Reviews

Not the masterpiece that everyone is talking about...

After PitBabe the Series, I've been had once again by the rating and the praise that I've read about the series. However, once again, I'm feeling disconnected with all the people praising those two series because I don't find them really enjoyable to watch (but to be fair to The Sign, PitBabe was way worse!).

I'll be totally honest, this was not a bad series. But it is far from the masterpiece that everyone on the net is saying it is. There are a lot of flaws that I can't ignore as they were pretty big to fully enjoy the story.

So, I'm going to talk about the things that I liked first:
- the CGI (and the mythology plot). I was really impressed with the shot in episode 1 where Phaya is almost drowning and he sees the Naga and the woman trying to save him. It was really impressive and I was hopeful about the quality of the show. Unfortunately, the mythology part of the story was put aside very rapidly but everytime Phaya was stuck in his "dreams", the CGI was very good. Apart for the fights between the Naga and Garuda and sometimes the image was too blured that my eyes started to hurt but I'll still put that as a like.
- Billy. I'm not really a fan of his work (I hated and dropped Secret Crush on You and have only seen War of Y that I liked) but I'm not denying that he's a good actor and he knows how to deliver emotions (contrary to his partner...) - even though, it was sometimes too much but it's undeniably the director's fault and not his because he was asked to act that way.
- Doctor Chalothon. The best thing in this series (with maybe Lieutenant Akk). I wanted to punch him in the face so many times but, because he was supposed to be the villain (or one of them), he did it perfectly.

I can't thing of any other things that I liked so I'm going to move on with the things that I didn't like (and there are more!):
- Tharn / Babe. I don't hate the actor as I disliked Charlie's actor in PitBabe but we have to admit that he only has one expression throughout the series (except when he tries to cry). I wasn't moved by his delivery and I'm pretty sure that it's also because his character was badly written. Despite being the hero of the story, Tharn is not a good character: he is dumb and, even though, I could believe he loved Phaya at the beginning of the series, I was not so sure about it from the middle until the end. The guy believes in his fate and in the dreams that Phaya is experiencing (he also has visions of the future). He believes Phaya when he tells him about their past lives and that there's a man that wants to separate them (and he's actually dumb not to immediately think about the doc when the guy is mentionned but not named - but I can excuse him for not thinking about him). However, I can't excuse him for not believing Phaya when he finally tells him that the guy he was talking about earlier was the doc and that he even accuse him to just be jealous of him. I'll be honest, if I was Phaya at this very moment, I would have told him to f**k off. Especially because, at the beginning of the series, when Phaya is angry at him because he thinks Tharn told the doc about his dreams, Tharn says that he would talk to the doc about it but he never does!! Also - I was so shocked about that -, he didn't even react when the doc openly confronted Phaya in front of everybody and openly said that his behaviour and traits were those of a mentally ill person (or something like that). And the very end of the series confirmed my suspicions about him not loving Phaya as he came back ONE YEAR LATER and the only excuse he had was that he felt bad for Chalothon, like WTF!!! The guy prefers to stay with the guy that almost killed his supposed lover several times and that blackmailed him to kill his loved ones instead of trying to flee and go back to the one he's supposed to love. That was ridiculous...
- the fight scenes and the whole Montree plot. For a seven-month special training, I found that the guys were sometimes easily at a disadvantage in a fight against someone sometimes not specially trained and not even that muscular... You're not going to tell me that the forensic guy that were working with them at the beginning can fight both Tharn and Phaya and make them difficult to catch him, I won't believe it. And yet, it happened... Also, the scriptwriters decided to leave the mythology plot aside to focus on Tharn's father's death and I couldn't care less. I thought at the beginning that it was linked to his past life as the characters around him and even himself constantly repeated that he was cursed and every person that he loved was condemned but it had nothing to do with that. They are two different stories that they tried to link without success... Also, I'm curious to know who is the person that Yai was talking about and that supposedly died because Tharn loved them because I don't think he was talking about Tharn's parents at this moment so I'm still waiting for an answer...
- the abbot and Tharn's grandmother. A lot of people on YT wrote in the comments that the abbot deserved his own series because he was protecting Tharn so much and so on. But... if the abbot wasn't there, it would have been the same... He did nothing the whole time while he knew who was after Tharn! He even asked Phaya to bring Tharn to him on the day this whole mess was supposed to end but he did nothing to protect Tharn at all!!! And I would even blame the grandmother as she knew that the doc was preying on her own grandson and was not even human... I know that if they told him the truth earlier, there wouldn't be a story but make it make sense if you want your audience not to be disturb as the fact that the closest persons to Tharn were the ones that let him be in danger his whole life.
- the NC scenes. I don't really mind s*x scenes in general but I felt like they were making them just for the sake of it and I hate that kind of thinking. Phaya just woke up after almost being dead, he's not even recovered, and the only thing that he does is to go to Tharn's flat and sleep with him. What a great mind... Also, the "good bye" s*x scene they have before Tharn disappears was so freaking long that I had to skip most of it. It lasted more than 6 minutes and I wouldn't have complained that much if it was animated but nothing happened, it was boring!! They were simply kissing gently for 1 or 2 minutes before changing position... Also, I know they have to censor some of the scenes but instead of blurring the a**es of the actors, they could've just not shot below the waist because the blur was a bit disturbing...
- the second part of the series. The first part was mostly watchable for me to be kept interested but from episode 7 or 8, I started watching it with my phone on the side which is a good indication that the series is not entertaining enough.
- the delay of the last episode. The last episode was supposed to be out on the 11th and it was really annoying to wait another two weeks to watch the series...

