2
LightHouse74
U.S.A.
Such a Great Series!!
This was such a heartwarming and funny series. I was hooked before the first episode ended. The script was excellent because it had just the right amount of comedy, drama and quirkiness. The main theme for me was to look for the joy in your everyday life and be mindful of your actions (good and bad) around others. I love the cast and how they portrayed their characters. The friendship between the main characters and their customers was great. I also have to mention the obvious overtones of bromance in the series which is fine with me.Was this review helpful to you?
Random Note:
Warning! There are some gory scenes, but it’s not that bad. However, my tolerance level of gore is pretty high because I grew-up watching horror films of the 80’s and 90’s.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Next Stop is Forever Hopeful
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.This was a great series with an interesting storyline. I think the pacing for this series was perfect and was hooked from the beginning. However, you may want to skip this if you are looking for a fast pace, high action drama because this series is not it. The script was very well thought out. I love how they interweaved the passengers and their loved one’s stories throughout the series. It had some farfetched elements but there only minor. I thought the three main characters (Kayashima, Shirahama, and Hatano) were well written and helped counter balance each other. The script also had a nice balance of personal storylines with the other supporting characters. There were some romance elements between multiple characters, but it was not overpowering. Some individuals may have a problem with the ending. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. The cast was excellent and did a great job with their characters. The cinematography and special effects were amazing.
Random Note:
This has an underline theme about society and how we should never judge a book by its cover.
This is listed as Pending Train on Netflix.
********Spoiler Alert********
There is a somewhat love triangle between the three main leads. However, it’s not that bad and does not become the main focus of the series which I consider a good thing (I hate this type of storyline).
You will not be satisfied if you need a clearcut happy or sad ending. This ending is open to your interpretation. For me, it’s an ending that has hope for the future.
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This review may contain spoilers
Charming
I placed spoiler alert at the end of this review.If you are a fan of Cutie Pie, you will apricate the main point of this miniseries. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. It was great to see the cast stepping into their characters which they did a great job with what they were given. Unfortunately, this miniseries also had very little character development. The script was ok, but had some missed opportunity with some of the side characters. There was one editing problem with a backwards time jump in the beginning of the first episode that was not clearly noted.
Random Notes: It really depends on how much you like Cutie Pie if you should watch this.
******Spoiler Alerts******
The main point was to show the fans Kuea Keerati and Lian Kilen Wang’s wedding and stress the legal importance of same-sex marriage.
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Just Like the Series, Very Boring
The movie/series: See my full review for the series about the storyline, script, and acting. All of it applies to the movie too.The movie: Overall, they did a great job editing the series into a movie version. However, I wish they had fixed the weird editing choice from episode 7 because it does seem out of place and affected the mood for the next scene.
Random Notes:
You basically can skip the series and watch the movie version because there was very little that was edited out. As I stated with the series, you can wait to watch the movie until you have some time to kill and have nothing better on your must watch list.
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This review may contain spoilers
Very Boring
I placed a spoiler alert at the end of this review.I usually wait for the movie version before I write a review, but this could not wait. This series was very underwhelming. The storyline used for the series was nothing new or exciting. This is not a bad thing if it had a great script. Unfortunately, this was not the case because it had too many weak elements. The main culprit is the lack of communication between all the characters. Using misunderstandings as a story element is nothing new, but this series takes it to a ridicules level. Another problem was very little to no character development with the whole cast, exception with Seon Ho. See spoiler alert at the end of this review for more information. The acting was ok, but nothing groundbreaking. The cinematography was good, but there was a weird editing choice in episode 7 that affected the mood for the next scene. It does have cool opening credits.
Random Notes:
This is one of those series you can wait to watch until you have some time to kill and have nothing better on your must watch list.
******Spoiler Alert******
I appreciate they did not use the “gay for you” story element. It was very refreshing that they had Seon Ho question his sexuality. After all, there are more than two types of sexuality.
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This review may contain spoilers
Everyone has Family Drama!!!
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.This was a great series from start to finish. The script was outstanding with the exception of one aspect. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. The overall theme is that families are complicated, including the ones you create for yourself. The actors were outstanding in this series and did such a great job with their characters. This also had beautiful cinematography.
Random Notes:
I love watching series/moves that are set in a different generation. It was cool how they incorporated the Y2K millennium bug scare.
******Potential Spoiler Alert******
I personally felt the minor romance storyline between Keg and Bung was unnecessary. It would have been cooler to just see them form a close friendship without this. However, the good thing is this was not overpowering and doesn’t take up that much screentime.
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Nice Collection of Short Films
The good part about this series is none of the episodes are linked together. Each one is basically a short film which means you can skip one with no worries. Warning, don’t watch if you are not a fan of gore. It didn’t bother me, but I grew-up watching the classic horror films of the 80’s and 90’s. With one exception, the episodes had a very good story concept and a great script. It has an outstanding cast that did a great job with their characters. The special effects were great with the exception of episode 5.Random Note: I would just skip episode 5 (Headless Teacher). This was just weird. It’s not scary or suspenseful. I guess this was supposed to be the comic relief of the series.
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Don’t let the first episode scare you off.
