Wrong Addiction

Welcome to those who want to hear my rant/review again and this time it goes to the one and only, "iconic BL series", Addicted Heroin. Wooo. Honestly, I just don't understand why this BL is so popular especially with the problematic tropes being used there. I'll try to elaborate here.

I'll start with Gu Hai, the guy who's twisted and who has a terrible obsession over Bai Luo Yin. I am so disgusted by his behaviour over him. The fact he stalked him was creepy made me want to vomit. Also, him hiring people to kidnap Luo Yin. Did that scream romantic to you? If you were in his position, how would you feel? This was Stockholm syndrome on another level. I felt like I was watching 365 days movie, but in Mandarin and between two Chinese men. Not to mention how the dialogues he used, "You want to have nothing to do with me, don't you? Then I will keep you chained here so that you cannot run away" before attacking him with a forced kiss and ending with a "Baby, you've known long before that I have special feelings for you, don't you? So you are not surprised that if I kiss you" and followed by other cringey dialogues, "I sleep with you on one bed, it's because I want to fuck you. I even dreamt of it" and blaming his obsessive behaviour on Luo Yin with no fucking regrets. This was the worst, "Husband who doesn't have sex with their wives is not a good husband" What kind of bullshit message was Gu Hai trying to say? He treated him like a sex object and not like his partner. Here's a surprise, this whole thing just happened in one damn episode, Episode 11 and there's more, SHOCKING!

Episode 12, the scene of what happened in the bedroom. My gosh, that was gross. Gu Hai couldn't control his dick and hormones towards his favourite "object" so he did it again! You could literally tell by Lin Yuo's facial expressions that he was so uncomfortable with it and poor boy had to play along with it when he already asked him to stop. That word came out right from his mouth. Yikes. Wait, that's not it! It also happened in Episode 13. Amazing BL right? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcUiO4lQMr4 (Where I watched it if you guys are wondering) The fact that this loved BL show was romanticizing sexual assault, imagine this show being continued, I'll be counting how many more there will be in after this.

Also, Gu Hai's former girlfriend was so stupid. She's your stereotypical jealous girl who couldn't stand her boyfriend with other women. Of course, there had to be that stupid catfight between other women because of that. I just don't understand why BLs love portraying these type of women? I am tired of seeing it. Stop giving female a bad representation in BL please. I also couldn't understand her shitty behaviour of trying to make Gu Hai jealous by doing a fake affair. It didn't seem fake to me. The only fake I could see was from her fake attitude. Thus, I concluded, birds with the same feather flock together.

In conclusion, this chinese BL is not addictive at all and I am no way going to rewatch this thing again. I feel ashamed because I'm 3/4 Chinese and me seeing this? No. I've lost faith in humanity for those who love this BL. Goodbye!

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Not My Type

I tried my best to write this review so pardon me if it's not the best. I'm not gonna entertain people who want to defend this show.

First of all, I would like to apologize to those who love this series. This series isn't made for me and it is a chore for me to finish sadly. I tried to like it but I didn't like it from the beginning till the end. While the show has some problematic issues with disrespecting and misuse of mental health topics as well as the sexual abuse portrayed there, I don't wanna address it as many helpful reviews on Tharntype's review page has already done it anyways and mine is gonna be similar, if not the same as well. While I appreciate the writers for trying to go complex in this BL with all those mental health issues, I just think they have done it wrong and no proper research is made on it.

I wanna talk more about the storyline because I do have my problems with it. The show tried to do so much in those 12 episodes by adding more storylines and it became over complicated. Instead of having unnecessary antagonist, pointless characters like the guy who tried to be Korean and Tar's story, I would rather focus more on Tharn and Type's relationship progress. Those times spent on them could have been spent on those two. How they met, see their ups and downs in their relationship, and slowly let it develop. I also want to dive in more in Tharn and Type's character even if I dislike them both. What's the point of adding more storylines if their relationship is not fully developed in the first place?

I'm personally not a fan of their relationship. Let's start from the beginning. I find it rushed especially with how the relationship of Tharn and Type is like starting. As I have recalled, they are only roommates and I am not sure if they are even friends in the first place since it's not established there. I remember questioning Tharn on when he fell in love with Type. Did he fell in love at first sight? Moving on to journey with their relationship seeing them having sex and all those crazy tragedies and that's where I conclude that I just don't like their relationship at all. I mean, yes it's realistic for couples to fight all the time and jealousy is normal, but to add in those physical abuses is such a turn off for me. That is not a healthy relationship for sure. If you're asking which one I'm talking about, it's in episode 9 (The part where Type slapped Tharn because Type misunderstood the situation going on there) To be honest, both of them need help and are not ready to be in one yet.

