An unexpected gem.
I expected to like this because I had love at first sight for Tee Khunakorn and sat through Cupid Coach for him. But I didn't think I'd like this because it's really good, which it is.This isn't a particularly original story - high school students with their blue shirts and all the rest - but there are some unusual aspects and some interesting variations on the usual bag of tricks. It's very G-rated, and cute from beginning to end without ever being cloying.
One refreshing aspect is that both boys are unambiguously gay, and identify as such. Another is that homophobia is not magically absent. It's magically a lot weaker than in real life, but it's presented with more complexity than usual - Q's mother is afraid her son is gay, and at first is resistant, which made the audience hate her, but her motivations are realistic - she's afraid his life will be harder and that people won't accept him, like she saw happen with her heavily-muscled gay brother who I want to climb. Likewise, Q's two best friends are shocked when they find out, which is also normal and realistic, but everyone in the end accepts him without reservation for who he is.
There are no horrible people in this - both female characters are unrelentingly positive and supportive, with one not even having a problem with her prom date bailing to go help their friends. Everyone is capable of distinguishing between what's important and what's not.
All the dialog is excellent and well-thought out, and the humor is actually quite funny.
But most important, the central theme is about communication, and how when there is a misunderstanding, you have to talk it through, not jump to conclusions. The writing skillfully brings all the misunderstandings together in an intrrelated way that reinforce each other without being repetitive, tiresome or (overly) preachy (it's a little preachy).
The twist on the "food on your face" trope is so well-executed and cute that I nearly squealed, and tropes usually make me roll my eyes so hard that I can see behind me.
And best of all, no seme & uke. Both of them are just guys who like each other. They can be individuals instead of being boxed in by articial roles. I think that's part of the success of the couple.
The cast is absolutely stellar. All the actors are charming and have wonderful chemistry with each other, down to Q's friends with his mother and uncle. Tee was good in Cupid Coach, but he's much improved here, with a greater range and more sincere delivery. Bever as X is charming and adorable, and he and Tee have a lot of potential as a couple - I really hope we see them together again. If you've seen Cupid Coach, you know Tee has no problem showing skin or engaging in intimacy.
The actors are all so charming that I even invested in the straight storylines - Toy and Mook are so cute, and the resolution of the awkward Frank & Mild storyline is well-handled and reinforces the don't-jump-to-conclusions theme with a contrasting situation. (It's also subtly suggested that Mild is a lesbian, which is kind of nice but not stepped on or exploited, and makes you think the misunderstanding is one thing when it's another).
It's clear that a lot of love went into this project - I think you'll feel it too and you'll love it right back. But go into it understanding it's 4 episodes. A lot of people had a problem with the length, but sometimes less is more. The pacing is efficient and unrushed, and although there is the get-together-in-the-last-10-seconds thing, the boys have essentially been boyfriends and interacted as such for some time, so it doesn't feel like the letdown that such an ending usually is. I highly recommend this.
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Short and Sweet BL Series
Overall: though I disliked both of their "plans", this was pretty well done for a high school setting BL. Watched on YouTube.Content Warning: stalking, punches, manipulation, sexism, homophobia
What I Liked
- funny and cute moments
- great to see how Uncle Man was an actual character and not a stereotype
- supportive family and friend group
- good production value
- the self promotion with the location of the audition
Room For Improvement
- what stupid "plans"
- the interaction with Uncle Man and X was a bit odd in episode 3
- bored by the two side plots, with the short run time I think they should have had only 1 side plot
- ending was a bit abrupt and I wish we would have seen and not just heard the final line
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Sweet and fluffy teen romance, where the parents stole the show
This is an easy to watch short and sweet series that is about 50% fluff and 50% educational. Though the leads of this story are supposed to be the teens the true stars are the mom and uncle who seem to be there to teach the audience how to be supportive parents.The mom here is a single mother raising her kid together with her gay brother. She is a concerned mother who pushes her son to do well. And a mother who worries a lot about her son. She has seen how badly life has treated her brother and does not want her son to have to endure what her brother went through, She seems to stand for the voice of the concerned parents out there. Though her conversations with her brother the viewers get a whole lot of education on the subject showing both concerns and solutions to them.
