Melted my cold, cynical heart

When I started to watch this series, I didn't expect to love it this much. This series may not be perfect, but it definitely becomes one of my favorite series this year.

[Story]
The plot is actually very simple, you can literally summarise it in one sentence lol. This series is more on character driven rather than plot driven, so some people may find it frustrating at how slow the development was. However, I love how this series portray (almost) realistically the inner struggle of gay-teen couple in conservative country. The other strong point of this series is how lovable all the characters were, even the supporting roles, that I ended up care for all of them. It is the first time that I love both main leads equally, usually one of them will annoy me at some point. Ida and Aoki are truly the bestest boys.

[Acting]
Surprisingly, I love the acting in this series. Usually the acting in Japanese drama bother me a lot as it's kinda 'anime-ish'. Kudos for Aoki for having so many silly expression without making me cringe. I also love Ida's acting, his character is actually the one that more tricky to be portrayed. I am glad he wasn't just a stoic, one-dimensional calm character. The acting of all supporting roles are also superb. Shout out for Rumi and Hiromu, the first het cp that I truly enjoy in BL lmao.

[Music]
I love both the OSTs, and how fitting the lyrics are. Wish there were more OSTs, though

[Rewatch value]
Man, the number of rewatch that I have done is sickening lol. I am usually the type that move on so fast to another series, but this series managed to make me rewatch it so many times without skip.

[Overall]
I gave this series full score for how much serotonin it gave me. This from a person who is usually very picky and cynical about romance drama as I am easily cringe at sappy romance. I do hope there will be season 2 for this series, but for now I am satisfied with how this series end.

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Great series on its own!!

I never watched the original series so no comparison on that part. This review may contain spoiler.

[STORY]
I love the story development and how it was not focus on romance. The romance part flowed along the story without any unnecessary drama. As I have watched many k-drama, I was bit sceptical at first that there would be too many cheesy romance in this adaptation. Man, this series didn't disappoint me. The tension, the twist, and the main story line were chef's kiss. The development of the main story was unpredictable so it kept me on my toes.

[ACTING]
The main leads had a good chemistry and looked cute together. Overall I didn't find any uncomfortable acting from the leads. Saint improved a lot here, he really showed a wider acting range and gave justice to Off's character. The actor of Dr. Jade is hand down the best actor here. He was able to convey the emotion perfectly even when he had less line. I will put him in my list of favorite sexy villain lol. The only character who peeved me was Junior, he was so annoying and overreacting.

[GHOST]
I think many people wary about this part, so let me give a bit review on it. FYI, I am scaredy cat myself >_<
The ghosts were quite scary and had good CG, like in typical Thai horror movies. I like that they infused Thai culture and folklore in some of the ghost story. Overall, the ghosts were still bearable and I didn't get any nightmare afterwards lol. It was scary at first, but you got used to it after a while. So don't make it to be something that hinder you to watch :)

In short, this series has good story line, acting, pacing, and editing. I hope there will be season 2 when they explore about the devil's fragment in Off's body, it will be cool to see Off's struggle to tame the devil inside him and I kinda want to watch Saint act as villain. But seems the probability of S2 will be very small as this was an adaption to begin with. Overall, I really enjoyed to watch this series and may rewatch it soon for the details.

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Leave much to be desired

I have a high expectation with this series since this was created by Korean producer, but this series let me down so bad. I am still glad to watch it as I discover how great Choi Jae Hyun is. I hope he get many projects after this.

Let me break down my review, beware it's long:

[STORY]
While the plot seems unique for BL, the love between supernatural being and mortal is nothing new and has been adapted in many movies and dramas. The supernatural elements in this series was not well executed and there were many glaring plot holes that made me lose focus on the story line. The ghost element was only used as plot device but the screenwriter was too lazy to construct the characterisation of the ghost itself. While fantasy drama did have more freedom for illogical things to happen, a set of boundaries and rules should be established in the realm to guide the viewers about the said fantasy element. And this series simply doesn't a give a shit about this and expect the viewers to accept many questionable things happen and pretend that was okay.

The most annoying plot holes here was no clear concept on how the ghost element implemented in real world. How is it possible that no one bat an eye with all the ghosts' shenanigans? Anyone should freak out when utensils float in the air or luge drive by itself, yet no bystander say a word about it. Peach was not even subtle when talking and showing PDA with Yoon Oh, yet no one questioned his sanity. It seems humans have well adjusted to cohabit together with ghost lol. This series never explained how the ghost's world works. the ghost literally can use and touch any solid object, like use utensils for eating, change clothes, keep the key, use facial mask for better skin, ride a luge. the ghost behave exactly like human and we are supposed to just take it in without any explanation. and if they don't have any problem to use and touch solid objects, they should be able to touch and communicate with other human, but nah

It was also not clear how the ghost cease to exist. Mario said that ghosts should resolve their sorrow before the 49th day so they can go to the other side and not become evil spirit. Yet Mario has been exist for 20+ years and neither Peach nor Yoon Oh question this anomaly ever lmao. Even after Mario found his peace, he was still around. Like how?? Why he can't go to the other side?

