BL SERIES WORTH WATCHING FOR

STORY: The story is well-written, of course by none other than Juan Miguel Severo. The script is so brave. The emphasis of saying the word “gay” from the characters which they portrayed makes it so different from other BL stories. Other series only show that a man loves another man, but are not highlighting that they are gay, which Gaya Sa Pelikula wants to convey that being gay should be a normal thing in our society. I love the development of the story especially how the other characters support “Karl” to have the courage to enjoy himself out of his comfort zone expressing who he really is.

ACTING/CAST: The fact that the two lead actors (Ian and Paolo) are portrayed by the same surname (Pangilinan) makes the series more interesting. The two Pangilinans really fit for their respective roles. Ian Pangilinan as Vlad is as hot and charming to be the "manly gay" in the story. He executed perfectly his character as an ideal romantic partner we hope for. Paolo Pangilinan as Karl did a wonderful performance which really connects to the viewers especially to the real life “Karls” out there. The story wouldn’t be successful without the supports. Being an ally is a great help for the members of LGBTQIA Community. Anna, Ate Judith and Uncle Santi are the best allies. And I must not forget to praise how the character Anna is played with so much wisdom from her story and advice to Karl.

MUSIC: Soundtrack of the series are very on-point. Heaven! They really add the feels in every scenes especially the unforgettable moments.

REWATCH VALUE: Given that I watched this in 3 times in 3 consecutive days means the rewatch value is more than 10. And I'm on my fourth times watching this as of writing this review.

OVERALL: This BL series is a masterpiece. Yes, there are flaws in editing and other stuffs but they’re all ignorable. The acting is good considering that the lead actors are just amateurs in a full-length series. I agree that the series is on another level compared to other BL series. Casting an openly gay which is very rare in a BL series makes it more realistic. Admitting as “gay” and saying the word “gay” without euphemism are very well emphasized and another reason why this is different.

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A UNIQUE PLOT

First of all, I watch this because Park Seo Jun appeared in this drama.

It is a unique family drama because of its plot. At the start it seemed like it is a revenge or the other woman themed drama, but it's not. It is about the life of a single mother who is dying and planning for his only son's future family. Moreover, it's also about a son from a single parenthood searching for his other parent to complete his self. The plot is really an interesting to watch.

Han Seung Hee is such a brave woman being all alone most of her life. I admire herfor being a fighter.

Han Geu Roo is such a charming boy. I love his maturity and development as son to his mother.

Seo Ji Eun is a warm hearted woman. I learned not to hate her during her doomsdays instead I understood her.

Moon Tae Joo is very weak in terms of making decisions in life. Maybe he is unlucky in some things or it's because of her nosy mother.

Ku Ji Sub is a hero to the mother and son. I really wanted him to marry Seung Hee because he deserves to be a guardian for Geu Roo.

The moments I love in this drama and striked through my heart are:

1. When Geu Roo asked his mom to live with her after his father failed to show to him.
2. When Tae Joo had dinner with Geu Roo as Bo Na's father instead of being his own father.
2. When Gue Roo called Tae Joo "appa".
3. When Seung Hee asked Ji Sub to marry her.
4. When Geu Roo cried in Ji Sub's shoulder as they ride in motorcycle twice.
5. When Seung Hee told Geu Roo about her condition.

There are so many lessons in this drama.

1. Parent's divorce affects their children so much like Han Se.
2. What goes around comes around like what happened to Han Se's mother and Ji eun's sister in law.

To be honest, I was so annoyed to the gossiper's mother and Ji Eun's sister in law just because they are not threat to the main characters' lives. I just hate what they do. Poor ahjummas.

I felt so pissed off to Tae Joo's mother. All she thinks is herself. I can't bear to see her very sorry when she found out Seung Hee's illness.

I am convinced about the friendship of Seung Hee and Ji Eun. Their friendship might be short lived but it was sincere and true.

