Friends Forever

What could have been huh? There's no telling though because absolutely nothing happened in the two episodes. It took an episode and a half for the contents of the synopsis to take place, leaving no room for anything else to happen.

What followed was a whole lot of flashbacks, which would've been understandable if this was a long format series with a lot of twists and turns and actual intrigue and suspense about who the murderer is. Unfortunately, since everything is incredibly obvious, the flashbacks play no role. It would have at least made sense if they were just showed once, but one scene was shown as a flashback multiple times, and this applied for several scenes.

It's a shame though, because there was absolutely no story beyond the synopsis, no proper genre you could think it is, and not even a proper conclusion to what could have been a solid miniseries.

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Over a bowl of hot soup, let's warm our souls and heal our hearts

Watching this miniseries was like getting a hug. Stories about people healing and finding new purpose in life over good food always holds a special spot for me, and this was no different.

Meen and Jeng go through this journey after Meen breaks up with his, for the lack of better words, POS ex boyfriend, and after a few fights and arguments, they find common ground over Jeng's signature dish. With each bowl they share, they flirt and they fight, and they start to figure out that there's something there. The story could have been developed way better with more episodes, there is the notion of wanting to pack an emotional punch and provide proper backstories and emotional arcs for the characters, but it's hard to do with 2 episodes.

Nevertheless, there was definitely a lot of special things about these episodes, and the prospect of the two of building a loving relationship after a few hardships and just a few days together really solidified the depth of their bond. A beautiful story

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A cute tourism ad, that does what it should

For 6 short episodes, each under 10 minutes, there isn't much to expect, but it does what it needed to do while giving us some cute, and some genuinely romantic scenes that pull on the heart strings.

The series itself is an anthology of stories promoting tourism and sustainability in Thailand, and they did a wonderful job merging the values with the story without making it seem too much like an advertisement.

The stories themselves are short, there isn't much backstory, but you can feel the connection between the leads and they're really cute. There are some sudden changes in genre, but that episode ended up being my favourite.

A short and sweet series.

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Highly ambitious, but faltered along the way

The Sign has everything I adore in a series: romance, mystery, action and that infallible touch of mythology, which is my weakness. Under these circumstances, my rating should be higher, also considering the story is interesting, the plot is airtight (plot holes are one of my peeves), and the chemistry genuinely chemistry - fies.

Not that this is a bad rating, but again, I would generally rate something like this much higher. So let me explain my thought process, starting with the mystery/action aspect. It's solid, it truly is. Albeit slightly predictable and simple, it was consistent. I genuinely loved that they solved multiple cases that umbrella - ed as one big case, and as far as I took note, there were no loose ends or plot holes. Every case they worked seamlessly tied up with the major case through the players, and it even seemed like they would link the mythological aspect to this plotline.

That's where I was wrong. Let's clear this up first: I know it's difficult to incorporate mythology/history into a fictional account. It requires tons of research, poring over books, journals, documents, and so much more. I also understand that when you're working with mythology and history, it's a difficult situation to maneuver, (especially when you're talking about two major characters who's stories have wide and varying interpretations). But there's still room to work with. Without giving away too much, let's just say I expected more. They promised grandeur and complexity, but what we got was absolutely none of that. The entire mythological plotline was tied up to the romance between the leads and not much more.

Which then leads us to.. the romance. I'm going to be completely honest, Billy and Babe, they have chemistry. I did say the chemistry chemistry - fied, and I wasn't lying. They have a hot and cold relationship in the beginning, which I'm going to chalk up to a genuine plot point, it was understandable. Even when you felt they were being bratty, frustrating or just a teensy bit hypocritical, they turned the situation around pretty smoothly and soon. It's really too bad we didn't get to see enough though. This is a totally subjective opinion, but they spent so much time focusing on solving the cases, and the mystery of their past that there was barely any romance. At least for me. And I know it's ironic because I said I appreciated the well developed story, but I wanted romance as well. That's more of a me thing, but I just wanted to mention it.

Let me segue back to my rating now, because despite the positives, I did kind of end up saying they could have improved upon it. That is the reason for my rating.
The truth is, I genuinely enjoyed watching the series. The plot was innovative, the characters were endearing and you all know that I already have a slight bias because of the mythology plot they used. When you watch the series, you can tell they put a ton of effort into this. The cast, the crew, everyone. But I just wanted that little bit more. Again, that's a me thing.

While I do wish they had changed a few things, tied up the loose ends that inevitably cropped up, it was a decent series, and truly one of a kind: I don't see a lot of mythological BLs and it was a rare treat in that sense.

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Chaotic, heartwarming and entertaining

A truly underrated series if I may say so. Based on the synopsis alone, the actual emotional depth of this series is barely depicted.

