Reviews

The Best Parts of Life

The TV show's conclusion to these magnificent stories. Simply beautiful, desiring, teaching, and passionate. Thank God these exist to explain and show that life is trifling and difficult but also extremely beautiful. I loved everything about these and cherish them so much in my heart to learn more about these characters I'm really happy. Do not skip out on these and learn to love them. I wish I could experience these for the first time but that's impossible so I advise to love each and every moment with these people, despite all their flaws. Such a fascinating show ending and beginning with the same ideas and concepts but placed differently. I'm glad everything was dealt with and done and even with everyone's sins and issues we are all able to recuperate with one another. <3 my comfort show from now on. this show gets an Amen/stamp of approval from me!

Read More

I loved almost all of it

I will admit I can be pretty fast and loose with my ratings. I try to rate things based solely on my opinions and my interests, so sometimes I’m not as into really popular dramas because they just don’t hit my stride.

This one, however, was really great. I loved the chemistry between all of the actors, the secondary couple was too adorable, and the FL wasn’t annoying.

That being said: I really did not like the ending and it kind of soured the thing for me. *SPOILERS**

I personally didn’t feel happy that, after 2 years of Sol Ah moving on without really moving on, Hong Jo comes back. How long can he possibly be back for? He said he was going to stay by her and keep her happy as a cat, but he comes back after years just to what…? Since there’s no other explanation my only conclusion is that he is in the same condition as before and he can’t stay human for long, so why? She’s going to be hanging on to the hope that he’ll come back forever now.

Read More

Adachi's "WHAT"

that guy said what every 5 seconds but it was fun. after watching i feel like i should stay virgin till 30 just to get this power and then never let this magic go away. anyways back to the series. this is the first Japanese bl series i have watched and it did not disappoint me at all actually it was much better than i expected it to be. this series didn't have a single kiss scene but it still stole my heart. usually i don't like series which do not have kiss scenes because they are childish and immature but this one was just perfect. the actors where also grate overall i really hope you watch it because it's worth it all..

Read More

Pathetic FL and Selfish ML

I'm trying to like this show but my interest in started dropping by Ep 4 and it took me a while to pick it back up again Ep5.

The FL becomes annoying as she comes off not only as desperate but almost obsessed and pathetic towards the ML. Of course, it's easy to see that she gets mixed msgs from the ML but even though he rejects her, she doesn't give up.

Then we have to watch this cruel deity and a foolish "fairy", the ML, just basically hash it out for what? Because the ML accidentally shot himself with his own arrow and fell in love with the wrong woman? Makes no sense that the deity wouldn't be able to lift the spell of the cupid's arrow. Whatevs. Why is that deity, (God of Fate),such an a-hole anyways?

Then about the ML...You would think that after living 500 years in punishment and also cruelly subjecting his friends to the same punishment, that the ML would learn a lesson. Even after the fact that two women that he opened his heart to not only died, but one was viciously murdered. But did he learn his lesson? Nope. Apparently not. His selfishness stirs up more trouble. Not only he is selfish in regards to his friends who are suffering from the same punishment but his selfishness towards the lives of women who have died or who are in danger because he opened his heart to them. After the murder of one of the women, you'd think he would self-sacrifice his feelings to prevent any future tragedies and murders, but it's apparent that it isn't heading that way. It also makes no sense that his friends don't seem to concerned that he might fall back in love.

The perilla leaf scene and the FL getting jealous of her friend being helped is the stupidest, childish writing. I don't get how she's supposed to be a grown, career woman but she acts like a highschooler in love with her crush. Her character is so immature and childish. The ML specifically tells the FL not to go out and of course, she goes out. Why are they making these women so dumb? I'm also so over this FL being drunk all the time. It's too much. Alcoholism isn't attractive. I'm losing count how many times she been piggybacked home. It's such a writer's cop out and an excuse to add unnecessary kissing scenes. Why not just be sober and courageous at the same time? This is just lazy writing to me.

