colorful show, bleak reality

If I was to describe this series, I would say it's similar to Squid Games but instead of a survival game, it's a silly dating game show. Instead of dying, you just don't get to find love with a guy. Heck, this series even have an undercover/spy character trying to expose the secrets of the game and at some point, ends up in a situation that is similar to the cop in Squid Games. It's a very fun series. Lots of comedic moments, but it's not shallow at all. There is some depth as it deals with family, being sincere, and striving to create a better life.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
--A lot of the characters are likable, both Gentlemen and Ladies. I think my favorite character was Chanel and her development throughout. There was a lot of depth to her character that I liked.
--Love the style of editing/production. Some fun camera work/play (an example is episode 3, when Day finds out she is going to be on Son's team. Day pushing cam away and Son throwing it back). Enjoy the bright vivid colors
--Lots of fun silly moments but also heartfelt and emotional moments as well.
--LGBTQ+ representation is nice to see, especially gay male relationship in a world where men are scarce.

DISLIKES:
--I was still left with a lot of holes and questions about this universe. Given the length of the series, it's understandable we can't cover everything and answer every plot hole, but I still felt the birthrate disease, the story of the previously existing men, and this world could be explored more.

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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

The series shows us a very fun and colorful world on the surface, but it's a lot darker than it appears. Beyond the exterior, beyond the surface, beyond the pretenses, reality is not what it seems. We have men being rounded up under the pretense of protecting them, but it's merely a way for the rich and powerful to control their supply. We have what seems to be fun and silly dating gameshow, but it only exists to mask corruption, very Hunger Game-ish in that respect. It's a world full of fakeness, pretenses, and happy bright colors to hide a sadder reality. Baby boys are separated from their family and raised in a bubble. When they are old enough, they are treated a merely a commodity for women. Those that dare fight the system are imprisoned. But there is hope. There is resistant group exists call City Ground. It's a place where men can live freely with their family. One thing I liked was that, in contrast to the artificialness of The Farm/The Family, City Ground's vibe felt more natural.

I also love the characters in this series, as well as their relationships with other characters whether it's romantic or friendship. Initially, several of the characters put up pretenses. Son, acted very cool and aloof. Max appears shallow and competitive. Day was trying to say the right things so she could win. Chanel appears fierce and cold. However, as the series progress, we begin to see their true natures. There are a lot of genuine and sincere heart to heart conversations between the characters. Even main characters that seem antagonists, we are given enough development with them that we can understand why the make the decisions they did. I think, at the end, the only true antagonists are the rich powerful women who control the world like Chanel's mom.


[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

Not much to say here as I think the cast members were good. Lots of over the top fun and silly moments, but there are lots of moments of sincerity and emotions as well. I thought the chemistry was good as well. There were some things I cringed at but I feel like I was suppose to because it's a love dating gameshow and I think they're suppose to be kind of cheesy.

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

I'm indifferent about the opening theme song but "Beyond the Wall" from Gabe Watskins is definitely a song I added to my playlist. It really sets a tone and fits the theme of the series of finding something real/better beyond the artificial bubble we live in.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

It's a great first watch. It's also short enough that I can be re-watched and I might if they come out with a sequel. Otherwise, I think once is enough for me unless someone I know watches it, then I don't mind watching it again with them.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

Dystopian series are usually pretty bleak so I really enjoyed the silliness of this one while still touching on some much sadder topics. I would definitely recommend this and I do hope they come out with another season. I feel like there is still a lot of stories to be told in this universe.

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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A stress-free story with the theme of sincerity.

Whether it's romance, family, or career; the series shows us that if do things with sincerity, it will not go unnoticed. Not everyone will be moved by it, but there will always be people who will see and feel it. The story is simple, nothing ambitious or unique. However, the chemistry, the heartfelt moments, and honest interactions between characters made this series very memorable for me.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- Very likable leads and a mature relationship. Loved the chemistry. A very capable female character and a very green-flag and sincere male lead.
-- Good communications between the lead. Very drama-free relationship
-- Lots of cute moments


DISLIKES:
-- While I loved Ro Woon with Pyung Hwa, his inclusion in the Sibling Six or whatever they called themselves felt rushed. Would've loved to see more development and him building relationhip with the others.
-- The resolution for both Pyung Hwa's and Da Eul's felt too easy given the time we spent seeing their struggle.
-- Sa Rang's exile to the tourist hotel seemed pointless to me since she was easily brought back to King The Land. Just felt like a nice vacation to me.


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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

The story around the workplace politic and the power struggle between the brother and sister wasn't something I was super interested in. I can't even say that it was the journey of their love that kept me interested as they got together relatively quick. What truly captivated me about the series were the characters themselves and the sincere interactions between them, whether it be cute, funny, heart fluttering, or just pure honesty.

Gu Won is our main male lead. Initially, he was just some chaebol who hated pretentious smiles and could not care less about his family's hotel business. However, he became more interested in the hotel when he meets Sa Rang, whom he falls for. What I absolutely loved about his pursuit of her is was his sincerity and willingness to learn how to be in a relationship. He got to know her bestest friends and her grandma, and they all had advice for him. The core advice was honesty and clarity. Showing how we feel with actions is great, but saying how we feel and what we're thinking helps avoid drama and miscommunication. It's also very romantic to me. Consent is also very sexy. Loved that he asked permission before kissing her during their date. Also, Gu Won's dad was a very likable parent for me. He never really forced his son (mostly since he knew he couldn't) and there were lots of nice father-son moments where he was understanding. The only thing I disliked was when he sent Sa Rang to the tourist hotel. I don't even know what the point was since Won easily just brought her back.

Sa Rang is our beautiful female lead. She is a very capable and hard working girl. She doesn't needs much saving for the most part and was able to take care of herself. The employees of King The Land did not like her at first but her sincere attitude won them over eventually. Sa Rang's growth in this series has less to do with her character development, but more a realization on what she truly wanted to do as her dream career. I wished we had spent more time earlier in the series to build up to the idea of Sa Rang wanting to start her own hotel. Maybe they did sprinkle the idea that she was not happy doing what she was doing subtlely and I missed it, but it felt sudden to me. I'm happy though that she found what she wanted to do at the end. I also absolutely loved Sa Rang's grandma. Most memorable for me with her was where she was helping Won set up a savings account, it really touched me.

They pair was great at talking to each other. There was a lot of honesty between the characters and I'm thinking that's what I like so much. Even the interaction between the villain and her brother was for the most part very honest. And the characterizations of the characters were honest in that we knew who to root for and who not to.


[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

I can't lie, 2PM was the first KPOP ground that I really got to know so the members hold a special place in my heart, even if they aren't my favorite group. With that said, I think this the first series with Junho that I was interested in seeing. I might go watch some of his previous stuff later but they're not super high priority. Watching King The Land, however, did leave a good impression on me with his acting. And I loved his chemistry with Im Yoon Ah. She's so pretty. I need to dive deeper in Girls' Generations. I think everyone did a group job, I felt the feels when I needed to feel them. Special shoutout to Kim Sun Young who play Won's sister. Great antagonist!

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

"Yellow Light" from Gaho and "Confess To You" from Kim Ye Yim both stood out to me as my favorites, but all the OST were great! Need to relisten to some of them and see which ones I need for my playlists, but they're all great songs. Not much else to say in that regard.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

I can't say I will watch this in its entirety but there were so many cute, romantic, and funny scenes that I adored. So I wouldn't watch it again for the plot, but I would rewatch clips just to feel the butterflies.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

So my overall impressions was that this was a very light, fluffy cute series where I didn't need to stress about the villain, overthink anything, or even get overly frustrated by anyone. Very stress-free watch for me. It was funny and it was romantic. Checks both the boxes for a romcom for me. Also, lots of scenic scenes. Loved Thailand. Loved the forest vibe of the tourist hotel. Loved the cityscape shots. Yeah, this was an easy watch and very enjoyable watch. I've watch so much kdramas so one would think it would be boring and stale for me, but it wasn't. This series has a lot of charm due the characters and I definitely recommend watching it at least once.

