Reviews

Netflix's Top 10 TV Global Non-English seven weeks aired on JTBC Aug 23, 2023 - Oct 12, 2023

This review will not assess cinematography, mise-en-scene, lighting, diegetic etc.

Destined With You (This is irresistible Love) 2023

Director: Nam Ki Hoon (Tunnel 1987) (Kiss Sixth Sense 2022)

Screenwriter: Noh Ji Sul (100 Days My Prince 2018)

Main Actors: Jo Bo Ah as Lee Hong Jo/Aeng Cho (Female lead Onju Civil Servant)
Rowoon as Jang Shin Yu/Jang Mu Jin (Lawyer)
Ha Joon Kwon as Kwon Jae Kyung Advisor to Mayor (Second Male lead)
Yura as Yoon Na Yeon (Mayor's daughter, decorator, ex-Girlfriend to Shin Yu


Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy

This is a love story encompassing three hundred years that requires you to suspend logic because Shamanism, Karma, Curses, past lives and reincarnation must be accepted.

This drama uses non linear storytelling, flashbacks that DON'T fill in all the blanks.

You will be left with questions because the screenwriter, director purposely allowed the audience to develop their own theories of what happened and what will unfold.


If you lack patience, need to interrupt the story at every turn, this isn't for you.


Surrender yourself to this drama; get lost in the beautiful love story between Hong Jo and Shin Yu, you won't be disappointed.



The Princess Bride (1987)
Grandpa to his Grandson stop interrupting me.

Destined With You reminds me of Secret Garden (2010)

Recommend the OST



Lighten up Francis

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Sky has stolen my heart

I don't know how to rate this because I only love the second half. The first couple (Rain x Phayu) didn't work for me. I couldn't get over the non-con elements, their relationship dynamic was seriously upsetting to me and Rain was annoying.
I really like the second half of the show however. I've watched it three times already and it's probably gonna become a comfort show for me. It ONLY works as a fictional story! A lot of Prapai's actions would not be okay in real life. Also, the ending felt rushed, the story could have used another episode. But that being said, I really like Sky as a character, he feels very relatable to me and I totally understand his actions. I also enjoyed watching Sky and Prapai's relationship develop. I like the scenes with Sky's friends, their very buys college life. I don't know... this show (the second half) just works for me even though I am fully aware of it's problematic aspects. I'm a sucker for some of the tropes. Like character A comforting character B who's having a nightmare is probably one of my favorite tropes of all time. So yeah, it's not a show that I feel comfortable recommending to others because it's problematic af and potentially quite triggering but I will just quietly enjoy it by myself every once in a while.

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a perfect marriage of history & drama

This review is only for Part 1 (Ep 1-10)

Having grown up in North America, I know next to nothing of Chinese & Asian history. This K-period drama has sparked my curiosity about ancient China's profound economic, political, & cultural influence on Korean history. The show balances interwoven love triangles, set against the tumultuous backdrop of the 1637 Qing invasion by a transitioning China. Korea is caught in the crossfire between two Chinese dynasties, the declining Ming & rising Qing.

The central character is a young noblewoman, Yu Gil Chae, who lives in a college town filled with scholarly noble families. She, along with her peers, is concerned only with finding the right husband. Problem is, she loves her best friend's betrothed who doesn't return the affection. As the spectre of a devastating war looms, a mysterious nobleman, Lee Jang Hyun, comes into town to do business, who seems completely noncommital & almost contemptuous in both personal relationships as well as politics. He justifiably criticizes a weak and paranoid king. However, willingly or not, he becomes a key player in the fate of the townspeople, the country, & Gil Chae's destiny.

The romance portion starts off light in tone, whereas the war is given a very stark & brutal picture. The barbarian coalition of Manchus, Mongols, & Chinese forces are literally blood thirsty. Interestingly, the Manchu language, which is now in danger of extinction, is preserved in this drama with the actors actually having had to learn & speak lines of it. For the first half, it seemed like this show would be a more serious war drama with a light romance on the side which didn't really seem to fit. There's the usual trope of the bad start relationship, & Gil Chae's devotion to her unrequited love interest got rather annoying.

