1080P story with 360P portrayal ?‍? Actors are 4K tho!

Edit/Overall: My complaint has been the same since day 1....too much story, too less time, hence skipping too much and only having canon shots. Other than that, the leads have been bomb since second 1. The supporting cast just supports like some columns to a building and do nothing more which is a little disappointing. But again it's a very big story but in 8 eps and we can't expect the writers to give big portions to the supporting cast. While I still love the manhwa more than the live adaption, I would still suggest you to watch it atleast once. It's good to watch it once.
Overall the series is OK.

Is it okay to write a review while only one episode of the show has come out?

I was very excited for this show for a long OBVIOUSLY because of the manhwa. I decided to make a weekly review if edits are allowed on reviews on MDL. If not it's still kwenchana. Go watch the series!

Ep 1: I liked the casting. Especially the mum. She looks so young man 🥲 for 49. I loved how they cut short a lotttt of scenes into just a few dialogues making the series jump to the main story right from the first episode ending. Can't wait for the second yay!

Ep 2: I was a little late with some work but here is it. There's nothing much canon in this episode, it's more like getting into the story that's it. We have two or three scenes which tell us about the pattern of the leads. So far it's all good. I personally LOVED the leads. The height difference is ✨ I think the series won't cover all life like the manhwa but would only focus till the time they get together or so. I liked the outro song. It's got really simple lyrics and simple meaning ❤️

Ep 3: This episode is quite disappointing to me. I understand they are skipping a lot of stuff just to focus on the main plot but in this episode the skipping game went overboard. There's a lot of things that missed pieces. Suddenly ML's friends knew that the MC and ML stay together? And in the camping the mom goes missing all the time and appears to deliver three dialogues? Kinda disappointing but let's see..

Ep 4: Hi besties! I'm back with ep 4 review. It is soft and goes really calm. The plot itself is really calming and the leads did right justice to it. But I still feel the lack of continuity from one scene to another. It might be because of the need to fit the whole story into 8 episodes. There could have been a better transition from one scene to another. For now that's a complaint. They got closer by ep 4, have to see how they'll tackle it here on. Also, I guess they made modifications in the story, as per the ep 5 preview. I'll be back soon!!

Ep 5: A big complaint I have is on Tae Sung who doesn't do/put his dishes away after finishing them. This episode felt extremely rushed to me. Extremely. As I already have the basic outline of manhwa (outline cause I forgot the details of it too, I read it a long back) I could comprehend the story pretty well. But if I were someone to watch it without knowing about the manhwa NGL I'll be pretty annoyed and drop the title. What does the mother do? Why does she always run away from here to there? Very accepting friends who can just get everything in an instant and get accustomed to the new changes? The noona from hae boms part time, she knows what he is going through with no single dialogue???? And Hae Bom changes his mind/answer within a few minutes of screen time??? SHOW US SOME GODDAMN BACKSTORY!! Sorry for yelling (caps mean yells). I mean yeah, I understand the time/episode limitation. But too much skippage (Idk if it's a word XD) is something that is taking away the essence of the story. There's no angst, I feel. It's just too much of 'having a question/problem', & 'finding it's answer/solution within the same episode'. But despite all this rush, they STILL managed to picture Tae Sung as the guy who reflects on his actions and apologizes. I really liked it when he said sorry for what he did. That's some green flag nature. We love green flag people. So yeah, if we exclude the extremely rushed plot or the ornamental support roles, the series even at ep 5 is still worth it to watch; Atleast once. And putting it here again, the leads are wonderful. They're not only attractive but are acting real real good. How is Hae Bom such a pretty cry-er? 🥺😭

Ep 6: It felt extremely sped up. The series is just jumping from one canon scene to another. I am not liking it much now. But I guess I'll still complete it

Ep 7: Why are they so cute? Actors and story are a 10/10 it's the time skippage and only filming canon scenes took away the whole flavour 😔

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.....?

I agree that anything is possible and acceptable in drama and delulu world, but what in the ultra pro max delusional plot is this? Many things made no sense and the bare minimum rating which I am giving rn is just for the leads especially seo bin. He is nice. Rest, many things are just for the namesake. I didn't like the series from the beginning but kept watching it in a hope to have a happy ending. But the drama said not today. They could have atleast made it a happier end. TBH TO BE REALLY HONEST, the ending is the only sensible thing in the series. So yeah, it's okay to not have a happy ending afterall, I guess.

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This version >>>>>> All the other versions

No really! I will prefer re-watching F4 Thailand over watching the other versions even for once.

