Shows Watched from 2023

As good as the 1st Season, if not better. More character depth and relationship development. Liked how there was consistency from the 1st Season. Also, liked the recreated use of scenes  and locations (i.e. cross-references) from the 1st Season. 

Interesting take how both Kiyoi and Hira are actually desperate to preserve their 'forever' with each other but have their own different internal fears over it. Kiyoi wonders if Hira will always be there for him forever, while Hira is terrified that his current happiness won't last because he isn't worthy of it and is just waiting for the axe to fall at any time. 

Hira's issue has moved on from not feeling he is worthy to even touch Kiyoi what more be in a relationship with him (1st Season), to feeling that what he has with Kiyoi is just a temporary dream which can shatter at any time and so is living in constant fear and anxiety of its termination. 

Kiyoi, meanwhile, is trying build a certain and strong relationship with Hira hoping for permanency but finds Hira's insecurities to be a major stumbling block. But it's really good to see Kiyoi making adjustments and trying to bridge the gap, especially with encouraging and supporting Hira in many little ways. 

One of the few BLs where leads are really trying to work through their relationship and character issues without all the other fringe issues such as 3rd parties or plot devices used to create conflict, etc etc. The focus is on their characters, their growth and their relationship which is what makes me like this show so much. <3

The first 4 episodes were interesting and cute but then it went downhill with the continued use of comedy which diluted any meaning the setup could have afforded. Fukuhara was so busy focusing on trying not to fall in love and on using Shinomiya as his bad-luck shield, it was getting tiresome to watch his superficial & shallow struggles; and the resolution didn't come across authentic because the guilt he seemed to carry about the whole thing wasn't really reflected in his inner thoughts prior to the sudden explosion of action. The leads' relationship also degenerated into BFF-type of dynamic after the couple got together, it was a bit of a let down. 

The teacher-student issue morphed into full-on soap opera with a lot of other things thrown in - didn't like. More importantly, could not really connect with the female lead. Not sure if it is an acting issue but there were many scenes where it was difficult to fathom what was going on through her mind and her facial expressions or body language was not easy to decipher. No idea how she fell in love with Zhang Yixing and didn't feel the chemistry between the leads. Was not emotionally invested in the characters or their story or their relationship.

Dropped at episode 8.

A warm, grounded and grown-up drama about mid-life crises and learning to find enjoyment in life again through new experiences. Solid mature acting and heart-warming story. Confession scene was one of the best with its myriad of emotions and with the intensity in the air. 

Quite a watchable show. Some situations were a bit too forced or ridiculous or silly but it was interesting to see how the boys were dancing around each other as partners. Last episode even had a bit of steam. 

It's actually interesting but I lost the will to keep carrying on because it was getting uncomfortable with the age gap. ML in an 18-year-old body while his wife was 38. Hmmm... not a romance I was interested in watching.

Dropped at episode 5.

Started out interesting with the South Korean school culture, the pressure over education, the mothers' various attitudes & cram school politics. The romance was bland and the show went too soap opera and unnecessarily dramatic from the halfway mark. 

Dropped at episode 12.

The in-novel bits and post-novel bits were the only watchable bits to the show. 

Liked the concept, the games - especially the King of Clubs, Jack of Hearts and King of Diamonds. Was more interested in the plot and action but not really in the characters, except maybe Chishiya. So, the last episode was pretty meh, the Queen of Hearts game didn't feel particularly suspenseful or interesting. Also, plot armour for our main characters was too obvious, it leeched some of the believability in the whole premise. 

Yeah, nope. Main characters did not work for me at all plus the story setup was poor in the first episode. There is no real setup made as to why Sawako was scary but had a good heart, and why she caught Kazehaya's eye. Bleh. Movie is so much better. 

Dropped at episode 1. 

Liked the Republican Era costumes and the hidden identity premise with all its intrigues. Better than Maid's Revenge in terms of characterisation and plot, although the romance was a bit of a slow burn and dialled down. 

