupid, flakey, flip flopping and nonsensical hot cold 'wtf is going on' behavior was very tedious. I thought it was impossible to get worse, but then the writers drowned the character in cringeworthy tropes during the couple arc with Payu and wow, it was so awful. NB: only really bad writers make their characters declare out aloud to random people (and TOTALLY uncalled for) that only their boyfriend can screw them. That is terrible. And it's not sexy. Self respect is attractive! At least to me.

2. 'Badass' characters should be written in a 'less is more' vain please. I did not at all find any of the bikers, and certainly not Payu and Prapai to be badasses or badboys or whatever. I mean, they looked cool most of the time, but that was about it.

3. The editing. Abrupt cuts scenes and background music abound. There is no flow here. Just 'something happe- cut to a different scene, lose the atmosphere, carry on'. Feels like a rush job. There's an art in cutting a scene at the right moment or fading it out, the editing here didn't flow well in many scenes. Also using boom mics will fix that noisy mic jostling sound that is heard when the actors are making close physical contact.

4. TROPE TROPE TROPE and none executed particularly well, if at all. I am not against tropes, some can be fun and enjoyable if they're done nicely, but no. Just no.

5. So many people are just gay all the way, and in such tight circles. Not realistic. I'm a supporter of sexual fluidity, but if we're basing a show in a factual setting, let's try not to write out fangirl daydreams maybe.

THE UGLY;
1. I don't get why in many BL shows these days things have to be rapey or have unequal power dynamics being abused or enforced. It's not attractive, it's not appealing, it's cringe and it's ugly. I won't comment again on the disaster writing of Rain, but when it came to Sky, I think portraying him as being a little easy would have been better than portraying it as him sleeping with Prapai under some kind of duress. As for his history, well I guess they kind of tried to explain something with that but missed the mark. And making Prapai essentially a stalker was very weird too. Generally, that behaviour would lead to a retraining order guys.

FINAL THOUGHTS;
Over all, both main character pairings had underlying 'manipulated and coerced' vibes. Icky. I would not recc this. Go watch Semantic Error instead!

I don't blame the actors, they follow the script and the director!! I believe they tried their best!

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Great acting, likeable characters

[REWATCHED SPECIAL EDITION 2024]

All around enjoyed this. All characters likeable, easy on the cliche's, good acting and a nice dose of humor. Definitely would watch a side story about Doctor Pei Shou Yi. He might just be favourite character in this show, despite being a supporting role. The pairing of Zhou Shu Yi and Gao Shi De had a nice organic feel, they genuinely seemed like two young guys trying to figure out their drama, but there weren't any melodramatics that felt forced. I also liked that the humor and feel of this was a little anime-esque during some scenes, which was fun. Especially some of Zhou Shu Yi's moments and facial expressions. It was a great watch. Looking forward to more.

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It hit more than it missed, and overall it wrapped up well.

THE GOOD:
- Production value and acting all checks out. The pacing started out really good and only petered out at the end of the last quarter when it got a little cut and rushed.
- The story was heartfelt and emotional with some interesting and good characters and the entire cast carried it well. For people prone to being moved by these types of shows, there will definitely be crying.
- The plot is not heavy or dramatic, but still interesting and engaging, and the actor of Day really did well in his role as a blind person.
- The secondary, and even the third couple, were likeable through and through, great support couples.
- Very rom com ending, not an unexpected thing but not a bad thing either.
- The ML's suit each other and have good chemistry.
- Plenty of corny romantic lines for those who like that sort of thing.

There isn't anything BAD per se, but rather:
THE SHORTFALLS:
- Unpopular opinion: the break up was DUMB, and it was just a writers cop out. They tried to explain it in ep12, why the break up was 'necessary' but tbr, it was just the writers way of managing a time skip for individual character maturation and realizations in the limited episode time. Same sh*t they pulled in Step by Step 🙄 ya'll remember? In Last Twilight, the issue seemed to be not enough episodes for Day and Mhok to optimistically choose a long distance relationship, which could have gradually grown distant as they matured separately far away from each other. Instead they kept it quick and angsty. A little cheap, no?
- Kind of a 'fairytale' ending, which was a let down. Day getting his eyesight back not long after they got back together felt...empty. Predictable sure, that doesn't have to be a bad thing, except it was also less meaningful. For me anyway.