Before we get into my review lemme put this out. The actual story ie. Hana Yori Dango is not a great one tbh. It has so many holes and the plot is nothing but a getaway from a busy and unsatisfactory life to a happy and deluded one. That's a fact. The probability of 4 rich-nice-kind-allrounder-handsome men to be my, for that case, to be any ordinary girl's friends is less than the probability of me turning back the time. But it's fiction and we don't actually have any rules here and also this story is we received and is still getting received too. So let rationality stay aside.

Now the actual review. The series is definitely worth watching. The wait was so worth it. From the trailer till airing. All of it. Casting 100. Acting 100. Overall production 100. Everything's just wow. What mesmerized me more is the way they made changes in the story. Even with a lot of superficial things happening this version still has a solid ground to not totally push off people into delusions. I really appreciate it. I will rewatch it just to be at awe for how they've improved a basic story to a bomb story. I also loved how there's no much screentiming for skinship and intimate scenes. They have proven them to be of no much use and I liked it. I won't write much but would only ask you to go watch it if you haven't yet cause it's nice, fun and beautiful.

Not dissing the other adaptions. But for me F4 Thailand tops all the versions of Hana Yori Dango.

#f4thailandisthebest lol.

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Life goes on, love lives on.

You'll understand my title maybe after you finish watching the movie. First things first, I deeply disliked the main story line. The theme they chose is nice, they portrayal is fine too, but the story in general seemed really lame. I accept delulu world has no boundaries or rules but bro!!! What is this bro? I am certainly not from biology background but I am sure the parasite shown in the film isn't that real. If it is then... WTF?! We have such shit in the world?

Anyhoo, the leads did nice work. As two people who got constantly rejected by the society and found comfort in eachother, the development of their bond is not shown that deep but it's not too plain too. You can watch this once, in 1.5 speed. Getting the story outline is fine. There are no dialogues that would actually move us. But a few scenes where the lead roles try expressing emotions were moving. I'm a sucker for romance and such emotions so I got moved even more ㅠㅠ. The conclusion/ the ending of the movie is nice. I give them that. They have shown what we already know in a very soft way and I liked the two liners at that single scene. Rest all is just ok. In short, story is disappointing but the work that was put in the production and action is good.

The movie, watching it for one time itself seemed a lot to me, I shall by no means plan to rewatch it.

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Semantic error: Clear!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED WATCHING THIS! ABSOLUTELY! I haven't read the manhwa and I started watching this on my friend's suggestion. It has the entire story fit well in 8 episodes. I wished it were longer tho! There's no touch or unnecessary cheesy cringe stuff anywhere, but trust me, my heart raced like crazy during many episodes. It's the chemistry the leads had and the emotion they carried. This is definitely a level up for K BL, or just BL in general. This series can be referred as a guide on 'how to make a short yet heart throbbing series IRRESPECTIVE of genders and orientation'.

Casting: CHEF KISS. I loved their height difference and they're very pleasant to the eyes. I loved their chemistry and how gay they were in the series. Was totally invested in those homosexuals.

Plot: ❤️ This is a rabbit 🕳️. You'll want more of it. Rumours are there about a season 2. If that happens you'll hear me scream.

Production: Very good. IDK much about technicality, but from what I know, this is nicely done. Less characters, less mess, great quality output.

OST: I liked the glitch they incorporated in titular BGM. Suits well.

Rewatch value: More than a 10 on 10. Now i'mma go read the manhwa and then immediately watch the entire series.
You SHOULD watch this series. You'll enjoy it. Trust this stranger.

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A little cute and a lot cringe.

Ummm I just finished the series and I still didn't understand the point of the whole series. I don't think they've executed the series/story the way they wanted. The leads who dislike eachother suddenly fall in love and cuddle and then suddenly go cold. I wish there was a flow from one scene to another. Screenplay could have been better. And with all these sudden emotion display in the series I found it very cringe to even watch it at times. There are a few nice points too, especially Nawee ending things with Aioon cause of the latter's girlfriend, Nawee saying his father died (meaning he prioritised himself over his father who disowned him), and a few more too. The trauma part too... I agree it plays a major role on how one looks at life but in the series I didn't find it to be a strong point for him to stay indoors forever. Maybe they haven't showcased his reasoning effectively.

Besides cringe, I found a few things cute.. like behind the scenes, or the actors' bromance on instagram (might be fan service, but STILL cute).

