Reviews

Fun and thrilling adventure with an awful pace

This story is mainly about two young men, Huzi and Qi Xiaoxuan, who team up with each other and fight to overcome a crisis that threatens to destroy the world. The structure of the story and the way it develops in each episode reminded me a lot of certain action tv shows I watched as a kid, in a good way: I really felt like I was embarking in a great adventure and the setting was very charming to me. Despite this, the plot was not easy to follow because of its pacing, which is just terrible: the story seems to slow down or even come to a halt at the worst moments, it speeds up way too much right when it's supposed to take more time to let the events develop naturally, and so on. I felt confused multiple times as I wondered why were certain events in the story taking so long to finish, all while some very important parts of the story felt rushed for no good reason. If anyone dropped this drama because they were getting bored or they couldn't understand the plot, I wouldn't be surprised.

The strongest point of this series is definitely in the characters. The main characters, the antagonists, even the secondary roles and a good chunk of the supporting cast were very captivating and well-detailed, most with a well developed story and personality that made for a very colourful cast.
Huzi and Qi Xiaoxuan are amazing as the main characters and make a very good pair: seeing their mutual dislike slowly turn into quiet acceptance, then respect, friendship, and even brotherhood was very satisfying. I'd go as far as calling it a bromance, because I feel like the chemistry they had with each other was unmatched. Seeing someone like Huzi as a main character was also a pleasant breath of fresh air to me, after seeing male protagonists who are always elegant and refined in all the Chinese fantasy dramas I've ever watched. Zhao Xintong and "Brick" Wang Yuqian completed the quartet very quickly, and their characters were explored to an extent that left me pleasantly surprised. I was afraid that their group would feel like "Huzi, Xiaoxuan, and friends" for the entire story, but that wasn't the case at all.

The production looked pretty good to me: the entire drama looks incredibly pretty to look at, and the fighting scenes are probably my favorite. I wasn't a huge fan of the CGI monsters, but that's something that I could overlook easily.

This series could have been a 10 out of 10 to me, if it wasn't for the bad pacing, which might easily discourage anyone from watching more than a handful of episodes. I still feel like Tiger and Crane deserves a chance despite this, because it's still a fun adventure and the characters are just too easy to love.

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Good drama with amazing characters and story

Production: For being low-cost I thought the costumes were well-made and high-quality, and I thought the outfits they wore looked cool. If they used wigs, it looked like they used a lot of hair gel, but the hairstyles were nice, and the makeup wasn't too over-the-top.
Story: I could tell the story was well thought out, and it requires a lot of piecing together to solve the mystery. I'm not big-brained enough to figure out who did what, but they explain the process after the big reveal. What I like the most about this series is the character dynamics; the main female lead is not helpless and plays a big part in actually helping the main male lead figure out the crime. When the characters get into misunderstandings, they are very mature about it and resolve it within the episode and aren't dramatic about it. The romance is a bit cheesy at times but it works somehow because the chemistry between the characters is adorable. The female leads work together and never get into big fights; the same thing is true for the male leads too. As far as I could tell, every episode had a purpose and there were no filler episodes. Each minute was used and none was wasted, which added to the suspense and substance of the story.
Acting: In the parts where the characters feel emotion, the actors portray it very well and their reactions make you feel things. Also, the chemistry between the actors is there. Especially the actor who played Jing Yi; I could tell he enjoyed playing that character and is low-key my favorite character because of his personality.
Music: There are some songs that I would listen to on repeat because the lyrics and the way they sing is expressive and sound good.
TL;DR Despite it being low-cost I think they did pretty well. The wardrobe and makeup were perfect. A fluid story with lots of stuff to piece together and excellent acting that fits each character. The music is expressive, and when they put it in the episodes are appropriate for the scene/context. Since the insurrectionist was someone I didn't expect, I wouldn't mind watching it again to see the little details I missed the first time, though I wouldn't go through that whole rollercoaster again if I wanted to.

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Standard high school BL with a twist

The ship between Perth and Chimon worked well. They both are experienced (BL) actors and got the chemistry well going. Chimon keeps looking like age has no effect on him.
The OST doesn’t stay with you, but they do have a famous classical piano piece coming in now and then (Spiegel im Spiegel, guided with the violin).
The side couple stayed a long time on enemy ground to get together in ep11. Found out later they played a main couple in 2020’s my gear your gown (not seen it)
Good that a non typical boy as Euro got casted. Other actors are also known from other BL’s
The story itself has some bullying in the beginning with appalling teachers not taking action. Moves further to Perth seeking recognition from his father to a violent twist in ep10.
Not bad to have watched it, but wouldn’t rewatch.

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Cultural Time shift story

For me the OST is the best since Dark blue kisses, very well.
Nonkul, I believe isn’t know in the BL field much and it shows a bit like his kissing. Probably Bright isn’t familiar either, but gives a more convincing gay character. Gradually both do grow towards each other and chemistry is getting there with some good kissing scenes. The story itself starts quite slow and has Nonkul moving in as major domus for Bright. Both do take a convincing stand in favour of being gay and show these sweet moments. I’ve seen other shows with great acting and strong commitment wording to gay life but no proof of the pudding (like teddy bear).
Some of the episodes are a bit too long, but don’t miss out on the cute moments.
The sceneries are very nice and a good eye for the detail and architecture.
One of the better BL’s in 2023, maybe a sequel given the open end?

