Story: The premise is simple. A young gay couple comes at a cross-roads upon graduation. They have opposing ambitions: one wants to be a pastor, and the other wants to be a soccer player, but neither wants to give up their dreams for their relationship to work.

Actors: Not too shabby portrayal of two boys who are supposedly in love, but conflicted.

Music: The religious hymns brought back memories when I studied at a Christian school. I was surprised that I even remembered some of the lyrics. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

Rewatch value: Only to figure out what really happened at the end.

Overall impression: After watching this short, I found that the more important part of the boy's relationship is that neither of them communicated to each other what they were planning to do with their future. They had to find out from their mutual friend about it. And then after they confronted each other about the possibility of one going into a seminary and the other going abroad to play soccer, they had to rethink what is more important to them.

At one point, when they tried to dissuade their partner from going through their plans, it seemed like they were bitter that their partner wouldn't compromise and support their own respective dreams. Kai's excuse was that his father wouldn't have approved his lifestyle choice since he came from a very traditional, religious background. Jay, on the other hand, thought that the opportunity to study abroad is hard to come by, and therefore, he had more potential to go further.

Actually, what surprises me about this film are the secondary characters, in the form of that mutual friend who served as a catalyst between Kai and Jay. She's the mediator in their relationship, like a voice of reason. Kai's father also wasn't as restrictive as he was presumed to be. Although he might not know the exact nature of Kai's relationship with Jay, the dad instinctively knew that there's something troubling his son, and Kai's decision to apply for the seminary might be misguided.

With this new revelation, you would have thought that the boys would have made different choices, but it goes to show that the thing you thought you might want, might not be the thing that you need. Would you give up on your dreams to have a chance at love, or would you abandon your partner to pursue your chosen career? This is dilemma that this short film is trying to address, and some people may choose differently than others.

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Started out as creepy, and ended up as not so creepy, and through no fault of the story really, but I blame the production company on this.

First, why didn’t they cast an appropriately-aged actor to portray ML’s teenage self, when they did so for the FL and 2nd ML? All those screaming “Pedo” would have no grounds to stand on, if this was done, and frankly, not as disturbing to watch a 12 yr old smiling infatuatedly at a 35 yr old at the start of the drama.

Second, why they didn’t dub Yang Mi’s voice so it doesn’t come across as whiny and annoying throughout the show?

Third, why do production companies insist on casting actresses who cannot even clearly pass as a guy unless you are totally daft and oblivious? There are probably more androgynous-looking actors out there that they could have chosen.

I continued watching anyway, as I love a forbidden romance between Master and Disciple, but man, was it ever frustrating! By the nth time Jian Ming pushed Hai Shi away, I was actually rooting for her to end up with someone else and I would have been happy. You would have thought that Jian Ming was a green flag due to all his self-sacrificing intentions, trying to put Hai Shi out of harm’s way, but he is not doing her any favors as she keeps coming back. Why would she be hopelessly clinging onto somebody who doesn’t prioritize your happiness, but would always choose the country over you?

And don’t get me started on the emperor! Tilan clearly has a case of Stockholm syndrome! Actually Di Xu’s bromance with Fang Zhu looks more sus with all those half-naked, pact-making rituals and fussing over their bestie’s pale-looking lips.

The third coupling may seem the least toxic of all the pairings here, even though Zhou Ying was prone to peeping over the courtyard where Zhe Liu was working. Stalking seems to be the least of all evil here, so the show gave it a pass.

The drama also throws in half-baked villains with some half-baked back stories, expecting you the swallow the Kool-aid that they only did what they did. To watch this show to completion, you need to suspend your disbelief, and throw away logic, or better yet, hang on to that remote control. You need that FFWD button.

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This drama is cool without being cliche, as it guides viewers through the sexual development of youth. Despite being naïve about certain things, the characters were willing to learn about the different sexual concepts that aren’t necessarily traditional.

It is refreshing to see how the three friends differ in their outlook on love, lust, and beyond. While some are shy, they still communicate their concerns and thoughts to each other, albeit ironically, in a very public restaurant.

