What if....?

According to this drama (and I did not fact check it!) our brains continue to function for 4 minutes after the oxygen supply had been cut off. What exactly happens during those 4 minutes? This drama gives us an answer.

The story is not as messy as I was made to understand. It deals with what ifs: would you react differently in the same situation if you are given the opportunity. Mostly, these four minutes give time and space for the characters to grow and mature: one from being a spoiled brat who cannot say no to his friends and is overprotected by his parents and the other one who almost ruined his life looking for revenge. They become aware of their mistakes and learn from them.

There are four distinct parts of the story: 4 episodes of Great's 4 minutes(the time before the brain completely shuts down and the person dies)of a near death experience in the form of time travelling in order to mend his mistakes, followed by two and a half episodes of the real life story, one episode of the Doctor's wishful thinking 4 minutes and finally a half an hour resolution! The first part is the longest, giving us, the viewers, the same time Great needed to understand what's going on! The rest is a bit rushed and a little unsatisfying: I would have liked to see the bad guys really suffer but even though they do get punished, the hope that the society is ever going to change and get better, is not there.

I am glad I binge watched this because the suspense would have killed me - especially when at the end of the penultimate episode every good guy seems to have died: none of the bad guys but EVERY good guy!

The production value here is exceptional, it is very much evident that they tried really hard to give this drama a special feel. And feelings there are just none of the good ones: it is dark and depressing, just like the story it is trying to tell. Mind you, it is beautifully filmed and acted. The special effects are just perfect. The costumes are consistent with the running theme of a depressing and serious drama: Great is always in white and the doctor in black when not in scrubs.

The writing is original and the story is wrapped up nicely (the author seems to like Until We Meet Again a lot given the star crossed lovers' second couple storyline!) though somehow ambiguously with the main couple in a boat on a river inviting the query: are they just out on a date or are they crossing the Styx?

Another important feature, apart from the number 4 are the clocks: every time Great looks at the clock it is 11:00. No matter how much time it passes, it is always 11:00. Until he realizes that he has only 4 min left to live when the clock suddenly changes to 11:01 etc. and everything that he's been experiencing is a coma dream due to a near death experience.

And finally there are cats everywhere; black and white plushies for the leads and a black cat which caused one of the second leads to lose his sanity. There are a lot of cat food ads. The question now is: were the cats originally written in the script or were they added because of the PPL?

The society this drama describes is a cruel one: it is the weak who suffer in the hands of the rich and the powerful, the poor are not helped by the people who are supposed to be there to protect them (usually known as the police) because of the overpowering corruption. So they either bow down and suffer in silence or deal the justice themselves. Unfortunately for them, it never ends well.

The cinematography of this drama is extraordinary: from filming angles, to colour scheme (everything is gray except for the ML's red car) to geometrical sets (there are lots of circles!) and everything is important for the story. It was pretty much obvious from the first episode that the events are not taking place in the real world: the lack of colours and the number 4 showing up everywhere, as well as the strange and ominous sounding music gave the very odd impression that not everything is what it seems.

Frankly I am surprised this drama has such high ratings give the complex story and the filming style: it definitely is not one of the usual BLs. Actually I would put sci-fi as the main genre here followed by crime and psychological and then, maybe, romance where characters happen to be gay. The tone of this drama reminded me very much of 7 Days to Valentine where the storyline and production were just as dark and depressing, not very romantic. What is different here is the main actor's cult following and the abundance of NC scenes (which were, by the way, beautifully filmed). I keep seeing the comments and the reviews saying in gist: "omg, those nc scenes are hot i want more!!!" but never mention the plot or anything else that is actually important and really interesting here. The producer knows its business and how to speak to teen audience just give them hot actors making out and they are happy. Who cares about the plot? Well I do and luckily for me, they managed to strike a good balance between an engaging plot and a few soft porn scenes (not as many as I thought there would be!) so everyone's happy now!

Actually, this drama should be watched just for its cinematography if nothing else! In conclusion, this is a difficult but a beautiful and a satisfying watch. Not for the fans of fluffy bls though....

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Second chances

If you get a second chance to love, should you give it a pass or jump at the opportunity and finally be happy? That is the choice Miyata has been presented with when he suddenly meets his first love. They had not seen each other in 14 years and the break up had been sudden and without explanation. Now they are in their early 30s and the feelings seem to have only been dormant not gone. Slowly, they learn to trust and love each other again.

