Feels like a soft breeze
Wonderfully written and portrayed characters with believable motivations, complex states of mind and situations, and realistic relationships. This drama worked hard to have you laugh, cry and feel at peace throughout the story.It is simply a wonderful viewing experience.
Was this review helpful to you?
It reminds you of your youth
The story starts in 2002. In a neighborhood of Liuli Hutong there are 5 childhood friends who are enjoying their school life while trying to find their dreams and passions. As time passes, they face heartbreaking situations and reality which change the dynamics and make them grow. Separation can't be avoided as they step into real world. You will laugh and cry together with them. But in the end, they are still the people from Liuli Hutong neighborhood whose bond never cease.This drama is simple. It shows the realistic side of what people can experience in life and their journey to find happiness as they grow up. Each family has their own color. There's no annoying character, no violence involved, no bully, no overly dramatic situations. The kids face their own problems as they grow up into working adults. Each family has strong bond. The friendship is really strong and genuine, they're not friends with benefit. This drama will remind you of your youth when you were carefree, failed in your exams, argued with your parents, how you disliked going back to countryside, had to chose between dream or reality, experienced first love, separation, career, marriage.
Few people might not like Shao Xue at first, but you will see that she's more than just a tomboy and loud girl. Sunian is the popular boy but only Shao Xue can make him happy. Zhang Qi has a secret crush on Shao Xue, but chooses friendship instead. Shiyin might be annoying, but she dreams big and she's a loyal friend. Wu Huan is obedient and hard working. Don't forget the diversity of parents and the lovely elders who work at the restoration house. This drama is worth to watch especially if you like a daily life drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A good story with potential but not enough time to utilize it
The potential was there, but this KBL has the typical issues you know from other KBLs. It's too short and therefore lacks depth and feels rushed. The story itself wasn't that bad, but the love between the two characters developed too quickly (which wouldn't be a problem if the couple had insane chemistry to make up for it). The central conflict fell flat. The acting was also lacking. There was no noticeable/outstanding chemistry between the two leads. Many scenes felt stiff and awkward. For a BL to be enjoyable (IMO), it has to fulfill at least two of the following things:1) captivating/interesting story
2) chemistry between the characters (platonic and romantic)
3) good acting
The premise was that Jun Ho was trying to make Min Hyun fall in love with him so he could drink his blood and not die from the curse (?). But I didn't feel the tension or the heaviness of the situation when Min Hyun fell for Jun Ho. I didn't feel the inner turmoil of Jun Ho when he fell for Min Hyun and had to decide whether he should kill the boy he likes to survive or let him live and give up on life. The worldbuilding was very shallow. Nothing is explained (like the whole pureblood thing) or the curse. It's all very shallow, and I guess you could argue that this show has less than 90 minutes of runtime, but so do many movies, and even they manage to make the most out of it.
You could say that the CGI-vampire-eyes aren't done well, and I guess I'd have to agree. Still, just like in Color Rush, I think it has a certain charm (even though I don't understand why they decided to make the vampire eyes red and green without any information or explanation - surface-level worldbuilding, hello).
Another point that made me lower my rating was the ending. It wasn't satisfying or a reasonable conclusion for the story. It felt empty (to me). BUT not everything was awful. I think that there are probably many people who will enjoy this show. I thought it was an easy and quick watch; it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Min Hyun found out the truth about Jun Ho pretty quickly and was just okay with it. Also, the guy he fell for wanted to use and then kill him was not a deal-breaker for him. Therefore, I didn't care either. Min Hyun kept begging Jun Ho to drink his blood; Jun Ho refused, Jun Ho died. The brother who was supposed to be an obstacle was never brought up again. The principal lady, who was apparently Jun Ho's friend (?), didn't do anything significant either.
I'm not super opposed to sad endings or major character deaths if they are done well. Ending your show with one of your main characters dead and just leaving the whole show on a sad note should be handled carefully. In this case, Jun Ho's death wasn't impacting me the way it should have. If that was because I wasn't super invested in the characters and the story anymore or because of the acting or directing, I don't know. One thing that played into my apathy towards the ending was that Jun Ho seemed like he accepted his fate and was not afraid of dying or fighting to stay alive. Therefore, I wasn't feeling sad that he had lost his life. Like yeah, it's unfortunate that he and his love were separated, but they knew each other for like what? Ten days? Three weeks? Six months? (the time span is also very vague, and one can only guess) I didn't expect this show to have a Twilightesque scene where Jun Ho ultimately decides to suck Min Hyun's blood and has to stop himself before he kills him, but I guess that I would've expected... more.
Was this review helpful to you?