However, in the 2nd half of Season 1, the war ends with the subjugation of the Joseon king, & the relationship between Gil Chae & Jang Hyun, as well as the rest of the characters, gets really interesting. The war divides Joseon into 2 types of people: those who place counry & duty above all else & those who don't. This is oversimplification but it's the basis of all the interpersonal conflicts. I liked Ahn Eun Jin's amazing portrayal of Gil Chae's growth from a naive girl into a self determined woman. I was completely sucked in watching the push & pull of Gil Chae & Jang Hyun's relationship as they try to figure out what they want from each other & for themselves. The emotional level is on par with The Red Sleeve. Gil Chae makes a gut wrenching but true-to-self decision at the end & this is the lead in to Season 2. Definitely must watch to the finish!

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It made me feel all the feels

This drama is a wholeass experience.

The non verbal storytelling was some of the best I've ever seen. There was so much that was said without uttering even a single word, case in point: the little, seemingly unconnected scenes at the beginning of each episode. Pay attention to them. They may seem inconsequential, but tell a whole story of their own when analyzed in the context of the ambiguous ending of the show.

So too was the case with how the passing of time was subtly but distinctly conveyed not only by the clothes the actors were wearing, but also by looking at their environment. I genuinely wonder over how long a period of time this was filmed, became the production crew can put actors in shorts and short sleeves in the middle of winter and pretend like they're enjoying a nice summer day, but how do you transition from bare branches, to trees in full bloom, to verdant and lush foliage to falling leaves? You can control wardrobes, but not mother nature.

I loved the OST, the plot of the drama, the cinematography and especially the main couple. They had such intense chemistry, and Se Jong in particular just blew me away with how much he could emote just by minutely changing his facial expressions. I liked him in Still 17, but he was amazing here.

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Annoying and good to have fastforward button

This will be short review and is maybe just me.
I started with some kind of goodwill and wanted to have a fluffy romance watch. I fast forwarded 80% of it. Nothing new, the actress is really annoying, or her character. In adult world nobody is doing business like that. Take the client to the hotel to find your friend cheating boyfriend, you kidding right? Cheap lines - like this is branded clothes, and do you know how much it cost? ... OMG. Ex boyfriend coming and doing business with you (with FL company), give me a break... He loves her so much, but by the end he sleeps in another woman house? Is this Thai lakorn? If a man gets so drunk and doesn't know how and where he got after, AVOID such love. He didn't cheat, but the feeling he was dragged by another woman in her house, left me puzzled and super annoyed. So this is my review full of frustration. Sorry lovers of this drama.

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The GGMTV boys grow a pair

This series gets some hate for not being the usual school type BL from GMMTV but sometimes you need to do something for a different more mature minded audience. In the UK Queer as Folk in 1999 or Skins in 2007 probably did a similar jump from the 'norm' and providing scenes designed to shock.
The headline talk with many people will be about it being more risky with NC scenes but t really needs credit for the story which although not perfect did a really good job of keeping viewers interest in each of the relatively large cast and intertwining their stories.
The cinematography seemed a sterp up for GMMTV as well with some scenes giving me vibes of more a european production.
In some respects the final episode was a let down as the pacing was a bit erratic and was the only one I felt like fast forwarding bits of, but the ending for each character was decent.
It's the first BL I've seen that gave such a big hint of a potential series 2, so lets see what 2024 brings

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confused writer

Such a confusing story. I don't know what story the writer want to tell. Instead of focusing on developing the main storyline, the writer chose to throw so many unnecessary filler side story randomly. I wish they'd focused more on the interaction between the mainleads, what a waste of such a good chemistry. What disappointed me the most was episode 28. Suddenly almost 2 years just went by. What happened to the Hua, Mu, Meng, Wu, Zhong Family? The plot was going nowhere. Instead of continuing the plotline, the writer/director chose to throw in so many new characters in the last episodes? What's the purpose? It really felt like cash grabbing/hype seeking on the cameo's name, I mean : Peng Xiao Ran, Sun Yi, Zhang Tian Ai, Yang Xu Wen, all come out just for a few seconds of scene that had nothing to do with the previous plot. I'm sorry episode 28 just dragged the whole drama down for me.

