Cooking Bust

This show started out cute, but it derailed so fast. They wasted so much time on absolute nothingness and pointless plots with poor resolutions. I am rating this as high as I am just because Off killed it. This was not an OffGun series, I really want Off paired with someone else at this point. Gun is a phenomenal actor, but this show made me see how limited he is. Gun just doesn't have the range to do romantic comedy, and that's okay. But that doesnt change that his performance was flat, and half of their kisses he seemed disgusted or like he didn't want to kiss Off. I'm not sure if this was the character or actor, but neither scenario makes sense.

The amount of back and forth and half baked resolutions crammed into the finale really sealed this show's fate for me. I can't say I would recommend this or watch it again sadly. This was a GMMTV miss for me, and an OffGun miss.

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Short and sweet!

I loved this show through and through. The tsundere character trope is my favorite. Toki is such a green flag. The show really used these two to highlight a healthy line of communication and trust rather than the theatrics of jealousy.

My only complaints are:
-Sahara's former love interest got too much screen time.
-In the novel they are 16 & 24 and it appears they aged Toki up to 17/18, but then in the last episode they did a flash back with a little kid and Sahara to give us the we've met before, fate kind of trope. That really threw off the age gap and made it make zero sense. How would Toki go from that to a high school senior in a few years? 💀
-The rain confession flashback was shown too much.

Overall, if you're looking for a cute and short JBL and you're not up in arms about an age gap, I highly recommend this one!

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Loved this show!

Everyone got the ending they deserved. I really enjoyed this series. It was fresh, funny, and kept me guessing. I wish we got more of Nawin because he was my favorite character despite only being in two episodes. He was hilarious and the only time an ex making a comeback was ACTUALLY entertaining. 😂

I loved the couples and I fell so hard for the side couple. 🥺 Thee is the most amazing person.

I also appreciate any BL that ends in a wedding! They really emphasized the importance of equal rights and the fight they continue to fight in Thailand. 💜

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Were you "Team Jacob"?

I wasn't, so it took be 5 episodes to come to terms with the premise alone, but I powered through in the name of torturing my group chat pals.

Once I was like, "Well I ignored Bella and Jacob, I can ignore this!" they threw in a hamster girl. I wish I was joking.

Silliness aside, I haven't read the full manga, but I did watch the anime mini series. The anime was adorable and I felt that it better explained Meow's back story than this show did. Once I got over the whole cat shifter romance aspect, I realized that wasn't what was primarily bothering me. What bothers me is Meow's extremely child-like mind, personality, and behavior. I think this show definitely confused cat-like and child-like which made this super weird at times.

Again, I didn't read the full manga so I'm not sure if he was also child-like in the og story. I am glad they aged him up in this adaptation though because he was 16 in the anime. He fit the cat stereotype in the anime and it's explained that he suffered an injury that made him unable to control his shifting between human and cat, so depending on his mood he would change (like when playing). It was funny and cute in the anime, but this live adaptation thought having an adult man play with cat toys in the floor was a better move. 😭

Overall I can't lie, I did enjoy watching this. I had a lot of critiques throughout, like that intro song is PUTRID, but I may actually rewatch this one day.

I didn't care for the side couples. But like the anime, this is more of a one sided, perhaps read between the lines BL, rather than an outright romance. I perceive this more of an open ending with future potential rather than everyone was "just friends". I believe the author is on hiatus and may not have finished this story (don't quote me, it was hard for me to track down what little bit of the manga I did read), so I think the ending aligns with the original source material.

I'd recommend it if you're looking for something super different, low angst, and dare I say... cute. 😂

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This show doesn't excuse stalking-

But it does aspire to redeem a stalker. I found this show fascinating and very enjoyable. As a dark romance book lover, I was fully prepared to overlook the stalking anyway (I'm not here to defend my book tastes so don't come for me 😂), however this show did not intend to let the viewer overlook this.

