Reviews

Perfectly-crafted, Soul-shattering!

This drama is fabulous, as a fan of thrillers I approve of it very easily. But it could have some modifications (only a little, but a little is still important).
Let’s break the aspects down one-by-one;

Story: The story was creative, although the core plot is not new. I mean we all have seen one such story before where a cop goes undercover to join the criminals and ends up sympathizing for them. But in ‘The Worst of Evil’ however, it doesn’t quite follow the same plot. it’s unique in its own way. Overall it’s great. I have one question though; in the last episode, it was clear that both Euijeong and Junmo had a soft-corner for Gicheul, proven by the fact that Junmo let him go and didn’t arrest him and Euijeong constantly telling him to stop doing bad things.
Then why did Junmo had to shoot him? I get that he was trying to stop Gicheul from killing himself so that Euijeong gets saved from the guilt of being the reason behind his death, but couldn’t he just shoot him in the leg or something to prevent his suicide? I don’t know, maybe I’m dumb but couldn’t it be simpler?
One of the reasons behind it might be that although Junmo liked Gicheul, he was blinded by the fact that he was his wife’s past-lover who was still in love with her, and Euijeong also obviously had feelings for him. So in the conflict of emotions, he might’ve decided to kill him.
The ending was very bittersweet, but all the characters received their closure so I was pretty satisfied.

I think the general idea of this drama is that the worst form of evil is deceiving somebody. As everybody in the story had deceived somebody in their life, nobody really got their happy ending. The story was well-crafted to show this.

Cast & Acting: One of the sole reasons behind starting this drama was Wi Ha-joon for me, so that pretty much tells you how well the actors did their job. This was the first time I saw Ji Changwook act, and man did he eat the role up. He was so good at it. Casting didn’t have any issues, all the actors did a great job. Bibi? Man how can she act so well as somebody who isn’t originally an actor? It’s a boon to be so versatile, really. She was awesome.

Soundtrack: It’s a webseries, a thriller one on top of that, so it doesn’t really have your typical kdrama OSTs. But the soundtrack was good, did the job for making the scenes more effective and creating an overall impact.

So, that’s about it. That is what I felt about this drama. It was a great watch for me, and I would recommend it to everyone looking for a good traumatizing thriller.

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A Reflection of Queer Relationships

I could not sleep early on a Saturday morning, and this movie’s review came up on YouTube feed out of nowhere. So, on a whim, I decided to watch it. Before you know it, I had finished it and had become so engrossed in its plot and story, I found myself caring about these characters with a certain sense of affection. I found myself teary eyed and gently weeping for them. It is an intensely gut-wrenching film that is deeper than it is given credit for.

I was shocked and dismayed at how poor the reviews were for this movie. I do not understand. I loved it. To be sure, it does not move mountains, but it is not meant to do so. It is a story about two misfit loners who happen to find each other at exactly the right moment in their lives in exactly the right space that connected them to a feeling of fruition. They found each other’s treasured one.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/19/does-the-flower-bloom-movie-review/

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A Mature Depiction of Lesbian Relationships

Love, Friendship and Delicious Meals

Adapted from the manga of the same name, this drama is very down to earth, close to the real life journey of two women experiencing love, friendship and growth together while cooking delicious meals. Similar to Season One, this season also focuses on relationship between Nomoto (Higa Manami) and Kasuga (Nishino Emi), how they have this really heartwarming relationship that started on basis of sharing delicious meals. In the sequel, new secondary characters were introduced that made the season more interesting, not adding anything negative or cliche but making the show more realistic and endearing.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/18/she-loves-to-cook-and-she-loves-to-eat-season-2-series-review-ep-5-to-20/

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This one's like dancing the Cha Cha...

I was so excited to see Eden Zhao and Hanna Lu together in a drama. I've missed seeing them both, and sure enough, their chemistry did not disappoint! For the first half of this story, I eagerly awaited the drop of each episode, and wouldn't go to bed until I finished it -- no matter how late it was when I started it. ;)

The angst and push-pull in the connection between the ML and FL was exciting at first, but I felt that this story didn't really move forward. Rather it seemed to get stuck in this monotonous plot rhythm of: A) romance movies forward a little bit, B) obstacle appears that must be dealt with or overcome, C) Romance stalls -- will they get together or won't they? D) Relationship/mis-understanding resolved -- go back to A) and repeat all over again. This went on for nearly the whole drama -- using new and/or returning obstacles each time.