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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The Sign is a chimera of genres

Sometimes, when you try to be too many things, you end up not being great at any of the things, or things may start falling off. Was this series too ambitious? I don't know. I can say I stayed interested every episode until the very end. I cannot say the story was a masterpiece for me, but I think the series ended up balancing everything it had going pretty well for the most part. Were there some things I wished we spent less time on or more time on? Yes, but I don't think it took away much from the series, personally. I grew up on mythologies and folklores so this was an eventual watch for me. Took me a while to get to it, but I'm glad I did.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- The world is very complex, and this series touches on that subject very well, especially in a case which shows the clash between the idealistic and the realist viewpoints on the justice system
-- I loved cute teasing/flirty moments and the chemistry between our main leads
-- It was very engaging to watch between the crime cases, the supernatural aspects, and the love story.

DISLIKES:
-- We didn't really get to explore the love story of Tharn and Phaya in their past life. It was skipped over to focus more on the aftermath and conflict rather than the process of falling in love.
-- In the end also didn't get to see Chalothon finally letting Tharn go. It happened offscreen and we only got the backstory told to us through Tharn via dialogue


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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

I think combining a mythological aspect into a mystery/thriller crime drama is a cool idea. The myth/supernatural aspect and crime solving are the two main components of this series. Tharn and Phaya's romance is intertwined in both of the components and tie the stories together. From a narrative standpoint, I think they could have removed the police work and it would not really have much, if any, impact on the overarching story of the fate between Phaya, Tharn, and Chalothon. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about that. On one hand, the crime part of the series made it a lot more interesting to watch for me. However, I feel that some of it could have been cut to give us a little more on the backstory The Garuda King and Wansarat's love story. We get a flashback to their past incarnation but the flashback focused more the conflict between the two tribe. It skips over the process of Wansarat and Phaya falling in love. The ending also could've use more time. Tharn gets taken away by Chalothon and he reappears later. Instead of seeing the process of Tharn convincing Chalothon to let him go, we just get some dialogue. While the criminal cases add some action and intrigue, they weren't all memorable or significant to me. I feel like some of the detective work or story there could've been shortened or cut and we would still be fine.

On the topic of criminal case and a little bit of tangent, I very much liked that the series touched on the subject of a corrupt and flawed justice system in their first official case. It's a very good topic to be aware of and discuss as that's how change begins. Sometimes, the justice system fails the people and that's sad. But vigilantes taking justice into their own hands is also a very dangerous idea. If not for the fact that the vigilantes also forced innocent traumatized victims to kill/murder, I can see being a very blurry line of who's side to be on. In the last case (special episode excluded), the topic is also briefly touched upon again in the interrogation room as a reminder that the system is corrupt.

Other the what I've already listed before in the short review, I also adore the friendship of the unit. The friend group had each other's back and that will always be something I love seeing in these series. I especially love Yai. He was shown to be caring, protective, and encouraging. A total shipper of Tharn and Phaya, but also protected his friend when he needed to. He always had Tharn's back and was a great example of a true friend. I also thought Chart's character was interesting, and I wish we got to explore more of him. We were introduced to him in the beginning and then don't see him again until towards the end. I would love to see his character growth, especially during and after becoming a spy for the captain.


[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

Overall, I very much enjoyed the casts. They are all very good looking and very talented. The supporting female characters were also very great and very pretty. This series put the actress for Sand (Yai's girlfriend) on my radar, and I will try to see if there anything else she is in that I'd be interested in watching later. Very shallow of me, but I thought she was pretty. When it comes to the chemistry between the main actors or any of the emotional scenes, I think they did very well. I felt the feels whether it was butterflies during their romance scene or the sadness during emotional sad scenes.

None of the fight choreography or gun action scenes really wowed me, but I didn't think it was bad either. I think my least favorite part, acting-wise, in the series was during the flashback to their past lives. I don't know, I was not feeling any of the chemistry there and I'm not sure why, because I can definitely see/feel it with their modern day counterparts. Even the angst from Chalothon didn't feel convincing to me. Also, in regards to Chalothon, I never really felt he loved Tharn. He just felt angry and resentful to me, but this is probably more of a character thing and not an acting thing.


[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

I like the soundtracks. Nothing I feel super strongly about, but all very nice to listen to. I don't know much about Billy or Babe so it was a pleasant surprise to find their names on a lot of tracks. Very sweet songs. The opening song The Sign was also very epic and fitting. May look up more songs from Billy and Babe in the future to expand my Thai playlist.


[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

I might watch this one more time. Since there is a lot going on between the crime cases and the love story, I'd be interested in going back just to see if I missed anything. Plus it might motivate me to workout as I get jealous of some of these bodies...


[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

This series was a fun watch, a nice break from the usual fluffy romcoms streak I've been on lately. Steamy love scenes, cute flirty moments, emotional drama, but also funny, action-packed, mysterious, thrilling, fantastical...this series is so many things. There was no struggle in finding things to talk about. The real struggle was deciding where to start. I will be looking into some of the other works of these actors/actresses because I think they did an amazing job. I would recommend giving this series a try.


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● NOTE
-------------------------------------------

I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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2AM is a moment of choice

I came into this series expecting a lot of cuteness and fluff and the series definitely delivered. What I didn't expect was the little life lessons sprinkled throughout. I also wasn't expecting so much honest and sincere conversations. Any misunderstandings that happen gets resolved pretty quickly and I loved that. The main reason I was interested in watching this was because of Moon Sang Min, who I saw in "Under the Queen's Umbrella", which was a series I loved. However, while he was very cute and adorable, it was the female lead that I truly loved. She was a strong and capable woman, who never really needed anyone to save her. Truly a different kind of Cinderella.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
--Her goal was revealed by Ju Won's brother in the first episode, so we didn't have to see her confuse Ju Won for two month in order to get him to break up with her. Everyone is on the same page as far the situation was, nobody was in the dark.
--Many great life lessons were presented in this series with some memorable dialogues/conversations.
--The series does a great job of showing how emotions are very complex and how trauma/adversity can affect us differently.
--Female lead was very capable and wasn't someone who needed saving. Ultimately, she's a hard worker and very sincere. For the major obstacles in her life, including the male lead's mother, she was able to resolve them with her own efforts.
--I enjoyed all the different relationships in the series. A key component of all of them was honesty, which I loved.
--And obviously, very cute/sweet, funny, and very sincere with some thoughtful, emotional ,and heartwarming moments.


DISLIKES:
--While Yun Seo's colleagues were well-meaning and very good coworkers in the sense that they cared about Yun Seo, they were often misguided. Other than being comedic relief characters, I'm not really sure what value they added to the story. I say this because I know they were suppose to add humor but their scenes just felt unnecessary
--While I have nothing against people getting drunk, I dislike its use as a plot device for certain honest conversations or actions to happen. It makes it convenient for the characters to later deny something or use it as an excuse. So when I see scenes of characters getting drunk, I just feel like such a cliché direction to take. If it's used for humor, I don't mind so much depending on the scenario and what kind of a drunk they are.


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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --THE TITLE: Cinderella at 2AM-- ]

You can skip this section if you want, this is mostly me giving my thoughts on the title of the series. In the classic fairytale, it's at 12am that the spell starts wearing off and the magic is lifted. It's a return to reality. So why 2am? What happens at 2am? The first thought was that 2am is a time after the magic ends, when Cinderella is back to living in reality...which describes the world Yun Seo has lived in. The second thought that came to mind was the kpop group named 2AM. Their name was given to them on the idea that 2:00am is a time to reflect on the previous day. What I loved about this series that there were a lot of self-reflection and moments of inner dialogue. The leads look back on their situation and reflect on their actions or feelings, giving us some both understanding on their choices or insight on their growth/development. From an internet search, 2:00 AM could also have spiritual significance relating to duality and balance. We can't be so caught up in romance that we can ignore the realities of life like social class differences. Life isn't a fairytale. At the same time, we shouldn't be so much of a realist that we stop believing that happiness and romance we want are not worth fighting for. There needs to be balance.