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Phojai. Just her. She was a highlight.
- I liked how Mhok dropped his presence to Day before he closed the taxi door in ep 12, smoooooth.

I can't claim that this show is rave worthy, perhaps because the 'feel good emotional romance' type of story generally bores me, or just because episodes 11 and 12 didn't quite hold up imo. But from an objective point of view, this was a very good BL, especially when compared to other shows in similar slice-of-life-romance-with-a-side-of-angst vein. It also had good acting and a really solid start, the first 8 or so eps were all on the rise, but it missed a few marks after the relationship began being properly established and the writers had to find a way to add angst to it for a closing arc. I know there is a template followed for these kinds of stories, but I do think things need to feel organic and original in someway. The ending of LT didn't really stand out, but hey, it was 'feel good' for sure.

(Edit: I've seen that there's a lot of back and forth about whether it was a good ending for Day to get his sight back, and I just wanna' add to this review, that for me it wasn't THAT he got his sight back. He was on the donor list, we knew from the start he wanted the transplant, and of course, why wouldn't he want to? That's not the issue.

It was the ridiculous rush and timing of it happening. Too 'fairytale' and way too convenient too. I would have preferred, seeing as how the writers were fine with time skips, that after Day and Mhok had already been together for a few years, maybe even living together and doing well, that a donor became available.

I would have LOVED to see that after he'd lived a few years happily with Mhok despite his being blind, for the show to END at the moment where his family is waiting as the bandages are taken off his eyes in the hospital and maybe Mhok's face is the first thing he sees and he smiles and says "I can see." and close scene. Happy, emotional, meaningful and it just ends there. I didn't need to see how 'normal' his life could be with him as a seeing person, we already know life is easier if we can see. The show was, to a large extent, about him being a non-seeing person and coming to terms with it, so I felt there was no need to show that ending of 12. In the end, two hospital eye reveals cheapened the emotion, ending where we knew he got his vision back would have been enough for me without messing with the tone of the show.)

Basically, I wouldn't watch it again, but I would rec it as worth a one time watch. ✌️

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It's Actually Very Well Done, a reccommended watch!

This is a genuinely good story. From what I've seen in comments and such, I think there was a bad translation or some people misunderstood Amber's condition But if you watch a good translation and also if you understand Amber's condition, I think only then can this story really be appreciated. Here's my breakdown;

THE GOOD;
- The acting is great, the chemistry is great, no complaints about anyone. Not about the friendships or pairings.
- The pace for this was GREAT. Some people said it was slow but I disagree. The topic of this series was not something where the main couple needed to fall in love in a heartbeat. It would have been unfitting. I was very glad there was no abrupt or premature romantic physical interaction. This story included a pretty complicated situation and it was handled well.
- Original story idea in this genre, very refreshing. I admit I started to figure out Amber's situation around episode 5, the hints they were dropping were not that small after all, but yet it was still quite subtle in its own way.
- Overall music and atmosphere of the show was suitable.

I have no 'BAD' or 'UGLY' to mention, so I will just address;
THE SHORTFALL;
- It was not explained well enough that Amber is intersex. In the translation I watched, Amber explains to Yu-He that he 'was always male' and that he was born with a 'chromosome abnormality'. To me, this made it obvious he was intersex-genetically male, but in general, it doesn't explain much to a general audience. Even though some people would know what he meant, I think the show would have benefited from explaining it to all viewers more clearly.
I think though, that maybe they kept it vague because explaining too technically would have ruined the atmosphere of the show for some, so it was a double edged sword in that way.

It's barely a shortfall though, because I still thoroughly enjoyed this. I was feeling feels, especially in episode 11, man. Damn.

Side note about Amber for anyone who wants to read:
Amber was born intersex-genetically male, which means he was likely born with ambiguous genitalia which appeared more female than male. In the show he says 'I have a chromosome abnormality which was why I looked like a girl'. I think he was not referring to his outward appearance of dresses and long hair, he was referring to something more specific. So after being examined by doctors as a child, they probably realized the outside didn't match the inside (i.e; genitalia appeared more female but internally he was male). He also says something about learning how to be a real male, so I assume the 'treatment' he underwent likely referred to the process (both mental and physical) of making his genetic male sex status more predominant, since he'd been raised as a girl for several years.
For more info, if your interested, Google 46,XY DSD.

This is a good show, I'd enjoy a sequel if they make one, but it's fine as it is.

