Like how Korean BL's are trying to break out of the mold and are also trying different things

just like Thai BL's recently. Though I'm not much of a reincarnation story fan, esp when there's a gender swap but, I pretty much enjoyed this. I thought that the writers used this trope well esp how they handled JCY present life and past ones. The acting was pretty good imo especially Jin Gun he knew how to go for the emotional gauntlet. The chemistry was pretty good I thought. Some thought the ending was weak but I liked it enough. I think it fit the story at least the misunderstanding was cleared up and they were happy. I liked the cinematography too. Overall I give this series 8.5. It was an easy, nice, sweet watch with emotional moments when it needed to have them. Maybe not the best Korean BL out there but definitely a step in the right direction. I'll definitely give this a rewatch in the future when I'm in the mood.

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Nice delve into the supernatural

gonna say the ending wasn't what I was expecting to be honest, but I guess it was expected & realistic. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this series more than I thought. It was cute and a bit fluffy with some angst thrown in.
The acting was pretty good here. Both the leads were good and had a good chemistry with each other. I think the acting and the music was the best & my favorite part. The Supernatural parts of the story were a nice change from the ordinary. Plus, I kinda always wanted to watch a vampire bl and Kissable Lips gave me that. It would have worked better as a movie than a movie broken into several parts but it was enjoyable still.
Episode 8 gave me feels, I teared up at the end. When a series does that to me, then it's done its job. Hopefully Korean BL's will change the plots more in the future like they did with this series. Thailand has done that, it's Korea's turn now. Would I watch this again? Probably but not soon enough. Need more time to digest the ending.
Overall, I'll give this series an 8.5. Sure, the plot lacked in some areas but for the most the story flowed well. The acting gets the highest score from me 9.0. I would recommend the series to anyone who wants a supernatural bl. It's got good scenes and themes.

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Not without Flaws but I loved it more than Part 1: Epic and Legendary

I may be in the minority, but I got to say that I loved Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow more than I did part one. Yes, maybe the writing wasn't as good as part one as it lacked some of the action and mystery that part one provided us with and concentrated on Uk and Naksu's love story more but since I'm a sucker for romance I was very satisfied with how the story was told. Sure, I had some frustrations as some of the audience at times but hey I'm a sucker for angst and tension between the couple and I feel like the writing here gave me what I needed & wanted. Not to mention the amazing, amazing chemistry between Lee Jae-Wook and Go Yo-Joung. Their intensity is what kept me coming back episode after episode. I also feel like the buildup to when the action finally hits was executed well. I also feel like the writers closed off all the loose ends of season 1 satisfactory. I guess they left it open enough for more but as much as I'd like a S3 I feel like the story is pretty much over and I'm happy with how it ended. My babies got the end that they deserved and for that I'm very thankful considering how part 1 ended haha. Actually, all the characters got the ending that they deserved. Two gripes tho: I feel like the villain deserved a more awful end than he got and Naksu deserved more action in the end than what she got but oh well.

Now let's talk about the acting:
Go-YoJoung- I loved her! I'd say for this being her first lead role she handled it extremely well. I loved how she played Naksu's spunkiness, independence and comedic timing so well. Her portrayal of Naksu's innocent was very well done too. Also her switch to darkness when she remembers who she is? CLAP. This young woman is gonna go far! She's truly talented. I also adored her chemistry with Lee Jae Wook. As mentioned, they really made me feel the love of their characters.

Lee Jae Wook- This young man is exceptional. He really was the standout in this series for me. The way he changes his portrayal of light Jang Uk to dark and broody Jang Uk was amazing. He really made me feel like he was two different characters and not surprising with all Uk had to go thru since the past 3 years. Losing his life and the love of his life is not an easy task. LJW did an incredible job at showing all of Uk's emotions: sadness, confusion, coldness, love and rage. If he won an award for this role he certainly deserved, it. I hope what he did in AoS gets him more leading roles because he deserves them.

As for the rest of the cast they were all good. Made me love all the characters and hate the ones I needed to.

The OST is beautiful, I'm in love with "I'm Sorry" from Ailee, in fact I already listened to it more times than I should lol.

Overall 10/10. And I will be watching this over and over again especially since I don't know what to do with my life now that I finished it. Rewatch coming soon. I highly recommend this series for anyone who loves fantasy, romance, action and mystery. This is definitely one of the best Kdrama's i've watch and is going in my top favorites.