All in all, I feel like the series has potential, but it's just wasted in the end. I do love the fluff moments between them and Mew and Gulf have amazing chemistry together that I can't help but squeal as well as a normal fangirl LOL. You know what I'm talking about for those who completed the series. I just couldn't bring myself to ignore what happened earlier. I don't want to go in detail with this review as my review is more of a rant haha. I don't want to rewatch it again. Instead, I'll just watch those crazy MewGulf videos together because what's not better than seeing two hot men being so cute together? UwU

As I've said earlier, everyone has a different opinion for this show. Some may love it, some may not. Sadly, my opinions went in the opposite direction of not loving it. That's all I can say about this show.

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A Wasted Potential

This review is a personal opinion of mine. Theory of Love is a hit or miss kind of show. It’s one of the most popular and most talked BLs in 2019 and people love this show a lot. So of course, I have to watch and see why. While I’m glad people love this show a lot, sadly for me, it’s missed by a margin.

Before I start, let me talk about what I like in the show first before we get down to the downside of this. Firstly, the cinematography is great! I like the editing and I like the movie names being the title of each episode portrayed. It’s creative and it’s nice to see filmology major students instead of the same old engineering, science/medicine or economics major students in Thai BLs. I also enjoy that they split two POV for the two main leads, Third and Khai. Acting-wise I say is quite decent. I usually don’t judge acting much so I won’t comment much. Gun’s acting is great and does a good job playing as Third, the lead character of this show. The train scene is also great, it’s shot really nicely and for me is the saddest scene in the show itself.

Now the downside of this show. Let’s start with the main plot which for me, was the biggest let down of the show. I got hooked from the first episode not gonna lie. I saw 2 flawed and realistic characters and I was excited to see some good character development here since I’m a person who loved to see that and this was one of the reasons why I continued watching it. As I continued, I got disappointed.

Khai’s character development was not good enough. While I never liked him for the entire 12 episodes, him falling in love with Third was so rushed and for me, it didn’t make sense. I was questioning the show while watching it and I never got my answers in the end. How and why Third did fall in love with Khai? (I know that Third fell in love with him at first sight but that can’t be the only reason right) What were Khai's good qualities and traits? Why couldn't they show some actual good traits of Khai to the viewers so that I could understand as well instead of wasting so much time on the subplots? Instead of Third writing 10 things I hate about you, why not 10 things I love about you? If Khai never saw the video in the first place, would he still be in love with Third? Did he force himself to fall in love with Third because he felt bad or was it for his personal gain or did he really fell in love with Third? I wanted to know WHY. This part made me angry and I probably screamed on the inside when I saw that part. It happened so suddenly which made me not trust Khai at all. The amount of time for the subplots in that show could have been used in the main plot. The show could at least show some good parts of Khai. I couldn’t judge Khai as I only knew him for 12 episodes compared to Third who basically knew him for 3 years, but based on those 12 episodes, I was just frustrated. While I appreciate that he’s trying his best to improve within the last 3-4 episodes, I'm still not impressed with it.

Thus, leading to romance. I couldn’t bring myself to like the main couple. I was sick of Khai just taking advantage of Third and being a bad friend in general based on the first 6 episodes. I rather watch the other side couple, Two and Aun. Bone’s story with the teacher wasn’t that interesting I say but I did like Bone as a character.

Was it a bad drama? No. But it’s not good either. For me, this drama could have been better. This was a wasted potential for me. Do I recommend people to try this show? Watch it and judge it yourself. You might have a different opinion from me. That's all I could say for this show.

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Fan Fic Turned to Life

I'll keep this review short, simple and spoiler free because I don't have much to say.

Remember all those crazy one shots or fan fictions you read on Wattpad, trying to imagine yourself being inside the story with your favourite celebrity in it that makes your heart race and wishing for more? Yeah, this is exactly what you'll see in this Korean BL.

The story is sweet and charming. The chemistry is on point between Tae Joo and Kang Gook. Of course the story is simple and straightforward but once again, Korean Dramas have used their strength on perfecting their editing, acting, directing and the OST soundtrack. For a first Korean BL production, I have nothing to complain. I'm not gonna spoil the show, I'll leave it in your hands for you to judge.

Do I recommend the show? Sure. It may be unoriginal in terms of the same old overused plot but there's no problematic tropes used there which makes it nice and refreshing to watch. Enjoy the ride now that all the episodes are out and you don't have to wait every week yearning for more episodes.

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“I don’t care about anybody’s open road, my only choice is a log bridge to devil.”

(I will judge this BASED ON THE DRAMA ITSELF and yes I’ve seen all adaptations (novel, donghua, manhua, audio drama, right now watching the chibi version and waiting for a game to be released soon.))

I never thought that a wuxia drama can impact me in the best way possible. It’s no doubt that The Untamed truly made my 2020 year better after all the crappy situation going on this year with the rise of the pandemic and more terrible things shown on the news that makes me wonder if the world is really gonna end. 8 months later, I’m still not over this show and probably will never be. I’m still on a post drama depression with this show and I still haven’t found a cure to it. Gosh, what have this show done to me? Yes, I sound like a maniac but it’s the truth and I have to accept it. I live and breathe The Untamed.