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Not memorable, but a good one time watch

As far as dramas go, this was a good once over. I wouldn't watch it again, but I have no regrets that I took the time to watch it.

THE GOOD;
Good acting 95% of the time. The three main characters did great in their respective roles, although Huang Xuan as Gao Bing Zhu definitely stood out from the other two mains. Additionally, Zhang Li as Yao Niang, despite her short time in the show, also really stood out during her most prominent scene . Some side characters were not interesting/necessary, some were totally pointless and annoying, but some others were really likeable, such as Bai Lang and Shen Fei, who were necessary in the plot while also just being likeable characters. Shen Fei's death was a pity. Most other plot necessary characters were well cast, too, imo.

The cinematography was great as well. The scenery looked full and complete since the CGI was nicely done and the over all show's appearance was very attractive in the visual department. Music was fine, suitable and not overpowering in the scenes. The plot was predictable to a certain extent, but it was executed well enough that it was still interesting to watch.

THE BAD (or rather, not so good);
A bit of filler here and there that could have been nixed. Romances (that didn't have room to be properly developed) that could have been nixed. A few plot holes or loose ends or unrealistically handled scenarios, but that is not such a big deal, it happens. Last minute saves of main characters from being injured was no good, too predictable, lacks suspense and intensity. But the abrupt death of Siyue was probably the least necessary thing. It felt like a slap-dash sacrifice thrown in at the end to make the struggle for victory really hit the viewers right in the feels, which for me, it did not.

Which brings me to what I consider the biggest issue with a series of 39 eps; I did not actually get attached to a single character in the show. For example, I am a fan of Wang Yibo, but I truly did not particularly care if his character got injured or was killed. I was not caught up in his character at all. Same for the other characters. The show failed to drag me into it emotionally and I don't think this drama story is memorable. It might be the plot or the lack of suspense, but I just wasn't feeling it.

HIGHLIGHTS;
Great visuals on all fronts, nice fight scenes and no reasons to dislike the main three characters.

OVERALL;
I'd say it's a decent one time watch. I don't think most people will be riveted or will feel a major attachment to the characters or story, but it's still entertaining. I also enjoyed Huang Xuan's acting, and since I didn't know him as an actor before this, it was a nice surprise.

Give it a shot if you enjoy action/fight scenes, some humor and a bit of a whoREALLYdunit.

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This show might just be perfect.

I can rarely watch a show more than once, but I've watched this twice and could probably watch it again a few more times without getting bored and despite it being 50 episodes long, it's THAT good. Despite the changes and deviations from the novel, this show still managed to tell a fantastic and interesting story, it goes beyond being a BL drama, it's a genuinely great story and plot which just happens to have an incredible same-sex lead couple, that's how I saw it. Censorship aside, the actors who play Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are brilliant at letting the audience know they're (ultimately) more than friends in the moments where it counts. It's excellent and doesn't detract or feel like an aside from the story plot, in fact, their relationship is what brings the entire plot together so well. The pace and narrative are all on point, the cliche's are few and subtle enough to not be annoying and the chemistry between all of the main cast members was comfortable and organic, whether friend or foe in the show. BL fan or not, this show is worth watching.

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Best Quality Thai BL to Date

This show is definitely the best quality Thai BL to date, and it also outshines many other countries BL's for the quality of the story, acting and production value. Let's break it down:

THE GOOD:
- With regards to acting, they all had their designated roles and respective range of emotions to portray and they nailed it.
- For casting, no one was lacking, honestly. I personally really liked Jom, he was a mature ML the likes of which is very rare in BL's in general. In BL's the ML's (especially the 'sub' ML) are usually overly emotional, foolish, unreasonable or just don't have much control over doing things sensibly and sometimes they even lack dignity, but Jom was very centered and self respecting which was just fantastic imo. I really think we should see more of that.
- The story felt very complete imo and the production value was good for the show too, the location for shooting was very suitable and believable.
- The characters in this are all very likeable, honestly, and their relationships and relationship developments were so well paced and portrayed. From the 'higher class' to the 'slaves', all of the relationships and friendships had their own depth and importance to the story.
- The supernatural nature of this story was well written, and it was just enough to be a little eerie and interesting, but subtle as well, not overdone.
- The ML's chemistry was spot on. A sensual approach to intimacy more than a sexual one, so it was sexy but also emotional and quite beautiful.
- The secondary couple was GL, which was such a nice change and so well portrayed as well, also good chemistry.
- The choice Ueang Phueng made to terminate her pregnancy was well written and portrayed well, it was also an important story line with a final decision that was totally understandable and I think it was another very mature detail in this show.
- There was no overly predictable scenes and especially no awkward, comical long drawn out slow mo scenes. Also, everyone wasn't conveniently in everyone else's business all the time for no good reason.