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Some of the known BL couples being challenged in fidelity

This BL is unlike almost all the others, where only the shipped couples are allowed to show kissing. Here they are on a path of discovering who they are and what they seek in a partner.
Let’s start with First, who blew me away with his acting so I looked up what else he acted in and realized he was in one of the best BL’s “Not Me”, definitely have to rewatch it. I also binged the shipper where First had the main role and got to kiss with Ohm. So First did get his fair share of kissing with boys. He moved into my top 5 of BL actors. Can we all agree he has such a nice smile?
Khoathung played his boyfriend and when he looks at you intriguing, how can you not fall for him?
The second main also has been together in other BL’s and had a nice storyline. What I didn’t like is they also had to sniffkiss a couple of times where the other couples gave decent kisses. Force and Book did give 2 or 3 times a good kiss, but you could see they’re not so comfortable. Neo and Mark on the other hand where very into their character and had some hot scenes. Mark who played Nick, was so adorable.
Some more familiar faces of BL’s do pop up as well.

Definitely a rewatch, also one of the better BL’s in 2023

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Would have been a lot better had they kept the leads innoncence intact

The reason why i started watching it was because of the pilot episode, that was really interested.
Thr beginning of the series was not what i expected of it but still enjoyed the slow burn story and was eagerly waiting for other episodes to air.

This could have been a lot better had they written the characters more in depth. I felt like lot of deep conversations were missing, between brothers ,
between lovers and betwen friends. There were scenes where Vee and Baitong , Sky and Ton were having conversation shared about each others life and each had their own problems but more than just listening or comforting each other they just whinned or bragged about their own relationships.
The real reason why Sky was not ready or Vee was upset is still unknown. They just touched everything on the surface and left lot of plot holes.

I was not really interested in the side couples stories right from the start but they wasted a lot of potential in Ton and Bai's story (lovers probelms due to busy schedules) again they missed deep conversations but just kept adjusting themselves to each other.
Coming to Vee and Sky, only reason why i continued watching it was due to their slow burn relation, completely my kindof pace but again the writers spoiled it for me by adding spicy and wild making out scenes . For me, would have been better had they kept it to the last episode or a little milder. Was defiently not expecting these NC scenes from VeeSky.

Acting wise , found Vee a little awkward during few scenes( NC scenes were an expection looked like he was trained actor their) and sky got better at acting with time episode. But, VeeSky together had amazing chemistry Ton and Janus were better actors of them all.

Overall i enjoyed it up untill the main couple got together and then the last episode had a better wrapping up of side couple's story.

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I'M A CHANGED WOMEN

I honestly have no words when I started watching this drama I knew there would be some level of enjoyment based of the premise alone but what I got instead was a heartwarming, gut-wrenching, iconic and beautiful love story that had me laughing in one episode and crying in another.

I love each character the lead couple did what they needed to do and did it flawlessly I was rooting for them from start to finish but what I didn't expect was for my heart to be stolen so quickly by the secondary couple they had me in a chokehold and I had no chance of getting out.

If I had one complaint it would be the decision to not have danyin and changheng end up together or at least hint at them trying to "date" each other, they had the chemistry and honestly it felt like unnecessary torture to have them not get a happily ever after and they would be amazing together *in my humble opinion*

Besides the romance aspect the story was really well written too every action the characters took made sense, their development felt natural and I never felt the narrative was bending a character so that the plot could move forward.

There is still so much more I wish to say but that would leave me rambling on for far too long. This show is amazing every episode was meant to be there, the story never felt like it was dragging along and that made me very happy.

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I see the Romance, but not the Dangerous

This was.... okay. Let's get into it:

The good:

- I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, Guy and Nawa SAVED this series for me. They were so entertaining, the chemistry was off the charts, and I was invested every time they were on-screen. I loved them. Their kiss??? Are you kidding me??? I think their romance was believable, they never really lost their banter but grew to tolerate, then like each other. I'm sold.
- Sailom and Kanghan have some genuinely adorable moments together. They're at their best when they're hanging out and just having fun.
- The first few episodes were good. Like, actually good. They were so different to other GMMTV series: they were gritty, darker and more bold in showing the reality of bullying. It really got under my skin - which means it was done well. I wanted to punch Kanghan so badly. It felt appropiate for the title 'Dangerous Romance', and even though I don't really like watching people get abused and bullied, it was realistic for the characters and the situations they were in.
- I also loved the (new?) trope of the bully getting his ass handed to him by the person being bullied. It was so funny, and clever, and it made me love Sailom so much. They tell us that he's smart, but those scenes show it as well. It made me see him as a resourceful, cunning and assertive person.
- Honorable mention to my boy Auto, he's made me laugh multiple times - love him as well.

