Reviews

A story line that keeps you at your toes at the end of almost every episode, this is an action packed thriller that I cannot believed I missed during its airing. I admit I first started watching this drama for Park Hae Jin but I left this drama having a greater appreciation for not just him but the entire main cast and their amazing chemistry. This is a drama where all the cast members shine ---- each have a meaty backstory that reminds you these characters are not actors playing stereotypical roles but three dimensional people each with their own agenda however flawed it may be. Like the title suggests, this is a story about "bad" guys, people who walk a tight line between law and crime. I like how the story explores the boundary between what is right and wrong through its characters and questions whether they are truly "bad" as society condemns them to be.

Acting here is phenomenal especially Kim Sang Joong who plays Oh Goo Tak, a morally ambiguous cop who would do just about anything to avenge his daughter.

Even though it has only 11 episodes (shorter than most korean dramas I've watched), the director really manages to make every scene count. The drama is not perfect but it is one of the better dramas I've seen in a very long time. Definitely give it a go if you like thriller crime stories with an amazing cast and killer bromance.

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Action and reaction

Although this is a short movie, it transports the emotions of the characters pretty good.

I guess, this is all about "If you don't appreciate what you have in a partner, do not be surprised if everything goes to waste". And "Every action causes a reaction, so be carefull about what you do."
Therefor, the person I most feel sorry for is Kazu. He is the one who is devoted to the relationship and does everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) for Shin - but is still wronged in the end.

The acting is on point, the cinematography well done (I rewatched it just because I did not get of the deeper meaning of some of the scenes at first) . For me this is not a feel good movie, but a realistic one (sadly).

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If you're here, obviously you must have watched season 1.

Season 2 is all about how the cult gets started, quite different from season1 where the cult was already established.
The plot is so refined and realistic that it climbs up on you slow and steady.

Phenomenal acting by everyone.
Stunning direction.
Although the dialogues weren't as strong as season 1.
It still does the job.
The primary reason is that the characters didn't have the same depth as they had in season 1 , it was more horrifying mentally .
Same with the dialogues. I'm not complaining but actually pointing out the difference b/w the seasons .That's about it pretty much .

Season 1 was epic, season 2 is in the same line but a bit behind. :)

PS: This dram is not for those, you don't have patience and want fake thrill. The thrill comes eventually, as the plot continues to build momentarily.

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Season 1 was better!!!!

So, This happened. I really waited impatiently for this Season 2 because I was so in love with the first Season. I honestly didn't feel like Season 2 was necessary but I would get a chance to see my favorite couples on screen again.
The beginning episodes of this season were somewhat interesting. From Zhou Shi loosing her ability to draw, Ning Fei loosing his memory, Wei Qing going blind, blah, blah,blah. It was all an interesting story that I was willing to give a chance but then all of a sudden the interesting parts faded and filler episodes were just the order of the day. It got annoying at some point and I really wanted to drop it. They tried making it interesting again in the final episodes but it didn't work. It had already gone downhill.

Season 2 wasn't necessary. It wasn't!! Season 1 ended perfectly well.
Season 1, Wei Qing was annoying but I totally understood his situation. He was had lost trust in people which made him allergic and he just had a lot of issues and the death of his dad really took a toll on him but despite his rudeness the story was still interesting to watch.
But then Second season and it's as if he never even had allergies and now he has a whole new illness. Like give the man a break.
This is strictly my opinion on this second season.
Have a great watch!!!

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Cute Main Couple

Decided to rate at 9 (I think I'm a generous rater hehe) anyways a 9 for me cause I enjoyed watching Lu Jing and Liang Chen. I liked how their relationship started, developed and how they finally were a couple. This would be the type of romance that you'd say only happen in dramas. Well, I don't care that's why I'm watching dramas :-) But despite that Lu Jing being a university student and younger than Liang Chen who also happens to be a famous singer, their relationship did not have any insecurities. They were on equal ground, equally in love with each other, equally shows affections when they feel it. Both have their own strength that complements the other. Anyways you can see I like them :-)

Soooo other than the above, I somehow felt disconnected to the story. I couldn't get why Shan Shan's character was so dramatic right up to almost the very end of the drama. Sun Bin Yu - was he supposed to be a comedic character? Hmm I get that he likes Shan Shan but their drama was almost annoying to me - this would be times when I check my phone when they are on screen. But I'll give him credit cause it was him who not intentionally brought Lu Jing and Liang Chen together.

