Reviews

K-BL, but make it a clumsy theater club project

(╭☞•́⍛•̀)╭☞ Disclaimer:
This review is based on my personal opinion/experience, it's not meant to sway yours, feel free to agree/disagree with it.

If I thought Unforgotten night was hilarious, this takes the cake for the best so bad it's so good series. Hear me out, I love my OOO boys to bits and pieces, especially my boy Yoojung , but you can't tell me this series wasn't the most hilarious shit you've ever seen, I kid you not, two minutes in and I just about peed myself from laughing, this series gave me serious war flashbacks, it honestly felt like I was seeing LOONA's First love story all over. This series had soo many issues, but to name a few:

>Slapstick comedy and Plot from the early 2010's.
>Sloppy camera work, bad editing, low quality ost, and recycling of the group's MVs and performance outfits because frugality I guess.
>Hilariously one dimensional, flattest of flat cardboard acting, and while the cast did improve a bit after the third episode or so, the acting was still one of the weirdest I've ever seen (especially Junji, his acting in the first episode had me wheezing for a good three minutes, followed by Rie and KB).
>The MLs and their dying bud of romance, don't get me wrong, I really love Nine and Mill, and I have no doubt that they have amazing chemistry, but you cannot tell me that these Nine and Mill are the same ones who acted in beat and beyond, I'm sorry, it's just not happening.
>Unintentional comedy 101.
>Mill and Junji's guide to looking like a little adorable puppy.
>This series is brought to you by low-key second hand embarrassment.

If you couldn't already tell by now, I'm not really writing a "review" here, this is more of an afterthoughts typa thing, but I felt like I should write something considering this is one of if not the very first K-BL with a whole K-pop group acting in it, and the fact that OOO are one of my ult groups. From the moment I saw the short character introductions the company uploaded on YT I just knew I wouldn't be able to take this seriously, specifically that one snippet of KB practicing his evil laugh, holy mother of gay that was hysterical, not even he could take himself seriously lol, so yeah, don't watch this with sky high expectations, this was obviously done on a veeery minimal budget, with amateurish acting and no thoughts put into the script, so if you're not bothered by that and have an hour or so to spare, I say give it a watch, it might not be the greatest thing you'll ever see but it'll definitely make you laugh. I genuinely don't know what else to write cuz honestly I'm very much out of practice and my head is a bit too empty, if you're looking for a more detailed review I suggest you check out the other reviews, they probably will provide you with a more insightful review than mine.
Have a nice day/afternoon/evening peeps. <3

Read More

The purest Love Story of them all

I have been watching kdrama, twdrama, kdrama & cdrama since 2008 & this is the sweetest, loveliest & squee worthiest drama, I've seen in a really long time. It made my heart feel so warm & fuzzy. The male lead is extremely charming & charismatic, the female lead is as cute as newborn puppy but turns into a wild cat when it comes to protecting her loved one.
The acting was really great & there was nothing toxic, dramatic or overly exciting BUT I still enjoyed every minute of it, because the potrayal of this young love made me just giddy & happy.
Just do yourself a favor, watch it now.

Read More

I think every person, especially girls, can relate to Sang Zhi because, at some point, all of us fall for that one person who we can't confess our feelings to for different reasons. I like this drama a lot. I usually don't like Chinese dramas because most of them are too long or some have historical plots that I don't like. There are very few historical Chinese dramas that I watched, but I obviously loved them. But again, they were so long, so when I had enough of long dramas, I decided to stop watching them anymore.
I wanted to watch this for a long time but couldn't get free time, but really, the wait was worth it. I enjoyed it so much, and I cry a lot. One thing I didn't like about Sang Zhi's character was that she was too simple, like she always nodded her head whenever Jia Xu stopped her from doing anything. I mean, no offense. Obviously, he was just worried for her in the whole drama, but still, I think she needs to stop him some time (like when he stopped her from dating when she was already an adult and was already in university). It's understandable that he just wants to protect her, but still, because she was in her move-on phase, she needs to push him and stop him from interfering, especially when he meets her after 2 years. From a girl's point of view, it feels more controlling than worrying about her. I mean, it's understandable that you love him so much, but still, it doesn't mean you have to do everything he tells you to do. On one side, you're saying that you're already an adult, and on the other, you're letting him make decisions for you. seriously?
As for Jia Xu, I think he should have understood that Sang Zhi is his best friend's younger sister and not his, so he needs to stay in his lane and not interfere in her matters as long as she isn't asking for help or isn't in danger. These two really frustrate me on this. As for their friends, especially Sang Zhi's friends, they were so supportive that I really want friends like them. They were ideal friends.
Let's not forget about the ongoing sibling quarrel. They were so cute and adorable throughout the drama, and I wish I had a brother like him; they were just so adorable. It was a horror when he found out that his baby sister was dating his best friend. I was actually expecting the beating, but I didn't think that they'd sort it out in a night. It was funny when Sang Zhi fought for Jia Xu with her brother in the cafe and then changed sides when she found out that her boyfriend punched her brother. That scene was so cute that I really wanted to pinch Sang Zhi's cheeks there.
Over all, the drama was too good—more than I expected. I waited to watch this drama because I was busy, but I think the wait was worth it. I'm in love with them.