Objectively speaking, the drama isn’t perfect. There are a few bits of minor mistakes here and there and it isn’t the best in terms of the technical aspects such as the bad CGI and bad practical effects as the drama is low budget which makes no sense to me. This show is based on a very popular BL novel, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation or 魔道祖师 (Mó Dào Zǔ Shī) in Mandarin like why can’t the show have more budget? Also, there are some questionable acting for some of the characters portrayed there, maybe one or two but hey, the characters there are not easy to play and are very complex. The fact that most, if not all the actors are rookies there, for me it’s a job well done! That's why I'm giving the acting a 10. I'm biased. But at the same time, I feel like those minor issues and mistakes add the charm to show and made me love it even more.

Now, for the good part. The story itself may be simple but it’s intriguing and effective. I don’t need a complex story just to blow me away. Sometimes, a good simple story with amazing and complex characters can really shine their way through. It’s rare for me to fully be immersed and emotionally attached to characters like this but here I am trapped. Save me please. I love how the characters there has a story themselves, including villains! I love how there’s no perfect character in the show, each character has their flaws and not everyone has a happy ending. Yes, it’s unfortunate but that’s what makes it so good. It makes them more human and relatable. The real world works like that with the cruelty and the hypocrisy of humans. It’s indeed a beautiful lesson in humanity.

Let’s jump straight into the characters. I’ll only speak on the 2 leads. I wish I can elaborate on this more but it’ll probably take up more than 2 pages. I’ll start with the lead protagonist who’s also my knight in shining armour, Wei Wuxian/Wei Ying/Yiling Patriarch. He is the most fascinating, relatable and cutest little bean. I love how he’s such a complex character yet stays true to himself. He can go from the cutest pie ever to the hot and sexy Yiling Patriarch in one snap. He’s not the typical idealistic man who’s doing things for the greater good, yet he’s doing it because he understands the whole justice and how the world works like. He does what he thinks it’s right and he fights for it. He’s admirable and he’s one of a kind. I love him to bits and I’ll never shut up about him. Falling in love at first sight with him has become one of the best decisions I made in life.

Next, Lan Wangji/Lan Zhan who's also known as Hanguang Jun which means Light Bearing Lord. A lot of people tend to overlook him as a supporting character or love interest as his POV is more on the quieter side when there's a whole character arc that he goes through as well throughout this whole story. He has to completely shift how he sees the world. His subtle actions and words speak volumes in those quiet moments. It shows in the rain scene. Seeing how he grow up from a teenager to a young adult is truly outstanding. The best part is when he questions his uncle, what's right and what's wrong, what's black and what's white. Those questions of right and wrong, black and white, good and evil, become part of the theme song in this drama. In the end, Lan Wangji learns that being true to yourself, following your heart and principle are more important than following the crowd.

I fell hard on Wangxian’s relationship in the drama. I never know how much I crave for this kind of romance, just loyalty, trust, longing, commitment, respect. Just so many words to describe it. I LOVE relationships whereby they don’t make the other weaker and where both are very gifted and talented, but together they can do anything. I love this concept of "love" so much because love is supposed to make you stronger. Where you can see that they can survive well without the other, yet you can't imagine them being apart. It’s honestly so haunting and difficult to get over these types of couples. It’s amazing how their relationship impacted me so much. They are soulmates and made for each other. I felt so single after watching it and I truly hope that my future relationship (If I’m ever getting into one LMAO) can be as beautiful, magical yet also cheesy and romantic as them.

All in all, the show probably made my life 10 times better and the soundtrack and theme songs are amazing and just beautiful to listen. Each character has its own song so do it give a listen. Don’t miss out on the good stuff. It’s pleasing to your ears. Do I recommend the show? Hell yes. It’s a must watch for those new to Chinese Dramas! But of course, what you think about the show is in your hands so don’t expect your experience to be like mine. I lost my sleep on this and I wish I can erase my memories and watch it like the first time again and go through that roller coaster ride again. I'll end my review with a favourite quote I read from the novel itself.

"Let the self judge the right and the wrongs, let others decide to praise or to blame and let the losses and gains remain uncommented on." - Wei Wuxian

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A Cherry Christmas!

Cherry Magic has that magic to unite all BL fans to swoon over Kurosawa and Adachi's relationship. Not going to lie, I too fell into that booby trap. I've gone into the show expecting myself not to get obsessed over it. However, I was proven wrong and head over heels on this show.

The show's idea is straightforward. The show started with Adachi who received a birthday gift on his 30th birthday to read other people's mind when there's physical contact with others. Adachi wasn't used to this lifestyle and one fine day, he came into contact with Kurosawa in the elevator and found out Kurosawa's seven years of s̶i̶m̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ crushing on him. Therefore, the adventure begins, and Kurodachi was born.

