Reviews

"Loving someone means accepting the pain of losing them too"

I watched this BL with the idea that it might only revolve around food. Oh my god, I never thought that I would literally cry in episode 10. I was literally bawling my eyes out lol. This is so wholesome and nice in many aspects. Tane plays a huge role in their relationship and I thank him for his existence fr. This feels like a warm hug on a cold evening. I feel like it would be better to watch this on Christmas or Winter break since it has that warm tone that would make you cry under thick covers. I just hope that they would be happy forever in each others' lives. I remembered adding this series to one of our school projects since it moved me so much! There are really a lot of good JBLs. Keep it up!

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Rational and Irrational Decisions. Character Development and Missing Information

This show gave me a strange feeling. It started out cute and sweet. Towards the middle, we started to see the cruelty of the real world.
A typical emotional, intense Japanese style drama.
Of course I liked the ending, but my instincts kept screaming that this couldn't happen in real life.

As logical as Itou's desire to leave Nishi and establish a normal life, it was just as illogical for him to defy his family and be forgiven.
When I looked at Nishi's character, no matter how emotional he was, he was generally a positive and full of life. Someone who can live his pain to the end and recover himself after a while. It's hard to believe that he hasn't gotten over Itou for years.

Of course, since the series was very short, we needed more information about Nishi's character. If they are predisposed to a dependent personality and haven't overcome it because of that, I understand, but they needed to show me that.

If this had been a longer series, something tells me I wouldn't have liked Itou. He seems like he could be someone who gets repulsive the more you get to know him.

He was cute and sweet again. I'm happy I watched it.

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Wife Above All is a miniseries set in a historical era that tries too hard to give the audience a comedy, action, revenge, and romance plot but it does not deliver any of these genres properly. The female leads are the dominant characters in the story and the male leads, which got married with ulterior motives, go to a process of learning how to become the right husband for their respective wives while battling a court antagonist, diseases, lies, and revelations. The drama is not well written for the main characters and one of the couples, Mo Jing Yu and Yun Zi Long , even after they supposedly fall in love and are willing to die for each other, end up been separated at the end in just an amicable and nonsensical way. The second couple, Mo Ban Xia and Qin Chong Lou, had a better storyline and it was nice to see them falling in love and supporting each other. The only well done part of this drama is the insightful and comedic side story at the end of every episode.

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Good but not great

Like a lot of Kdramas this was a good show that would have achieved greatness if they dropped the romance altogether. The mental health issues and the professions and industry in general were portrayed really well. The non-romantic aspect of the daily lives of the nurses were also really good, particularly the episode that focused on Lee Sang-hee's character (that story would have had way lesser impact if it wasn't for Sang-hee though, one of South Korea's most criminally underrated great actors). It was funny at times as well and had amazing visual fx.

The romance, however, is uh, very problematic. Unacknowledged power-dynamics issues, rich guy-poor girl story, white knighting, coming on a bit too strong that borderlines of creepiness, anchoring one's mental health issue on somebody else entirely (cracking compulsion disappears when girl is around) etc. all tied-up neatly by the big red bow of romcom--a typical kdrama pitfall. If you want a drama that talks about poignant societal issues and also handles romance well with a touch of comedy, this really isn't it. Try Because this is My First Life or Hospital Playlist or Crash Course in Romance instead. If you can stomach the iffy romance, then give this show a try.

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Incredible Thriller to Binge

I think some of the low ratings here are from people that expected this to be a BL because Fluke is a main character. It's not. But it is an amazing thriller series that will have you constantly wanting to watch the next episode.

Dan is a new transfer student to St. Lawrence all-boys school. He quickly learns of a kid named Trin who went missing the year prior, and the other students found it strange that Dan sat in the exact desk that Trin did. Dan begins looking into Trin's disappearance a bit more, with the help of his friends, and it seems as though things are more complicated than he thought.

