What was the point?

Basically it's just a regular episode where the viewer doesn't really get anything more out of the 10 episodes of the Takara no Vidro series.

You get 23 additional minutes of the same story without really adding much. Time has passed (between 6 months to a year) but you can't really tell by yourself, as the show needs to do so with the "Takara-senpai returns from a long hiking trip" thing. The emotional investment of Taishin himself makes it feel like he went down the convenience store, not to another country.
Even the stalker turned BL fan fic writer felt cringey, despite me being actually curious about her POV in the teaser.

Personally, I think even those who really loved this show should just move on and find something else to enjoy, as this special seemed unnecessary, even counterproductive, as Taishin and Takara felt like roommates, not lovers.

Read More

Cuteness shower couldn't cover all major issues

The story itself was well written and executed most of the time throughout the 12 episodes.
Taichi and Kouhei are so cute together and don't feel like monodimensional characters because their struggles and thoughts unravel throughout the story.
That said, one cannot deny that there were some issues in the story's development, one of them being the character of Maya.
Since Maya appeared, I could sense the story becoming more and more draggy as the episodes passed. Her character, to me, had little to no reason to exist or at least to behave the way it was in the series.
Another major issue was the lack of noticeable progression between the mains regarding their love. This lack of progression made the series shift more like a friendship/school-setting series than a BL with romantic attachment. And I would have been perfectly fine with that if not for the fact that I started watching this, mostly because I was intrigued by the premise of a hearing-impaired MC and his love for a boy who doesn't face the same struggles in his day-to-day life.
I liked how the production decided to represent the daily struggles of hard-to-hear individuals, both visually and with the help of sound effects - or the lack of them; therefore, help someone who doesn't have to face these difficulties like me get a better understanding of it.

I would still recommend it, but I would also suggest not having big expectations for the love progression, as this series takes a very Japanese approach.

PROS:

- A good representation of the daily life of hard-to-hear individuals, which helps the viewer get the MC's POV better;
- Both Taichi and Kouhei are such cute and precious characters. It's impossible not to like them!
- The lighthearted moments with other characters helped ease much of the draggy feeling of the overall progression between MCs;

CONS:

- Lack of progression and development of the love story;
- The ending might be dissatisfying for some viewers;
- The character of Maya fails to have a unique identity in the overall context of the story despite the potential visible in a few scenes.

Read More

Promising start, poor execution

After watching an emotional rollercoaster like Koisenu Futari, I needed something less serious to give myself the time to recover (one of the best shows I've ever seen.)
At first, I thought Century of Love could be a likable, average Thai BL to distance myself from KF. Boy, was I wrong and right at the same time!

I like the reincarnation trope, but it has to make sense. But the plot didn't make any sense either. Let's break it down.
1- The first 4-5 episodes can't even considered BL, as the drama seems a melting pot of family drama, action-packed scenes with a sprinkle of supernatural and much more.

2- The Mrs. Wad reborn thing: The present-time setting takes place a few weeks before the Goddess's birthday, which means the clock is ticking. San needs to find his long-lost lover to perform the ritual and avoid a horrible death. OK, I get the urgency for suspense and dramatic purposes. BUT.
> San's family doesn't seem to care that time's almost up, living their everyday life, getting a change of heart when the stone is in the villain's hands.
> As soon as Tao points out that Mrs. Wad is back, the family gets into idiot mode; for several episodes, they perpetually ask Tao to redo his calculations because they can't understand who the real Mrs. Wad is. Also, screenwriters couldn't care less about tidying things up, as they didn't ever make clear WHO Mrs. Wad was.
> San's attitude: San gets all grumpy and treats Wee like a broken object just because he has been waiting for his lover for 100 years and can't accept that they might be reborn as a man. Also, for half of the series, San wants to find his lost lover because he loves her and needs her to perform the ritual to save his life. As soon as he realizes he fell in love with Wee, the urge to find Mrs. Wad or use the stone, nothing matters anymore.
> San's condition: It's mentioned that as the Goddess's birthday approaches, the pain San has to endure will increase. In addition, the presence of Wee would benefit San. How? We don't know. There is only one scene where it was shown without explanation.
> Drama for the drama's sake. Most of the drama in the drama shouldn't even be there, but as the characters do not have functioning brains, I see why they inserted these sloppy excuses for getting to the number of episodes they need.