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The motive, the idea of the story is good, but in my opinion the execution is worse. It just didn't pull me into the micro-story, I felt like the really good-looking actors (Jaime, Winston and Heart) were just reciting the text, and the close-ups of their facial expressions (desire, lust, indecision) didn't save it either. So to speak, emptiness, nothingness took me from its clutches. In my opinion, a lot of unused potential.

When the series started, I thought I was going to blast the antagonist (lovely actress Ramona Vega) with a mouthful of how overplayed it all was. The trio was "beautified" by the creature monkey Jordan (Gio Emprese), whom I know from the series My Day, where he played Sky's nanny-maid-housekeeper Jelai. What's more, my rating was at least partly saved by the music.



Motiv, nápad příběhu dobrý, ale dle mě horší provedení. Prostě mě to nevtáhlo dovnitř toho mikropříběhu, měl jsem pocit, jakoby opravdu hezcí herci (Jaime, Winston i Heart) jen odříkávali text, a nezachránily to ani detailní pohledy na výrazy jejichnž tváří (touha, chtíč, nerozhodnost). Takříkajíc vzala mě to svých spár prázdnota, nicota. Dle mě hodně nevyužitý potenciál.

Když seriál začal, myslel jsem, že půjdu tu protivu s plnou hubou (sličná herečka Ramona Vega) odstřelit, jak to bylo všechno přehrané. Trio "zkrášlila" ještě kreaturní opička Jordan (Gio Emprese), kterého znám ze seriálu My Day, kde hrál Sky-ovu chůvu-služku-hospodyni Jelai. Ještě že mé hodnocení alespoň částečně zachránila hudba.

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A very nice Korean series, which made me want to watch a higher rating on the IMDb and ČSFD heterac servers than here (unfortunately). An above-average work in all aspects, where the actor Jang Eui Soo in the role of Gook appealed to me the most. When the overall good impression prevails, the viewer is willing to overlook even small things that would probably be filmed differently in Europe. I recommend including the series To My Star, which was filmed by the same director.


Moc hezký korejský seriál, k jehož zhlédnutí mě přimělo vyšší hodnocení na heteráckých serverech IMDb a ČSFD, než tady (bohužel). Po všech stránkách nadprůměrné dílo, kde nejvíce mě oslovil herec Jang Eui Soo v roli Gooka. Když převáží celkový dobrý dojem, je divák ochoten přehlédnout i drobnosti, které by se třeba v Evropě natočily asi jinak. Doporučuji včetně série To My Star, kterou natočila stejná režisérka.

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Phun and Noh from Love Sick and are joined by new couples Pin and Son (in Love by Chance Ae and Pete) and Two a Wish (in Love by Chance Tin and Can). Well-known music and only three parts of unequal length from 14-40 min and not as stated by IMDb 3x30 min.

Those who have seen the series Love Sick and Love by Chance (both seasons) might think that here the destinies of the couples are their continuation. It is not so. How do young men cope with small clouds in the relationships of individual couples? The most changed (I'll call them names from previous series) is Tin, who finally shows his acting skills in the role of the smiling Two (so far we only knew him as sullen, domineering, "puffed up" and hurt Tin), Can has changed primarily physically ( pink hair), Ae showed that he has matured as an actor, and the creators finally combed the affine from Pete's forehead so that the smile of a freshly plucked mouse or a sun on the dung would remain. As for intimacy, there were few of them, less than in the original series, and the audience will probably evaluate it differently and will be divided into those who already know the actors and those who are seeing them for the first time.


Phun a Noh ze seriálu Love Sick a k nim se přidávají nové dvojice Pin a Son (v seriálu Love by Chance Ae a Pete) a Two a Wish (v seriálu Love by Chance Tin a Can). Známá hudba a jen tři díly nestejné délky od 14-40 min a ne jak uvádí IMDb 3x30min.