Worst of all, the storylines and genres of this drama goes all over the place. One minute we see the past Joseon era, then there's present time and the recent murder, then it goes back to that past of the other murders, then there's the love triangle, in the Joseon past and present time, then there's the FL and ML rom-com antics that seems so out of place. Their characters are so immature at most points all the while there's a serial killer on the loose. And then we go back to past lives and back and forth all over the place. Then the deity shows outta nowhere. Then there's the ML's useless friends and what's the point of the dog turning back to a human sometimes? After 500 years, you'd think that all these guys would be very wise, mature and serious. But apparently their lives just seem to be spent being lazy and good for nothing but basically shooting love arrows. Even that whole storyline gets randomly put in. We stopped hearing about the punishment being over soon, then it's back on topic. So when exactly will the metamorphosis happen? Also, the ML being a cupid, sometimes they want you to think he's powerful but you can't take him seriously because he looks so young and his actions are often immature.

It feels like mutiple different writers wrote different versions of this drama and they mashed all the ideas together awkwardly and while it lies in a messy pile, they randomly pull out scripts.

I'll update my post at the end if I can make it that far without dropping it. Finished ep6 atm.

Read More

Life-Changing, Life-Learning

Dear viewer, I've never seen anything like this show. I'd particularly not even like to describe it as simply a "show" or "drama". To me, It is much more personal, like a documentary of these people and how they've lived their lives. There is nothing unrealistic about it, everything is intentional and has a purpose for these people. I don't even know where to begin in talking about it, but I did make an account simply to discuss my absolute desire for this show to be known as what it is: a pure work of art about real life people. Usually, when I'm watching something there's always a fence of good or bad, and choosing sides but in this documentary there's none of that. It's just telling you a story of how things happen because people grow. People grow from hurt, from pain, from everything. It hurts me because I relate to this show a little too much but that's because I'm human. I went into this a bit discouraged from romance, and life in general but it has brought more life into me. It's made me realize, life is deep and serious but it's also very lighthearted at times and especially beautiful despite the pain it can give. It not only touches on dating but family, friends, death, work-life balance, personal aspirations, marriage, and simple human behavior regarding relationships. We know we've not perfect as people, yet we expect others to be for us. It's taught me a lot, and I've never dated anyone before. But it's taught me so much about the expectations of a relationship, how to balance, communication, and the costs of it. Life isn't perfect on this current earth but we, as humans, can learn to live it together. Everything about this show is beautiful, from the characters you can't help but be frustrated at at times, to the dialogue, scenery, and simply real raw emotions. I don't know what the directors or actors were thinking when they created this absolute masterpiece of a show but it's caused wonder in my life. I would like to thank them for that. At first, I wasn't so sure about the couple but it made me think, who am I to approve or disapprove when it's not my relationship? If they're good together and if it's what God wants then what am I to say anything? I realized as a viewer I shouldn't have these opinions about these such things when I don't know these peoples' feelings or what they're going through. Each character has they're own sins, problems, but also love they harbor for one another. I loved everything about this show, even as I wanted to critique it, I couldn't because this was their life and as a person watching, I shouldn't meddle. I'd like to say thank-you for creating and making this show. It was absolutely a star, and I cherish it. I pray and hope their lives will continue on despite the harships, and so will mine. Thank you. Don't forget to watch the 3 specials. I really disliked how I saw the ending in the TV show without watching the 3 specials first and got really really frustrated & sad, so make sure to do that, that's honestly why I didn't vote it 10 stars because it needed that to be know first. But, seriously, watch this. Xue Tong, Bailin, QiQi, Xiaotang, I grew alongside with them and can only wish them the best. They were people to me and not everyone has this so called "happy ending" with feelings, but it's not even about that, it's about pursuing what's right and meant for you. I learned about love through this show. I'll miss how kind MuChenghe was to Xue Tong despite their internal turmoils, I'll miss Bailin and QiQi's friendship, and Xiaotang's guarded personality. Please give this a watch + the three specials if you believe in what I say. Every single person in this made it worth watching. It was a journey and I ended up in the right place. The star went back home after all, voyager 1 has finally left, and we've all matured! <3

Read More

A journey of trust.

