The Jungle (2023)

Strong cast and interesting plot, but it felt choppy and rushed

GMMTV knew what they were doing when they put all of these actors and actresses together. They all have a good following and loyal fanbase, so the series was in for a lot of attention. However, knowing what the cast is capable of with a solid plot, I ended up a bit disappointed.

The plot had some interesting twists and surprises, but I feel like it wasn’t really well executed. With most of the characters being in focus for 2-3 episodes and with a lot of other things going on, their relationships appeared very rushed. It felt like they simply weren’t given enough time to deepen the connections between characters, and for the viewers to see their love for each other truly blossom. On one other hand, I actually liked how we had focused only on one or two couples per episode, as it made it easier to follow and the episodes didn’t feel as choppy. But on the other hand, this made the series as whole feel a bit choppy.

I did find it annoying how one couple got a lot more attention and screen time in comparison with others. It does make sense why, because a lot of attention was paid to their past and how their story was connected to how The Jungle boys met one another. But I also think it could have been done and over quicker. It made it seem like they were one of the few (if not the only) couples that was given enough time to kind of develop their relationship. It also made the rest of the couples’ plots look even choppier and even more rushed. Certain things also lacked proper closure and were left feeling unfinished.

The Jungle are rich playboys with some honor. Sadly, their code of conduct is something they don’t always stick to. I liked how they addressed the importance of consent, both clearly and implied in multiple instances. I didn’t like how some of them didn’t follow it. There were at least two times, a different member of The Jungle each time, where consent was not given.

The idea of each character representing an animal was intriguing. I was curious to see how they will incorporate that into the storyline. It was both a hit and miss for me. They did really well with some characters (e.g. Gale as a rabbit), while they completely screwed up some others (e.g. Irin as a butterfly). I think it could have been done much better and taken more into consideration story and personalities wise. They were matching animals to how a character is, made it a big part of the plot with the narration as well, but then dropped the ball when it came to the execution.

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I know the review is already long as it is, but there is a little bit about each couple and Hunter written below. It just expands on what I have already addressed above.

Pentai & Gale / Jaguar & Rabbit: I think the two of them are a great pairing. They are the first couple we are introduced to, and I must say it was a cute story. They are two estranged childhood friends who get to meet again. I like how the conflict between the two of them was resolved fairly quickly, but it also felt a bit rushed at the end. Lee and Mook had great chemistry and I really liked how they portrayed their characters’ emotions through their eyes.

Nanfah & Pladao / Tiger & Gazelle: They first appear as more of a background couple, but their story progresses constantly until we get an episode that is focused on the two. They are the couple I was the most confused about, I was never sure if I wanted them to be endgame or not. I just think the two started in a very weird spot and I don’t think they really made it out of it. The lying at the start, keeping secrets, making a fool out of her… I don’t think any of those were addressed appropriately. Nanon and Punpun had good chemistry, and Punpun showed a lot with her facial expressions.

Nannam & Nithan / Viper & Squirrel: I honestly expected Nannam to be the bad guy, to be the worst member of The Jungle. I was mistaken. I loved how sweet he was with Nitham. She might not be someone who can lie, but she is still brave and daring. That is something that enabled her to match with Nannam so well. I loved how the rest of The Jungle treated Nannam as the baby of the group. Nanon and Mild were adorable together, I really liked their playfulness and how it translated through the screen.

Nannon played both twins perfectly, I loved how easy it was to tell them apart based on their mannerism. I know there were other differences, like their hairstyles and the way the two dressed, but that’s part of the styling. It was the way he stood, the smiles and grins… little things that really added up.

Hack & Irin / Tarantula & Butterfly: the two were on fire. I love a good enemies to lovers story, and theirs started so good. They don’t bother hiding their dislike for one another, even if certain scenes make me question if Hack really hates Irin or not. We don’t really get a lot of background information on Hack, but we do learn a bit about Irin. I personally found Irin to be not very likeable character. She annoyed me. A lot. But Hack also had his moments that made me want to shake some sense into him. Krist and Lookjun had great chemistry though, and made a cute couple.

Nathee & Florence / Wolf & Flamingo: I love a strong and confident female character, someone who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go for it. I also really love Nathee’s duality between his daytime self and his nighttime self. This is one of those instances where I actually liked the fact that the two characters know each other from before. It added to their story, it wasn’t just something that was there to be there. Florence being the one to pursue Nathee was just a cherry on top. Luke and Aye were great together, I really enjoyed the looks they gave one another.