This drama is mouthwatering with the food on display, and many scenes of her cooking. A French chef who met her downfall (orchestrated by her business partner), she nonetheless lived for one reason, and that is her insatiable love for cooking. She charged ahead despite obstacles at every turn, and manages to overcome them because her passion for cooking brought out the best in the food, and people loved her, and her cooking, for it. For every artist who lives for their craft, this drama is a gem that presents this aspect of life extremely well.
The main villain, the restaurant owner of La Reina, is a perplexing character hellbent on destroying her for no apparent reason. The other supporting characters are mostly just silly and fill in the blanks needed for an audience for all the shenanigans. Good thing the drama focuses on the chef and not on these side characters.
I would have loved to have school lunches cooked by a 3 star chef everyday! American school lunches are worse than dirt, never mind gourmet cuisine. Aside from feeling envy of the adults who queue up for the food, I envy the kids who eat her cooking everyday. Wish that somewhere in real life, someone like her decides on public service!
This drama maintains a good pace and never sags. The music is nondescript though, so don't expect much. All in all, an excellent food drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
The leads and supporting characters were great. I really liked both couples.
Eun Ho and Sa Ra storyline was both weird (maybe because priests are the trend now in Korean dramaland but I don't get why this storyline was even written) and cute at the same time (what can I do?! They are both so adorable!) I just think it could've been better explored.
Han Se Gye's "illness" was really weird and at times I've found it could've been replaced by something else. Also that part of the plot was lazily done. Unnecessarily overdramatic and many times felt like filler. BUT Se Gye herself was really cute and I love her (and Seo Hyun Jin too.)
And of course Seo Do Jae. My favorite thing about this drama! I really love eccentric characters like him! And I'm glad Lee Min Ki likes playing them! Seo Do Jae and Han Se Gye were so lovely together!
The last two episodes were totally unnecessary. Some of those scenes could've been included but the whole thing was too much.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Team Non (even though I shouldn't be....)
Surprisingly, I was more enraptured in part 2 than part 1. I know, I shocked myself too, but I found myself overwhelming excited to move on to the next episode. I won't lie, however, the first few were kind of tedious. We take a spin back into the first season, for no apparent reason, and we're also introduced to a potential new pairing (literally the duplicate of Valen, Kaitoon, and Non, just in smaller font) that felt very half-assed as we don't see very much of them. There are some inconsistencies and a few bits that can be labeled aggravating for sure, but overall, it was a good watch.Let's Dive In.
Love Area Part 2 is the continuation of the first. Valen and Kaitoon continue their little quarrel until Valen finally grows some balls and confesses to Kaitoon, with a lovely kiss. They go through their own trials and tribulations (most of those being aggravating) and again, Non is like the sad little puppy nobody pays attention to on adoption day. King and Peat's story is just utterly sad and raw. I think they're why I enjoyed the series so much. We're introduced to a new couple, June, Bill (forgive me if it's actually Win, but I forgot names and lowkey faces, so I'm just gonna go with Bill), and Toy. As I said, the literal duplicate of the main leads in which Toy pines for June but June is so oblivious and in love with Bill that Toy just has to roll with the punches. I didn't care for them all too much, on top of the fact that their story was given very little development or attention. All of this combined into one little 8 episode series was a lot, and yet, so much was left unsaid.
Getting into what I like. Ohm. Period. Ohm blew me away in episode (whatever episode Peat cheats with Jeff's character). The emotions in his voice, his face, his posture, urgh, it was amazing. I found myself sitting there and weeping with him when in the beginning of Part 1, I could've cared less for him or Peat. But I was invested for sure. I liked how they portrayed a love so unhealthy, yet there's something so compelling that they believe getting back together would work. And we see their faults. We see the way Peat is with Ice and how secretive he acts. We see King have a hard time differentiating if what he's feeling for Peat is love or lust at this point. For it all to come tumbling down (and Jeff is *chef's kiss* a bad person, but so good at it). That turning point in his dynamic is when we see him stop caring, and we see that in the way his apartment is covered in filth and the way he loses motivation in doing anything. I think they treated this couple with the most realistic outcome. Yes, there were some nit-picky things, but they really outdid themselves this season. I also like how Ice wasn't used as King's rebound and felt more like a really good friend. A big step from season one when they made me highly uncomfortable with how they were portraying his character. Granted, this could all change if we get a part 3, but as long as King and Ice's relationship isn't explicit or rushed and shown to be slow and patient, then I think at some point I could come to terms with it.