Finally, what's with that ending? At last, I am content that Yoon Oh can go to the better place. It is happy ending in my book, everyone getting their own peace and amend. But suddenly they have to ruin it by making it vague that Yoon Oh might be back. Like, what's the point? I thought I won't be disappointed in the last ep, and yet here we are.

[ACTING]
Yoon Oh and his mom are hand down the best part of this series. Their acting is so good and I like how their eyes can convey deep emotion as well. I feel like their talents kinda wasted here as I found the story a mess. I would rate 10.0 for them, but unfortunately Jimmy's acting was like a sore thumb. His acting was awkward and since he is the main character, it kinda ruined the moment.

[MUSIC]
The song choices are good but not really memorable.

[REWATCH VALUE]
This series managed to peeve me every episodes, so nope. I might rewatch YO's cuts only to appreciate his acting.

[OVERALL]
Might be enjoyable if u don't really care about the details. This series was beautiful if it was watched scene by scene, but there were just too many plot holes too ignore and the ending pissed me off.

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Don't let the title deceive you

[Updated] Early warning! Watch the series only until ep 15 to save your heartache lmao
I almost skip this series because how ridiculous the premise was. I expected this series to be full of cringe, sunshine and rainbow, but man how wrong was I.. Who would have thought that BL series whose plot is about teddy bear turning into human would be the one who deliver the most realistic problem of LGBTQ+

[Story]
This series managed to address many delicate issues; mental health, domestic violence, society problems, etc seamlessly into the story. It's like peeling an onion, while we try to solve the mystery how the hell Tofu turn into human, the issues kept surfacing upon another. It may sound exhausting, but there were some cute moments to rest your mind lol. I do find the complexity of the story very compelling, we got the chance to understand what make flawed characters to be what they are. Nut is very layers character, his temper really peeved me at the beginning, but as the story progress I start to pity him and understand why he became the way he is. All his life, he has been wronged and hurt by people around him so I sincerely want the best for him. On contrary, Tofu is the most selfless and innocent character ever. His only desire is to make Nut happy, and that somehow feel sad. This make his feeling often got ignored and brushed out. [Updated] I HATE THE ENDING!! it's very cruel for letting tofu go back being teddy bear, it'll be better if they let him die and reincarnated. That way he can find his own happiness and worth rather than this false happiness. I also dont agree that Nut getting back with Tharn. Dont get me wrong, I think Tharn is a great guy. But sometimes we met a great person at the wrong time. Their relationship was meant to be Nut's personal growth, to forge Nut be the person he is now. That what was hinted throughout the story. Nut himself said that he already moved forward on his life. Tharn was his past and he thankful for that, it should be stay that way. Tharn also deserves someone who can love him fully.

I dont mind a sad ending, as long as the writer doesn't unnecessary "torture" the characters. Literally no one win except Gen-Song. After all the shit he got, Nut should find a peace and move on from both Tofu and Tarn by finding a new love. Sometimes we met beautiful people just to give us a lesson, and that's what Tarn and Tofu did for Nut.
I think this kind of ending would be more beautiful than the false happiness that the writer currently offer.

[Acting]
Hand down the best acting you can get in BL series. Personally, I wont put Inn and Job at the same level with other BL actors, they are actor ACTOR. Inn did a good job as Tofu, he embodied the innocent, naivety and childlike very well. He got very expressive eyes, especially when he has to suppress his sad feeling. Job also did a good job as Nut, he made me want to smack him several times lmao. I dont think I have to talk about Apasiri's acting, she never missed ofc.

[Rewatch value]
The ending gave me emotional damage, do u still think I am going to rewatch?!? BIG NAH

[Overall]
This series made me experience a roller coaster emotions and I enjoy the ride very much (at least until ep 15) . I wont be petty and score this low just because I dont like the ending. It still by far one of well made BL series. But yeah, the writers will find me under their beds from doing Tofu dirty like that.

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Not an ordinary love triangle ... or square

[STORY]
I like the premise of the movie that everyone is the main character in their own life. The plot actually is quite simple, but how the story was told by each character's point of view made it more interesting. Every characters have flaws and the movie showed that there is a consequence for every decision we made. Comments for each story are below, I'll try to not give too many spoilers:

Deaw (Mean): a classic friend-zoned case. Deaw is a typical good boy that will always be there for u but somehow never qualified as a boyfriend lmao. He is only good friend for Nene but not for others imo. The way he blame Ohm for everything without even trying to understand the whole situation was lame. Weren't they friend way b4 he met Nene.

Ohm (Saint): a walking red flag, but surprisingly best boy at heart lol. it's pity that Ohm's family background weren't well explored, I feel like that's an important key to understand on what make Ohm the way he is.

Bew (Peak): the most annoying character. He treated Nene like an object, but act as a goody two-shoes. It's funny that he was so mad at Ohm (even angrier than Deaw) when he was also a jerk.

Nene (Fah): I understand her decision, me too would prioritise my own future. But her decision may not be fair for Ohm, at some point she should tell him.