I find this drama highly entertaining and educational without being preachy. It’s certainly hilarious how things kept falling out of Sakura’s bag, and how shocked she is at finding things she deemed “dirty” are actually a normal part of human sexuality. I am stanning also for the ace and bi rep, especially after both Tsumugi’s and Yu’s speech.

Even with only nine brief episodes, this drama thoroughly explores everything related to sex, including, but not limited to pregnancy, birth control, consent, periods, etc. The show thoroughly examines these subjects and handles them honestly, without disguising the truth. It certainly is a progressive approach to education in an Asian country, mostly perpetuated by conservative principles.

And as one teacher suggested, it is important for schools to provide proper sex education so that students can make informed decisions and not make assumptions about sex. Highly recommend this drama as it dispels the misconceptions and myth about sex.

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I thought that with only 14 episodes, I could blow through this without a hitch. But I was wrong. The drama started out strong; I especially loved the flirty friendship between the main couple. Elvis Han has the suave financier down pat, while Elvira Han oozes smarts and sexiness as the hardworking, no-nonsense lawyer. And oh, the sizzling chemistry between Tang Ying and Zi Quan really lit up the screen. But that’s about it.

Because when both are at work, they’re being played by their colleagues, supervisors, and both seem to work on projects that failed (through no fault of their own, but by the machinations or neglect of other people). Setbacks are inevitable, as they are part of life, and it’s how you overcome these obstacles thrown your way that counts. The show imparts more than a few nuggets of wisdom, but by the 10th life lesson, it became too preachy.

The drama also introduces so many random characters, but none of them really fully fleshed out. Most are one-dimensional, like the bratty sister whom I cannot stand, and her cringey boyfriend. She only became interesting towards the end when she ditched her possessive BF and moved in with a younger guy (her landlord). I feel the drama brought in all these randos just to prove a point, like the sugar daddy equates women with useless barns or the socialite who sinks her teeth on Zi Quan once she learns he’s no longer single. The main leads used a lot of these side characters as teachable moments, especially when they aim their gaze at the audience. But mostly, I was so bored to death that I couldn’t fake liking it.

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Picked up this drama because the premise sounded interesting: a virgin meets another virgin and enters a FWB contract. Occasionally adorable, but mostly predictable is that they both caught feelings after having coitus a couple times. Of course, a drama cannot do without a rival love interest or two, who obligatory part ways for the leads to end up together. Despite the sexual tension Takada and Totsuka bring to the screen in the beginning episodes, it did not carry towards the end. Waste of talent, especially Izuka’s. And I certainly didn’t expect the weak-a$$ peck that fell short after the enormous buildup. Watch only if you want to pass the time, but not necessarily.

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If you are expecting a Prince Charming and a Cinderella-story from this drama, don’t count on it. I get it that not all heroes wear capes, because this one just flicks a lighter but doesn’t smoke. Yes, Li Xun is a genius in his own right, but he could be less cocky and I would have been fine with it. Right at his heels, Zhu Yun attempts to tame this golden retriever by chasing after him, like she’s herself a dog that won’t let go of a bone.

The pacing is choppy, but manageable to watch. Cinematography and choice of music are good. The cast is diverse, so are the secondary characters, but all these good points do not negate the fact that I struggled to finish the show due to various factors. For instance, the inconsistent re-introduction of some characters who show up at odd times in the drama. I feel some characters are even under utilized (ahem, Tian Xiu Zhu) and just serve as props to the main leads, which is a sad fact because other stories could have been more developed.

For example, I would have been interested in how Ren Di’s band went from obscurity to popularity, or how her relationship with Xiao Liu evolved. Or even how Shu Miao took a legal path in her career, when she was a major part of Zhu Yun’s college days. Instead, we see such as useless POS like Zhi Jing be part of L&P board of directors and living prosperously, as if he weren’t the one tormenting Li Xun and Zhu Yun in their early days. Instead, Li Xun and his group were prohibited from joining competitions for years, while Zhi Jing could still pull strings despite being exposed in public.