While both of the leads are solid actors, this "2 steps forward, 2 steps back" pattern really grew old after a while -- and I found myself fighting the urge to fast forward. I didn't out of my respect to the cast -- but this could have been a much tighter script with a shorter arc -- and the story would have probably been just as good.
For as long as the plot was -- the ending wrapped up so quickly -- in about 1.5 to 2 episodes. So overall, this drama left me feeling MEH.
Definitely not the the actors' best works. But still worth a watch, especially if you're a fan of either lead. Their connection was the best part of the whole show.

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Well... I watched it

I consider myself a very lax reviewer...
that being said... the cast was great. I found them to be very good picks for the roles, the potential for serious on-screen chemistry was insane. The storyline felt a bit rushed... I know they only had 8 episodes but like.. I still have zero clue when exactly Ahtip and Poon went from hating eachother to being in love. Like... did I miss it? Teng and Mayon's story was cute also.. a bit rushed at the end but the back and forth with Tan didn't help with that. I was a bt confused about Kao.. like there he was and then --POOF-- he's gone until the last bit of the last episode.
Would I rewatch it? I mean... maybe? Probably? I can't really say...
It was fine.

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Palatial Mediocrity

I. The Good
First up, let's appreciate the elaborate costume designs. The costume team outdid themselves, for both the ML and FL's costumes (except for that decision to add two shoulder handles on the imperial robe). It's been awhile since I've looked at male costumes and thought, 'That's a gorgeous piece of work'.

Another gorgeous piece of work is LZH (ML). I agree with the comments that LZH's nuanced and compelling acting chops has what it takes to promote him to full-length drama cast. One could see the physical changes as he assumes the demeanour of the crown prince or discarding it like a robe to embody the persona of the second prince. He singlehandedly carried all 3 hours. That's not to say that XZZ's (FL) acting was bad; LZH so brightly outshined everyone else that it left searing afterimages preventing us from observing anyone else. I did love LZH's sizzling chemistry with XZZ, especially when he was flirting with her as the second prince. Special mention should also be given to HEY (ML's sidekick, Du Bin), for his expressive comedy and chemistry with LZH, reminiscent of Gao Hanyu in Legend of Fu Yao.

The choreography for the fight scenes were so graceful and well-executed, it was like watching a dance. In the first episode itself we are treated to beautiful, fluid sword work by the ML and the seamless performance as the FL whirls around to assassinate her own assassins.

It has an open-but-leaning-towards-happy ending, which appears to be the concept of this drama. At the end of 24 episodes, you realise that the drama comprises shadowy wisps of storylines held together by elaborate costumes, ornate sets, dynamic chemistry, and whimsical humour.

II. The Bad
The plot is boring. The premise starts out strong: The solemn crown prince ML has a flamboyant twin brother who seems determined to aid Shattered Star Valley in undermining the royal family. The ruthless Shattered Star Valley assassin FL is assigned the task of assassinating the crown prince. Taking on the identity of the Duke of Yin's daughter, who is destined to wed the ML as his crown princess, she plans her murderous plot during the day. In a twist of circumstances, she is compelled to obtain royal sperm from the second prince, only to find out that the second prince is a Shattered Star Valley covert operative who has no qualms flirting with his sister-in-law. However, the storylines were predictable and uninspired. You're left watching it only for the sporadic comedy and gorgeous views.

III. The Ugly
There were some scenes that were so excessively unbelievable that it cut through the mood and slapped me like a giant flapping tuna. For instance, in episode 6, when the FL prevents the assassin from killing the real Duke of Yin's daughter, she's shot so hard, she's pushed 2 kilometres out from the forest, into the open, and over a cliff.

There were also scenes that dragged out for absolutely no reason such as when the ML is rescuing the FL from her homicidal aunt or the moments before the imperial physician is about to stab the ML's acupoints.

IV. The Verdict
This is a visually magnificent, easy-to-watch drama, if you are able to ignore the banal plot. I would have rated it an 8 or even a 9 but for the storyline.

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A very light hearted love and entertaining cast

The story of this drama was simple and sweet, in a good way. It was very light hearted love story about a girl changing a guy's entire life. It's also very very sweet. I hesitated about watching it cause I didn't know what Billiards was and I was quite unsure of whether I would like it but I LOVED it. It was toootally worth watching and it was just the perfect thing I needed to end my day with on a happy note. Every episode was something different, adding to he storyline and just simply adorable. The cast were soooo cute and the leads had SUCH good Chemistry! It was impeccable. Absolutely Incredible drama, I had a lovely time watching the cast put on an incredible show. Everyone's done such a good job on this drama, I was truly impressed. The music was just amazing. I loved the music just as much as the drama, the OST is now officially on my playlist and it's just a really good piece. Overall, This was an incredibly adorable and sweet love story with a very light hearted storyline that is also very entertaining and just wholesome in everyway. ?????❄️?❄️??‍♀️???