The actual answer to why 2AM is significant to the series is actually answered starting from episode 8. It is explained that from 2am until Prince Charming arrives, it is the most difficult hours of Cinderella's story. It's when the harsh reality sets in as she waits to be saved by the prince. But as the artist Seong Min points out, she's not the typical Cinderella. She's never been. Our female lead, like Cinderella also comes from a poor background where her parents abused her and her brother. The sad thing was that these were her actual parents and not even step-parents. It's a sad backstory, but unlike Cinderella who waited for Prince Charming to save her, Yun Seo was able to save Ji Seok and herself from their abusive situation. Already, she is shown to be very strong and capable. She worked hard to raise and take care of brother alone. She got herself through college and got a great job. There was no prince to save her. She is the heroine of her own story. 2:00AM represents a moment of choice for Cinderella. She can suffer until happiness finds her, or she can go fight for that happiness.

[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

There was so many things that stood out to me about this series that I liked, but at the heart of it are the sincere characters. I loved the female lead, if that is not already evident. There are so many series where when the female lead is in trouble, the male lead comes in to save the day. In this series, Ju Won is our Prince Charming, but there isn't anything major that happened where he needed to "save" Yun Seo. She did a great job at taking care of herself. If anything, Ju Won was only there for emotional support and to give her the fairytale happiness she deserved after overcoming her sad background. Her character is also pretty honest. The only major dishonesty was her initial plan to try to get the male lead to break up with her, but that didn't last long thanks to Ju Won's brother Si Won. I also love the way she take cares of her brother. It is very clear that she loves Ji Seok deeply. When you're young, it's easy to be selfish and focus on ourselves. However, Yun Seo made sure she saved her brother too from the abuse. Not only that, she imparts on him lessons about helping others, the consequence of inaction when someone needs help, following through with his education, and doing his best. At the same time, even when she is harsh, she makes sure he knows she love him. It is also clear that her brother loves her very much and how appreciative he is of her.

Our male lead, Ju Won, was also a very likable character. Cuteness aside, he was very sincere in his pursuit of Yun Seo after she broke up with him. Although he was aggressive in his pursuit of her initially, he learns to reign it back and respect her boundaries. Later, when she expresses her frustrations, he finally accepts her wishes of breaking up. Ju Won also expresses his feeling fairly well, whether it is jealousy or hurt. I think episode 5 was a memorable moment where he expressed his hurt over how "easy" she thinks the breakup is. It gave some depth to his character as well. A lot of the things he has were not the result of his own hard work. However, his relationship with Yun Seo was achieved with his own effort and so he clings to it dearly. It was also during this conversation that made realize selflessness and selfishness is matter of perspective. There is a duality to it.

I also liked Si Won and his wife Mi Jin's story very much. Although their marriage was arranged, they learned to love each other. The development of their story was cute. Any misunderstandings they had were always quickly resolved through communication. It was often very endearing. Individually, they also both great people. Si Won is a supportive brother who always has Ju Won's back. Mi Jin is also a strong, capable and perceptive female lead with great empathy. She was emotionally aware enough to recognized when her husband was feeling disappointed after a tennis photo session. She is the first to point out that even strong people can feel lonely, giving us some insight into the mother. In fact, I think it was both Yun Seo and Mi Jin who ultimately are the heroine of the story. It was their empathy that helped the two brothers gain some perspective on their mother and ultimately help mend the family's relationship.

The artist Seong Min was also an interesting character. His father was also an abusive one. Through an accidental interaction with Yun Seo, his life was saved. In return, regardless of whether it was intentional or not, he kind of becomes the fairy godmother of this Cinderella story. It was his actions and suggestion that motivated the female lead to finally fight for her love and go find her Prince Charming at the airport. I personally don't think we needed to introduce the artist to fill this role. I think maybe Si Won and Mi Jin could've fulfilled a similar role, or even the female lead's best friend. But I guess he's also here to add some kind of urgency/rival for our male lead. I initially didn't like him because Seong Min came on way too strong for someone Yun Seo has never met, but I liked that he ended up being a friend to both Yun Seo and Ju Won.

[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

I saw a lot of comments about either the female lead being too old or the male lead being too young. While I was watching, it never really saw the age difference because I thought their chemistry was quite good. It would be a lie of me to say that physical attractiveness between individuals doesn't play a part in chemistry, but it only makes up a fraction. Compatibility/personality, familiarity, and actions/expressions all also play a part. Personally, I didn't think any of the actors in this show was lacking physically. All very pretty and/or handsome actors/actresses. And talented. I won't say there weren't some scenes where the humor didn't hit or the acting wasn't over the top, but I feel like usually, this is more of a director/characterization choice than an acting one.

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

The music definitely enhances this series. There wasn't any songs that I did not like. Shoutout to Vincent Blue, Sam Kim, Ha Hyun Sang, Yeonjun, Kim Haewon, Ejel, and Riwoo for their contributions to the soundtracks. Let me know if I missed anyone. I loved them all. Fitted well in the scenes they were played. They all left good impressions on me, not much else to say there. If I had to pick a favorite, I really like "Sailing" from Ha Hyun Sang. Of course, being a TXT fan, "Boyfriend" from Yeonjun was also quite memorable.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

Chances are good at I may revisit this series again someday. There was a lot of cuteness, but the most memorable moments for me were the conversations between characters that imparted some kind of perspective or lesson. I am also a sucker for series with good female leads and this was one of them for me.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

I would recommend giving this one a chance. For me, this series wasn't just another romcom. It was very thoughtful aside from being cute/funny. Some of the many lessons this series delivered:

---When someone is getting bullied/abused, doing nothing means you are actively letting the victim get hurt. You don't have to be confrontational but do something. Tell a teacher, tell a family, tell someone.
---Don't be so quick to judge how easy someone has got it. We all have different things/values we fight for.
---Humans are weird. Our emotions are complex. Even if someone has hurt us before, we can still have lingering/buried feelings that makes us mourn their loss.
---Know when to be angry and when to show understanding and compassion. It's about picking your moment. When you handle situation with sincerity, compassion, and maturity, it can be more effective than getting angry.
---The respect you get from others isn't as important as knowing your own worth.
---Be in control of your own happiness, don't wait for it to come to you.


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● NOTE
-------------------------------------------

I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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lots of action but lots of heart as well

I think there are too many installment in this series for me to write a review for every one of them, but I will write a quick short review for this one since it's the first in the series. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it more than I was expecting to.

Many of the world's conflict exist because we have different values and different things we are fighting for. In between the fight scenes, there are some emotional and heartfelt stories of friendship/brotherhood and protecting the the people, things, and ideas that are important to each individual and faction. The core and heart of the story is centered around the Hoodlum Squad (Sanooh). Its founding members and childhood friends are Cobra, Yamato, and Noboru. Due to an incident in the past, Noboru was sent to prison. However, upon release, Noboru joins the Iemura Group instead to recruit SWORD or take them down if they refuse to join. That is the setup for the conflict of this first season as Cobra and Yamato work to resolve some troubles but also to convince their friend Noboru to come back to them.

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● REVIEW
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LIKES:
--The tracks accompanying the fight scenes are very nice and fitting of the vibe. Love the music
--Many sweet/sentimental and emotional heartfelt moments. This is not a story about violence but one about brotherhood/friendship and fighting for a place to belong and go home to.
--There's a guy for everyone depending on what your personal taste are. Half-jokes aside, there many handsome men and some pretty ladies.

DISLIKES:
--It's a huge cast and there is a lot of names being introduced in the first episode all at once. It felt really overwhelming in the beginning
--Lots of guys fighting, I kind of wish we also got to see some of the ladies being badass fighters as well. I haven't watched the sequels, spin-offs, or side stories yet, but it'd be cool to see to that girls can fight too. Kind of my own desire so not really taking off any points for this
--Sometimes, the characters' acting are exaggerated. I know this is common in Japan though, but I still cannot help but cringe.