"I recently watched 'A Journey to Love,' and I must say it was a captivating and heartwarming experience. The storyline was beautifully crafted, weaving emotions seamlessly. The characters were well-developed, making it easy to connect with their journeys. The cinematography was stunning, enhancing the overall visual appeal. The soundtrack complemented the scenes perfectly, creating an immersive atmosphere. Kudos to the cast and crew for delivering a memorable drama that left a lasting impact. I highly recommend 'A Journey to Love' to anyone seeking a touching and well-executed love story."

Read More

Stellar Performance Throughout, Fell Short at The Finale

SPOILER-FREE PART
Following the hype surrounding this drama, I decided to give it a watch.. and oh boy did they put something into it, cause' I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen!

Looking at Moving’s (무빙) synopsis alone, although the premise isn’t entirely new to cinema, it definitely stands as one of the more well-produced ones, both in cinematography and script. For me, there were no complaints for the cinematography, as lighting, shots, angles, ambiance, and special effects were all done immaculately. I am an avid fan of dramas that don’t shy away from gore and the knitty-gritty details. The drama may be a bit extreme and bloody, but ultimately contributes to its incredible ambiance.

Acting-wise, you can just look at the lineup and can’t help feel content that you’re not wasting your time seeing emotionless characters and botched crying scenes. Also, can we just give a quick round of applause to the young actors? Admittedly, Korean cinema is filled with so many young talents, and Moving greatly demonstrated their potential to the world.

SPOILERS AHEAD
Looking at the plot, the synopsis is as straightforward as it can be. It doesn’t take much effort to understand what’s going on, courtesy of the dramas excellent worldbuilding and pacing, which sits at a comfortable level that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eyes locked in and all— at the right time. It also leaves you anticipating for the next episode to come out— a suspense factor, which is something I feel most action and thriller dramas lack nowadays, along with its unpredictability. Character relationships developed steadily and didn’t feel awkward or draggy. Despite that, the flow of the drama felt a bit off and confusing at times (at least for me). Keep in mind that this drama is flashback galore. We spend a good chunk in the past, so the present timeline feels more like a side story than the main. Adding to this, certain important events that occur throughout the drama tend to appear in mixed order, so not chronilogically, so it takes a bit of effort piecing this event with another and constructing a mental timeline of what events took place first, and how it later contributes to a future event. To my disappointment, I was left with quite a lot of plot holes, even after the story wrapped up, from the SCAs ultimate goal (why are they actively hiring someone to assassinate the Korean supernaturals, the breeding program that was briefly mentioned by the leader of the NIS, Kim Dooshik’s whereabouts, Ki-Soo’s ankle scar and its relation to the temp teacher, the headmasters assassination, and the mysterious identity shrouding the bullied classmate.

I would’ve also liked to see more of Gang-Hoon, as he had a rather weak presence throughout the drama. His story was just so.. lackluster compared to Bong-Seok’s and Hee-Soo’s.

Meanwhile, the ending felt rushed and just.. incomplete. I didn’t read the original webtoon, but I heard that the drama adaptation strayed quite a bit from its source material, so if there was a chance to revise the script, I would’ve definitely extended the drama’s length to tie up some of those loose ends.

If you’re unfamiliar with how I rate a drama’s storyline, check out my bio! Today’s ride scores a C!

SPOILER-FREE PART
Nonetheless, it was an awesome binge. Was it a masterpiece? No. However, it was still well worth the watch. I would recommend Moving for anyone. After all, you really can’t go wrong with a good superhero-themed drama to comfort your inner child with.