There was no BAD or UGLY in this.

HIGHLIGHT:
- The emotional depth of this was great and wasn't buried under the idea, and in favour of, the show technically being a BL.

I would 100% recc watching this.

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Many hits and also many misses, but the acting still carried this season home.

[REWATCHED SPECIAL EDITION 2024]

It's best not to compare it to the first season since the time skip and atmosphere of years past and adulthood change the story and character dynamics quite a bit. Personally I prefer the second season for the improved maturity level of the characters and storyline.

So, as a standalone season;
THE GOOD: I liked that they aimed for a mature atmosphere. The 'youngsters in love' trope gets old really fast, and in season 2, everyone is grown up and their emotions are not all over the place, their reactions to each other are more well portrayed as well. Of the main pairing, GSD in particular, doesn't come across as childish or immature (although he didn't really in S01 either). Also, all the actors maintain great chemistry and their on screen interactions are comfortable (both platonic and non-platonic). The sets are nice, modern and tidy, the story has pleasantly domestic scenes and everyone has a day job, like normal people do. The writers are also quite clearly trying to write something different than the usual, involving a variety of personal and interpersonal problems, some social issues, health problems, an active work environment, complicated parental relationships, etc. And it comes across quite well, mostly, however...

A little too much plot, too little time...
THE BAD: Too much going on, so nothing really gets properly developed or given enough time to feel as organic as it could, because in six short episodes, it can't really work that well. Excess plot ideas are also a problem, they tried a little too hard to keep it 'interesting' and instead succeeded in making it feel cluttered and messy in a many places. For one thing, GSD and ZSY moved on quite quickly from what had previously been then entire future plot at the end of S01. I did manage to surmise that Bing Wei and SZY were in a relationship, but I didn't get the vibe that they were in a 'stable' relationship, because we barely see these two interacting and honestly, SZY acts like a d*** to Bei Wing most of the time. And as for PSY and Yu Zhen Xuan...

Not enough time or research for my tastes, since I'm a stickler for detail and I like psychology based themes and ideas...
THE UGLY: It's a cute pairing in theory, but a pairing between two people with psychiatric problems needs its own fricken show, and getting a happy ending is very, very unlikely. A story like this would be fantastic, but it's not something you slip in as a side story, and especially not an inaccurately portrayed side story. Here we have YZX, who is an autistic character who behaves like 'L' from death note for some unknown reason, and PSY, who is written as having affective disorder and then goes on to behave as, and describe, what is actually an Empathy Disorder. It's not well thought out. The person who came up with this little plot bunny missed the mark. They should not go down that road if they can't give that story line the time and research it deserves.

That said, still a great BL series over all.
The acting is good and actually there are some specifically high acting points in s02. So, it's not a waste of time to watch it, because it is a likable show as long as you don't over-analyze it. And the cast is great.

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The hype is not accurate to the content, but the show is worth a watch.

THE GOOD:
- The acting, especially in the emotional scenes.
- Some conversations were really well written.
- Casting was good for over all good quality actors.
- I liked the film style of this, some of the cinematography was great.

THE BAD:
- Too much filler. Could have cut a lot of stuff out and the point of the story would not have been affected.
- Boring/unnecessary side couple drama
- Ill timed music, ruined some of the emotional intensity.
- One sided ML simpage. I have always hated this. (As I've said in previous reviews, if the person being simped over is not Xie Lian or Wei Wuxian levels of simp-worthy, then someone chasing them on simp level is just off putting.) Sheng Wang was not deserving of having a simp level love interest chasing him imo.
- The final scene (after credits) in ep 11 was incorrectly placed, it should have been used when the issue of whatever effect it had on Jiang Tian was going to be addressed, it ended up being utterly pointless since it served no purpose in S01.

Nothing UGLY, really.

THE HIGHLIGHT:
- Singular. Andy Chen as Gao Tian Yang. Talk about casting a ML standard actor as a support character.