A wager between roommates to set one of them up with their crush after a round of Never Have I Ever, leading to outlandish schemes, team work and tons of chaos, but what also followed was an unapologetically sex positive series that highlighted consent, pleasure, sexuality and much more. All while keeping comedy and romance at the forefront, giving us the perfect mix of emotions.

Both the pairings in here have my heart, so different in dynamics between the pairings and between the people in each pairing, and they worked so well together. Communication, honest conversations, trust, they had it all. Above all, it was just how much they understood their dynamics with the other person in the relationship. It may have been frustrating as a viewer and sometimes even for the characters, but there wasn't a single moment where each of them didn't make it a point to visualise a clear picture of what their relationship was like at that point. The chemistry was dazzling and the angst, oh the angst. You can't help but root for them.

And I mean all of them, because the bond between the four of them was highlighted no less than the romantic relationships. What may have started out as a bet, eventually developed into a kind of brotherhood where they could always go to each other for advice, talk freely and trust in the fact that they would always be there for each other. All the supporting characters were no less, each of them had their own distinct personalities much like the leads and it was chaotic and fun to watch all of them interact.

This was thoroughly entertaining, start to finish, and it is truly underrated with well written characters, a solid story and not a single scene that I had to skip. A gem indeed.

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What can you do in 4Minutes?

You can listen to Why Don't You Stay by Jeff Satur.
You can watch an episode of Back to Seventeen.
You can drink a Thai Milk Tea.
The things that happened in four minutes here though..

Saying anything would spoil something, in essential, that would mean I can say nothing about the story.
But even this statement is an indicator of how mind bending the plot is, it keeps you on your toes, makes you come up with theories and you're invested throughout, just waiting to get all the answers to the tens and hundreds of questions that will inevitably pop up in your mind.
The synopsis is basis enough to go off on, at least according to me, since that way, there's no ideas on what you can expect, you can just let the complexity and intrigue of the story surprise you.

What you can expect though, in addition to the above, is great acting, NC scenes and brilliant cinematography. You'll want to rewatch the episodes over and over again to see if you missed any details and with eight episodes, it's a series you can watch quickly and revisit as many times as you want.

So grab your notebooks and pens, grab someone to discuss theories with, and just go for it. If you're not in the mood for something this complex and confusing, set it aside and come back to it later, because it is so worth it.

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The Pursuers

Why was this a series though ? It was more like a director's cut of a movie than it was a series. In fact, it felt like the sequel of a movie that hasn't been released.

The biggest drawback of this is the fact that the series begins from the middle of the story. All the characters are introduced straight away and you're expected to know the backstory. If I hadn't read the synopsis before I had started, this would've been even more confusing than it already was.
In addition to being confusing, because I couldn't figure out what exactly were the motivations and interests of each character, the episodes were a little slow. Watching them do things they have reasons to do, but not knowing what they are, is frustrating.
The last episode did clear some things up, but I was left wanting more. Especially more backstory, since this wasn't a case where the mysterious happenings will have a proper explanation, no, the story here just happened.

The action sequences were pretty good, full of violence and gore, as expected from the director after The Witch. Same goes for the acting, four episodes isn't a long amount of time to set up a plot and character development, but most of the actors did a great job.

But for audiences sake, BRIGHTEN YOUR PRODUCTIONS! Seriously, increase the brightness of your screen while watching because I couldn't see half of it no matter how much I increased the brightness.

It isn't necessary to watch The Witch (either movies) because this can be watched as a stand alone series, but there were a couple of references to some characters and storylines from the movies. I would be curious to see if and how they can bring all these stories together, because albeit confusing, the premise is interesting.

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There is only one you in the world

Part one was near perfection, and this was a masterpiece.

I'm still reeling from what I witnessed because what began as a revenge plot turned into one of the most poignant retrospect about life.

It's all too complicated to explain the experiences and emotions that Yi Jae is put through his 12 reincarnations, the pain of leaving his loved ones behind, losing someone he loves, living not knowing who he is, and living as if he isn't really living. It isn't until he finally experiences the memories and feelings of the 12 people in full does he truly start living.

Once again, the cast just, wow. I have no other words to describe how amazing this cast was. The guest stars, it is incredible how each of them portrayed their own characters, in addition to portraying their character as Yi Jae. Seo In Guk and Park Seo Dam get an extra round of applause, they played off each other so well, and boy can Seo In Guk act! Admittedly, these four episodes were much more emotional than the previous ones and he brought his A game.

This was a genuinely incredible drama, it is difficult to deal with this many genres and still provide a flawless production in just 8 episodes. However the interpretation, whatever it was that caught your attention, this is an enjoyable ride, through and through.