Read More

It left me disappointed in many different ways

Having seen Cutie Pie before, I knew that the relationship between Yi and Khondiao was a mess. I am not sure how they managed it, but they made it even worse in Naughty Babe. There are a lot of things that make very little to no sense when it comes to the relationship between the main couple.

First thing first, what was up with that tiger? I hated how those scenes were done, the CGI was atrocious. And I am not sure why they decided to change what happened when the two were little from a dog attack to a tiger attack, but it was a bad decision. It negated some of the things that played a big part in their story before.

I did actually enjoy the relationship Yi and Khondiao had with Yi’s father. I found it funny how obvious he made it who he prefers between the two. He loves Yi, don’t get it twisted, but he also loves Khondiao. Maybe he is trying to make the boy feel loved, because it’s obvious that his family is lacking in that aspect. Yi and Lian together are as hilarious as before. But I really liked how Lian had some really good advice for Yi and wasn’t afraid to let him know when he was being an idiot. Kuea and Diao were two cuties together, even if they tend to be a bit dramatic at times.

I enjoyed the mystery element to the series. It added a layer to it that I didn’t expect. Even if things were a bit too obvious and dealt with fairly quickly (might be because the series is shorter), it felt like it wasn’t explored enough. The absurdity in which this whole thing ended in the last episode though… just why?

Yi & Khondiao: I thought their relationship can’t get worse, but I was proven wrong. The two still can’t communicate properly, don’t really trust each other, keep lying to one another and apparently don’t even know each other well enough. Yi is still very controlling, he just hides that better by having his guards spy on his boyfriend. I do like Khondiao’s sassy side, even if I think it wasn’t really utilized well or in the right places. They have a lot of problems, but they do not appear to be mature enough to solve them. Sometimes it feels like there has been no progress in character development from Cutie Pie to where we are now. Max and Nat have great chemistry and they know how to kiss. But the comedic aspect to their characters, the over-done personality traits were not really something I enjoyed. Even if I think they acted them out well.

And while on the topic of comedic aspect, I don’t like most of the wanna-be comedic scenes that we got. They just felt extremely immature and not really something that fit Yi’s character well. He’s supposed to be mature, cold, a workaholic… not an immature manipulator with the humor of a frat guy.

All in all, I was disappointed. I really expected more from it, especially as they had an already established couple, backstory, side characters, the world in general… only to go back on many things, continue with the toxicity of the relationship (only more hidden), with characters that act like they are in high school instead of adults.

Read More

First of all, all the actors and actresses did an amazing job in their roles. Every character has their own likeable and dislikeable traits. I love the mix of thriller and rom-com in this drama; it fits the superhero concept. The plot is very well written, but I would love to see more of Ahn Minhyuk's side, like a more expanded plot for his character. They hinted at some of his interesting background in the drama (like how he thinks like a criminal), but it never really paid off. I never really expected the darker side of this drama to be intense, so it was very satisfying to watch. The comedy is almost perfect for me. I laughed all the time because of the slapstick and funny adlibs. The music is very well timed and appropriate. I really love that OST when the main character is in action. The best thing about this drama is the chemistry of the leading couple. They're so adorable and so lovely together, to the extent that I would love to see them getting married in real life. I became a fan of Park Boyoung because of this drama. Overall, fantastic drama; definitely a must-watch.

Read More

A whole lot of good stuff begingn with the letter C

This is another one of those dramas that combines a lot of stuff I enjoy watching. While I am willing to admit that this pretty much lacks depth and substance, it does have a whole lot of great stuff that begin with the letter C: Cliche
Characters, Co habitation, Contract, Cinderella story, Combos, Cold leads, Crushes (unrequited), Cute dog, Cool Lads/siblings... Cunning parents, Cuddly parents, Cuddling Cuople, Corruption, Conning, Cuteness overload and and so on and so on...