The Japanese have done it again: the current BL masters are them! Their dramas are short, to the point with great storylines and excellent actors. Here, we have two parallel stories told at the same time: teens' and adults' love stories. The important fact is that as adults they won't let themselves be manipulated they way they were as teens. They stand up for themselves and decide that the most precious thing they have in the world is each other!

But because it is short, the issues here (homophobia, society pressure, family) are dealt with quickly and not really in depth. There was no need also, for the introduction of a manipulative brother (cousin?) in present day storyline. And even though he turns out to be on their side eventually, his sleeziness and unclear motivations (he has hots for his cousin?) created unnecessary complication and tension which was already high enough with the family history and a difficult mother.

The actors are amazing, very much at ease with each other. They managed to portray the main characters convincingly. Miyato is deceptively soft but has a strong backbone, while Iwanaga hides his weaknesses behind a cocky attitude. Their chemistry is just right and every time they were close to each other, just looking into the eyes, made me feel butterflies....

Please continue like this, Japan!

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Flat....

I love Japanese bls, but this one was a dud: flat, boring and chemistry free.

The idea was interesting: a BL drama based on a manga about a couple of actors filming a BL drama based on a manga. But after the initial chuckle, everything sort of went poof! Unfortunately, they decided to keep it serious and that ruined the fun part of the premise. I have not read the manga but the characters were flat and unlikeable in this drama. They are maudlin, quiet but really just lifeless and flat. Fortunately there was the support character who brought in some very much needed entertainment, because the main couple were sleep inducing!

Main characters are very unconvincing. One is supposed to be this pretty, handsome model and actor and the other one a talented actor but he is completely tongue-tied before the "pretty" model he used to worship in college. So the model decides to help the actor out...and one thing leads to another! Very slowly!

I do not know how they film dramas in Japan, but don't they rehearse before filming, read through the script together and things like that? According to this drama, they don't! They get their scripts, they learn their lines at home and then film them the next day! What kind of unprofessional actor is he who does not dare look at his partner because he is so much in awe of him? He may be talented but he is incompetent!

From the first episode, when we discover that they went to same college, it was pretty much obvious that the model has been in love with the actor for years. So of course, the model decided to use the actor's stage fright and get closer to him. But the actor misunderstood everything especially when he overheard conversations he was not supposed to hear!

Another issue I had with this is the main actors' hair: too long, hiding their eyes. I often wonder what is the point of that especially if you are playing actors. Why hide behind long bangs: it is unbecoming and depressing! Aren't actors people who hide behind masks, who pretend to be someone else? But here they seem to be playing themselves since they have the same hairstyle on and off screen (in this drama they play actors acting in a drama so we get to see them on and off the set!)

And of course, if you like fish kisses you are going to be served here: there are far too many of those. Accompanied with little or no chemistry between the leads.

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Sex ed & comedy?

As someone said in another review, this was quirky fun. But that quirkiness wore thin pretty quickly for me with the plot going from fun to boring to quirky to serious, all the while dragging on.

Knock Knock Boys is a comedy. The title is the indication but the opening credits just confirm that it should not be taken seriously. The story about four men sharing a house is nothing new. The comedy comes from the four of them being completely different characters. But if it were only that, it would have been a really fun watch. Unfortunately they decided to do what The Warp Effect did better: turn a comedy drama into a sex education video. While I support the idea of educating young people on internet and sex, it was badly presented here. Practically in every episode, they'd suddenly stop the plot and give us a lesson. And even though they tried to fit them neatly within the plot, they failed: the lessons broke the natural flow and the mood of the drama.

The four main characters are all stereotypes: a naive young Almond (extremely cringy in his behaviour at the beginning but every teen behaves like that, trying to figure things out by trial and error!), an experienced pansexual Latte who cares about nothing, and two older characters: Thanwa on the rebound from a failed long-term relationship trying to figure what to do with his life both private and professional and Peak (styled like he was stuck in the 80's!) who is trying to hide from his father's expectations. The friendship chemistry between the four of them is something else: the bromances are bromancing big time. Romances as well just not as much!

The acting was solid, the production values ordinary, music made for dancinng. Every episode starts with a flash forward scene before the opening credits: about the only original feature of this series.