And then there's Jia Yun who I felt was moving in slo mo everytime. I know his character was supposed to be this kind and caring best friend who is secretly in love with the female lead instead he just came out creepy and sneaky, at least he wasn't a bad guy and accepted defeat gracefully but even after then he continued to be in slo mo mode - was it because he was supposed to the calm and composed type?

Well the parents and grandparents were pretty cool at least and I liked that we don't have a manager who demanded the artist to break up with the guy. Oh and I think Lin Yi has become more manly and handsome :-)

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The plot is the best asset of this movie. It clearly reminded me of the notable Fukushima disaster therefore it highlight the tremendous stake of building a nuclear central. In this regard, it is worth to watch "Pandora" for this sole reason.
This movie makes you question your own value: Do you prioritize money money money or health/humanity and common sense? In short, the plot was meaningful and brilliant.

The first part of the movie was excellent, not too slow not too fast paced. There were action, suspense, thriller, romance/drama, comedy, political stuff.
However, the last 30 minutes were way too slow, way too tragedic/melodramatic. I could not hold myself from skipping. Sure it can makes you cry a lot, but that was really too much. I would have shortened a solid 15 minutes who were unecessary because we get the message really well without all those extra dramatic scenes... But aside of that, everything was very well done and the message of the movie is well perceived and portrayed.

The actors and actresses did an excellent job!

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Great one, really.

This show exceeding my expectation. After watching The 8th sense and blueming my standard on k-bl is totally high. I watch a lot k-bl just to wasting time but nothing really got me hooked after blueming and the 8th sense. i don't expect anything when i watch this bcs not many ppl talk about this drama on twitter.

Also knowing it's not an adaptation making me more skeptical about the storyline. But when i watched, it changed my mind. The characters are such a fresh air. Hantae reminds me of Yechan from Love Tractor! I really love that kind of golden retriever character! And Baram isn't the type who's afraid to facing the problem, he might choose to hide from it first but when it's time to face it, he face it.

And the trope??? I always think about how we don't really get any friends to lovers on k-bl, and then boom this drama appears.

I love how they started it from they being strangers, to friends then end up being lovers. The development and everything is perfectly pictured. The pace is perfect, it's not too fast and not too slow either. I, myself shocked how they got enough duration, like they showed us a full episode where they officially being boyfriends, not many k-bl did that, the others usually ends when they confessing/kiss.

Don't be afraid of the guitars!! They can sing?

And about the conflict, i thought it'll be about the stolen song only and the storyline will be about how they take the song back. But they also show us about hantae struggling dealing with his feeling. Even tho the stolen song conflict ended quite abruptly for me, we don't know what happen to the teacher after, it's just like everything suddenly stopped and none talks about it anymore (well i guess it's an accurate representation of society/people on the internet??)

OKAY TO THE MAIN HIGHLIGHT OF THIS SERIES : The Chemistry!!!

They're so so so so so so so comfortable with each other. Omg both actors did great really. They're not awkward with each other's touch likeeee it's so pleasing to watch?

And special shout out to the actor who plays Hantae, his acting is bomb, he's very natural. The way he jumps here and there, his sleeping pose, etcetc it's so natural, he's fun to watch!

I swear K-BL shouldn't be released at one go! 2 episodes/week is the best option for k-bl with only 8 episodes. It'll make a bigger sound. It's like blueming all over again. A good show but not many people knows/talks about it bcs of the lack of promotion.

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Happy Ending & For those who want only sweet romantic parts and only sweet romance

My true rating: 7.15/10
*The review may contain details that you would not understand if you did not watch the drama since it's vague, but not spoiler-worthy.
This drama was actually pretty good for one of these typical lower budget rom-com "period" dramas, and I think the main leads dubbed their own parts, which is always great.
Fantasy elements are always a plus for me, and this synopsis was semi-new compared to the other gods/celestial being or material arts type of drama when it includes fantasy or "power" aspects.
I feel like this drama could have had the potential to become an 8 or higher if they filled in more gaps instead of having the viewers make assumptions by increasing the budget and making this 32 episodes or even just making the first few episodes (which were only around 20 minutes each) longer.

