Reviews

Not what I expected.

I was a bit shocked at this series. I am not used to GMMTV series being so mature and with so many NC scenes.

The Story: There was a lot going on. It all tied together fairly well and was never boring… very dramatic drama.

The Acting/Cast: They all did great. Especially Neo…. Oh I hated and loved Boston. He was selfish and immoral, but he was damaged and didn’t know how to love. Neo did an amazing job bringing that character to life.

The Music: The music was good, I liked several of the songs. I wish MDL would put a soundtrack tab on the movie/series pages.

Rewatch value: it’s not high on my list of rewatches because it is a dramatic series… forget a love triangle…it’s a dang love octagon. But if I need some NC drama I might watch again.


Can I just say that I wish Papang (Dan) and Ja (from Don’t say no) could act in a series together as brothers. Some of the faces he makes reminds me of Ja. Papang reminds me even more of Ja in the Dangerous Romance series.

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A slice of life drama amidst fantasy, crime and historical dramaland nowadays. I like that they release it in one day, all 12 episodes. I was a 2 days late watching from the release date but it's fine. It's a good drama, especially dealing with mental health. I really like the realization of the female lead. The doctors in the drama, which are also humans is portrayed in a humane way, which I like. The nurses are also given exposure and also the caregivers. Good representation of the medical field is portrayed so I like it. The cases portrayed is also simple that someone who is not in the medical expertise could understand. A good watch.

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Interesting

When I heard that the show was getting a season two I was so excited, but then I found out about the switch in casting, I was disappointed but I like mike from other shows so I was less upset over the change… but let me tell you when I actually watched the show I was majorly disappointed. I didn’t like that the main female lead didn’t have a relationship with the kid and how the relationship between the two main characters was kind of on and off, it didn’t feel like a romance and I was just disappointed that they didn’t have more romance and more family moment.

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When Science Meets The Courtroom

I love that the show integrates physics (or science) in solving "hopeless" cases of falsely accused innocents. As someone who is not good at science, I love the fact that the scientific explanations in the show are well-explained and that the ordinary audience can understand it. It was detailed, comprehensive, and done meticulously well.

The bitter part of the show is showing the reality that there are victims who were falsely accused by the law enforcers and judges. There was one episode in which I was really disappointed, because no matter how much evidence Kurokawa and Professor Akiu provided and proved the suspect's innocence, the judge's decision disregarded those and still sentenced the accused as guilty. As much as I was disappointed in watching that episode, I think it's the writer's way of showing the awful reality of this world.

The acting of the cast is brilliant! Everyone gave justice to their characters including the guest stars. Special mention to Kentaro Sakaguchi for his spectacular performance as Kurokawa, he is consistent from the first episode up to the last. But the actor who steals the spotlight in the whole series is the show’s final villain played by Shinji Takeda. The way he portrayed a psychopath, manipulative murderer is astonishing! Even though his character only appeared in the final episode, his presence and sins can be felt throughout the series through Kurokawa’s frustration in solving a decade-long case of his dearly departure friend. Kentaro Sakaguchi was able to capture Kurokawa's desperation to do whatever it took to solve the case while maintaining his strong sense of justice.

I love the overall message of the show... Being brave to admit one's mistake and have the courage to fight for your rights.

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lovely vampire GL show

okay, let's get it out of the way: yes the show is short. I also wish it was longer. but I rated it based off what it is, not what I wished it would be, and I think it's a pretty solid 7, maybe 7.5

if your only requirement is that there's GL, you won't be disappointed (tho of course, there's no kissing or outright terms used, but this is still a cdrama after all). there are five (or six) important characters and all of them are women with interesting and intriguing personal connections to each other. the show has humor, fluff, angst, drama, magic, violence, pretty much everything you could ask for. the visuals are also very beautiful, not just the costumes and set design, but the camera work as well. and of course the actresses are all gorgeous

where I think it falls a bit flat is that there are some moments that could have been great angsty moments that were instead used for comedy. I also wish that we could have gotten a bit more character backstory before the last episode, but I also think the way we were given it was very interesting, so I'm not too mad. there were also times the acting felt a bit shaky but I'm a lot more willing to forgive that in a web series

over all, very fun show with lots to give any viewer, I definitely enjoyed watching and I think others will too <3