Eventually, I was just bored. I smiled a few times, was charmed by Thanwa's grin, annoyed with Peak's glasses, enyoyed Almond's and Latte's childish bickering. What was supposed to be a light summer watch was weighed down by a preachy tone.

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Everything is magic?

Uhmmm, no! Not really! Not even close! Unfortunately!

I waited for this version with a bated breath. Japanese Cherry Magic was one of the first BLs I watched after discovering the fascinating world of BLs a couple of years ago. It had left me with a ridiculously happy smile and butterflies. Moreover, I've been a fan of Tay and New since Dark Blue Kiss, enjoyed immensely their non bl dramas and was thrilled to bits when I found out they were going to do a thai version of Cherry Magic.

But...there is a big BUT here! I've spent two years now, watching a lot of BLs and have honed in my likes and dislikes, realizing that loving dramas, indiscriminately and without criticism, are the thing of the past. If I were to watch the original today, I probably would not have the same impression! Now days, I like what the majority of watchers hate!

Therefore, (you see where I'm going to with this long introduction, right?) Cherry Magic, the thai way, did not manage to win me over or, better said, put me under its spell! Everything was not magic but out of synch!

Achi, a 30 yr old virgin, with low self-esteem, shy, kind and innocent, scared of other people and absolutely frightened of intimacy of any kind! So we were shown an adult man, trembling in fear, confused, completely oblivious of other people's feelings and indecisive trying to please everyone and thus being left behind. Karan is his complete opposite: successful, competent and handsome in addition to being kind and observant. He's had a crush on Achi for 7 years.
Question 1: why did it take him 7 years to try to make a move on Achi? Answer: ????????
Achi was never really aware of Karan: he admired him as a coworker but nothing more. When he gains this magic power of hearing other people's thoughts and finds out that Karan is in love with him, he becomes more attentive which manifests in him getting even more nervous and jumpy, a real scaredy-cat! Karan never really makes a move but keeps watching Achi and just staying put in his unrequited love. Why someone, so confident and successful professionally, is a total loser in his private life? It is so much out of character for Karan!
Question 2: does Achi really fall in love with Karan?
The ability to hear Karan, gives Achi the unexpected knowledge and he realizes that Karan had been particularly attentive to his needs without him ever noticing it! How dense can someone be? So, from this point on there are two schools of thought : mine and everyone else's. Everyone else thinks that Achi falls in love with Karan from that moment. I beg to differ! Achi is suddenly aware of all the attention Karan has been bestowing upon him which makes him very uncomfortable: he is jumpy, shakes a lot. He feels indebted to Karan so he convinces himself that he is in love but his attitude does not follow. We see him being evasive and shirk any form of closeness, he unwittingly retreats every time Karan comes close to him. When Karan confesses and they start dating, they seem like a couple of old friend not lovers going around. Achi is obviously grateful to Karan for his love, attention and help but in love? I don't think so! Episodes 8 & 9 are a cringefest: it took me two days to finish them by watching in 10min instalments: that is just about the maximum quantity of cringe I can bear at once! This whole love story was unconvincing and lacklustre! Yes, Achi kisses him first but even that seems like obligation, something that he needs to do, does not want to but has to do! Even on their wedding night, when Karan is being so attentive and lovey dovey, Achi is still jumpy and evasive, not knowing what to do with himself (and it is not like it is their first night together!)...Mostly, when they are together, they come across as friends not lovers.

What about the other characters? The second couple are Min and Jinta (Achi's friend, a writer and another 30 yr old virgin!) who seems to have a split personality: usually he is a normal ordinary adult except when he is around Min and becomes a blubbering fool with grotesque mimicry and incoherent dialogue. Kudos to the actor for managing transitions smoothly! Another couple are Rock and Pai, Achi's office coworkers. Pai is a fujoshi (less said is the better) but is also kind, helpful and smart. And finally, there are a couple of bosses, funny, fun and surprisingly supportive. The actor playing the japanese boss, was amazing in pulling off the accent!

This was a fluffy romcom definitely too fluffy for my taste. Unfortunately, it was also too unconvincing (putting aside the fantasy element), there was no chemistry between the leads and the writing could have been better. I have not read the manga and I saw the japanese version ages ago so I am not comparing this drama with anything. Still it failed to convince me, I was mostly bored and annoyed!