The uncle is the voice of reason in this drama, he is also pretty good looking and a character I would love to see lead a spin off for a more mature audience with less education and more romance.
The friendships here are supportive, fun and all round great however I can not help but wonder what the people around Q (the main lead) actually like about him as he is pretty self centred, immature, emotional, competitive and oblivious to his surroundings. Yes he does have a pretty face and he does seem to be able to care for others. I would have wanted to see more of this guys good parts to try to figure out why someone would actually like him.
X on the other hand is in need of a lesson in communication but other than that he is just perfect in every way possible. easy to love, easy to understand, not to emotional and extremely aware of his surroundings.
In short: bingabliaty high, fluff high, annoying elements few, quality low, entertainment decent. A bigger budget and a few more episodes would have been great!
Also you may notice that the "bad people" here all have darker skin then the main cast, so the production may be all gay rights friendly but does need to look over how they cast good vs bad people....
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KelpiView : A simple and short love story
Overall impression :If i could summarize the whole show in less than 5 words, it would be innocent, teenage love story. it was a good few hours, though there's nothing bad about the show, i felt it was nothing overly grand as well. it was a good show, dont get me wrong, i thoroughly enjoyed my time watching it, but it lacks the final sprinkle of garnish to make it phenomenal.
What I liked about it:
Great cast!
To be totally honest, i decided to pick this up because of Bever, Bigboom, Bell and Prat and they did not disappoint. I saw Bever, Bigboom and Prat when they appeared in Love Mechanics and thought that they were fine as support cast. Bever was good in his portrayal as X in this short romance show. Given this was Bell's first drama, she honestly did a good job as Mind. Im a fan of hers and happy that she stepped into the world of acting as well. Dont get me wrong, she is an awesome artist, but seeing her branch out is nice too!
Simple yet interesting story!
The story is simple yet not too boring. there's not much "big conflict" and the climax was a lil bit mellow for me, but for what it is, it is perfect as it is. I love the comedic scenes that they have slotted in to lighten the mood, which makes the show seems even more light. While i would say dont expect "overly heavy" plot points, there were some dialogues that they said that moved me.
What I disliked about it:
Too short.
4 episodes is a lil bit short in my honest opinion, but that being said, if they would drag it out, it might be a lil bit too draggy as the story is not overly complex. So, while i think that it is too short, i still believe the production crew made the right choice to leave it at 4 episodes. Would i have liked it if it was longer? i dont know. Do i want to see the cast in more episodes / scenes? yes totally, but i wouldnt want the show to suffer the effect of it being draggy at the end of it.
No skinship.
If you know me, you know i love a good NC scene in my BL dramas lol. This.. was a lil bit too tame for me LOL. But i understand that all shows have their own "rating" in a way, and this was a totally G rated BL drama. Do i wish for at least ONE NC scene between X and Q? yes i do, but given what the show is, it's fine. the best you get in this show is a cute cheek peck. lol.
Did I enjoyed it?:
Over the short period of time watching it, i enjoyed it a lot.
Would I recommend it to others?:
If you're looking for a simple and short BL drama, this is a good one. if you're just starting out watching BL or if you're not comfortable with BL action but would like to try it anyway, then this might be a good starting point as it is not plot heavy, not too long, very tame, as well as having a cute simple love story.
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short review
i love this the fact we only get 4eps is so upsetting to mewith such little eps i was scared they were going to heavily just depend on the storyline im so happy that we didnt get it the way i thought it would be. instead x challenges q to get w mook for the event but secretly had a plan to get close to Q , because of this q went out of their way to win the bet but due to the consequences of their actions it landed him having to spend time with x while this is happening his friends are setting him up w mook we dont really get to see a lot of this which thank god. we see the development of their feelings and by ep 2 is clear Q has fallen for X but is unsure.
the storyline is good the pacing is good for a 4 ep series the rating on this show shouldnt be under 8 in my opinion its a simple show w good acting. misunderstandings are solved quickly since there isnt enough eps their chemistry is really good. the only thing i kinda wished that happened or maybe it will idk that mook and mild were dating but now looking at it im leaning towards them being sisters? this would of been a funny plot twist if mook was actually gay tbh and it would of made a good gl storyline and a possible new series if it was demanded by the viewers but oh well.
the ending was pretty meh maybe a season 2 or a extended series or another project maybe but its a good 4 ep bl
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If You're Into Red Flags I Guess...