Another case in point is that both male and female protagonists are unfailingly stubborn, sometimes to the point of infuriating, hardly giving leeway to anybody except to each other. They do this awkward dance where they are hot/cold towards each other, but with other people, they are self-righteous, if not selfish. I get it that Li Xun had a tough childhood, and Zhu Yun an over-protected one, but I wasn’t buying the cool-aid that because of their backstory, they expect the world to owe them something.

Yes, tenacity is good, ambitions are even better, but there’s a limit to which these things are met where it doesn’t adversely affect other people. Good news is, both Li Xun and Zhu Yun learned their lessons, over the course of their journey, to be more forgiving of others. Whereas Jian Hong failed, and in a karmic joke, life serves him an eff you, but Li Na, to her credit, stood by his side despite being given a reason to run for the hills.

Another case that baffled me is the fact that, Zhu Yun’s helicoptering mother, for all her scrutiny and apparently above-exceptional monitoring skills, failed to learn how her daughter ditched to study/work abroad to be with Li Xun, not once but twice is beyond me. I am not saying that I agree that the mother should control a full-grown adult who has her own right to choose, but I find this comically inconsistent. And how Zhu Yun, who is normally pushy when it comes to her boyfriend’s welfare, is suddenly timid at the sight of her mother. Also, the way Zhu Yun manipulates Tian Xiu Zhu to cover her whereabouts, without the latter getting anything in return but a “thank you”, wasn’t really supposed to be how “an innocent young lady” behaves.

The ending for me was anti-climactic, especially in the case of Zhi Jing. Are we supposed to forget how his behavior drove his ex-girlfriend to suicide? How his deplorable actions indirectly caused the death of Li Xun’s sister? Though granted, he did not inflict the final blow, and her death was more a result of a string of coincidental events. Still, he had malicious intent and his lack of remorse didn’t justify the punishment he got, but fully deserved.

For all its flaws, the drama isn’t bad, but not that great either. I only finished this show because of the rave reviews, but I didn’t love it as much as I probably should have.

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I should have known from the poster alone that this will not be some great masterpiece. But did I expect this one to be? Certainly not. I’m just curious how such a large age-gap romance will play out on the screen.

Well, the sinister but ill-timed sound track certainly was a letdown many times where I anticipated a stabbing or two to take place. So all that foreboding knife-wielding was really there just for show. Much like the various ASMR of gurgling and brushing of teeth were actually people just practicing oral hygiene and did not carry some sort of symbolism.

At one point, I even expected the romance between Shinobu and Chiaki to go south. And I am so okay with that, as they later both took on separate paths and lived without each other for years. But aside from Yuta the son, and maybe Okano the Magazine editor, the rest of the characters were frankly unlikeable. From the misogynistic ex-husband to Chiaki’s mother, both battling each other out for “The Worst Parent of the Decade” award.

Then, towards the end, where each of these characters started their own monologue to tell their own backstory, but more like an excuse for their shitty behavior, I almost lost it.

But like some other rubberneckers, I can’t help but be glued to the screen watching this train wreck of a romance go by.

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I enjoyed this rom-com more than I expected. Perhaps it may be because of its short run typical of Japanese drama that allows all the essence to be compact without being draggy., unlike the long and drawn out fifty-episodic offerings from other countries.

First, it shows the typical Japanese work culture where everyone is worked to the bone and doing overtime is common and even expected. Shikamori Umi is no stranger to this and continues to run around until she reaches a limit.

Second, the drama demonstrates that change is possible when Umi gets recruited as an intern at an agency, where a very different and refreshing work culture has been established.

Suzuki Airi is a natural, transitioning from a bare-faced, exhausted employee to a spritely, newly motivated worker who wants to try her best at everything, even over-extending herself sometimes. But she realizes that just fell back into the habit of over-pleasing others.

Her coworkers, her new boss and especially Kazao, and even Hina manifest ideas that shape Umi’s worldview, in that working hard is commendable, but also is taking time for yourself. The cast was supportive of Umi’s endeavors and she finally learns to be independent.

This drama was delightful and gratifying. Also neat was the trivial fact that three of the male actors in this show were in other BL dramas that I’ve watched. I did not even recognize Izuka Kenta in that whatchamacallit hairstyle.