So what do I love about this? Firstly, the show has presented such a sweet relationship between Kurosawa and Adachi. Every interaction the two had left me screaming as I was watching it because they're so adorable? And patient with each other? And communicate when they have conflicts? And they've seen each other at their absolute worsts? Count me in. I love that their relationship in this show brings out the best of both Kurosawa and Adachi. It doesn't change their personality; it makes them stronger, more confident and helps them be the best versions of themselves. They were already good. Love just made them realize it. I also thought it's refreshing since there isn't any talk about sexual orientation and stuff; it's only two people falling love which turns out to be two men. We need more love stories like this!

However, there are no shows without flaws, and I have to point them out.

The 2nd couple was very odd. While I like the two characters individually, their relationship didn't stand out to me. Their relationship progression leaves a strange taste in my mouth, especially with them doing it RIGHT AFTER they got into a relationship. Sadly, I wasn't emotionally attached to them compared to the main couple.

The last episode also fell short. I am not a fan of the breaking up at Episode 11 and reuniting in Episode 12 (the last one, excluding the extras). It's just a plot device so overly used in romance stories. I agree that the conflict has to be brought up in the 2nd last episode but to be immediately settled in the last episode? The conflict was resolved way too quick for me. The sudden outburst from Adachi and my boy Kurosawa tearing up to make up in the last episode as if nothing has happened previously doesn't sit right with me. Also, Adachi's rapid change of mind to do it immediately do it with Kurosawa felt OOC for me. I had unanswered questions about why he wanted to do it. I thought the show should have more episodes because the conflict resolvent was very unrealistic for me. I wasn't sure if Adachi wants to lose it because he was ready or he wants to give up his magic to live an ordinary life with Kurosawa because he feels like he's too dependent on his powers. Even though I like the ending, I just wished that the show could have been dragged on a little longer. Hence, I couldn't give the story a 10.

So, why did I still give a 10 in overall? Well, this is a show I've been begging my friends to watch it. I loved the first 10 episodes, and I kept rewatching it because I love the relationship here. I was just so touched, and as an ace, this is such a great representation. If I don't give this a 10, it will break my heart. In conclusion, this is a wholesome drama that every BL lovers to watch. I will always question how a story of 30-year-old working adults brings me more joy compared to teenager's first love stories.

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Travel Brings Power and Love Back to Your Life

I have decided to add this headline as I think it fits well with the overall story. I can't describe how meaningful and beautiful this drama is. For 13 episodes, I don't expect much. High school and college love stories aren't my cups of tea. I've seen pretty mediocre ones where the romance is heavily focused on, and they can be easily forgotten after finishing it. However, Someday or One Day is excellent, and it's one of the most intriguing, complex, and best-executed dramas about time-travel I've seen. I also recommend checking out the timeline order here (https://mydramalist.com/discussions/some-day-or-one-day/55905-spoiler-time-line-order-from-beginning-to-end-from-li-zi-wei-pov) then you'll understand how the timeline works because since it confuses me at first. (major spoilers ahead)

What I love about this drama are the characters there. Each of them has a story to tell, and they are not plot props to the story. They are complex, relatable and fun to watch. I can't help but tear up on some of the characters there, especially for Chen Run Yu and Mo Jun Jie seeing their back story and why they reacted that way. The two main leads are adorable together and I've been rooting for them to stay together till the end. Huang Yu Xuan is one of my favourite female leads now, and Li Zi Wei has such a beautiful smile and entertaining to watch. He is definitely a husband material from the way he treats his girlfriend is very romantic and sweet.

I have to admit though; the first half is quite confusing. As someone who has planned to watch for the romance, I ended up being busy trying to analyze the mystery plot and being intellectually engaged in it instead of being emotionally engaged in the love story between the two main leads. Once the second half started, it all started to make sense now. Therefore, I do recommend you guys to rewatch it immediately once you guys are done to see what you have missed out. I think that's what makes the drama stands out from other high school or college love dramas I have seen before. It has done a perfect job of balancing both the romance and intriguing plot with a great plot twist ahead. No fillers are added in and the story is well-paced with great messages to touch on such as friendships, love, family, mental health and even a minor part of homosexuality. Yes, are you surprised by that word? Even I was surprised when watching it.

I was devastated when it ended. I didn't know what to do after finishing an artistic masterpiece. The OST is a bop and I've been listening to their songs right after it ended. The directing and production are great and the actors/actresses played their role well. I was very impressed by the female lead actress Alice Ke. I didn't even notice that she plays the two characters of Chen Run Yu and Huang Yu Xuan as these two characters are completely different. All in all, I would 10/10 recommend this show to anyone to watch it because it's just that good. Have fun watching, prepare tissues and enjoy the remarkable journey ahead.