------

If they make a s02, I will watch it (because the acting is really good), but I do hope they drop the excess filler and keep the story in focus, even if it means a lower episode count.
As to the whole show, considering this is a high school (and falling for their 'step bro' complicated family issues/disapproval type) teenage romance, the whole thing more or less adds up to a sensible, passable ending, but only if there is a sequel, otherwise, the ending is open ended in a totally pointless way.

I can't rate it more than a 7.5/10 though, because personally, the drawbacks (BAD) mentioned above were not compensated for, even by the great acting. Especially the biggest ick for me, JT's continually increasing level of simpage. It was off putting, I mean, having a mini emotional episode because his crush moved to a different classroom is just, well, sad. And not in the 'aw sweet' way, in the 'ugh, seriously?' way.

Over all, it was not a waste of time to watch this, but it took some patience. It'll suit some viewers tastes and press the patience buttons of others, but whether you skip through filler or watch every scene, it is worth a one time watch. I would very softly recc it, if you have the free time.

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It's exactly what it says on the box. If you like the packaging, the movie will satisfy.

The movie trailer for this pretty clearly implied what it was about. Basically, it's about a small faction of people working together trying to gain the advantage to win a war/battle for their side. So that's on point. This particular genre is not for everyone, you either like this kind of story or you don't, so my review will not focus on the genre of film.

THE GOOD:
- The acting of the cast is very suitable to the style of the film. For example, one of the first scenes in the beginning, in the restaurant, did a great job of immediately showing the viewer the desensitized nature of the two men when it comes to violence by way of the conversation they're having. It was a good way to set the tone for both of the characters going forward, considering their violent actions in the film thereafter.
- The cinematography is also good, there isn't an excess of music either and the director and actors did well using nuance of facial expressions, pauses, silences, looks and some props in the scenes to maintain the tense, somber aura of the film content. The wardrobe department also did well.
- The dialogue is minimal but fairly intense in most scenes and is delivered well, which again, suits the film style.
- The fight scenes were pretty well choreographed and the cinematography also did well to make it seem more intense. The second fight scene was probably the highest 'action' point in the movie. As someone who enjoys fight scenes (action content), I enjoyed it.

THE (not so) BAD:
- I'm not a fan of non-linear story lines in movies. So the back and forth, out of sync sequence of events wasn't great. I can understand sometimes jumping back to show events that were intentionally meant to be misinterpreted or happened at the same time as other important moments, but sometimes it's not necessary and it has never appealed to me. This movie unnecessarily used it in some places.
- The fight scenes had some exaggerated hitting and impact sounds, which is very on brand for a Chinese film I suppose. However, it unfortunately sounded a bit silly because fighting doesn't sound like that and it's 2023 and everyone knows that.
- The film was predictable. It became obvious quite quickly that the small main cast group were infiltrating an enemy camp undercover, and even toward the end, despite the fight scene with his 'colleague', WY's character was obviously a double agent.

THE (possibly) UGLY:
- I don't like how genuinely 'stray' the animals used in the film appeared, and I can't read Chinese so if there was some notice to say no animals were harmed in the making of the film in the credits (like in western films), someone let me know.

HIGHLIGHT:
- No over all highlight in this one for me. Although, perhaps the fact that the characters constantly had me wondering if they were going to start killing each other was a highlight to the acting, they all felt like they were on the verge of violence in some form or another in almost every scene.

PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT:
- As a fan of Wang Yibo, I think he acted well in this. It's not to be overstated, he's not breaking any moulds, but it's also not be understated, because he does very well in his physical scenes and he also manages to emote intimidation and anger really well. His 'reaction' scenes and his fight scenes were enjoyable and I would definitely prefer to see him in more films like this, where he does more acting, tests his range and where he wears less make up. And let him play a bad guy/villain ffs, he has the face and demeanor for it.

Not bad. If you like this genre, I'd say try it,

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They Understood the Assignment

I'm surprised this isn't way more popular. It's short yes, but in that short time these two ML's played out a story with more feels and chemistry than most full length BL shows these days.

THE GOOD:
- The two ML's seemed very comfortable with each other as actors, but as the episodes go on we also see the characters become more comfortable with each other.
- The writers and directors seem to know that a lot can be conveyed in simple touches, looks, smile and sweet kisses, far more effectively than any heavy petting, and they took good advantage of that.
- The dancing theme doesn't overwhelm the short story, it's only shown to a necessary degree.
- I don't know if Shi On's actor is a dancer irl, but he looked and played the part well enough to be believable.
- Once they got past their respective hang ups, the acceptance of their relationship was easy, no hemming and hawing and dragging it out.