Pine & August / Lion & Lioness: Pine is probably the character I dislike the most. I thought that his past would give us a reason for why he is such an awful person, but knowing what has happened made what he did to Irin even worse. At least in my eyes. He is closed off but loves playing the hero. To be honest, I think it’s the attention he likes. August is an interesting character. She has her flaws, but I loved how true to herself she was. Always. If I said I was surprised by the bad guys in their story, I would be lying. I think Off and Pat were great together, it showed that they are comfortable with each other off screen too.

Hunter: I swear he is everywhere! He knows everything, hears everything, and remembers everything. I loved how attentive he was and that he took care of those who entered his bar. I liked the mystery around his character, it added to his charm. I do admit that what we do get to know about his past makes it easier to understand why he likes The Jungle boys. They are very similar. Both in good and bad ways. Mix did absolutely amazing in the role!

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Somewhat mysterious...

To be honest, I decided to watch it because Lee is in it and I've liked what I've seen him in so far. The story is intriguing, sweet, cheesy, funny and annoying - seriously, all of those. I had heard of all the male leads, but only seen a few of them in dramas - I didn't know what one of them (Off) looked like! Generally, the acting is good and characters believable.

What I liked: I was impressed with Nanon's acting - interesting part. Krist was really good and some of his facial expressions were hilarious/impressive. I'll look for more of his stuff. Mix - 3rd drama I've seen & this is my favourite character so far.

What I didn't like: some of the female characters were just annoying!

I'll watch to the end because I think the 'secret bar' idea has been cleverly done and now I want to know more about it. If you want to watch something that's not too complicated and can keep you intrigued, this might be one to watch.

Update: I felt that the ending was rushed , but there were explanations for some of the Jungle's behaviour. There was a (micro) scene (with Off) near the end, which felt like it wasn't in the script and made me laugh out loud.

Overall, I'd recommend watching it. It was fun.

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To little time for too many storylines

This series had a lot of potential: a promising story with interesting characters, a great cast and catchy songs that accompany each couple. However, 16 episodes were just not enough to fully explore each character and couple. Of course not every couple can have the same amount of screen time, nevertheless, especially in the beginning, it seemed like each couple would get two episodes which made it feel rushed to get from “we don't know or like each other” to “you are the one for me”. If I might remember correctly, this platform first said it would have 10 episodes, which later than got changed to 16 and that's also the time when each couple got a little more time to grow. Because there were so many characters/couple, I felt like some of them were forgotten as soon as they got together, which was unfortunate as their character didn't seem to be important later on any more. However, some characters were quite interesting. Especially some female characters were not your typical “drama girl” which I thought to be refreshing being that the entire premise of this show is a group of bachelors hunting women.
I started watching this one because of Mix and stayed because of him (Hunter appearing out of nowhere was my favourite thing) and because of Nanon's acting, the couple portrait by Off and Pat and because of Aye's character.