As a whole, I don't particularly recommend the series, but I'm not saying you shouldn't watch it either. You probably will like it like 99% of the people who watched it, I feel... It is simply not my cup of tea.

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Came For Meen Stayed For Series

As a fan of Meen from Love By Chance 2, I have sat through the torture of AiLongNhai and My Dear Gangster Oppa with Ping. I know I only made it through AiLongNhai because of the comment section comparing it to Between Us. How Nhai would need ICU for just bumping into something while Team had the whole bottom of his food sliced open and he said he would just walk it off.

Ping has the same acting chops of Dunk. Every time he comes on screen, I want to gauge my eyes out and put on noise canceling headphones on. How has he not gotten any better when he’s being paired with Meen? Meen can act.

First off, I have read the webtoon so I have some sort of expectation of it being decent if not great because Meen is in it so I thought Ping must’ve leveled up. The webtoon was fluffy and had less showing of the Oppa’s gang life unlike the series. In a way I am glad they had the gangster parts in the series because then you can see Meen can really act in those scenes.

Ok with all that said. I came here for Meen and Meen only. But then I really loved Saisimom and Mana story. They really made this larkorn enjoyable because they really had chemistry. It was a fun watch without being too exaggerated like most larkorns.

Given that this is a slice of life Thailand series. People shouldn’t come at it with a western slant on it. Otherwise, you have to call out all the faults of American shows which has a lot more shit to show. Some said this series was in the 1960’s or 1970s. So no cell phones and iPads and talentless social media famous people

I love Chujai she’s the most adorable little munchkin in the series.. Mana’s other sister Sri is so entertaining to watch especially who she whips a thug like Te into shape with a glance of a slap in the are. The Chief was so passive that he allowed his wife to be a shrewd and not out control.

That Krong got a taste of bitter pills. The parent got what they deserved in the end. No bail and time serve.

There weren’t any plot holes which is a rarity in Thai series. It’s an enjoyable series to watch. You might lose a few brain cells from both moms screaming at each other or just Mana’s mom altogether.

Meen did a good job acting like the bumbling thug Te.

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So booooring!