However, Dan has more pressing matters than Trin's disappearance. A shadow figure keeps appearing in his dreams and attempting to kill him. This worsens, and begins to happen even while he's awake. With the help of his friend Nai, who can see ghosts, Dan tries to keep his reality separate from his dreams - though the ghosts and shadow man make this difficult. As these encounters worsen, Dan realizes these visions may be tied to Trin after all...

This show had me on the edge of my seat every episode. Watching the main character start to lose his mind in his attempts to distinguish what's real and what isn't was truly a highlight for me, and Singto's performance as Dan was outstanding. The effects were good, and the twists and turns the storyline took were absolutely excellent. The only reason this wasn't a 10/10 was because the ending could have been wrapped up a bit better, but overall it was excellently done. However, if you're looking for a new BL with Fluke, this isn't it. Still, give it a shot if you like thrillers/supernatural horror/etc.

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One of my Favorite Dramas of the Year

This drama was pretty much exactly what I've wanted from all of the historical/fantasy cdramas that I've watched (and not always finished) in the past.
It has smart and good characters, who go through an actual journey and have growth throughout the show. I also liked the fact that the writers never sacrificed how smart/cunning Li Ni and Cui Lin were for the sake of the plot. Things went wrong, but not because they were stupid and made poor choices.
The story itself was really enjoyable. It held my attention and had good pacing (something that lacks in a lot of cdramas imo). I also liked that while main story points were finished off and new ones took their places, it never felt forced or weird.
Even though I liked the tone of the show (it was light and serious when it needed to be, with just the right amount of angst) I do wish that characters/plots were allowed to be a little darker than they were. For example, I would've liked to see Miss Gu be more sinister and cunning to get her way. Same for the main villains--let's see them being more EVIL!
Lastly, while I really liked the ending, I do wish the climax was a little more intense. I wish that we'd built up to it more so that I was on the edge of my seat, but for what it was, I did really like it and how it played out in the end!

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Soundtrack #2: A second chance love story

Soundtrack #2 tell the story of two ex-lovers who broke up due to unavoidable circumstances and problem. They meet again after 4 years but the thing is, sparks still fly between them, unsaid feeling still hurt.

TROPES- Ex-lover, rags to riches ML, strong willed FL, lovers to strangers to lover, love traingle.

Soundtrack #2 feels like a typical romance drama, except it's only a few hours long. But, the portrayal of the "lovers to strangers to lovers" trope/EX-LOVER trope feels very realistic and pragmatic.
The story is straightforward, but the manner in which it is told is entertaining.

We see the ML's POV and side of story both post and pre breakup, which is great BUT we never see the FL's POV. Which literally makes the FL look like the villian in their story. The ML's POV make you sympathize with him. His character is really likable and outgoing which again makes the FL's almost secretive and grumpy character look evrn more bad.
Even the FL's reason for the way she acted in the past and present were NOT strong enough to make me understand her. Honestly she felt like the problem.

Their acting was excellent though, specially the actor playing the ML. They were able to accurately convey the emotions of the characters. I don't have much to say about their performance. I enjoyed their chemistry.

The music was also okayish, like i didn't really find a single song i would love to add to my Playlist.

This is a nice drama to watch if you want something short. There isn't much else to say about this brief drama but it was nice enough to watch if you are bored.

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Finish Falters

Strong opening and enough intriguing questions raised to hold you to what turns out to be an unsatisfying conclusion. The opening and first few episodes caught my curiosity, but I found myself sticking it out to the end just to find out how it would tie things up. But it didn't tie many important threads up and we don't learn what happened to the characters and in important cases the why behind their actions. I was waiting for a supernatural angle to appear given the physically impossible things occurring, but there isn't any. The makers just walk away from a reasonable finish. That last 'special' episode or epilogue was weird. The idea that a surgeon/doctor would pursue relationships with two or three high school girls was absurd and I suspect as illegal and socially unacceptable in Japan as it would be elsewhere in the world.

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I loved it....

At first when I saw the name and the photo I thought this gonna be a horror series so that's why I gave it a try but it turn out to be very heartwarming and very emotional series.