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I’ve seen a couple of clips of this show on Chinese tiktok and it really made me want to watch it so I did. The story moves pretty fast and it’s also a it confusing as to what the plot of the story is really telling. I love how Hua Qian tries her best to turn the tables and change how the story ends.

The drama does a really good job of adding in some mysterious parts like why Hua Qian keeps smelling that scent even though there is no I sense and then we learn that this entire drama was honestly just a dream. The drama also does a really good job of explaining that once you change history. Change anything, change everything.

The ost of the drama is actually pretty good. This is probably one of those dramas where I really only had to hear the song once or twice to really enjoy and like the song. The costuming is a little strange, I’m not used to seeing how these people are dressed. But overall a pretty good and short drama to watch and love.

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Subtlety is Key in This Drama's Synergy

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Surprisingly, the many different interplaying facets within this drama work extremely well together and make for a highly enjoyable watch.

Acting/Cast: The acting was probably the strongest aspect of this drama. The male lead (played by Yoon Gye Sang 윤계상) quickly became a likeable and endearing character for me. The acting of the cop (played by Park Sung Hoon 박성훈) also stood out, which didn't surprise me because I had recently seen his exceptional acting ability in The Glory. As for the child actress (Yuna 유나), her acting felt very believable given the circumstances of her character. The cast had great chemistry together, as well. This was especially important for this father-like kidnapper and daughter-like victim plot. It was fun watching the interactions between the "kidnapper" and the "victim" with their opposite and exaggerated personalities. 10/10

Writing: The plot is right up my alley - a little bit sci-fi, a little bit hostage situationy. It's not just another cliché filled rom-com with an emotionless male lead, so, personally, it's a breath of fresh air. The writing balances out the different themes in this drama extremely well. The plot itself is very dark, involving child abuse, but the writers manage to keep a lightness about it that doesn't feel as though they are minimizing the seriousness of the plot. They were able to do this through humor sprinkled throughout the drama - just enough to break the tension and to keep things from getting too dark. It made for more of a fun but dangerous action hero adventure vibe rather than a terrifying and hopeless vibe. The corrupt police in cahoots with the villain cliché (or completely incompetent police cliché) is something that I have been sick of and this drama unfortunately has that. However, the writers kept my frustration at bay by writing in a good cop character that isn't undermined at every turn, as well as a team of good competent cops backing him. I really liked how the ending was handled by the writers. I was worried about it since the beginning of the drama, but I think they were very fair with all of the characters' fates. The court scene at the end packed quite a punch as well, which is something that was missing from Mother (a drama with a similar but darker themed plot). I felt satisfied after completing this drama as opposed to how I felt after I had completed Mother. Another thing that I was worried about was the possibility of the highly intelligent child character coming across as irritating, condescending, obnoxious, and just overall unlikeable. However, she was written extremely well; she seemed like a typical kid while also coming across as intelligent and dignified. The writers and her actor did well portraying these different facets of her character. Now for the negatives: The mystery aspect of the plot is barely there; it's pretty predictable. Instead, the real focus of the drama is the relationship between the two main characters, the importance of love and family, and healing from childhood trauma. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but because the mystery is weak, the villains are as well. I mean if you think about it, the real big baddie is disposed of in the very beginning. Another complaint I have is that I feel as though some subtlety was beginning to be lost towards the end in regards to the portrayal of the unusual relationship between the "kidnapper" and "victim". The interaction between them became a little overdramatized when in the presence of the cop character, which made it begin to feel a little cheesy. 7.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: No major complaints here. This is definitely a well-produced drama. I can say that the music didn't stand out to me personally. I thought it neither improved nor hurt the drama. A strong, distinctive OST would have made this drama even more memorable. 8/10

