there was potential
Honestly I am sad it lost its whole "let me help you hit on that girl" and then in ep 11 the drama could be that Zo finds out Joke's hidden agenda. But I guess it was too hard to fill 12 eps with that. I liked the premise and the trailers, but the actual series did not measure up to those expectations!!!I could not care less for the side couple. I skipped all their scenes...
The way Nita just stopped existing in the series after a while lmao???
It was just messy and boring.
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Definitely a must watch for JoongDunk fans
Watched ir only because of JoongDunk, turned out to be better than expected.Positive:
-Chemistry
-backgrounds chosen
-liked the JengPok end scene it was very cute!!
-not too dramatic, a simple romance
-Zo realising he was only admiring Nita
-lots of scenes were funny/cute/interesting to watch
-Joke‘s personality, he‘s taken so good of Zo
-love how you could watch the improvement between Joke‘s and Zo‘s relationship
-Joong‘s acting was sooo natural to me
Negative (room for improvement):
-last Episode - it was all rushed and all in one episode. You could see how down Zo was and I felt for him, but I definitely didn‘t like that his mother lied to him in 12th ep.
-Joke‘s character - I hate how they made him „the bad guy“, but fixed the problem in one episode, like at least give me some real drama.
-the thing were Jeng still gave his number out even tho he‘s taken.
-the music was sometimes off (espacially in ep 12)
-some scenes were a little dull so i skipped them (sorry)
-the scene were Joke and his father reconciled somehow didn’t make any sense to me ??♂️
All in all:
was very cute, a must-watch for JoongDunk fans and worth the wait every Sunday. Could definitely be one of my favs!!
(Don‘t judge me, it‘s just my personal opinion. At least only think it in your mind if you feel upset abt anything I wrote. I also don‘t go around and judge people for their opinion, so let‘s respect e/o!)
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Would’ve Been A Favorite In 2016
Incredibly boring. I sat through four episodes wondering when it would get better but it never did.I tried to give it a chance but the acting is very bad and I don’t mind cliche when it’s done right, but it is definitely not done right.
I have been following Joong for a while and he is a very decent actor. I cannot say the same about Dunk. For some reason I can’t bring myself to watch the two of them, I tried watching their other show Star In My Mind, but again, it was lackluster and boring. Their chemistry is extremely off and definitely not swoon worthy.
I would only recommend if you’re looking for something to pass time. Or if you’re a big fan of Jamie (Nita), she’s gorgeous.
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This review may contain spoilers
Honestly Not Bad, Just Not Good Enough to Finish
From the get-go, I knew that this concept could be told in about 8 episodes, and low and behold, it was happily ever after by the end of episode 8. So because I was already only getting by by the skin of my teeth, I've decided that episode 8 is where this shall end for me.Let's Dive In.
I immediately knew where this was headed as Joong and Dunk being the leads -- Boring Boulevard. Needless to say, I fell asleep through episodes 1-4 and had to keep going back to see what the hell had gone on, only to have missed absolutely nothing but a bunch of talking and talking and talking. Yes, the plot is simple, but gosh darn it something about this was so freaking aggravatingly dull that I just couldn't do it. The only reason I didn't drop this by episode 4 is because there is one thing that these boys do great at and that's affection. So am I shallow for staying for the physicality and skipping through the rest? Maybe. But oh well.
Joong and Dunk's chemistry (outside of being physical) isn't bad persay -- but there's just something missing. I can't quite put my tongue on it, but for whatever reason, it's so hard for me to believe their chemistry even though it doesn't look necessarily bad on camera. I've said it before and I'll say it here too, I want Joong to be given another on-screen partner. Dunk is great but he just doesn't sell it for me. However, again, 10/10 in everything physical. I mean some really good kissing.
The side couple was cute, and they also weren't so bad at kissing, but they didn't do enough for me.
Some nit-picking, but because it's GMMTV, I expect better: so so SO many continuity errors that I almost gauged my eyes out. Some glaring ones were hand placements not being the same, and the ceramic that was supposed to be broken just so happened to not be broken seconds before. This is what also adds to the cheap feeling of the show cause it's obvious that it was rushed and wasn't given much thought to detail. It was so lazy for a company like GMMTV to produce crap like this that it's genuinely upsetting.
