Pumpkin Time (2021)

Sweet and simple

This was just like a nice piece of candy, some drama but not to much and a very simplified way of showing the struggles of trans girls trying to live in stealth... Without showing the whole messy process of actually transitioning...

At first I felt that it was a tad problematic but seeing how the story progressed I could put my mind at ease and just see it as a way to convey some of the common fears many of these girls may have. All put in the form of a really sweet high school rom com, with friendships, love triangle and all... without the drama taking over.

I loved the main lead, she was such a sweetheart, and probably broke some stereotypes.

I love the fairy, I honestly wish every trans girl or person struggling had a fairy of their own... He was just cute and sweet as a button (very handsome too) .

The cousin and friendships where just sweet as candy and well so was the mom, not to mention that older sister... The male lead is not bad either... But is actually not the main attraction of this show.

Also, never, ever, ever, out someone! Just do not do it!

Not a masterpiece but definitely extremely easy to binge, only lovable characters and did I mention it was sweet?

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A Sweet Story with Some Unexplored Potential

I'm a sucker for a good gender bender. And this one was certainly good, don't get me wrong. Ironically enough, my biggest problem with the series is that I wanted more of it. That's not to say I just want it to continue for longer, I mean I wish there had been more exploration done in some of the premises. Let me explain.

First I'll say that for the most part the production, acting, and music were all very well done. It's no cinematic masterpiece, but it definitely meets (and likely surpasses) the modern bar for quality. The screenplay was likewise, very good (again, nothing ground-breaking, but convincing at least).

The one gripe I have is that it feels like they just didn't quite take it far enough. There were interesting characters and backstories, but these were not well explored and conflict was mostly dealt with quickly. There were (attempts) at emotional moments, but they just didn't quite land. Of course, we must give credit where credit is due for managing to even have all these things considering the total length of the drama (only 10 episodes of 20 minutes each). However, if you consider it like a movie
(where it would be on the longer side) you realize more can be done within the allotted time. I just wish it would dig a little deeper, connect with the characters more thoroughly. And maybe find an ending that's a little less convenient feeling.

Of all the things to critique, this is probably the one you'd want most. It means they're on the right track, they just need to go further. Also, all the actors did a great job. As a side note, I was actually expecting the subject to be a transgender protagonist (in the more realistic sense, anyway), but I'm not upset with what we got instead. And so, with that, I will recommend this series, especially those who are interested in the gender bender trope. Also, it's a romance drama, not a sports drama, so heads up for that.

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