Nishina was very mentally unstable and unhealthy. He was suicidal and latched onto the person who saved him and this grew into obsession. His obsession lead to his delusion that what he was doing was just keeping her safe. We watch as he breaks down and comes to terms with his actions. Sakamoto sees that his intentions were well placed, but poorly executed. He stands firm that regardless of your intentions, how your actions affect someone else are what matters, therefore his actions were inexcusable. This hard truth really opens Nishina's eyes and crumbles the illusion before him. He realizes his actions are no different than Fujiko's workplace stalker and harasser.

The show doesn't excuse Nishina. He says, "but I didn't hurt her, I wasn't violent." because he only followed from a distance and took her picture. The message is non-negotiable that despite the intent, the trauma caused to Fujiko is the same. In his case, maybe worse because she truly fell for him. This is where he is redeemed. He truly did not realize his actions and takes the time to process and reflect. He realized the harm of listening to his inner voice rather than considering her feelings. He admitted he had been so in tune with his inner monolog, he was too far gone. He took his talk with Sakamoto to heart and began the process of actually changing.

The proof of his change is really highlighted by the scene where Fujiko says she loves him. He doesn't immediately abandon his dream and his journey for himself. He acknowledges that he does love her, but he has to change. These two demonstrate a healthy relationship foundation through supporting each other, even in times of distance.

Nishina definitely needed therapy. But I did appreciate this show demonstrating his commitment to becoming a better person. I think this was well done, well acted, and definitely worth the watch!

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This show is so perfect!

While I'm on the side of this not being a BL (because no romance happened, no one specified their sexuality in the first place) I think this was such a beautiful, heartbreaking, & heartwarming show with bits of humor throughout. The MC did love the angel, but it never came across more than platonic. It was almost like a protector or brotherly love, especially considering the MC is in his 30s and the angel was a school boy. But I digress. This show was the easiest 10 I've ever given.

Learning the angel's story, him finally being loved by someone, and our MC learning to overcome hardship and love himself. 10000/10.

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Worth seeing once ??‍♀️

This movie wasn't bad, but had it been 2 hours instead of 1, it could've been great.

Mermaid's Jade has good bones and good acting, but the short time slot leaves things not fully fleshed out. So, at what point does Yuanshan fall for Xia? There's no issues with his wife, no falling out. By all accounts, he seems to love her. Now don't get me wrong, I knew this was a BL, so I wasn't rooting for her anyway (she's gorgeous and a saint, so I didn't hate her either). Like I see the tension building and them making eyes at each other, etc. But that transition really needed more time to make sense. Also those two men had no guilt. 😂

Now the elephant in the room. Those wigs. You can't convince me they didn't bulk order those off Amazon. And the glue along everyone's hairline? 💀 The actor who played Xia clearly had issues with his since they did away with the top half and left some clip ins that were not even remotely close to the same color as his hair lmao. I did like the special effects and all Xia's mermaid powers. The supernatural elements were pretty cool in this story. However, the tears to pearls did not execute well on screen for me. It just looked so silly. 😭😂

I actually loved the ending. The ending was sweet and beautiful. I think this movie mostly fell victim to the shortness because I truthfully could've overlooked the silly things had they given me the long version instead of going "sooo long story short" because the love between Xia and Yuanshan could've been pretty epic!

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This has to be my favorite BL!

Its such a close, almost tie between My Beautiful Man & Minato's Laundromat because they're so close to my heart, but I think this one takes the #1 spot.

I binge watched this show. Then S2 came out and I binge watched S1 & S2. Now the movie is out and I'm binge watching all 3. This is such a comfort show for me. I have no idea what they laced this show with, but it's AMAZING!

They pack so much into 20 minutes I'm convinced the time stamp is lying to me. I've never experienced such a successful story telling. Bravo to everyone involved in this show. It's truly one of a kind!

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A happy ending would've gotten an 8/10

but here we are. I have a real talent for picking BL's, blindly, that has a main character die in the last episode!

The acting is good and the actors are handsome! The plot gets a 7.5 since the ending is sad. Like most K-BL's it suffers from one thing: too much plot and not enough screen time. I'm not sure where this issue originates, but it's so common I don't put all of the blame on the show if they do a good job with what they're given. By all accounts I think this show succeeded given the time allotment.