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The Moment : Since is the continuation of The Moment I Need You, and it seems nice. A nice little look into the lives of the leads since the first series, these five episodes seem to be just that, but that’s all. Just a tiny window into their lives. Was it really necessary, no, but is it still enjoyable? The question seems to be just that. The quality, top notch. The series itself? A pleasant suprise, but it is it anything more and if it is,is it worth a watch? The answer seems to be yes.

THE STORY:
The story follows Mok and Bay on vacation, but Bay’s boss and the boss’ best friend are also vacationing at the same resort. That’s pretty much the story. What was the point of the story, I have no clue. It’s filled with these cute moments between the leads, but I still don’t know what this series is about. Is it leading somewhere? I honestly don’t think so. And yet I’m hooked. There’s just something about this series that I can’t really explain, but it got me to watch all of it and I think that’s what matters.

THE ACTING:
The acting is good. The chemistry is there, but not in a way that it slaps you across the face, it’s more of a gentle caress. I will say that while some scenes do feel stiff and akward, the acting has remained consistent with the first season.

THE PRODUCTION:
This is one of the aspects greatly improved upon. The first series was dark to reflect the mindset of Mok, but this one is light and fluffy, showing just how much Mok’s state has improved. A few details like these are highly appreciated and add an extra dimension to an already good story. The problem here is with the number of episodes. How they will manage to weave an entire story into five episodes of fifteen minutes each is my concern. Hopefully they pull through and give us an actual story.

THE OST:
It’s light and sweet and makes you feel the love. What more can I say?

THE NEGATIVE:
Nothing quite so negative about this series. It’s a beautiful love story and maybe we need that kind of giddy optimism of sunshine and rainbows in our lives.

THE ENDING:
So guess what! Mok was paying Kim from 2moons ( I know his name is Copter, but calling him Kim is just fun! ) to take pictures of Mok and Bay to create a pendrive of moments. That mystery is solved. It was a happy ending overall and after the crapfest that was the Shipper’s ending, I really needed this.

When we watch television some us wish to escape reality, some want real stories, but what everyone really wants is a good way to spend their free time. I’m still on the fence about this series. It’s good, but not in a “ Oh my God, you need to watch this right now.” way, but rather in a “ If you have free time it’s a good watch” kind. While there may be no rhyme or reason to why this series was produced, I will say that this is not a waste of time. Give it a try when you have time . Thank You!

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The second instalment of the Girl Next Room series is a sure hit. It’s funny, heartbreaking and heartfelt. This instalment is about Mimi, a girl who has several phobias and a radio DJ who begin talking at three in the morning due to Mimi’s fear of ghosts. They begin talking every night and slowly begin falling love, but what Mimi doesn’t know is DJ Titan is actually Than, her classmate with whom she has a mutual hate.

THE STORY:
The story is very well written. The parts about Than, Peemai and Dausou were extremely heartfelt. Mimi begins to talk to Titan, and begins to fall in love with him, but when she discovers that Than is Titan, she is shocked. When asked who she likes, Than or Titan, she is unable to choose. Only after hearing Than’s past does she realise she loves Than, the one behind the mic, despite his persona.

THE ACTING:
The actors were amazing. Every single one of them. You rarely find series’ with such actors so it is a must watch. Special shoutout to Gun , because he seems to be in every GMM production and always manages to play his character perfectly, however different they may be.

THE PRODUCTION:
Production was perfection! All the storylines were handled very well, especially the Bi/Pansexual storyline of Mimi’s best friend. That is the representation we deserve!

THE OST:
I didn’t pay much attention to the OST, as it was quite forgettable.

THE NEGATIVE:
The only negative was seeing how Mimi treated Than, saying that she loved DJ Titan and not Than, despite them being the same person. At times Mimi got too annoying for me, but despite this a very enjoyable story.

THE ENDING:
Quite a satisfying ending. Despite the fact that Mimi and Than got together, the more satisfying story was Than and Peemai becoming friends again. No hate, but it was obvious that Mimi and Than would get together from the beginning, but seeing Than and Peemai put together their differences after the trauma they experienced really broke me.

I hope this review was helpful to those contemplating on this series. It certainly is a must watch and will not disappoint you. Thank You!

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Sweet and chaotic

I'm so pleasantly surprised by this, it was a simple and uncomplicated love story made so complicated and funny because of how chaotic the leads were.

And not just that, they avoided so many tropes I thought would definitely crop up, there was no love triangle, no exes popping up without reason, and while there was plenty of miscommunication and misunderstandings, it was most definitely part of the story's charm.

Though it got frustrating at times, Hiroko and Ayaka made it worth the watch. The charming mix of hopelessly crushing on each other inadvertently turning into panic in both of them was amazing to watch, and the tight script that made time for not just this but delved into their backstories, friendships and workplace histories meant that there wasn't a lot of time being spent on one storyline to the extent of it becoming boring and repetitive.