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Solid time travel makjang

Well, this was great! Same concept as Marry My Husband but so much better written and acted: can you imagine an actress who can actually move her face? Sorry, but MMH was ruined by the lack of expression on Park Min Young's artificial face!

The story follows YiJoo as she comes to finally accept that her family never loved her. She gets into an accident and is offered a redo: she's sent one year back and as she struggles with the realization, she also decides not to be a doormat anymore and kicks the festering wasp nest that is her family, with all her might. Secrets and lies keep coming out as she shakes everyone up.

This was a solid little makjang, excellent writing without obvious plotholes. I liked the FL because she was strong and smart and never really wavered. Her husband was there to help her but she was leading the game. The evil characters were the usual makjang baddies: awful stepmother, greedy resentful brother....They keep trying to kill the FL but, of course, the more they try the more they fail and end up in prison. What else?!?

The FL is supposed to be an artist, a painter. But she apparently paints in two different styles: extremely ugly hyperrealism and the beautiful symbolism (I guess...).

The PPLs were in your face (made me think of The King:Eternal Monarch) and too many too cringy for anyone's liking!!! A bit of subtlety would have been nice!

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The worst teacher in the world?

And yet I wish I had at least one teacher who made life and learning so much fun. Like Haijin! He is not serious and yet everything he says and does is just right spot on.

The first season caught us all by surprise and we were all shocked and delighted by this teacher/ student relationship. (Well the open minded part of the members here who are not sensitive or triggered by mere mention of s/t relationship or infidelity for that matter!). The second season continues with the same rhythm and style but this time around it is not surprising anymore so the audiences are a bit disappointed. Not me! I tried rewatching the first season but was bored after two episodes: I knew what was going to happen so it was not as much fun to watch. That's why I liked this season: more of the same but new!

Haijin and JK's banter is still as sparkling as ever and their relationship grows deeper while staying within the legal boundaries. Their reactions are never what you'd expect. There is not much plot in these 6 short episodes: they introduced her brother and we were told why she has such low opinion of herself and why she believes she has no place in the world. I wanted to see more of him and I think that they should have used more time on him and his relationship with his younger sister. But, apparently, he is just as shy and as insecure as her!

There was one thing I really did not like: the childhood connection, which ruined the spontaneous connection I thought they had. Everything else was fun: horror references were hilarious (cat, cakes), as was the paper bag brother and breaking the fourth wall without looking at the audience (making references to the source manga, copyright infringement and drama in general).

Last but not the least, I would like to thank the fansubbers for their brilliant translation and for explanations of some obscure references (I laughed at floppy disc definition and then realized I was too old since I knew what it was.;-))

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No regrets

I Fell In Love With Someone Of The Same Sex is a japanese short film. It is a classic story of friends to lovers with the usual tropes: secret crush, jealous girlfriend, love triangle, mean ex girlfriend.

Naoki has been in love with his best friend Tomoya for the whole three years of the high school. At the moment of Tomoya's departure to the university, Naoki confesses not expecting anything in return believing his friend straight but not wanting to have any regrets. Tomoya is shaken by this confession and cannot keep the relationship with his new girlfriend going for a long time so he goes back after six months. Naoki has tried to move on and has a girlfriend but Tomoya's return will shake his newfound stability.

The production looks rather low budget, the editing is choppy, the sound is bad but the acting is nice: the actors have great chemistry and emote well. It is nothing new, the story told and seen so many times before and yet still fresh and sweet.... The film is actually really nice and I wish it were longer. Not a single moment was wasted: the whole story is told through short but very eloquent and important scenes from the boys' lives! For example: sharing an ice cream shows how close they are, mean girl pushing in between them or "naively" outing Naoki to his new girlfriend as a bitter revenge.

I just cannot help but laugh at the name of the production company: CUL Drama (https://www.youtube.com/@culdrama) with "cul" being a slang word in French for porn(I'm French!)! Rest assured, this film is not porn: there is one kiss on the cheek and that's it!

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And here goes another story about a magic mirror! In spite of all its flaws, it has the merit of being short and to the point: there are no pesky side characters and time-consuming second couples.

