Reviews

From Budgets to Bickering: The Delectable Dance of 'Kinou Nani Tabeta?’

Ever tired of the same old high school BL tales or fantasies dreamt up by fervent fangirls? Dive into the mature, warm embrace of 'Kinou Nani Tabeta?' – a refreshing blend of love and reality. Season Two delves into a global conundrum – inflation – and our hero Shiro's meticulous budgeting is not just about money. It's his silent declaration of love, offering a safety net for their retirement and ensuring Kenji's health. Speaking of Kenji, his flamboyantly expressive demeanor adds the right pinch of humor. Their playful bickering? It'll remind you of that aunt and uncle squabbling at every Thanksgiving dinner. A treat for those who cherish the subtle intimacies of life. And if you're game for some unique Japanese recipes, Shiro's got you covered – just be prepared to Google a few ingredients if you're from the West! Delightfully relatable and humorously heartfelt – a comedic gem for the sincere soul.

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A very unique and realistic drama

I came here to watch this in hopes of a cute bl, but this was a very unique and amazing show. One thing i loved about this show is how realistic it was, it wasn't fiction but the reality that most queer people face in real life.

What i liked about this show: all the people in the show were very unique and they were all different from each other, they had their own personality, all the cast delivered an amazing performance and executed their characters very well. This show was very realistic and not some fiction. The best thing about this show was in the last ep when meiko told eji,"do as you please, please don't think about whats good for shihi and me". This kinda brought tears to my eyes.

the reason i watch bls is to run away from reality only to be bombarded with reality in the face ........

What i didn't like about this show:
One of the major things i didn't like about this show is that it was a little too slow paced for my liking, i would catch myself zoning out a couple times, like that ep where eji was blow drying maakis hair, it went on for so long and they weren't even talking, so it was a bit awkward. They should've made eji and maakis relationship a little longer, should've added more days and alone days with just the two of them, we just kept jumping from year to year but they didn't really show that the two characters build up and having those random lovey dovey moments, because of this, ejis and maakis relationship didn't really seem that strong and they were both kind of awkward around each other. They just seemed like they were each other high school crushes and nothing more.

Storyline: the story line was amazing and every bit of this show was a masterpiece, it felt like i was watching a reality show than a fictional bl drama because of the camera positioning and the dialogues, it just felt like they were talking from their own mind rather than a script and we were actually there and that was one of my fave things about this show, sometimes its good to face reality, haha. I liked how every single character is portrayed, just amazing. the story went from interesting, cute and fun to realistic, sad and depressing and i somewhat liked it.

Music wasn't it really there but the end of each ep with the credits and the music was kinda nice, i really like the simplicity of the show

Rewatch value: I would kinda never watch it again, it was a cute and fun show but it gets to depressing for me, if i were to watch it ever again, i would only watch the first 4-5 eps because the days where eji, maaki and meiko were chilling and going to fun places was very fun and entertaining to watch, then when they became adults, the show starting taking a more serious turn it got too much to handle.

Overrall a great show, i really enjoyed, there were some scenes that were cute and recording worthy, the show is just too depressing for me, it was such a perfect end, i don't want another season, if there is another season, it better not have a single second of a depressing moment, every second and every ep should be the cheesiest and unrealistic moment as possible

if you're into dark, realistic shows with queer characters existing, then you will really like this show.

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Make you miss S1

Everything felt different

Acting was still ok but the connection didn't feel as strong. Was there really feel of character development? Not really to me.
New addition was a fail. He wasn't funny and maintained his annoying status all the way through.
Evil characters - they out acted the good characters. I really enjoyed them actually. Kim Hieora played a crazy one eyed b*8ch really spiced up the show. I absolutely loved her acting. Kang Ki Young (one of my fav. supporting characters) who always played as the comedic supporting role really pulled off the evil role.

The story had too many loopholes that makes you ask why didn't ... that happen? Made no sense. Sloppy writing honestly.

Still semi enjoyable. if you just focus on the stunts and action. Prob should quite at S2.

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Not an alien show; it's a love story (minus the (explicit) romance)

Docked a point because they showed graphic violence with no hesitation but showed 0 cute explicit sapphic interactions. Like hello??? The material was there?? (I'm convinced the Extracurricular duo is always out to frustrate me on this end).

