Reviews

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Love, Laughter, and Fantasy!

Overall
Love Game in Eastern Fantasy is an engaging isekai drama with a strong narrative voice, diverse arcs, and compelling characters. Miaomiao's journey, her chemistry with Ziqi, and her standout performances make it a memorable experience.

Story
I really enjoyed the story. The isekai into a fantasy world with an occasional narrative voice makes the story so much better because you can relate to Miaomiao constantly. The arc and plotlines differed from each other as well as different characters' backstories and values were explored!

My least favorite arc was the Princess arc but that was solely because I don't enjoy Second MLs & FLs. On the other hand, my favorite arc is tied between the first and the last arcs! In the first, Miaomiao is constantly killed and disapproved by Ziqi but they still have lingering chemistry. The last arc was between Ziqi and Miaomiao because their love was tested by Ziqi's 'Aunt', then Again by the system in the last episode. I truly love Ziqi as a character, even when he was just a kid he remembered so many small details about Miaomiao and always kept looking for her.

Acting/Cast
Esther Yu. usually plays those cute high-pitched character voices and she completely embodied Miaomiao! From their mannerism to facial expressions she did a wonderful expressive job at Miaomiao.
Ding Yu Xi, was amazing! His subtle expression changes of sassy & pissed off was very pleasing to watch.

The chemistry between both Esther Yu and Ding Yu Zi was outstanding, Esther brings charm and depth to her role, while Ding Yu Zi adds a cool, calculated energy. Together, they create a captivating dynamic that makes the drama truly enjoyable. I hope to watch Moonlight after this because of how much I enjoyed their characters together.

Zhu Xu Dan and Yang Shi Ze deliver great performances in Love Game in Eastern Fantasy.!! Zhu Xu Dan brings a mix of grace and strength to her role and is a great sub-villain because of possession! Yang Shi Ze captures the charm and depth of his character, making their chemistry shine. To be honest, at first, I was worried they were going to be basic one-sided NPCs but I actually heavily enjoyed their characters and their facial expressions are in my sticker collections forever!

Other great characters were Cuicui (played by Lu Yu Hao), Guo Xiu (played by Shao Tong) & Lu Huai An (played by Morning Chang!)

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if horny 15 year old wrote a drama

THIS IS FREAKY ASS WATTPAD SHIT!!! take a shot for every time he picks her up, forces a kiss, pins her against a wall, and saves her when shes in danger. you'd blackout lOL.

this story was so wattpad LMFAOO. like all the wall pins, the dom bf, etc etc... it was good ish! dont get me wrong! still freaky! but very very very repetitive... the same like 3 things happened over and over again....

also, erm don't get why he forced her to do stuff so many times... kinda yucky but i guess if theyre going for that wattpad look, it makes sense. overall nO part of this is realistic at all. not at all. EVERYTHING IS FREAKY!! no character building... main girl so fucking weak... he picks her up and forces kisses on her every second... interesting. but if ur into that go ahead.

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Starts Well, Ends Anticlimatic

The start of Cosmetic Playlover have me immediately seated and excited to watch. Except, it starts dipping a little starting in the middle and just completely fumbles the ball at the end. I think I would've liked this a lot more with a little more emphasis on the romance and a lot less, "let's add every single disruptive character ever to get in between the leads."

Let's Dive In.

The beginning of this series was excellent, I loved Natsume, mostly cause he gave off shy vibes, and a tad bit of jealously over Toma, his rival, who looks distressingly gorgeous. Their romance starts off almost immediately, but I didn't mind it too much, cause I think the overall vibe of the series is that its going to be fast-pace, also the series is incredibly short, so there's that too. Like I said, the story starts off pretty well, the setup is good, and I like the dynamic between the leads.

The only reason the score is relatively low is because they had about every single problem come about in almost every single episode. We even have somebody come in in the last two episodes to disrupt the leads, and it's so annoying. I think one to two problems was enough, but they dragged the story just to fill time.

Onto the romance, I think they were great. Not anything I'll remember in due time, but I liked them for the majority of this watch. Also, all these kisses were GOOD. This is me being me, but I needed more Taichi in my life, the towering giant cinnamon roll who was blessed with the best genes ever.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - Intriguing up until the end. Romance is good, characters are interesting. Liked that it was about men in the makeup industry.