However, since this ending is sad I'm GLAD I didn't get more time to get attached to the characters since I hate a sad or unclear ending. 😭

I think it's worth watching once. Not the worst thing I've ever watched by far. It was something different and interesting!

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This literally had no point...

Romance? Where?
Coming of age? Where?

See the cast and acting wasn't bad. The issue is this had no direction or point whatsoever.

1. This is advertised as a BL. It is not. They try to rope you in with some "steamy" scenes, but thankfully this is not very steamy. Chimon, who I did not even recognize until looking this movie up on MDL, was 16 when this came out (younger if they filmed any year beforehand). The sexualizing they did was bad enough so thank goodness they didn't have him in actual NC scenes. Yuck.

2. The main character's sexuality was not determined or pursued. So how is this a coming of age? He watched a guy get a blowie and was like hmmm that's hot. But he rejected the guy interested in him. He ended up befriending another guy, Toy, and falling for him, who rejected him. Toy's sexuality is presumed straight, despite everyone insisting he was in the closet, there is not enough context to confirm this. The two guys the lead encounters were blips on the radar. His mom also rejected the possibility of him being gay too. So it immediately got swept under the rug all together. Like they really said nevermind this is actually about him going to college. 🤦🏼‍♀️

3. He tried to unalive himself and his friends just popped up out of nowhere. The ending was so rushed and stupid. Then it just focused on him getting into college through a couple time jumps and then he and Toy become friends again.

Literally what was the point of this movie? Speedos. Underdeveloped plot masquerading as a romance as an excuse to get a bunch of speedos on screen. So unless I saw a different version than everyone else, that was it.

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Spoil before you watch!

I had known about this show and it's ending for some time now and I had been putting it off because I don't like sad endings. I thought I was prepared for Eternal Yesterday and still cried like a baby, so I took lots of time and mental preparing for this show! 😂

In the end my mental preparing paid off and I was not emotionally damaged! Though it was still heartbreaking, I was able to objectively judge the show. I'll come back to the ending later.

Without the ending Hao Ting and Shigu's story would be a 9/10 for me. With the ending it's an 7/10.

Sun Bo and Xhi Gang get... a 0/10 I'm sorry lol. I did not care about these two. I thought they were so weird and Xhi Gang was so creepy to me. I don't even mind age gaps, but this one was a big yikes. Irl the actors also have a significant age gap, but them both being legal adults did only a little to ease me since Sun Bo was portraying a kid. I cannot imagine dating a HIGH SCHOOLER. 💀 I didn't want to date an 18 year old when I was 23 much less now lmao. He was always surrounded by younger men, especially high school boys, and so touchy feely with LITTLE GU. I get it that he saw him like a little brother, but this dude was so weird lmao. They didn't do a good job of convincing me he was "protective" instead of predatory. Especially since at one point he tells Sun Bo he's his little boy or something. 🤢 Sun Bo, I didn't like him at first. He definitely acted the part of a high schooler. Idk if he was 17 or 18 because age was rarely mentioned in this series, but I stand by this match being weird on both ends. He was so obsessive and creepy without realizing it I guess. Kissing someone 3x when they said no is assault. The adult in the situation didn't do anything to actually correct this situation. He still appeased him by getting out of the man's car when Sun Bo said he was FOLLOWING HIM, HELLO? I could be here all day telling you why this relationship is yuck. I skipped their scenes after they actually got together because it was a lost cause. However, Sun Bo did eventually grow on me in terms of his friendship with Hao Ting.

Back to the elephant in the room: The Ending

I can see why the audience was so distraught. Up until this point the show wasn't even a heavy one. It showcased struggles yes, but it wasn't "someone dies at the end" heavy. It was a little angst along side comedy. I mean come on... I always wondered who would buy those fish flipflops from Shein. 😂 Though at the end Hao Ting's parents were super annoying and not the best.
Ex:
-Not supportive even though they stopped resisting.
-Encouraging him to date a woman, instead of comforting him, despite him CLEARLY mourning and depressed!