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Soapy goodness at it's finest. Popcorn drama thru and thru

I enjoyed this for what it was cheesy and campy goodness. You don't need logic to watch this one; just sit back and enjoy.I'll say that there is not much of a plot but for a 30 episode imini drama about revenge it worked. Yes it's overly dramatic at points but it entertains. I felt like I was watching a soap and I liked it. Even with how cheesy it got in certain moments I'll say the villains ending was one of the best I've seen when it comes to C-drama villain's end. No easy forgiveness or redemption here and for that I'll give it a higher score. Also because I did enjoy the campiness. I mean the writing does what it was meant to do. Make people laugh at the silliness but keep watching.
There's very little romance as the story concentrates on the revenge plot but for the little of the romance I liked it. I gotta say I did like the overall onscreen chemistry between Qu Meng Ru and Dai Ghao Zheng. Best part for me
I'll say the acting is mediocre at best but for this type of drama it works. I did like the characters and found the motivations of the FL and ML understandable. It could have been much better yes but on sole entertainment value I give it a 7.5/10 because it did keep me entertained while I watched. It did make me cheer when the villain was defeated. One more thingg before I finish: at least in this one every one got what was coming to them if they were evil. And the ones that weren't got the ending they deserved. I say give it a try if you are in the mood to watch something similar to soap opera's. It's fun and even the OST makes you feel the essence of what Bride's Revenge is meant to be.

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Very good series that dealt with adult characters and issues. Now a days it’s hard to find a bl with older characters so I’m glad this one was made. I also like how the problems the characters dealt with like poverty, painful past, self identity, letting go of a loving relationship that is now dead is hard, moving on, etc it felt realistic and made the characters more relatable. Jim can be a hard one to understand but Earth is good in this role and Jim’s character has great character development by the end of the series. I think Wen is the best character Mix has played up to now. He’s so complicated but underneath it all has a good heart and learns his lesson of letting the past go to. Heart and Li Ming provide the sweet first love story and prove how awesomeFourth and Gemini are as actors. They básically steal the shoe a few times. I also loved the Earth and Fourth scenes they had great chemistry. Fourth once again proving how good he is when he went toe to toe with Earth in emotional charged scenes. Khao and First are awesome in the little screen time they get and P’Aof never misses a beat with his story telling, never disappoints. He sure knows what he does.
Overall 9.5 and highly recommended

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Not usually a fan of these type of dramas but this one

captivated me from the start. The plot was very well woven throughout the 29 episodes, never did it drag or fill out of place. It seemed like a very simple friendship. detective story in the beginning. But, it is so much more than that. It weaves together the genres of mystery, suspense, action and historical( with a side of magic) to form a very intricate that comes together very nicely at the end. This kind of writing manages to keep the audience glued to their screen. And when the characters are likable like Zhang Ping and Lan Jue even with their flaws that makes it even better. I liked the enemies to friends trope here, loved how Zhang and Lan were for the most part ride or die for each other although with some hardships thrown at their friendship from time to time. Whats a friendship without angst right? I'm glad that the problems between Zhang Ping and Lan Jue weren't dragged on and only made their friendship stronger.
The friendships were the best part of course because this drama at the heart is a friendship one. The writers also did a good job at showing the audience why they should root for the relationships.
The cast did a great job with their roles. I really liked them here. As for the OST the very last song played in ep 29 gave me the feels. I'm also glad the villains got what was coming to them, even if I couldn't help and feel sorry for one. That's the due to the good writing. I'm gonna miss this one.
I give this a 9.0 only because the detective genre is not my forte but after A League of Nobleman I will give this genre more of a channce. Highly recommended if anyone loves Detective stories :ALoN should not be passed on.

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Cute and realistic story about a 10 year romance waiting in the wings.