Acting: 8/10 - So (Natsume) did a great job! I think Yudai (Toma)'s character was pretty stoic, so not as good, but good enough. Tomoki is beautiful, which isn't about his acting, but I don't care.

Music: 5/10: didn't pay attention to it, but the theme song was kind of annoying.

Recommendation Value: 7.5/10 - sure, if you're in the mood to watch a Japanese BL. Also the kissing is actually really good in this, surprisingly, so if you're shallow like that, then go for it!

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Using standup comedy as a unique way to tell a story of self-discovery and growth

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

With the use of standup comedy, our female lead Wu Xiu Ya, discovered her former true self which she hid deep inside of her. Due to an incident in high school and her freely expressing her displeasure, she learned a hard lesson and never spoke up for herself much anymore. But through reconnecting with a former classmate and finding solace in standup comedy, “Later, I Laughed” follows the journey of Xiu Ya to become a much more independent and self-aware person.

There’s a lot to like in this drama. I like the use of standup comedy as a way to express your true feelings - Although not all the jokes land successfully, I did have a fun time watching different characters performing. You are able to truly understand Xiu Ya’s point of view and perspectives through her jokes. The drama might not flat out show you that, but paying attention to her jokes disclose a different side of her.

There is truly no villain in this drama. Are there characters that annoy the heck out of me? Of course. The mothers aren’t always lovable. But, if you think from their perspectives, their worries and controlling behaviors all stem from their upbringing and life experiences. Deep down, mothers want what’s best for their children. They were brought up a certain way, or had experienced tough challenges in life that they don’t want their children to follow in their footsteps. Is the boyfriend patronizing and chauvinistic from FL's point of view? Most certainly. But if you don’t tell him how you truly feel, how else would he know? He really just wants to take care of you, and that’s the only way he knows how to. Don’t forget about the nosy and gossipy co-workers. But they aren’t any different than characters in other business dramas. It just seems to be Chinese culture.

The drama spends a considerable amount of time in promoting stand up comedy and dives into what it is and the challenges it faces in the entertainment industry. But I quite like learning more about it. At least it’s a unique profession that we don’t see much in drama-land. The camaraderie between the comedians at the bar is lovely to see. The 5 of them makes an interesting group of unique individuals from all walks of life. I also like the scenes of them hanging out and making fun of each other.

Unfortunately, the second half of the drama has more flaws. I think the rich guy overstays his welcome. The drama spends way too much on him and FL, and their non-relationship. It’s hard to believe a man of his caliber would fall for a girl he barely knows. Then all of a sudden, he disappears! Is it reasonable for someone like him to act that way just because of a blunder? Yes, it might hurt his pride, but it was way over-exaggerated to be realistic. Viewers for sure know he’s not going to be the last man standing, but at least he serves his purpose as a mentor and life coach for a brief period of time.

The romance isn’t satisfying either, and I was so hopeful in the beginning with Shi Ye’s longing looks. Although the chemistry between Xiu Ya and Shi Ye isn’t electrifying, they do have good conversations as friends and co-workers. The confession scene and the transition from friends to lovers are disappointing and anti-climatic. I was hoping for so much more fun banter and cute scenes before reality sets in. Luckily, we have a great second male lead in Zheng Hao. As I mentioned earlier, he wasn’t a horrible boyfriend, just a clueless one. But once he realized his faults, he changed and did not turn into a petty and evil 2ML. He is correct that Xiu Ya never gave him the chance to get to know the real Xiu Ya. He would have fallen in love with her just the same.

What brings down my rating even more is the last arc about the mother. The drama is able to find a way to address Shi Ye and his mother’s argument in a unique way at the wedding. That was a fun performance to clear the air and bring down the house. Unfortunately, the same could not be said in the resolution between Xia Ya and her mother. That arc becomes just like any other C-drama I’ve seen before. Is it realistic? Probably, just not creative.

The first half of the drama sets the stage for a great character development of Xiu Ya. But the second half falters with the extended rich guy plot, disappointing friends-to -over transition and uninspiring writing of the last arc.