Story/Plot:
The romance aspect was decent, but the non-romantic parts were skimmed over too often. For instance, there was the "crime"/"murder"/"detective" bit in the drama, which was not really focused on much and I think it would've added more to the story if some parts were actually explained, but maybe it's just me that enjoys the crime-murder-mystery genre and wanted more of it.
I also would have liked some logical reason or explanation to better understand the side characters. Some questions that were left to be guessed or assumed: why did the brother become so greedy, why is the emperor so lonely, what did Su Wu Quan (Su Yin Yin's father) write during the exam that made him better (since this was a major catalyst for the events that followed), etc.

Characters/Acting:
The acting for each individual character was great, but the chemistry was just okay.
To elaborate:
The female lead: got annoying quickly since she was the typical stubborn girl in these types of dramas, was not anything extremely special, but I was able to put up with her since the drama was focused on the romance more than other parts. If they focused on the other stuff, then I would most likely drop the rating for this drama.
The male lead: poor dude :'( if you watch it you would know why but I liked the fact that he was able to become a scholar in the imperial court by assisting the emperors and crown princes of the family, but I would have liked more explanation on how it happened
ML+FL: Separately the characters were believable, however, the chemistry together was passable, but not amazing.

Notable supporting characters:
Tang Lin Lin: Her character was the only one that had some explanation for why they did seemingly odd things at first and could have been developed into a more complex character and focused on "worldly" (as in pertaining to the world without taking time periods into account) issues (sexism) and we always love a girl who has martial art skills.

Emperor (Li Si, played by An Xiao Ge no MyDramaList page yet): I just feel bad for this emperor, he is the only emperor in C-dramas ("real" emperor as in one that is actually ruling/governing the land and not focused on a girl) that is legitimately alone and lonely as in not even a concubine lonely, but this is also what makes him one of my favorite characters because he was loyal in that sense by making his brother the Crown Prince. I wish they could have dived more into his character instead of making theories about everything. His (and the Crown Prince Li Ji) admiration for their master (male lead) is cute and this emperor is one of the most human emperors in cdrama-land so far.

Mo Cheng Feng: He was actually the reason I started this drama (which was already on my list but got pushed up) but a bit disappointed to find out that he was not the main lead. His development was interesting, but I think a few minutes about him before everything happened would have made it more understandable (or less depending on the producers/directors/screenwriters). There is a love-hate-hate feeling towards him, but it might just be the unrealistic character, but I guess karma worked out.

If you read all this, sorry for being vague or confusing, but I did not want to spoil anything.

Music: Usually I don't say much about music, but I really liked the songs in this, especially the main one 傾世谷雨来 used in the drama and it's different from typical Chinese drama songs since usually, they all sound similar/familiar to each other, but this one was different.

Rewatch: I never rewatch dramas so this is just used to make the desired "Recommended score"

Overall: This is a very romance-focused, maybe one of the most romance-focused dramas I've watched, which took away a lot of the potential this drama had. It's a nice refreshing difference compared to other Chinese dramas in the same category as this based on the setting of the story, which is what kept me going.

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Cute

This series has thrown my rating system into disarray. Objectively, this is the hallmark movie of C-dramaland in that we get a story that's fast-paced, romantic, and watchable yet it has the depth of a puddle and a very linear story arc. Nothing special, still, it's exactly what is needed to cleanse the palate after watching a dense drama like Legend of Mi Yue (which I disliked).

Is it fair to rate it so high? Yes, because I'd like to send a message of support to the writers and production team so that they're encouraged to keep honing their skills and hopefully improve their outputs regarding quality, storytelling, and production values

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The healthiest relationship I've ever seen in a BL

¡¡Disclaimer!!
This review is based on my personal opinion/experience while watching, it's not meant to discourage/encourage you to watch this series. You're free to agree/disagree with it.



I'm gonna be honest here, when I first read the synopsis for Bad Buddy, it didn't really stand out to me, but somehow I couldn't help but look forward to it so I went with my standards set somewhere in the middle, especially since it's a GMMTV series, and after watching it, I must admit that it was a very enjoyable ride. From reading the synopsis, you might gather that it's a very cliche BL, nothing special about the enemies to lovers plot, however, once you start watching, you'll realize that it's not that usual of a series, especially among BLs.