Kidding aside, I love this show a lot. I wish it had gotten hype after its release but I guess I can sort of see why. The first few episodes are rather slow and the turns the show takes make it seem all over the place. I mean, a missing boyfriend? Aliens? And then a cult? But really it all ties up together.

At its core, Glitch is not about the occult (which probably disappointed viewers who started it for that) and it's not even really about the cult. It's an ode to adulthood and the struggle of trying to fit in a world that thinks you're absurd and weird (and childish) if you're not like everyone else. It’s a story of acceptance and the love story in it is about finding a person who takes your nonsense seriously.

The fundamental question in the show seems to be “What is love?” and “How far should one go for love?” (and I don't necessarily mean romantically despite my qualms about the lack of romance between the two leads). Enter Jihyo and Bora, two women who live unconventional lives. Jihyo has ‘everything’. She has a stable job, a supportive family, and a boyfriend she will likely marry soon. But she is unsatisfied with her life, and so are the people who surround her. Her dad worries that she won’t be able to live a ‘normal’ life. He doesn’t trust her and he thinks she’s neither ‘grown-up’ nor ‘normal’ enough to stand on her own in society. Jihyo's stable life also slowly falls apart. Then she meets Bora again, an old friend from middle school who she had burnt bridges with. Bora is far from her personality-wise but she also lives a somewhat unconventional life. She is presumably also around 30, with no stable job, no supportive parents, and seemingly no romantic partner whom she’ll be marrying anytime soon. The difference is that Bora is satisfied with her life despite being somewhat of an unsuccessful 'outcast'.

The show throws these two together in a twisty-turny adventure. They do it together because they have no choice but to — no one else would really believe them. And this, the show argues, is love — someone taking you seriously. Bora is the first one to share Jihyo's interest in UFOs. When they meet again, years later, with bad blood between them, she ends up being the first one to stand by her again. Of the many people in Jihyo's life, it's Bora who puts faith in her and her words, time and again. And of all the people in Jihyo's life, Bora is the only one she can wholeheartedly trust. Even with her being adverse to believing in the improbable, she puts faith in Bora regardless of factual evidence. She ignores rumors about the young 'delinquent' Bora and again ends up being the only person she trusts with her 'nonsense'.

This idea of love being tied to faith is where the cult, and especially the cult leader comes in. If love means believing someone’s words regardless of the actual truth, how far can someone go until it’s dangerous? The drama shows the pitfalls of taking love ‘too far’ while also showing how it can be the very thing that saves us.

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This show is so cringy and bad! Couldn't even get passed ep 4

I really tried my hardest and I rarely drop series cuz I want to give it a chance but the acting/script that was given to them was completely garbage. It was extremely hard to get through that I kept skipping scenes to the point that I wasn't even watching the show anymore. I don't recommend it to anyone unless you are desperate and even then don't waste your time. The doctor stalks his ex after they broke up and continues to annoy the other ml to get back with him once he finds out his ex works at this convenience store that is near his job. He makes his job difficult to be at until he gets his way, before I dropped the show it looked like the ml who works at the convenience store was starting to let him back into his life but mostly cuz the doctor is a childish annoying whinny baby threatened him that he will come to his job every single day until he started to talk to him again I think. I don't remember cuz I forgot this show existed cuz of how bad this is and started to watch better written and have better actors. I tried to watch it after the break I took and couldn't tolerate how annoying a childish the doctor was to get his ex back talking in baby.

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this show was amazing

i loved the acting in the show it really felt like they meant it. the music really put some depth in to the story. i have watched between us like a dozen time just cause of how much love the show, you can tell that the actors have a close bond with each other in real life and in the series. The only thing that i did that i didn't really enjoy about was how many couples there were it was a bit over the top with five couples and yes i know that it was more like four but there was still five. between us was an extremely sweet and kind series you also had its sad moments like when team and win were confessing their love for each other.

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All for love and marriage

If you are looking for a cute and fun watch then this might be a good one to give a try.

A light-heartened period drama that is a refreshing change from the more usual political, military period dramas. I really liked that it stood for love and marriage against struggles and difficulties. I thought the storyline was really unique - a fallen deity who doesn't believe in love falls for a mortal who is a matchmaker - wow!

The FL and ML make a visually stunning pair together, and I liked both the history and the growth of their love story. Supporting characters were lovable and fun too (grandmother and dad were especially fun). The aesthetics of the drama were also really pretty and colorful.