Ti, kteří viděli seriály Love Sick a Love by Chance (vždy obě sezóny) by se mohli domnívat, že zde jsou osudy dvojic jejich pokračováním. Není tomu tak. Jak si poradí mladí muži s drobnými mráčky ve vztazích jednotlivých párů? Nejvíce se změnil (budu je nazývat jmény z předešlých seriálů) Tin, který konečně ukazuje svoje herectví v roli usměvavého Two-a (zatím jsme jej znali jen jako zasmušilého, panovačného, "nafoukaného" a ublíženého Tina), Can se změnil především fyzicky (růžové vlasy), Ae ukázal, že herecky vyspěl a Petemu konečně tvůrci odčesali tu afinku z čela, aby mu úsměv čerstvě vyorané myšky nebo sluníčka na hnoji zůstal dál. Co se týká intimností, tak jich bylo poskrovnu, méně jak v původních seriálech a hodnotit budou možná diváci rozdílně a budou se dělit na ty, co už herce znají a ty, kteří je vidí poprvé.

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A Korean series from a sports environment with excellent skits by Ugly Duckling, which was also produced as a feature film (we also have it here with a skit by monvi-ho), will surely conjure up a good mood for every viewer. The story was conceived in a comedic way, and Sang Ha imposed himself and pandered to Jin Won too much for my taste, and I was disturbed by the horrible roaring pianos in some scenes. On the contrary, pleasant songs colored other scenes, it should be highlighted that Hang was struggling with a difficult fate in life (he was literally fighting for survival), and at the same time he was still able to love, and the final kiss was just right (neither breathing fishes, nor anything exaggerated, what would again the viewer did not believe). A nice diversion.


Korejský seriál ze sportovního prostředí s výbornými sk tit od Škaredého Káčatka, který byl vyroben i jako celovečerní film (ten zde máme též s cz tit od monvi-ho), jistě každému divákovi vykouzlí dobrou náladu. Příběh byl pojat komediálně a Sang Ha se na můj vkus vnucoval a podlézal Jin Wonovi až moc a rušily mě v některých scénách ty příšerné řvavé klavíry. Naopak příjemné písně dobarvily jiné scény, vyzdvihnout je třeba to, že Hang bojoval s těžkým životním osudem (doslova bojoval o přežití), a přitom dokázal ještě i milovat a závěrečný polibek byl tak akorát (ani nedýchající štítivé ryby, ani nic přehnaného, čemu by zase divák nevěřil). Příjemné zpestření.

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The longer Thai series about love woes between young people from several faculties of the University of Bangkok is, in my opinion, more or less successful, if I keep in mind that the creators stuck to the book, rather fairy-tale model and that it expresses the most beautiful feeling in the world, regardless of sexual orientation. Hence the rating from me as it is.

Instead of praise, I will underline a few of my observations, which did not noticeably affect my evaluation. University environment again. One of the main characters of Solo (played by the twenty-seven-year-old Thai singer and actor Supanut) rides in a lighthouse that is just a dream of the creators themselves. Solo-Gui duo act for a long time as if they were sleepwalking, I understand that it was supposed to be like that and not that it is a flaw in their acting. But I was bothered by the overall tightness. The second duo Kao-Phuri didn't even have a kiss after hours of watching, but only forehead to forehead, there was neither sight nor hearing of any intimacies of students who are already in their twenties. I don't need to see it, but that's what it sounded like overall.


Delší thajský seriál o strastech s láskou mezi mladíky z několika fakult univerzity v Bangkoku je dle mě víceméně povedený, pokud mám na paměti, že se tvůrci drželi knižní, poněkud pohádkové předlohy a že vyjadřuje nekrásnější cit na světě bez ohledu na sexuální orientaci. Proto ode mě hodnocení takové, jaké je.