THE (not so) BAD:
- Obviously, the episodes are very short, but this only really affected the final episode, because Hong Seok's leaving and returning happened in a rushed space of time. But that ending bit was the only real part where it felt rushed for me. Nothing major though, because the show still tied up very nicely.

Nothing ugly here, not even the 'bad' characters were really that bad. Just general crappy people.

HIGHLIGHT:
- In Hong Seok's office, that first lean in kiss, and the follow up kiss after Hong Soek pulled Shi On back, had a very intense and charged atmosphere. It was a really great first kiss scene. Too many first kisses in these shows are all slow mo, close up, too drawn out and focused on bright lighting and perfect aesthetics, but in this show, it looked like a natural scene and I felt it was acted and timed well. It achieved the feeling of the moment between the characters and it flowed smoothly.

I would recommend this for watching.

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More like Dumbstruck

I only give this a 6 because of the casting and because it seemed they made a minimal budget do what it could for the quality of shooting the scenes, I think those two things hold up quite a bit for this show on their own, everything else makes no sense.

I commented that this show is what I'd get if I ordered The Eight Sense from Wish dot com, because let's face it, visually and aesthetically, Hanjoon and Yoo Jae look like remixes of the ML's of T8S, and the show seemed to be angling for a similar editing style but it is ultimately a failure because they missed the mark by a mile.

The disjointed story and questionable characterization aside, because those are whole other issues on their own and I won't even go there, the editing of this feels like the production staff originally filmed for ten eps and then lost a bunch of footage somehow, and for whatever reason they decided not to reshoot. So they gave the job to the editing staff to put together what remained on film however they could...then the editing crew said f*ck it and quit, so they passed the job to an intern or someone's semi-popular Youtuber kid.
In the end, what we got feels like a story missing chunks of sense and scenes and a whole point.

Basically;
THE GOOD:
- The casting and acting pass muster.

THE BAD:
- The story doesn't connect much of anything to, well, anything, not even it's barely developed plot idea, and the loose ends are so numerous, legends will tell of it still unraveling even after it's long , long over.
- Yoo Jae as a ML love interest. No thanks. There are two kinds of of a-holes, one type acts like a dick but is still likeable because essentially their behaviour is mostly harmless or skin deep over all, and then there is the type who acts like a dick because they are a dick and their behaviour is trash. Yoo Jae is the latter.
- The music (while I don't generally pay much attention to it) was strange and loud in some places.
- The final two episodes are a waste of everyone's time. They could have finished it more decently on episode 6 by editing in Yoo Jae's suggestion to 'date', then time skipping to the final scene of episode 8.

It never got UGLY, because really, it never got anywhere, so...

HIGHLIGHT:
- Welp, I liked Han Joon.

I don't recc this.

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An Objective Break Down

Captains - Great selection of captains for this season. It took Henry a while to find his footing with the three other previously experienced judges, but somewhere along the way near the middle he managed to stop seeming too lost and awkward. Lay was far more relaxed this season, got to see more of his humorous side, it was a nice change. Han Geng is an instant hit for me, I didn't watch S1 and 2 but I would probably have been rooting for him back then. Wang Yibo also seemed more comfortable and interacted somewhat more, albeit differently, with the judges and dancers, than in S3. Over all, aside from the poor editing of the Let's Chat episodes, all four captains meshed really well.

Judges - Whether it was the international judges or the Chinese judges, someone is always faulty or biased in the end, it's human nature. Maybe they tried to keep it real, but in the end, some judgements continually felt a bit off and didn't always fit right.

Music - The music suffered this season, due to the international exposure they clearly tried not to blatantly over use copyrighted music, which was nice of them to consider, but it also created a major deficit on the entertainment side of things. Many of the dances had less oomph, as the dancers usually play with the music and lyrics in equal measure, but lyrics were largely missing and catchy beats as well. So expect some flatness to the music throughout season 4.

Outfits/Props - Overall money well spent, the sets, costumes and props looked great.