Read More

SO FREAKING DISAPPOINTED!!! 10/10

I'm literally so mad because I can't believe that it's over after one freaking episode! I came from Tiktok, academic rivals to lvoers and after hearing the premise I wanted to watch it but now I'm wanting more... Omg the ML was so good, honestly I had no clue in what I was going for but I legit pleasantly surprised at how refreshing the story was going to be. I loved the story between the leads and I loved how fast paced it was because usually I just hate Kdramas that spend too much time dragging shit out that I rlly was depressed when I found out the other episodes weren't going to be about them (second time in a row) !!! I loved the FL too, her backstory was rlly sweet, and the grandma omg... Guys I legit almost cried when the ML was talking with the grandma because she wanted to give him moneyyy ERRRRM my heart!!! I also almost cried when he went back to the grandma and cried to her, confessing everything (I love cute MLs) !!! I love this episode so much honestly it's way better than some dramas I've watched and that's saying ALOT. I love how straight to the point it got, obviously there could be more that they added like if this was those usual dramas in 6 episodes we'd have a kiss scene but like this was so refreshing that I didn't mind too much still... I was a little sad it ended so quickly... I wish if there's the same actors in the future they get together again! I love this take on romance, a bit of comedy and emotional aspects, I hope that there's more like this to come!!!

Read More

Good For 1 Watch. Missing Some Emotional Stepping Stones.

Very general spoiler on the ending only. Definitely good for one watch but I may not rewatch as it wasn't very emotionally engaging for me. The fight scenes are great, intimacy is fairly realistic and there's more of it than the average Korean BL, the acting is strong (9.5/10 for the two leads, 7-8/10 for everyone else), and the plot-twist is surprising. I was glad I watched it but didn't feel completely satisfied afterwards, even though the ending is happy.

The review by Rent343 on MDL puts into words some of what I was feeling (my own notes are below this quoted excerpt): https://mydramalist.com/profile/Rent343/review/63835
"...I dunno, it felt like I was reading a sparknotes summary for a great novel. I got all the big facts/ plot points but the delivery took little to no time to make those facts emotionally significant..."

MY NOTES:
That's what I felt too- like it was the Sparknotes to a greater story. I missed the romantic build of the connection between the characters (both by text before they met and then after) so when conflict came, the stakes didn't feel as high as they could have. They still felt like a few-dates-old crush. I mentally knew they were in love because the audience was told so, and they were certainly cute/sweet to watch, but I didn't feel it emotionally. I was rooting for them and the plot-twist scene did tug at my heartstrings, but I kept feeling like too many chunks of the story were missing/skipped to feel fully connected and satisfied.

It didn't help that there was absolutely no sense of time. It felt like they had only known each other for a few days, which is why their love confessions didn't feel that strong. It's possible multiple weeks passed, but who knows!

Some side threads are annoyingly left in the air, like the reason behind the plot-twist. A character says they will tell another everything but the audience never gets to hear it!

Read More

Honest Review

This series was good, it definitely had it moments, but here's my thoughts on the 4 main couple...

Ae & Pete - This was my favorite couple out of the 4, there story was more complex and had more depth to it then then others, they had little drama here and there but overall they were just two horny teens falling in love each other & they always looked at each other like they were going to devour each other and I loved it. I did love when Pete came out to his mom & at first she was crying but overall love him and wanted him to be happy, I love that they didn't make her the typical homophobic parent that a lot of BL's do. She even know Pete was dating Ae without him even telling her and she was just so happy.

Tin & Can - This is my least favorite couple (I haven't seen S2 so maybe my opinion will change) but Tin drove me crazy, sometimes I didn't want to finish because I couldn't watch with him anymore, and Can was just to whinny for me. What bothered me is Tin always told Pete that the "Thai program" kids are always dirty and looking for their money BUT when Tin started liking Can he literally bought him everything and got offended when Can said No, also he touched Can & let Can in his car after saying he was dirty, but didn't even apologize for saying that or saying he was wrong about the "program" kids.

Kla & No - We didn't really get to see their relationship much, we just know that P'No's brothers friend liked him, We seen Techno more with Can then we did we Kla, so I don't really have much to say

Tum & Tar - I don't understand their relationship so I don't have much about them either, I would've like to hear more on Tars story a little bit.

