So scripted that I felt insulted

Let me say this: I love dating shows. And, as a viewer, I am perfectly aware that:
- contestants are carefully picked, because they have to be pretty and fit certain standards, and many are part of the entertainment industry or want to start a career in this field.
- 90% of contestants choose to participate to get exposure, promote themselves or their company/restaurant/whatever.
- the staff often encourage contestants to behave a certain way to create more drama, or put contestants in stressfull situations just to film something interesting.
- even if couples are formed, they rarely survive in RL and fizzle out right after the show (bonus: sometimes people choose each other just to save face and to declare that they've been successfull in x show).

But that being said, Eden succeded in making me feel insulted, because I can't help but think that they treated all us viewers as idiots.
This season has only 8 episodes and at first everything seemed fine: the cast seemed interesting, people were nice, there were intriguing possibilities and one could feel excited when thinking about what could happen. This quickly went south episode after episode, because between cringy product placements and scenes that were full blown ads, the contestants started to make... not much sense.
Also, shoutout to the panelists that publicly defended a man that doesn't understand the concept of consent and that thinks that chasing a girl is warranted even when she tells you face to face that she doesn't like you. Same for another girl that didn't to much better, chasing a guy like a little stalker <3

Episodes 6-7 in particular were a mess, and I won't spoil you with the details and names of who did what, but let me just say that it was peak madness: some of the contestants changed their mind overnight or even in FEW MINUTES, there was drama because of a KISS ON THE CHEEK (when we're talking about a reality that's supposed to be a bit spicy, get out of here lol), dramatic tantrums about one-sided crushes that honestly deserved to wither and die weeks before etc.

And then, after I thought things could't get worse, apparently at least two people wrote on social media that the producers were forcing storylines dictating what they needed to do and that they were very frustrated but couldn't to anything about it. Barf.

What irks me the most though, it's that even without those social media posts, it's so crystal clear that this "reality" isn't free at all, that we might as well call it a bad soap opera. But the thing is, the PDs didn't realize how bad this was and mistook us - the general public - as colossal idiots.

So honestly, I usually try to encourage everyone to at least give a chance to 80% of any show, but this? Don't waste you time, because this is awful. This is taking the piss. If you want to watch people make bad decisions, go to Mc Donald's and leave Eden Season 2 alone.

Read More

Not flawless, but delightful!

Cutie Pie seems to be hated or loved, no middle ground, and before I start writing my review I wholeheartedly encourage anyone to give it a try and form your own opinion instead of going down the rabbit hole of threads/comments etc.
The thing is, this is a series that you might detest or watch giggling and smiling like an idiot.

Well, I was the idiot. And I will be the idiot, because I know I will rewatch it. This is to say that if you trust the negativity, you might miss something that can give you joy and fluff.

STORY:
The premise of the series is quite simple: there's an arraged marriage between two dudes. One older, a workaholic that seems quite cold, and a younger man, that tries to hide and present himself as the perfect heir, since he comes from old money. The main theme of the series is that miscommunication can (and will) ruin relationships and that being yourself sometimes requires a lot of courage. I won't spoil anything and I will keep this review vague, but let me say that both Lian and mostly Kuea end up lying because they think that this is the best course of action.
If you can't stand misunderstandings and you're one of the viewers that frequently says "just talk to each other and spill everything!" then this series is not for you. But if you can appreciate a plot that revolves around insecurities, being sweet and in love and sometimes imbeciles, then PLEASE go on.
Also --- I am a fan, but I have to admit it: there's quite a few plot holes. However, I never felt overwhelmed by them, just a bit miffed. I was also never bored.
The side couples are interesting too!

ACTING/CAST:
I loved everyone. Well, almost everyone, but there was nothing that made me think I shouldn't give a 10.
Zee is amazing, New surprised me so much.
This is a series where you won't find dead-fish kisses or awkward stares, or actors that seem bothered or downright disturbed by what they need to do to show that their characters love each other. When I was watching Cutie Pie, I was immersed and convinced that those characters loved each other. And I am talking about ALL the couples.
Love scenes, crying scenes, funny scenes, they were all so well portrayed!

MUSIC:
I enjoyed every song and it's quite obvious that the soundtrack was made with Cutie Pie and its plot in mind. New has a beautiful voice and I was pleasantly surprised by the other artists as well.

OVERALL:
I consider this a damn good series. A guilty pleasure, so to speak. Something that could've been done better (screenwriters, I'm looking at you!) but that is way better than many other series already aired or airing now. Cutie Pie was scrutinized a lot because it was highly anticipated and unfortunately, it received very harsh criticism where other series with worse plot/acting/production value got away in silence.
Again, I will repeat myself: give it a chance. Be aware that it's not perfect, start watching if you're looking for good acting, awesome fanservice and love scenes, a cute plot with silly drama.

Read More

A nice show, definitely recommended!

"His Man" is the type of reality show that kinda grows on you if you don't mind a slow pace and a subdue way to show how people get to know each other in 7 days.
You won't experience huge plot twists, drama and betrayals, but instead what you'll get is the fluffy, yet realistic representation of what happens when you get to participate in a short romance show and have few dates. I have to say though, that the rules this reality has to make the guys choose who they are interested in are quite blunt and brutal. It was unexpected lol.

This being a somewhat censored series doesn't mean though that important topics and discussions are not breached at all, in fact this show overall is a big step towards LGBTQ+ representation in Korea and it's interesting how one can understand better the society the participants are living in, their struggles and dreams.
All contestants have a reason to be on tv, their group dynamics were entertaining and nice. The only thing you have to be aware of is that the editing isn't great, so viewers are often confused about some contestant's motives and thoughs. Nothing too bad, but it may annoy someone and I have to put it in here as a warning if you can't stand such thing.

In conclusion, I give this show a tentative 8, because of its importance and because I never felt like I was wasting my time watching it. Please, give it a chance too!

Read More

One hell of a ride!

Kinnporsche is one of the best series I've had the pleasure to watch.

No, it's not perfect, the plot has few little holes/stuff that left me dissatisfied, but overall this is a product of quality that any BL fan should try to watch at least once in their lifetime.
What can you expect from KP though?
First of all, a pretty damn nice and capable cast. All the actors involved in this project did an amazing job in portraying their assigned characters, delivering funny/dramatic/cheesy/whatever scene with ease.
KP, in fact, it's not about mafia and the dark side of it, it's mostly a love story. It has very serious elements, but also lighthearted and steamy episodes. It's a mix of everything and that can be seen as a plus or a minus.
Two main couples have a proper storyline (and I admit, a third one has a weak development/plot in my opinion - but I won't spoil who I am talking about) and topics such as consent, abuse and trusting others are very well played.

Unfortunately, if there's something that sometimes KP doesn't excel at is displaying human reactions. While 3/4 of the series is okay, near the end the characters started to react and do stuff just because it was needed for the story to progress. But I repeat, this is not a common problem throughout episodes, so it's not that irritating (or, at least, it wasn't enough for me to drive me crazy and drop the rating).

To summarize, you should definitely watch KP if you're looking for a high budget thai BL with interesting couples, nice action scenes, a sprinkle of violence and steamy scenes. If you're looking for a dark thriller/realistic and raw portrayal of mafia, then forget it.

Ps. Also, if you're italian (like me), pls be prepared for broken italian with a very heavy foreign accent. I appreciated them trying tho XD

Pps. Tankhun deserves to be mentioned because this character is A+ and the reason why I gave the rating a +0.5 in my final score. God, I'd love to be his bff. We all need a dramatic Tankhun in our lives!

Read More