So yeah, overall the series was/is real cringe but the leads were/are cute. I might listen to the title song regularly but would NEVER rewatch this series ever again. But I'm all in for their future projects whether they be solo or together. Men need a better push to shine brighter. I hope they get nicer works in future.

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It's OK.

Hello! So I just finished the series. TBH my major drive to watch this series till the end is to see how exactly they would capture the events after the loss of one dear friend of a group and also to see if Ji-hyun(the one who plays Ji-hoo) gets more screen time. Well, the series got its end pretty well, they made sure it's heart breaking but not to the point that you can't move on from the drama. But my other wish to watch Ji-hyun ssi for longer duration isn't fulfilled and I am highly disappointed for it. This series being categorised into slice-of-life genre seemed less of it and more of a romance with a dying supporting cast. Might sound harsh and would feel like I'm dissing all the efforts the crew had put in making this series, but they missed/got lost on capturing the true essence of a friends trio. It was more like a main lead, her love life and her friends. Of them one is dying while the other is ready to read the script. They should have worked harder in the trio portrayal. They DIDN'T do enough justice to the friendship. And I HATE it. Now I don't even want to talk about the friends'(Chan-young and Ji-hoo) love lives. Okay they atleast have shown Chan-young's till the extent they should. But they CLEARLY yeeted out Ji-hoo's story, as if it isn't important at all. I liked the story. The acting is good too. While being happy with the takeaway/lesson 'to cherish things while they last', I am more than just disappointed about the their failed portrayal of the friendship. I'd like to clarify again that the reason I watched this series was to see how they'd tackle a friend's death, it's consequences and Ji-hyun ssi's screen time.

Would I rewatch this? No. But if I ever do, it's only for Chan-young and Jin-seok. Sorry Ji-hoo, they made your story so short, I can just find your clips on YouTube.

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Is a microbe more dangerous than a man?

I have just finished watching this drama after having it for almost 2+ months on my watch list. I expected this to be a hard core zombie series where zombies come out and keep on biting on other people and so on and on. But turns out that's not the case. It is pretty different than most of the dramas and movies that featured a virus outbreak. So it definitely is a new experiment which I loved a lot. As the series progresses we understand that in the society there are terrifying beings called humans that are far more dangerous than a mere microbe. The class difference, ill treatment towards inferiors, con-artists, overly - selfish mindsets, all these are subtly shown all along the series with a minimum number of characters and that's on the writer.

And coming to the acting, the leads did a very good job. Unlike many dramas where leads date a lot and get a happily ever after married card towards the end, our leads here join the marriage gang first and then start opening up to each other. NGL Park Hyung Sik gives out amazing ahjussi vibes. And all the supporting characters in the series keep on annoying you at some point or the other. And I believe if an actor is able to annoy you via their character that means they did a good job. So, over all the acting is really good.

I certainly did not find any unique characteristics that I can mention about the technicality behind the drama and I have no complaints too. So I can say that all the off-screen action was just as it should be.

Would I re-watch it? Maybe to watch the leads' chemistry but not in terms of the story. But this series is definitely a reminder that homo sapiens are to be dreaded more than any virus. Period.

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WHOLESOME.

Hi! So I finished watching this series a while ago. Maybe almost 10+ days ago. And I carried on watching other series too but honestly my heart still lingers around this series a lot. It's 1 AM at my place rn and I am writing this series while listening to girl in red's Eleanor and Park. Had you known that song, you'll understand why was I talking about it here. Or you'll atleast get the vibe. I'll try to make this review short and to the point.

The reasons why I LOVED this series were
1) It's not just a regular/typical BL where two males fall for eachother and find difficulty in accepting it.
2) This is about accepting one's self. Self acceptance is something many of us fail at. This series portrays that real well.
3) Also about self awareness. It's not just about knowing things but confronting one's own self. Even that area was thrown light in this series.
4) Loving without expecting anything/loving unconditionally. Even though the series is short, they tried their best to subtly showcase how one lead fell in love with the other. And the things they do for eachother.
5) THE IMPORTANCE IF COMMUNICATION. This is something I can highly relate myself with. I am someone who shuts everyone when I get low/overwhelmed and I very well know this isn't the way it should be. In ther series, one character faces the same struggle and tries and succeeds at overcoming it. Communication and comprehension are keys to relationship and they portrayed them really well.
6) CINEMATOGRAPHY. CINEMATOGRAPHY. CINEMATOGRAPHY.
7) Screenplay, direction AND DIALOGUES.
8) Leads and their acting. Very beautiful and soulful.