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The first thing that came into my mind when Queendom was going to be displayed, *why* MNET (Or should I say Msnake) enjoys creating drama for no reason. I was skeptical about the show as it is a survival show and the teams pitted against each other. I don't see the point of creating drama, and survival shows can get repetitive and boring. If you ask me honestly, I only watch it because my favorite girl group, MAMAMOO, is there. I'm so glad Mnet failed tremendously to do the evil editing because all the girls there got along well there, and their interactions are entertaining enough for me to keep going.

Sadly, some of the groups have lip-synced in some of their performances, which is a massive con for me. What's the point of performing if the groups don't sing live? A good performance for me needs to have a live singing. I hate that some groups have to lip sync in some of their performances out there is fantastic, but the lip-sync throws me off.

But honestly, I'm glad I watched this show. Besides seeing my girls, I was introduced to many other girl groups (and I usually prefer KPOP girl groups compared to KPOP boy groups) and impressed by other group's performances. I enjoyed most of the performances there and songs by rewatching some of them. The Queendom Playlist? It was amazing, I love all of the songs. It was hard to choose which one is my favorite. The song is all towards my taste.

Here are my top 2 favorite performances from each round. I won't be mentioning the songs the group sang to be spoiler-free. I'll keep it short. (Subjective)

1st Preliminary Performances
1st place -> (G)I-DLE
Easily my favorite out of all. It was unique, creative, and just screams energetic in general.

2nd place -> MAMAMOO
The song they performed there was the song that made me fall in love with them. Seeing them performing it again gives me nostalgia, and I was never interested in KPOP until then.

2nd Preliminary Performances - Cover Song
1st place -> Oh My Girl
Their cover is my favorite out of all. I love the concept and the elegance of it. It's so aesthetic and visually pleasing. This performance proved that you don't need the badass image to look cool.

2nd place -> MAMAMOO
Unique and creative. Mamamoo made their own version of the original song, and it fits my taste. I preferred this cover over the original piece. Their vocals are still amazing, and I am never disappointed by them.

3rd Preliminary Performances (Part 1) - Unit Round
1st place -> 95
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I love the original song, and they nailed the cover. The chemistry between the two girls is fantastic, and I'm so glad that the two ladies are still friends and I adore their interaction sooooo much!

Performance Unit (6puzzle)
The whole thing screams Lesbianism. I can't choose.

3rd Preliminary Performances (Part 2)
1st place -> Mamamoo
This one made me cry. The song they sang was for their fans. I just cried listening to their vocals. It brought me so many memories, and I only wished I stanned them earlier from their debut. If a song made me cry, it's a straight first place for me.

2nd place -> Oh My Girl
This one was simple, but the song is a bop. That's why it's second to me.

Queendom Playlist and Finale Live Comeback Stages
1st place -> (G)I-DLE
Easily my favorite (G)I-DLE song from them. Their MV is amazing and it just makes me replay it, zero repeats.

2nd place -> Oh My Girl
I love this song, the background music and the elegance of it. I love it. My kind of music.

I don't see myself rewatching the whole show, mainly I think watching the compilations and performances is good enough for me. It's suitable for one-time watch only, and the performances are worth watching on Youtube instead.

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Slow-Burn College Romance

A lot of people have commented that SOTUS is their favourite BL and is known to be an iconic Thai BL. If you've asked a person on what BL is a must-watch for beginners, this will be one of the options coming out from them. Once again, I have been intrigued and I decided to check it out for myself.

Watching the first two episodes got me kind of confused. I am not familiar with the university culture in Thailand. I was immediately introduced to this 'SOTUS' system where it's like a boot camp for university students in their first year to attend to train and learn how to be disciplined and to respect their seniors. For me, the way they presented it looked like a straight-up bully and exaggerated on purpose. I was irritated and I felt pity for those students who had to suffer through that torture. I just wished they didn't have to make it that tormenting to make the plot more interesting. It's like giving a message saying that *bullying is good for you* and I don't agree with the system. Did it take away my enjoyment for the show? No.

I was quite impressed with the relationship between Kongpob and Arthit. Slow-burn stories are more to my preference and I enjoyed it here. This series fully focused on one BL couple which made me like it even more. Both characters are likable and they took their time to slowly developed their feelings among one another. I enjoyed the moments of them sharing their interest, sharing their favourite food, and just spending time together. For me, I liked this type of dating life between university students and I loved interactions and moments like this. It made me missed my social life in college between my friends and I just chilling in the cafeteria and having a face to face conversation about life.

One part did bother me and it was in the second last episode (or the last one, I'm not sure). Kongpob mentioned that sentence, "I don't like men, I only like P'Arthit". While this was not the only series who used this trope of "I don't like men, I only like you", it shouldn't have been said in the first place. Please put a stop to this where the main character almost always denies being gay. There's nothing wrong with a male character just coming out to say he likes men.