At first, I thought it will be a story of regrets like the son being so bad to his mother until her death but I was so glad it was not the story went. Their life being mother and son was full of love and care.

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MOST TRAGIC MELO-KDRAMA

I gave an overall rating of 10/10 for this series because of its different but realistic storyline and great acting performance from the leads which are perfectly casted. This is one of the first Kdramas I watched when I was a kid (12 y/o) which is broadcasted here in the Philippines as Memories in Bali. I may not remember the scenes but the story and characters were still in my memory.

During this Covid 19 pandemic lockdown, I decided to rewatch some of the old KDramas incuding this classic masterpiece. This time, it brings so much pain and attachment especially to Jung Jae min which was played by Jo In Sung. I admired this drama before because of its plot but now I love this even more because of Jo In Sung. For the first time in my watching experience, I have never been this attached and almost cried while seeing the lead actor suffers and cries from his circumstances.

The OST is just so perfect. It blends well with the scenes especially with the heavy ones.

The acting was great from the leads to the supporting. Jo In Sung and Ha Ji Won deserves to win awards from the prestigious Baeksang Awards.

20 episodes doesn't feel like it is a long watch. I believe there was no boring scenes. Although this is a heavy drama, there are some funny moments especially when Jung Jae Min shows his clumsiness and somehow innocence about shallow happiness in life. I would watch this again maybe after a very long time so I can preserve this overwhelming feeling after I watch this.

And lastly, I must agree to one of the comments and reviews that this is the saddest KDrama because the leads were never genuinely happy. As an audience, I want them to be happy. The ending may be tragic and sad but it is realistic.

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EVERYTHING IS EXECUTED PERFECTLY

The show is entirely about parenthood and Korean education system. It has a great cast and all of them performed excellently. There were so many characters but all of them are remarkable. Even the kids and teens delivered their performances very well. The show has a deep storyline (which is about parenthood) but it managed to balance the watching experience by comedy scenes.

What I saw in the show is that Coach Kim is a representation of a living demon. The main character Seo Jin always ended up asking for help from a demon, which is Coach Kim. There was always temptation from Coash Kim and Seo Jin seemed like sold her family to the devil. The show emphasized to let go all the greed, ambition and wrongdoings to make things right. And I'm glad that Seo Jin chose the goodness in the end.

Here are my views on the families in SKY CASTLE:

Hwang Family- The model family. The parents are well mannered and managed to raised their son without any pressure. I understand in the end when U-Ju decided to drop out in school. For me, he knows what he wants and he wants to live his life to the fullest and his parents support him 100%.

Kang Family- The ambitious family. I really hate Seo Jin for being a manipulative mother, wife and neighborhood, so as Ye Seo for being so rude and having no respect to elders. Honestly, I wanted them to have the same fate as what happened to Young-Jae's family because of their attitude. However, for the sake of character development that will give lesson to viewers, their ending is so much okay. Jang-suk is so handsome! LOL

Cha Family- The comic family. They have the most hilarious scenes from the disbandment of Reading Club, to the noodle scene and many more. I love the bond between the mother and her children. Even though she had so much pressure in her studies when she was just a student, she chose to protect her children from her husband from being so obsessed in harsh teaching methods.

Woo Family-The happy family. Even though the parents have high ambition for their son, they still manage to be loving parents to him. I admire how the mother hugged her son in the bed.

This dark comedy series has a good run. I'm so amused of the rivalry of the two doctors, Professor and Doctor Kang, the fight of the families, etc. I thought the story was stupid during watching the first episode because of the parents' ambition for their children and I was feeling like I didn't like it. But I was wrong, it has a relevant goal and the show is executed perfectly and successfully. I firmly believe that Sky Castle Story can happen in real life. Most of the scenes were written in a realistic way, some of those was when Hyena didn't have the chance to confess to her Dad that she is his daughter.

PS: I watched this because of Kim Dong Hee (one of the twins) and ended up liking al the characters.

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