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A family drama......meh

I'm sorry - I watched this just for KYK under the genre of romance.
There is no romance, no chemistry and no comedy. The classification should have been boring drama created for the FL.
This is so pitiful.....ugh........not sure why he picks these boring family dramas which are totally not suited for his style and personality..

I would have loved to give it a 1 star, it was so boring.
Mediocre substance, nobody stands out.

But the one who unfortunately irritated me the most was the FL.
So miscast for the role.
And those idiotic bangs - gosh- clear her face for godsakes!! Or grow the bangs to her chin - we wouldn't miss anything anyways.

As an actor we need to see her expressions and emotions, and this one failed miserably with her looks and her acting in this role.

And seriously you k drama folks - you have a hidden gem with KYK and this is how you misuse him??
He can be the next global universal star / ambassador. Stop giving him these pathetic dramas and pay for skilled writers who will create a star based on his persona!

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A Good RomCom! Watch With An Open Mind!

I don’t understand why everyone seems to hate this show! I found the basis of the plot interesting and the main leads kept me coming back for more. Their dynamic was great and I had a lot of fun watching this show. Very cute and lots of funny moments!

It’s also pretty tame for a Thai BL, so maybe some reviewers who found it “boring” were just looking for something a bit more explicit.

To each their own, I do highly recommend this show if you’re looking for a lighter-hearted funny show with a cute main couple who has really good chemistry. I looked more into Joong and Dunk after I finished the show, their chemistry in real-life ABSOLUTELY translates onto the screen.

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Not awful, but not amazing.

I was suitably amped up to see Kimmon in a drama again, albeit in a supporting role. From the trailers and teasers I expected a bit more drama and more exciting plot pacing.

I don't regret watching the series so far and I will finish up with the final episode when it airs on iQiyi tomorrow. I may edit this review if anything in the finale changes my mind.

The pros:

This series had a glorious lack of the typical borderline cheating/doubting feelings to the point of disrespect that some series display. I was very happy with the relationship dynamic of the leads.

I love, love, love the inclusion of a trans character that is authentic and not simply included as a plot gag.

The friend group dynamic of both lead characters is warm and supportive. I appreciate the lack of "playful" disrespect towards their relationship.

The cons:

I am not a huge fan of the quick and easy plot fixes. I feel that there was little to no actual tension building in the storyline. The fan backlash lasted what seemed mere seconds. The disapproving mother is suddenly okay with the boyfriend after one very underwhelming conversation. The money hungry ex has a sudden change of heart. Overall everyone just seems very okay with everything. Which is fantastic from a real life outlook, but makes for a dead dull drama plot.


I feel that the leads could have benefitted from a more intensive workshop for the intimate scenes. I quite like them both individually as actors, but when they had to come together in those moments there was a definite stiffness and breakdown in their chemistry.

The dialogue, just wasn't as good as it could have been. I think I could have overlooked the lack of chemistry in the romantic scenes if the scripting had been a bit more dramatic. Or had there been any type of displayed character development. We see the programmer go from detesting the actor to adoring him in a couple of episodes, with no major conversations to show the cause of that sudden transformation.

Overall, I enjoyed the series enough to finish it. But not so much that I was counting days until the next episode release.

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"Big stories, like life, get out of control"

Gone with the Bullets was loosely inspired by the real-life events that led to China’s first film. I say loosely because very little in this film was realistic from the opium induced car ride in the sky to the cartoon reenactments of a supposed crime scene. A kaleidoscope of primary colors doused the screen in a variety of manners. The realistic elements were the dangers of the court of public opinion and how films could be utilized for propaganda.

Ma Zouri is a fixer and a con artist extraordinaire. When the 7th son of the local warlord comes to him for help, Ma smells an easy mark. He and his partner, Xiang Feitian, decide to use Wu Qi’s money to hold the largest courtesan contest in the world, open to all ladies of the evening. The pageant is shared over the radio and filmed by the warlord’s 6th child, Wu Liu. The beautiful Yin Wanyan, and Ma’s lover, wins after promising 30 men she will entertain them and let them discover her “virginity.” The newly crowned President asks Ma to marry her which he refuses. They go on an opium induced car ride after making up. The next morning Ma wakes to find the car turned over and Wanyan dead. He runs to Wu Liu for help as he’s wanted for murder. During his two years on the run, he discovers there is a lurid play based on Wanyan’s death with audience participation.