Overall Rating: 5.5/10For some weird, unimaginable reason, some people wish this series was longer. I just want to clarify that there was no plot whatsoever. People can argue that the plot is in the title; however, by the 2nd episode, that plot was essentially non existent. From then on we were completely stranded in the middle of a messy story with no plot and no direction and the most cliche tropes you can possibly imagine. It is honestly hard to believe that they could make more episodes out of this half baked story.
Let's begin with this - I had high hopes for the series. In fact, I was under the impression that it would be a lighthearted story of two teenagers falling in love - I was ready for lovey dovey cliches, tons of fluff and maybe a little bit of angst. What I was not ready for was tons of red flags being diminished for the sake of lightheartedness. Most characters and events in this story are toxic, yet the show does a great job of making that seem okay.
This series disappointed me on so many levels. I came here looking for a soothing, heal my soul type watch and I found this - red flag galore. So much toxicity left unattended and normalized. The title was barely the plot, the characters were scarily whitewashed and the story was predictable. I don't think I have ever watched a series that seemed rushed yet slow at the same time - Keep in mind that this is just 4 episodes with barely any storyline, way too many red flags, and a bore all the way through. I can't think of one thing I enjoyed. It's not worth anybody's time and I wasted too much of mine on this unsalvageable mess.
P.S: I was being generous with my 5.5
Check my feed for a more detailed description.
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Cute Mini Series
21 Days Theory is a very simplistic story that played out a lot better than I thought it would. I was expecting it to be pretty boring, maybe some bad acting, and a very unsatisfying series, however, it was the complete opposite. 21 Days Theory has a way of connecting their story into one that seems incredibly dull, yet it captures you in the best way possible.Let's Dive In.
High school loves stories can sometimes get old, and sure, seeing the button-down and blue shorts brings back special memories of tired acting and a terrible script, but this was not that, thankfully. The only thing I really appreciate about high school love stories is seeing how fragile and awkward first loves can be. We definitely got it here. With Q and X, they were discovering something between themselves, and with that, came the awkward stares and shyness. What really did it for me though was when X was telling Q he had something on his cheek, but Q took that as him asking for a kiss on the cheek and did it, and I think that was the cutest shit ever. I think the chemistry between them was as good as it was going to get. Nothing like over the moon about it, but it was simple and slow, something I didn't mind.
On the other hand, I was very meh about Q's friends' love stories. I actually really liked Toy, and I even think Mook was pretty cute, but I didn't care much for them. same with Q's other friend.
Ratings:
Story: 6.5/10 - Simplistic, and cute. They spent a lot of time on the side couples, which I wasn't all that much of a fan of. Outside of that, I enjoyed the main couple's story. The first episode was a little rough to get through, but after that, it's better.
Acting: 8.5/10 - Good! I was surprised to see that Q's actor was from The Cupid Coach. His acting has gotten a lot better (so has production), so good for him. everyone else did a decent job.
Music: 5/10 - I didn't pay attention to it, I'm sure it was good. at least it wasn't distracting or memorable because it was bad.
Rewatch Value: 4/10 - most likely not, but that kiss on the cheek was cute, so I might travel to YT for a video edit of Q and X every now and again.
I recommend it. It's very short, yet it is very cute. Young love always gets to me because it is the first time you've felt such a feeling as to be in love. Incredible little series, I hope to see these actors again.
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Strangely moral for a BL drama
The premise of the story is ridiculous, Boy is in love with another boy so he makes a bet with him to get a girl to like him and take him on a date. I know BL drama's do like their silly storylines (2Gether) but unlike 2Gether this one was sorta good.Even though it was only 4 episodes long I did get bored with it, nothing really happened much and there were no really outstanding moments.
I often get dragged into watching a drama after watching short clips on Youtube, them outstanding moments that make you remember it fondly even though you never really liked it that much.
