Reviews

I love this Bl

First off, I want to express that this BL (Boys' Love) series is the first one I've watched in its entirety, with all 12 episodes.

Overall, I just love this BL. I simply adore stories and concepts like this. Once again, they've done an amazing job of hooking me into the story, even though I wasn't initially convinced by it.

As mentioned, I did have some initial issues with the story. I was very confused because the beginning with Talay and Puem was so cute. Their meeting at the airport and then during the film shoot. But I must admit, I didn't read the description of the series (I never do. I usually get my pre-info mostly from TikTok, haha). Then suddenly, he wakes up in another body in a different universe. That really threw me off. I thought I might dislike the series because Talay is in Tess's body and has to deal with the new universe and his friends/parents. And then the whole thing with Pakorn/Tun, who somehow has Tess, and Talay can't figure out why.

But my opinion changed instantly when Puem came back in Tun's body. And then the story really took off. I just love how they both try to live the lives of their respective bodies as best they can. And thus, their friends get to see their own friends and family. And the love that develops between them is so incredibly sweet. It was also cute that Talay never really saw/acknowledged that Tun/Puem was his portkey until the end.

But it broke my heart when Puem and Tun switched bodies again, and Talay and Tess were still trapped in their respective bodies. My heart still aches when I think about Talay waiting at the beach for a whole month until he could cross back over to his universe and reunite with Puem. And when they found each other again, well, we don't need to talk about that. I cried.

So, all in all, I LOVE THIS BL.

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Awesome FL - Meaningful Reverse Harem - Great Character Arcs - Morals and Values exploration

Of all the shows that had the reverse harem tags that I have watched, this was the first time watching a meaningful character arc and chemistry between the FL and various ML for me. It wasn't forced, each of them had a role to plan and each of them contributed to the FL's character growth. This show had a good exploration of right and wrong, and how humans tend to be both good and evil. You rarely see a show where the characterization is not polarized. Nobody is perfect (not even the ML) and nobody is without a flaw.

I personally loved the ending - thought it was both fitting and sweet. (2nd ML felt always a little too good to be true, so maybe that signalled my brain to not expect too much.)

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This was cute, but uneven in my ability to enjoy it

The first half of this show had me on the irritated side. 1) Everyone saying, "Eh?" all the time. I know it's a Japanese thing, but it was so prevalent here I felt like I needed to turn it into a drinking game. 2) SFL - she was a mean human being with no redeeming features. I was seriously disappointed in the lack of repercussions for the terrible things that she did. I understand that the writers wanted to wrap this drama up in a cute, happy ending bow, but this character was just too mean. 3) ML going around asking everyone, "Are you captivated?" 4) At the beginning, even the FL was working my last nerve. The bowing, the lowered eyes, the apologizing for everything. Again, I realize it's part of the Japanese culture, but there's a point where it gets to be too much. 5) the FL's extreme reaction to the scar on her face. I get it, it's teenage land, where hormones run amok, and all emotions are way over the top. The scar wasn't bad enough to warrant that much angst.

I persevered, however, and I liked the last half so much more than the first.

1) The FL grew through her experiences. Strong theme of the importance of loving yourself.
2) The supportiveness of friends, and people apologizing to those they have hurt in the past. (Still not enough to forgive the SFL, however. Maybe a lot of scenes were cut that would have made her change of heart forgivable?)
3) Her parents were lovely. I loved the scenes after the ML and FL were caught in front of her house in the middle of a school day.
4) I'm still not sure, in my heart, who I think the FL should have ended up with, but I loved how both of them wanted what was going to make her happy. I also loved how they grew to respect and like each other.
5) I absolutely loved the parts of episode 7 where the ML was trying to come to terms with his feelings and had no clue how to express them! I rewatched that, multiple times.

For the most part, the show is fluffy and enjoyable to watch, I was just hoping for a little more.

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My favorite drama… hands down

Oh my goodness, I cannot stop raving about this drama I just watched! I stumbled upon it by chance, and it was a game-changer for me. I'm now a die-hard fan of Rosy Zhao and can't get enough of her. This is unusual because I do not usually obsess over celebrities. But trust me, she deserves all the hype she's getting!