Prepare to shed a few tears regarding the wedding (I know I did), this was definitely the first time I cried in a period drama wedding. The FL and ML played their parts so well, my heart strings were tugged.

I will say that the two most unsatisfactory points of the drama were the 2ML and the final ending scene. 2ML's story was kind of just brushed off to the side once he accepted the truth between him and the FL. The ending leaves a lot of questions, there are extra episodes which I will watch but from other reviews I have hears they don't answer much questions either.

All in all, it might not be perfect but I actually really enjoyed it!

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"The Youth That We Can't Go Back To" - rightfully said ! :)

I came across this drama by accident and I'm so happy that I did ! I loved watching it so much, it reminded me of my youthful days every other second - full of emotions, vulnerability, confusion, mistake, hopeful wishes, goals, stresses, efforts, friendships, lifelong attachments etc. ! I loved the actor portraying the character "ZHANG JUN" the most. Actor 'WU JIA KAI's acting as 'Zhang Jun' was a true delight to watch - so fresh yet very mature and full of brilliance ! Loved the storyline as well, it wasn't slow paced or boring to me unlike many others according to this comment section ! Being an Asian and an actual 90's baby myself, I felt the portrayal of the storyline was actually quite good and infact, so relatable ! And loved the background score of the whole drama - the intro, the outro and the OSTs - all of them ! Kudos to each and every actor - all of them performed so well in portraying each of their characters ! Great job done by the whole production team ! "STAND BY ME (2023)" is a solid 10/10 from/for me ! :)

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love is an accident

Amazing performance esp by LEAD MALE - Xu KAI Cheng. Sword fights, dance on stage were immensely beautifully executed. Like the way he adapts/switches between period drama and modern drama. Noble, regal, kind, respected, commanding in period drama to being sought after for his v good looks, humble, innovative, respectful and natural gift for modelling. Joy to watch. He is v v versatile, v v handsome, charming, confident, shows a wtde range of emotions, through his facial expressions, eyes, actions. All episodes are captivating except those that showed brother's treachery. Particularly like the dance - ballet, on stage .............EXCELLENT, TALENTED ARTIST.
I discovered XU Kai Chen in Well Intended Love, then First Female STUDENT In Imperial College, Pet in Dahli Temple etc, and was so impressed by his good looks, stature, talents, acting skills - he even plays musical instrument so deftly. This drama marries his acting , his talents excellently - in both period and modern dramas.
FEMALE LEAD, Hottie and brother are v cute too. Like Hottie. A well produced drama, gd music, excellent acting. HIGHLY recommended to rewatch too. Look forward to Xu Kai Chen in future male lead roles. A v v gd drama. Rating - 10/10.

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A well-rounded gateway drama suitable for beginners!

I don't know why, but as soon as I finished this drama, it instantly became a favourite that I always looked back on fondly. I really enjoyed the story and the manner in which they wrapped up the drama definitely enhanced my overall appreciation for it. I loved the characters, their development, and their interactions. The story had a bit of everything and was woven together in a way that, to me, made perfect sense—a good balance. At the time I was watching this, I was more accustomed to watching movies with a mix of genres, so seeing the action, comedy, friendship, romance, mystery, and detective elements all fit together didn't feel out of place or overwhelming. The drama also included tropes I really enjoyed, like enemies-to-lovers(ish), hidden identities, slow-burn romance, found family, and a strong female lead who remained consistent despite occasional naivety.

I had previously seen Lee Seung Gi in another drama before this and didn't have a strong opinion of him since I thought his acting was lacking somewhat. However, my impression of him changed here because he portrayed a stronger and more complex character that he handled exceptionally well. As for the rest of the cast, specifically Cha Seung Won and Go Ah Ra, this was my first exposure to their work, and I found myself genuinely impressed with their performances, as I thought they all portrayed their roles convincingly.

Considering that this drama was among the first few Asian dramas I completed, I believe I enjoyed it for what it was at the time. I still remember the emotions I felt watching this! I don't plan on rewatching it in order to preserve those positive feelings because, having seen more nuanced dramas in this genre since then, I know I would be more critical in my evaluation now. I think viewers watching this drama for the first time in 2023 might find it average and not deserving of its higher score here on MDL. However, I'll keep my original score because it had a significant impact on me as a newcomer to kdramas, serving as one of the gateways into the genre and helping me discover some of the tropes I still enjoy to this day.