The shining light about this drama is the message, it was actually a sweet non toxic BL drama. Who knew that could happen!
It is worth a watch if you are bored and have some time to spare, it won't blow your socks off but it won't offend you either
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bite sized series, sweet
honestly, I don't think there's much more I would ask for from this series. (and there really isn't much, just maybe one more hug at the end? lol)it's cute, short, and thankfully, simple enough for a 4-episode series so you don't get left feeling like it was cut short without much resolution. the story is so simple that i'm not sure this series COULD have dragged it out to more than 5, 6 episodes maybe, which is also partly why it worked here.
the story doesn't drag out nor does it feel rushed despite being confined to only 4 episodes, the pacing was surprisingly well done for a series with the name "21 /days/ theory". whoever worked on the story did well in balancing out the storylines with Toy, Frank, and Q so that none of them felt draggy or like they were taking away too much screentime from the other plotlines? I know some people complained that there was too much focus on theirs but I believe it was needed so that we didn't get sick of X and Q lol.
Another pleasant surprise is everyone's acting? I think most of the cast did surprisingly well for what seems like most of their first or second roles. Q in particular did well in showing his growing feelings and softening towards X near the beginning, which is very sorely needed in one-sided enemies/rivals to lovers plots like these. Usually I'm left questioning when the feelings changed from annoyance/irritation to like, especially when there is a third party girl involved, but I didn't need to at all here.
there's a surprising amount of heart that went into this story to the point that I worried it might end bittersweet but no, it still remained sweet and cute at the end. Just a cute high school love story with some very /teenager/ high schoolers and an equally mature conflict to match, if you understand what I mean by that.
Other misc comments I'm not sure how else to fit in here but want to mention:
-We need more older queer figures like Uncle Man in our BLs.
-I do love a good friend group in my shows, Q's friend group would probably rank among my top ones if this were a longer series that let them get developed more.
-This was a very PG show! I don't particularly mind that but I do wish we got to see them do a final hug or something at the end.
-I also do wish we got an actual reunion instead of the cut away we got. It made Q and X's whole last conflict feel like it fell flat after all that build up when we never get to properly see them make up...
Overall, this series felt surprisingly...honest? Our teenage characters acted like....teenagers, a bit immature and stupid, but not ridiculously so. This was mostly refreshing and sweet, much more than I could've expected from a bite-sized series but it is still a pretty short series, which is also why I recommend people giving it a shot anyway if they think it sounds up their alley. It's only 4 episodes and doesn't have a sad ending!
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21 days, but you skip half of them
To start this off, I want to make clear I did not enjoy watching this drama. Should I rank it purely on my enjoyment, it would go somewhere near the 6 territory. The reason why it's ranked higher is because I can acknowledge the effort they put into delivering some messages. I appreciate the sentiment, even if the execution didn't impress me.The plot summary makes it sound like the competition between X and Q is the main drive for the story. It isn't. Honestly, neither of them really cares about the challenge, which is actually fought on side fronts by Q's friends. As for what the real plot entails? It's hard to say for me. Should I be generous, I'd say it's a story about a boy discovering himself, a story about acceptance and first love. Should I be frank... it tries to. And maybe it succeeds for you. But no. Let's mention where it failed for me first, so we can end the main part with some positives.
What I disliked about the show :
1. It's presenting itself as a slice-of-life rom-com, especially at the start. But the humor is not my cup of tea. I found it very immature, similar to what older BLs like "Make it Right" and "'Cause You're My Boy" used to work with. I'm not a fan, but it's subjective to your taste.
2. The pacing of this show isn't good [for the main couple mostly]. First two episodes move at relatively slower pace compared to the last two. And while it creates a fairly well established set-up, it then leads to the main plot being rushed. The show has 4 episodes around 40 minutes each. That's enough time to properly pace a simple story. [Episode 3 started at the end of 3rd day, ended at night of day 17]
3. One of the reasons why pacing might be off is an inclusion of not one, but two side couples (male-female). It gets to a point when side characters have more screentime and relationship development than the main pairing.