Length - The 3 hours shows were okay, there was enough going on to make the time pass quickly. The finale this year however, was as long, but was far worse than last year. It was too long on top of being too drawn out, too many important moments and build up interrupted with talking (so much talking) about nothing really important. They need to cut the finale literally in half going forward. Their time management and long drawn out moments are not doing them any favours.

Dancers - Fantastic dancers. Although I disagree with the over hyped opinions of some dancers (international and Chinese), they were all still incredibly talented. I feel all the dancers who made it to the final deserved to be there, mostly, give or take. Some really disappointed in their final performances though, but I won't comment on that because it's personal taste and opinion. Over all the dancers who made it to the final were generally rightfully there.

Final Judging - I do not believe the final judging was rigged, purely because rigging a finale to be so anticlimactic is just bad form. And yes, the final hour was very anticlimactic. If they were going to rig the final, they would have done better to have some suspense with the two final dancers being from different teams. Three dancers from the same team dominating the top three spots would just be poor writing (if it was scripted), because a large vacuum in the build up immediately settled when everyone knew WangZhaBoom had won prior to the final battle even happening. A scripted ending would not have been so dull. In the end, the fans of WY were happy, but viewers of the show in general certainly felt a drop in the excitement. I know I did.

The Winner - Ye Yin (David) is great, really talented, no doubt. I enjoyed watching him perform every single time. Do I personally think he deserved to win? No, I don't. Why? All else aside, going up against Yang Kai and Bouboo, Ye Yin doesn't hold up. B Boys in general outshine other dancers because what they are capable is very impressive, then there's Yang Kai, who is a B Boy who keeps rhythm very well and plays off the music. Last year's win for YK was on point. This season, while David is high energy and quick execution, he also gets repetitive and is always walking the locking line. Then there's Bouboo, who interprets music flawlessly, executes on time and in time and can dance to literally anything while still managing to stand out and keep it fun and visually appealing, even against a B Boy. When it came down to the three of them this year, I think the final should rightfully have been between Yang Kai and Bouboo. I feel like WY's reaction (or lack thereof) to David winning, was obvious about that too.

The Bad Side- Even if it had come down to Boobou and YK, possibly the foreign dancer would still not have won. And due to this noticeable possibility, I think SDC has hindered themselves from having international dancers participate earnestly in future

The Good Side - All the dancers respect each other outside of this show, and so many great dancers got to meet and dance with each other. Some moments were so fantastic, it was really great to watch as a lover of dance.

The Highlights - Some of the battles are amazing, so, so good. As well as several of the choreographed sets, really fantastic. For the final, all of the captains intro dances were on point, and Wang Jiaer showing up to perform and swag like he does so well was definitely a bonus.

Over all, S4 is worth a one time watch through. Aside from a few routines and battle sets, I wouldn't rewatch this season.

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Walks the line of 'No Hetero Explanation' with a Balancing Pole called Hǎo Péngyǒu (好朋友)

Nice show, the pacing (considering it covered 2 years in 24 eps) is actually great and if you're not expecting some over the top drama fest or action and you're settling in for a fun, funny, easy to watch, high school slice of life, then you'll enjoy this a lot.

THE GOOD:
- The acting flowed. Sometimes there were some highly cheesy friendship and character personality moments reminiscent of early PG13 Japanese animes, but they played out well enough.
- Likeable characters ALL around, shit, even that d*ck Gu Fei turned out to be alright once he got his crazy in check.
- Good humor, it's funny all the way, and cute too.
- Production costs hold up for all scenes, from the school, to their houses to where they hang out.
- The school theme doesn't drown out the characters, even though it's a huge part of the plot, well done.
- Nice OST music, catchy (albeit over used in too many scenes, as many Cn dramas do with their music)
- The actors are not teens but fuck me, I wouldn't have known they were in their twenties if I hadn't looked it up. Good casting.
- Side characters and couples didn't overwhelm the story either.
- A variety of things happen in this, all quite entertaining moment to moment.
- Consistently enjoyable from start to finish.
- The AI subs don't actually suck.
- Dusha is obvs the typical female no-homo buffer between Jinzhan and Yushu, but she's harmless and likeable.
- If someone REALLY wants to ignore the obvious censored BL coded scenes in this show, they can do so by slathering on a nice layer of Hǎo Péngyǒu to appease their no-homo needs. They're teens after all, so that somehow makes Jinzhan and Yushu's 'friendship' completely understandable. (in Asia? I'm not Asian, I don't know if teenage male friends are really like this in Asia, if so, let me know kay?)