Overall, I had a lot of fun watching it with the sweet story between Kongpob and Arthit. Seeing them together made me happy and I can't wait to see more of them in their sequel, SOTUS S. If you're into that sweet slow-burn stories, you can give this a try. Don't get turned off by that ridiculous hazing system. If you can pretend that it never existed, this show is then perfect for you. This series exceeded my expectations and I would love to rewatch it again sometime.

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Your Basic Fluff Story

For only 8 episodes, I don't expect much as Korean BLs are new to the market. Following the success of Where Your Eyes Linger which I find it pretty decent and okay (nothing special about that for the plot) this BL decides to go on another route providing us with a more light-hearted and fluff love story between a pacemaker named Sang Ha and a marathon runner, Jin Won who's very passionate about running and wanting to become a superstar, something I can never relate to because running doesn't exist in my dictionary.

I'm probably one of the minorities who aren't a huge fan plot-wise. The plot is messy and tried to add many things all at once which made me pissed off. For an 8 episode series, you don't need to ruin it, It felt like a bad taste of mashed potatoes. Super fluff stories are not really my thing because I like to give myself pain and angst when watching any shows basically (BL included) and go through the roller coaster of emotions with a happy ending included.

I didn't care much about the characters there, their relationship happened with a blink of an eye which made me not interested in their relationship LOL and it was so cliche. It was probably due to the lack of time given in the series so I can't blame them. The overdramatic debt scene ruined it and hence, I felt like their love story makes no sense.

Overall, I find it okay and I'm glad it's not unproblematic and it sticks to what the story plans to be all about for their theme, FLUFF. It's not my thing I guess. The music is good though. Korean BLs never fail to not impress me with that. BL Superfans can give this to support the Korean BL market but don't expect too much from it.

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A Golden Treat in a Michelin Star Restaurant

I'm gonna keep my review short and simple and spoiler free. This was hard for me to write so beware of my cringey and ridiculous review.

Nirvana in Fire is truly one of a kind. How can I describe my journey of this show? It's like going to a Michelin Star restaurant. I was tired of the same old food I'm eating and I craved for something new. Something exquisite and something unique for my taste buds to explore. A different kind of cuisine I've always wanted to scout. Everyone kept talking about this place that I must check out and my curiosity level went up. Why did everyone love this restaurant? Did they add any secret formula like the Krabby Patty? I read reviews of it and one day, I finally said, *fuck it* let's give this a shot. I went in without any expectations, ordered their 3 course meal and I got blown away. I thought I was not gonna like it, I took my first bite, it was different, then I took a few more bites and I had flavours exploding in my mouth that I had to slowly indulged and savoured every bite I took. Finally, I finished it off with a glass of wine that showed a bittersweet ending. What a ride.

I'll be honest, it was hard for me to get into the show at first. The first episode I already got introduced to so many characters that I don't even know which character I should pay attention to. The directing was different, they talked more than they showed and I was not used to it. Since this show was political, which I'd never tried watched it before because I never liked political shows, of course I got confused XD. Therefore, I would like to thank the character guides and recaps for helping me to understand what was going on in the story.

The plot was complex and intriguing. I wanted to see more about the revenge but I couldn't binge it in one go. Instead, I slowly took my time to watch. After every episode, I read recaps to see what I'd missed out. This show must be watched in detail, if you missed one small detail, you would not understand a damn thing. This show is not your typical kind of revenge story. It's more than that. I don't know how I can describe it in words, but when you watch it, you'll understand why. I won't spoil so much of the plot. Surprise yourself.

Now, for the characters. I'll just write on 2 of my favourite characters there. I'll start off with the lead protagonist, Mei Chang Su. He is a very intelligent strategist and he shows who's boss. He is the type who comes here for business. His main goal is to fulfill his duty and to clear his family's name. He's admirable and he never lets his weakness get the better of him. He knows what's he capable of and plans everything ahead. Be like Chang Su and don't do your work last minute. Don't even dare to mess with him. He'll eventually bite you in the end. Prince Jing is my other favourite. He's a fine man indeed. He's brave and bold. He stays true to himself and will do anything to protect his loved ones. A great character who has proven himself to be a great leader. We need more people like him.

The ending exceeded my expectations. I cried a lot for this bittersweet ending. It's probably the ending I never thought it could work. In the end, it did.

Do I recommend people to watch the show? Of course. Don't watch alone, watch it with your loved ones. Discuss the theories together. Just wear your best pajamas, grab a glass of wine and your favourite snack, perhaps some tangerines? Prepare some tissues and enjoy the ride because it's gonna drive you crazy. Goodnight.