Did not catch or hold my attention. I thought the story setup with the twin swap would be interesting but none of the characters made me interested in them after 5 episodes. Had put it on hold for over a month and since I have no motivation to pick it back up and continue, decided to drop. 

Dropped at Ep5

A superficial, shallow, not really engaging watch. Can tell it's meant to be light-hearted and silly but somehow the funny isn't coming across funny, and the characters aren't interesting.

Dropped at episode 3.

The only interesting bit about the show were the art work, drawing and painting, and some of the science behind them. But the cases were not well crafted. Too much emphasis on trying to create emotional heft or to dramatise the crime, but it doesn't really showcase how the cases are solved using portrait expertise. Also, some of the ways the people describe the faces are too flowery, no idea how a portraitist can draw anything truly definite from them. So, not really convinced about the main 'genius' in the show, nor about how they solved the cases.

Dropped at episode 6.

A slightly more authentic & heartwarming piece of wish-fulfilment youth romance along the lines of LoveO2O. There are some differences: the secret crush in middle school, the age gap and the pseudo brother-sister relationship internal conflict, the sometimes really childish FL... 

The ML is borderline too-good-to-be-true and while it's nice to see such a devoted ML, he's a bit too perfect to be realistic. The thing is, this show is filmed well. There's something about the way the characters are scripted and filmed that gives this show a slightly more authentic and sincere feeling. It skirts the line from idealistic to sometimes believable but I personally find it a bit too airbrushed, and the characters never really grow in terms of depth. They're not too 1D (the show gives them some depth and dimension from the beginning) but the problem is that while the characters stay consistent to their initial setups, they don't really grow as characters. The FL may have matured a bit, but in terms of gaining character depth or overcoming character defects, the characters don't really exhibit that.

So, while I like the idealistic youth romance and the wish fulfilment this show gives, it's not a show that really satisfies the soul or the spirit because the characters are a bit too good to be true (but couched in more authentic settings).

Rewatched and it's still as absorbing and emotionally captivating as when I had first watched it. The music made less of an impact because I remembered the places where they made a hit so in this 2nd go-round but the characterisation, the internal conflicts and insecurities and constant questioning within oneself over the ambiguity of their couple relationship made this a still compelling watch. Glad it more or less stood the test of time.

Rewatched. Not as absorbing and fascinating as when I first watched it (I definitely noticed the less polished acting from the main leads this time round) but I still liked how unpretentious this show was. There's a wholesomeness and fun with the whole crew and side characters, and the campus vibe came across authentic and sincere. The relationship development and the character growth still made this a worthwhile watch and it definitely still stands as one of the better Thai BLs out there for me. Also, no in-your-face PPL, and faithfulness to its original source material FTW.

Doesn't quite live up to S1 & S2 because of the reduced focus on the main characters and more emphasis on the plot around the actress. Also, one-sided Hira POV throughout, felt less balanced. Still nice to watch but not really wow.

Yikes, although I barely managed to make it through this one, this was just ugh to watch. It was like watching 2 adult toddlers playing at love. 

Can't even make out what the FL's personality is like - no idea what motivates her, what her thoughts and opinions are, because they are not something she has in and of herself. She is constantly being influenced by the things she hears from the people around her, even total strangers in a restaurant talking about their discontentments will cause her to extrapolate that those problems and issues are hers. She has no mind of her own and no character of her own to speak of. 

As for the ML, he supposedly fell in love with her when the FL rescued him from a bunch of thugs but afterwards the FL's personality was so diffident, insecure and timid, it makes me wonder why he stayed in love with her.

The main leads' characters just are not well defined at all and the only thing that seems to hold the both of them together is the sex. Such a useless show.

About a Joseon queen trying to 'protect' her sons. No romance but that aside, didn't like the way the first 2 episodes went. Queen has no idea what is really going on in the court, she doesn't know her sons well and left them to do as they pleased which resulted in them being laidback princes. As a mother and a queen, frankly, she should realise just what sort of place the palace was and had the intelligence to have prepped herself and her sons well but noo... careless and now having to firefight.