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This is one of those dramas where I would have been fine without the two leads ending up together. It’s not that I had an issue with watching student-teacher relationships, as I’ve seen tons. But the execution, and the backstory towards the end of when Murai first fell in love with Tanaka wasn’t sitting well with me. I actually would have preferred if Tanaka end up marrying her colleague Yamakado, whom she had more chemistry with.

The romance feels very one-sided, or perhaps this was the show’s intention I don’t know. But I think it was really more of an escapism on Ayano’s part, and only after confronting her own ambiguous feelings for Murai did she break free of her illusion from Hitotose, an online game character who she has been obsessed with, as his eyes reminded her of her friend’s (Really weird if you ask me, if you find out who). I wasn’t also keen on the second couple, where there was lack of development, nor rhyme or reason why Yayo-chan should be with Hirai.

The only saving grace about this drama is that it keeps reminding us that it is wrong to be in a relationship with a minor, from Ayano herself who tells Murai this, to Yamakado reminding Ayano that this is one line people shouldn’t cross, to the ending that thankfully does not show any further skinship between the two.

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Though the relationship between teacher and student serves as its backdrop, it is not the taboo aspect that should stand out, nor does this drama romanticize grooming as some may be inclined to believe. They handled the triggering subject of suicide with care and caution, with the insistence that there is so much to live for, despite what one might think as a life-ending suffering. Mikoto felt that there was no more future for her after she was rejected by her first love when she encounters her teacher on the rooftop. Haibi Jin distracts Mikoto with absurd requests or plies Mikoto with off-hand comments to distract her from her goal.

We learn that Haiba Jin was also once in what he deemed as dire strait, when his mentor tried to dissuade him from ending his own life. And it was because of this life-changing moment that Haibi Jin paid it forward and gave Mikoto a purpose. When Mikoto learns nothing is worth dying for, she develops genuine feelings for Jin.

There are many things in this drama that some people may find problematic, but the show is cognizant of these situations, for example, when Haibi Jin can be considered as stalking Mikoto around town, all he was really doing is ensuring she does not make another attempt at her own life. The show also mocks itself by injecting dry humor and reminds us not to take this drama at its face value.

At its core, this drama highlights the importance of the will to live for oneself, as much as for others, without trivializing the hardships that one may encounter as no more than experiences that one must go through in life in order to be stronger.

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This series managed to pack a decent plot in such a short length. I was dubious at first how the face-swapping could be achieved in this scenario, fearing that it would lead to much confusion, but surprisingly it did not. Although I would have liked the reverse happened, with Kay Song portraying Shi Qi and Ke Ying to be Shen Qin, the current casting also worked well in this case. I became more intrigued the more that I watched, especially wanting the ML's to discover the switch. But I was mildly disappointed towards the end when Shi Qi did not get her face back. The plot twist was not nearly as unexpected but it was definitely a good effort.

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This drama starts off with a cliché, over-bearing CEO who is wooden and unemotional, finding how to interact with a quirky, happy-go-lucky child psychologist.

It’s the second time I’ve seen Wei Zhe Ming in this type of role and frankly, there was no difference from his stint as Zhang Si Nian in Perfect and Casual. He has the same robotic expression but fortunately for him (or rather his character), that he’s rich, handsome and powerful and that this can be easily overlooked.

Hu Yi Xuan is not too shabby as Qin Yi Yue, especially in the first half of the drama, where she had more spunk and personality when she goes against Qiao Yan’s dictatorial demands framed as requests. She flies by the seat of her pants when dealing with her personal life and makes decisions based on feelings.

The two are a match made in heaven as they counterbalance each other, but the catalyst between them is certainly the adorable munchkin Xiao Bao who seems to be unanimously voted by the viewers as the star of the show. For his debut drama, Lennon Sun is a natural as he delivers a performance rarely seen in kid actors, especially in those beginning episodes where he had no dialogue to speak of.

The rest of the cast try their best to work with the script as they guide their one-dimensional characters through development. Ruo Wei and Wen Gu act as sounding boards to the lead characters while navigating their own romance. Whereas a contract binds the leads together, a bet stands between the SML and SFL to see who falls for the other first. Another cliché where the strong-willed female manages to tame the spoiled-rich, playboy into submission.