4. It feels very preachy at times. The lessons it's trying to give are good ones, but they feel forcefully put in (based off little prior setup, or on setup that doesn't feel organic), repeated (it seemed like they tried to address the same problem multiple times, which isn't ideal with so little screentime), and long (they spent more time monologuing than actually showing something that would have moved the plot or added some flavor to it). I commend them for trying, but sometimes less is actually more. If you want to go that way, make sure you're putting enough effort in for it to hit the mark.
5. It sets up stuff without pulling it off. They go out of their way to create a specific situation, which is then fruitless or underwhelming.
6. The use of english language and foreign stereotypes in general.
7. Uneven set-up of the main characters, not supported or worked with.
Things I liked about the show:
1. More realistic portrayal of sexuality than in majority of BLs.
2. Second side couple was actually pretty well dealt with in my opinion (first time ever that I liked the male-female storyline more than the BL one in any story).
3. The actors are cute, obviously.
4. That one food scene in episode 4 was sweet.
5. The starting dynamic between main leads was entertaining.
Overall, I feel like I wasn't the target audience for this drama. Best case scenario, I still think the series has some major issues with pacing and set-ups, but it's apparently widely enjoyable for a lot of people. Should they have more time, or cut the side couples and Man's "arc", it could be a nice short story, akin to K-BLs and J-BLs. But they tried too much, with too little space, taking shortcuts that ruined it for me and focusing on stuff I didn' find important. So if you are looking for a drama that's light on basically anything but educational speeches, you might love this. Just don't expect a smooth development for the main couple. Below are some spoilers further elaborating on things that didn't work for me.
MAJOR SPOILERS UNTIL THE END - clarifications for "What I disliked about the show" part.
1. The comedy is very childish. Starting with the outright ridiculous situation of drying up pants in episode one, the way the audition ended, their big "hero" plan and the dialogue when they were playing videogames in episode 4. It wasn't even cringey stupid. It was a "why the hell should I believe anyone would ever find it normal" eye-rolling type of stupid. Combine that with the "based on a true story" part, and it's just big sigh from me.
2. There is little to no sign Q even likes X for the most part of the first two episodes. How do we go from there to that lovey-dovey bathtub scene (which was already ridiculous enough)? Cue the jealousy arc, the honeymoon arc, the coming out arc, the betray arc, the heartbreak arc, the second coming out arc, the the determination arc, and whatever the last ten minutes tried to do because I just can't interpret that in one word. We don't even know whether they talked at all while X was away (normal person would, but not BL leads. No indication given in the show).
3. This is a BL. That gives more screentime and believable progression to hetero-presenting side couples. You can argue it's for the sake of that "challenge" plot, but the challenge ended up useless either way. No one cared for it, and it was only there to create some ridiculous setup and a sense of urgency imo. Because really, he went on a school trip! He wasn't exiled to antarctica until he's 25 or anything! Neither of the two mains cared for the bet and they could have shown more of the main couple without it. It was just a quirk that got abandoned, because it was too ambitious to pull off for them in such a short time. That said, I liked what they did with the Frank-Mild storyline, for the most part. It was still kinda weird, but I enjoyed it more than the other side couple (which could have been just deleted and nothing would change), and even the main one (it progressed better in my opinion, had less drama and was more flavorful).
4. I like the idea behind those messages. But they really took up too much time and didn't feel well incorporated into the story. First case - Q's mother and her worries about Q's sexuality. There was no sign of Q even liking X when this started!! Zero. It was actually her and Man who pushed Q towards X. Why are you doing this so soon?! It made no sense. They also repeated basically the same stuff twice or thrice, which I was just over it.
Second case - the jealousy plot. I liked this more than the first one, but it felt forced in rather than naturally developed. Firstly, don't even try to tell me that it's completely natural when a 30+ man flirts with ~15 yo guy jokingly, touching him unnecessarily, giving him massage unprompted... just no. I thought they would lead it into "Man intentionally hitting on X, so Q gets jealous over time and recognizes his feelings." But they didn't. They made it look like it was nothing and it's purely Q that's to blame! Also, it was rushed. Q was perfectly fine with it (slightly annoyed at best), and then he just erupts during one scene into an ugly fit of jealousy (which, they could have excused themselves from those nasty comments about Man screwing X and X becoming Q's "aunt"). After that, Q gets talked down like he's a kid. Which, he did acted childish. But he's hardly the only one to blame.
