Reviews

Fun, Romantic, and Charming

It was a fun ride. Each actor contributed a special charm to the series. Cartz Udal as the vibrant and unusually interesting friend, Aning. Mac Alonzo as the alluring and handsome Magic, brimming with sex appeal. Larence Brenches as Jack, who emanated the aura of a charmingly handsome young prince. And Leilani Kate Yalung who portrayed so well both the gruesomely terrifying Gina and the innocently beautiful Gina.

In the last scene together...of Jack and Magic...when they are standing by the piano, the music was hypnotizingly ethereal. It was so beautiful that when the episode ended I went back to that scene and replayed it over and over again.

Although it would be nice to have a Series 2 with Wizard and Jack, I think that it would only detract from the original love story of Jack and Magic. Sometimes it's best to leave a beautiful piece of art be as it is...without trying to replicate it or add to it. It shines brilliantly in and of itself.

As an avid BL fan of Thai, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese BL series, would I recommend this one? Although it lacked the sophistication of the more recent continental Asian BL's , it made up for this lack of an unlimited budget sophistication by exuding fun, romance, and charm in an offbeat and sometimes campy fashion.

So...my answer is Yes. Absolutely yes

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Fantasy justice and criticism for real world laws

Justitia is an extremely educated demon, having not only learned demon laws, but apparently all of the law and procedures of the South Korean court system in addition to memorizing the Christian bible and who knows what else. I do wonder if it was also a form of torture for her to endure in addition to being the heir to Bael, but whatever the lore about that, her skills makes her uniquely suited to play the system to her own ends. Manipulating humans while dealing with new feelings that her human body sends her is another issue. She did not understand how crushes causes dangerous impulses like fluctuating with wanting and not wanting the attention of a guy by taunting the police with dead bodies that would lead back to her being a glaring suspect. It's so ridiculous that she knows how the investigations work, but she still leaves the bodies with an extremely unique stamp on the forehead of the bodies around. Her cases draw attention to how the system both in the show and in real life can give slap on the wrists for the most horrific crimes and even in the case of serial killers, they can become "innocent" by just waiting out the clock on the statute of limitations, as well as corruption from the rich and powerful in the justice system.

Although Justitia falling for Da On is a big turning point, it's merely one part of her softening towards humanity. Her heart also pains for other people and she sheds tears for them as well. The Satan hunting Demon charity volunteer group leader and demon crime scene cleaning crew shows that this is a danger and possibility for all demons to become sympathetic to humans, so it's not only Da On causing this in Justitia. I really like that when she asks for 3 years in the human world, it's not to play house with Da On, but to live as an actual human judge full time. She's not at this point centering her life around this man at all, so I'm find with the romance. The awkward immobile closed mouth kiss scenes never look good, directors need to wake up and accept the fact. The actors show in a much later kiss scene that they can do a normal kiss scene just fine. Also the interrupted kiss gag is also never funny, especially when it's multiple times. The ending has Justitia suddenly given another deal about killing 10 killers to remain human forever and also there is the fate of the original human Judge Kang Bit Na uncertain. It seems to suggest a second season rather than closing out cleanly with room for more, which would have been better as there is never any guarantee for a second season, especially for asian dramas.

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BOOM SHAKALAKAAA

I LOVED THIS PREMISE. I've not watched many transmigration shows, but this one is AMAZING. Like the transmigration to lowkey enemies to lovers...this is everything I needed in a c-drama. I don't really read synopses when I start c-dramas, but I think watching this while not knowing anything about the plot made it better!!! Especially when it got to the transmigration plot.
Originally, I thought the story would go to palace drama where it's real Yang CaiWei versus ShangGuan Zhi (like Yang CaiWei has to fight to make Pan Yue to believe it's actually her), but I pleasantly enjoyed the route they went.

