Reviews

Really Good, Last 5 Eps DESTROYED it!

I didn't watch S1 and S2, but really enjoyed S3. The eps were short 25 - 30 minutes each so moved at a pretty good clip especially the first 10 eps. Episode 10 -20 really started to drag and I had to fast forward past a lot of scenes, namely everything relating to the secondary characters, I just didn't care about the Director and the jealous girlfriend, nor the other rich guy and Chen relationship. I loved the ML/FL together, they had a really strong, mature relationship. I loved that the FL didn't let herself be bullied by people around her. In the first 10 eps there was this weird conflict with some actress who arbitrarily decided she wanted to steal the FL's husband. For reasons. So she became a very cliche conniving homewrecker. For NO REASON.

She literally had no relationship with the FL husband, had no idea who the guy was until she saw a strange camper on set and wanted to know who owned it. Her assistant found out, then she looked him up on the internet and found out he was handsome and rich. Then decided "Well, that's my man!" When she found out "her man" was dating the FL she decided to try and destroy her. Even finding out they were actually married didn't stop her. It was ridiculous.

After that it was just a nice, easy going drama and they clearly ran out of plot at around Ep 20 and then it just dragged and after everything they went through (which, honestly, wasn't much) and all of their promises, they just decide to break up in Ep 33. And I was like WTF? And the reason for the break up was about as stupid and lame as you can get - because they felt they were holding each other back. That's the stupidest reason to separate. He was a 3rd generation chaebol! They had the money and family support to do whatever the hell they wanted.

This wasn't like most of these type of rich boy/poor girl stories, he wasn't pressured to take over the family business. He didn't have domineering, snobby parents that hated his wife, there was no marriage contract. No conniving, spoiled "best friend." None of that. The only slight obstacle in their life was the spoiled actress in the first few eps causing drama. They had all the support and time they needed to "find" themselves. But that wasn't good enough, they wanted to do it on their "own." Especially the FL, her self righteous, self sufficiency became annoying.

As everyone kept saying, why make it hard on yourself when you don't need to? There's nothing wrong with accepting help. I understand her work life became difficult once everyone found out who her husband was and how frustrating it could be. But as one of her friends said, why is she still trying to be an "assistant director," when she had all the training and resources to start her own production company? Eventually she takes that advice, but immediately gives up at the first sign of trouble. Her Husband tries to be his own man by starting a few businesses that he doesn't take seriously, that immediately fail as well. That's when they just blamed each other for their own entitlement and laziness.

And they are separated for YEARS in the next 2 last ep. For some reason the FL gave up ALL HER dreams, just because people only saw her as the ML's wife. So she becomes a famous Manga writer? She never showed any creativity in the the rest of the season, but suddenly she's a famous, successful, manga writer? Ok. And the ML becomes a famous "inventor" and automotive inventor? What? This idiot? The guy had no ambition for most of the season, wasn't shown to be particularly smart, but one montage of him studying later and he's Steve Jobs? Just horrible. It destroyed an otherwise great show. If I knew this was where they were heading I would have dropped this show. It was awful.

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An Entertaining Fiasco: The Anime is Better, but...

(No spoilers about the Netflix version, but there may be some from the anime.)
It has taken me weeks to write this because I am torn. It wasn't until I watched a review on YT that my feelings about this entertaining fiasco congealed. The "live action" version of YuYu Hakusho, easily one of the best, most well written shonen anime/manga of all time is not a true adaptation. Rather, it's a re-telling of the story I've loved for almost 30 years. It has aspects of the anime and manga, but it's its own beast all together. Fans of the story may be torn. Those who have never seen the anime will probably really like it. I mean there's nothing to dislike. I can not see anyone hating it though. I have dubbed this retelling YuYu Hakusho: Netflix hen.

In case you don't know Yusuke Urameshi is a 14 year old yankee (Japanese term for teen thugs, gang members, etc.). He's an excellent fighter and e seems hard on the outside, but he really has a good heart. After an accident Yusuke undergoes trials assigned by, Koenma, the son of Enma, King of the Underworld, to become a spirit detective. He forms a team with once rival, Kuabara, and 2 demons (Kurama and Hiei) to rid the world of demons. That's Yu Yu in a nutshell. The only difference, which isn't much, is that Yusuke in the Netflix version is 17.