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● NOTE
-------------------------------------------

I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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"Becoming better together is the coolest thing"

There are so many high school dramas about a bubbly, extroverted girl crushing on a quiet, aloof smart boy. Usually, the girl in these dramas are portrayed as quite dumb and needs tutoring or something from the guy. "When I Fly Towards You" does not stray too far from that. However, Zai Zai has has a good head on her shoulder and actually not dumb when it comes to the important things. Everyone has something they are good at and weak at, and this series shows that realistically. She's not someone who will gamble her life to pursue a guy and I absolutely loved that. I also adore the friends in this series. Every character has their own story and their own struggles and I enjoyed the friends being there for one another. Lots of fun and cute moments.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- Love the dynamics of the friends and how they cared for each other
-- Female lead has her strength academically and not some low ranking student. She also planned her future carefully and not just around her boyfriend
-- Misunderstandings are not dragged out and female is quick to clear things up when she realizes there may be something up
-- I enjoy the little clips at the end of each episode where she is documenting her life


DISLIKES:
-- Strict mom who puts pressure on Lu Rang to be perfect academically
-- Issue with mom mostly resolved off-screen and just brushed off
-- Would've love to spend more time in their life during college and after.
-- Jealous girl in high school and a devious female character in college trying to create misunderstanding for the couple (whereas the male character who was interested in Zai Zai was respectful and gave up as soon as he realizes she had a girlfriend.)

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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

I've seen quite a few high dramas about a cute girl chasing after a smart guy, and this series is not all that different. But honestly, I don't watch high school dramas for a unique take. The important part is how well they do the characters and how natural the story progresses. And also, the friendships. I think this series does all that pretty well. I will talk more in-dept about each of the main characters later, but I loved that I ended up caring about all the characters and their stories. There really isn't much for me to say about the plot/story as it's a very slice of life high school drama. If there was something I could change, it would just be that we spend a little less time in high school. I would have loved to see more time spent in their university life and even their lives after.

[ --THOUGHTS ON CHARACTERS-- ]

Su Zai Zai - In these kind of dramas, the female is usually portray as very clingy, Zai Zai is very social and straight forward, which I feel can make some viewers see her as clingy/stalkerish at times in the beginning but I never really felt that way about her. I'm not sure exactly but if I had to guess, it would be because our lead Lu Rang never seemed to mind her presense. To me, I feel like she would've left him alone if she felt like she wasn't welcomed. In fact, there was a part where she misunderstood that he was annoyed with her and stopped following/talking to him. So if he had set boundaries, I think she would have left him alone. Mostly, she was just trying to get to know him and I think that's fine.

I think one thing that is most definitely different from some of the other series I've seen is that Su Zai Zai is shown to have strengths of her own compared to our male lead Lu Rang. I loved that she wasn't one of the girls who is at the bottom of her class in rank. She has stuff she is good at like English and stuff that she is bad at like Math/Physics. That's realistic. And likewise, Lu Rang wasn't perfect. He needed tutoring in English and Zai Zai was able to help him with that. Another thing I loved about her is that she tries to make things clear when she realizes there are misunderstandings. She is good at communicating compared to our male lead. The example that pop to mind is when he misunderstood that she wrote a love letter to someone else. Another example was when she realized another boy was interested in her so she make it known she has a boyfriend. She doesn't let things drag on. She is very aware of the people around her. There is a lot of good qualities about her that I like. She's brave, she tries to take initiatives to do things, and most importantly, she takes her future seriously. Episode 18 was one of episode that stood out to me because she told Lu Rang she is making backup plans in case she doesn't end up at the same school as him. She was carefully planning her future and not just blindly following some guy. And I loved that.

Zhang Lu Rang - Our male lead is smart and quiet, nothing new there. He is living in the shadow of his younger brother Zhang Lu Li, who is an academic prodigy. And because of that, their mother puts a lot of pressure on Lu Rang to be more like Lu Li. And I hated that, but it's such a relatable and realistic thing for a parent to compare one kid to another, especially in an academic household. I felt so bad for Lu Rang. Even his brother Lu Li felt bad that their mom is always comparing them. Due to always being compared and pressured, I can understand why Lu Rang is reserved and somewhat distant. And I like that I could understand because it shows that the character isn't just some arrogant, cold guy who thinks he's too cool for others. In fact, I never felt like Lu Rang was ever annoyed by our female lead Zai Zai who just kind of forced her friendship on him. Maybe there was a bit of tolerating at first, but he becomes amused by her energy and presence. People grow on you and Su Zai Zai's personality complements his introverted nature.

Lu Rang is also shown to care about the people around him. Sometimes, when you grew in a household where people only take about accomplishments and not emotions, it's hard to show affection. However, simple little actions can say a lot. Like visiting your friend while they are sick and keeping them company. Lu Rang could be cozy in his own bed but instead, spends the night on the floor cramped up with his guy friends. He comforts his friend Gu Ran when Gu Ran is feeling neglected by his parents. There are lots of moments like this amongst the friend group that I adore. Also, very cute that he rubs his neck whenever he lies. And love that Zai Zai teases him about it whenever he tries to lie.

Gu Ran - One of Lu Rang's best friends and often shown to be carefree, proud, playful, and just your stereotypical boy. As the series goes on, we start to see how selfless and caring he is also. None of the characters in this series are one dimensional and there is some depth to them. Gu Ran's character development was one I enjoyed. We get a glimpse into his home life where his parents are occasionally away due to being doctors. He plays it off and doesn't seem to complain to his parents as he understands that what they do is important. And it's not even that he doesn't get love. His parents love him and we can see that. However, it's still natural to feel lonely and neglected sometimes, especially during the holidays. Gu Ran however just silently endures it instead of voicing his sadness. This is a trait we see again when it comes to his love interest Jiang Jia, the female lead's best friend. He grows to like her but never works up the courage to tell her. In fact, he even helps her pursue her crush. He is shown to be someone who loves selflessly, whether it comes to his family or romantic interest.

Jiang Jia - The female's best friend and love interest of Gu Ran. She, however, for most of the series, crushes on and pursues a senior at their school. For the most part, she was very oblivious to Gu Ran's feelings for her, which was a little frustrating to watch since Gu Ran was shown to do little things for her. She does eventually start noticing him in a romantic way, but by then, he was already planning to leave to study abroad. I think the most memorable moment for me was when she took care of Gu Ran when he was sick. Another moment was trying to confess to her crush. However, in the end, she decided not to. These moments vulnerability and softness in her character who is normally very fierce, bold, and brave.

Guan Fang - Guan Fang is probably my favorite character in the series. He takes care of the people around him. A former troubled kid, he turned his life around for the sake of his grandma. Very chill and friendly. A lot of Guan Fang's story revolve around his relationship with his grandma. He is be very upbeat and tries to avoid conflict to avoid making her worry. Aside from taking care of her, he also takes care of his friends. When Guan Fang was unable to reach Gu Ran due to the latter being sick, he goes to check on his friend, even calling Jiang Jia for help. When he finds out Gu Ran is alone, he takes his friend back to his place so he could be taken care of. I love the moment where he was tucking his friends in, making sure they are covered. I like that he was always included in a lot of their activities even though he was not paired with anyone. Not everyone finds their love in high school and it's realistic that Guan Fang didn't end up with anyone. However, I do kind of wish we got to see more into his life outside of grandma and his friend group. He's not a bad looking guy, so I wonder if he was dating or seeing anyone at any point. This is where I wished we saw more of life in university and after for everyone besides the main couple.


[ --FINAL THOUGHTS -- ]

It's hard to find good friends, especially as we grow older. So I'm happy that Lu Rang has several good friends to help him through high school. Building a relationship is hard and it's harder to maintain. So having people who are very extroverted like Su Zai Zai around can help. Her straightforward personality definitely helped Lu Rang come out of his shell and grow as a person. And while this is nothing new in term of high school romance drama, it's the dynamics and moments between the friends during the journey that makes each story unique and fun to watch.


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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews are not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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Good themes and lessons

I saw this series didn't have any reviews at the time of writing this when it's been out for almost a year, so I thought I would write a quick one. I found this series after seeing the music video "The Way You Look At Me(Cover)" of Ben&Ben. I liked the story in the mv, and Barbie and David had nice acting, so I searched for a drama they starred in and the poster for this one interested me. At first, 40 episodes seems daunting to me, but at less than 30mins per episode makes it more management for my brain. I have not seen the original that this is a remake of, so I went into the story blind. While the romance and action were nice, it was more the theme of family, forgiveness, and moral values/principles that I liked. Very good series, it was worth the time to watch.