Following an umpteenth fight with his father, Aksorn moves out into a dorm room. There is a mirror left by the previous tennant in the room. The same night there is a meteor shower together with an aurora borealis which causes electrical disturbances. And suddenly Aksorn can see someone else's room in the mirror. After the initial shock has passed the boys become friends and more. But the mirror is still between them.

This is probably the best "magic mirror" drama I have seen together with the filipino Happenstance which is on a more serious side. This one is nice and fluffy! The connections and coincidences were a bit forced but since it is a short fantasy, I was not looking for reality. Moreover, they threw in a time difference trope along the parallel universe so it added extra complications to the plot which may have been a bit too much : like helping at the birth of Aksorn. But on the up side, Kyo stayed away from Aksorn until they were supposed to meet so that was a nice touch. On the other hand, they left some things unexplained: Aksorn's mother role and what actually happened to her.

The three main actors are good. Though the casting director is, as usual in thai bls, incapable of finding two actors of different ages to look a little bit alike to play the same character. But they all had good chemistry until the last episode when that chemistry turned to be extremely awkward.

I liked the cinematography and I appreciate the effort the cameraman did in framing some shots (stairs!) and filming the night skyline. The song was also sweet and I found it slightly different and better than the usual thai soundtracks.

All in all, a nice way to spend three hours and better than the majority of thai bls that were released in the last year.

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Better late than never!

I would like to be able to express in words the feelings and ideas this film evoked in me. Unfortunately, I am not skilled at all to do justice to this amazing film.

It is a story of a man who always regretted the wrong choice he made when he was young. He had a best friend, who was actually his first love and when that friend was going through difficult times, he could not muster up the courage to show him his support. Since he believed in parallel universes, we are shown three of those: what happened after that act of cowardice? His life followed three different roads but, surprisingly, all those road led him to the same place 25 years later: the hospital and his friend's novel. And the realization that his friend WAS his universe.

The film is inspired by three books: On The High Wire, by Philippe Petit (taking risks, balancing , trying to feel alive), Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (searching for your own sexuality, homophobia, love for another man) and So Long, See you Tomorrow by William Maxwell (friendship, betrayal, regret).

The actors are all extraordinary, particularly the main lead Shim Hee Sub all in subtlety, microexpression, holding back, hiding and vulnerability. An amazing actor! He is the focal point of this film. His young counterpart is almost as good, much more emotional, as befits a teen!

The writing is solid. The film is slow burn and sometimes the sequences are not evident: they do talk about parallel universes but from there to conclude they are showing us those, the road is a bit long and tortuous. Moreover, the titles of the parallel universes are not translated (so when the 2nd one showed up, I helped myself to Google Lens and then rewatched the film from the beginning)! Nevertheless, these two and a half hours went by in a flash (no FFW!). The film is beautifully shot, all in dark and brown tones, suitable for a story of regrets and depression.

This film takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, makes you think about your own life and the regrets you carry. It gives you courage and strength to try to fight for what is important. And last, but not least, gives some great reading recommendations!

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Thai GL version of Dynasty

GLs are few and far between, they should not be judged harshly and given the space to grow. The first thai gl, GAP, I dropped after one episode. This one I finished but only because it was short not because I liked it. I did not. Actually it was bad and boring.

The story of a 20yr old high school student hitting on a 36yr old artist is new and original. And that is all. Everything else is just bad starting with the main characters. They all sound like they came out of a soap opera. So the 20yr old's mother was the artist's best friend in school. She even had a crush on her but when the artist rejected her confession, she slept with a boy who got her pregnant. Later that boy was getting married to the artist but she left him at the altar. They all come from wealthy families.

I would not have minded this soapy plot if the chemistry were good. It was not! The 20yr old girl behaves as if she is 12: baby voice, cutesy expression, pouty, pushy and manipulative. The 36 yr old artist is a virgin, never been in love, usually lost in front of the pushy girl with rare bouts of adult reasoning which is always welcome.

They are making a second season? Please don't! This was bad enough! The woes of rich people are not as interesting as they used to be! On the other hand we may find out answers to some of the questions that have been left open.... but I will have forgotten about those by tomorrow anyway!

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Short and sweet and excellent

A perfect little drama! I got it from drama otaku where a kind soul edited all episodes seamlessly together making it into a one hour movie and another one subbed it skilfully.