Entertainment Value: I began watching this when it was still airing, so I couldn't binge it. If I could, I would have. Watching the relationship develop between the two main characters was fun and the humor was great (and unexpected). There was a nice small twist in there that I really liked as well. The mystery is pretty obvious though and doesn't add any suspense to the drama. Also, the lack of a really intimidating villain doesn't do any favors for the entertainment value either. 9/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8.5/10. It was a very entertaining and unique drama with great acting. I wish that one of the villains (I won't say who) had more of a character arch/ redemption arch because I thought he was an interesting character that could have had some complexity to him. I think they kind of did him dirty.

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Lead Actors Are Great, The Rest "Sucks".

Vampire BL. A General Spoiler on the ending only. Acting 8.5, Chemistry & kiss 10, Plot & script 3, Cinematography 5, Music 6, Rewatchability 2.
Pointlessly stupid choices by ALL of the characters at least once, and an unnecessarily sad ending. Left me with an incredulous and irritated "WTF, WHY???" feeling. Most of the contrived angst could have been so easily avoidable.

I can't recommend this unless you are a fan of the lead actors (as I am). Watch them in Roomates Of Poongduck 304 instead, which is a fun and better fleshed-out series. Then after that, maybe watch the kiss scene here as an extension of those characters in your mind. It's at the beginning of Episode 8. I would have found that immensely more satisfying than how I felt watching this whole series. I will say Kim Ji Woong's visuals really work well as a vampire though!

The two leads and their magnetic chemistry with each other are the best reason to watch this very short series. Seven 10min episodes and the eighth episode is 20min. It's obvious why they were cast in Roomates Of Poongduck 304 after this. Their kiss is realistic and full of passion and there's even a brief morning-after scene, which is uncommon in Korean BLs.

The story is very generic and the only surprises are how stupid and unrealistic character choices are. There are also an untenable amount of plot holes because the world building is so poorly done.

There's not enough time spent building up the connection between the lead characters to warrant the deep love they have. The "explanation" of the lead vampire's past, which drives all his current decisions, was barely touched on and left a lot of remaining questions. Like, what lead up to him being in that state in the first place? The female friend, and certainly the male vampire "friend", are arguably unnecessary. The time on them would have been better spent focusing on the emotional and relationship arc of the leads.

Also, MJ Koontz's review is absolutely hilarious:
https://mydramalist.com/profile/soundinfinite/review/195237

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New Jackie Chan Movie

It is wonderful to see a new Jackie Chan movie, though seeing this movie does really show how much age has caught up to Jackie Chan also. The movie has alot of humor in it, started with humor but ended up really tearing up at the end. It is a very touching move. You may want to watch it with a pinch of everything nice and stop side tracking movies. Animal activists etc, please..... if you wanna pick a movie, there are tons of movies that includes animals including the olden times - even the English movies. If you want to watch a movie, watch with an open mind.

Overall, it is a really good show to watch - hey it's Jackie Chan after all! - and all the casts did very well in this movie. The songs are also nicely paired, I love the duet Jackie did (was rather hard to find also - without any snippets of the movie in the song. It is definitely worth a first watch, the rewatch would have to base on individual thinking of the movie.

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The torture of poor miracle Teddy Bear

**Lots and lots of spoilers and frustration**

Okay. here I go. This Is going to be a little bit wordy, so I apologize in advance lol

This is not your average BL! I give major props for being different and refreshing....it's not a common story with the usual BL stigma and topic, that alone made me like this series more. Oh, and sorry friends.....barely any PDA here. It's supposed to be a more "sweet" BL. However, there were a few things I couldn't get over after finishing all 16 episodes.

