Tough one. Stuck with it - Kinda...

This one was a tough one to watch. In the beginning, some of the characters are so irritating that I was disappointed to find that they would be a love interest or, still in the story 4 episodes later. I thought, casting wise, this group was a bit of a mess. Maybe, closer to reality? But, I just couldn't see the two leads together - at all. She was so mean and so unforgiving. He went out of his way to continue to patronize her business, replace the phone, etc. and she still couldn't let anything go. Who cares if we see a character show regret if they don't follow through? A character should not be rewarded for being a thorn in someone's side.

As usual - some stellar performances - the only reason I watched a portion of every episode. , Ji Dong-hee (Shin Jae-ha) was brilliant. To change his personality on a dime like that - perfect. I could understand why he chose to die in the end. All the actors/actresses for the high school characters were perfect. Lee Chae-Min's breakdown while taking the exam was perfection - you really felt what he was going through.

Jeon Do-yeon's Nam Haeng-soon and Jung Kyung-ho's Choi Chi-yeol - did not work for me. I could not get to the point of accepting that they were suitable for each other as a couple. I could see them helping each other out in their own ways but, it would have been nicer to see them end up with other people. The late addition of the true mother was a waste of time on everyone's part. It wasn't even needed - especially, since she had zero redeeming qualities. Jae-Woo(Oh Eui-Sik) - eh - did not like that his issues all pertained to what the story needed to keep moving. Writer's convenience = lazy.

Also, regardless if it is life-like or, what - just because characters are together in a scene - you don't have to fill every waking moment with their nonstop conversation. I got to the point every time certain characters showed up - I knew I could fast forward through their whole time and not miss a single thing.

Really hated how hard the writers worked at making the whole cast have a happy, fairytale existence in the end. Villain? Takes his own life. Leads? Happy successful life. Teens? Exciting happy college life - not a speck or, mention of therapy or, how they healed anywhere. Parent's - awful to the core - ruined people's lives? All forgiven. Ruined and nearly put your own children in the hospital or, the morgue? All forgiven. Ruined marriages because you focused on all the wrong things? No worries.

Thank goodness for the fast forward button.

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You will keep this one handy to watch again...

Loved this series. LOVE the connection between Earth and Mix. The playful banter. The shyness - who wants to admit it first? Everything. When I saw this the first time - I wasn't sure how the whole heart transplant thing would fit into the overall story but, it was handled so well.

I liked the level of detail of having the Chief know almost everything that was going on - with the exception of what happened to Torfun beyond dying. The side characters are entertaining and I loved that the corruption was kept to the area and didn't branch off into dangerous mob territory that could/would never end the tormenting of the villagers. Think - small town crime.

One of my favorite moments is when Tian meets the Chief for the first time. The writers and director took the time to build up to that moment beautifully. We know he is still recovering and it takes this moment for us to see what could happen when you push yourself too hard post surgery. Beautifully photographed and captured. How many of us dreamed of being in Earth's arms at that moment? LOL

Happy the child actors were up to par - believable and you got to know them enough to care about what happened to each and every one of them. Would love to see a sequel - just for the pure joy of seeing the whole cast again.

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Why are women portrayed as...

I don't understand why women are portrayed and conniving, evil, shallow people in so many Thai BLs. That is what ruined the Thai version of Why R U.

In Together With Me the women are loud, rude, manipulative and always out for themselves. Is this to make the men look better since this is a BL?

I liked the main characters - good chemistry. Good story development. Good cast - they got along well. The pacing is on point too.

I do appreciate that at least in this drama - there are some normal people who are part of the story. They offer some foundation to the series and some of the characters.

I still liked it but, it could have been so much better.

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Loved this drama!

What struck me the most about this drama was the detail. We truly get to know each character - little by little. We get to see them interact at such a realistic level that you feel that we are watching one of those reality shows where the cast has been together so long - they are like a family. Situations are real. What happens is real. Even the "screaming queens" put in for comedy become everyday people as we get to know them (they aren't empty fillers just there for comedy).

I will add to this in time but, I wanted to at least - get my feelings down here before I forget!

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Refreshing and THANK GOD - THERE'S MORE THAN ONE SONG!!!

Loved this one. Agree with others - pacing is just right. Typical Korean BL - they still treat kissing as almost taboo and therefore - limited. That's okay. Still handled well.

Love all the characters including, the evil one. He stays perfectly sewer dwelling throughout. I would hate to know who else he took advantage of during his teaching years before trying to debut himself. Chemistry is good with all the main characters - love it. Little family. People taking care of each other and looking out for each other.

Another reviewer made reference to - understandably - Han Ba Ram misunderstanding both characters touchy feely-ness being confusing. Been there. I am so concerned about not understanding those moments - I usually avoid being touched! And, avoid too much touch/affection with people I don't know.

And, I did love Im Han Tae's growth as he slowly realized how much he grew to love Ba Ram. First, you don't think about it. Then, you deflect - Naw...I'm not falling for him...then, you finally admit you love them and can't be without them.