(Completed: 2016)

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Fluffy and deep at same time!

I don't get the title name but I like it.

Except for 1st episode that's a little slow, once the story picks up, its really good.

I love how it shows us truly, that love is love, transcending age and gender.

It's really cute how they play "pretend game". It depicts real life challenges people face, so its pretty realistic show.

Love how it also teaches us about happiness and life lessons generally

It's lighthearted yet bring deep meaning all at same time

It made me very happy watching them. I learnt a lot from both characters.

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Something is rotten in the state of Liang

Nirvana in Fire 1 is a masterfully paced tale of revenge and a fight for the throne in a quest for truth and justice. Its story is mostly linear and thus builds satisfyingly to its climax near the end with a fittingly bittersweet denouement. NIF 2 is a different kind of story. More complex in its character construction and narrative, the second installment gets off to a slower start and because of its story structure, may encounter some bumps along the way for some viewers.

There are essentially 2 major parts to this story, the first part ending with Xiao Pingzhang's death, and the second culminating in Xiao Yuanqi's revolt. As such, although you may consider Xiao Pingjing to be the main character, he has to share screen time with his brother in the first part of the story. At other points in the story, he is either in a coma or hanging out on Langya Mountain, while the plot is moved along by some of the supporting cast. What is more, he comes off as somewhat of a callow youth in the beginning of the drama, although he is very intelligent and quick on his toes.

Once viewed as a whole, however, NIF 2 becomes an epic tale of the frailty and courage of human nature - a timeless tale reminding us that as much as we aspire to be our better selves, we may just as easily fall prey to our vices. There is always a sense of unease when watching this, whether it is watching the creepily Rasputin-like Puyang Ying achieve his devious goals or the pitiful Yuanqi fall further and further to his inevitable defeat. We see the bonds of brotherhood and family tested as the balance of power between the Imperial court and the military hangs forever in a delicate balance. Pingjing's coming-of-age story is interwoven throughout, and I found myself very much moved as he struggles to deal with the deaths of his brother and father and his identity as the son of the Old Prince of Chang Lin.

The older cast definitely elevate this drama with their performances, but the younger cast do a fine job in their roles. The grounded production and stirring music round out this excellent drama worth watching and re-watching.

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A very good chemistry between the actors

SPOILER ALERT

if it wasn't for the open ending, i would definitely rate this 10/10 (currently trying my best to recover from the heartbreak).

But overall, loving the plot, the chemistry was top tier, the couples were very mature and sweet, even the chemistry between main and support role can be seen. A very well done drama indeed. The plot was well-written too. Actually the ending wasn't that bad cause its totally make sense but its just i am a sucker for a cliche happy ending hahaha. But still i love it. Everyone really should give this a try!

Also i freakin love zhang jingyi she's so good, hopefully we could see both male and female lead in other drama in the future.

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Devastatingly realistic.

This is such a devastating drama, which is sadly so representative of many a people's life experience. It's all about timing.

Seeing Kijima and Kido's backstory was very enlightening. The development of their relationship from being old university classmates to friends to sort of lovers and back to acquaintances was interesting to watch. I found it interesting that each initial development in their relationship was never intentional, but as a result of the circumstances around them. They had undeniable chemistry and were so passionate as lovers, but the somber ost, depressing tone/theme and dimmed lighting would make you feel dissatisfied about their relationship because you could just feel like it wasn't going to end on a positive note, regardless of whether you'd previously watched the Novelist or not.

Overall, I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as a romance. It's more about showing the relationship between two people who all of a sudden developed a relationship as lovers but due to poor timing, fear of society, and lack of courage, ultimately weren't able to realize the full potential of their relationship. What it lacked in romance it had in passion and lust. You could probably watch the drama and blame Kido for things ending the way they did, but my personal takeaway was that there really wasn't one person to blame as I understood Kido's actions as well. Some relationships are just not meant to be, and this way Kijima has the opportunity to find someone else that will choose him and love him.

Big kudos to the actors. They were so committed to their roles and expressed themselves wonderfully and had amazing chemistry. Kijima had such a sensuality to him that kept pulling me to him and Idk how the actor was able to create that kind of atmosphere around his character, but he did and it was amazing to watch.

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