Again, I fucking loved Non. He still was treated dirty, but I think (..?) I'm satisfied with where he is right now. I was at least happy that they kind of sort of gave us a little look into what a relationship between them would look like, but of course, when you look at it for what it truly is, you see that Non is the only one in it, and Kaitoon is just hurting. There were some weird pauses and some awkward staring in some parts that threw me off of the KaitoonNon love train. It just made them feel like strangers, and it's obvious the connection between the actors is not as strong as it is between Kaitoon and Valen. I really hoped for something different this season, but, oh well. We got a very sweet kiss, a cute little vacation, and some really nice Non-caring-for-Kaitoon scenes, so I'm okay. Hopefully if there is a part 3, Non can be given his own love interest who's actually interested in him.
All the intimate scenes are down so nicely. I was scared that they'd be weak, chaste, forced, but they're natural, and you can feel in the way they stare at one another right before they kiss that they wanted it really bad. Valen and Kaitoon for sure came to show out. So lovely, so patient, so intimate, and so enjoyable.
Lastly, the music was superb. I didn't pay any attention to their music in part 1, but in this, I feel like I thrived in it. The ballad during their tough moments, or even their romantic ones added so much more to the scenes. Toy's actor apparently sang one of the songs, and he does an excellent job.
Onto what needed fixing: Kaitoon and Valen's relationship was good until it wasn't. Again, miscommunication and stubborn characters led to the ever-so-tiring breakup. With just an ounce of communication, all the misunderstandings could've been solved. But then again, Kaitoon did nothing wrong..? He was sitting there minding his own while Peat and Jeff's character decided to get rowdy, I don't see how that's his fault, or even why Valen would get so upset at him the way he does. It's very annoying, and you just can't stop but get even more annoyed as it continues on and you shout to your scream, "let him talk," at the top of your lungs. He also showcases some pretty possessive behavior at the beginning of their relationship. Red flag! They're left open-ended, and I think I liked this better than a last-minute redemption arc for Valen or their relationship.
They introduce this potential new pairing for them to just really give us nothing. Not much to talk about on them since I sadly didn't care much for them. I feel sad for Toy who seems to be a fucking angel, and I don't feel like repeating that sadness yet again. I think this is my first encounter of a trans character's relationship actually being portrayed as real and not some silly, maybe a bit stalkerish thing. Applaud for this series for taking it seriously.
The inconsistency with Kaitoon's haircut is distracting and highly confusing. I kept thinking we were seeing flashbacks, but they are really just the unfortunate timing of Kaitoon's actor getting a haircut. Something that can't really be fixed after it happens, but god, was it infuriating.
Ratings:
Story: 8 - In love with King's story which gets the bulk of the scoring. Valen and Kaitoon are good until they aren't. However, I do think their beginning story is very nicely done. I'll take two stars off for the inconsistency, the bad communication, and the poor writing.
Acting: 9 - King's actor did amazing. Kaitoon is right behind him. Most of the cast did a good job. I think Non is honestly the weakest, but it's not so distracting that it's unwatchable. I'll take a star off for that.
Music: 9 - The highest I think I've rated music, but I really loved it. the ballad is so breathtaking, I listen to it on repeat for hours. However, music is sadly not the saving grace for a series, and a part of me feels sad because of it.
Rewatch value: 1 - I might come back to watch some of those very skilled intimate scenes, but other than that, not a chance I'll actually rewatch. definitely going to relisten to the OST for sure!
I do recommend this. I don't usually think sequels are good, but this and IPYTM are exceptions. I see that a lot of people didn't like this as much as I did, which is understandable, but the pure fact that King's actor did such a fantastic job, raises the bar so much for me. Let's hope for a part 3, cause so much was left unsaid.
Was this review helpful to you?
It is all about friendship and passing obstacles to fulfill one's dreams.
I think the acting was really good and I can't say much about the table tennis parts, but it looked quite well-done, too. The music was there, but not really that important.
Not only the main, but also the supporting characters were really likeable and well played.
You could call this a slow movie, but it's good nonetheless and full of emotions. :)
(By the way: Watch it and see what difference a hair cut can make to a person. It's amazing.)
Was this review helpful to you?
Incredible mash of thriller and bl!!
Honestly, I have no idea where to start with this show. The entire series is wrapped around ONE murder case and the events that follow around the main character. If you love watching thrillers, murder solving, and adventure, this bl will 100% be your favourite. I enjoyed watching this show and had a good time. I would recommend this show to anyone that likes this genre. There is a lack of dark-themed Thai bl, and this story was incredible. Everything in this show followed a perfect order, and everything made sense. Nothing was out of place. This show is so underrated. The relationship between the characters was SO maturely developed that it was shocking to watch. I did end up watching this show after "Not me" because I thought it was something similar of that sort. No, this was very different. A lot of people will enjoy this show. 100% MUST WATCH!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
In terms of political genre, this one is not the typical dark political side with serious story, this one is much lighter with lots of funny and comedic side, yet still have a deep meaning behind it, which does impress me.