The story of twins, mistaken identities and true love is told from a double point of view: in the first half it is one of the twins telling the story and in the other half it is the boyfriend Chiaki's turn. The drama starts somehow suddenly (there are no opening credits so it is a bit weird!) and it takes a viewer a couple of minutes to settle down. But then the story smoothly flows (thank you again the editor!).

The writing is stellar, no unnecessary side characters just three main ones (four if you include the cat!) and only two actors. One plays the twins and does it with brio, subtly and it is very much clear which twin is on screen by the slight changes in attitudes and the look in the actor's eyes. Well they are the complete opposites: one is serious, studious and hard working while the other one is a happy go lucky, live one day at a time type. The actor playing Chiaki, the boyfriend, leans a bit too much into being excessively cute to the point of being slightly annoying. And those bangs hiding his eyes were unbecoming... But calling the twin he fell for Cat Prince and looking for him in the bins, among other places, was hilarious.

This short BL manages to tell a story about love at first sight gone wrong because of siblings' rivalry. But all's well that ends well and the brothers stop being jealous of each other eventually realizing they are different and so much better off for it.

This short drama is masterfully produced probably on a shoestring budget but the writing and the acting are top notch so the flaws are minor. It is such a lovely, uplifting short watch; so if you need something toxic free to cheer you up, this is a perfect solution.

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Are we really friends?

This little korean web drama is by far the best drama I've seen in a long time from Korea: this is how you make a correct friends to lovers drama!

Minhwa's girlfriend is suspicious of his closeness with his best friend of ten years. On the other hand, he is completely oblivious of her closeness with her long-time best friend. Well, they are all fake friends and real lovers.

The drama focuses more on the BL and the GL is just a kind of side story. But the BL is just perfect! When they go on a trip alone, they are suddenly uncomfortable in each other's company, the tension rises and eventually breaks through the friendship barrier. These scenes are sweet and funny: the stretching before a jog is hilarious. Or when the straight couple tries to come clean to each other and are constantly interrupted and don't know how to say what needs to be said!

The actors have just the right amount of chemistry together. In the first episodes, they are dressed the same and they actually look very much alike, seated beside each other in the café.

Fake Buddies is a low budget (they seem to be all alone in the world!) web drama which again proves that talent and creativity are what is important not the money. I wanted to continue watching them: they are so cute and sweet together. I would like to know more about the girls and how they got together as well: that is the episode this drama is missing and therefore I took 0.5 off my rating!

EDIT
MDL misled us: there were two additional episodes they never announced here and those two episodes are a full blown GL. And it is sweet, cute and perfect! The actresses are excellent at conveying the right amounts of feelings, they have nice chemistry. The direction and camerawork is correct and I liked the shaky camera angles which eloquently portrayed the burgeoning realization that their feelings for each other have always been more than friendship!

Now they should put the episodes in the right order: ep; 5 should be the last one while episodes 6&7 should come before, right after ep 4. Still, this is definitely one of the cutest and funniest Korean webdramas I've seen in a very long time.

Go for it!

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Hero worshipping to love?

And again, the hype got to me and I watched this drama. And, again, because of the hype, I was more attentive to details. And because I paid attention to details, I did not like this very much. And what I did not like the most is the character of Wei Zhi Yuen: what a manipulative little cocky jerk of a person!

Here starts the rant:

Wei Qian, a lonely orphaned boy, taking care of his sister while working for the local mob, takes in a stray boy he keeps seeing sleeping in the street. He adopts him and gives him a name. Few years later, that boy, now adult, first comes out to WQ (so he is gay but the only man he was ever attracted to is WQ?!?!) and then professes his love to WQ (apparently he has been in love with him ever since he met him as a child?!?!?OK...), who shocked, sends him to school abroad. WZY comes back four years later, changed, matured but still in love with WQ and keeps attacking him until WQ surrenders.

WZY has basically two personalities: before and after going abroad. Before, he is hero worshipping WQ who saved him, gave him home and future. He imagines himself being in love. He is stubborn, has one track mind and does not take NO for an answer. When he comes back, older and wiser he manages to get what he wants by smartly manipulating WQ.