"When the fake becomes real the real often becomes fake"
The film opened to music from 2001: A Space Odyssey, quotes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and an homage to the Godfather. It didn’t stop there. Numerous movies, events and songs were used regardless of time and circumstance. One contestant sang Summertime by Gershwin which wouldn’t be written for another decade when it was used in Porgy and Bess. The ode to motherhood also looked suspiciously like something out of 42nd Street. Reality and memory blended at times making it hard to tell what was real.

"We have to go fast to be nowhere"
Director Jiang Wen also starred as Ma Zouri with the capable Ge You as the duplicitous Xiang. An ethereal Shu Qi brought Wanyan to life and Jiang’s wife, Zhou Yun, was marvelous as Wu-6th aka Wu Liu. No expense was spared on the opulent sets and luxurious costumes. The talent portion of the contest was filmed on a huge stage with numerous scantily clad dancers in well choreographed dance numbers. I was surprised to see so much skin and gratuitous crotch shots in a Chinese film. Even more surprised in a fan dance number filmed from above where the dancers’ fans provocatively looked like vaginas. There were also poop jokes, self pleasuring, and a prisoner threatened with being “hammered” by a horse.

“The audience is always right.”
The story wasn’t always cohesive in this allegory or spoof of the movie industry and lawless land governed by corrupt foreign entities and warlords. “Love is nice but violence makes money!” Theater reenactments of the crime honed in on the violence the audience wanted to watch. After seeing the performances their minds were made up to Ma’s guilt. No trial, no witnesses, no evidence, only the court of public opinion for what would be the final show to be filmed by Wu Liu. And those in power saw no reason to not give the people what they wanted if it benefited them. Reality is easily manipulated on film in Jiang’s wink to propaganda. Gone with the Wind, I mean Bullets, was a strange but entertaining film that focused on one man’s downfall precipitated by his own hubris and also, “no good deed goes unpunished.”

18 April 2024

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A gem of lakorn

This drama is a true gem! I'm easily sold on comedies with a solid storyline and great actors, and this one had it all. I stumbled upon it years ago on YouTube, and it's remained one of my favorite Thai lakorns ever since.

What sets this drama apart is its refreshing take on comedy, with an unconventional and hilarious heroine who's both an antagonist and a protagonist. Her schemes and antics had me laughing out loud in every scene, adding a unique twist to the usual slap-kiss dramas.

**Cons:**

1. **Typical Endings:** While the drama breaks clichés, it still follows some typical lakorn endings, which was a sort of downside for me.

2. **Quality**: The videos I found to watch this drama was really bad. But it was given since it's a lakorn that aired in 2009.

**Pros:**

1. **Refreshing Comedy:** The drama offers a unique take on comedy with an unconventional and hilarious heroine who adds a twist to typical slap-kiss dramas.

2. **Top-notch Acting:** Led by Ken and Anne, the acting in the drama is highly enjoyable and adds depth to the characters.

3. **Gentle Male Lead:** Ken's portrayal of a gentle and understanding character, especially given his villainous role with the same FL in another drama, adds charm and depth to the storyline.

4. **Chemistry and Relationship Development:** The chemistry between the lead actors is wonderful, and their transition from sort-of-enemies to friends is a joy to watch. Their banter, understanding, and solid boundary line create an engaging dynamic.

5. **Supporting Cast:** The supporting cast adds depth to the story, with not every character opposing the FL being a flat villain. Their performances clash hilariously with the FL's antics, adding layers to the narrative.

6. **2nd Female Lead:** The dynamic between the FL and the 2nd FL is particularly enjoyable, adding another layer to the character relationships.

7. **Food Scenes:** The inclusion of food scenes, given the ML's role as a chef, adds visual appeal and thematic depth to the show.

8. **Addictive OST:** The drama features an OST that is both enjoyable and memorable, enhancing the viewing experience.

9. **Rewatchability:** Despite some typical lakorn endings, the drama's ability to break clichés while embracing others makes it highly rewatchable and engaging.

10. **Ahead of Its Time:** Despite airing in 2009, the drama feels ahead of its time, offering a fresh perspective on the genre.

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Wonderful Euwoo

I rarely watch kdramas right now because I'm too busy but something about Eunwoo in the trailer made me so curious and I'm so thankful I watched it because this kdrama is so impressive. It's one of the best I've ever watched. The sory, the acting, the music, everything is perfect, even the acting of support characters are great. Kim Namjoo and Cha Euwoo's acting are top notch. I will never forget Seonyul, a character that will forever remain in my heart. Kudos to the scriptwriter, director, all the cast and all the staff and crew of Wonderful Word. You are all wonderful.

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