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Whipped for August

Eps 1-6 were a bit of a bore. I thought Phethai and Nannam fell in love with their girls too fast and a lot of their conflicts were quickly resolved. At times the dialogue fell flat and I had a hard time following the points they were trying to make. I didn't like that Pladao and Gale would go to a dive bar they considered 'dangerous' together and leave without each other on multiple occasions. Phethai and Gale can be a cute couple but I didn't like their story; meeting as children, quickly falling in love, and then successfully rebelling against Phethai's mother without much of a struggle.
Nannam and Nanfah's backstory was short but extremely interesting. Nanon really did a phenomenal job with two very distinguishable identical twins. Can't say I initially loved Nithan but she grew on me over time and I find her and Nannam to be such an adorable and heartwarming pair.
I'm still on edge about Pladao even after completing the series. She's a very intense and aggressive character and although I understand why, I couldn't understand her actions at times. I did like that she and Nanfah chose to be friends before dating but at the same time, I thought they admitted to liking each other too soon. A lot of it was also info from Nanfah's mouth as we didn't get to see Pladao again for a number of episodes.
Hack and Irin's story was a-okay. I thought she'd end up with Nathee (due to a comment he made in episode 1 or 2) or Hunter but her and Hack was a nice twist. There was a bit of a back-and-forth as they fought about the same things due to poor communication but it was whatever. Maybe because I took a break after episode 6 but it felt like Irin's character was less badass than in the first few episodes; she was more whiny(?).
Nathee and Florence's story really picked up the show for me. I'm surprised Nathee became more of a main character toward the latter half as I expected more of the twins and their stories but it was nice to see. I envy Florence's confidence and I'm glad they had one of the girls know self-defense. I was slightly annoyed that Irin was always harassed and had to wait for The Jungle to save her but Florence was a breath of fresh air. It's fun to see that Florence and Irin are friends too but I wonder how they met..?
Okay, I have to admit the show really blew me away with this one. Off was getting so little screentime I was starting to question why or how he obtained the leadership position in The Jungle. I was also curious about the woman he'd been waiting for, for eight+ years. How great could she be that he'd cast someone as beautiful as Irin to the side for so long? August's entrance is a whole 100/10. She came in like a wrecking ball and swept me off my feet. She's the main reason I'm giving this series a higher score of 8.5/10. Pat is seriously the perfect 'Lionness' and immediately I knew and understood why Pine waited so many years for her. Similarly to Pladao, August is an intense character however, August just oozes charisma and gives powerful queen vibes. Pat truly made August different from the other women; she was more mature, smart, logical, and realistic. Pine and August's story was well paced, and delievered, and therefore seemed like a different series from the earlier episodes that were more rushed. I love that their story revealed a lot more about The Jungle and how close and cool she was with The Jungle Boys. Irin was close to The Jungle too but many of them crushed on her whereas August is more of a cool friend, older sister, or boss. Except the part where August got shot and NO ONE did anything to help stop the bleeding, I enjoyed her whenever she was on screen.
Oh, and I have to add that Nathee and Nanfah's friendship was my favorite. Nathee doesn't ever make Nanfah feel second to Nannam and Nanfah deeply cares for Nathee despite being one of the more sarcastic characters. And can I just ask why Nannam and Nanfah stopped throwing knives around? It was such a nice touch! Also that ending! Are they setting up for a season 2???

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Just so many people!

This was A LOT. Honestly I don't even know where to start reviewing this, because it was just all over the place.

I did like that the plot of every episode was focused on just one or two main character's storyline, but since there were six or seven main leads, most of the stories were rushed and somewhat felt incomplete. The writing was also very awkward at times, especially on one of the first storylines.

The acting was superb, even though sometimes the directing and editing was a little dramatic, but it /is/ a drama and we will forgive it that. I really enjoyed the chemistry between all the actors, especially the couples.
The boys were good, obviously, but the girls helped carrying this show so much on their own shoulders that it wouldn't be the same without them. I appreciated that the female characters were all different with their own personalities and that they weren't pushovers. Again, I would've preferred better writing or a little more time to explore and expand all of their stories, but I guess you can't do much with so many characters and just 16 episodes available.

I have to say, it was confusing at the beginning to find a single plotline that connected all of the characters together, and to be fair it took 10 episodes to come about, but the individual plotlines were quite interesting, and full of cute tropes, even though a little poorly executed.
The MookLee storyline's resolution, for example, was so unsatisfying and rushed by the second couple of episodes, just to give space to the next couple, and I've been confused by that ever since. The longer storylines - i.e. the last one, that ties them all up together, with a long flashback that connects to the ending episodes - are more satisfying in terms of storytelling than the shorter ones about just one or two characters.

Overall quite confusing, but it was a light show with its good moments.

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easy watching if you want some fun

having just finished this series i can say it was very easy watching and fun to watch! some couples were more entertaining than others, however maybe that is just my bias showing as i love both actors in that couple.. (aye is queen!)

it has some real comedic moments (in my opinon) with luke and nanon, i really loved their friendship, as well as some sad moments in which i shed a tear or two, but what is a drama without these moments?

the groups friendship is wholesome and its nice to see how they all came together, i like each of the girls and their storylines in this, the whole cast did great!

the ost for this show is also really good, the shows theme song i am obsessed with, however i think my favourite song would be the one Luke sings called 'Can't Have You'.

overall i rate this 8/10 as some episodes weren't as exciting as others and i wish we got to see more of hunter's story and moments with the girls once they started their relationships.