This is in no way a masterpiece, but it is an entertaining watch with the usual twists, a lovely family and is a easy binge that even had me feeling a bunch of stuff...

So if you love your C's this is a great Choice!

Read More

A little gem of romance & fantasy, with a great great CL (｡◝‿◜｡)

I really loved this catchy romantic and fantasy series, with Rowoon as handsome as ever (((´♡‿♡`+))) and Jo Bo Ah, who combines liveliness, sensitivity and shows a touching vulnerability. It's a little masterpiece, as Korean directors know how to make.

PLOT:
A brilliant young lawyer, rich and subject to a curse, owner of a ruined sanctuary, meets FL, a city hall employee responsible for park management. During the demolition, they discovered a box that belonged to a shaman 300 years earlier. This box can only be opened by the FL. The duo will little by little discover their common past, and try to build their future, despite the multiple obstacles, from the past and the present.

PROS:
+ A CL that causes sparks to fly! Rowoon did well to focus on his acting career: he is magnificent, expressive, extraordinary in this drama. The chemistry with Jo Bo Ah is great and it has some pretty hot scenes ( eye candy for the viewers).
+ The story is solid, coherent, well written. Some commentators say it's confusing, because the storyline is not linear, but I don't agree at all ಠ益ಠ), we follow the plot without difficulty.
+ An almost perfect production: superb cinematography, balance between dark, tender and humorous scenes, well-conducted and well-placed flashbacks,... and a soothing ending (｡◝‿◜｡)
+ great OSTs, notably "it's you" by Park Won (in my playlist), which accompany and accentuate the emotions of the moment.

CONS:
- I can't stand the character of FL2 (the classic supposedly super beautiful pest of many plots) and I don't understand why the protagonists nickname her "goddess". She is nowhere near as pretty as the FL.
- Here again, Korean makeup artists have a problem with lipstick, always too obvious, on male actors!
- product or brand placements are TOO obvious.

=> A little gem of romance and mystery, which I devoured in one sitting and which I will certainly rewatch with pleasure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
J'ai adoré cette série romantique et fantastique, accrocheuse, avec Rowoon toujours aussi beau (((´♡‿♡`+))) et Jo Bo Ah, qui allie la vivacité, la sensibilité et montre une vulnérabilité touchante. C'est un petit chef d’œuvre, comme les réalisateurs coréens savent le faire.

PLOT:
Un jeune avocat brillant, riche et objet d'une malédiction, propriétaire d'un sanctuaire en ruine, rencontre la FL, employée de mairie chargée de la gestion des parcs. Lors de la démolition, ils découvrent une boite qui appartenait à une chamane 300 ans plus tôt. Cette boite ne peut être ouverte que par la FL. Le duo va peu à peu découvrir leur passé commun, et essayer de construire leur avenir, malgré les multiples obstacles, du passé et du présent.

PROS:
+ Un CL qui casse tout ! Rowoon a bien fait de se concentrer sur sa carrière d'acteur : il est magnifique, expressif, extraordinaire dans ce drama. L'alchimie avec Jo Bo Ah est géniale et on a droit à quelques scènes assez hot.
+ L'histoire est solide, cohérente, bien écrite. Certains commentateurs la disent confuse, parce que la storyline n'est pas linéaire, mais je ne suis d'accord du tout ಠ益ಠ) , on suit le propos sans difficulté.
+ Une réalisation quasi parfaite : cinématographie superbe, équilibre entre les scènes dures, tendres et humoristiques, flashback bien conduits et bien placés,... et une fin apaisante (｡◝‿◜｡)
+ des OST géniales, notamment "it's you" de Park Won (dans ma playlist) qui accompagnent et accentuent les émotions de l'instant.

CONS:
- je ne supporte pas le personnage de la FL2 (la classique soi-disant super belle peste de nombreux plots) et je ne comprends pas que les protagonistes la surnomment "déesse". Elle est loin d'être aussi jolie que la FL.
- Ici encore, les maquilleurs coréens ont un problème avec le rouge à lèvres, toujours beaucoup trop évident, chez les hommes !
- les placements de produits ou d'enseigne sont TROP évidents.

=> Un petit bijou de romance et de mystère, que j'ai dévoré d'une traite et que je regarderai certainement à nouveau avec plaisir.

Read More

Depressing & Sad.