The drama was a perfect blend of love and plot, and despite watching countless shows, I was utterly hooked from the very first episode. I usually find that dramas start slow and it takes forever for anything exciting to happen, but not this one! It had me on the edge of my seat to the end. The love story was beautifully crafted and the relationships between the characters were fascinating to watch. I have too many favorite episodes to list, but let me just say that each one was a masterpiece in its own right.

The actors were all outstanding, but I must give a special shoutout to Li Yun, Rui played by Leo Wu. His character's struggle to resist falling in love with the female lead was so well portrayed, and the chemistry between the two was electric. And can we talk about the emperor Bao Jian Feng? What a great performance by Zheng Li! I was also impressed by the supporting cast, particularly the two brothers who were shadows of Leo Wu's character.

Now, I do have a few minor complaints. There were times when I wished there were more close-ups of Leo Wu's facial expressions, especially during some of the more emotional scenes. There were also some inconsistencies in the story, like when they said the female lead's parents left for 10 years instead of 15, or how she learned all about construction. The lack of synchronization in the flute parts played by Rosy Zhao was extremely distracting, despite my genuine appreciation for the music. But these are just nitpicks, really.

The last two episodes were a bit of a letdown for me. I was hoping for a grand finale, but it was just okay. However, this doesn't take away from the fact that this is hands down my favorite drama of all time! I can't even count how many times I've rewatched it. If you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out on one of the best shows out there!

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Decent story with lots of potential, killed by some fatal decisions

Usually these kind of stories starts off with a FL wronged in the prior life and gets a 2nd chance. However in this story, The FL is trying to correct her wrongs.
There's a common theme referring to the scent (hence of scent of time)

The leads Zhou Ye & Wang Xing Yue is a good pairing visually.
Sets/production overall decent although inconsistent. Costume & accessories are beautiful especially for the FL. Then there are props that looks incredibly cheesy fake too.

What killed this drama little by little ...................
1. Poor choice of dubbed voice for the FL. Even when her facial expression is on par with the mood, the voice didn't follow. Actually it sounds like 2 different dubbed voices. One sounded older but either way, it was not good.
2. Mu Yao -- I was wondering how they picked someone who can't act AT ALL. Apparently she's some internet celebrity and end up getting this supporting role with enough lines that can kill a drama. So that happened.
3. OST overkill. It's a nice song but the ONLY song which they play bits of it 10x per episode x 30 episodes ....
4. Over smoothing of people's skin especially of Huan Rong Zhou. He has a wax figure face at times.

Potential not fully realized but not bad overall.

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A Rollercoaster of Love and Loss

First, I would like to say sorry for I thought, more or less two years ago, that this will not be good and I'll hate it because idk season 1 is so perfect to me and I don't actually wanted a second season hence I didn't watched this while airing last year...boy I'm clearly missing out and I'm glad I had time and energy and decided to watch this... I did not write a review about season 1 so I'm writing this as an amend for doubting it. This might be long so here it is.

I thought I'd seen it all in Season 1, but this second installment dives even deeper into the turbulent world of Kang Seo Joon and Han Ji Woo.

The chemistry between Seo Joon and Ji Woo is like a magnetic force that draws you in. It's not just about their differences; it's about how those differences make their connection all the more powerful. The ups and downs of their love story feel so real that you can't help but root for them, and when they're happy, you're on cloud nine with them.

But just when you think they've found their fairy tale ending, bam! Life throws a curveball, and you're left holding your breath, wondering if true love can withstand the storms of life. The suspense is killer, and every episode leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat.

The cinematography is like poetry on screen, capturing the glitz of Seo Joon's celebrity life and the quiet, intimate moments with Ji Woo. The music? Don't even get me started. It's the kind that lingers in your soul, making you feel every emotion the characters are going through.

Now, don't get me wrong; it's not all rainbows and butterflies. There are moments when you want to shout at the screen, "No, don't do that!" The plot can be a tad predictable, and yeah, there are some clichés thrown in. But here's the thing – the actors pour so much heart into their roles that you forgive the drama's flaws. You're not just watching characters; you're feeling their joy and heartbreak like it's your own.