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● REVIEW
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LIKES:
--The female lead is a strong one with some great values. Other than surviving the attempts on her life, she also imparts some lessons to the male lead. Several time in the series, she is not afraid to scold the male lead in the way he sets an example of the kids, how he treats women, and his view on masculinity/homosexuality, etc.
--Male lead is also pretty cool, taking care of everyone. He also has a likable temperament. He acknowledges whenever he is in the wrong, strives to do better and better himself.
--While there are conflicts in the relationship between the male lead and female lead, I never felt like any of that dragged out. They are both pretty reasonable. I think an example that comes to mind is when he found out she was a woman. He hates liar but at the same time, he recognized all the things she has done for him and his family. He was angry for a bit, but quickly forgave her. I know many other series where lying has been a bigger issue.
--The kids were great too and also great actors/actresses. There's a lesson about family being more than blood relations and that's heartwarming.
--Happy ending! Had to mention this because you never know with these series where both characters are always actively being targeted.

DISLIKES:
--I'll admit there were some parts that wasn't super interesting to me, like some Frank's scenes or some of the plotting scenes between characters. I feel like the story could be a lot more condensed in general.

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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Some kilig moments. Some sexy moments. Some emotional moments.

I have not seen the other series in this shared universe nor have I read the Wattpad story this has been adapted from so I went in without knowing any of the characters or the plot other than what I read from the synopsis. It did not disappoint. Was it anything special or original? I can't say it was. However, I enjoyed the characters the development of the leads' relationship. Nothing felt draggy and both mains are very nice to look at.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
--Luna and Kalix are both good, likable characters with their own goals/dream. Luna's friend group and Kalix's guy friends were also very good friends to the leads.
--I liked how the series set the expectation at the beginning with how they tell the narrative. From the first episode, we already know something was going to happen to their relationship as it tells us the love story via flashback because we see they are not together in the present day. So the major breakup that happens is no surprise.
--I enjoyed watching the buildup of their romance as well the emotional breakdown of their relationship.

DISLIKES:
--Kalix's mom change of heart and attitude towards the end felt rushed just so our couple could have a perfect ending. I know 10 years is a long time and she probably could've grew in that time, but the problem was that even when we meet her again initially after all that time, she was still being rude when they were visiting the house. So while it's plausible she decided to chill and stop giving Luna a hard time, I wished the series did a better job at portraying it.

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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

I want to say both Luna and Kalix are very likable character. Luna is bubbly, bold, funny, and more outgoing. Kalix is quieter and calmer, but very respectful, responsible, and sincere. They both good and talented people with their own goals and dream. However, they are not perfect characters. If they were, we wouldn't have drama or conflict. However, their flaws are understandable, at least, to me. They each played a role in the downfall of their relationship.

Luna is very quick to judge and jump to conclusions, assuming the worst about Kalix before letting him to explain. However, as frustrating as that is, I wasn't annoyed by Luna because I get it. Trauma and fear can be so irrational that even talking and listening takes courage. She has been cheated on and hurt before. She was already feeling insecure with what Kalix's mother had said to her before, so now, with everything going on with Kierra and school, emotions piled up. When we are overwhelmed, sometimes our emotions become our worst enemy. Kalix also didn't fight hard enough to tell her the truth before Luna found out about the kiss. He was not completely honest as he did not tell the truth about Amy kissing him as soon as it happened. Instead, he let it drag out far too long until it was too late and it eventually blew up in his face when there was already a lot of other things happening.

Life gives us rocks to carry, some of which are heavy. We become focused and concerned on trying to carry our own rocks that sometimes we don't see that others are struggling with the weight of their own rocks. When we do notice, we may want to help add some of their load onto ours. Or we see that they are already carrying a lot and don't want to worry or burden them with ours. Luna was trying to take care of Kierra and school while Kalix was trying to take care of Kio and school. Luna's and Kalix's romance ultimately ended because they each were carrying a lot. The misunderstanding was really heartbreaking to see, but it's also very understandable. The buildup to the breakup was done well.

[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

All very attractive actresses and actors, especially Heaven and Marco. Also very talented. I very much enjoyed the leads' emotional scenes. . I also enjoyed the characterization of the characters. I think my only note would be some of the line delivery. I don't know what exactly it was, but sometimes, the delivery felt not so natural? Especially from Kalix. Or maybe it was the lines themselves that felt a little cheesy. I'm not sure. Regardless, I would be happy to see more from all the actors. I already plan to watch the other series in this universe, but I hope to see more work from them.

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

My favorite part about watching a series is discovering new music. While I haven't seen a lot of Filipino series, I've always been a fan of their OSTs. It helps me find new music, discover new artists, and grow my Filipino playlist. The series had a lot of great soundtracks. I added the entire EP to my playlist because I loved all the songs. They also worked well in the series, helping to enhance the emotions and story overall. There were also songs not on the EP that I was interested in as a music enthusiasts, but I'm so glad there are others other who have created playlists with the songs so they were not hard to find.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

While I enjoyed watching this, I'm not sure if this is something I'd watch again on my own. Maybe I'll watch it with my girlfriend if she's interested in this. It has its moments, I liked the characters, and the story was good. It's also only 10 episodes, so it's definitely rewatchable but idk if there was really anything special that I would want to go back on my own to see again. It was great watching it for the first time but not something that leaves me with a great enough impression that I'd want to come back for more.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

The words people say can hurt us, but sometimes the unsaid words are also just as hurtful, either to ourselves or to others. This series illustrates the importance of communication. I don't have much other to say other than that this was a great series with some mature conversations, even if some of them happened too late. Conversations that come late are better than conversations that never come at all. Even if it was too late to fix anything, at the very least, it would bring closure and peace of mind. In this case though, we still got our happy ending. After seeing this, I am super interested in seeing Yanna's story and Sevi's story in the other related series.

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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Great actors. Good music. Okay story.

Loved the actors/acting and loved the music. The story/plot was their weakest point but it's not bad. I thought it was okay. Just needs some work. The actors and the music are what bumps this from an 'okay' series to to a 'good' one for me.

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● REVIEW
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LIKES:
--The OST is very nice. I've always been a fan of the music SUKFILM uses and how they enhance the emotions of the scenes. Hopefully they release the soundtracks list soon.
--The actors and acting is also very good. I enjoy the chemistry and acting a lot.
--This relates back to the actors and acting. Although I may not agree with certain actions or allowing certain actions to happen, at the very least, I could understand the characters' emotions due to how well they were portrayed
--Although Dae Young cheated on Min Ji, at the very least, he confessed right away after it happened instead of hiding it. That's kind of a low bar, but I'm willing to give them some credit for that. They could've dragged that out or lie to her some more, but they didn't.
--The series was short enough that there wasn't really anything that made me feel annoyed or bored. I think the length worked in its favor in that aspect. Although, I also wouldn't mind a longer series for more character/plot development.

DISLIKES:
--I don't mind cheating in plots. However, when the same character cheats more than once, it becomes hard to root for the character or become attached to them, especially when it is a main character. It's hard to like a series when you can't sympathize with a character because they let the same mistakes repeat. I'm not taking too much points away for this as the acting/emotions during those kiss scenes with the ex were done well.
--Initially, the story sets up the friendship as being very important to Jeong Ha, but it didn't feel like such a big deal when we never saw Min Ji again. We could've focus on the friendship more and maybe the guys trying to reach out to Min Ji after the fallout. Instead, we just moved on to the next plot about the ex, making it seem like preserving the 10 year friendship was not really that important.
--There are some extended kiss scenes/dialogue that are behind a paywall. I'm not actually taking points away for this, but I felt the need to mention it as a dislike =P

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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Cute Rival/Friend Dynamic and Light-hearted Series

I originally tried to watch this last year but the subs were very bad. It has gotten a lot better. Not great, but understandable for the most part. Maybe 10-15% where the sentence structure is weird/backwards or the grammar is off. I'm glad I revisited this because this was a very fun, cute, and light series. Great leads, great friends. Nothing overly dramatic and no big misunderstandings. There were times where I felt like things were cut, but overall, I enjoyed it.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- I really liked the rival/friends dynamic. Nothing too serious. Cute interactions, and great chemistry. Initial kisses did feel awkward, but hey, there was passion. And the nc scene, the kissing was a lot better. Maybe the initial awkward kisses was intentional? Idk. Still loved their chemistry.
--I enjoyed the friend group (Ohm not included). Despite the rivalries going on, it seemed mostly just for fun and no one was taking it seriously. They still supported and helped each other and remained civil.