I liked how this series wasn't unapologetic when dealing with the age gap between MInato and Shin. I also felt like the writers dealt with Akira's feelings realistically when it came to Shin. Also the fear of being way older than Shin not being good enough for him and dealing with society hit me hard. I understood where Minato was coming from. Sure the story dragged in those moments and felt like it hit a snag. But, at the same time those were the moments where the actors really shone and their chemistry did too. I feel like their chemistry really saved the series when it got reduntant. Could it have been written better? Yes! But like I said Minato's struggle felt real to me and I like that the writers kept it real.
I also really enjoyed Shin's character. He never once gave up no matter how many times life threw him down when it came to Minato. He fought til the end and got what he wanted.
Minato's character was also realistic in how he dealt with his insecurities, those are not a quick fix so I like how he took his time to learn how to heal himself from past pain & indecisiveness/cowardliness.
All in all I liked MSCL because even when it was angsty, it mostly delivered in the cuteness. The characters were well rounded and the actors were good with their work here.
Overall I give it an 8.0. Not too deep of a series as others but it does make you think and handles some situations well. In the end this series is a good time that leaves the audience satisfied and happy with the conclusion.

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Simple. loses it way in the middle but finds it's way in the end.

Typical BL yes. Mediocre? probably especially when the writing was stale in the middle(eps 5-7) with all the miscommuication & misunderstandings but still pretty enjoyable imo. Honestly? I've seen way worse ones recently: Enchante, Rainbow Prince and Cutie Pie were horrible imo. Is this one of the best? No. But I still enjoyed it more than those 3. At least Star in My Mind had likable characters. And one thing I felt charming about this series is that it starts out fresh even if we've seen this story billions of times before it felt like something new. Both Dao and Kluen start this series with a lot of charm even if they are cookie cutters of other characters seen before. I was instantly drawn to them.

Dunk is a newbie but for the most part he pulls off what is needed of him. Yes there's still room for improvement but I see lots of potential especially since I felt he did good for his first majjor role. He could emote which is always a plus in my book. Joong hmm he wasn't horrible or anything and I do feel like he can act it's just that in some scenes he was wooden and that didn't do his character, Kluen, much favors when it should have. But for the most part he held his own and had great chemistry with Dunk. And the chemistry is what guided the series sometimes.

As for the story it could be considered mediocre in the middle but I thought that the beginning and end were pretty good. I especially liked how once the misunderstandings and miscommunication between Dao and Kluen was handled there was no more unnecessary drama thrown at them. They were allowed to be happy and cute the last two episodes which is way more than some BL couples get.

All in all I give this a 9.0 overall despite all it's flaws it's one of my favorites this year. Sky in Your Heart is next hopefully that one doesn't have the mistakes it's predecessor did.

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A true masterpiece. I really don't know what I'm going to do with my life after this is over.

Not Me is one of the best BL's I've ever seen if not the best. It's definitely earned the number one for me. I loved it from beginning to the end. I'm not one for political action thrilers but Not Me's story captured me. I was drawn in by the fight for social justice done by college students. I could relate so much even if I don't have that fight. Their struggle made me think deeply every week and made me learn more about Thailand's society. It taught me more about what's going on in the world which is always important.
The cast was amazing from Gun to Off(who improved so much and was excellent as Sean. And Gun cemented himself as Thailand's best with his brilliant portrayal as Black and White.) to unknowns to me like Gavin and First. They were all so good and made me love them as actors. I had always been and OffGun fan which was the biggest reason I watched but after Not Me I'm obsessed with them. Off and Gun's acting was in another lever and their chemistry??? wowza it's even better than before. I just love them that is all.
I think the character development was the best in the story all characters changed and grew thru the course of the series . I also loved how none of them were perfect they were all human & relatable characters No BL stereotypes here which is a big place. P'Nuchy + the cast and crew created a jewel with this series and I think it's gonna take forever to be topped. At least for me it is.
If you haven't watched this series please do, you won't regret it. 10 overall but if I could give it more I would. Now I know this show is gonna leave a huge hole in my life. Well time to rewatch from the beginning again.

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Don't Waste your time!

This series was a huge disappointment. I remember how excited I was when I saw the trailer. It actually looked pretty decent, even the acting did. I've never watched anything by Oxin before, so I had no idea to what an awful train wreck I was in for. YIKES! The acting was horrible from beginning to end. Which was shocking because it looked ok from the trailer. The only decent actor was Eurwin and even he for the most part was awful. The rest of the cast either looked like they were trying hard to hold in their laughter thru out or were just reading the script lines like robots without emotion. Then the director or editor left in the dumbest of bloopers like the Grinder one. The cast tried their best, but it was embarrassingly bad.

