Reviews

My expectations is higher than a ladder

I get why everyone is obsessed with this show, I really do... it just wasn't for me. There's nothing wrong with it; it's adorable and the characters are funny and the songs are catchy, I was just so bored the entire time. I almost dropped it twice but I didn't and I kept watching, but overall I was really underwhelmed.

I don't know if it has to do with the fact I watched Moonlight Chicken first and fell in love with HeartLiMing, but I could just not get as invested with msp. I'm more disappointed than anything that I didn't love it.

But Fourth slayed as always

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an underwhelming attempt at adapting 'elite' for korean audiences

Here's the thing. Different countries are good at portraying different things. I didn't even like Elite, but it knew what it was doing. It knew its audience, it knew its strengths. It didn't shy away from violence, sex, drugs, all that gritty jazz.

It's no surprise that Korean TV is subject to more restrictions -- it's a cultural thing, they're just more conservative, and that's not inherently better or worse. But that doesn't mean Korean TV can't have its own strengths. In the context of thrillers, Koreans sure know how to make revenge thrillers, and they know how to portray bullying and all its horrible ramifications. Look at King of Pigs. Look at The Glory. They knew what they were doing. They knew it very well, they were sure of themselves.

And that's why they were good.

This show tries to emulate Elite, but it's ultimately limited by what it can show on the screen considering its target audience. Instead of trading the Spanish flavor for Korean elements, it simply settles for a washed-out, toned-down adaptation of the original show. There is little to no shock factor in this supposed revenge thriller in a supposedly high-stakes setting. The plot is nonexistent, the characters are caricatures, the cast is miscast, and the pacing is nothing short of atrocious. The camera is always trying to find some angle to showcase the prettiness of the actors, and sure, the production, the lighting, it's all very good, but this is not an advertisement for some high-end brand. This is a TV series, and the audience expects something to actually happen. Thousands of pretty shots featuring pretty people staring into space is not adding to the story in any way whatsoever.

I was hoping to see something along the lines of Cheongdam International High School (Bitch x Rich). While that show definitely had its flaws, it also knew how to properly drive a soap opera. BxR was similarly filled with unlikeable characters, but there was a much clearer plot and all the characters had different motives and personalities. It didn't meander or fill the runtime with scenes of pretentious posturing -- there's only so much grandiose walking and emo staring a viewer can take.

A terrible drama that tries to be a teen soap set in the ultra-rich, but completely squanders its potential and wastes its obviously high production value.

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Messy writing, started good and gets worse the more you watch

What happened here????? I'm so baffled by this drama, how it managed to destroy or not develop properly anything that it started, everything is introduced and dropped. This drama was either a writing exercise using a dart board with random words and they hit some random ones and had to connect them in the story somehow or a "pass the story" game the writer had with their family one Saturday evening after a couple of drinks where each person was trying to add any absurdity to the plot they could.
If you read the premise of this show above please just completely ignore it because that's just about the beginning of it and it's dropped very quickly.

At the start I thought it was interesting as a concept, not necessarily new but I welcomed to see what they would do with it. Clearly they didn't know what to do with it. After a couple of episodes with more comedy (although some quite juvenile for my liking), they completely dropped it and moved to the couple dating show. At this point I already started wondering what was the point of it. ML's issue is put to the background so quickly and at times even forgotten. At points there was some better moments but many others I started feeling I was watching paint dry.
What was the point of the time jump after the dating show? I really don't know. I don't like when I'm invested in a story, or trying to be like in this case, and there is an unjustifiable time jump, doesn't matter how small. It felt very "ok that's done now, let's do something else". But the "something else" they do it's just going in circles achieving nothing. The romance falls short, the friendship between ML and SML falls short and it's never explored in depth other than showing some past disagreement. Everything is pretty much left half baked and you keep watching hoping something comes that makes you change your mind, but then it slowly creeps into melodrama territory with the adopted trope and the bio mother appearing (what was the point again? it doesn't add anything to the story or personality of FL) and then proceeds to do what happens at the end of episode 9, what was the cherry on top and by that point I was simply done with it. Then somehow not only they managed to introduce even more melodrama with the father getting scammed and then having a out of the blue action bit at the end with him and the three sons but also somehow they tried to evolve a bit the story of FL's mother mentioning the engagement but nothing happens? And then to top it all off we have 15 minutes at the ending with a children's play with a similar plot to the original premise of this show with flashbacks I don't need to see because I've already seen them?