Anyway, shows focusing on mothers are now a main trigger for me, can't watch them without getting angry and upset. Alongisde the silly setup and the lack of romance, this is a drop.

Dropped at episode 2.

Yeah, Thai BLs are still a no-no. I thought this one might be tolerable with the time loop/ time-travel premise but yeah, first episode could not hold my attention. Acting wasn't that good, the whole setup did not interest me. 

Dropped at episode 1.

Too slow for me.

Dropped at epiosde 2.

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes to everything. <333

Don't really like the girl-chases-guy theme. Not finding the show engaging, the characters interesting, nor the humour funny.

Dropped after ep2.

Weird musical-themed show about a down-and-out girl desperate for money and being taken advantage of, being rescued by a magician. Some aspects of it were interesting, others, not so.

Dropped at ep4.

The only good thing in here was the ML. FL and the whole coaching environment was just awful. Could barely finish the drama and had to skip/ fast forward a lot of the last 6 episodes.

Thought-provoking drama about adulting and about how complicated human beings are.

Setting in Straits Malacca with ghost theme and murder mystery/ supernatural mystery premise, it's actually okay. It's just that I was stuck at episode 2 and had no motivation to keep going. Perhaps I may pick it up again, who knows... 

Meantime, dropped at ep2.

Slowburn but nice little noona romance. Set in 1950s with traditional Japanese restaurant and showing a variety of cooking recipes & techniques, those were the best bits. Main leads had a bit of character development too as FL gained confidence in her skills and ML learned to be less judgemental and more supportive. Cinematography here was also really lovely with the mellow traditional settings. A sort of shorter but smoother younger version of Fukuyado Honpo: Kyoto Love Story.

Almost slapsticky Taiwanese comedy about a homophobic guy who had to be spirit-married to a gay man and all sorts of silly and weird shenanigans ensure. Taiwanese humour never really quite works for me and it still holds true here. It can be quite funny in places but it can also be cringey in others too. It was an equal mix of haha and ugh so am giving it a middle '5' rating.

I guess ghost stories aren't my cup of tea. Episodic format with main mystery behind but by episode 9, lost motivation and interest to keep watching. Concept is interesting though, and some of the humour is funny. 

Dropped at ep9.

Only made it to the first quarter of this movie but decided nah. ML was rough but interesting but that was the only thing which interested me in this movie. Not sure how to think of the FL, she was a bit of a weird one but I didn't really like her. Romance was quick and perfunctory and honestly, wasn't interested in getting to know more of their love story (they were not a couple that caught my attention) so stopped there. 

Dropped.

No romance and the 2 separate timelines weren't able to hold my attention. Was not interested in any of the characters or their team members, couldn't feel any sense of camaraderie or team work, not really rooting for anybody so pass.

Dropped at ep12.

Only managed to watch the first and last eps in this 4-episode mini-series. It's okay. High school summer, minor angsting between a more serious boy and a more lively one. It's not very eventful and not a lot of character building. The close relationship was well established from the start but it didn't really feel like longing and love, more like fondness and affection. So, mid-rating for me as it had some nice things but not quite there.

Interesting drama about a couple of characters (Nagi and Shinji) who are trapped in a cycle of trying to live to please others, especially parents. Very reminiscient of real life and the struggles of wanting to be true to yourself yet finding that wanting to look good in front of others, to please others takes precedence until they were almost drowned by it. Nagi at least at the end is trying to find her way out of this slavery situation but it is baby steps. Can be frustrating at times, especially at the beginning, but by the middle of the show onwards, it got a lot better.

This is too sanitised. Characters in here are too nice and have no real character flaws to be real. Side characters are also too nice to be real. Everything goes smoothly and even strangers interacting with main characters are too nice to be real. Main characters have no character development, and I really cannot see why they fall in love with each other. It's all just a sanitised feel-good show with no real substance to speak of.