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In the Jungle, The Mighty Jungle

Ah, The Jungle, what a ride it was and a very entertaining one at that. It's an imperfect drama, but if you don't scrutinize it too deeply, it's interesting and fun. It was easy to binge watch over two days and had me alternating yelling at my laptop and cackling at the characters' antics. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

The Jungle has a pretty basic premise of a group of playboys who one by one find their one true love and enter into monogamous relationships. Intertwined with those stories are two longer mystery/crime plotlines. The couple stories were by and large cute if rushed and a bit repetitive. In general, each couple was given two episodes to develop their relationship. The repetitiveness came from the way they got together as it became pretty formulaic after a while: flashbacks to understand the characters, at least one fight for a lot of them, a love scene, etc. Also repetitive was having the mother as the root of the issue, several of the girls getting assaulted and not one, but two wedding crashing scenes. Some relationships were given more screen time than others and went beyond those two episodes, but in general the relationships progressed at an improbably quick pace. One couple in particular got significantly more screentime which was understandable, but made the other couples' stories appear even more rushed and disjointed. The story progression could have been better planned. It felt like things were moving pretty steadily and then suddenly we jumped to the past and stayed there for several episodes which affected the pacing negatively. It would have been better to start the whole drama with those episodes or interspersed them throughout. They weren't bad episodes by any means and provided necessary information, but it was a major and abrupt tonal shift that was just jarring. The longer running mystery/crime plot lines were interesting, but they each focused more on specific couples so they got more screen time than others. I would have liked to see those stories cut down a bit to give more time to the other couples. There are moments that are hilariously over the top and just absurd, but somehow still kind of worked. There are also some story lines that are left feeling unfinished or have holes that aren't explained, but nothing that I found to be unbearable.