Read More

I had to make up my own mind ...

There were such wildly mixed reviews of this show among BL friends in my community that I had to watch it myself to decide. And overall ... I liked it and admired what it tackled and how.
SUPERVISOR/SUBORDINATE DYNAMIC - First of all, I usually hate this plot, which sucks for me since it seems that so many Asian dramas love this premise. This, along with the high school kid and older person always gives me the ick because of the obvious power imbalances. Usually, I have to let this go while watching and just pretend it's a fantasy or that both are colleagues, not manager/employee, but it can be challenging. What I liked about this series is that even though it seemed to romanticize this at first, it did not lose the plot. Eventually, the real issues inherent in this dynamic came to a head and had to be addressed ... in multiple ways. It made the ick feel so much better. And in the end, the power dynamic was nullified to be a non-issue, so I felt better about shipping them.
INTERIORITY - I really loved how much we got of both characters and their private lives. Not some half-a**ed trauma flashback and extreme phobia. They both had issues that were ingrained and present from the start, persisted throughout the series, and was cause the 11th-hour breakup. It's perhaps one of my favorite BL breakups because I felt it made complete sense. I identified with the injuried party so much. Praise to Man and Ben for having to tackle so many emotionally nuanced scenes. While some may think Ben had to cry too much as Pat, I related to how he felt too much sometimes and had problems regulating his emotions because he cares so deeply about doing good work. I've been there!
SUPPORTING CAST - I loved seeing so many Lovely Writer favorites return, and in different ways. Up as the ex Put wasn't just a 2D cardboard cutout mean ex but someone who had his own faults and was slightly sad because of them. I almost didn't recognize Kenji as Toh ... and I felt he was underutilized. Zorzo was so fun as Ae, especially when she was paired with Bruce as Chot -- yay he got to play such a fun character this time around! They even gave redemption to one previously annoying character Ying. What a loveable bunch. ... But this brings us to a failure...
2ND COUPLE -- As many have said, Jaab & Jen's storyline had so much potential, but wasn't given any sort of resolution. Even if there's an idea of continuing their story later in a short or something, I felt we were still left hanging. One extra scene could've left viewers from feeling so unmoored. That said, they had a very hot kiss, and I think that's one reason we were left hanging on this.
UNDERSTATED HUMOR - While Chot and Ae gave me the best moments, there were a couple really unexpected, fun things that happened that made me actually laugh out loud with how real it was. One involved MLM, and if you've ever been on the receiving end of that pitch, you may also admire Pat's swift evasion strategy.
TIMELINE - There are maybe 2 major timejumps that happen. One is less obvious but once you notice one character's body changes then you can follow. This is more of a timelapse than a timejump, but because of this it may not be that obvious. I wasn't too confused but some sort of time markers would've been better. The second time jump I felt was absolutely earned and necessary. That said, because of that, I needed more from the 2nd Couple.
WORKPLACE DETAILS - I love workplace dramas where they actually work and we can see the ins and outs, the challenges, the strategries. Start-Up and Forecasting Love and Weather are both k-dramas that do that well. Lovely Writer was more about the industry than the work, but that still was fun. This one lets you in on the many levels of digital marketing, from concept, audience and budget to slideshow, pitch and execution. There's an element of entertainment in here also because they use influencers, and of course a bit of meta commentary about BL (although not as strong as in Lovely Writer). I love this ish! Only downside -- there was a bit TOO much office gossip & meanness at the beginning to the point it felt cartoonish. The thing is, I've dealt with narcissistic bosses, being used for being reliable, being underestimated, passed over or worse -- had accusations lobbed at me. So yes, there's definitely a truth to it.
PARENTS - As with in Lovely Writer, I think this series does intergenerational relationships well. Pat's parents were fully realized people .. while Jeng's was, well, a villain. That felt true to how Jeng's issues though. Some interesting scenes with Pat's parents, and their divorce is never judged.

Read More