DISLIKES:
-- Huge time jump so we don't really get to see the process of Songkram or Ai falling in love. They both are already crushing on each other after the time jump. Would have been fine if they included more flashbacks.
-- They could've done a better job at showing Ai's frustration with Songkhram in episode 7. It did feel abrupt. Maybe he felt overwhelmed in the moment and that's where that annoyance came from? But they didn't build it up well enough. Or maybe something got cut or lost in translation. It doesn't really matter too much though because the conflict was quickly resolved


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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

The story was pretty simple and straightforward. Very light and cute. There was no huge drama or anything overly dramatic going on, which I liked. Even the rivalry between the dorm between wasn't all that serious. They still hung out with one another. Just a lot of playful banter and bickering, mostly between the two dorm heads. Otherwise, it was just all fun. It the rivalry concept reminds me a little of Bad Buddy, but this series is not as dramatic and deep. It keeps everything pretty light-hearted. I think the most dramatic thing was Ohm's reaction to Ai when Ohm was left out of the Sandbox project. He seemed very ungrateful to the two people who helped him when he was in trouble. Ohm got his feelings hurt once and forgot all about the kindness Ai has showed up. Other than Ohm though, all the other friends were great. Even when everyone was split between rival dorms, they supported and helped each other, like with tutoring. Even when the two boys were competing to win Ai's affection, they still remained friends, which I loved. Also, it was funny and cute. I really enjoyed all the pairings and their dynamics. Ai's mom and Songkram's dad were also both great, supportive parents, which is always nice to see.

[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

Going in, I wasn't familiar with the cast, but I very much enjoyed their acting as I loved their interactions and chemistry. Wanted to punch Ohm for his behavior, which is a good thing. Going forward, I hope to see more of all of them. Not really much to say here other than they all did a good job.

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

Ok, so while I was watching the series, I don't think there was really anything that stood out to me. Not really bad, but also not memorable. The only song I looked up was the one from Bank, which was ok. I don't think it's something I'll add to my playlist though.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

This was a relatively short, fun, and light-hearted series, so it's something I could easily rewatch again. And I probably will. I didn't expect to like it so much, but I do. It was fun to watch.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

Again, there really wasn't anything deep or dramatic going in this series. Just two guys who secretly crushed on each other and are part of rival dorms. Their interactions was very fun and cute to watch. The friend group was great, minus Ohm, but Ohm was mostly just Ai's friend anyway. Although it's not really anything unique or special, it doesn't mean it's not enjoyable. There really isn't much to say about it other than it's cute and fluffy and light. I loved it.


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● NOTE
-------------------------------------------

I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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Would you make a deal with the devil?

If you knew you were about to die, and a demon showed up to grant a wish, what would your wish be? Would it be to save yourself or would you use it on someone else?

I'm going to admit right now that writing an unbiased review for this will be a little hard as god dang, the leads are fine as hell. Are you sure the male lead is not an angel because the bright halo from his handsomeness blinded me, making it hard to stare at the screen and watch. Jokes aside, this series was cute, funny, and very interesting to watch. I've always been a fan of supernatural fantasy series. While this series is full of cute/funny moments, it also touches on the subject of human nature and people in their most desperate moments. Overall, this was a very fun watch. Not much layer to it, but still a good watch nevertheless.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- I enjoyed the chemistry of the leads
-- lots of cute/funny moments
-- enjoyed the backstory of their past lives


DISLIKES:
-- I did feel the story of the villains dragged on too long, especially once Gu Won got his powers back


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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

Behind the romcom and the story of a demon doing cute, silly, and romantic things, this is also a story about human nature and what people will do in their most desperate moments. Many people will act selfishly as self-preservation is a basic instinct. However, there are some who are willing to selflessly sacrifice themselves in the face of death. In their past lives, our female lead was thrown under the bus by people who all wanted to protect themselves from execution. She became their scapegoat, but instead of naming names, she accepted her fate selflessly. Her modern day reincarnation is no less selfless. When it came to the choice of protecting her demon lover, she always made the choice to save him. And likewise, he was willing to sacrifice everything to protect her. Meanwhile, as a contrast, the big villain of the story was willing to kill his own family members out of greed and self-preservation.

This series also shows that people don't have to completely change themselves to be loved. People aren't perfect. But we can still love them anyway with their imperfections. In the end, Do Do Hee was still human with all her human traits, but Gu Won loves her anyway. Gu Won, in the end, remained a demon. He will continue to make deals with humans (though probably with more compassion) and Do Do Hee will still accept him for what he is. They developed as characters but at the core, they are still who they were, a human and a demon. They didn't have to become something else to stay together and I love that.


[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

I've seen a few of Kang's work, but I don't know if I've seen anything else with You Jung yet. It'll be something I look forward to in the future as this series definitely made me aware of her. I love the lead's chemistry. During both the thrilling moments and the soft romantic moments, I can definitely got the feels whenever they look at each other. It also helps that visually they are both beautiful people and work well with one another. I also very much enjoyed the performances of all the all cast members as well, especially the villains. The big villain's characterization kind of felt off towards the end of the series, but more of a character thing and less of an acting thing.

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

I don't really have much to say about the music in this series because there wasn't anything that stood out to me that I didn't like. I think throughout the series, whenever a new song played, some would sound familiar. And I was happy to see quite a few names I recognized when I looked up the OST. I'm not huge on ballads but when I am able to associate them to a series, it helps in their appeal to me. I think "True" from Yoari and "Say You Love Me" from Sam Kim are probably my favorites.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

Honestly, this series was pretty straightforward for me. Not much layer and the story, while interesting on a first watch, I'm not sure it is not something I would rewatch in its entirety. At the same time, it might be worth just for seeing a demon act cute, silly, and hopelessly in love. So maybe just some episodes and some scenes.


[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

Overall, this series is worth the watch for me. Very fluffy. Very cute. Very thrilling. Very demure. :P I like the series for the most part. It fell off a little for me towards the end due to the villain story feeling a bit draggy to me. Some of the suspense aspects of the series weren't all that suspenseful either as one would have to believe the writer was willing to kill off a lead character way before the end. So I feel like the threat of death is not a good suspense moment unless it's towards the end. However, I still enjoyed all the characters and watching the romcom moments.


-------------------------------------------
● NOTE
-------------------------------------------

I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews are not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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They saved each other

I really enjoy time-travel dramas and have seen quite a bit of them. Lovely Runner doesn't really do anything new that comes to mind or stand out, but I don't think it has to. Very few things are truly unique these days. As long as it's enjoyable to watch, it doesn't really matter. I fall into the group of people who really enjoyed this series.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- Characters were very likable to me
-- Story had layers and complexities
-- Lots of emotional moments but also lots of cute moments


DISLIKES:
-- Vague time travel rules and hardly any explanation for magic watch
-- Drunk kiss and forgotten confession
-- We know very little about the villain


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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

So the first comparison that came to mind when I was watching this series was "Someday or One Day", another time travel series that I really love for its depth, layers and complexities. "Lovely Runner" is similar in that it's also has layers to it. The time travel aspect is also not as straightforward as just going back in time, completing a mission, and then going back to the present where everything is fixed. It's trial and error, and that's part of why love these complex time-travel stories. I like the characters attempting to fix things but never truly knowing if the thing they tried work until they return to present time. In this case, with every timeline, Im Sol tries to avoid Seon Jae more and more because it is his involvement with her that gets him killed later. Is it her fault though? No. It's not her fault that she got targeted by a serial killer who becomes obsessed with them both when they are the reason he is caught.