[ACTING]
The acting department is quite good. Not exceptional, but there were no uncomfortable acting that ruin the scene. Special shout out for Saint, he was so damn HOT as Ohm. Didn't expect he can pull off acting as a bod boy.

[MUSIC}
The OSTs r so good, I especially addicted to a song by MEYOU.

[REWATCH VALUE]
May rewatch soon to catch up more details.

[OVERALL]
Overall, I enjoyed watching it. The movie might be confusing as the timeline was going back and forth for every character's story. So you have to pay attention closely to understand the whole situation. I also feel there were many filler scenes that should be cut down, especially in Deaw's story.

STOP READING IF U DON'T WANT A BIG SPOILER!!!

Here is the timeline of the events, as it can be very confusing. The trick is to observe Nene's highlighted hair

Freshmen orientation - Nene had orange highlighted hair - Nene getting closer to Deaw and Bew - Nene slept with Bew - Nene change hair color to blue - Bew realised he loved Deaw more than Nene - Deaw confessed to Bew that he loved Nene - 2nd semester started (buddy arrangement) - celebration of sophomore year, Nene met Ohm - Bew rejected Nene - Nene and Ohm dating - Nene found Ohm cheating - Nene & Deaw went to a concert, Ohm asking forgiveness to Nene - Nene change hair color to red - Nene got offer to come to Italy for study - Nene told Ohm she was pregnant - Nene in hospital for abortion, but decided to cancel it - Nene told Ohm she'll go to Italy - Ohm and Fern dating

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there is no communication barrier that cant be crossed . . .

Beautiful drama that shows the connection between hearing and hearing impaired person. Like hearing person, every hearing impaired person is unique and different thereof it's a matter whether we try to understand their thought or merely just to understand their words

Specific comments are below:

[Acting]

Definitely one of the best part from this drama. All casts acted tf out here. Shout out to my favorites Meguro Ren and Kaho. Both of them really did wonderful job conveying themselves in sign language. Their expression, gesture, and body language r perfect. Kaho is an experienced actress so I expect that much from her, but I am surprised at how good Meguro is. It's amazing how he make it so easy for viewers to tell what Sou feels just by looking at his expression. He made me smile when when he smiles and made me cry when he cries. To be able to act is one thing but to be able to do it well without speaking is definitely on another level. I hope all the casts receive deserving awards for this.

[Story]

Surprisingly, I found that story development is the weak link from this drama. The acting, directing, scoring are all beautifully done except the story line. I felt like the writer is too greedy to pack as many as life lesson in this drama it affects the plot development. I do agree that side characters r important, but to flesh out all side characters in such details requires longer episodes to make the overall story line to flow nicely, if not it makes the transition between each development choppy n rush.

I also found that minato-tsumugi relationship to be redundant. If sou-tsumugi was planned to be end up together, it's better to just focus on them from the start. There r a lot of hurdle between hearing n hearing impaired person that can be fleshed out to build their relationship instead of the cliche love triangle. Herein, minato-tsumugi relationship doesnt bring anything to the plot other than unnecessary drama.

But I am still grateful that this drama attempt to give us a glimpse about the beauty n the struggle of silent world. The other good thing is the writer has done a good job to make flawed yet relatable characters. I may not agree with what they have done but I can understand where they r coming from.

[Overall]

This drama is not perfect, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Rather than romance drama, I would categorise it as slice of life. The conflict presented here was something that we may overlook before so it open up a new perspective for me. The visual n aesthetic r also very pleasing in the eyes. Overall this drama feels like a warm blanket, it gives you a calm fuzzy feeling rather than excitement

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Stupid plot twist but quite good overall

The early episode are quite similar with Girl From Nowhere, and the fact that the main lead's hair is like Nanno's was not helping lol. Thankfully the story was moving to the bigger plot by the episode 3.

The title of this series basically summarised the story plot. The story basically revolves around a cult leader's daughter who want to save her father. What I like about this series is how they make Kiritani to be so mysterious and manipulative, it's really hard to guess what her true motivation and intention were. However, the plot twist at the end was kinda dumb. It seems it was created just for a shock value without any logical thought behind it. It doesn't make sense to make a six year old child to be the true perpetrator. It would be more believable if they make Kiritani older when she did that. A six year old is too young to meditate a murder, let alone to successfully killed 20 women. From where a six year old child can obtain poison and understand what the effect of it. It would be make more sense if she did it accidentally, rather than because of jealousy. This plot twist felt like half baked because Kiritani is not a full blown psychotic character.

The other dumb thing is there was a witness who watch everything when she poured the poison. Like, why he did nothing and just watching it. If he didn't know she poured poison, they should make him to at least ask her what were she doing. The way that man just peaking behind a door but did nothing means he knew that Kiritani did something sketchy but choose to let it happen. That man was guilty as her accomplice and the twin should be mad at him lmao. Maybe because I often watch and read about detective and mystery kind of stories, it irks me so much that they didn't pay attention about these details. But overall I quite enjoy watching this series and I really like Kiritani Sara.

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