Dark..Disturbing..Heavy.
I was so sure i would love it.
Has everything i ask from a psychological thriller.
Yet,felt too little.

And iam mad about me because i really wanted to like it.
Is not bad,especially if you are not familiar with the genre,is a strong drama.
It didn't work for me.(After watching literally hundreds with similar story)

For such a short series too much time spent on side characters instead of the main.
We get to know about Ritsuko only through others.For 6 episodes (out of total 8) me as a viewer couldn't form an opinion about her character.I only saw her as the most unfortunate creature on earth.
But i couldn't connect with her.Couldn't feel and sympathize her.

A damaged character beyond any repair.Too pathetic.I wanted some fire.In the character and in the acting too.
It would be the perfect mini drama if this char revealed to be insane!Unfortunately this wasn't the case.Lol.
And although i do like clichés,here everything is based on the most common.It was too much.

Too short so not much time wasted..
When it comes to such Dramas,yes iam too demanding.

Read More

Tough and nail biting

Oct 2023
The very early episodes that lay the foundations for this very violent, gripping and fast paced drama, go from causing feelings of mild anxiousness to all out threat, fairly quickly.
It is not easy watching ordinary people being strong armed out of their livelihoods, all their savings and conned into crippling debts they'll never be able to repay.
The ferocity with which the strong-arm gangs operate is sickening. That people could do this to others, totally blows my mind (gang wars happen in real life).
We are then moved on to Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and his new found friend from boxing, Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi), getting drawn ever deeper into conflict with the legitimate business fronted, highly successful and wealthy loan shark, Myung-gil (Park Sung-woong ~ always a brilliant villain).
The story sees them joining forces with someone whose past has a strong connection to Myung-gil. Then, together with characters involved with one another as veterans and members of the Marines (their military service), they decide they have no choice but to take him and his entire organisation, down.
The fight scenes are something else and the efforts both WDH and LSY must have gone to, to get as fit as they look in this, don't bear thinking about!
In terms of how characters are dealt with by the drama/writer, it reminded me of the early days of The Walking Dead... no one is safe and there are shocks aplenty. The sudden departure of one character in particular was very odd but might be to do with the actress.
Excellent writing, as some very witty dialogue and interactions pepper most episodes, which counters the angst and violence.
I love the cast and was really surprised to see Choi Siwan (didn't even realise he was in it), in a very different and [to me] surprising role for him.
Much of it is very OTT in terms of being a long way from what's possible, but, this is an action and justice/revenge drama, not a slice- of-real-life story or a documentary. It's entertainment and I loved it!
The ending held some shocks and I wasn't disappointed, but (why's there always a but?
;-D ), I would have loved to see some characters actually suffer the consequences of their disgusting deeds, and get legally punished by the system, with a nightmare life behind bars!
The most hateful character for me was In-beom, MG's muscle and right-hand man... what a mindless neanderthal. One of my favourites was the quirky and unflappable Oh Da-min, who makes her appearance in later episodes.
If the brutal treatment of others and quite high levels of threat are not for you, then the drama probably won't be either, but otherwise, it's a great and compact watch.

Read More

A stunningly mature and realistic drama

Doona! grabbed my attention from the first episode, the gorgeous visuals, beautiful characters and setting made me immediately intrigued. This is not your typical K-Drama, for me it felt more similar to western shows which I personally really liked. They especially gave us an deep insight into these characters making them more three-dimensional than most K-Dramas I have seen. Which also made their flourishing relationship so realistic and interesting to me. There was no cringy over-acting or big romantic gestures, it was just real and I could feel their love and yearning for each other through the screen.

I read that the director used the series "Normal People" as a reference and I totally got that vibe, especially in that (very hot) scene in ep 6. It was shot and performed in a way that should be the new standard for Korean make-out scenes because it was so intimate and passionate. And it's really because of Suzy and Sejong, their chemistry and acting should not be overlooked here. Every scene between them just takes you into their world, they deserve all the awards!

Overall I am truly in love with this drama, I love seeing people making up theories about the ending (especially the one about the intros). I liked that it was open but not sad, there are so many possibilities, just like in real life. If you're still in doubt just watch it and you will surely get swept away.