The good
Netflix's version is fast paced and action packed. If that's all you're looking for, you won't be disappointed. The CGI was a little ify here and there, but forgivable. The cast is good. I only recognized Takito Kenichi, who was perfectly creepy as the Elder Togoro brother, but for the most part the cast is solid. There's no mistaking who is who. While I didn't like the portrayal of Yusuke at first, he did grow on. The actor that played Kubara, however, was fantastic. He didn't necessarily look like Kuabara (his size and hair color being notable), but he embodied the spirit of Kuabara down to the walk. He was truly perfect.

The bad
Why was Koenma an adult from jump? Why didn't they explain the pacifier? They made him look like a damn perv sucking on binky for no reason. What they did to Kurama was a travesty. The cutting of Hiei's story and introduction was equally as sad. That brings me to what is really sad..the rush job. Why did they try to put 1/2 the story into 5 hours? They tried to cram over 60 anime episodes (approximately 30 hours of content) into 5- 1 hour episodes. Who does that? Why? Where's the fire? Why the rush? All questions I asked myself when I realized there was no episode 6. My only hope is that there is a 2nd season and they will have managed to work in some significant arcs and characters they omitted, especially the Dark Tournament. You guys don't know how badass any of them are with seeing the tournament.

The music was good at least I think it was. To be 100% I don't remember it. Re-watch? Hmm I'll probably re-watch it. I mean why not? It's only 5 episodes!

Fans of the anime: Netflix hen is decent. It's not the story you know, but it's not not the story either. It's a solid 6.
New YuYu fans: it's good. If you like fight scenes and action, you'll probably enjoy it enough to give it 7.5-8. However, you do yourself a huge disservice by not watching the anime.

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In my husband's words: this was inept yet adorable

This show is cheesy and ridiculous in so many ways. The characters are cartoonish, the plot is nonsensical, the production values are student film quality. The "romance" has a few really cute moments but is mostly comprised of childish tantrums, miscommunications, and contrived separations. And yet, I can't deny this had a certain charm to it and I did (usually) enjoy watching it. I came into this with a strong pre-existing fondness for Jang Na Ra and Jang Hyuk and I loved watching these early career performances of theirs. Even at this early stage they both had such a star quality about them. It's amusing how the show ping pongs between the lightest fluff and hackneyed attempts at gritty intensity. Sometimes the show would get flat but thankfully I never had to wait too long for it to pick back up again.

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Part 1 is Top Notch

I have thoroughly enjoyed the first four eps. The acting has been TOP NOTCH and the drama has made a lot of changes away from the webtoon that makes me enjoy the characters, and overall, the story more. Compared to the webtoon, I disliked the main character and all the other characters. I mainly read it because the story intrigued me and I wanted to know how it ended. In the show, though, they really make you want to give most of them a hug.
I also love how this show is taking a very serious issue in Korea (and around the world) and showing the aftermath of suicide. As someone who has had a loved one attempt suicide, this show has really expressed how I felt about it and it’s nice to share that with my loved one as well. First two episodes we see our lead being totally selfish and not seeing the bigger picture but the 3rd and 4th episode really hones in on the aftermath of that loss and changes our lead.
Can’t wait to see how this plays out.

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late to the party but loved it

So many things to love but the biggest, for me, was how the villains/antagonists were equally as strong and interesting as the main characters. I also truly appreciated how they painted characters from both sides as very human. It's so easy to make viewers only root for the heroes....By the very nature of their characters, stories often have villains as expendable and forgettable. In 'Moving', this wasn't always the case. And I liked the writer and director for that.

I am also super pumped and hopeful about a season 2. I just pray that Ganghoon doesn't have a villain arc, please. I know we will get enough villains to keep the main characters and us occupied so please, let's have only good Ganghoon okay. I want him and his family to be happy.

I am also extremely intrigued by the time stopping character that we got only a glimpse of in this season. Read somewhere that it's a character from the writer's other webtoon. Would love to see him as a main character in the next season.