3- Acting-wise, I can't say I'm amazed but neither disappointed. It's my first DaouOffroad drama, so I can't make any comparison to their previous roles. I liked the performance of Offroad, even though it felt too much at times, especially in drama-heavy scenes. Daou's performance felt stiff, which is of the character of San himself, but it felt too much acted.

4- At best, the characters seemed dumb doing what they did.
Why would San and Wee fall for each other? Was Wee Mrs. Wad reborn? What made him so special? I guess we'll never know.


PROS:

- Honestly? None

CONS:

- Lack of characterization;
- Plot holes and poor writing;
- 404: Brain not found;
- The annoying sound effects. I swear-
- Poor CGI: not a major con, but still.

Read More

Cute and short drama that felt too rushed

NOTES: I'll try to keep the review without too much spoilers, but I might fail tragically. I'll let you know when and where to skip.

I pressed play aware the show had some issues, but I couldn't care less, as I needed something short and cute.

I liked the premise of a vampire trying to become human due to previous issues, but the execution was lacking in many departments. Oh, boi.
The episode length felt rushed in the sense that the plot unravels so fast that seems like the MCs met each other, fell in love, and were ready to die for each other in a matter of days. I get it: ten minutes is not an adequate time to squeeze in an episode, but it is what it is.
At best, the characters seemed dumb doing what they did.
Also, the characterization is, at best, lacking: Junho and Minhyeon are just the "Vampire" and the "Pureblood." Why would they fall for each other? What makes a Pureblood different from an ordinary human being? I guess we'll never know.
Even that joke of a love triangle felt like a waste of screen time that should have been used to develop the relationship between MCs.

!SPOILER!

At last, let's talk about the ending:






The ending is one of the few things that make rational sense: some viewers might not like it, but it was coherent with that tiny information we got throughout the series: Junho had to drink blood for AT LEAST 10-15 seconds, which would most likely result in killing Minhyeon. Junho, having already murdered a lover by sucking their blood, understandably decided to just give up on a 500-year-old life for the safety of his lover, who was only 18.



!END OF SPOILER!




PROS:

MCs are eye candy;
The actors were cute together;
Refreshing perspective > Vampire wants to become human.


CONS:

Not a refreshing setting;
Lack of characterization;
Useless hint to a love triangle;
Worldbuilding had room for improvement;
The ending might disappoint some viewers, but at least it was coherent.

Read More

What was the point of this?

The story felt bland and monodimensional, without tangible character development or a plot. It's a light-hearted and quick drama to watch between darker stories.
My major issue with this drama was the abundance of plot holes and the lack of closure the story—and the viewer—needed. This could have been addressed had they only increased the episode length and put some effort into writing a script coherent with the premises.
And no, I cannot accept that, as a viewer, I had to be left alone with my thoughts, trying to fill in all the holes the scriptwriter couldn't care less to amend.

In conclusion, this drama was a waste of a good and quick-paced story that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.

PROS:

MCs are eye candy;
Respect, communication, and willingness to adapt and overcome issues... Kinda

CONS:

Not a refreshing setting;
Plot holes;
Star-crossed lovers + love that spans lifetimes;
Characters acting out of their characters for no apparent reason

Read More

Good comfort drama, not-so-good love story

The story felt bland and monodimensional, without tangible character development or a love story. It's a comfort drama, very Japanese, where MCs heal their past scars, so the viewer feels almost hugged by the wholesomeness of the story while being entertained by the lighter side of the story.

That said, one cannot deny some issues in the story's development, including the non-existent romance.
I'm all down for a good slow-burn romance, but the problem was that the romance was non-existent until the last episode, so I could sense the story becoming more and more draggy as the episodes passed.
This lack of progression made the series shift more like the story of two strangers who developed a friendship rather than a BL with a romantic attachment. And I would have been perfectly fine with that if not for the fact that I started watching this, thinking I would see some cute and comforting romance sparkling between stoves.
Also, this so-called romance seemed like a one-sided crush to me. The viewer gets only Isumi's POV throughout the story, while Amasawa-san treats him like a little brother or a friend.

I would still recommend it, but I would also suggest not having big expectations for the love progression, as this series takes a very Japanese approach.

PROS:

- Food;
- Comfort drama;
- The lighthearted moments with other characters helped ease much of the draggy feeling of the overall progression between MCs;
- I enjoyed the opening by SUPER★DRAGON.


CONS:

- Lack of progression and development of the love story;
- The ending might be dissatisfying for some viewers;
- The monpa and gamer friends were more present than the love story.

Read More