Dropped at ep16.

From ep1, can tell it's a drama steeped in realism and rawness about the brokenness of people and how relationships can get all messed up because of our brokenness. Cinematography reminds me of 'Your Name Engraved Herein'. It has a very moody and gloomy and dysfunctional vibe going. Since this show needs a certain mood and a certain mindset to be watching it, it is best I don't continue since I'm not in the mood for this sort of raw, realistic type of show. 

Dropped at ep2.

Funny and light-hearted drama that doesn't take itself seriously and almost at times a spoof on its meta genre. But, despite its hilarity and lack of seriousness, it has organic relationship development and it also portrays well the struggles of a child actor who has disappeared into irrelevance. There's a heart beating in there somewhere in the middle of all the funny hijinks and that was what made this show extra enjoyable.

It was interesting until the main leads got together and then I lost interest. 

Dropped at ep17.

Somehow was not able to engage with the drama. Didn't find the main leads' characters and their interactions appealing or captivating within the first 3 episodes. 

Dropped at ep3.

Started funny and entertaining but started to go flat at the halfway mark. The ML was cute and funny when he's interacting with the FL with his overly polite & courteous demenour (his voice is interestingly gravelly) but that was mostly in the first half. Side couple became the only thing worth watching by the 2nd half.

It has been a while since I last touched a proper lakorn but since this is a sequel to the Suparburoot Juthathep series (which I love and have a great soft spot for), I had to check a couple of these sequels out. I'd heard that the 1st one 'Laorchan' was not good so went for 'Kwanruetai' which sounded a lot like Puttipat's story re-hashed, which, in a lot of ways, it is. 

ML is Puttipat's son, ML is Marathee's daughter and some of the conflict was a throwback to the past issues with the parents which was a good follow up. I also liked the setting where ML is an army doctor (medical profession like his father) while FL is a village girl who also, at one point, entered a beauty contest, haha. 

Anyway, plenty of callbacks and throwbacks. The first couple of episodes were also funny and interesting when the ML and FL met and had a hilarious misunderstanding. But from episode 4 or something the drama went into lots of side plots and there was practically no relationship development for the main leads. I wasn't really invested in their romance (there was hardly any of it to be had! too many plots!) and was skipping plot arcs just to see what happened. 

Anyway, it was interesting for a bit of the time (20%) and meh for a lot of the time (80%). No idea what they are doing with lakorns these days, the relationship development and character arcs are so sloppy unlike the good old days. Still, at least it was watchable and it had a lot to do with curiosity and a goodwill from its OG series.

I thought the premise sounded interesting with the ghost + human interaction plus some posts on the Feeds gave me the impression that the main couple had good chemistry & romance but after 5 episodes out of 8, I found it not living up to expectations plus the FL having public chats with the ML (who is invisible to everyone else) and not being seen as funny or odd, and not being conscious or aware of how strange she looks all the time doing this (show only sometimes brings it up but only once in a while), is just weird as I kept thinking that FL was totally giving herself away. For a murder mystery and trying to investigate things, this is the stupidest way of drawing attention to oneself (which the show didn't even pick up on), is just sloppy and doesn't make sense. I didn't enjoy watching it as a result.

Dropped at episosde 6.

Not as engaging or interesting as S1 despite the quality & continuity. It has been on-hold on episode 22 for a long while. Somehow unable to muster up the mood to continue as am not particularly interested in the events or characters and how they progress/ resolve themselves. Still giving it an above average rating as it could be that I am just not in the right mood to truly enjoy it but it is not a bad show.

Dropped at episode 22. Potential to resume depending on mood...

Nice to see a non-school BL again, especially from Japan. Interesting characters here but the relationship development could do with a little bit more work - I thought the main character fell a little too fast for the mystery boy. The cases & court room drama was also a bit contrived. Still, it was a fairly decent watch. At least I could finish it! :P