And like I said, it's happily ever after at the end of episode 8, so looking at the preview I just knew I was fine with not finishing the rest as I know it's nothing but added-on nonsense so they could fill their 12-episode agenda.
Ratings:
Story: 4/10 - Yes the plot is simplistic, but that's no reason for a terrible script. Bunch of nothingness until they do cliches and some kissing -- then I like it. Production value also brings the score down for it's terrible lack of detail.
Acting: 8/10 - Both have never been given a very strong plot to really show off their acting abilities, so this is as best as I've always seen them do. I really could care less for this couple, but if they're paired again I hope they're given a heavier plot in terms of story.
music 5/10: Joong sang too much so, yeah.
Recommendation Value: 3/10 - Honestly, this series isn't bad so I'm not giving it a low score cause it's terrible, I'm just giving it a low score because out of all the BLs going on right now, this is the least entertaining one to watch. But this might be a good one to watch for someone's first BL so, a 3/10 it is.
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It's not a 10 but...
Well for sure it isn't a 10 rated BL series, but it's not a 3. Truth being that for me, as long as Joong smiles a few times an episode I'm satisfied! Also if he raises his eyebrows' and goes shirtless once an episode that really can forgive a lot of script weakness.Yes the "Hidden Agenda" was not hidden for very long nor was it hidden very well at all. Therefore, this is for sure a "B" BL series...similar to B Movie. All the other stuff was acceptable, music was kind of generic for me. (yeah minus Joong singing.) Story was generic. School stuff Generic. Family was uneventful.
Joong was a good cast for Joke but I can't say the same for Dunk as Zo. I'll leave it at that. NIta and the Grandmother were good female characters.
My only other cast issues is what happened to Pat? Pok and Jeng are fine but Louis as Pat is the next most interesting actor in the entire series. It's like he fell off of the screen. (Did I forget something)
The Finale could have had a more secondary character involvement and I didn't really get Zo or the the fathers moment of realization: "oh I'm being a wanker and I should stop!" Not done well at all!
Yes it's watchable and yes it had some good entertaining spots, but yes it's time for Joong and DunK to grow up. No more school series for them please!
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Kisses and a bunch of people with hidden agendas
This drama has one good episode, a decent female something and a bunch of really well executed kisses... and well that is about it... As slightly annoying guy has a crush on an amazing girl but gets douped by a guy with a hidden agenda on their way though some misunderstandings and the feeling of trust no one as they may or may not have a hidden agenda but honestly they all just fall flat.I was almost going to give this a 7,5 for the kisses, the good episode and the girl plus lack of issues to complain about but then a whole bunch of cringe happened and dragged down the score. Conversations with parents that had me gaging and just a whole lot of oh come on.... Seriously are they going to throw in that annoying trope. And well at that point I felt a 7 was a kind score.
So what can I say the romance has its good times and again great kisses... but honestly it is just not enough to make this a good or even a watch worthy of your time. But if you do not mind the lack of plot and cringe and have some time to kill go for it or just fast forward to the kisses and the scenes with the girl.
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Hidden gem?
So Hidden Agenda is one of those stories where we are waiting to figure out what the agenda is. It quickly becomes apparent that Joke is not what he appears and has some secrets. But Zo wants Nita and accepts his help. Let the misunderstandings etc ensue. There's some family angst and we have a side couple, over involved friends and a stalker so lots going on.Honestly, this should have been 8 to 10 episodes as some of the themes in the last few episodes feel rushed and not really deep enough. Joong is carrying this and their chemistry is still strong. Dung has improved somewhat although he still does that bobbly head thing too much. And someone give Joong some decent jeans!
If you're into Joong as a singer then you will enjoy some of the earlier episodes.
I've rewatched some of the scenes which highlight their chemistry but overall, this is a cute Sunday evening watch. Glad to see some improvement from JoongDunk but, we need a stronger script to really test this ship.
OK last episode was weak but still worth it for JoongDunk fans
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This review may contain spoilers
Your Expectations Are Accurate
I'm one of the few people that isn't tired of university dramas. I know that we've seen similar love dynamics thousands of times, that we can predict every single move these boys will make. I'm okay with that because just because it plays into common tropes doesn't necessarily mean it'll be bad. What determines quality is how the show executes those tropes.Unfortunately, Hidden Agenda doesn't do anything revolutionary, and having seen so many GMMTV shows, I don't know why I expected any different.