Just go watch it. It's short and sweet and very much a slice of life series. No much drama. Just a home. A place to feel and be okay about being vulnerable. A place to find answers to questions and leads to doubts. Watch it, please.

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A slow paced, soothing lovestory

If you haven't yet, go watch it!! I suggest this drama not because of it's crazy production values or beautiful cinematography or anything as such. I suggest you this drama cause it's just a 4 episode-d short, warm and a beautiful portrayal of unrequited love. The story is very basic. TBH, if it's not for PHS's post on his instagram, I wouldn't even have watched this. I am glad I came across this. The cast did a very good job. Very less number of characters but numerous emotions portrayed. The screenplay, cinematography and overall production is very fair too. But I couldn't really embrace the songs/the lyrics written by Eunwoo much. I got the essence but that's it. This story or series isn't something you should watch or so. You can just watch this over a weekend. It's light hearted, no unnecessary scenes, and an overall a pleasant experience. I probably would not rewatch this, but I suggest you to watch this atleast once.

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RINKO SAN DID IT!!!

Hello! So I recently finished this title on my friend's recommendation and I totally enjoyed watching it. It is fun. It is, perhaps, as dramatic as manga/ one's imagination could be. The sudden frame pauses, the over expressive close-ups all those gave a very comic touch to the series. I laughed a lottt while watching it. Starting from the titles till the ending credits there are a lot of scenes that make you laugh. The male lead seemed a bit stiff in the acting and idk if it's me or anyone else, I find many Japanese actors' action very stiff. But hey the female lead is very cute. Her face is really expressive and so are all her scense. The supporting cast did good too. I might not rewatch it but it won't hurt you to watch it atleast once. You'll have a good laugh. Btw did you do IT?

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Why would I re-watch 'All of us are dead'?

Hello! This is my first ever review so please bear with me if it goes here and there at times. I have finished this drama within 2 days of its' release. Honestly, enjoyed watching it so much. There are a few obvious plot holes (come on writers ain't super humas to not have any) but while we watch the series they go unnoticed. I absolutely loved the emotions carried by the cast. The series had me sitting on the edge. The series COULD have been concluded in lesser episodes, at times it kinda feels dragged or maybe slowed down. But again, while watching it won't feel tiring at all.

So, the main question as why I would re-watch it? The BG score was so subtle, at times you just get into the scene and the score won't feel like an extra addition that was forced. This kind of stands out. I watched the trailer after finishing the series and then noticed how well they have composed it. Especially the whistle version of Auld Lang Syne which was by Cheong-San in the series was nicely put towards the outro of the trailer making it extra heavy. That song means farewell indeed. The series had my most favourite characters dying from episode to episode, and I really have complaints against it. My heart sank so much I would re watch it just to see those characters live and laugh on screen once more.

With zombies coming from everywhere right from the first minute, this series kept me hanging on to it even after 5 days of finishing it. I would definitely recommend you to watch it, at least to appreciate the production.

I understand I just had too many thoughts and no proper structure in my review. I promise to get better while I review further. Thanks if you read me till here.

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A very beautiful story AND an ending as well.

I hope I got your attention with my title. Contrary to many people who had breakdowns after watching the climax, I felt relieved. I felt the ending was not only realistic but also very beautiful. I have watched this series over the span of two months, so there is a possibility of me missing details with respect to the story and stuff, but I am going to write this review with all the emotions the series has put me through. This review might get long and will have spoilers.

As the plot summary says, it is a story of 2 friends, Na Hee-Do and Baek Yi-Jin with an age gap of 4 years growing closer and closer and finally starting a relationship when they turn ~21 and 25. Hee-Do is a fencer and Yi-Jin is a news reporter.

More than saying they were in a relationship at their 21 and 25, we can say, they faced very big twists, learned lessons, and matured emotionally during their 21 and 25. So yes, unlike many people saying they got together at their 21 and 25, I'd say they experienced love as well as heartbreaks at 21 and 25, and this my friend brings even more beauty to the title of the series.

This series is more than just 'romance'. This series speaks about rivalry, admiration towards colleagues, friendship, sportsmanship, unsaid apologies, AND LOVE. The series starts off from Min-chae's (Hee-do's daughter) POV and pretty much continues the same till the end. She is a ballet dancer who wants to give it up as she is in a slump/ lost interest. And in a break she took off from the ballet, she visits her grandmother and ends up finding and reading her mother's diaries. The story is in those dairies;

1. The story of how 'Na Hee-Do, a very outgoing high schooler and a fencer in a slump, does everything to practice fencing in the same school as her fencing idol Ko Yu-Rim and ends up becoming her RIVAL and thereby a very dear FRIEND'. ---> This talks admiration to rivalry to friendship.