In a lot of the series I watch, there is usually some object that is the trigger for the time travel. In this one, it's our ML's watch. But why can it do that? What sorcery is dictating how much information Im Sol can tell the other characters in the past? Why does this time deity want her to save Seon Jae? Is he the chosen one? Do other magical watches exists in this universe? If not, why? We will never know. But I guess, plot-wise, none of that is important. In every timeline, Seon Jae always ends up trying to save Im Sol and getting targeted by the serial killer. In order to save our male lead, she has to prevent him from saving her. It's a bit of a circle and ultimately, she finds that the only way is to keep him out of her life. But the universe seems to always favor Seon Jae and he ends up in her life anyway and falling for her once again. He must have accumulated a lot of merits in his past life or something. Obviously, the great time god really wants Seon Jae to live cause why else would Im Sol be given so many chances to save him. And it's obvious that it is inevitable that they meet, and Seon Jae will fall in love all over again. So I feel like this digital watch deity could've just skipped all the trouble of Im Sol time traveling and just remove the killer from history to skip all the unnecessary steps. Surely a time god can do that, right? Right? No? Oh. xD

With time-travel, there is also an element of fate. You can change the events that happen, but ultimately, some things are fated to happen. And some people will forever be connected by the red thread of fate. Regardless of how much she tries to avoid it, they always meet again and Seon Jae always end up falling for Im Sol. Like, Fate is always rooting for them. There is a moment in this series where our male lead gets back his memories (kind of reminds me of "The Legend of the Blue Sea") from the alternate timelines that were changed. Again, what magical force is at work and why do they love Seon Jae so much? xD Jest aside, the reason they give is that memories are never truly erased, they just get buried deep in our soul... or something like that. I can't remember the exact phrasing Grandma gave but that was the vibe of it. Now I can't help but wonder if all my feelings of deja vu in my life was because someone was messing with time.

Anyway, let me share my thoughts on each character below.

[ --Thoughts on Characters-- ]

Im Sol - At first, I thought she was just going to be just another clumsy, ditzy girl that did nothing but get in the male lead's way but I found her very likable and relatable. Was she perfect? Of course not. There were definitely moments where I felt she could come up with better excuses/lies to explain herself or made slightly different choices. However, overall, for the major decisions, her choices were fine/reasonable. I watched this on Viki and a lot of the timed comments I saw was about her being annoying. Most of that annoyance came from her causing our handsome male lead Seon Jae some heartaches. Personally, I think her choices regarding him were rational given the circumstances, what she knew, and that her goal was to make sure he doesn't die. Her goal wasn't to date him. I get it, he's a sweet puppy and it sucks for him sometimes, but that doesn't mean Im Sol did anything wrong. Another thing I read a lot was people saying she is spending a lot of effort chasing a celebrity crush. To that, I say sure... but he's also a guy that saved her life in a dark moment of her life. Words can hold a lot of power and Seon Jae's words of encourage gave her the strength to keep living. And I'm sure that is relatable to a significant number of idol stans out there. Im Sol is trying to save the person who save her. Let's not minimalize that to a mere crush. If I had the chance to save a life that greatly impacted me, I would take it. In all, I think she's pretty selfless and cute.

Seon Jae - So when I first started watching this series, my expectation was that he would slowly fall for Im Sol over time. However, it is established pretty quickly that he was already crushing on her waaay before she even took notice of him. I find it somewhat endearing how he tries to act so cool in front of her but is really just a lovesick puppy. I think the scenes that stand out in my mind is when Im Sol is making the stupid puns and he has to turn to hide his smiles because she knows his humor so well. I also like that Seon Jae was shown to be adaptable. He is a swimmer who was forced to give up that dream due to a shoulder injury. Instead of dwelling on it, he moved on and helped those around him move on. Even when he was given the chance to do rehab, he chose not to after realizing his enthusiasm for the sport is no longer there. And that's just how life can be sometimes. It's a really down to earth and relatable story for an athlete. Or anyone really. He, like Im Sol, also pretty selfless and cute.

Tae Sung - What I really loved about Tae Sung is that he never truly forced anything and never became an annoying third wheel. He always seems pretty honest and respected her feelings. There was small moments of animosity between him and our male lead, but it was never truly anything serious. I'm glad they were able to remain friends in the newest timeline. I'm also glad he mended his relationship with is father and ended also being a cop.

Everyone Else - I don't have much to say about everyone else and this is already super long, so I will just condense them altogether. One of the emotional moments for me was when Seon Jae and his dad were talking after his dad found about his son's shoulder injury. Both were emotional and I could feel it. It was a heartfelt moment that stood out to me. Similarly, Im Sol learning her mom had been sick but never told her. It's hard to find out when a family member is hiding a illness so you don't worry, especially when you misunderstood before.

I wasn't super invested in Im Sol's brother and her best friend love story. A lot of it was comedic moments and I just didn't feel like there was enough time or dept invested in their story for me to feel any kind of way. I'm glad they are happy, they are cute together, and they have cute kids, but I wish their story was fleshed out some more or taken more seriously. Same with Grandma. I want to know more about her and her time-traveling adventures. In all, it would've been nice to see more family moments. But I also get that this isn't like "Twinkling Watermelon" where family is the focus of the story. The serial killer was also another character that we did not know much about despite being an important factor in the story. He was merely a plot device and nothing more. All I learned of his obsessive stalking of our lead was that he was a vengeful person and wanted to kill the witness that put him in jail.

And then there was Eclipse. Love the band. Liked their music. 10/10 would stan. I don't really have much to say about the band members other than In Hyuk. In Hyuk seems like he kind of resented our female lead in some parts and I get it. She caused our male lead a lot of trouble, so it makes sense that as the best friend of Seon Jae, he would kind of be annoyed his friend keeps going after her. I always like it in series when best friends also become friends with the love interest even if it's just a bickering relationship. In Hyuk also did get his only little story when he temporarily quit the band that resulted in some fun times at the ocean, but overall he wasn't super involved in the overall plot either and I wish we got to see more band interactions in general.

[ --Closing Thoughts-- ]

Again, I thought this was a cute series with some layers and depths to it. And basically, this is a story of two people trying to save each other. He's her hero and she is his heroine. I don't really have much to say about the casts other than that I enjoyed their performances. I smiled at the cute/funny moments and I got teary eyes during the emotional ones so I think they did good. I also don't think it's overrated or underrated. It is the hype level that it is. I don't like to say something is over or under hyped because there is always a reason for the level of hype something gets. Whether we agree or understand it doesn't mean it's not deserved or is unworthy. To me, that is reminiscent of a sore loser's mentality. Criticism is fine, but let's not insult others' standards/taste. We are better than that. I've seen a lot of series where the rating doesn't reflect my own feeling about it, but my thought wasn't "Wow, everyone else is wrong, shallow, or high." We are just looking for different things.

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews are not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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Fun, quick watch

I just needed something light and short to watch as I was working and came across this series. There really isn't much for me to say about this series, as again, it is relatively short and the story is pretty straight forward, so I won't be writing an as in-dept review like I usually do. With all that being said, I ended up really liking this series. It was fun and interesting. Also a huge fan of the Nameless Kids so I love the opening theme music.

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● REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- There are a couple of relationships going on and one of them is between two male friends, so that was nice to see some LGBTQ content in here. What I really liked thought was some of the dialogue surrounding it. Very progressive. There's actually a quite a few progressive and/or heartwarming conversations throughout.
-- I enjoyed the friend group. They all looked out for one another. Even when they fight, it's out of concern and they are quick to apologize and make up.
-- I love the vibe. I don't really know how to explain this one well, but I just enjoyed the overall coastal setting and the days of youth before going off into the bigger world. Maybe it's the inner southern Cali surfer boy in me, but it hits a certain feel/vibe. The trouble they get into, obviously, is dramatic, but the idea of getting into hijinks with your buds as kids is something relatable.
-- With the given time, they did a good job of setting up the relationships and dynamics between the characters.


DISLIKES:
-- Nothing really comes to mind that I disliked. The worst I can say is that the humor/comedy element was just ok for me.


-------------------------------------------
● NOTE
-------------------------------------------

I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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let's go, the power of friendship!

I haven't read the webcomic ,so I admit I was a bit overwhelmed by all the characters and their skills at first, but fortunately they kept reiterating everything for someone like me who is unfamiliar with comic. Very superhero vibes. It reminds me a little bit of Guardians (2018), which was also a Chinese series. It was a sci-fi fantasy that also had an agency that deals with people with superhuman abilities. "I Am Nobody", however, is more about the martial world. All the characters are interesting and most have their own backstories, which I liked. This series have very anime style comedy which I find very fun. Overall, very cool, very funny, and thoughtful. I loved the journey.