Plot/storyline :
The storyline isn't something unique or unheard of, yet the way they portrayed it without making it too cliche really makes the difference. We start off with the two main leads being enemies because they were told to be so by their parents (classic cliche) but we soon come to realize that the two didn't seem to want to be enemies, so the two start growing closer through a series of, in my opinion, typical events. The two eventually realize they like each other and after a while, they start dating in secret, until one of the main leads's best friend (I hate this guy, and I'll get to why later) decides to out them in front of the whole place, and they're left to face the judgement of their friends and family. I won't spoil how and where their relationship goes, but I will say I was pleasantly surprised with how they decided to go with it because I expected them to either:
A) have a crappy ending where they're left/forced to break up
Or
B) have an open ending where we, the viewers, get to decide if they stayed together or not.
Surprisingly, they went with a little bit of either options with a side of something else that I won't reveal and honestly, despite how cliche it turned out, it still was something kinda unexpected and unique and I'm very much amused with how it turned out. The way the relationship between them developed was really one of my, if not my very, favourite relationship development in any series. There was no unnecessary love rival, no uncalled for drama, no unwanted side couples AND we actually get some of the healthiest relationships imo. With that being said, the plot did have some plotholes/questions that could have been easily avoided/answered, e.g. why did Pran's mother hate guitars so much really? Why did they hint at Korn and Wai being a thing but not go through with that idea? WHY did Korn (whether platonicly or not) start liking him even? How come that even tho the two [Pran and Pat] hated each other since basically before birth, they still communicated through these tin-phones? What's so special about that watch that Pran has other than the fact that Pat returned it to him? How long did these two disappear for during the time they ran away? There were so many things left hanging that I started losing track of what's happening sometimes. Regardless, the plot was executed really well and I'm quite content with how it turned out.


Characters/cast:
This section in all honesty, was either a hit or miss. Some characters were absolutely phenomenal and some I just wanted to kick in the shin. The main couple were very cute, and the fact that they didn't have the typical assigned role of husband/wife, one of them came out as pan, they respected each other's boundaries and didn't push each other to come out, made me really like the writer. Also the plot hinted at them being a switch couple (which is unimportant really, but very much unheard of in this genre) and that honestly made me like them way more with the fact that there was no such stereotypical feminine delicate bottoms and strong masculine tops. With that outta the way let's talk about the cast. I'm very happy with Ohm and Nanon's acting and the rest of the cast did a very good job, no overacting, no underacting, no cringy moments (imo) and most importantly, no dramatic ugly crying on a beach/near water in the most laughable manner for weird reasons like in some other shows *cough* tharntype *cough* *cough* still 2gether *cough* so overall Pran and Pat were a good pair, HOWEVER, they did suffer of what I call the GMMTV syndrome at some point where the main couple's chemistry somehow dissipates into thin air and they start acting more like brothers than lovers and their pre-dating era starts to look way more romantic and interesting than their current relationship. Now that we've talked about our main couple let's move onto that ONE (or two if you count Pat's dad) character that I could not stand for the life of me and that character, is Wai. This character made the least sense and I honestly feel like he had the most potential to be an antagonist, hell the writer was already going with this plan, yet sowehow they just randomly decided to turn him into a good guy and what, expect me to forgive him easily? Idc if people like him or think he had a redemption arc or whatever (which he didn't have) this guy was the most manipulative, trashy, annoying sleezbag that I've ever seen and I'm not gonna forgive his actions just because he suddenly became a good person. This mf guilt tripped Pran into taking up his place on the soundteam for that theatrical act, tried getting closer to Pa while still publicly cursing her brother out, tried to beat up Pat multiple times for no real reason other than him being annoying, basically outed his friend and his boyfriend as lgbtq+ with no right to do so and even went as far as cutting Pran out and making their other friends treat him like trash because he was HuRt and BeTraYed by him not admitting to him that he's dating his "enemy" because somehow being best friends entitles you to know every little detail about his private life, right guys? So after all this I'm just left here wondering, why did Pran cling onto their friendship this much? Why were they friends to begin with? How come his parents didn't see how terrible a person he is? And most importantly, why ISN'T this guy an antagonist? He did a complete 180 only after Pat literally took a bullet for/because of him, so now I'm expected to what, forget everything he did? Yeah, no chance buddy, although I must say, the actor wasn't that bad considering how horrible his character was, albeit a bit expressionless. I'm not gonna go into why I dislike Pat's dad simply because it's a waste of space really, and the fact that my reason for hating him is somewhat of a personal pet peev so yeah, opinions on this guy vary considering how you view him, I will say tho, the actor was kinda hilarious, he seemed so out of place and so not into his character I couldn't help but laugh whenever I saw him. Out of all the couples, InkPa were my favorite, these two were really cute together, although I did find their relationship a bit weird since apparently Ink liked Pa since she was in highschool, meaning Pa was barely in middle school back then considering the age gap between her and her brother so yeah, definitely not my favorite setting for those two, they were still a cute couple. In all seriousness tho, GMMTV should cut Drake some slack, my guy has been appearing in almost every series recently I'm starting to feel bad for him and how overworked he is lol.

