I guess they tried..

After 80 episodes of repetitive storylines, frustrating characters, one - dimensional villains, and dramatic,  cliché writing, I began to wonder if this series was actually necessary. Technically, they did leave us with an almost unsatisfactory ending to Senior High, but eh-

⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS ⚠️
The show contains depictions of violence, SA, murder and much more. I found it pertinent to include this because the depictions are rather explicit, and caution may be exercised before watching.

There was nothing quite innovative about this series story wise, sure it had a few good plot twists and several tense and thrilling moments, but this was essentially a rinse and repeat of the Senior High formula. Only difference, the audience knows who the villains are all along. There's no mystery and suspense, and even though this kind of story has it's own appeal.. 80 episodes? It's too much. Everything just kept repeating itself over and over again, and at one point it gets predictable and boring.. and the exact same thing happened with Senior High. The longer they went on, the more the quality declined.

But thank goodness for character development huh, because that aspect pretty much carried the show here. Naturally, some characters remained consistent in their recklessness and irrational behaviour, but it's the way all these characters stood by each other that got to me. New and old, it felt so satisfying to see characters who weren't painted in the best light previously get the kind of development they deserved and then witness the bond they developed be strong enough that they would run towards danger for one of their friends was amazing.

The acting was great, every single member of the cast had the chance to showcase their skills and where the story let me down, this and the character writing really impressed me.

Yes, this was over the top and kind of frustrating to watch, but I have to admit, I did enjoy some of it. Despite the fact that a lot of storylines didn't have satisfying endings, the actual ending was just as rushed as Senior High's was and.. it was series that I went hot and cold on, but for the most part it was entertaining and I guess that's something.

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A fast paced, quick watch

I'm a huge fan of variety shows like Busted, and I've been craving more content like it. As if right on cue, Agents of Mystery came out, and just from the preview, I knew this would be something I would enjoy.

For the most part, the mystery actually worked for me, which did take me by surprise. Some of the twists within the actual cases were definitely jaw dropping, and I did not anticipate them. The cases themselves were quite basic, what actually made them interesting was the cast.

This is my favourite part of mystery variety shows, the chemistry between the cast. And not only did the six participants have great dynamics, it was also incredible to watch each of their individual strengths. They also managed to create some moments of comedy despite being in very serious settings and I appreciated that.

When it came to solving each case, they had to rely on teamwork and trust each other, and the mix of solving the cases to the puzzles they had to solve to crack the cases was very well balanced. I do wish that there were more episodes though, I would have loved to see them get closer as teammates, and solve more cases.

If shows like Busted or The Devil's Plan is your cup of tea, give this a try as well. It's an easy and quick binge that will keep you on your toes with the mystery and delight with the teamwork

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Right You, but is it the Right Time?

This miniseries is like a lullaby in the best possible way, might lull you to sleep accidentally but genuinely warm and comforting.

The series is about the leads, just the two of them. Phat is heartbroken and staying with his friend and her younger brother Mhok. There is an instant connection between Mhok and Phat because they have a backstory but it is also incredibly obvious that Phat is not ready to date yet. His friend decides that a series of rituals and methods to help Phat forget his ex is the way to go, and when these don't work, the gang turns to copious amounts of alcohol that leads to serious conversations between Mhok and Phat, and moments that help them both heal from the past love they each carry.

This story was deeper than I expected, albeit a little slow because of the abundance of scenes that lent nothing to the story like the rituals, but for 2 episodes, they manage to keep your attention by instigating the feeling of "will they, won't they?" A good series weighed down by some unnecessary elements.

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I'm not talented.. but I'll try

I may have misjudged this show based on the trailer and the fact that only Off and Gun are listed as the leads, but make no mistake, none of that took away from how much I loved it.

I understand this may not be a common sentiment, but I genuinely loved this show. I don't need complex writing that's itching to create conflicts, or a plot that's completely out of the ordinary to enjoy a drama, sometimes I'm happy with a basic story with good emotional depth.
A tight story that's character driven, yes please!

And though I got a little fussy that Off and Gun, despite being billed as the leads, didn't have as much screentime as I expected them to, after a while I didn't think it was a bad thing. Sure, I'm still allowed to be mad that it was marketed one way and we got like a third of what they promised, but the fact that all the other characters got their time to shine is a good thing. I got to understand them better, I felt some of their stories and experiences on a personal level, I witnessed good character growth, not just for the support characters. The fact that Ryan and Jane also had time to grow into themselves, follow their dreams and figure out what they wanted, I think they handled that extremely well.
For what it's worth, even with the limited screentime, the Off Gun chemistry was amazing.

But, despite all my praise, I did find myself dissapointed with some things they did, actually one thing. The Tae - Ba Mhee - Judy love triangle.
*Sigh*
Not all growth is personal or work related, it can be romantic, but did it have to be this way? I don't think so.
All that push and pull, the kiss and the breakup, the tears and the arguments, it wasn't worth the eventual turn this triangle took. This is the one thing that genuinely frustrated me, all I could do was watch and rant.

Most of my review stems from the fact that this was a very personally touching story for me, and though you may not have experienced the same watching it, or though you may not have the same feelings watching it, I can say that this is worth a try.
Sometimes getting invested like I did is nice though, you may discover depths that even the creators didn't think about when making the show, and that's kind of wonderful ♡

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