Read More

ABOUT IT

First, if you're not into slice of life genre, you won't love this drama. I love slice of life genres so I enjoyed it. The cast was beautiful and Bae Suzy gave it her best AGAIN. She acted so well. The ending made me sad tho. but oh well, it's life. Plus, this reminded me so much of ANNA (K-drama), I loved the romance, friendships, sadness, happiness and everything about this drama. I highly recommend They said my review must be 500 character but I don't know what else to talk about so I'll talk about the OST. It was nice and I sang along too but not too nice if you get what I mean. The reason why my re-watch value is rated 5.0 is because I find it hard to re-watch dramas sometimes so, don't get me wrong. It's a good drama to watch.

Read More

ITS JUST A GAY BUSINESS

This is a trap - a Business Gay Performance, and im a sucker cause I fell for it.

As a KPOP fan, i loved the concept. Also, as a KPOP fan, i felt disrespected.

Like some of the other Korean BLs out there, i dont know why they couldn't just add maybe 5 or 10 more minutes in each episode to make the story a little bit more cohesive and enjoyable. Its such a waste cause there are so many hints that this could be a good show.

Its the story of an idol Eden, being selected and paired with Jihoon to be in a duo, What 's unique is that they are marketing the group as a gay lover - supposed to be just a business concept, only for the pair to really fall for each other.

There are too many characters and too many subplots but everything felt rushed. They spent so much time with the antagonist, when they could have used that time to build up the chemistry between the main leads and show us when or how the two exactly fell for each other. In episode 7 and 8, i kept checking the runtime cause it feels like the show is just rushing to go to the end and yet I still havent seen what I wanted to see between the 2 leads. Unfortunately as i feared, the show ended too soon without giving any satisying ending. This is a problem with translating a 40-chapter webtoon into an eight 15-minute drama.

It is such a shame really cause the leads are very charming - and Nine kept reminding me of a young Seo Kang Joon. They were both amatuer-ish but they both did enough to be likeable. a few times I was on the verge of really caring about their characters but the show just didnt show enough to make me really reach that level.

I wont forget that cringy scene in the plane where they were both holding hands and sleeping head to head with a smile on their faces looking so uncomfortable when they both could very well be sleeping comfortably in that cushy business class seats even if they were holding hands.

From the onset it felt like a small project conjured up to promote the idol group. The "Business Gay Performance" using homosexuality as a concept was a little bit offensive if you think about it and at first i was thinking they were trying to mock and expose it, but by the end I felt even more ashamed of myself for being a fool and falling for it, even though they were clearly saying FROM THE BEGINNING that this is a Business Gay show and nothing more.

Read More

A bit raw, but still great

ATTENTION SHORT REVIEW (if you want something more in detail pick another one)

This was featuring the members of OnlyOneOf. Sadly, Rie and Junji didn't have a lot of screentime but well. I'm pretty happy about this drama. As for KB and Yoojung, they were amazing. I profoundly despised KB's character, which proves how good of an actor he is, eve though all mmbers are rookies to acting. Mill and Nine were good too. Eden kind of annoyed me, his character is really, really an idiot, but that was in the script. He did well for being an idiot. As for Jihoon, wow, just wow. Nine really did a really good job. I think his acting is my favorite of the drama. Now, the plot was pretty simple, but still it worked well. There was a bit of misunderstandings, but not too much. As someone who is really sensible to the "cringe" (I still don't have a word to define it but you know what I mean), I didn't have to pause it too much which is a good sign. Though, I'm pretty mad that we didn't have a kiss scene (I mean, normally I'm not bothered but this time they were litterally about to kiss and were interupted FOR WHAT? WHYYY). I supposed that it was pretty complicated to have a kiss scene since, you know, they're idols, but yeah, I'm kinda pissed. Music was good. The OST is made by Nine and Mill, and since they are singers in real life, it was really good. Stan OnlyOneOf yall. Wish we could have seen more. One problem is, it kinda feels rushed. They didn't have a lot of episodes and they were short, so of course they had to fit all in such a short amount of time and it felt like we didn't have much depth to it. I would have really liked an insight on Jihoon and Hyunbin's past relationship but I guess this it all that we will get... Overall, pretty good drama, of course a bit raw, but still great for something made in 8 ep. of 15 min.

Read More

Ok

It's a short drama, with an interesting story, even though I've seen similar dramas before. Was the drama something special? Not really, but still interesting to watch.
The main actress was very good and played her role nicely. The other actors made an effort, although I didn't think Yuda Kazuma was that good. He seems way too awkward and in my opinion he didn't act that well. But you can look past this flaw.
It is still a good drama that you can watch in the meantime. The story is not too complex. Some plot twists that I liked. This drama is definitely worth watching.

Read More