Nothing BAD or UGLY.

The HIGHLIGHTS:
- Jinzhan! aka OUDOUDOU! What a great character, such a dilly, sweet kid.
- Jinzhao! Jinzhan's brother is just such a vibe and a mood all at once, the kind of sibling who'd be exhausting and embarrassing but great to grow up with.

9 (because all high school dramas test my attention span on some level)

I recc it for a one time watch for sure, two times if this genre is up your alley!

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Personal side note:

Maybe it's just cause I'm western, but as with other forced bromance Chinese dramas, the way these MLs interact ain't how male best friends behave with each other as far as I have ever known or experienced.
But anyhow, in an ideal BL world, censorship in Cn would finally drop and we'd get sequels to so many forced bromances. This would be one if them, I'd hope, because I'd really enjoy watching a college based series of these two figuring out that they're not just friends.

I do think this series got away with A LOT more physical touch between the ML's than other 'bromances' because firstly, being teens in high school apparently means it's friendship for two boys to be so close and touchy, and secondly, this show isn't well known, hence not drawing too much attention to it which has proven to be a problem with shows like Justice in the Dark (pulled off air), The Spirealm (pulled off air but rebroadcast outside of China) and Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (pulled off air but rebroadcast outside of China) so it didn't garner a lot of attention and over trigger the censors. Thirdly, they obviously DID cut some scenes between the MLs to get this broadcast, it's obvious (and regrettable) and fourthly, they chased every other close moment between the MLs with Hǎo Péngyǒu' and an extra character showing up like their broadcasting rights depended on it...oh wait.

Hehe.

But ya'll, of all the moments in the show, in the end and in my opinion, there is no hetero explanation for ep 24 @ 26.14 to 26.23, as well as how YuShu's looking at Jinzhan at 28.00. No friend I've ever known acted that way around me 😂 and if they had, shit would have been AWKWARD, unless, well, you know, someone's into it.

Ah well, fight me.

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The Messiness of Mixing Business, Pleasure and Family

It was really good. A story with a simple moral/warning that people know well but still don't heed, is that family, business and pleasure do not mix well and this 12 ep drama manages to tell the story of multiple people who do exactly that, mixing it all together in the worst possible way, and we see just how it destroys some relationships, brings some people dubiously closer and leaves a mess in it's wake for all involved.

THE GOOD:
- The acting of everyone in this is absolutely above the standard, no one got left behind on that front. The dialogue has a specific flow and tone that can easily convey the atmosphere and scenes and the actors all really nailed it.
- Likewise, I think the director of this also knew what they were doing. The flow of the narrative and the scenes were all so well timed and depicted.
- The editing and cinematography were great too. I have always preferred shows that don't drown their scenes in long drawn out shots and music. In real life, there is no sad soundtrack when bad things are happening and the deafening silence in a terrible moment is oftentimes what really makes the moment worse. I think this show had silences exactly where it was necessary and they were weighted and poignant. Also the scene cuts were good and not all over the place episodically, they actually line up well according to the timeline of the outing duration.
- Interesting yet relatable characters abound for most people. The human condition on display, well and quite realistically written.
- It was entertaining, which for any show is a must.
- Some of the conversations here are pretty interesting, insightful and highlight some good points about people and relationships.

Nothing BAD, just notes on the downside:
- I didn't like the lip syncing outro. That is a bit too extra. I mean, music is a great thing to listen to when someone is in a mood, but those scenes would have been less cheesy if the relevant people lip syncing had instead put in headphones or been listening to the song somehow and wallowing. This is just my irritation though, it doesn't affect the show at all.
- Ari's issue wasn't entirely clear in the end, I feel like she's the only one who's actual problem/actions were not too clearly defined, we needed some clarity there. Although, conclusions can be drawn, but they are vague.

THE HIGHLIGHTS:
- For me; MAXIIIN <3
- I also like Nonkul, so secondary <3
- THE ACTING. Kudos to everyone on the cast.

They honestly probably could do more with this series, because the fallout and aftermath of these situations could fuel a soap opera-esque miniseries, but even as it ended, it's fine. I really enjoyed this and I would definitely recommend it for viewers who are not here for ships, just for your fave actors or just for the hope of BL or GL scenes, watch it for the story and acting, because it's actually really good.

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