But ultimately, at the end of the drama, viewers can see how far Xiu Ya has come along. She’s no longer the crowd pleaser who hides her own desires and feelings. She has learned to take the time to really find out what she wants in love, in career and in life. I do enjoy “Later, I Laughed” very much in the first half. With only 24 episodes, the drama moves along at a decent pace and the overall acting is good. I also like the songs played. Therefore, I still rate it a somewhat high 8.25, especially for its uniqueness in highlighting standup comedy in China.


Completed: 12/9/2024 - Review #526

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funsies kdrama def recommend

family by choice is a fun drama centered around the relationships of haejun, juwon, and sanha who have a sibling-like bond but have no blood relation to one another.

what this drama does great:
- gives us a multifaceted view of all the main characters. we're able to see life/the timeline of the drama from all 3 of them which i thought was great! getting to know each character felt so personal.
- haejun and juwon's dad had some of the most sob-worthy scenes ever. their relationship was so heartwarming. haejun's healing journey was so great to watch and also to see dal and him help each other through hardships throughout their lives.
- their take on familial troubles wasn't shallow and actually felt very realistic.
- every episode while all having pretty sad moments at times always felt really giddy it's just a really fun watch overall it makes you wish you could be there too
- NO love triangle thank the lords

what could've been done better:
- while sanha's 14 year long or however many year long crush on sanha was well drawn out, we never got that from juwon. it was just her being flustered by sanha's confession(s) and then dating him. i wish they could've either added scenes where maybe in their younger years she thought of him that way too or have done like flashback scenes idk it just. for a childhood friends to lovers trope was not a very deep romantic relationship
- haejun's america storyline was idk all over the place and needed better integration to the plot. also similar to my issue w juwon he should've had a gradual liking to dal while im happy they got together at the end he literally said in that ep that they aren't good together and then later asked her out

overall lovedddd this show chaeyeon is such an amazing actress

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Sammon Scene's Story Adapted Brilliantly

There’s a delicate line between life and death, one that often blurs into ambiguity.

In the melancholic yet romantic Thai BL Spare Me Your Mercy, this fine line is explored through the rising deaths of terminally ill patients—and the mystery of who might be behind them. Adapted from Sammon’s novel Euthanasia, the series stars Tor Thanapob as Dr. “Kan” Kantaphat and JJ Krissanapoom as Police Major “Thiu” Wasan Khambunrueang and delves heavily into themes of love, loss, and the morality of life’s end.

Spare Me Your Mercy is a fast-paced series that devotes much of its first three episodes to unraveling the mystery of who is stealing potassium chloride from the local hospital. Along the way, it cleverly introduces a roster of possible suspects, including Nurse Onanong (Fresh Arisara Wongchalee), Pharmacist Boss Chanchai (Aelm Bhumibhat Thavornsiri), Dr. Rin (Prim Atchareeya Potipipittanakorn), and Hospital Director Somsak (Gandhi Wasuwitchayagit). All while also weaving a deeper narrative that explores the equally suspicious Dr. Kan and the Police Major who finds himself falling in love with him.

Read the complete article here-

https://theblxpress.wordpress.com/2024/12/07/spare-me-your-mercy-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

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Something Different and Intriguing!

When I first started to watch this series, I frankly was perplexed by it. It certainly grabbed my attention and honestly, I did not identify the same actors playing different roles. Sincerely, I thought they were different actors as the roles, setup, and stories were so vastly distinctive. But as each of the storylines developed, I did observe that the essence was the same. It was well into the third storyline when I had my epiphany and realized the actors were the same but each of the stories was wildly different. Two young men find each other, fall in love, and form a nexus. However, not always with happy endings. Each character represented different personalities and certainly different outlooks on life. Yet, something always draws the two of them together. And that something of course is love.

Read the complete article here-

https://theblxpress.wordpress.com/2024/12/06/every-you-every-me-series-review-ep-1-to-8/

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Detective Story

Shen Yi was young and talented with potential to become a great artist as according to his art tutor. Additionally, he had the ability to read very accurately human behaviours.