To come back to the review, 'Moving' was amazing. A perfect mixture of heartfelt, intrigue, thrill, comedy, and romance. It was so cool to see the huge ensemble cast. Hats off to my girl, Han Hyojoo, for always doing interesting work. I love you!! Also, wow she looks so cool with Zo Insung. Like the chemistry is amaze! That entire section of her first trying to get his attention and him slowly noticing her was brilliant. The background music put that section up a notch, too. Would love to see them both together in other movies and dramas too...(saw somewhere that they are working together but can't remember where I saw that).

And finally Kim Sungkyun....Damn, he is the action hero we deserve, How lucky we were to see him as Lee Jaeman! It's because of him that I want Ganghoon to be a good guy next. I hope Jaeman and Ganghoon enjoy a happy father-son relationship. PLEASE!

Arm's hurting so can't write about all characters but love them ALL. Special thanks to writer and director for showing us grown, macho men crying. BIG BIG THANKS.

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I wanted to like it

I might be in the minority here, but I really struggled to finish this drama. The overwhelmingly positive reviews made me go into this show with high expectations, but also made me even more disappointed in the end. Not everything is bad, but there are way too many parts that frustrated me to watch or was just plain boring.

The casting was good. All the actors and actresses played their roles well (no hate towards any of them). The visuals were great and the show itself was filmed in a visually stunning way (although dark and bland sometimes). As with most shows that I'm not a fan of, the problems mostly lie in the writing and execution. This drama is long, taking into account parts 1 and 2, with some episodes being over an hour long. This wouldn't be a problem if the show actually kept my interest the entire time, but there were so many scenes that were just dragged out for way too long, and so many repetitive situations. The two leads going back and forth arguing with each other became extremely repetitive and annoying very quickly. Gil Chae's character was not very likeable for the majority of the show (especially at the beginning), and the way she treated Jang Hyun in the first half was frustrating to watch to say the least. She would constantly blame him for things, badmouth him, and was just plain rude. So many times Jang Hyun would help her or save her life, and all of this would go unnoticed. He would fight and hurt himself in the process, only for very little acknowledgement and little payoff in the end (in fact, Gil Chae would often get upset with him instead). Gil Chae being "in love" with Yeon Jun in the first half was so frustrating to watch. So many times I thought she would finally come to her senses and move on from this unhealthy relationship with Yeon Jun, only for her to fall right back in to blindly chasing after his affection even though he's already in a relationship with her best friend. It didn't help that Yeon Jun was incredibly annoying for most of the show, especially when he admitted to having some feelings for Gil Chae while also seeing Eun Ae.

Side characters were okay, although boring at times and helped to drag out the story for way too long. Ryang Eum's dynamic with Jang Hyun was interesting and not something that you see often in these types of shows. Gag Hwa was also a pretty interesting character, and sometimes I felt more chemistry between her and Jang Hyun than with Gil Chae. I didn't really care at all for Yeon Jun and Eun Ae's relationship (even though Eun Ae was a very good character in my opinion), as Yeon Jun was not very likeable.

The vibe of the show started off as a historical rom-com, but quickly turned very dark, violent, and moody. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I do prefer rom-coms over dark shows. The first two-ish episodes were great in my opinion, but I soon found myself wishing there was a fast-forward option to get through some of the boring scenes and repetitive dialogue. Namkoong Min, who I acknowledge is a very talented and well-respected actor, did this thing throughout the entire show where he would talk in a very slow manner. This was obviously done for dramatic effect and to increase tension in his scenes, but I found this also dragged out his scenes for much longer than they normally would have been. He would take a pause between every few words or sentences that dragged out his dialogue scenes waaay too long. I don't know if this was just me who noticed this?

The story itself became boring very quickly. I haven't seen Gone with the Wind, so I can't really make comparisons with it. The story just felt dragged out, and some parts like Jang Hyun losing his memory twice didn't really make much sense to me. The ending was okay I guess, I think I was just glad that it was finally over. The relationship between Jang Hyun and Gil Chae was cute at times, but I couldn't really feel the chemistry. Often times I wondered why they were so obsessed with each other (especially with Jang Hyun towards Gil Chae), as I felt like their relationship lacked a strong connection that made me want to see them together. The constant bickering and push&pull in the first half didn't really lead to a good build up to their relationship, and then the introduction of Gag Hwa into the story and her dynamic with Jang Hyun made it even harder to feel the connection between the main leads. I felt like most of the show Jang Hyun and Gil Chae weren't even together.