Buon cast, buona colonna sonora e anche idea di fondo ottima. Peccato che tutta la serie, praticamente in tutti e 16 gli episodi, ruoti solo nel dormitorio con pochissimo romance... noioso e poco originale, colpi di scena prevedibili, personaggi spesso odiosi e al limite della caricatura. Il conflitto "freddo" tra le due nazioni è praticamente messo tanto per, caricaturizzato ed esasperato. Politici inetti e inutili che non capiscono nemmeno quello che fanno. Morti senza senso, brodo allungato fino all'inverosimile. Bastava un film di un paio di ore e tanti cari saluti!

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SVT was treated so poorly

Gosh, where to start? MBC sucks for this one. They used Seventeen's rookie status to bully them for entertainment. Some of the challenges were really degrading, and the whole thing with them taking away their food, because they didn't earn it through suffering (or whatever their standards were), was hard to watch. Most of their interactions with the staff were kind of awkward.
Seventeen, though, rose up to the challenge. They did better than anyone on that production team thought, and really stayed together as a strong team. They even handled their mistreatment with a grace that I don't posess. This show would never happen today with Seventeen being so successful. Carats would have a fit.
I'd only rewatch this to see baby Seventeen have fun together, trying to ignore all the BS they put them through.

End of rant.

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Yonkers

Amidst all those full length dramas out there, this short series really stood out by packing a serious punch in just a handful of episodes. The concise storytelling allowed for a focused exploration of its central theme, providing a satisfying narrative arc without unnecessary filler. Both main leads were well characterized and provided a solid performance. However, the other characters weren't on the same level, you can notice the gap. The pacing was brisk yet effective, keeping the viewers engaged from without feeling rushed. I wish it had an extra episode to have a better introduction/first episode. The drama also had a decent cinematography and production value. One last thing, I didn't understand why they based the drama in the 2030s. It was such a big stretch, they went overboard with the sci-fi elements for something set in 2030s. There was no real reason to specify the date, so why not set it further into the future, like the 2060s?

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10/10 would watch it again but...

I love this series so much. It is one of my favourite BLs of all time. I've watched it twice now, and I have to applaud the entire production team for their relentless effort to bring real cinema to our homes. This series feels worthy of being watched on the big screen because it uses smart and delicate camera shots, the editing is phenomenal, and the music fits each scene beautifully. It's one of the few productions where I feel like that every actor and actress was chosen perfectly. Not only did Nonkul and Bright convince me of their acting talent, but also young actors like Guide and actresses like June made the difference for me. I want to emphasize though that Nonkul and Bright outdid themselves in these complex roles. They've done an amazing job. Their chemistry is undeniable, and you could see and feel how much work they've put in into building these characters. This series doesn't only revolve around our main couple and their love story but tackles difficult topics like abuse, patriarchal structures, abortion, and (in)justice. How can you pursue of your dreams and desires in a society where you're viewed as an outcast because of the person you love? I love the diverse representation of the LGBTQ+ community as it's not your stereotypical gay couple, but we also have a lesbian couple, a bi-/pansexual character and a person who is trans.

There is only one thing I have to criticize, which is the penultimate scene where Khun Yai's modern version shows up at the Phalatip house, where Jom sits and cries while reading Khun Yai's letter from almost 90 years ago. I don't understand how modern Yai was able to remember Jom. It's apparently Khun Yai's spirit that awakened in him, otherwise I cannot explain it. I would've preferred just to see modern Yai enter the house, both of them locking eyes and end scene. That would've left us to our imagination of how these two get to know each other again in modern times, and we could've rest assured that yes they have found each other again. Happy End after all. Maybe it is something I only understand once I read the novel. If so, I'll edit this post lmao

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A bit draggy, a bit disappointing

So I had high expectations for this, especially after watching MRIAD, but I'll try not to compare these two except for this one fact, there is a lot less bromance.

The cases did start out interesting, especially with Murder on the Oriental Express (an Agatha Christie og), but I'm currently up to ep15 and have been feeling that the cases are all incredibly long and a bit too complex. They are dragged out through episodes and have made me lost interest gradually.