My main issue with Hidden Agenda, and many other BLs in general, is that the plot is nonexistent. Even if a show has so much potential, the writers complete the entire plot in the first three or four episodes and then drag out the characters actually getting together for far too long. It's fine to have scenes where characters are being lovey-dovey for the safe of being lovey-dovey, but that can't drive a plot.
And it seemed like the writers understood that because then they started throwing plot points at the show hoping one would stick -- an evil ex-friend, a stalker, disappointed parents, a debate competition! But all of those would be resolved fairly anticlimactically in an episode and a half each plot point. So what was the point? To show that their love can withstand all? I'm not really believing it.
There was a surprising amount of depth and complexity to Jeng and Pok's relationship - hiding their relationship when one clearly longs to be public. It was actually so much more interesting than Joke and Zo's plot, and because the writers were taking their time in building out their exposition, I had hope that Jeng and Pok's relationship would be the redeeming factor of the show.
But of course, like all plots in Hidden Agenda, it was completed too soon, too hastily that I was left to wonder if I was imagining the potential their story had.
And then in the last three episodes, the show decided to finally show its worth with an actually substantive plot. Zo is stressing over the upcoming debate competition as he believes it's his one opportunity to make his mom proud, and we find out in the last episode that Joke is the black sheep of the family and he struggles with gaining their acceptance. The latter is criminally underdeveloped and cobbled together and concluded in just two scenes, and sadly this is where we see the best performance by Joong. Despite horrifically awkward writing where we get whiplash by the grandpa who in basically less than five minutes both cuts Joke down a few notches by practically calling him a degenerate in front of the whole family AND THEN asks Joke for a hug and tells him he's proud of him, Joong manages to move my heart with his tears.
I knew going into this show, I probably would be disappointed. And I was, but not nearly as much as other shows, and in fact, it almost became fun since I was hate-writing pages full of notes. You get what you expect and nothing more. I need to stop expecting GMMTV to blow me away with an underrated gem because that hasn't happened in a long, long time.
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Enemies to Lovers Trope
This series is very cute so far. i know a lot of criticism is that its gonna be an enemies to friends to lovers type of theme which has already been overdone but it is a romance trope I absolutely adore and rarely ever get tired of seeing so as long as it doesn't end up getting boring in the middle I'll continue to enjoy it. I do understand there are some people who are tired of seeing this trope especially from GMMTV.For me personally I have little to no complaints so far aside from the filler they try and throw in some episodes
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The story is not too promising; there was no exact scene that I would love to go back watching. The acting was not really phenomenal but it was good and could have been improved.
I was really expecting more from the other love team because they actually look good and their story made more sense to me than the leads but they unfortunately up until the last episode, they did not dwell on that. They even had an emotional scene.
Hoping for more projects with better plot this year for both couples.
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This review may contain spoilers
This series was OK, not great or bad, just OK
I liked the premise of the story and the story itself was fine. It was a little bit different twist on the college story, there wasn't one engineer in the whole thing! All kidding aside, they explored how families can affect relationships, and how parents can unintentionally mess up their kids by stuff the parents say and do. The acting was good, and this was clean and something even your Grandma could watch.I think part of the problem with this story it seems to drag in places, they could have edited this down to 8 episodes and had a much more cohesive story. For almost 12 hours of runtime, not a whole lot happens, at least not compared to something like A Tale of Thousand Stars, Not Me, or Manner of Death.
The other direction they could have gone is explored the side characters more. For example, Wave and Trin, they seemed to have some unresolved issues (possibly romantic?) even at the end of the series. Kot and Pat really didn't add much to the series, there were lots of ways those characters could have rounded out this series, possibly with those two dating each other, or showing more than a passing scene with them. Poor Nita barely got to speak during the whole show, and the story loosely revolves around her and the two leads. Then you throw in a stalker for a few minutes randomly.
I did enjoy this, but it wasn't the best thing I watched recently. It is worth watching, but don't think you are going to be watching a memorable or groundbreaking series.
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