Love that there is more than one song. And, the main song is never played fully as the series goes on. The director and those involved pay attention to what the viewers notice and appreciate. Agree that this is a OST worth owning.

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Loved it - Wished it was longer

When I started this one, I wasn't sure where it was going to take us. When it was over, I wished they had given us more.

While Chinese rom-coms and dramas drag things out to 48 episodes with the main characters learning nothing and going through everything imaginable - BLs still tend to be 3 hour movies chopped into small segments and called a series. That's okay...baby steps.

A few faults in continuity - but, forgivable. No real time tracking for us. What day is it? How much time has passed? What led our characters to think and act the way they do/did? Enquiring minds want to know...

I really felt for everyone. The feelings and reactions seemed very true. This is where I wanted more detail. What was the result of A, B, or, C?

Characters:

Lee Yoon Soo was the most developed. You knew everything you needed to know about him. He knew who he was. You know where his passion lies. You know enough of his story to be believable - and, one you can invest yourself in. You want him to succeed.

Jung Do Hoon's details needed some tweaking. He shows an interest in girls in every scene he is around other groups and people but, he's okay with exploring another side of himself? This is where we needed help in how much time has passed. It could have been solved with the reason he focuses on work so much and just lives to work is because he really doesn't know who he wants to be with and can't understand why any attempts at a relationship always fail.

I have seen this successfully pulled off in a few other BLs where the guy has many one night stands or, starts new relationships with girls but, they always end/fail. I loved the way this was handled in Theory of Love. Khai - being rich - was able to hide his failed attempts at relationships by being a jerk. The attention would focus on his actions rather than, why he wouldn't let a relationship proceed past quick and easy sex. When the girls wanted more from him - he would put an end to it. When he found out Third really loved him - he went into fear and acted the only way he knew how - and the writers remembered to put that in Khai's words to Third.

Jung Do Hoon needed to come to terms with himself while we got to watch and cheer him on. As with many BLs - we only get to see the beginning of their relationship and have to guess the rest.

Now, that this company has three BLs under their belt - do like MAME and give us story continuations through new BLs. Let's see the characters a couple years later getting married or, being a small part of the new couple's lives. We want to know.

Loved the side characters - would have loved to learn more about them so, we could connect. As the money and product placement grows - we will see longer BLs. I love that in Wedding Plan - they landed The Arches.

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This could have been a winner...

Not sure what happened. Bad writing? Young director? Small budget?

As others have stated there are continuity issues:
- Let's have lunch to celebrate our first day together! Boss guy takes over ordering and mentions that everybody orders the same thing each time. But, this is their first time as a team. Desserts purchased. What happened to lunch? Translation issue?
- Coffee spilled on shirt. They almost take off their shirts but, never do. Yet - after dinner - it's mentioned he has his boss' shirt on and needs to return it. And, between the shots of when it happened and during the discussion of squishy and soft - the shirt becomes magically clean.
- Gossip from the interns about everything you would expect but, none of it comes to pass and there are little repercussions. One gets talked to and, everyone gets hired. Why was it even there? Tension wasted.

Not enough backstory and development of the characters. We know they got separated and the lead up was one set of parents fighting but, the other kid ends of moving away and while there is brief mention of why he chose not to contact - it doesn't float. Why would he feel responsible for leaving? Did his parents surprise him and he couldn't say goodbye?

Jun Eonni had a wonderful backstory that we only get hints of. Feels he isn't good enough to be loved. Doesn't realize what a great person he is. Is afraid of getting close to someone for fear of them leaving. But, we see almost none of it. We get the explanation of why the manager cares so much but, why explain it like that when there is love there?

Jun Director had a cliche backstory but, we see and barely hear of what he went through. Is he job determined because he was lonely? How can he be such a successful flirt if he kept to himself all these years? It's true that his drive and stumbling along show he needs to communicate better but, my guess is his fiancé helped him as a person to grow and learn how to be around people.

Surprisingly, product placement needs some work. While the wonderful The Wedding Plan snagged The Arches and more - this one seemed to forget who was paying their bills. In a way - that is good but, were the check writers satisfied?

I had to restart watching this twice to catch on to what was happening. I figured out the flashbacks, caught the conversation, and really paid attention. If you only watch it once through - you may end up being confused but, still happy at the overall story.

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Thank goodness for good looking people...

As with most Chinese Rom-Coms, you will have difficulty trying to believe the storyline. We see effeminate men in BLs all the time and we have seen some amazing women pull off a guy part in past shows. This one - not a chance. She doesn't even try. And the director - surprisingly, just doesn't care.

She has the same irritating mannerisms all the women have in these type of shows (until their amazing transformation) but, since they think she is a man - it is overlooked and forgivable. If I was a woman - I would get pissed at the double standard.

She doesn't even bother to disguise her voice. Lazy. She doesn't do anything make up wise. Lazy. She fawns over her boss - openly. Lazy and risky - especially, in Chinese society. Get someone drunk (usually, off very little alcohol to move the story along). Lazy.