I don't like the characters' personality, especially that of our great Mr. Detective. Unlike his counterpart in MRIAD, this one lacks any kind of personality, except maybe for the fact that he's mysophobic (if that's a word) and loves to find out the truth. His 'Watson' aka Mr. Rich Policeman, similarly lacks any personality except for him being loaded and prideful maybe. FLs on the other hand, were done much better i would say, they're skilled and have the brains to actually help with solving cases.

Overall, I haven't found this series to be very interesting, and giving it a 7 is generous to me. Hopefully it will get better.

Edit: I'm currently up to ep17, and I've unfortunately decided to drop it. The mystery of the plot truly either drags on too long, or is way more complicated than it needs to be. For some, the complicated cases might be interesting, but it really hurts my brain even though I'm even trying to use it in the first place. I'm really sad that there's no bromance, and Mr. Detective's monotone character and voice is really making me drift off to sleep.

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Perfect balance of office and romance genre

i love office related stuff in drama because it provides a realistic environment around the drama and both our leads has a great chemistry ... in drama they have a age gap of 6 years but it has never become a hurdle in their relationship ... both of them represents a mature relationship who discussed and tries to resolve every problem together ...

this drama is on Netflix before , also on amazon prime , even IQIYI has buy their airing rights which represent that MDL ratings are worse because this drama is very popular overseas ... on Youtube ep 1 got 2.5 million views in just one year which is a good a milestone ...

Supporting characters are all very well written and some are quite annoying which is also normal in our daily life because it is not possible that everyone around is you a good person ...
Li dai is my fav character from supporting cast , she is independent , beautiful , successful and knows who to support ...

OST s of this drama are quite good which provides a sexual tension with the scenes ...

i will definitely rewatch it again in future ... i am glad i tried it

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Curiosity kills the cat (and I'm wasting my time)

I don't understand the excellent comments on this series :( :( :(

PLOT: 2 young, highly qualified tutors come to the house of young nobles to guide them in their exam. The eldest is rebellious, indolent, futile (but at night, he plays masked vigilante and searches for his father's murderer), while the youngest is serious and disciplined. Relationships will be formed with the two tutors (FL and FL2) during the investigations that the quartet will carry out.

We understand from the opening OST that we should not take this series seriously. However, the number of inconsistencies, insane behavior, to obvious coincidences,... is unbearable!!

CONS:
- poorly written, senseless story. AGACING!!! The characters are supposed to be intelligent, so why are they acting like morons?
- low budget series
- no chemistry within the CL. I don't doubt the talent of the actors, but they can't make us buy into this poorly conceived story.
- inappropriate subtittles: I doubt that in a historical drama, they would be able to identify Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (discovered at the end of the 20th century). Seriously ???

=> I went to the end out of pure curiosity, but I feel like I wasted my time!
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Je ne comprends pas les excellents commentaires sur cette série :( :( :(

PLOT: 2 jeunes tutrices, hautement qualifiées, viennent dans la maison de jeunes nobles pour les guider dans leur examen. L'ainé est rebelle, indolent, futile (mais la nuit, il joue les justiciers masqués et cherche le meurtrier de son père), tandis que le plus jeune est sérieux et discipliné. Des relations vont se nouer avec les 2 tutrices (FL et FL2) durant les enquêtes que le quatuor va mener.

On comprend dès l'OST de l'opening, qu'il ne faut pas prendre cette série au sérieux. Cependant le nombre des incohérences, comportements insensés, coïncidences grossières,... dépasse le supportable !!

CONS:
- story mal écrite, insensée. AGACANT !!! Les personnages sont sensés être intelligents, alors pourquoi ils se comportent comme des crétins ?
- série low budget
- pas d'alchimie au sein du CL. Je ne mets pas en doute le talent des acteurs, mais ils n'arrivent pas à nous faire adhérer à cette histoire mal conçue.
- subtittles inappropriés : je doute que dans un drama historique, ils puissent identifier une Sclérose Latérale Amyotrophique (découverte fin du XXe). Sérieux ???

=> je suis allée au bout par pure curiosité, mais j'ai l'impression d'avoir perdu mon temps !