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Cheesy but Entertaining

Gameboys is surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining for me. The plot is refreshing and unique, especially when all of us are currently going through the pandemic situation thanks to Covid. Hence, it leads to lockdowns around the world and not being able to see our loved ones. *sigh*. However, certain parts are simply not my cup of tea.

Before watching it, I was warned by a few of my friends saying that you are going to be bombarded with the number of cheesy and cringey dialogues and boy did they not lie. Gameboys is one of the cheesiest, if not the cheesiest BL I have ever seen so far. Not that I have a prejudice against it, but too much cheesiness makes me nauseous. Certain dialogues made me cringe that I almost choked on my water while watching it, I will never forget the dialogues they've used here, "Choke me daddy" (Episode 2). When I heard that, I was like okay boy, calm down. Not to mention the number of times I hear the word "baby", it annoys me a lot since I am not a fan of pet names and I am already traumatized from 365 days. Luckily, it doesn't bother me that much, and I think that's how Filipinos flirt so I am alright with that.

I am also not a fan of the jealousy plotline. I find it ridiculous and unnecessary for the storyline maybe because I hate seeing love triangles trope not just in BLs, but any romance shows basically. I don't mind if it's a small thing and it's for entertainment, but I hate it when it's exaggerated on purpose, and this is my problem here. I would rather them focus entirely on the argument of Cairo moving away due to family issues. It's more of an interesting conflict, and it's suitable here with the pandemic situation as I like to observe and people handling those conflicts differently and understand their character better alongside their reasons. Sadly, the jealousy thing ruined some parts of my enjoyment, which is why I cannot give it a 9.

Okay now to the positive parts of the show. I really want to applaud the show for not adding any stereotypes towards the characters. The two main leads are natural, and both of them are relatable in their own ways. Both have their flaws, but when they are together, both of them learn from each other from their mistakes and become stronger together. I really like how they introduced Gavreel's grandmother conflict, it adds a nice touch towards his character, giving him a more nuanced character than other BLs I've seen and where we can relate to. I also love that Gavreel is able to empathize with Cairo's situation after hearing his news about his dad's passing and witness Cairo at his worst moments. The strongest part of the show is the message they want to highlight us not just in the pandemic situation, but in any situation basically. While at times we are forced to not be physically there for each other, but if you and your loved ones commit to it, it can, and it WILL work out in the end.

Nevertheless, it is a good show and pretty entertaining. It's considered a light-hearted BL for me since I did not cry watching it and the angst level is very low. I don't have any regrets about seeing this. However, it is only a one time watch for me since it's too cheesy for my taste. If you guys can handle the cheesiness, go ahead and watch it. I can't wait to see more BLs from the Philippines. Salamat!

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Great Romance, Boring Villains

Eternal Love, or should I say, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms is something new and unique I've seen in a romance drama and it's my first time seeing this type of genre being played here. I have to admit, I haven't seen love stories as shows I've seen nowadays have it more as a tag and only plays some part in the story and not as a whole. While this one is also adapted from a novel, the novel itself is plagiarized from a BL novel which kinda reduces my enjoyment from it. However, I just go with the flow and accept it as it is and judge on the show itself.

As a person who usually prefers character-driven dramas and would sacrifice my entire existence and soul to characters whom I love, this one does not do their justice here. I find most of the characters here really mediocre and unfascinating besides Bai Qian. Not that I dislike them, it's more of that I don't vibe with them. I do enjoy seeing the side characters but at the same time, nothing much really. Mo Yuan is gone 90% of the show and I wanted to see more of him but NOPE. Ye Hua is a great husband and I admire his love for Bai Qian, but then I feel like that's just it. It must have been because of the repetitive plot all the time there that made me lose interest and I find myself hard to connect with any of them. I expected more from that part and sadly their character-wise are not to my taste. I do not find the humor to be funny but that's just me.

The best part of the story for me is the love story between Bai Qian and Ye Hua. The romance is done well and both of the actors and actresses act out well. Although there are one or two parts that bothered me with Ye Hua just trying to force himself to Bai Qian which is wrong but other than that I love it. I have to salute to the actress, Yang Mi as she manages to play three characters with three different personalities perfectly, from the young and mischievous Si Yin to the sweet and kind girl Su Su and lastly, the goddess queen Bai Qian. Mark Chao also has done a good job playing both Mo Yuan and Ye Hua. But then, I am not keen on his character compared to Bai Qian. His outfit in the last episode when he finally reunited with Bai Qian is hideous as hell, who even made that design and letting his hair all down that made him look like Sacred Riana from Asia's Got Talent. Geez.

However, I don't care so much for the 2nd love story between Feng Jiu and Di Jun. Initially, I thought it's cute to see Feng Jiu trying to chase Di Jun but halfway through, their love story bore the hell out of me. Not to mention how their relationship never really progressed throughout the story, they still are the same before, during, and after the relationship and that's where I lost it. I actually prefer the other one between Yan Zhi and Zi Lan. Sad they never worked out in the end. I don't mind filler stories if they are interesting for me but the love stories between the 2nd lead couple were just meh for me. I've seen better.