The characters were by and large a positive aspect of the drama. The animal correlation to the characters was an interesting concept but not necessarily well done. The only character who I really felt fit with her animal was August as a lioness. She embodied that quite well. Gale as a rabbit was a close second. The others were hit or miss. Irin was the biggest miss as, despite all her butterfly paraphernalia, I simply didn't see the resemblance between the two. Given all the narration on the animals, I would have liked to see that concept played with more in terms of the characters' behaviour and personalities. It just seemed like a missed opportunity. I also found myself disappointed with how the ladies were treated. Once their relationship story had concluded, they were dropped. The guys kept showing up at the bar, but the ladies were conspicuously absent. They popped up maybe once or twice more, but that was it. I know the focus was on The Jungle guys, but I felt their girlfriends could have factored in more. There was also a lot of focus on the men as hunters aspect, which I also didn't find was utilized well. There were multiple times where it felt like the women were the hunters and the men their prey. Also, despite the men being called playboys, we didn't see that come into play a ton. Again, just more missed opportunities to play with that animal kingdom theme they had going.
-Petai and Gale were our first couple. They knew each other as children and were reunited as adults. Their story is cute if rushed. It didn't feel like they really had enough time to reconnect before falling for each other. The conflict in their story centered around an overzealous reporter and Petai's overbearing mother. Both issues are resolved fairly quickly and almost simultaneously. Their story felt a bit incomplete as Gale won the internship or whatever to Paris and Petai was going to be a pilot, but nothing regarding either decision is ever mentioned again. Although the impression is given that Gale is having success in her career.
This was my first time seeing Lee in a lead role, I'd seen him in supporting roles previously and overall liked him. I thought he was good, but not as strong as some of the others. Mook is an actress I've heard a lot about, but never seen. Aside from being absolutely gorgeous, her MDL picture does not do her justice, I liked her acting. She seems to have more subtle style which I appreciated. She and Lee had good chemistry and they acted well together.
-Nanfah and Pladao were one of the more conflicting couples for me. Nanfah comes out the gate seeming like a bad guy and he doesn't do a whole lot to dispel that notion for a good while. I don't feel like a good explanation was ever given for why he felt the need to lie and manipulate Pladao initially and it ended up just being brushed under the rug. Pladao's attraction to him when she thought he had killed her cousin was confusing given his attitude and behaviour towards her up until that point. Yes, he's attractive, but she seemed smarter than that. Their relationship ended on a weird note and I really just couldn't support them being together.; it felt like there was a toxicity to their relationship that was never addressed. Part of it could have also been that there was a lot to unravel with Nanfah's character and there just wasn't enough time to do so.
I had never seen Punpun act before, but I liked her portrayal of Pladao. She was very expressive without being too over the top and it fit with her character. Nanon remains as one of my favorite actors. It still boggles my mind how young he is and yet so incredibly talented. He did a phenomenal job playing both Nanfah and Nannam. Though there were more subtle physical differences such as hair style and fashion choices that helped differentiate them, it was Nanon's acting that really set them apart. You could just look at them and know from body language and facial expressions who was who. Superb job. I was also impressed that he was able to have great chemistry with both Punpun and Mild.
-Nannam and Nithan were another cute couple. It was adorable watching Nannam gradually falling for her. The juxtaposition of her inability to lie and his skills at lying made for some great scenes. While Nanfah was out and out manic, Nannam liked to operate more in the shadows, teasing and meddling. Nithan, on the other hand, was straightforward and her open. While I felt like their story was a bit rushed like the others, I did like that some time was devoted to showing how Nithan broke down Nannam's walls and gained his trust. Their engagement scene where she almost instantly realized that Nanfah was not Nannam was a great one and put to rest Nannam's doubts.
Mild did a great job in the role. I really liked her expressiveness. She was sweet, but also tough in her own way and Mild balanced out those traits well. She and Nanon played off of each other really well.
-Hack and Irin were one of my least favorite couples. A lot of their story felt repetitive, just rehashing the same issues over and over again. Hack having sex with Irin when she was drunk and obviously unaware who she was sleeping with did not sit well with me. All the talk of him being the worst of them also didn't add up to what we saw. Aside from the above incident, he came across to me as a sweet guy trying to be tough. I generally found Irin to be annoying, in large part because she did keep attacking Hack and thinking the worst of him, which, since we didn't see a lot of that, felt over the top and unreasonable. I also didn't like how she was playing both Pine and Hack. She had her good moments too, they were just few and far between.
I like Lookjun, I don't think she's the most diversely talented actress, but she does well with certain characters. This was not one of her stronger performances. There was a sameness to a lot of her acting, especially when her character was upset. It wasn't awful by any means, I just would have liked to see a bit more variation. Krist is an excellent actor and I really liked him as Hack. He does a great job whether he's being serious or funny and everything in between. However, I didn't think the chemistry between Lookjun and Krist was particularly strong.
-Nathee and Florence were probably one of my favorite couples and that's mostly due to Florence. I love badass female characters and she was in pretty much every way. I liked that she knew what she wanted, in this case, Nathee and she just went for it, unapologetically. I also appreciated that she knew how to take care of herself with her judo skills. She wasn't a damsel in distress like the other women tended to be. Honestly, I just adored her. Nathee's primary interest was his transformation from his work appearance to his Rendezvous appearance. They were strikingly different and not just his appearance, but his attitude too. I felt like there was more to Florence than there was to him as an individual, I think her character was just given more depth, but I really enjoyed their interactions. I also liked that they were high school sweethearts of a sort since that allowed their story to jump a few steps than if they had just met.
I've seen several dramas Aye has been in and she never disappoints. She's a versatile actress and I thought she killed it as Florence. This was my first time seeing Luke act and while I thought his character was lacking to some degree, I don't think that was his fault and he did a good job with what he had. He and Aye had great chemistry and were a lot of fun to watch together.
-Pine and August were another conflicting couple. On the one hand, I really liked August. She was a no nonsense kind of woman who knew what she wanted and she went for it. She didn't mince words, she just got things done. I loved that she remained true to herself. Pine was an ass. What happened with August didn't give him any right to treat Irin, or any other woman for that matter, the way that he did and continuously string her along. He seemed to have something of a hero complex but only when it suited him. He never really redeemed himself in my eyes and frankly I think August could do way better. I also thought it was a bit much having both the men that August trusted turning out be villains.
I liked Pat's acting, she absolutely came across as a bad ass, but she also had some really beautifully vulnerable moments. I liked the way she varied the character. Job well done. I like Off, he comes across as goofy, yet sweet, but his acting isn't as strong as it could be. A lot of the time it feels like he's playing a variation of himself or characters he's played in the past. That was the case here with Pine, especially during the flashback episodes it seemed like he was more himself, whereas the rest of the time, he was giving me Sean from Not Me vibes. That being said, I didn't hate his performance, I just think it could have been a bit more nuanced. I did think he and Pat had good chemistry though. They did a great job portraying the tension of their relationship.
-Hunter was such an enigma and I loved him. His role was so varied from making drinks to "taking out the trash" to giving life advice. His knowledge of everyone and everything fit with him being a bartender, but also added an element of mystery to him because so little information about him was given. I'm still conflicted on whether I like that he was given a backstory or not. On the one hand, it gave insight into why he was attentive to The Jungle and cared about them. However, it also removed that veil of mystery that had surrounded him from the get go and made him more human. Maybe part of it is that his backstory seemed a bit cliche too. Either way, I still very much enjoyed his character.
Mix is such a good actor and I liked seeing him get to stretch his wings and play a different kind of character. He absolutely nailed the role and he had great chemistry with everyone he interacted with.