Why are there so many characters? Somehow there are so many but they make me care about none. FL at times felt like background character because she was so plain I just didn't see the point. Her whole personality was just trying to write the next show and not much else. As I already said introducing the bio mother was cliché and boring, but also very annoying that once again they're trying to excuse or forgive abandonment. I have seen only a few dramas where this is tackled in a more realistic and correct way. Most times it's just forgiven because "blood" and it's a troupe I highly despise. In this case while there wasn't complete forgiveness it wasn't really tackled in any engaging way, it's not even discussed why. It was very pointless.
ML had personality and there is more in-depth of his character but his issue as mentioned previously was massively underutilized and we're only told about his thought process as an afterthought, like for example when at the end he decides he doesn't want to do news anymore. We were not taken for the ride of his development, we're just told later. At this point I do have to mention Go Kyung Pyo's acting because I've seen him in other stuff and I liked him but here I just don't know what they were going for. I say "they" because I can imagine that's what the director wanted but the moments when he couldn't lie were bad, and he would just become an expressionless statue. Only when he would have an outburst he would be more human. So he spent most of the drama being a robot and it wasn't engaging, nor funny or entertaining, it was just awkward. The "issue" shouldn't even have been there anyway as mentioned previously because it was only used in the beginning.
About the SML, who cares? I just couldn't care about his character. He was introduced as the second love interest to make the cliché love triangle but after, why follow him? Sure, they do tackle some issues with his character but it all felt very superficial and the outcome is not fireworks worthy to spend that much screen time with him.
Secondary characters on the FL side are a big what's the point? and on ML side are plain annoying. FL's friend with the kid only there in the beginning to make you think the kid is FL's and then after she's just there so she can be the love interest of ML's brother. The kid is only there for the same reason, and I still don't understand the point of his "power", not explored, you don't even know if real and overall added nothing to the mess.
ML's parents had an interesting background and story with their struggles but even at the end I didn't feel like there was much consideration to the fact ML had been used for a long time and their parents took it for granted and they spoiled the two younger ones big time. They're trying to sell me at the end because of the pity party that was the accident that they're great parents but they're not? And it has everything to do with their attitude and nothing else.
ML's brothers were pretty awful spoiled people and again, they try make them better by the end but I felt nothing, nor did the "romance" of the middle one with FL's friend. No chemistry and I feel bad for her since he gives the vibes of man-baby.
Talking about chemistry, the one of the main leads is not quite there either. At some points I thought they were cute together but most of the time I felt nothing. I did like at points their romance was a bit more mature and straightforward but overall even though it's one of the supposed main plot points of the show it felt background many times.

Personally I can't recommend. I know already when I start skipping scenes that this is not going to be a pass for me and in this case I used it so much especially in the last two episodes. It's a complete mess writing wise and I can't think of any element that would justify wasting the time since everything else like music, characters... are either just passable or mediocre.

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IF YOU ARE SEEING THIS TITLE DON'T WATCH THIS GARBAGE SERIES

If you're contemplating spending your time on "My Military Valentine" (2024), you might want to reconsider.
The direction in "My Military Valentine" is abysmal. It feels like the director had no clear vision or understanding of how to weave a coherent story. Scenes lack continuity, and the pacing is erratic, leaving viewers confused and disengaged. It's as if the director tried to piece together a narrative with no sense of direction, resulting in a jumbled mess that fails to captivate.
The music in this series does nothing to enhance the viewing experience. It feels out of place and poorly integrated into the scenes. Rather than complementing the emotions and action on screen, the soundtrack is more of a distraction, often detracting from key moments. It's evident that little thought went into the selection and placement of the music.
Action sequences are perhaps the worst aspect of "My Military Valentine." They are poorly choreographed, lack excitement, and are often so unrealistic that they become unintentionally comical.
The leads in this series seem utterly lost. Their performances are wooden and unconvincing, with no chemistry between them. It's hard to believe that these actors were chosen for their roles, as they appear to have no grasp of their characters or the story. Watching them attempt to emote and interact is a cringeworthy experience.
The director has created a piece of work that is, quite frankly, one of the worst I've seen in a long time. It’s hard to fathom how something this poorly executed made it to the screen.