2. The story of how 'Ko Yu-Rim, a very kind-hearted, family-oriented, gold medalist fencer, who was finding ways to project all her insecurities and hate towards her co-fencer Na Hee-Do but ends up finding solace in that same person'. ---> Sportsmanship and empathy.

3. The story of how 'Moon Ji-Woong, a guy interested in anything but education finds his passion, love and does everything to make a life out of those and to keep them sustained'. ---> Passion.

4. The story of how 'Ji Seung-Wan, a topper and a private talk show host, despite having everything still feels how empty and boring her life is and how she holds on to all the principles she believes in.' ---> Determination.

5. The story of how 'Baek Yi-Jin, the first son of a bankrupted once-rich family, struggles hard to make ends meet and bring his dispersed family together by starting off with small jobs and rising till a news anchor position'. ---> IDK man, he is everything. He is a RAINBOW!

All the other characters, Hee-Do's mother, Yu-Rim's parents, Seung-Wan's mother, and Yi-Jin's brother, all of them added to the story very much and brought so much life.

Story: I will give it a 10/10. The writers did a terrific job. If this sort of story isn't real I don't know what is? It is time we accept not every love story ends in marriage even in the K-Drama world. This story covers so many emotions that many of us experience on a very regular basis.

Screenplay and Direction: I will give this a 10/10 too. Not a single unnecessary filler scene, no unnecessary character, everything is in the right amount.

Action: 10/10. Am I giving too many 10s? Nam Joo-Hyuk did a wonderful job. His tears feel very personal. He is the right choice for the character Yi-Jin. Another actor might have done a nice job too, but now I can't imagine someone else doing this role. Kim Tae-Ri, Bona, Choi Hyun-Wook, Lee Ju-Myung all have shined very well in their high school roles and uniforms as well. Totally loved everyone's acting, especially the main 5 actors'.

OST: This series despite having many BOMB OSTs, I personally loved 'Your existence' by Wonstein. And towards the end, in ep 16 we hear 'Your world' by Seol Hoseung. This song hits rightly. I might have misheard, but this song has got some mix of 'Coldplay - Fix you' in its instrumentals. And if that's the case I would be even happier cause then the song adds more depth to the scene.

Ending: This is where many people called out the writers for their 'poor writing'. But if you ask me, the series stands out because of its ending. Hee-Do and Yi-Jin broke up cause they can no longer make it work. It was in 2002 that they broke up. There was no video calling, no WhatsApp or Instagram to stay in touch 24*7. In a timeline as such, when each other's love is not providing the same support anymore, the breakup is the right decision. It is better to cut on it rather than endure it till they both break. Some say that Yi-Jin had a chance to make it 'right(?)' when he read Hee-Do's dairy. Yes, he did, but after reading how the words went from 'we bought couple of suitcases' to 'goodbye' he chose not to chase her anymore BUT accepted that their relationship fell apart. None of them are to be held responsible for the breakup. In the 20s even we lose our friends and many relations and they are portrayed the same in the series. I personally think not making them get back together is a nice and mature move. One more thing many people were upset about was not showing Hee-Do's husband. Does she have one or not? But hey! isn't the series about the 5 friends? They have shown how those 5 have grown up and that is enough. Hee-Do's husband is never important in this story, TBH Min-Chae too. But she is the reason this whole story started (via diaries) so it is OK to have scenes around her. But it is fair to never show Hee-Do's husband if she has one.

The story is of 5 friends, their ups, downs, love, laughter, and lives. We got it all in the right amount. I have no complaints about this story. I would definitely re-watch and re-watch it. I suggest you watch it at least once. I enjoyed watching Twenty five - Twenty one and I enjoyed writing this review too. I hope you do too, watching and reading my review.

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Meh

Meh. Too much angst, too much lag, and too many unexplainable events and dialogues. I finished watching it with difficulty and would NEVER re-watch it. There are some plot holes the characters reveal themselves in the dialogues. I also didn't find any emotion/infatuation that was carried by the lead roles which were later turned into love. The intimate scenes were not cringy or awkward, I give that to the actors. They were comfortable playing the roles. There was a lot of unnecessary hurt in the movie. Too many lives were disturbed because of one woman's stupid request. IDK is such things happen IRL. Overall this movie by no means empowers/helps the queer community which was expected after reading the plot. Sad. You could give this a watch but I am not sure how far you'd appreciate this.

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