My eyes did a 180 at the villains. The villains here are your typical and stereotypical cliche women who can't control their hormones and be crying their way out because the love of their lives is head over heels for Bai Qian and Ye Hua. Not to mention how one-dimensional they are. I would say that Xuan Nu is definitely better than Su Jin as a villain. Su Jin is one of the most annoying villains ever and it's so satisfying when Bai Qian finally got her eyes back from that devil. Su Jin feels more like a ghost tribe member compared to Xuan Nu but both are just annoying and I feel like vomiting when mentioning their name. Qing Cang is even weird, the show can actually survive without him and him playing as a villain (who's basically sealed in that gigantic Dong Huang bell for thousands of years) is more of plot props and nothing else really. I expect more from that. I've seen villains like him in other Chinese Drama where they all crave power, and it does affect the story a lot and some are actually entertaining to watch but this one doesn't do much.

To conclude this, I do enjoy watching it and the 3rd arc of the show is the best for me. If I'm ever gonna rewatch it, I'll skip some scenes since I couldn't care less about them. Come here for the romance, not for the villains. That's all.

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A High Five to My Face

If I could rate the drama just from the first 5 to 6 episodes, it's already a 10/10 from me. But as the episodes progressed until the last, I immediately lowered my rating to a 6.5/10 and I felt that I rated higher than average and gave some bonus marks to it because of how much I LOVED it from the start. What a bummer...

What went wrong with this series?

First of all, the chemistry between Sarawat and Tine went downhill. Their chemistry was on fire from the first episode itself and I was craving for more. I'm not gonna say it's BAD because it wasn't for me. The chemistry was still there. It's just the script that was badly written in the last 2-3 episodes that ruined them. Sarawatine's chemistry suddenly lost its spark and the fake dating looked more real than real dating. It annoyed the hell out of me. I didn't need them to have sex, kiss, hug, or even hold hands. I just needed to feel something. Sadly, it was not as great as before. Love can be shown without skinship, I had seen it in censored romance shows. It's just that I didn't feel it as much that much anymore. This could have been the BL of 2020 for me but no.

Also, I wanna rant about this. The last 3 episodes were a big joke, especially the last episode which was an hour-long episode. Just because the show could extend the time for one episode for the fans to watch didn't mean that it's gonna be a good one. I rather take a shorter episode with a well-written script than one long episode with a lazy one. I watched it on TV just get high fived on my face. The worst part was the high five was just ONE OF THE REASONS I got mad at. Yes, there's more. The last episode was filled with 80% flashback and 20% bullcrap. Not to mention that there was no logic that Tine suddenly forgave Sarawat in the end especially how much he cried in the previous episode. There was no proper resolution to the conflict that happened and it was rushed.

Would I rewatch the show again? Probably those cute compilations of them in the first few episodes. As a whole? I'll pass. Although I do wanna talk Sarawatine for making my quarantine time 2020 better back in my university dorm there. For those who wanna watch the show, just pretend the last few episodes don't exist and you're good to go.

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Cringe Worth Feast!

This is just my personal opinion about the show. Is the show perfect? No. Was it enjoyable? Yes! (I can't believe I'm saying that)

I'm quite surprised at how much I enjoy the show because there flaws that are obvious. I'll try to elaborate more on that. Firstly, some scenes are so overdramatic and cringey. It gives me a good laugh because some scenes are awful that it becomes entertaining as hell. The dramatic fall into the swimming pool, the elevator scene, the part where Shao Fei immediately thinking Tang Yi is having sex, and he quickly barges in, not to mention how the show immediately starts with the Boys over Flowers song like why? There's more to that, but I don't want my review to be long.

Next, I'm not a fan of the second couple? I don't know. I can't vibe with the love story. It happened out of nowhere, and I couldn't care less about them. I find the characters to be dull and bland, so I fast-forwarded all of their scenes. Lastly, the cops are just bad in solving their cases LMAO.

What do I like about the show? The chemistry between Shao Fei and Tang Yi is spot on! Enemies to lovers trope? Police gangster love story? The ultimate forbidden love. Their relationship progression is nice and refreshing. I like how the storyline never centralized entirely on the couple. It makes their relationship fun, sweet and cute and lastly, not annoying as hell. I'm just so glad the relationship is not super cliche which doesn't bore me to death. Tang Yi's suits are iconic, and he looks outstanding in it.

Overall, I had a lot of fun watching it. If you can't stand the cringe feast, run away from it or just fast forward the parts. If not, let your logic out, throw it away when you watch it because some are super unrealistic and dumb. Just accept how it's going to be like and have fun watching it! I like to end my review with this hashtag, #FreeTangyi.

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