Overall, rather disappointed to say the least. You may enjoy this show if you like historical/costume & period dramas. I prefer modern-day rom-coms so maybe this show just wasn't for me.

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romance only

I watched this drama for the actress. Shin Hye-sun was pretty good in "Angel's Last Mission: Love". She was incredible in a handicap woman with a dark side. She was extraordinary in the "Thirty But Seventeen" and "Hymn of Death".
I completed it because of that and want to find something to give a better score.
This story haven't got any suspens. you can find the end after seeing the second episode.
if you want to see a romance and only romance, you Can see it. if you want a movie with suspens, some action, you must pass your way, you'll be desappointed if not.

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When you understand cheater more then the wife getting cheated

Husband is cheating on wife because he is single in that marriage, and physical cheating of husband count but emotional cheating of wife doesn't count,

And he was raising someone else child like his own
Fl doesn't even care about that daughter because she is result of a RAPE, but she want custody GREAT
just 30min in the show we can see wife and team leader are not just working, team leader is worried about her and stay there for her while he ditch his girlfriend(sister) i never had any sane human making girlfriend of his own sister
wife enjoy this flirting with team leader but we should consider wife purest innocent being in universe, and all blame goes to husband
when wife suspected her team leader being the stalker she look more like heartbroken then afraid.
when she heard about her husband stopped going to gym, she start thinking about she no longer trusted anyone, being betrayed, so from the start she never trusted her husband
just because of a GYM membership she just lost all her trust in her husband is AMAZING.


wife check her husbands phone without permission its NOTHING......
but same thing if husband do that it would be against her privacy and freedom.....he will be called controlling freak
she was so eager to find something in her husband phone that she feel disappointed when there marriage Anniversary was his passcode and there daughter was on only person in his gallery , its like she was hoping her husband to cheat so she can sleep with that team leader.
just because her team leader lover was a stalker she believe her husband was cheating 150% even before she found him
and all we saw was her husband meeting her friend, and this make him cheater without any proof
how little she trust her husband..

at end her lover ask her if she is hiding something from him like CEO need to tell her team leader everything ?
she was having an emotional affair with her co-worker but it was nothing because she is FL, but her husband cheating is big deal.
i can understand her crying for her stepfather and husband but why she is crying this hard remembering her co-worker like that, he is more then just employee
YOU just release same drama before Park min young with your fake acting Jang Na Ra,
Marry my Husband copy that come 2 days before

Yoon tae Oh....... will be the man to save damsel in distress
Yoon tea Oh girlfriend is not even listed as cast for this drama which we know is going to be dumped anytime ..
because all the time we spent together is more then the time you spent with your husband and daughter.......By Team Leader who isn't stalker but 1000% good guy who will dump his girlfriend anytime CEO invite him into her bed.

..............EP2
FL can enjoy her work affair anytime she want but her husband isn't allowed to have a affair why ?
worst FL character ever her trust goes and she started treating her family like trash without proof, when she regain trust in them she spent her time with her office lover....
no wonder her husband cheat on her, this is only show i am on side of cheater because FL deserve it,

ep3 her lover will help her in catching her husband cheat while they also having an affair...
The disrespect she shows towards her husband,
I really hope her husband cheat and leave her with there daughter too..

Ep 6
There is chance she was screwing her so called co worker from moment she got married but our ML is big worst Guy..
Ep 7
So woman drunk and cheat and still play victim card and show her crocodile tears

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The softest teen angst you've ever seen

My god this was so sweet and light I think I strained some face muscles from grinning so much.
This show's premise may be nothing new, but it manages to depict the struggles of falling for your best friend and the sheer, horrifying exhilaration of first love so well, it borders on perfection.
At first I was a bit put off by the almost aggressive wholesomeness of the series and the constant sparkles every time something vaguely romantic happens, but dammit they won me over alright.
The writing is genuinely great and the entire cast delivers such engaging and believable performances that it's a real challenge not to fall in love with the characters.
They're all just such good kids, trying their best to be there for one another and I really can't think of any way to describe the whole thing other than "genuinely heartwarming"
There is essentially no external conflict in the series, no antagonists, no dramatic plot twists, nothing of the sort. Instead, the story focuses on our two leads figuring out their feelings and learning how to communicate with one another, giving each other space to process their changing relationship and carefully consider their choices all the while.
One slight trigger warning I have to mention, however, is a scene in which one of the characters doesn't stop his physical advances on the other until he's been asked to stop three times.
Personally, in light of how well the fallout of this event is handled and how deeply loving and respectful the characters' relationship is overall, I found I could just about stomach that scene. If you are sensitive to these issues, you may want to proceed with caution though.