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● SHORT REVIEW (TLDR)
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LIKES:
--seeing the jianghu adapted into the modern world is cool to see. Typically, I've only seen it in a Wuxia ancient China type setting. Also, really cool seeing the different skills and abilities of the different families and sects.
--The characters are all very fun and interesting with their own stories. They all feel like could be main characters of their own spinoff stories.
--A lot of little lessons in their about youth, identity, and growing as a person.


DISLIKES:
--We get introduced to so many characters at once in some episodes and hard to keep track of their abilities. It can be a bit overwhelming for someone new to the world
--After the tournament, there are a lot of characters we don't see again until maybe the very end. There was a lot of friendships being built and I wish we got to see that expanded on more.

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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

The story is very lore deep and ever-growing with a huge array of characters. And all of those characters are just as complex with their own stories, which we touch upon but don't really deep dive into aside from the main characters. At the core, this is a story about finding family and friends. Chulan's quest to find answers about his grandfather. Baobao's looking for her family and who she is. Lyu Liang looking for his sister. Along the way, comraderies are being formed as they try to seek the truth.

While our story focuses on Chulan and Baobao's adventures, so many of the characters introduced could have been the main characters as well, which I love. They are not just side characters, but the main characters of their own story. This is both a good and bad thing. It's good as it means the characters are interesting and complex. However, it's also a bad thing because it can introduces plot points that we may never see closure to in the series. Not sure about the webcomics. For example, The Feng family and the All Encompassing Guild. During the tournament, we get introduce to those characters and got some development for them but there still so many things I felt left to be explored with that family. Especially when it comes to their skill being copied and used by another family. Both Feng Shayan and Xingtong could have own things going on that could be explored it more. This is just an example of how great and interesting the characters are. They are interesting enough to make me curious and want to see more. Also Feng Shayan and Jia Zhengliang dynamic was very cute. Both have their own parental issues. Loved seeing their little fling or love story. Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing also have their blossoming bromance going on and would love to see more of as they try to figure out their role in the world.

A big theme of the series is identity. The series has some life lessons about how we react and adapt to the world, the adversities that shapes us, the complexities of youth and figuring out where you fit into the world. In an ideal world, it's only our own choices that shape who we will become. Sadly, the reality is that the choices of others have an impact on us. Lyu Liang is one example. Despite being a member of Sinister Pleasure, he never really felt like a villain to me. Like Chulan, he was also just trying to find answers about a family member. He became a member of Sinister Pleasure out of necessity and as a result of the actions of his family and Duanmu Ying. People are much more than meet the eyes, which is another theme I saw throughout. We only see what people choose to show us. Just because someone show us their weakness and flaws, it doesn't mean they lack strength. This is seen with Zhang Chulan. Shamelessness does not mean incompetence. And just because someone strive to show us perfection, it doesn't mean they have no flaws. This is seen with Zhang Lingyu and his love for Xia He of the Pleasure Sinister.

While the series is filled with lots of comedic and action-pack scenes with the occasional emotion heart-tugging moments, what I like about it is that it also makes you think. There are a lot of philosophical topic it touches upon and also questions that it poses. There is a lot to think about. How much of our memories affect about personality and behavior? At what point do we stop being us? How much can we really impact the world around us? How much of the world around us impact us? Does the pursuit of the truth and enlightenment outweigh the greater good and the consequences?

[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

The only actor that I recognized was the one who played Zhuge Qing as I've seen him as the lead in "Love Script". Other than that, I'm not sure if I have seen the others. Really big cast and I enjoyed all of them. There really isn't much to say here as I think everyone did a great job portraying their characters. I have seen the movie version or read the webcomics I don't really have reference points on how well they played the characters. There wasn't really anything that stood out to me as bad.

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

I absolutely love the OST for this series. There were many tracks that caught my attention, which means they are impactful or really enhanced the scenes they were played in. Unfortunately, they're not on Spotify. At least, for my region. That makes me a little sad because I really do love a lot of the music. They are songs I would expect in like a Wuxia genre, which is very much my vibe.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

I can definitely see myself rewatching this. Like I've said, very funny and fun to watch. And there are lots of characters with an ever evolving story. With so much going on, it's hard to take everything in on the first watch, so I will probably eventually go back and see if I missed anything. At the very least, it will give me a chance to let this world sink in and get more familiar with it.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

This series kept killing/hurting our old men. At least, the good ones. Glad the Chief Celestial Taoist made it, he was very badass. Other than that, I don't really have much else to say other than I really really like this series. I will definitely be reading the webcomics at some point. I also see they will have a second season, so I am excited for that. Hopefully we revisit more of the tournament contestants and strengthen those friendships some more. In the end, maybe the Qi Apotheosis is just the friends we made along the way :P

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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someone will love you for who you are, quirks and all

I don't know if I've watched any other collaborations between countries aside from this one. If I have, it's not coming to mind, so I will assume this is my first one. I liked it. The story was enjoyable, the leads were cute together, and this series made me really hungry. I liked seeing the sharing of culture and language. Also, I am a huge otter fan, too...very relatable.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
--I enjoyed the chemistry and cuteness of the main couple
--The second male lead was also very likable. Genuinely good guy. Adorable how easily he gets drunk
--The dynamic between Mahiro the chef and Gaku the researcher guy was fun and cute to watch as they developed.
-I enjoyed the cinematography of the bubbles and the rooftop scenes.


DISLIKES:
--For a researcher, I felt like the professor's concern for Tae Oh lacked any real scientific foundation. Maybe it's the illogical part of a parent's fear kicking in, but wanting to break up a couple based on just a children's book and one person's experience is extreme for me.
--Not enough otters

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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

There was a lot of things in this series that I enjoyed and found really cute, otters aside. Our female lead gets hangry whenever she is hungry, which I found cute. It was also cute when our male lead was internally deciding if she was angry with him or not when snapped at him due to being hungry. Our male lead's thoughts and behavior was very cute in general. Very golden retriever energy. I enjoyed the pair's chemistry. From him sharing his food suggestions to their interactions, it was all very cute. The second male lead who got drunk super easily was also cute and funny. I loved the dynamic between the baker and the researcher guy.

Story-wise, my only real criticism is that plot with the storybook. While I understand that parents worry about their kids and that Tae Oh is like a son to the professor, the professor trying to break up the couple due to a storybook is very unlikely/unrealistic behavior. Idk, I guess I just feel like he's a researcher and would want more scientific evidence than one person's experience.

Other than that, I think everything else was either fine or cute. I saw a lot of criticism about the female lead's character but I didn't think she was frustrating at all. Yes, she is hesitant, shy, awkward, indecisive but it didn't really annoy me. A lot of the time, I understood her concerns. Plus, when you have an ability like hers to read mines upon eye contact, it can be scary. It's already scary enough to put your heart out there without the ability, reading thoughts makes it harder. And much more when suddenly, you can't read someone's thoughts because he's thinking in another language. Personally, female lead was very cute and considerate.

[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

So the over-the-top anime dramatic acting style in romcom is actually pretty common in Japanese series, but it's also present in other countries' romcoms too. Some people like it and some people don't. I don't mind it, but maybe because I am use to seeing it. I don't look at that and think it's bad acting. That's usually a director's choice, usually for dramatics or comedy. So with that said, I very much enjoy the lead actors. They were both very cute. Both also very pretty people. I also enjoyed their chemistry and interactions. The supporting actors also did a good job.


[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

Not sure if there were other songs, but the only song that I remember is "Omoinotake", which I liked. There really wasn't any scene where I felt any of the music was out of place or anything like that so the only thing I can really say is that there is at least one song that stood out to me, which I just mentioned. Is it something I would add to my own playlist though, not really.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

I wouldn't rewatch the entire series but I would probably watch like the few beginning episodes again for their cute interactions.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

I hope to see more collaborative works in the future and there may be some already out there I need to check out. I came in not really knowing what to expect and while it didn't blow me away, I still enjoyed the journey. I would say to give this a try. You may like it, you may not. I fall into the group that liked it. Overall, very cute, very funny, very sincere.

-------------------------------------------
● NOTE
-------------------------------------------

I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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