Adrian is good looking but never cast him again. He made this show unwatchable for me. Not only that but the story is all over the place. One minute it's up then it's down. Like the story tellers had no idea where to go. I only finished it because when I start something it's really hard for me to drop unless I really hate it. For some reason I didn't hate this enough and decided to finish.

I'll give Rainbow Prince this: it had some decent songs, and the last 4 episodes were a bit better written. IMO the only salvageable part of this whole series was Ken and Malik. They're the only reason I give RP a 3.5. If it would have been centerd on them maybe I would have enjoyed it more. I'm glad this is over. Never again will I be rewatching this mess or listening to the soundtrack.

Don't waste your time on this unless you want to watch it as a parody. It had potential for so much more especially since it was the first Fairytale/Musical BL. But, it failed in every way possible. Run far, far away. If you want better Phillipino BL series watch: Game Boys, The Boy Foretold By The Stars/Love Beneath the Stars series or Gaya sa Pelikula. Skip this abomination all together.

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My Guilty Pleasure

Cutie Pie started out so good but somewhere along the line it lost its way. The story was never that entertaining in the first place tho a story about two men being engaged caught my interest. In that aspect it was interesting but only til episode 2. After that the story became about: lies, lies, lies, secrets, more lies and misunderstandings between the main couple. That became really frustrating. Not to mention the worst was a 20yr old acting like a 2yr old toddler for most of the series. Where was his development? I guess he got some in the finale. Was it enough? No butI digress. If it wasn't for NuNew's talent I'd probably would have hated Kuea. Truth be told it was NuNew, Zee, Nat and Max who saved this series for me with their acting. That's why I gave it a 10.

Despite my above rant, I did enjoy it and stuck with it til the end. That was mostly because of the fan service XD. Both Zee/NuNew and Max/Nat had incredible chemistry which made this series watchable aside from their sketchy characters it was fun watching them make out even if the sex scenes didn't make sense at times. That's why I call it my guilty pleasure I was literally just watching for that in the end. The story lost its way long before halfway.

I did like the finale tho and the message that the writers, producer and director along with the cast were trying to send which was equality, marriage and lgbtq+ rights. Not many series go for social commentary and CP + Not Me before it, did. That's why I gave it an 8.0 overall because of the cast, the message they were trying to deliver and the beginning. If the story wouldn't have lost it's way, my rating would have been higher.

Would I rewatch? Probably but after awhile. But, mostly for the fanservice and music.

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Looking at the rating, I'm one of the few that enjoyed this drama.

I liked it from the very beginning although I admit there was some parts of the drama that dragged, particularly towards the end, it kept me engaged. I like the concepts of soulmates and this story had it. I was rooting for them to be together after all they had suffered in their past life. Yes the ending is not satisfactory at all but in this case the journey matters more than the ending: good or bad. Honestly tho the drama could have done without all the filler but hey what can we do? I liked the acting from both the ML and FL. FL gets a lot of flak but honestly, I've seen much worse than her. For me she did a good enough job.
And I did think she had good enough chemistry with the ML. The comedy was spot on and tbh that's what I enjoyed the most about Kokdu next to the ML's acting he did a good job basically playing three characters. Yes this could have been so much better but I liked it and it is one of my faves of 2023 so far. In that case I give it an 8.0 out of 10.

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Started interesting but then

it fell off. After the FL is attacked in episode 5 everything started going wrong. I was excited for this because at the time I was also watching Kokdu and I kinda wanted something similar to watched at the time. Although funny and the cast doing the best. The story was meh. I was so bored after episode 7 where nothing happens. I started not to care about the characters and it was a drag to finish to be honest, esp when I was watching way better things.
I guess the friendships and the cast is what sorta made this watchable in the end. There's very little romance aside from moments here and there. If you want to watch a comedy with a good ML then I suggest weatching this. Other than that I can't recommend it much more than that.
over all 6.0

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Such a rare, underrated gem.