In the end, "To My Star Season 2: Our Untold Stories" is a tearjerker, a heartwarmer, and a testament to the crazy, unpredictable journey that love can take you on. So, brace yourself for the emotional rollercoaster, and get ready to fall in love all over again. I might rewatch this when I'm lonely idk.

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krork

this drama..is adopted from a manhwa...and usually manhwas are super long...so it's just simply impossible for the makers to fir everything into mere 8 eps...and deliver a godd story

the drama feels a bit cut out from between...

the first 2 episodes were literally boring n pointless for me because I just couldn't understand why taesung was behaving in that way...but then later in ep3 the misunderstanding was cleared and it gave reasoning to taesungs actions in tha first 2 episodes...the story upto ep 4 or 5 was okay..
but after that it just feels boring cringey and too stiff...the scenes which are supposed to make u blush actually made me cringe...like that scene where taesung was eating something (cream bun I suppose) and the filling was dripping so haebom just bit the other end to prevent the filling from coming out..it just seemed cringe to me

as for the acting..not to be rude to any of the actors but I really did not like the acting of anyyyyy actor...now i haven't watched other dramas of any of these actors so idk about their overall acting ...but in this drama it was not good

as for the story..as I said already it was adopted from a manhwa..ig the original manhwa has about 140 achapters so clearly...the flow of the story in the manhwa will be much smoother...in the drama I feel...the makers have just simply like..picked some scenes from manhwa which they thought wd serve as gr8 fanservixe and they just put it up there in each episode due to which everything felt weirdly cut off

so i wd not suggest watching this drama...you should just go for the webtoon because I feel the webtoon or manhwa serves a lot better than the drama...

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the cast is perfect

i’d say the story is pretty generic but the casting was done very well and everyone did well to tell the story so it’s really good. in my opinion i don’t see any romance in this show especially between the main 3 characters bc i think their love feels more familial.

i think the ending is pretty good. it’s very sad but it’s doesn’t make it a bad ending. i like that they didn’t miraculously find a cure like how most dramas would. my interpretation of the ending is that llh was at the beach before the other two came but when they arrived he was gone (probably somewhere where he actually does die).

i think a season two isn’t necessary for this story. llh would’ve wanted it to end. however i would like the see the cast again.

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OVERRATED - TIRESOME - MAIN LEADS HAS REALLY LOW SIGNFICANCE ON HOW THINGS ARE GOING

Emotional rollercoaster is okay but when this is driven by a third person it becomes annoying. Why I say that will be revealed in a moment. Continue reading if you want...

I will start with the good things.
Acting & Cast: I rated it 7. Though it deserves more. They are good. But I think I am a bit disappointed that's why I rated 7. They are really good actors. Casting was also good.
Music. Quite good. But it didn't really hooked me into them for long.

Now then.....
Story: Typical rich kid CEO & a random girl but really famous being pursued by almost everyone in this universe. Just because of how this develops forward i rated it 3.5 or else maybe it would get 4.5-5.

What I hate most about this Drama:
I absolutely hated Bi Ruo Shan aka Shan Shan. The support role is in the driving seat how the relationship develops between the ML's. She is absolutely a B*tCh. At first she gives the FL idea on how to pursue Shi Yan in a negative way. Well there is nothing wrong about. Almost all the typical dramas have same story. But when our female lead is feeling sorry for her action, shan shan the B*tch is trying to stop her. Why? because it will ruin the scholarship. Well, girl you gave her Idea. WTF. This happens countless times. Now after the ML Shi Yan gets to know why the FL Shu Yi pursues her, he becomes upset. Well, obviously anyone will be, right? Weather it's male or female. If anyone bonds up with someone with some intention not because of own gain anyone will be upset & depressed. Now when the ML leaves the FL, she decides not to explain . Well it's too late but at least try. What is wrong with you? FL decides to write an email. AN EMAIL, guys!! Seriously. Okay let's say Email is okay but she writes an email regarding work not about clearing things between them. On the top of that she allows the other side characters like Yi Yang gets close to her acting like she doesn't know what goes through the male lead is going through. Well, let's say she is an absolute immature character & doesn't know about these things. Let's forgive her. Now, Shan Shan again becomes a bi*ch & ask the female lead to be involved with Yi Yang this time. Again controlling the leads love life,. Our female lead still didn't apologize & explain things to the male lead. The male lead is not also taking any action. But according the situation, in my opinion the male lead owes her nothing. He loved her from start to finish. Some might disagree but It's just my opinion. Then the b*tch shan shan hears about Shi Yan from the female lead that he is not doing anything, she becomes upset with Shi Yan for this. The b*tch things Shi Yan is the problem. WTF. Girl, you were doing everything from the beginning. Putting ideas on female leads mind, doesn't let her clear things before disaster came, then asks the female lead to hook up with others, becoming angry at Shi Yan for nothing. Everything is about you. What funny is she couldn't even handle her own love life at the beginning while she was sharing tips about love with FL. That makes me more furious.