All in all, if you want to see an incredibly soft, yet grounded high-school romance reminiscent of beloved classics such as Kieta Hatsukoi and Kamisama no Ekohiiki, or are simply looking for a light, wholesome rom-com to while away a rainy day, then this show is perfect for you.

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The most unhinged love story you will ever watch

To start off, let me express that I never anticipated this drama to ascend to the zenith of my watched list. The notion of toxic couples typically repels me to the extent that I adamantly avoid any narrative steeped in toxicity. However, a shift in my perspective occurred after encountering this particular storyline. Now that this is acknowledged, let us delve into the nuances of this show.

Oh, the celestial heavens! Is this not the most captivating storyline I've ever witnessed? My disdain for characters masquerading as intelligent solely based on their aesthetic appeal, manipulating those around them without contributing substantively, is palpable. Yet, Xie Wei and Jiang Xuening defy this archetype. They possess genuine intellect, evident both in their past and present lives, coupled with a touch of selfishness—a character trait that adds a layer of complexity that I find inherently intriguing. They are acutely aware of their flaws, refusing to conceal behind a facade of sanctity. Instead, they openly acknowledge their transgressions, displaying an intimate understanding of themselves. The beauty lies in JX's discovery of love in her present life and XW's revelation of true love through his connection with JX.

Now, let's delve into the characters. Xie Wei defies the conventional male lead archetype, bordering on a second lead, if we're being candid. His relationships with others are a facade, meticulously crafted to showcase only what others desire to see. A loyal companion for the king, a strict yet compassionate teacher for his student, a manipulative official for his colleagues, and a formidable teacher for Jiang Xuening. However, with JX, he gradually reveals his true self, unintentionally unveiling his vulnerability and guarded nature rooted in the fear of abandonment. Love is a foreign concept to him, a sentiment he associates solely with his mother and uncle, while his godfather taught him that love equated to lust. Guarded and afraid, he inadvertently finds himself risking his life for someone else, a prospect that terrifies him.

Jiang Xuening, an extraordinary character, manifests selfish and cruel intentions in her first life, a result of lovelessness and neglect. Deprived of love and care, even her adopted mother fails to provide the warmth she craves. Her pursuit of becoming the most honorable woman in the world as the queen is a consequence of her belief that she could never be important. However, this pursuit prompts her to question its worth. In her present life, she retains self-awareness, relinquishing the ambition for personal importance in favor of prioritizing others. Starting with the desire to protect herself, she gradually learns to love others, feeling their affection, with one exception—Xie Wei. She fears him due to their shared past but also feels an inexplicable pull towards him. What began as mere attraction blossoms into a mutual understanding.

This drama is truly exceptional, and I fervently hope that future dramas can aspire to match the nuanced characterizations exhibited by these protagonists. Their complexity and depth are nothing short of remarkable.

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What a mess!

This will be short and sweet(well, not so sweet) While this had potential; beautiful cinematography, 2 male leads with nice chemistry it all went to hell in a hand basket as we progressed. This story was just bad and the editing/choppiness of it all did not help. As mentioned, the 2 mains faired well, but the rest of the cast did not. I like Marc, but he was awful here(not to mention his kissing scene was just bad). Toward the end, absolutely nothing was making any sense. And the character of Ken should have died multiple times, I mean he was strangled twice and beaten to a pulp almost every episode! It seems they had the budget to work with, but did not bother using it on a coherent script.

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Beautiful short story

This is a fairly economically-written story in which more happens than in some longer series, and with an emotional authenticity often sorely lacking in BL.