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"Because this is my first life" Unusual storyline. Thought provoking

For me, this series was mainly about the way human beings find it difficult to communicate in relationships as well as the dating versus marriage conundrum. It was interesting to see how S Korean society is adjusting (or not) to declining birth rates and an eye opener for me about a lot of other pressures playing out on women. I thought all the cast were good and all the main male and female players had interesting roles.
If I have one thought for others watching, it would be that it looked to me as though Lee Min-Ki was directed to act as someone with a diagnosis such as social anxiety disorder or OCD. This so affected his character's ability to converse with female lead Jung So-min that most of their episodes were barely producing an improvement in their "no touch marriage". So be warned that you will not automatically warm to these characters. I thought the script and direction gave a very hard task to the lead couple and I applaud them.
Would I recommend? 100% yes.

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The script of the series falls into clichés from time to time

It successfully reflects the emotional depths of the characters. However, some of the side characters are not explored in depth enough, which weakens their roles in the story and causes them to remain superficial.

Questioning the effects of power and money on society the series manages to make the audience think and raise awareness. However the fact that some criticisms remain superficial and are not examined in depth somewhat weakens the social criticism power of the series.

The fact that some of the side characters in the series were not expanded enough caused the character played by No Jeong Ee to stand out even more. In this case while on the one hand it was advantageous from the perspective of having the player's capacity on the other hand it affected the overall distribution of the series.

To be honest, I didn't like Roh Jeong Eui's acting sorry Jeong Ee can use similar acting techniques in some of her roles. This may give viewers the impression that they are stuck in a certain role type or character mold. It may be necessary to break this perception by giving more diverse performances in different types of productions By the way, I really liked Yoon He Ra's acting, I hope her success continues.

''I will watch it until it ends, best wishes''

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The intention

I think that the cast and crew did well it's just the screen writer who misses some parts of a pregnancy the baby bump can be explained some women in the slim side often don't look like they're pregnant so that part I will leave. Over all I do love this movie for the parents and their friends to support them in the end made me happy sure they're parents and friends and society who look down upon this topic and some who are accepting we've seem countless shows or short movies of the unacceptance it's about time we see something like this. I do not think being pregnant at a young age is a good thing but I do hope the young ones learn from this movie by taking responsibility like the main characters ofcourse don't keep it hidden until it's too late tell your parents when you find out and then take responsibility of the new life that you and your partner both made.

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An Utter Disappointment...

When I first saw the trailer for this drama, I honestly had a lot of expectations. Because from the trailer, I can already imagine how much budget was spent on this drama in order to get cinematography like that. But what I got instead was a deep disappointment. This drama was not executed well at all.

There are several things that need to be applauded here. The first is cinematography and the choice of color filters for each scenes. Appropriate colors are chosen to describe the situation or feelings of the actors. Directing and camera movement are also done very well. The background music for each scene is also well chosen.

Unfortunately, there are more things that deserve criticism from this drama.

Starting from the plot, the story concept is not that bad even though it is quite cliche. The first four episodes are quite good at depicting the hierarchy (well the title is hierarchy indeed) that exists at Jooshin High School, how the male lead adapts and starts to build chemistry with the female lead, plus a little plot twist at the end of the story about the male lead's real identity. But after the fifth episode, everything seemed to crumble down. The male lead who doesn't know whether he should take revenge or prioritize his unrequited love. Plus the female lead who doesn't actually have an important role enough to be called as the main character. Even the supporting actors at least have roles and storylines that are perhaps better than the main characters. The next storyline gets even more chaotic and suddenly the end of the drama arrived, making the viewers dumbfounded. No revenge. No worthy romance. No deep friendship. It's just nothing in the end.