I love both main leads, they have such a GREAT CHEMISTRY, you will definitely love them! their acting is really good
the OST is good as well, especially when you have the main leads singing duet together
this will be go-to drama when you need a bit of lighter story with well-made chemistry cause i LOVE both MAIN LEADS so much.
Was this review helpful to you?
Confusing one still good enough
The first thing you should know is that it's very confusing at first due to the lack of clarification. You won't even know what's going on. Jun Woo is crying and asking, "What can I do? I messed up everything." Jung Hyun is standing by him. I had no idea what was his mess. I thought Jung Woo killed someone, but it was the opposite. He speaks against corruption, and he is completely boycotted by the entire association. Thank God I read the synopsis to get clarification on this confusing situation.Things I liked
Thank goodness the writer moved on from the handsome and popular guys from university and fell in love at first sight with a guy. Even if the situation is perplexing, you can find solace in the middle of the series. One thing I appreciate is that Maker attempted to show some of the darker aspects of the literary world. How powerful people can destroy weak people. There is depth of emotion, struggle, sadness, and unhappiness. I like Leo's portrayal of the possessive one because I've seen guys like him in real life; they'll do anything to put someone in a cage they've built even if there's love. And who will Jun Woo pick? This part will keep you on your toes. Is he going to go with the supportive one or the possessive with one?
There are lots of factors that they need to address. The series must begin with proper clarification, or the audience will be kept in suspense until the very end. You feel irritated by the possessiveness of Leo. Overall, it isn't the best or the worst. You can watch if you want.
Was this review helpful to you?
Hilarious from Start to Finish
I watched this show as it was airing and could not wait for the next episode. It is the funniest show I have watched in a long time, I mean lough-out-loud funny, totally hysterical, and if you like crude humor - which I don’t, actually - you’ll like it even more. It also features an unexpected and cute romance that was more convincing than some of the stuff you see in classic rom-coms.I generally find the acting in Kdramas superior to a lot of Western shows, and this one in particular stood out to me with the perfect comedic timing of all the actors. Besides our two main leads, who were just so funny and adorable, the supporting cast was just great.
The script was outrageously hilarious, making fun of kdramas, tropes, cliches, “biases,” and everything else, yet managed at the same time to realistically portray a developing romantic relationship between the two main characters. (Did I mention how cute they were together?) By the way, a special Thank You to the translators who did a fabulous job in bringing the witty dialogue and jokes across.
Oh, and don’t blink or you’ll miss it: There are a few seconds of extra scene at the very end of each episode, after the preview. They were some of the funniest moments. (Her umbrella!!! I laugh every time I think about that scene.)
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I really loved the main couple and this show has given me a rollercoaster of emotions. There were so many sweet and cute moments of romance along with hot-blooded thrilling fight scenes that kept me hooked. I am deeply saddened by the sudden passing of some of my favourite & not-so-favourite characters but I realise that it is exactly how a war would be like, your loved ones would be suddenly ripped away from you without warning and all you can do is o keep fighting on. There were some unrealistic moments like when the ML suddenly came back after going missing with no explanation but I wouldn't complain because I am extremely glad that the main leads managed to stay together throughout the entire ordeal.
Overall, a great drama that would be more suited for patriotic people and those who have watched "the legends" (you will regret this after seeing all the cute scenes they have together) !
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A mind game.
Honestly, where do I begin?This show was honestly the best thing I have ever watched. I loved it so much that I had rewatched it more than 2 times.
Throughout the entire show, you will be gripped. And your brain would probably be working overtime. It would have you playing detective. That's what i love the most about this show you stay engaged throughout.
There are so many things I have learned through watching this show. One of the things I learned is that my impression of a person could be completely wrong and that a person's actions don't say anything about what a person feels.
All i have got to say is this is a MUST WATCH.
Was this review helpful to you?
Just wow.
I loved it because of the story. Some characters are flat and easy to see through- they're plastic- but others are very three dimensional, and that's why I'm addicted.
The characters are very well developed- the important ones at least- and it follows the original story pretty well. I loved the depth of the storyline- the layers that will only be peeled back with each season- though it is unfortunate that it had to end so soon. My mom's listening to the audio book, which is well over 400 "chapters" long; the show ends about a hundred of those audio book episodes in. Thank goodness there will be future seasons; I doubt I could live well knowing this is the ending to the show.
My favorite will always be the characters, even though the story line far outshines the character development. There are definitely episodes I will be watching again just for specific scenes; I'm glad I didn't skip over this show because the lead wasn't someone I knew.
Was this review helpful to you?
Recent Discussions
-
BL Drama Lovers Club6 minutes ago -
question to novel readers17 minutes ago -
Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance22 minutes ago -
Xiang Liu and You (Yes, You)59 minutes ago -