Místo pochval zde podtrhnu pár mých postřehů, které ale znatelně neovlivnily mé hodnocení. Zase vyskoškolské prostředí. Jedna z hlavních postav Solo (hraje ji dvacetisedmiletý thajský zpěvák a herec Supanut) jezdí ve fáru, které je pouhým snem i tvůrců samotných. Duo Solo-Gui dlouhou dobu hrají, jako kdyby byli náměsíční, chápu, že to tak mělo být a ne, že je to vada jejich herectví. Vadila mi ale celková upjatost. Druhé duo Kao-Phuri si vlastně nedalo po hodinách sledování ani pusinku, ale jen čelíčko na čelíčko, o nějakých intimnostech studentů, kterým už je dávno přes dvacet, nebylo ani vidu, ani slechu. Nepotřebuji to vidět, ale celkově to tak vyznělo.

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Cute, Funny, And Fun With One Secure-Attachment Lead.

jpny01's review says things well. I'll add:
GENERAL SPOILERS included below.

I liked how Naoya was comfortable with his sexuality; it was never brought up, it just... was. His actions were consistently green flags and he had a very secure attachment style. After the first episode, he was also good at asking or waiting for consent for physical intimacy (unfortunately, the writers kept him and us waiting).

I loved how Kota told Naoya the truth fairly early on and by his own choice. It wasn't by forced circumstance; he did so because he genuinely felt bad and thought that it was the right thing to do. That is so rare and I was so glad the writers didn't follow the usual clichés with that plotline.

The writers did, however, use the inane cliche of one of the romantic partners resisting affection because it made them feel awkward all the way the to the end. At least it wasn't disgust, but still, that made it drop a full star for me because their relationship arc didn't feel truly satisfying. Even just cuddling with smiles at the end would have been more heart-warming than the peck on the cheek followed by a tickle fight.

The series made me laugh outloud a lot, the actors were good, both leads had good comedic sense, especially the one playing Kota, they had good chemistry, there were good messages without being preachy, and the whole thing was engaging and cute and fun. I can see rewatching this again at some point.

I would have given a 10/10 through Ep 6, then the rehashing of the same internal questions and conflicts in Ep 7& 8 lowered my rating to a 9/10. Though I was glad to see Kota and Naoya talking things out, it didn't actually make their relationship progress at all, which was weird to me. So that ffrustration and the relatively unsatisfying, clichéd ending (more bromance than romance) brought my rating down to 8/10.

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Despite the fact that the quality of this series was not perfect, and sometimes (not always) it seemed almost amateurish, the end of the story still intrigued me, touched me. I appreciate the ideas expressed, especially in the last part, and in that, this part has a benefit for possible viewers all over the world and in China itself, where gays are not a bed of roses, especially when it comes to censorship and the neglect of homosexuality in the media.

The absolutely cute Han Jin Cheng (Ying Jiaming's character) made it to the acting average for everyone with a very good performance, which was very believable.


I přesto, že tato série neměla kvality zpracování dokonalé a někdy (ne vždy) to působilo skoro amatérsky, přesto mě konec příběhu zaujal, zasáhl. Oceňuji vyřčené myšlenky, především v posledním díle, a v tom má toto dílko přínos pro případné diváky na celém světě a v Číně samotné, kde nemají gayové na růžích ustláno, především co se cenzorských zásahů týká a přehlížení homosexuality ve sdělovacích prostředcích.

Do hereckého průměru to za všechny dotáhl velmi dobrým výkonem naprosto roztomilý Han Jin Cheng (postava Ying Jiaminga), který byl hodně uvěřitelný.

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A solid Taiwanese picture where all four mini-parts are in one file.
In addition, the plot is still fragmented into individual chapters between the two protagonists. Don't be alarmed at the beginning that "Senior" is going so fast, you will learn why in the process. Likeable actors, the love of two young men as the central motive, a good impression.

Solidní taiwanský snímek, kdy jsou všechny čtyři minidíly v jednom souboru.
Navíc děj je mezi oběma protagonisty ještě rozkouskován do jednotlivých kapitol. Nelekněte se začátku, že jde na to "Senior" tak zhurta, v průběhu se dozvíte, proč. Herci sympatičtí, láska dvou mladých mužů jako ústřední motiv, dobrý dojem.

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