Soundtrack/Music:
The soundtrack was really good, it wasn't my favorite, but I did like most of the songs, especially Nanon's "just friends?" I don't have much to say here since music is subjective and some might like the music way more than I did so soundtrack, a solid 8.

Production/Product placement:
The production on this wasn't bad really, but there were some time skips and some occasional cases of sloppy camerawork that had me scratching my head but otherwise, the production was ok. The product placement is everywhere, as expected of a GMMTV series, they had to squeez in a couple of seconds in every episode for promoting these products, nothing new here, it wasn't as bothersome as some of their othere series, but it was still evident enough to point out.


So overall, this was an entertaining series, it had the right amount of fun for me personally and I enjoyed watching it. I finished it in one go yesterday and I was left with only today's episode so I can't really relate to the rest of the viewers here who waited for it every week, although I did wait for it to come out for a whole ass year so, I guess now I can say it was worth the wait. For those of you hesitating to give it a try, I say go for it, if you want a fun BL but don't want a really deep plot, here's your show, I definitely recommend it if you want to pass the time with something enjoyable and amusing.

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Fun Action Comedy!

Equally entertaining as the first one, this fun action comedy did not disappoint! Hyun Bin delivered on the action scenes and Yoo Hae Jin stole the show with his comedic timing. I absolutely loved the dynamic of Hae Jin's family, specifically with Yoona. I kept bursting out laughing at their reactions to Yoona's flirting tactics. I'm not a fan of Daniel Henney's acting, but his character did add to the comedy and gave an excuse to show Hyun Bin's cute jealousy.. Jin Seon Kyu did a great job as the villain too. I'm always amazed at how these soft spoken kind actors transform themselves into such great villains.

On the story side, I will say it was weaker than the 1st movie and you'll have to overlook some of the flaws in logic, but honestly I didn't care too much because the action and comedy were strong. This was such a breeze to watch. And if you are a fan of Hyun Bin or Yoo Hae Jin like I am, then this will not disappoint.

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After I finished ''Veteran'' I was wondering what rating should I give it. After a few minutes of thinking, I decided that it didn't lack anything so I for the first time of my life I rated a movie with 10 out of 10. It was just way too good and I honestly don't even know why I was hesitating.

''Veteran'' is a mind-blowing masterpiece. It has phenomenal story, phenomenal directing, phenomenal characters and phenomenal acting. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, it makes your blood boil, your heart ache and it brings you a good laugh. It's a rollercoaster of emotions. It's everything one would want to see in a movie. The action scenes were brilliantly made and I even liked the sound effects (which I find very irritating in most action movies).

The acting was, as I said, phenomenal. I want to congratulate director Ryu Seung Wan for choosing the best cast ever. Hwang Jung Min was brilliant as Detective Seo Do Chul. You could see the anger, frustration, sadness through his eyes. Yo Ah In... man, what did you do? How could you portray such a disgusting psychopath that perfectly? How can an actor do that? How's it even possible? I'm speechless. Yoo Ah In is truly an acting god. I don't even know how to describe his performance here.

I HIGHLY recommend this movie to everyone, even to people who don't like action movies. Because I'm also not into this genre, but ''Veteran'' was way too perfect for me to care about genres.

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