Thank god for fast forward. I wanted to see if she simply makes the "man" disappear as "she" takes over or, if they discover she is a woman and miraculously forgive her for lying, committing fraud, etc. Handled okay but, I would file this one in complete escapism and don't think about all the overlooked details.

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Dear gawd, who directed this dumpster fire?

You know a series is on rough ground when once you see three of the characters on the same screen - you know you can fast forward through their whole scene and not miss a thing. My guess is that they are the comedy relief but, they are so bad it becomes near unbearable. You worry for them.

Liked three - maybe, four, of the characters. And, the overall story wasn't bad. I only stuck with it through the end to see how it all finished. It's a shame in rom-coms - characters can't disappear. Truly, what was that long red haired girl even there for? Ugh.

The doctor is in the room. He knows he is allergic to alcohol and for comedy's sake - they serve him champagne and put him in an embarrassing date situation. They risk his health and his life for laughs. That should tell you everything about this series.

This might be something you can almost pay attention to why you are cleaning. Background.

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Love this one!

Loved this one start to finish. And, I have watched it several more times since.

What did it for me, along with the great cast - was the writing. This could have gone very wrong if they handled the progression in any different way. The key to holding it all together is when Shin says out loud that he rejected Lee but, he was the one left all alone. If he wouldn't have said that, him pursuing Lee wouldn't have made any sense and would have required more backstory.

Loved the wrap up with Lee finishing what he started with the webtoon. Loved that they also, ended the series/show with a different ending as if life allowed you a second chance.

This should get a better audience beyond the BL crowd - it is that well done.

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One of the Best I've Seen...

Loved this series to the point I am watching it again - all the way through to catch more of the details. Well written. Well acted. Great cast. Found it disappointing that some viewers/reviewers are treating it as a Romeo and Juliet again type of thing. Who cares? If it is well done - enjoy it.

Loved the level of acting from the main two. You can see that they got along off screen as well - otherwise pulling off some of those very emotional moments would have been more difficult. And, as we all have seen - it is easy to over-act when it comes to emotionally charged scenes.

On those cliché notes from other reviewers - I disagree. The writers and director worked very hard to show you that there was something there between them that went back to when they were young children. For me - I can remember having the "more than friends" feeling for those around me back to an early age. Pran's longing for Pat went back years. Pat's connection only took more time because he hid behind a tough guy image.

Side characters are all believable. My only concern with GMMTV productions is when they feel they have to make everyone gay for the story to happen. All three children from the same family? Lazy writing? Loved that they showed that Pat's family still didn't get it. The "It's just a phase" reaction is telling. My guess is that until they get married - there will be a form of denial on both parent's parts. Pran's mother seems to just want to love her son - appreciated that.

Love the little details. My favorite scene is when Wai wants to meet/talk with Pa and while discussing this with Pran - we see Pa leaving school with Pat waiting. Understandable - Pat has the car and he is driving his sister home. While Wai is talking with Pran and getting up the courage to talk to Pa - you can hear and see in the background Pat and Pa having a brother sister conversation. When Pat explains that he got five mosquito bites while waiting for her and then shows her (while counting) - it made me laugh out loud.

I will save this in my library to watch again when I want to watch something and can't immediately decide. Just like Tale of 1000 Stars - love that one too!

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Don't think of this as a series...

I have read many of the reviews and found that because expectations were not met - this is a bad series or, has too many flaws.
If you haven't seen it yet - remove that thinking before you even watch this.

Think of it as a movie cut up into a mini series. What I have found and, thanks to Viki - many of these productions are movies that are cut up and presented as series. On some platforms you have the choice to watch the 10-12 episodes with recaps - five minute intro songs and 4 minutes of closing credits. Or, you can watch it as it was originally made - a three plus hour movie in one wonderful sitting (Semantic Error and Wish You are two good examples).

I watched The Director... in its multiple episode format and forgave them for all the wasted time. I learned to fast forward through the beginning and skip the credits. This is a movie and should eventually, be presented as one.

If you look at the story (and I have watched it whole three times), they covered all the bases. They showed you:

- Who - the principle characters back then and now. Back then and now - he only thought of himself and didn't think about or, care about the repercussions. It was only after ignoring the warnings and watching him die again that he let go of all the control and regardless of what would happen to him - begged that Dong Baek's life be saved. The universe gives them another chance - wonderful ending.

- What - while we would all like more detail, they covered everything. Back story, reasons why and good character development. All we needed to know about the Director Yu Dam is he is singularly focused and doesn't care who gets lost in the shuffle when he is going for what he wants. We see that he has used and tossed aside Dennis while waiting for Dong Baek.

- When - both past and present are covered enough for a K Drama movie. Just thank god it wasn't a Chinese 42 episode drama where they keep some of the main characters with mental issues so, they learn nothing for the first 24 episodes and only start to show growth after.

- Where and Why - Selfishness and single minded thinking drive the past and present. Everyone reacts to that. After he finally lets go of that need for control can we see finally working out.

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