One day, a woman approached him to draw what a child on a photo would look like as an adult. This unfortunately led to the death of a detective Lei Yi Fei who was undercover to investigate a human trafficking ring.

Driven by guilt, Shen Yi joined the police force to help investigate into this case and to help solve serious crimes with his skills. There he met Du Cheng who was a subordinate and close friend of Lei Yi Fei who was killed. Du Cheng hated Shen Yi because he was unable to recall the face of the woman who approached him. As a result, they were unable to solve the case for over 5 years. However, the duo was forced to work together.

As with a lot of detective stories, this drama held a lot of mysteries, surprises (or not so much of a surprise), and suspense to hold your attention. However, in some, it felt a bit shallow and a bit simplistic. Nevertheless, it is still entertaining.

Each crime story ended as the culprit was captured without any mention of what happened in court or the sentencing. I suspect this was to be very diplomatic and not to be drawn into any controversies.

I am typically generous with my ratings and my rating usually ends up higher than the average rating on mydramalist if I like the drama. I am a fan of Tan Jian Ci and I chose this drama because of him. An average rating of 8.7 is very high on mydramalist.com; this would place it among the top rated dramas. However, on my rating scale, it is worth 8.5 which to me is very good, but not among the top league of dramas I had watched.

Still, I say, it is worth watching if you like detective stories.

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Really Loving the Storytelling and Casting

Admittedly there are two things that you might find cliche about this show- firstly, it’s title and secondly the base concept!

With so many dramas this year named after “Blossom”, the title doesn’t spell magic or intrigue; it is easy to brush off. Also, the show heavily leans on the premise of transmigration which isn’t new either. The things that work in favor of this show is the strong casting and excellent storytelling. Starring Meng Zi Yi, Li Yun Rui in lead roles, the storyline encompasses a “marriage of convenience” between the main characters; again, nothing new there, but the actors are doing a phenomenal job embracing their characters and their chemistry is lit. It is an absolute joy watching the main leads collude as they fight the antagonistic forces. For Dou Zhou (Meng Zi Yi), it’s her own family- mainly her evil paternal uncle and her stepmother while Song Mo (Li Yun Rui) fights against an influential yet powerful force who maligned his righteous Uncle’s name. They enter into a fake marriage as accomplices and gradually fall in love. The cinematography coupled with the magnificent settings are exemplary, they add to the allure of this show.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/12/10/blossom-first-impressions/#more-1398

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A diamond in the rough

This is truly one of my favorite shows! It is such a complex murder mystery with just a touch of romance. The story was fantastic, so well written and complex. It kept me guessing to the very end with so many twists. This show made me a fan of the writer Sammon. The relationship was handled so well. It just happened naturally and was tastefully done. Which is rare to find in a BL show. This is how relationships should be written. Also there was decent stunt choreography in this. It had a much higher level than the majority of dramas I have seen. The cinematography was outstanding! Northern Thailand has been added to my bucket list because of this show.
The two leads have wonderful chemistry and their characters are so well rounded. Max especially, impressed me. His evil looks are simply spectacular! I loved how the story developed and how the backstory for the main characters impacts the current events in the show. One of the best parts was the character development in the majority of the characters in the show, which is rare to find. The character development for Tan and Bun was particularly good.

There were many supporting characters that I liked and would have loved more time with or backstory. I always forget when starting to re-watch this show the dark the story gets and the second to last episode will always be hard for me to watch. Any story that gets an emotional reaction out of me is telling. But this story covers important topics and is so well done that is a stand out in the genre.

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Okayish

I mean till episode 12ish I kinda enjoyed and was actually engrossed into knowing the underlying truths behind the crimes but the ending was really predictive or rather chaotic. It felt very boring somehow and I found myself mostly skipping every 10 secs for the sake of finishing the series.
Its worth watching till 13 ig but the way they kind of bring a parallel between revenge and show the criminal mindset next to the judicial system is good. It asks great questions on the law and social justice system but kind of fails to completely answer them as well. We are just left to accept what happens in the series and no proper reasons are highlighted which just makes me feel like they just made the show for the sake of action and plot. Somethings are dragged a lot so it kind of drains the essence of the series. Love the action and cyber pull offs in the show as they were very intense.
Some characters like the FL, her colleague, Lee-yun-sung really nailed it. Don't know about the ML he tried his shot but his character was not appealing maybe because thats what his nature is.