First, I had a problem with Nut's behavior and how he treated the SWEETEST boy ever!! I know he grew up all fucked up because of his dad's crazy macho bullshit and his mom's lack of a fucking spine, but that doesn't give ANYBODY the right to be shitty! It took Nut way too long to treat Tofu the way he deserved from day 1. And don't even get me started that he didn't wait for Tofu's body to be cold and he was already back with Tarn. Like, whaaatt??? Really?? I am sorry, but if I was in his shoes I could NEVER switch like that. The way that he immediately went to see Tarn in the hospital and had the internal monolog "Yes, I still love and miss him" made my skin crawl. Tofu LITERALLY gave up his life and happiness for YOU my guy and that's how you repay him? Cold.

Second, after poor Tofu waking up IN A BURNING COFFIN and then (like that wasn't straight-up evil enough) having to watch the love of his existence immediately start a relationship (and marriage, I guess *internal screaming*) with Tarn is EVIL!!! Why do that to him? By the end, he had feelings like a regular person. That is pure torture to a great guy. He should not have returned "awaken"....just the teddy would be fine. If he could have returned just for that scene where he talked with Nut would've been great too. Keep the "miracle" alive....but him being fully aware of himself and watching Nut moving on is just incredibly sad. Left a bitter taste in my mouth. I wish we could've kept the sweetness.

I did enjoy the series and the cast's performance. As you guys could tell, I had my fair share of problems lolol but it was good! Not everything has to have a happy or fair ending.....but to me, Tofu's ending was so evil. I can't forgive or forget! That's why my score wasn't higher.

Thanks for reading me rant :)

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Esperei tanto tempo...

Eu sinceramente estou muito decepcionado com essa segunda temporada. Aguardei tanto tempo para ver eles juntos e no final entregaram uma história mal desenvolvido com enredo arrastado.
No começo até me culpava porque simplesmente impaquei para sair do episódio 5, mas agora que finalizei e tenho uma visão geral digo que essa foi de longe a melhor temporada.
Para começar temos o enredo arrastado que não saí do lugar;
Outro ponto é que criaram vilões ótimos e não souberam introduzir direito na história;
Esse casal aleatório tirado do fundo do poço também me deixou frustrada, senti que só queriam colocar algo a mais na história e jogaram os dois de qualquer jeito. Não consegui shippar, pulava as cenas todas, parecia tortura;
Um ponto que também me deixou frustrada é o novo personagem. Poxa! Simplesmente não acrescentou muita coisa, quando o Mun entrou eu via todo um incentivo e a equipe ajudando para que ele desenvolvesse o poder, mas o pobi de agora parece que foi esquecido no churrasco

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Not so much a review...

Just a nice fluffy sort of series that I didn't have to think about too much, though I have to admit, I found Sky so annoying. I much preferred the side couples. Kudos to everyone who had steamy scenes though - they all did well. If I was scoring it solely on the intimate scenes, it would definitely have scored way higher. The actors all went above and beyond for this series, but given the storyline, it kind of feels wasted.
So obviously Tod and Cheque are being set up as a long-term couple, with so many series ahead. And I guess the twins suddenly showing up is setting the scene for their series. Of course we know them from 2Moons3, but they look different from those characters... still can't believe they're 30... Whilst Western men supposedly get more 'distinguished' as they age, Asian men just seem to get younger! (You can keep you're Western men!) Am I really bad for hoping that Day and twins might have gotten together? - I haven't finished ep.10 yet, so there's still hope! - I've been awake for 18 hours and my BL brain is working overtime! 55555 Speaking of Day, I see he isn't listed in the cast details. Does anyone
know who he is?
Had to edit this. Just watched their definitely not suitable for kids, work, those of a weak constitution, parents if you're watching the series together scenes... and I've noticed that Tod always gets really red and seems to break into hives when things get a bit intimate - wonder what he's allergic to? I have to say that I don't like that face Tod keeps pulling when he's not being very gentle. It's totally creepy.

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