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Strong leads, personality antis, warming up to love

Ah I can speak all day about this drama. First of all, a strong FL who is not brainless are hard to come by in the wild land of chinese dramas. While this is a contract marriage drama, it is yet different from any other ones. The story is sound, the casting of leads is solid, its like they were born for this role, their chemistry is flawless. Many times a woman is written as 'bold' in dramas but dresses timid-cute, breaks character due to poor story writing, but not the case here. FL Cecilia or Su Jin in the drama is a well written character, and she took upon herself to portray it so well. Say what you will, a real drama is carried by the FL not the ML. There are many beautiful locations, and whenever Su Jin came on screen, it is impossible to look else where, she is stunning and all her outfits were a feast to the eyes.

The music of the drama is surprisingly good, I found myself searching for the songs on yt. Which is a rare thing for me. The production quality was certainly of higher standard.

Btw I was not a fan of the 2nd couple trope, so that is the only space the drama messed up, but I usually skipped those scenes, you wont be confused even after skipping, as their story is mostly independent. So I can understand why others will rate drama lower due to 2nd couple lol. That does explain the low rating.

Overall, great drama dont miss! I will rewatch for the slow burn of romance blossoming and Cecilia Boey (FL) 's stunning outfits, and such a once in a blue drama moon jaw dropping chemistry of the leads. The are just so in tempo with each other.

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Even my favorite dramas normally only get up to 9.0 or 9.5 so that's considered really high, just an FYI.
It's beautiful, healing, and delightful. The characters are complex but even ones you may not initially like (such as initially-stern Aunty Feng who later smiles to light up a room, surly old Grandpa Yang who eventually comes around even if still surly), you'll grow to love. My favorites are the children and Granny Xie ("A'Nai" as A'Yao and Hongdou call her). I won't go on and on about everything I liked since many other reviews already covered it.

I also have a special place in my heart for this because the grannies and aunties remind me of my family and family's friends (as you know, in Chinese and other cultures, you address your elders as grandpa/grandma/uncle/auntie even if they're not blood-related). They touched me in ways that other cdramas modern and costume have not; though it's a slow drama, it's because all characters are fleshed out to feel real.

Minus half a point mainly because:
1. A bit draggy, but mainly on storylines about supporting characters I wasn't as invested in like Mr. Ma (the guy who is always meditating in the beginning) and the musician's romance.
2. The English songs used are annoying. Why do modern C-dramas always use English songs?? The non-English songs are good, though I wish they used some of them more (like "Hao Hao De" by Sa Ji was only used like twice despite how good it is, while they used other songs a bit too much).

These are just nitpicks though, which is why I only took off half a point.

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Setup for disappointment

The first third was like the original. Then it slowly descended into Larkorn nonsense. I get that this series is shorter than the original and there are distinct differences between Thai and Chinese social norms and culture. Nut these weren’t the issue for me.

The issue was that a smart and savvy woman in business is make into an idiotic female trope once again. It seems like when women fall in love they are made to lose their sense and judgement which the men can still remain sane and normal.

Ray is a snake that any sane woman can spot right away especially once who is a savvy woman like Yin. It seems like Ray was given his redemption arc despite stealing someone else’s girlfriend just because he stop the marriage at the last minute. This is such fvckery that a man can steal someone else’s girlfriend, taunts the ex and be the delusional hero just because he can with the wealth and position he has. I am not ok with this kind of bullshit behavior of men.

Shane should’ve moved on from idol worship of Yin. She’s an idiot that she willingly gets into a relationship with someone much younger than herself. I mean a relationship with sex and all, but thinks getting together with an age appropriate man who she won’t even kiss or hold hands with is so,sone she should marry. Like what in the holy fvck is this shit. How can Shane tolerate this from such an idiotic woman? She’s a child with a child’s mentality. I don’t see the attraction for Shame other than her pretty face. I mean if Shane left her, he can find someone much more attractive than Yin who doesn’t have all her fvcked up baggage.