The production value was good. I liked the sets, particularly the bar and the rooftop. The cinematography was also good, there were some great shots, especially in the bar and again on the rooftop. Those two places had the most scenes and their design was well thought out. The lighting helped add to the mystery of the bar, and gave it a darker, grittier feel. I really enjoyed the music, both the theme song and the individual songs. The theme song was killer, but I also liked the solos that each guy sang that was interspersed with their story.

The Jungle is not a great drama. It has it's flaws and failures, but it was also incredibly entertaining and I enjoyed every minute of it. Like I said before, if you don't overanalyze it and just go with the flow, it's very enjoyable and one I would definitely recommend.

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Dumb but fun

This show is completely ridiculous, the writing is bad and the plot makes no sense but I had so much fun watching it anyway and it's because of the chemistry between three of the couples:

Irin-Hack (Lookjun & Krist): They fed me the toxicity I was hoping for from the whole series. Completely dysfunctional, falling into bed with each other and then saying hurtful things, I loved it. Their reconciliation was rushed but made sense and I strongly shipped them. Super fun.

August-Pine (Pat & Off): Another toxic couple with OTT sexy vibes. August served c*nt as an older successful woman with no time for BS or a relationship. Pat and Off had fire chemistry and looked fantastic together. Their story didn't make much sense and I didn't like how it wrapped up but the sparks were there in their scenes.

Florence-Nathee (Aye & Luke): This was my favorite couple. Florence knew she wanted Nathee's fine @ss and she went after him without holding back. They were hilarious and sexy together. I'd love to see Aye and Luke paired up again (come on GMMTV, don't just create BL supercouples, give us a few straight ones too)

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Could be better.

I am sadly disappointed. This series is unfortunately a perfect example of how great casting can't be anything, you have to make a good series.
First, it was promoted as very dark, spicy, and mysterious. Well, no, not at all. Sometimes it was even cringe. I wouldn't have a problem with them not being so dark etc. but they hinted it and played it as they were, so you kind of expect that. And I'm not saying about how they look, because for me even Nanon can be a villain it is about the environment around them and what they had to act.
The bar most of them time felt empty and not luxurious at all, I don't know why anyone would like to visit it often.
Some stories of pairs were cute and interesting, but definitely none of them got proper screen time. Maybe only Pine&August.
I like some comedy here, it was fun to watch.

I am glad I watched this drama, it was really nice to see Nanon's acting here which is obviously top tier, I really wish him to be more and more known to audience.
I liked Krist and am going to check his past works for sure, he was lovely here. And the rest of them also did really well so it was good to watch to see their acting, one of few good things in watching this series.

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A waste of an amazing cast with a poorly written script

What attracted me to watch “The Jungle” is its stacked cast. Look at all the handsome men and beautiful women! Unfortunately, that’s where the positive stops, well, it also has a few great songs.

If you are watching just for the cast, then you will have an enjoyable time. The boys aka The Jungle have good chemistry and are fun together. They all look really good. Unfortunately, their acting is a mixed bag for me. The standout actors are Nanon and Krist. It’s my first time watching Luke and he’s the weakest of the bunch.

On the girls side, their acting is average except for Pat. Pat never disappoints. She is probably one of my favorites, if not my most favorite Thai actress. She doesn’t have a lot of screen time but she has presence and charisma. Unfortunately, this drama centers around guys, so the girls are mostly confined to the guy she’s attached to, and then you don’t see her much anymore.

But the writing is just not good. The romance stories are all half-baked. They are not mysterious enough, dark enough or sexy enough. Some scenes are quite cringey. Not enough time is dedicated to each pair, when we have so many pairs to share these 16 episodes. Most of the romances are typical and predictable. But they are easy to watch and won’t raise your blood pressure. But the ‘serious’ plots are so poorly written. In the first half of the show, we have reporter investigations of a certain death. The way it was conducted is unprofessional, illogical and unrealistic. In the latter half of the drama, it touched upon another ‘serious’ plot in a startup company where several of the main characters used to work. The way they approach the perpetrator in the last episode is laughable. There are just so many things that don’t make sense in this drama, and I only half-turned on my brain.

With such an amazing cast, the actors are unable to really perform to their standards. It’s such a waste of talent. I would only recommend “The Jungle” for the visuals and drool over the guys and girls. But you will need to overlook the cheap sets (that’s the cheapest looking high end bar I’ve seen), the poorly written storylines and the illogical, shake-my-head moments. I was going to rate this a 7.5 until I watch the final episode. So, a solid 7.0 for the cast.



Completed: 4/23/2024 - Review #432

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