This had a very cute, weird but cute, story concept. I started watching this with the mindset of a sitcom. I know it’s a comedy, but watching it as a sitcom made it more enjoyable for me. Although it had a few weak points, the script was very different and uplifting. The first episode is a little bizarre due to the heavy stalker element of Toh. However, this element is toned down in following episodes. I usually don’t like series with a big cast, but they did a good job with keeping you interested. I actually remember who they were and started to care about them. The group dynamics of both groups was great and they were very supportive of each other. Their teasing can get a little out of hand at times, but they were always there when someone needed it. The actors were incredible and did a great job making you care about their characters.Random Note (Added on 3/4/2023): I strongly recommend watching this on Idol Factory’s YouTube channel, if you can, instead of Viki because the English subtitles on their channel is definitely a lot better than the ones on Viki.
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This review may contain spoilers
The best one out of the 4
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.I stand corrected, this is the best one out of the compilation series. However, I may be bias because I love sci-fi storylines.
The positive: Although it had some elements that did not make sense, the script was good. The pacing was great and did a decent job introducing the characters’ backstories with one exception. I like the underline analogy about relationships in general. The two lines from episode 6 that sticks out to me is “You are an independent entity.” and “None of us own anyone.” The actors did a great job with their characters and portrayed them very well. Had very good cinematography, graphics, and music.
The negative: The script had some underdeveloped section which were only minor problems. It did take some liberties with the AI concept which some may not like. They also didn’t do a good job explaining the backstory with Chu Yi Ping’s dog. The script has one of my most hated story elements, but it actually made sense for a change. Again, this was only a minor problem for me.
******Spoiler Alert******
My main criticism is the length of the time jump. I’m not against it in this story because it did serve some purpose, but 7-years seemed too long.
Their first few kisses were predictable, but still cute.
I sort of understand the dog and Ever 9 comparison they were trying to make but it was weird and seems like a stretch to me.
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Comfort and Love
Warning: If you are looking for a fasted paced and overly dramatical BL, this series is NOT for you.Overall, this was a great series. The script was good, but had some minor weak aspects. It’s always nice to watch a mature BL series that involved adults that act like adults, well most of the time. The first episode was creative and did a great job with giving us Neil’s backstory and setting up the storylines. The script also did a good job interweaving both throughout the series. I also felt the relationship development between both BL couples had just the right pacing for the number of episodes it had. One of the minor problems is the script didn’t fully develop various aspects of the story. The biggest one was Sea’s backstory. We receive bits and pieces but not a complete picture. All of the actors did a great job portraying their characters. Just a heads up that the character Orca is Thai which introduced a language barrier component to the series. However, the portrayal of the language differences between Orca and the other characters was more realistic than the last series I tried to watch. It also helped that the actor, Jame Kasama, did a great job interacting with the other actors. The cinematography was great with the exception of the time jumps. Most of them were ok, but there were a few that just happened with no visual cues. The music/songs they used were very good which helped make this series, about the music industry, more believable.
Random Notes:
Don’t stop watching after the picture montage in episode 3 and 12 because there is an additional scene afterwards.
The accidental kiss in episode 1 was ridiculous and unnecessary. The ending was good, but it had a lot of flashbacks.
I’m slightly confused on the age difference between Neil and Sea.
It seems that GagaOOLala received some funding from the Thai production company Star Hunter which explains why three of their actors were in the series (1 had a supporting role and 2 had cameos).
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This review may contain spoilers
A full course meal that’s worth it in the end.
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.This was a very interesting series. The first few episodes may scare some individuals off, but it’s worth sticking around. The way they introduced all of the stories was very compelling, for me at least. The overall theme is that learning, self-discovery, and individual evolution is an on-going, never-ending process. However, there were so many other little lessons incorporated into this series. In essence, the only constancy in life is change. Although there were some week elements, the script was still excellent. It spent the right amount of time introducing the backstories of most of the side characters. It also had the right amount of drama and quirkiness that I’ve become to love with series from Japan. All of the actors were outstanding and did a wondaful job portrayed their characters. They also did a great editing job with the flashback scenes.
******Potential Spoiler Alert******
I don’t necessarily agree with Kai’s methods, but everything he did was for the benefit of others.
It was very smart with switching between Gaku’s personality of 2023 and 2024 in the beginning of the series which is the reason that compelled me to keep watching.
The friendship development between all of the characters was great. I also love the undertone bromance in the series.
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All was good until the end
A series/movie story concept that centers around sex can go very wrong, really quickly. Thankfully this was not the case with this series. This had a great storyline with very good execution. Overall, the script was very good. It does have some weak elements, but not enough to distracted me from enjoying the series. It had a mixture of many different elements that I usually don’t like, but it all somehow worked in this series. I also thought they made a smart move to start with a very hilarious tone and gradually move towards more serious social tones about sex. However, I will admit the ending of the last episode was a big letdown. The entire cast was outstanding and did such a great job with their characters. It also had beautiful cinematography, well done editing, and great music.Random Notes:
Do not watch this if you are offended by nudity and cheating partners.
The ending of the last episode was a little disappointed because it left a few loose ends. They possible did this to keep the door open for a second season.
As I stated before, I love watching moves/series that are set in a different generation.
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Outstanding
This was a very intriguing series that had me hooked by the first episode. I was confused at first because there was a lot going on, but it was a good type of confusion that made me interested in what was going on. If you get confused like me, just rewatch the first 15 minutes of episode 1 and you should fully understand what is going on. The script has well-crafted with many twists and turns to keep you guessing. Just when I thought I knew what to expect, it surprised me. It was also very successful with connecting multiple elements and characters together at the end. The cast did an amazing job with portraying their characters. It also helped that all of the characters were well written. It had stunning cinematography. It was a brilliant idea to use the different screen formats to establish the changing time lines to reduce possible confusion.Was this review helpful to you?