I wish Earth was a stronger actor but he isn’t. He isn’t terrible but he just steels so awkward as Yang. For a successful professional, he’s also acting like a toddler. I don’t like the teacher student relationship. I don’t care if it’s socially acceptable in Thailand but no one under 25 should be eyed by their 10 years older professor. It’s super creepy and reeks with inappropriateness. That storyline took me out in the original and it’s double so here.

The mom is super annoying and the dad was just pointless even with the dementia arc. I get that parents aren’t perfect but these were idiots. I guess that’s why they have idiots kids liek Yin ans Yang. The apples didn’t fall far from the tree.

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Communication and trust in your partner are important.

Before I start, I hv to say... I didn't expect the instrumental playing throughout the drama was actually from the OST too. I thought it was just the sound effect because when it played, it was giving the anxiety vibes but I love it. This drama was telling story about how the FL overcame the difficulties she had growing up, how to reconcile with not doing it all by yourself and put your trust in your partner/spouse so they wouldn't be hurt by your decision alone without telling them. Also, about parents need to believe in their children, showers them with love and don't punish them over the line.

ML, Ling Buyi, actually this was not his real name so I'm not going to spoil abt that but he was called Zisheng too. Until now I don't know why they called him by that name. I think I missed something. Anyway, our ML was a cold-blooded, ruthless general but a righteous man. He lived for avenging those who participated in Gu City tragedy that massacred that killed his mom's clan and his beloved uncle who was a general protecting that city. I like that Zisheng decided early on he wld know the one he was going to spend his life with and that wld be the only one. So he hold on tight to that principle and would harshly made it clear to the other ladies who clamour for his attention. He was very considerate, like sooo sooo supportive toward the one he fell in love with. Zisheng wld anything for FL even if it cost his life. Even to the point, helping his love rivals' situations so that his beloved would hv a peace of mind. He encouraged and gave freedom for the FL to shows her skills and capabilities. Although, he had his own umm flaw or weakness but he reflected on himself so he was man enough to admit he was in the wrong.

I actually don't believe the fall in love at first sight thing the ML said but I'm humouring this drama bcs well, it was not a reality.

FL, Cheng Shaoshang or affectionately called Niaoniao. At first, she was very stubborn young lady but there was a reason for that. She was abandoned from when she was born by her parents when they had to got to war, she was mistreated by her aunt and her grandmother growing up. Her aunt wanted to raise her as dumb, good for nothing young lady so she didn't learn anything about writing, reading the classics and etiquettes. Shaoshang had to relied on herself, her intelligent and wit to survive. She was good at numbers, interested in building things and machines. Although she tended to land herself in trouble when she decided to pay back the villainesses whom bullied her. When she thought she finally gonna get the love she craved when her parents was finally home from war, she didn't expect her mother wld not fulfil that and that drove the wedge between them. But bit by bit she changed for the better with the help of her gentle and understanding Third Aunt Shunhua, when she got engaged to Ling Buyi and receiving tutelage by the graceful Empress that believed in her. She was actually pursued by Ling Buyi, so she didn't believe in him at first but slowly with Buyi trust in her, she fell in love with his earnest self. They always communicated their differents which was very good thing for a couple to do to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding. It just Buyi also had his own challenges and that'll affect their relationship.

This drama had two love rivals of ML so the 2ndML would be Yuan Shanjian, the arrogant and intelligent scholar who love to push Niaoniao's button and Lou Yao, a young man who fell in love with Niaoniao's fearless personality and earnestly pursued her. I love in that in this drama the dynamic of relationship between the Emperor, his Empress and his one concubine was harmonious i would say?. I also love that they included other couple love stories.

The costumes in this drama were also different in a good way. I really like how the Emperor was dressed but idk why his style reminds me of Japanese ancient style too.

Tbh I don't quite understand how certain scenes suddenly appeared. Maybe that was why I was hesitating to give this 9.5 stars rating. Myb a rewatch in the future might change the rating so who knows.

The ending was fine for although I wish I cld see them get married but I'm okay when it ended like that.

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