The cast is amazing and they did a great job. I really loved Haruto and Asahi. Even though the story plot is not that complicated the story is still unique somehow.

But still some parts are still unsolved and it's bit confusing. Overall I loved each and every episode. I think in my opinion it's a must watch series. I find it cute somehow not scary. I really love their friendship.

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SO RIDICULOUSLY HEARTFUL ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY

I LOVE FOUND FAMILY. I REALLY DO. I really don't know what I was expecting with this show, but I was blown away with how much each ep had me grinning like an idiot. There's something so nostalgic and breezy about watching these country teenage athletes really meld into a functional badminton team like ill always eat up a good sports story !! And this is so much more than that. It's slice of life and coming of age at its purest form and UGH what do you even say about this show?? It's just so warm and full of heart and it just really got to me idk. Ok yeah, some of the plots are not very interesting- esp the ones that were like the village politics- and there were some... interesting choices made in the writing but the characters and dynamic absolutely SHINE. You root so hard for these stupid boys and their weird little badminton team and it actually made me so interested in badminton? I loved watching the matches they gave me the usual 'watching sports anxiety' which is always a good thing cause it made me feel like I was actually watching a match.

But yeah, the characters really make this show. It's so chockful with characters full of personality and I adore almost all of them. Tang Junsang continues to prove that he's a force to be reckoned with acting wise and should be cast in every show ever from now on. Seriously, Yoon Haekang on paper seems like such an annoying character. He's a BASEBALL PLAYER first of all and he's an egotistical complainer who likes to keep to himself (at first, of course) but I love once we really get to know him we see that this guy just sucks at showing his emotions and has an incredible heart and its so sweet to see him warming up to his teammates and acclimate to life in the country and going back to badminton. ALSO HES JUST SO AWKWARD I LOVE HIM. And his dynamic with the rest of the team <33 Honestly thats the highlight for me. The teams dynamic with each other and ofc their dynamic with Seyoon and Hansol. Which, ohhhh the girlies in this show <33 I LOVE SEYOON. She's just as awkward as Haekang (they were literally made for each other) and just such an interesting character and her and Hansol were just adorable I loved their friendship. (Ok quick sidenote, Seyoon and Haekang were such an adorable, dorky main couple and they really highlighted just how silly teenage love is I adore them)

And the other characters were just <33 I love Yoondam, Yoochan, Yongtae, I adore all of them and their bond with each other, especially Yongtae and Yoochan their brotherly bond was literally so sweet.

And now we get to singlehandedly my absolute favorite character in the entire show and one of my top kdrama characters of all time, Jeong Insol.

Ohhhhhh, Insol. Literally what do I even say about this man. He's top of his class, his dad is like the principal or smth in the school, he has no friends, he's super annoyed by Haekang and the others, and he so badly wants to join the badminton team and be friends with them. WHAT AN AWKWARD LOSER I ADORE HIM DEARLY. Idk seeing his growth just kinda got me. Like him working so hard to be able to be on the team and him genuinely growing to love it and being apart of the team and really becoming apart of the friend group like ..... AUGH I LOVE HIM. And yeah he and Haekang have my favorite dynamic in the entire show. I love how they go from bickering with each other and being so done with each other to being besties THEY MEAN THE WORLD TO ME. Haekang standing up for him and Insol being the analytical one and doing everything to try to help Haekang strategize for matches.... THEY !!!! THEYYYYYY. Literally I could go on and on and on about this show it means the world to me and makes me feel just so AUGH <333 THE VIBES ARE SO <333

This is what happens when you put the queen herself Oh Nara in your show like !!! SHE !

And ofc, as a Prison Playbook fan all the cameos ended me like the Park Haesoo Anysong one took me out and OFC HANYANG GETTING HIS HAPPY ENDING!! I'm pretty sure every Prison Playbook fan lost their mind watching that like.... LIKE !!!!!!

Anyways this show is extremely heartfelt and such a fun watch to take you back to silly high school sports vibe with an adorable found family <33

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The captivating story of a CUPID who was hit by his own arrow!!