I usually skip series like this because I prefer the more angsty, gritty and plot driven stories to the sweet, run of the mill High School series but right from the get-go I knew this was gonna be different. Sure, it's the typical HS Bl series but what makes this so special is how healthy, natural, supportive and romantic the relationship between Gun and Tinn is. So, I'm glad I geve this a chance. It's rare to see a relationship between two teens or rather any couple at all in BL be this communicative and supportive of one another. Tinn and Gun spend the whole series communicating, supporting and trusting each other. With that their relationship grew stronger at every turn. Every misunderstanding they had it was solved rather quickly, and I loved that.
The bonds of friendship were also strong in this one. I love how much Chinzilla loved each other, more than friends and a band they were brothers. Always there for one another and helping each other thru. Another example of healthy relationships expressed in this series. And who doesn't want a friend like Tiwson? He would do anything for Tinn, and he did. Best friend ever for real.
Sound and Win stole my heart. Second couple that came at the right time, didn't take much spotlight from the main couple & made perfect sense. They had great chemistry and who doesn't love the enemies to lover's trope? Perfect.
I loved the relationship the boys had with their mothers. Different but pretty much similar: loving, trusting and healthy. Gun could talk to his mother about anything and while Tinn's relationship with his mother was more reserved she was a great mother as well. The writers did well in showing the contrast between the relationships and how they shaped the boys lives.
The acting was also so good. Fourth showed how talented he was, this kid can do anything. I see inklings of all the great actors of GMMTV. This kid is gonna go far and I'm gonna be right there watching his journey. Gemini surprised me as well with how good he is. He can emote like the best of them. The chemistry between them was also one of the best I've seen too. Not a surprise if we see much more of them in the future.
Another reason I loved this series so much was that it took me back to my High School days and made me relieve my experiences there at times. It felt real to being a teenager: the atmosphere, the friendships, the feeling of falling in love for the first time. Just very well written.
And let's not forget the music. This OST has got to be one of my favorites. All the songs were exceptional. The cast being multi talented makes MSP even better.
Overall I'm so glad I watched it but now my only regret is that it's over. I give this a 10 and would give it more if I could. Highly recommended series and I wish it would have gotten more of the hype it deserved. Word of advice: watch! you won't regret it.

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Love is messy

and sometimes it isn't enough. I appreciate what the writers were trying to tell with Hara and Eun Beom's story, but they missed the mark. Especially with how highly unlikable the main characters were even the secondary couple were annoying. It was hard rooting for any of the 4 characters. I found the two females even worse than the males. That's saying a lot with how unlikable EB was. Hara needed to grow up a lot so did BW, for being celebrated lawyers both were equally awful. I think that was one of the biggest mishaps in this drama aside from the plot holes. I get the trend of making realistic dramas with flawed characters, now a days, but with how awful the world is many of the times the audience doesn't want to watch these kinds of dramas. No matter how important or intriguing they may be. I did however, like how the divorce cases Hara and Eun Beom handled paralleled their relationship. Sometimes it propelled them forward and had them learn lessons right before they reverted to being unbearable once again. Eun Beum especially felt like he was going around in circles until the very end where it seems he finally learned that he needed help and to grow as a person.
I get that the writers wanted HR and EB to be human instead of cardboard cutouts of other dramas but still you got to move your characters forward or it becomes tiring for the viewer. Aside from this I did like how Eun Beom's trauma felt real, this happens in families when a tragedy happens, and I feel it's something that isn't shown or talked about a lot in society. People shut down and push everyone else away. Their defense mechanism is to run away which is what EB did. As for Oh Hara for her being a lawyer she had to be one of the nastiest, more immature fl I have seen lately. She never cared about what anyone else wanted but herself. I'll give her this tho: she finally matures in the last two episodes. For that, I was happy. And let's not talk about how nasty her best friend was, I don't even want to talk about what a waste of space this character was.
Anyways enough ranting about the characters. Now onto the plot I feel like this drama would have been better if it would have avoided the misunderstanding trope at every turn. Also, the plot moved forward only to backtrack from episode to episode. I think the writers lost the plot around ep 6. The story seemed to drag its feet from then on.
Although one tiny highlight was how the series showed that sometimes love isn't enough. No matter how much two people love each other if there's no communication or trust then it's not gonna work no matter how many times people try. If the couple is vastly different and want different things in life well then, that spells doom, sometimes it's better to let go than to hold on. And that was the root of HR and EB's story and I guess the lesson the writers wanted to leave the audience with.
The open ending fit the characters the best,honestly after eveything I can't see a happy ending for them. Maybe in the future but now? NOPE. So, I'm glad the writers went with the realistic ending and wrapped up the story fairly. For those who wanted them together, the hope is there.
Overall, I give this a 6.5and that's mostly for the acting and the OST not the writing.

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