**SPOILERS AHEAD***
One thought I had though...Zhuo LanJiang and Bai XiaoSheng's little side relationship was giving situationship 😭because what do you mean he won't say I like you or I love you but he's gonna say "I feel at peace when you're near me" and then they're doing the dirty LIKE I KNOW THEY ACTUALLY LOVE EACH OTHER but I kept thinking of it LMAO they were very cute though and justice for them fr

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The entire plot could have been avoided with a ten minute conversation

This is one of the most generic BLs I have seen. I honestly had no intention of watching it, but after seeing Joong and Dunk in other shows, I decided to give it a shot. It was extremely predictable, with drawn out back-and-forth conflicts that didn't actually help build the characters. If Joong and Dunk's characters would have just sat down and had a conversation, the entire show would have been avoided.

Daonuea (Dunk) confessed his feelings for Kluen (Joong) in 11th grade, and with no response from Kluen, Nuea went on his study abroad trip for 12th grade and tried to forget about it. That is, until the two reunite their freshman year of college. Trying to forget about the confession, Nuea pretends to have not known Kluen, but it seems the feelings are still lingering. When others start pursuing Nuea, he's torn between trying to move on and staying true to his own heart.

Thank god this show was only 8 episodes, because it took forever to get anywhere with the plot and if that was drawn out any more I would have dropped this. The only reason I didn't rate it lower was that the relationship does become very sweet and cute, and that part is fun to watch. However the miscommunication and constant "you should move on and find someone better" got old SO fast, and I think the entire first 6 episodes could have been condensed to two, and the couple could have had some more interesting challenges when they were together. Instead, we got a very stereotypical show that didn't really do anything new, besides an ending that clearly just wanted to set up a sequel. This is probably only worth watching if you're a fan of Joong and Dunk and are waiting for a new show from them....

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Excellent drama. I don't know why i put it off so long.

This is my favorite work Zhang Ling He has starred in. I didn't care for the plots in "Princess royal" and "My journey to you". But story of Kunning palace is awesome. In fact, all the actors were awesome in this drama.
The plot is nothing we haven't seen before, but what makes it riveting is the character's and seeing their internal frustrations.
And omg, was i blessed with so many hot kissing scenes towards the end lol.
I only took off .5 rating because the xue family plot was getting annoying at the end. I think they could've made it like 2-4 episodes shorter between dragging on the main enemy and female lead's indecisiveness.

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Just because it's common, it doesn't mean it's the best for everyone

If this is the type of propaganda the South Korean government is making to fight the "marriage crisis", I can see why it's not working.

I wasn't expecting much from it. It goes along what's to be expected from a web drama. It was maybe more well produced and not as obviously reliant on "in your face" advertising, which made it easier to watch.

I don't agree with the plot. I believe it's forced and doesn't make sense. The woman who didn't want to get married is the only one who ends up married. That's not a plot twist because it goes against what she wanted for herself. It comes from an ultimatum. Both situations are ultimatums. The only way you can get women to do what men want is through ultimatums and social pressure and not through their own accord.

The woman who was taking in information that made here weary of marriage was the one who only had the choice of either getting married or breaking up with someone she was only seeing for a year. They obviously had different goals in life, she was still figuring out what she wanted and was made rush a decision against her instinct.

The other couple was obviously very immature, even if they had been together for longer. It doesn't make sense to break up because she's doing an internship in another country, especially after he was in the military and they didn't break up because of that. It was good that he came to his senses and didn't try stopping her from pursuing the career she wants. It doesn't make sense breaking up because you're trying to better yourself as a person. A relationship is supposed to be common growth and shared growth as well. It must be an Asian ideal I don't think I'll ever understand.

The single girl didn't make sense in all of it. Why would she intentionally mess with a taken man? She wasn't even in love with him, she just wanted to get married and she thought they were a match because he wanted to get married as well. It's really grim when basic manners are perceived as affection or even love. That should be the basics of human relationships.

In conclusion, this show makes it seem as if every woman wants to get married and to a man. The truth is that more and more women are choosing to be single. A recent study showed that single women are the happiest and most satisfied demographics. Maybe we should start reflecting that in our media instead of trying to push an outdated model that doesn't server and wasn't designed to serve women at all.