It is a story about a cupid named who's wings were burned due to a ignorant mistake he made 500 years ago.To restore his wings, he went through 27 metamorphoses. On his 28th time, he gets involved with Oh Baek Ryun.
Baek Ryun is a veterinarian. She is a pretty woman but whenever these men got into a romantic relationship with her, they always had a near-death experience and would then run away from her.
Soon their fates and destiny intervene and secrets about their unfaithful past come into light. What seem like an instant connection soon turn into a 500 year old game of fate.

The drama is good. It started slow but as the episodes increase and the plot thickens it actually showed a lot of potential.

THE CAST
Nana as always is just beautiful in this drama. She plays the emotions of the FL quite beautiful but the ML seems to be a disappointment. Its not quite often, i comment on the acting but he still isn't to the par of other korean actors. His face remains expressionless at all instants. Other than the ML mediocre acting everyone else seem good.

The STAR CROSSED FACTOR and the past life trope might be a clique but is done quite well.
The cinematography and camera quality remain top notch.

Overall, MY MAN IS CUPID is a fun watch if your in mood of some new plot line but with the same kdrama clique.

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A must watch!

A Good Day To Be A Dog is a must watch, as it is living up to the webtoon to start, with the Actors excellently and perfectly bringing the webtoon characters to life. It is a feel good romcom which will make one fall in love with the characters and the story. Cha Eunwoo as Jin Seowon is again a perfect showing of a tsundere role, which he has mastered in delivering, even with dramas he was worked on in the past. He does tsundere like no other actor! His scenes revolving around his character being bullied and how emotional he is about it is heart-tugging. His love for Haena shown on various scenes is also heart warming. Another thing that is commendable about Cha Eunwoo is him bringing 'real' kissing into Kdramaland, with moments leading up to the kiss and the kisses itself which effectively communicate the couple being so much in love; as the script and story intends to convey. Park Gyuyoung as Haena is also such a treat to watch, and she like Cha Eunwoo, brought to life the webtoon character so perfectly. The cute dog and CG of Gaena (Haena as dog) charachter is also well delivered and captured on screen. SeoHae couple chemistry is also 'chemistrying' onscreen and even in the behind the scenes, so viewers like me can't help but root for them. I really love this drama and I find myself always looking forward the Wednesdays when the episodes come out.

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a masterpiece, go watch it

Overall: in addition to being a record setter as the first BL series (later combined into a movie format) in South Korea, Long Time No See had an innovative plot that was well executed despite its limitations. My advice is to not read summaries of the plot as some give away a huge plot point. Available on GagaOOLala, purchase on Vimeo or if you are a member of Strongberry's YouTube page you can watch it there as well. Part 1 is free to watch here: https://youtu.be/QrImtUu1aJk?si=oW6H_NKb0_OlBPrR

Content Warnings: there are major ones and I've put them in a comment with a spoiler tag, you can kind of tell when they will happen and fast forward

What I Liked
- innovative premise (this was an original script, it was not based on a book/webtoon/etc)
- good kissing/intimacy
- fight scenes looked cool
- sweet moments
- supportive sister

Room For Improvement
- I know they were crunched on time/budget but 20 more minutes including explaining Gi Tae's background/how he got to where he was would have raised this series to 10/10

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so so terrible but i still somehow enjoyed it

this is hands down probably the worst drama i've ever watched. the ML was SUCH a red flag and i'm pretty sure he wasn't nice to FL even once. bro has some serious anger issues that he needs to sort out and as a whole he is crazy. FL on the other hand was hella annoying since she didn't defend herself once and just let everyone viciously stomp all over her and take advantage of her. even after ML deadass CHOKED HER she forgot about it in around half an hour???? this set back women's rights about 200 years.
nonetheless it was funny as shit to watch their terrible acting and the terrible plot which is why it was somewhat bearable. plus the episodes were only 3 mins long each so my suffering wasn't that prolonged
aa a whole I'd say don't watch it unless you suffer from extreme masochism and you have a deep hatred for yourself

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