The third case - Man and Q's mom persuading Q to go after X. This one would be mostly fine, if it weren't so long (the better part of last 10 minutes of the show), and if it lead anywhere (Q didn't catch X. He wasn't shown having any real regrets about it. They rushed the ending into HEA in the last seconds).
The last case - Man's own struggles and his relationship with his parents. I guess it was meant to provide contrast and parallels to Q and his mother's situation. But it was barely touched upon. The "resolution" scene felt cheap and too easy. I would have prefered if they left it out (at least the ending).
5. Again, the main premise is wasted. The bet is wasted, the urgency of 21 days is wasted. The side couple's big night (Q needed to get invited to) was wasted. Q mustering up the courage to follow X was wasted. Q's mother pushing X and Q to stay at their place so she can keep an eye on them just for her to leave almost immediately (planned leave, no emergency) was just stupid. The uncle's subplot with his farther could have been left out, since they showed nothing of it.
6. I could forgive them the comment about foreigners not being cute or polite. Even the english pronunciation, if it was just a normal talk. But they made such a big deal of how bad Q is in english (he was okay-ish) and how great X is in it (he was only slightly better than Q, if at all). They even made X the saviour of the bakery, someone who lived abroad for extended period of time (and "despite" that being a nice guy), who's great as a international representative of the school... it was too much. Thankfully he's putting subtitles on those educational videos, because they will be sorely needed.
7. The set-up you are hit with at the start is simple - Q is a loser than can't get anything, while X is perfect in everything. The whole challenge is portrayed as Q's final chance to win something for once, how to beat the perfect X in something. It might be more interesting if it was actually warranted, but we get no indication why (or how) Q is the loser, and X's supremacy is iffy at best. It's just something you have to accept without questioning it, because it's not supported by the story (it actually goes against it at times, see point 6 for example). It annoyed the hell out of me.
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Lighthearted and cute show!
Started this show with low expectations cause of the fact that there was only 4 episodes but was pleasantly surprised!The cast was so cute, and I love all the interactions between them. The "lost my phone" pick-up was executed so well and I just love! The "food on your face" trope is usually super cliche but I love the execution and the way they both got shy and the music just cued in at the right time. X's interactions with the uncle in ep 3 was slightly weird but I guess they needed something to push the main cp's relationship along.
As for the other cast, the mother was initially the one in the way, against the relationship. But after finding out that the motive behind which was because she was afraid that her son would be laughed at by others, it really shows how most parents feel, and I feel that while this was resolved a little too quickly (cause of limited screentime), but it also shows realism. Also, I love the uncle! He is not the stereotypical gay uncle, but really helped to get the plot moving by letting Q's mother understand what is really important is whether Q is happy. He also leads Q to implore his feelings and understand that what he is feeling is love.
Feel that Mook and and Toy was quite a cute side couple, and helps to push the plot along while nicely wrapping up some loose ends as well. Meanwhile, Frank and Mind was a bit odd for me. like while ik there is lack of communication but the drop of hints is weird but i guess they wrapped it up in the end?
overall, is a super lighthearted and short (but not rushed) show and will def rewatch this
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Short and sweet
This is a surprising little gem! Short, sweet and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. I disagree with others that say this should be longer, for this particular plot this was the perfect length. There wasn’t anything else that needed to be said, so no need to drag it out.That being said, I would absolutely love to see the leads in this star in something else together, they had good chemistry and played off of each other well.
Honestly, a lot of things about this was surprising. It’s well-paced, the writing is pretty solid, and the acting is good.
Plot was totally predictable, but I don’t think they thought they were surprising anyone when X’s long-time crush was revealed. Admittedly, it might have been nice to see some background to X’s crush, as well as some good, old-fashioned pining.
I really liked the friend group in this. We always stan well-meaning himbo besties. Q’s coming out scene with his friends was actually quite lovely.
Overall, it’s a recommend from me.
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