+ The acting of the characters.
The male lead is quite good as a rookie but that's it. He's delivering a quite good acting in some scenes. Nothing more.
The female lead was a robot throughout the 7 episodes, to the point that I couldn't even sympathize with her so called suffering.
The second male lead was just plain. He supposed to be the richest and arrogant richest kid but instead he feels like he is poorer than the poor male lead. Every gestures and expressions of his are far from the one he shoul've had as the only heir of the biggest company in SK.
The supporting lead is just meh. But the one who acted as Hera is quite okay. I could see her potential as a rookie. Some of her scenes are well delivered tho.


In conclusion, if you asked me:

1. Is this a youth drama? No. The content is too explicit to be called a youth drama. Tbh, what kind of youth drama would have a s*x (even though no one were nude), drugs, and alcohol party for a highschooler.

2. Is this an action drama/thriller? No. The most frequent action scene that appears is just a group of kids bullying a transfer student just because they offended the second male lead. It was so lame!

3. Is this a revenge drama? I do not think so. Indeed, the concept of this drama is revenge, but in the end the main character doesn't actually take any revenge.

4. Then is this a romance drama? Not really. Because none of them end up with each other. And it made me wonder if the male lead is really the male lead lol. In the end, it felt like there's only a female lead without any male lead.

So what type of drama is this? To be honest, I'm also confused hahaha
That's why I told you that this drama is an utter disappointment for me.

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A Missed Opportunity: When a Promising Drama Falls Short

What's the target age group for this drama? Is it 13 to 18? The plot, actions, and dialogues of the characters are so childish and illogical that it's hard to believe it wasn't meant for that age range. Given a story about a centuries-old demon and a young, successful CEO caught up in a murder plot while the dealing with diminishing power, you'd expect a thrilling, suspenseful tale with lots of unexpected twists. Instead, we get clingy dialogues, endless flashbacks/slow motions, and main characters who are always outsmarted by not-so-clever villains.

The leads are undeniably stunning and have great on-screen chemistry. However, Kim You Jung seems too young for this role. She lacks the depth to convincingly play a successful CEO and comes off as a kid playing dress-up. As for Song Kang, it's a shame his role allowed him to be a wicked demon for only one episode; the rest of the time, he's just love-sick. The supporting cast didn't stand out either.

Ultimately, this drama doesn't quite deliver the depth and excitement you'd hope for from such a promising premise. Even though it starts with an intriguing plot and visually appealing leads, the execution misses the mark, leaving viewers feeling like something's missing. The show struggles to balance its supernatural elements with a coherent, mature narrative, making it a missed opportunity. If you're looking for a gripping and well-structured story, this drama might not meet your expectations. It’s a reminder that good looks and star power aren't enough to carry a story that lacks substance and depth.