The bad:

- The story just loses its steam after a few episodes - there's no other way to describe it. Once Sailom and Kanghan become friends, it's less about the bullying and more about their romance and secondary plot points. Which I would not mind if they had done it properly - instead, they redeemed Kanghan in, like, the THIRD episode, through a sad montage, and had Sailom forgive him almost immediately. They trusted each other SO FAST. This was the guy who a week ago was forcing you to kiss your friend and recording it!! Why do you trust him?? Why does HE trust you??? Kanghan never really faced the consequences of what he did, which was messed up. He didn't 'make a mistake', he harassed poorer students while being aware of his privilege and accused someone of being a p*dophile so that they would lose their job as a tutor. This is not something that can (nor should) be forgiven that quickly.
- About Kanghan and Sailom's relationship: it's just not giving Romance. They looked like friends with benefits to me. They have such a strong chemistry as friends, but the actors look a little bit uncomfortable when doing physically intimate scenes together. I don't know, maybe I'm just imagining things. Also, it's kind of toxic - Kanghan drops Sailom multiple times throughout the series, and shuts himself off completely without communicating. He fires Sailom knowing that he's financially dependent on him and that he'll have to resort to being an escort. He distances himself immediately after telling him he trusts him. I would be VERY insecure in that relationship.
- Potential? teacher-student romance?? Am I delirious or were they going for it?? Idk, I'm not a fan of this dynamic at all.
- Some plot elements were genuinely ridiculous, and clearly only there to create drama artificially. Why did the brother go to jail? (the boss' fingerprints were on the gun!! He was not wearing gloves!! Did the police not see that they did not match Saifah's???) Why did Name take so long to confess? Why did the boss start shooting at Sailom and Kanghan at the hospital instead of threatening to kill the dad so that they would go away? Why did he go in himself, instead of having someone disposable go in his place?
- The dad was redeemed too fast. I didn't care for him - he was an asshole for 90% of the series, and then I'm supposed to believe that he's a great guy who's turned his life around to be better for his son. I'm sorry, I don't.

Would I recommend this series? Not really. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't as memorable as I originally thought it was going to be. I'll probably forget 70% of what happened throughout. I do think that the actors should be given more roles together, maybe not as partners, but friends? Their chemistry shouldn't go to waste.

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It was better than the reviews indicate

The love story between a former Qing dynasty princess and a warlord's son brings a new dimension to this Republican era drama. The chemistry between the 2 leads was much better than I expected given the number of reviews saying that the chemistry was poor. Zhang He played the role Zhao Zhengnan very well - a tough guy with a soft side. He deserves credit for this. I also loved the costumes that spanned fashion in early 20th century China starting with the late Qing, and included the eventual adoption of Western dress by women in China during the Republican era. I think this show has been underrated.

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Wednesday was the best couple

Monday:
The actors were cute but their story was odd at worst and forgettable at best.

Tuesday:
The actors did the best they could with what they were given.

Wednesday:
I love this couple so much which is surprising given it's a friends with benefits to lovers story but done really well.
Also First did amazing as Kaeng.

Thursday:
A corny but very cute & wholesome boy falls for ghost story.

Friday:
Is this even a relationship?
Is his ex going to haunt them forever?
Is he still in a relationship with his deceased ex & his current bf?
It was just sad & doesn't look like it will last long.

Saturday:
Think '13 Going On 30' bl story. It was cute. The couple was adorable and I generally liked their story.

Sunday:
This couple was so cute. Their story was very simple but healthy and the actors did well.
I love Nat as Nuea's style. He looked so good.

Honorable mention:
Kaeng(First) & Nuea's(Nat) outfits. They both looked so good. I could barely recognise them in other shows.

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My expectations were low but holy crap

Nine is a sexy asshole & cheater.
Daonuea is indecisive & overreacts.
Tee is a manipulative cheating slimeball.
Ice is kind of a nothing character.
Praew was unnecessary.
I loved CandyBoat. Faults & all.

It had good moments but those were few & far in between esp for 13 eps.

All the couples deserved one another excl. Tee coz fxck him.

Tee gives me the ick coz of the way he seems to prey on the young & naive.
Also he's a scumbag that stole Nine's crush by pretending to be him the day he lost his mom.
And his special episode did nothing to redeem him.

The show could've been better. A lot of it was basically an ad like there was a whole episode that was basically an hour long amusement Park ad.
I hope I get too see the main ship act in something better together. Their acting is believable and they have great chemistry

I know many people for reasons unknown to me had high expectations for this show because of the prologue episode released a year earlier but I didn't. It was just meh & the chemistry between the two leads hard carried & that problem continued into the series.
I liked the osts👌🏾

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The series description:
"Bossy and self-centered Nawee is an heir to a fortune. He suffers from serious social phobia due to his childhood trauma. But that was before he met the gentleman designer Aioun. As the two get to know each other, the mutual attraction becomes undeniable".
I have never read a more accurate description because that is basically all that happened.

Oh? That description doesn't tell you how, when or why they fell in love or why they like each other?
Well... Neither do any of the 8 episodes of the series.

Good actors & great chemistry but they forgot the plot. A bunch of stuff just happened in between two people meeting and apparently falling for each other.

It wasn't awful but it wasn't good either.

Sichol stole the show. He was the best character. I love him.

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