I don't know how this drama rates 8. It has absolute downfall. You can disagree but I don't care. I watch drama to relieve myself from stress not to gain more.

And never have friends like shan shan. They ruin love life. Talking from personal experience.

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Edit: (After watching the remaining eps)
Still shi*t. childish ending.

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thought provoking if nothing else

this was thought provoking if nothing else.

The primary conflict revolves around the FL. Will she find a date?

That's basically all there is to it. The potential male suitors are varying degrees of mediocre to awful. You've got the slob that had negative social and emotional IQ. The ex that is told No, the FL is not interested on at least three occasions, but still inserts himself into her personal life (while being her manager).The junior that is told No a couple times but keeps harassing the FL and propositioning an intimate relationship. And lastly, the long term manager with a temper and strange power relationship.

Just ignore the brother and mother. they are meaningless to the story and never developed as characters.

The story is happy feel-good introspection interspersed with awful harassment of the FL. It reached a pinnacle when the various male love interests setup a scoring rubric to give themselves the privilege of asking out the FL for dinner. wtf?

Wish the FL quit the job, cut all of them out and leveraged her newspaper column to work as a writer. She deserved more than a shitty marketing agency that has rampant sexual harassment.

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A Buffet of Romance Stories

This anthology-style drama consists of 10 romance stories that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Except for the last episode, you can watch the other 9 in any order, and you wouldn’t be confused. For me, I just watched it from the beginning. Even though these are stories of love, they are not necessarily all cute and fluffy. But it does give us variety and viewers will probably like some more than others.

“At the Moment” has a star-studded cast. If you watch enough Taiwanese dramas, you will recognize or have seen all of them in other dramas. It seems like the whole cast was in the “Light the Night” series, some as main/supporting characters, and others in guest roles. This is probably because director Lian Yi Qi also directed all 3 “Light the Night” dramas.

The acting is pretty good and the stories are interesting enough. I do have my favorites.

Ep 1 - Scripted Love - this is an interesting and not a bad introduction to the drama.
Ep 2 - Price for a ‘happy ending’ - this is one of my favorite ones. Love the actors and it’s funny!
Ep 3 - Blinded by love - not one of my favorites as I don’t like the female character that much. The male lead is quite good-looking though.
Ep 4 - ET phone home - this is quite weird to begin with but I like the interesting twist (thought somewhat predictable).
Ep 5 - Dodgeball - not one of my favorites because I don’t like the portrayal of the sudden change of feelings.
Ep 6 - Let’s try again - this one is OK, even though I like both leads.
Ep 7 - Hot and sexy revenge - there’s just something about Chris Wu that makes him so damn sexy, even though he’s not the typical pretty boy. Watch this for him. LOL
Ep 8 - Role Reversal - this one is different from the others. A very ‘normal’ relationship but it’s actually really sweet to see how the couple supports each other.
Ep 9 - Badminton never dies - a pleasant surprise to see the portrayal of such a relationship.
Ep 10 - I’m sorry Jie Jie 姐姐 - gotta include this trope within these 10 episodes. It was nice to have a quick recap of how everyone’s doing.


Completed: 11/21/2023 - Review #379

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