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Cheers to Love!

Brewing Love (2024)
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WHAT I LIKED ::
⎯ ♡ ⋆ A really relaxing and refreshing drama to watch with great pacing
⎯ ♡ ⋆ I loved the fact that they compared sensitivity to the amount of hops in beer
⎯ ♡ ⋆ All the supporting characters were so sweet and lovable

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ✧ ❤ ✧ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE ::
⎯ ✦ ⋆ I wish they would address more of the obvious mental health issues seen here and show some growth for those characters, especially Oh Chan Hwi
⎯ ✦ ⋆ I wish the main couple had better conflict resolution skills for their arguments
⎯ ✦ ⋆ I did expect a little more from the ending

OVERALL,
I am obssessed with this drama, because the whole message is really relatable to me. I cried more than I thought I would, and I learned more about myself too. I came to find out that there are other people out there like me who experience the world the same way I do and that we all have varing levels of sentivity.
Brewing Love filled my cup! It's the best drama of the year, in my opinion.

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The chemistry of NamtanFilm and the storyline is insanely good

Firstly, I have been in awe of seeing the acting and chemistry between Namtan and Film. I know Namtan is one of the gems in Thai industry, and Film is really good in her acting skills. But, their chemistry is the thing that everything perfect in the series. It is insanely good. Even just with looking at each other, it creates a perfect moment that left people with so many emotions. I didn't know how good they look together like this. It is like a perfect match.

Next, the storyline is really well written though there are some points that still need to improve. From addressing the social issues like the universal design for the blind people, inequality in treating their children and the rich wins all, the story actually left me with so many thoughts about it. In my opinion, the storyline in the series actually makes more sense than in the novel. It didn't leave you with too many questions after reading like in the novel. Well done Snap25 team!!!

Finally, I really enjoy the cinematic aspect in the series. All the soundtracks are on fire, and i didn't know i actually could listen again and again the Thai songs like this. Even NamtanFilm chemistry reflects on the 2 songs that they sang together.

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Not for everyone !!!

Don’t Feel Bad if You’re Confused—You’re Not the Only One

Okay, so this might be a super unpopular opinion, but I didn’t enjoy Light Shop that much. Yes, some people think it’s a masterpiece, but for me, the world-building was clumsy, and it was hard to figure out the rules of the Light Shop.

From the start, the show felt more frustrating than intriguing. You’re unsure what you’re watching, and it’s difficult to distinguish between the three different worlds it tries to present. There’s so much going on that you barely have time to understand the characters. By the end, I felt mentally drained. It wasn’t scary or captivating—just a dark, irritating void. Even when you try to root for someone, the eventual explanations fall flat and fail to satisfy.

Kang Full seemed to aim for a blend of intrigue, mystery, and horror, and while the first four episodes came close to achieving this, the rest of the series spent too much time overexplaining. Yet, even with all the exposition, you’re still left with unanswered questions. To make sense of certain plot points, you might need to resort to Googling or reading comment sections. Even then, don’t expect clarity—you’ll likely still have lingering questions.

Watching the later episodes felt less like unraveling a complex narrative and more like being deliberately confused. The metaphor of light and darkness had the potential to be profound, but it came across as overly abstract and disconnected from the characters’ struggles. It left me wondering if the creators were trying too hard to be deep and symbolic at the expense of coherent storytelling.

For instance, when does your will to live really start? Is it when you enter the Light Shop, when you find your bulb, or when someone tells you to go back? These pivotal questions remain unclear, and the show’s failure to address them undermines the entire premise.

By the time I finished, I didn’t feel a sense of resolution—just relief that it was over. I wanted to care about the characters, to root for them, or at least understand their journeys, but the endless stream of unexplained rules, convoluted plot twists, and uneven pacing made that impossible.

I can see how some might view Light Shop as a bold artistic experiment, but to me, it felt like an overly ambitious mess. Perhaps it tried to do too much or simply wasn’t for me. Either way, be ready to embrace confusion and frustration.

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