They still offered some comedic relief in their arguments, cue the fish flipflops. So when the viewer abruptly finds out the MC died halfway through the last episode it would definitely be jarring to someone who went in to this show blindly. You also find out in the last quarter how he died and that this time jump was around 6 years?! For the emotional impact I don't think it was even well done, written, or planned with care. They didn't deliver the audience a bittersweet emotional moment, they did a time jump and swept the MAIN CHARACTER under the rug like he didn't matter. At least give us some of that heartbreak and do Shigu's character some justice. He was so warm, strong, kind, and I adore the actor's bright smile. Shigu deserved better and so did the audience.

Now I prefer he have not died at all and that sloppy alternate ending online is just hilarious to me. The alternate ending sucked too. Take out the accident and refilm a GOOD alternate ending. Though I'm glad there was enough outrage from the masses to show the writer she's an a*shole, I understand the goal between the death and the title, but you had so many options to go with this. The loss of Shigu's parents would fit this. His aunt basically abandoned him. If something must happen maybe an accident he survived or a short coma. Hao Ting cutting his parents off. Heck if someone needed to die, why not Xhi Gang? 😂💀(I'm actually fr on that one.) You could've made the "tomorrow isn't promised" point a plethora of ways that didn't flush a whole show down the toilet.

All in all I'm glad I watched this. I would suggest spoiling it for yourself and just prepare! I would rewatch it and probably just stop before the last episode. Despite hating Hao Ting at first, that big golden retriever grew on me and their love story sucked me in. I'll always have a spot in my heart for them, but especially Shigu. ♥️

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Mystery solved!

I know the reason why I was born with two arms-

It's so I can hold Dohyun in a choke hold in one arm and Dongwook in the other.

How to describe this show... think "the floor is lava", but instead of avoiding the floor it's avoid communicating with each other! These two would rather do ANYTHING other than talk about their feelings. Actually, even the side characters won't talk about their feelings.

I think the miscommunication trope remains the most frustrating because it is the most realistic, but I digress. Aside from that issue not much really happens in this show. There's no plot development or significant events happening.

Another issue I had was the flashbacks. This show could've really benefited from being told in chronological order, but if flashbacks are necessary THOSE could at least happen in order. We are constantly thrown back and forth and the flashbacks sometimes are earlier than the last one or later. Sometimes it would be the same flashback, but with a little more information. It's hard to tell what exactly happened and when. Some things in the flashbacks never even get addressed!

Things I liked:
-Real kisses
-Intriguing premise
-The first episode & the last episode (that's not me being cheeky, I genuinely found them cute and interesting, it's not their fault the filler eps were well... filler.)
-Good acting
-Beautiful and sweet couple (when they got there smh)

All in all, it's worth a watch. There's nothing to hate, it's just frustrating at times, to me, and overall average. But of you're looking for a bite-sized BL I'd check this one out.

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If 2 + 2 is 4...

and 5 + 5 is 10... then wtf is this?

I stg. I'm normally in the minority of badly rated shows, I end up loving them, but my time has come to join the hate parade.

This gets a 1 star only bc of Long and Frank. JUSTICE FOR THESE MEN BC WTF WAS THIS SERIES?

The biggest sin of this show was that horrendous dubbing. I don't mind dubbing. I've watched plenty of dubbed shows, but this was TRASHOLA. The hmm, uhhhh, and hehehe's were so funny and not in a good way. Jail for whoever was responsible for this decision and editing. Jail.

By episode 3 I watched this muted so I could judge the show itself objectively without the horrendous dubbing tempting me to drop this show.

Unfortunately for me, the show still sucked. When we got to the big plot twist I was DYING laughing because it was so STUPID.

Also, where exactly was the romance????

If the show hadn't been dubbed its maybe a 3/10. With the dubbing it's a 1/10. Give these actors something better.

I'm so glad there are people who liked this though. At least this show wasn't a total waste.

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