Add in a calculating aunt (in the absence of an evil mother), a self-entitled childhood friend (in place of a clingy ex-girlfriend), or a brooding third male lead bearing unrequited love. Throw in an accident or two, and some tropey plot device like amnesia or disability, then you have your basic ingredients for a C-drama recipe. For added flourish, mix in a glimpse of a tragic past or some form of trauma. Also don’t forget the coincidence of all coincidences.

Surprisingly, I didn’t touch the fast forward button on this one, despite the few times where I almost gave in to that temptation. The first half was certainly stronger than the back half where the resolution seems rushed towards the end. Also, I found quite a few loopholes where the drama introduced some of the character’s backstory without it ever having fully explored or concluded. The show also tried to force a third pairing in the last two episodes where I see no rhyme or reason to do so. Some of the conflicts to me seemed unnecessary and weak.

Despite this lackluster review, “Unforgettable Love” is a decent watch and entertaining if you don’t take its faults too seriously. To its credit, the show also teaches you the importance of found family, as well as gathering the strength to move on from the past and how to live in the present.

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What can I say about this highly entertaining drama? That it's certain exceeded my expectations and it’s a hoot!

Park Jo Hyun’s performance as the crazy swindler was on point, as her character goes about the world jumping in sticky situations and getting out the next with her out-of-the box thinking. Ye So Rang’s highly observant skills and wealth of knowledge aided in her portrayal of the dead princess’ lost spirit that the King believed her powers of shamanism to be real.

For his part, Kim Young Dae tried to be his best as the brooding widower Lee Heon, who pines for his dead wife even after years after her death. So when he hears of the possibility that he can see his wife’s spirit, the King eats up So Rang’s lies as a kid eating candy. Hilarity ensues as Ye So Rang weaves her tale larger than the last, and the oblivious Lee Heon could not determine whether he’s speaking to So Rang or to the dead princess, and lines get blurred.

But there’s someone who probably knows So Rang’s secret: the King’s best friend, right hand man, Lee Shin Won, who is relegated to his role as the second fiddle, third wheel in the love triangle. Kim Woo Seok is decent as the second male lead, as his stoic stance, quiet demeanor completes his loyal-to-a-fault, kicked-puppy-dog look, that he can only be So Rang’s really good friend at best.

This show has a good, solid ensemble cast, from the courtyard couple Royal Nanny and Chief Eunuch to the band of Mosuldan’s (probably incels in today’s world). Everyone has their own little part of the story and are quite interesting characters in their own right, like the cunning fortune teller, the erotic author, and other people who give color to this drama.

The Forbidden Marriage is equal parts romance, drama, comedy, and politics, not one aspect too overpowering to take over another. Even the villains are not so villainy like in other dramas where I want to throw their heads against the wall, although sometimes I feel it’s justified only to wipe the smug grins off their faces.

Though it became a tad serious at the end, and lost a little bit of steam, this drama is an enjoyable watch.

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I am a sucker for friends-turned-lovers type of drama and this one certainly fits the bill. Soundtrack #1 tells the story of Eun Soo, a struggling lyricist trying to come up with meaningful words to accompany a song but she comes up short. The lack of emotional depth that she uses in her lyrics was the main issue according to the music producer. She believes this is the case because she hasn't experienced a love strong enough to conjure up those feelings (or so she thought). Meanwhile, her best friend of twenty years Sun Woo is the epitome of unrequited love, pining for Eun Soo in ways that everyone notices except for the oblivious target.

I almost did not recognize Park Hyung Sik from SWDBS as he broods quietly on the sideline, while Song Hye Kyo's doppelganger Han So Hee is decent as the object of his affections. I also liked the fact that the production team used music and imagery to reflect the different stages of the MCs' relationship. Alternatively, this isn't a drama that needed a whole thesis deconstructing the plot devices or in person narratives due to its short length. It is meant to be enjoyed as it is, a bittersweet journey of two people finally finding love after two decades.

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