WQ has always been more of a father than a brother to his younger sister Lili and to WZY. He has a physical aversion towards women due to his mother's abuse: he gets literally sick when a women reminds him of her. So he has never been in a relationship: between trying to survive, working hard and looking after his siblings, being in a relationship was the last of his worries. He has never had any romantic feelings or even an idea of love (except as a family member) towards WZY. So when WZY comes back, WQis happy to have his brother back, he is family and he loves his family but he caves under WZY relentless bullying. Is he really in love with WZY? Allow me to doubt! They do end up happily ever after but..... During the first half of the series, WQ is the man in the house. But when WZY comes back, suddenly WQ loses all strength and every brain cell and turns from the ML into the FL while WZY takes the initiative....The change of relationship pace comes with WZY's maturity which catches an exhausted WQ off guard. WQ eventually just gives in and 5min later they are heavily breathing on the bed!

This whole love story failed to convince me.

The story about WQ's struggles to take care of his family while being a child himself was inspiring. The child actors were extraordinary. The whole cast was at the top of their game especially the main pair. The problem is the writing and messy storytelling and the editing with too many flashbacks. But this is a BL so what do we expect.? It is a romance which wants to look like real world but we all know it does not! Maudlin music, nice sets and average cinematography completes the unremarkable production values. One more thing I noticed: why did the costume designer make WQ wear those granpa jumpers in the second half: to make him look older, more experienced, wiser?

There are two exactly the same love stories developed here though the other one should have been fleshed out more. It is a parallel story between Lily, WQ's little sister and San Pang his best friend. The older boys knew them (Lili & WZY) when they were kids, so they treated them as siblings. Now adults, those siblings do not want to be considered siblings any more but lovers. The major difference between these stories is that SP did not save Lili's life, he was just a helpful big brother's friend.

There is even a mafia story somewhere in there (blink and you miss it!) and the inkling of a possible love story between the doctor and the mob boss. Now, that is the drama I would like to see: those two characters practically stole the show and they were in this 10min max!

Some people said there is incest and grooming. No not really! They are not blood relatives so no incest and when they eventually get together they are full grown independent adults. Grooming? Absolutely not! The older brother was never attracted to the younger one. it is the younger brother who relentlessly pursues the older one.

The drama is relationship trope filled: from sponge baths, feeding porridge, fastening seatbelt....think of it, it's in there! The music is all the time on: the songs end up being extremely annoying since they translated the lyrics. Every song explains the emotions felt by the main characters: loneliness ("I am lonely...."says the song), missing someone ("I miss you, I want to see you..."says the song ), flashbacks ("We met in the past, you helped me..."says the song), kissing ("I love you, I want to be with you forever..." says the song)). They are probably not exact lyrics but thereabouts, as if we could not understand what the characters are feeling. Better safe than sorry, the producers must have said. Last but not least, there seemed to be an issue with editing in episode 11: I actually quite liked it. It gave us the flashbacks of their every important moment edited with their lovemaking!

I liked these quotes at the end of every episode which correspond to events taking place:
The first-ever family that will never abandon you.
The second kind of family always leaves the light on for you
The third kind of family is the kind that always makes you want to stay
The fourth type of family member is someone who is always there for you
The fifth kind of family is too good to let go
The sixth kind of family pretends to be strong and doesn't say goodbye
The seventh kind of family is always waiting in the distance
The eighth kind of family shows care in his own way
The ninth kind of family is always there to protect you when the end comes
The tenth kind of family loves you so much that they want to leave you.
The eleventh kind of family indulges you unconditionally because they love you so much.
The twelfth kind of family stays together for life.

In conclusion, I am probably not the target audience since these kinds of dramas, half serious half fluff and nothing whole, are really tiring me.

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The magic of 12

DISCLAIMER: My review is based solely on the drama: I have not read the book!

I usually run it the opposite direction every time someone mentions chinese bromance, as I am allergic to censorship. This one actually I ran towards to. The whole story of its release is fascinating, and for once I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

The series was released in February and then, two hours later, removed by the producer. Why? The theories abound: not censored enough, a mistake release, a scandal? Who knows? In any case, one kind soul managed to download it and the rest is, as they say, history. Now they are releasing it again: will it be censored and re-edited? We'll see! But before it happens, I wanted to see this version!

And, oh boy, did it deliver! Story wise, not romancewise!