Hiroko was definitely the more frustrating lead, at least for me, because despite the fact that I could see where she was coming from and what she meant to express through her confusing actions, the lack of communication on her end sometimes made me genuinely angry.
They had a good balance though, Ayaka definitely knew what she wanted and went for it, and her positive, sunshine attitude was so refreshing to watch.

Even the supporting characters were exceptional, though we didn't get to see much of them, their presence in the story was irreplaceable and just made me more invested in them and the leads.

There was just so much to this series that I enjoyed and I highly recommend.

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Fool me thrice..

Oh Club Friday, I should've gotten used to the fact that all the stories with that label are burning garbage, but here we are..

I mean, it's not bad storytelling by a long shot, it's just that everything that happens and almost everyone in it is.. trash. That's about it and watching horrible people be horrible people has some weird appeal because I ate this up. I hated it, I hated all of it and yet, I binged three episodes and watched the last one without subtitles.

Sometimes, you just want to watch it all go down in the worst possible way and I got that. Mom and son are in love with the same man, mom doesn't know her son and her husband are hooking and no one knows if this guy actually likes either of the people he's seeing! You've got other characters who are also interested in the leads and undoubtedly bring the chaos with them, I mean, it's so messy and messed up but so entertaining.

Since it's told from the perspective of one of the leads (the son), I thought the narrative was very well done without it seeming too far off and descriptive, in a way that he couldn't have known. The acting was good, the mess was messy and I happened to watch this right when I needed something terrible, so it was great.

Maybe it's worth a try, or maybe not, but it was strangely enjoyable. Even despite the fact that there wasn't a single kiss. You would think there would be at least one, but no! They always went straight for the neck, like vampires!

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For the friendships we formed along the way

I've come to find that I'm more invested in the friendships formed in dating reality shows than I am in the relationships, which is a beautiful paradox but the friendships are just so pure!!

I will also always maintain that what the audience sees is probably less than a quarter of what happened and that we have no way of telling what exactly happened behind the scenes and to what extent, and at the tip of it all, these people were just trying to find a good connection.

So obviously we'll laugh and cry with them, get annoyed at times and relate to them at others, as I'm sure the contestants themselves did. And this was a genuinely surprising experience, watching this, because I got to witness some incredible people tell their stories and share their experiences and I got to see them develop incredible connections with everyone else.

The sensitive topics were handled with care, and the host was genuinely wonderful at being supportive of the contestants. And despite a few ups and downs, I'm hoping they got something good out of their time on the show.

There was some romance, a lot of drama (a lot) and even more amazing friendships, which was definitely my favorite aspect. Whatever they choose to take forward, I hope they choose to take those friendships forward.

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Childhood friends, neighbors,

Lovers..?
Yeah, they didn't have enough time to develop it fully either way.

There was nothing extraordinary, mostly because they didn't have enough time to cover the basics, but they got somewhere, and established something, so not all bad.

Like I said, childhood friends and neighbors, have had a crush on each other for the longest time but just won't open up to each other for.. reasons. It's not like they were being subtle either, so it makes me wonder why neither of them caught onto the fact that the other person had a crush on them, but that's a question for another time.

What followed was a lot of flirting, wound dressing and the pettiest of all misunderstandings, leading up to them almost becoming a couple. Still can't tell what happened despite the fact that it was very clear.

It was cute though, I enjoyed their banter and they were very sweet together despite insisting they hated each other. There were literally just three other characters and they weren't bad either. But I cannot not bring up the music, I believe they literally got one of the leads to walk up with a mic and just sing while the footage ran and used that as music. It was not good.

It was very short and unsubstantial, so it would make a good background watch.

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Blue Boys + Bad Guy

Oh.. they really need to invest in some writers..

Let's get this out of the way, we're not here for substance or depth, while it is entirely possible to make it with just eight episodes, that's not why you watch this.

This is a whole lot of drama, a whole lot. That, plus some good chemistry is the equation for this series.
And obviously Blue Boys + Bad Guy
Take the story of Bad Guy, but replace ex with best friend, and then add the story of Blue Boys part 2 to this. It doesn't make much sense just reading it, but you can make the parallels as you watch.

All the aspects were the same, there's always three or more people in the relationship, one person always ends up getting hurt, there's definitely morally questionable relationship behavior and of course, a ton of drama. Watch it for the drama and you just may enjoy it, but it's hard when you've watched two other series just like it right before you watched this.

I will say, the chemistry itself scored a couple of extra points from me, and hey, at least this time they didn't have a weirdly ambiguous ending.. who am I kidding? It was.. it was weirdly open ended even though it wasn't.

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