The reactions of the three characters are very realistic and age-appropriate, experiencing heratbreak, longing, jealousy, love, and especially loyalty in non-pathological ways. Loyalty is an important theme in the story, prioritizing it over attraction, and making it a primary characteristic to be attracted to. Poon has a fight with his best friend in which he even punches him, but it doesn't break up their friendship because the best friend understands Poon's motivation and even values it. It's obviously wrong to hit someone, but nobody, especially high school boys, has perfect self-control, and he apologizes and they discuss it like good and mature people.

It's a really beautiful story, wonderfully acted by very attractive boys and well filmed and edited. My only criticism is that there is too much flashback for such a short story. One is excusable as it's from the previous part, but there are others that are from the previous scene, which is tiresome and unnecessary. Also, Rachmaninoff needs royalties for the score, but it works well with the story.

I can highly recommend this - Mind Trio is batting 1,000 at this poiint.

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Acting, storyline, development are all good story of the kunning palace is amazing!!

Ah! I really enjoyed watching the story of the kunning Palace. The story, acting, visuals were all magnificent! It is definitely one of the bests cdramas to come out this year. Moreover, the characters especially xie wei who was played by the actor Zhang Ling He, gave such a phenomenal performance. I was really impressed with how he protrayed Xie Wei as a man who has been thorough so much hardship thus devloping a cold and shrewd personality. He is someone that I am looking forward to seeing more of his works and how his acting can further progress. However, I would also like to mention that at some points during the drama i did feel like he over dramatised xie wei’s character a little bit which came as kind of scary? But nonetheless he put on a good performance! As for Bai Lu, I am pleased with how she presented ning’er as a character. I think she did a wondeful job in showcasing her fragile side and how strong and smart she is. I want to give an overwhelming praise to yan lin’s actor as his character development really warmed my heart with how the actor managed to show just how much of a silly but really sweet boy he was. (i fell so hard when he was fighting in last few episodes, he looked so badass 😭) and ofc the actor who played zhang he i love you such a handsome man but his acting was really flawless i really think he put on a good performance in showcasing how self righteous. zhang he’s character was. Furtheremore, I think the story for kunning palace was executed pretty well but towards the ends it felt a bit rushed like the pace was inconsistent, so that kind of took the ratings down. Additonally, i felt like towards the end the director could’ve made the character’s deaths more vile because truly makes no sense how them being killed of just like that was a “satisfactory” ending for the viewers. Anyways i really did enjoy this cdrama and heavily reccomend for anyone who wants to watch. :)

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Boring Grocery list of a drama

Drama made young ML as super memory genius who is not afraid in the face of injustice but the adult ML is a washed out many times exam failure wimp of a guy made it rather disengaging to root for him.
Although it is relatively new and refreshing to see ML as non dominant and macho presence of a character, the likeability factor turned out less for me.
in contrast they made the FL a super adorable who understands and roots for the ML and cherished him for 20 years, she is so loveable for me.
Young child actress Yul was super adorable and great acting .
Story however rather bland and crime and investigation was not interesting.
Especially as most of them pointed out in the comment, as soon as they introduce the villain most of us could easily guess he is the bad guy as he was clearly givin of one.
Most things are loveable , the hardworking mom, supermarket , rooftop house ect; however the screenplay and story went down the drain , eventhough the other characters had potential to have a depth they fail to keep me interested as well. The veg is so beautiful, fish is charming, part timer girl is badass vibe but there wasnt scene to make them loveable .
Anyways i actually went to because of watching the FL from awaken drama .

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nope

I don't mean to be negative or hateful... but that was probably the WORST plot twist I've ever seen.

I was watching the series thinking, "Why didn't I see much of this series shared online?" Maybe because the ending was so unsatisfying, I feel I wasted my time.

It would have been better if they all just died. Not some girls' parents acting like two idiots, collectively punishing a class of high schoolers because a group of them are assholes.

Also, if they wanted to go on and say she killed herself because of the bullying, then maybe they should have done and shown something more believable. They should have done The Glory level bullying or at least something way worse than a very badly done deepfake. Anyone with eyesight could see that it was fake.

Almost everything else was great but the story makes a series and this one was so disappointing.

Honestly, 95% chance I'll skip season 2, if there ever is one.

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