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This show is like experiencing all 4 seasons

It started as a little bud that bloomed beautifully. You’ll experience all 4 seasons of emotions throughout the entire show. The coldness, the rain (tears), the spring (the closeness and warmth) and summer (the blooming of affection). Just going to list a bunch of stuff I loved about this show:
- Portraying the depth of each person’s affliction and imperfection.
- The role of boundaries in relationships and things you just can’t cross.
- Self worth in relationships and knowing when to let go of people that don’t deserve you.
- The obsession in relationships and how some ppl just don’t see you the way you see them.
- Mental health awareness and escapism through drugs when in reality you need others to help you and you can’t do it alone.
- relationships that help to heal wounds
- NM serving as a metaphor for modern day marriages and how easily disposable marriages can be with money and paper
- assigning gender roles in women that need to be stay at home moms and wives aren’t for everyone
- many different aspects of marriage and children from multiple views

Overall, it was a very thought out show I really enjoyed the depth of the themes it was like peeling back layers of onions the more I watched. Great acting I actually liked her stone cold character it created a contrast of when she bloomed beautifully at the end you know she healed and is in a much better time in her life.

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Simple plot but with well-written characters that drive the story further.

When I first read the synopsis, it felt so simple that it didn't feel like a drama that I would watch and look out for if it wasn't for Sejeong being casted as FL. And true enough, the plot was as simple as it gets, that after the first 2 episodes I wondered how they're going to stretch this into 12 episodes. But looking back, honestly, isn't it closer to real life than other dramas do? Most of us lead same, simple lives, that the only difference we have is the people surrounding us and how they're bringing color and dimension. This is the same with the characters, they live normally but each have their own story to tell.

Story (9/10)
I love love the depiction of the characters and how their stories unfold, especially Yongju. I'm not sure if it's just me relating to her, but I felt the strongest conviction for her character development. It made this drama from "something that I watch just for Sejeong" to a drama "must watch for characters like Yongju".

Regardless of the characters, I still feel like the drama could use more strengthening in terms of plot development. Because of its simple plot, there were times when I felt like they were just dragging conflict/issues to make it progress. After the characters' development, the excitement sort of just slowly dissipated.

Acting (9/10)
While I love the character Chae Yongju, I have to admit that this is not Sejeong's strongest portrayal. Based on character description, there were a lot of parts about Yongju that overlapped with Sejeong, that sometimes I feel like I'm just watching Sejeong. Her actions, aegyo and mannerisms just scream like her so I kind of found it hard to separate them. I don't want to compare but her portrayal of Shin Hari was so well-done if felt like she was a whole new person on her own. But she definitely improved on the emotional scenes that half of me wishes we'd get more sad and emotional Yongju because she portrays that amazingly.

It's the first time I'm watching Lee Jongwon, but I'm amazed at how well he does. His expressive eyes are definitely something to treasure for. I'll admit I was initially skeptical about his acting the first 2 episodes, but he just transformed after that.

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Near Perfect

Its hard to describe how I feel about this show. It is easily one of my favorite shows ever! This is such a high quality show. It stands out above the rest. This is one of the strongest and most compelling stories I've seen. This story has such substance. This is the definition of a social commentary and is very thought provoking. It is much more than just a love story. Its meaningful. They discuss things like social class, which is so refreshing in a BL. There was a wide range of representation present in the characters and conversations.

The acting from Off and Gun is fantastic. Gun in both of his roles really impressed me. My brain can not compute him. His nonverbal communication is off the charts. These characters are more complex than you seen in most shows. I think this is one of the better twin representations I have seen. Its not depicted as a superpower but rather, love even when the brothers don't know each other. This soundtrack is also so well done and overall is my favorite. The female characters are actually written well and have standards. I love the discussions of class, morality and justice. These topics are not discussed enough in media. The level of dialogue in this show is fantastic! I wish I could watch it again for the first time. This is the kind of media that I want to support in the world. Just stunning!!

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