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'My Love Mix-Up!' is a romantic comedy drama Thai with a LGBTIQ+ theme that brings back two promising actors and idols who have won the hearts of BL lovers: "Fourth" Nattawat Jirochtikul and "Geminis" Norawit Thiticharaenrak.
The story of Atom and Kongthap, two students who go to the same high school but are not close, begins the day a misunderstanding causes their lives to intersect.
Atom secretly loves a classmate named Matmee ("Pahn" Pathitta Pornchumroenrut), and tries to find the courage to confess his feelings to her. However, one day, by accident, she discovers that she is in love with her classmate Kongthap, the handsome basketball player, when she sees that Matmee's eraser has her name written, along with a painted heart.
To make matters even more complicated, Kongthap sees Atom holding the rubber band with his name on it and misinterprets the situation, believing that the other boy has a crush on him.
When Matmee's secret is exposed, Atom protects his identity and, faced with the confused student's complaints, decides not to clear Kongthap of the mistake and assumes that he is the one who is in love.
But to his surprise, even Kongthap is not horrified by the idea that another boy has set his eyes on him, and Atom himself begins to feel happy with the attention and care he now receives from his table neighbor.
And as they spend time together, love works unexpectedly, and Kongthap will discover that he is more interested in Atom than either of them can believe.
They're both straight, or that's what everyone thinks, themselves included. But the misunderstanding, combined with the way they treat and care for each other, will cause their feelings to start heading down a path they never would have imagined.
'My Love Mix-Up!' It is a manual installalove. Boy meets boy. First they become friends. Then they fall in love. They discover. Both, without intending to, undertake the clearing of the weeds towards full identity. A typical teenage romance story, with no pretensions to breaking schemes or introducing new plots, and that is surely its biggest plus point.
The love of Atom and Kongthap has been told a thousand times, but it reaches the viewer's heart through simple characters and situations with which it is very easy to identify and have a good time.
Like many of us, we have read the original text, which is none other than that of the winning work, in 2022, of the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōjo category, written by Wataru Hineruke and illustrated by Aruko and, in addition, we have seen the yaoi series ' Kieta Hatsukoi', from 2021, the first adaptation of this manga, there is little doubt about what will happen in the series, which has just released its first episode.
However, all of us BL lovers are here to discover, chapter by chapter, how this drama unfolds, scheduled to conclude on August 24 of this year, and which will surely bring us an optimistic and hopeful approach focused on exploring the relationship that arises between Atom and Kongthap.
I ask the viewer to enjoy together how that friendship is created and how, while they explore their respective worlds, they gradually gain trust and become inseparable. Each one's own personality makes you love them more.
The romance of the protagonists is the great stage, but, as a backdrop, Au Kornprom Niyomsil, its director, tells us an everyday story about adolescence, coming of age, love, discovery, acceptance, loyalty, insecurities and friendship.
'Write Love with Eraser', as it is also known, also delves into topics such as empathy, tolerance, prejudice, homophobia or coming out, always addressed with tact, simplicity and naturalness.
Another strong point of the series is the cast, which captivates the world from the beginning. Fourth is a perfect Atom, clumsy, somewhat silly, frank, childish, nervous, shy and in love, he makes us smile every time he does it, and reflects very well how he cannot erase Kongthap from his head no matter how hard he tries.
And Gemini, for his part, is an incomparable Kongthap: kind, intelligent, friendly, studious, talented artist and athlete. His character is more complex, as he has to assume the role of a young man without defects, or whose defects are only detected with the use of a magnifying glass, while acting with a restrained, soft voice, and adorning his face with a frequent face. of poker.
Atom and Kongthap are a cute couple whose opposite personalities complement each other. The extravagance of one strikes a perfect balance with the seriousness of the other, as they highlight the best qualities of each.
Both represent self-discovery, not only regarding sexual orientation, but also regarding the way of being, something that we often repress to try to fit into a group.
Let's not forget the great chemistry between the two, previously demonstrated in other BL series, such as 'My School President', 'Our Skyy 2: My School President' and 'Moonlight Chicken', all from 2023.
Kornprom Niyomsil knows how to direct them perfectly to give life to the story in which there is no trivial detail: from the creative freedom given to the members of the cast, to the brilliant palette in which the colors of the rainbow prevail.
For its part, the music accentuates and intensifies the characters' feelings and has its climax every time "Re-Move On" is heard, the song performed by the same protagonists.
My review ends here, but I will surely return to it at the end of the series, to provide other evaluations on the quality, effectiveness, characters, images, sound and message of the audiovisual.

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Rays of sunshine on a rainy day kind of drama. Little cliffhanger, but keeps one emotionally engaged

Very nice story with mostly realistic depiction of mental struggles. Quite relatable if one has been in a depression or cared for someone in a depression before. The story mostly makes sense and while the characters don't always behave rational, they do behave in ways that are relatable and human, giving the circumstances.

The overall tone of the drama is still uplifting and a ray of light in the gray fog type of thing. It never gets full on tragic and bleak or sad moments are always followed by specks of hope following them. This way the story writers prevent the "phase (/feeling) of totall hopelessness and everything is bad" that often is done in such dramas as a stark contrast before a happy end, even though it is a drama about two ppl at the lowest point in their live.

I must also say that I'm a sucker for relationships that help both ppl becoming better versions of themselves and giving strength, even though new romantic relationships are a very risky thing in these types of moments in reality (the mental instability types).

Ignore the music rating. I did not really pay attantion to that, so i just put (8/10) there as a number was required.

This might end up being my new comfort drama for when i need an escape from daily life.
Definetly recommended.

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