Lin JiuShi is a genius programmer not really appreciated at work, so he escapes into a gaming club where he tries out bootleg demos of unreleased games. One of those is Spiritual Realm: a VR game where you need to go through 12 doors and solve a mystery in each one before moving to the next door. In the very first door he meets Ruan LanChu, who, impressed with his quick thinking, asks him to join his organization, Obsidian. LJS learns that the game had been taken away from its creator by capitalists from a "beautiful country" (USA right?) and turned into a more dangerous, killing machine. Obsidian's goal is to reach the final door and reboot the game to its original setting.

The story is extraordinary complex: each door's quest is based on a folk tale or a real horror event (sanatorium: again Bad Americans!). There are rules in each door you are not supposed to break under the penalty of death (for example, get wet in the rain!). You need to find a key (solve the mystery) in order to unlock the next door and obtain the helpful hint for it! There are a few groups going through these doors, each with a different goal: the worst being Company X (if this is not a hint at Elon Musk, I don't know what it is).

While watching, there were things bothering me. A lot! For example....Once you enter the game, you cannot leave unless you reach the final door. If you die in the game, you leave and die for real in the real world 15min later. Everyone knows it since the gamers communicate on different chats. So why would anyone start playing if the outcome is certainly death? Everyone thinks that they can beat the system, I guess! As we get to see with a few beloved characters. Once you are inside, do you need to go through the doors in order? Do you have to solve it yourself or does it count as your win if you manage to survive? How come LJS does not recognize elements of a game he wanted to create with his best friend? The role of kaleidoscopes showing up everywhere? And so on, and so forth.... my head kept coming up with questions, finding inconsistencies and plot holes. Eventually, I discovered that there were none of those: everything was explained in the final episodes 76 & 77.

Kudos to the writers for coming up with such a solid screenplay. Which had no need for romance whatsoever. This is based on a BL web novel, and they censored the romance, turning it into a friendship: which was perfectly OK with me. The plot was gripping enough, and it really did not need the romance. To keep fans happy, there were many "double entendre" lines of dialogue and sizzling looks, but that's it. And that was more than enough. I personally hate it when they mix genres too much: and horror and romance do not mix well! More often than not, romance is superfluous!

The storyline revolves around number 12: twelve doors corresponding to twelve months, twelve zodiac signs, twelve hours, twelve sufferings and negative emotions shown through the quest inside doors (birth, old age, illness, death, love parting, resentment, fear, sorrow, sadness, anger...) The whole game is an allegory for the character growth, for dealing with emotions and that is what we eventually understand that the plot is about!

There was not one single annoying character. On the other hand, there was a long arc in the middle of the drama involving an actress playing the game which put the main characters' storyline a bit on the back burner. Nevertheless, there was not one boring second in this drama. They manage to strike the perfect balance between scary, calm and funny. It was a real pleasure to watch.

Dubbing was rather atrocious, though. I did not notice it in the beginning but as the drama progressed, RLZ whispering voice was getting too much just like the sound effects (breathing, lips smacking etc. awful!). Sometimes those voices were so distracting that I'd forget to focus on the plot! LOL

Production value is very high, the special effects were excellent and the scare factor was not very high: the scariest thing happened oof screen or as shadows: so that was just perfect for a horror hater like me (I cannot watch horror or gore). I loved the background music: it was perfect! The dramatic music was appropriately dramatic, the sad one just tugging at the heartstrings making tears come to your eyes but never over the top or too much. Every main support character's death was accompanied by the same song, just maudlin!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Now, the reason I do not rate it as much as I wanted to is the last episode: the completely unnecessary 10 min featuring a 50yr time jump. The story ends up as being a coma dream LJS had after a car accident. The people in the game are the people he meets in the area he lives in. RLZ is actually a NPC character from the VR game LJS wanted to make with his friend in the university. Not being able to forget dream game's RLZ, LJS spends 50 years creating the game Spiritual Realm in order to meet RLZ again and live with him and the members of Obsidian together forever in the VR world.

This ending is the bitterest, saddest, the most tragic end you can imagine! There is nothing bittersweet or happy about spending 50 years of your life to create a fictional character! So he'll download his conscience in the VR database and live happily ever after?!?!? I just wanted to cry for the wasted life because of a coma dream! He had not learned anything after all!

Just don't watch the last episode: the drama ends on episode 77 and it is 10/10!!! That ending is perfect!

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