Very entertaining fun spy/agent spoof.

The comedy of a, seemingly, middle age, average, housewife who turns out to have kick-ass martial arts skills is part of the fun. Her mild-mannered husband contributes his computer skills and voila a potentially dangerous plane hijack has suitable chaos.

Lots of fast and furious fighting utilising whatever comes to hand in the confines of an airliner. Baddies and plot twists, cameo big name stars and a cute, feisty daughter contribute to the plot.

The pacing is good and I did not ever get the sense this is to be taken seriously but it was kept within the realms of, possibly, believable. Very likeable actors doing a great job and the FL carried the scenes.
Family fun for all ages with lots of laughs.

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Deeper than first thoughts

A teenage boy has developed strong feelings of love for his home room teacher and on graduation day kisses him then shocked at his actions runs away. We learn he has no siblings and his parents aren't mentioned he appears to have had no one to help him understand and process his love for this older man. Taboos of being gay, person in authority and age gap has seared this information in his mind such that we meet him 10 years on and as the story unfolds we realise Minato Akira is still stuck in this young mindset.

Katsuki Shintaro is a teenage boy who has strong feelings of love for this laundromat manager and we meet him as a 17 going on 18 year old who has decided he needs to declare his feelings. Katsuki Shintaro is a mature person who has been the adult for his younger siblings and he has a very straightforward clear way of thinking and acting.

The shows dynamics revolve around these differences.
Minato Akira cannot accept his feelings for the young man and tries to keep their relationship at a platonic level. Katsuki Shintaro is resolved to wear him down with many acts of kindness and caring. He is quite self sacrificing and ultimately it is a smart move to encourage Minato Akira to confess his unresolved feelings for his old teacher.

Both actors are attractive and have lovely chemistry. Minato Akira is suitably naïve and easily shocked, whilst Katsuki Shintaro seems wiser than his years with an 18 year olds clear eyed determination.
Lovely and touching to watch as this healing relationship helps Minato Akira finally accept.
I feel this has definitely rewatch value.

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Weirdly wonderful

A lesson in good directing (Kim Hee Won) of how to take a somewhat obnoxious, yet romantic wealthy male lead and pair him with a mousy, people pleasing doormat style female and have you believe they are fated to be together.

Jang Na Ra and Jang Hyuk turned a fairly standard plot into a very watchable drama, Their ability to act transforms what could have been 'cardboard cut-out characters' into real people that I could relate to, Each actor has added their own nuances to their roles that in another's hands could just be annoying and turned it into endearing The development of each role during this drama allows their weaknesses to become their strengths.

I laughed and cried and binge-watched my way through this drama and was cheering for them to be able to be a couple. The only let down was the wrap up at the end it felt forced and less authentic.
Well worth the investment of time,

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Sweet clown face

Sun Ze Yuan playing the male lead You Xi is adorable and bratty and sweet and annoying in equal measure. His goofy smile had me grinning even with some of his OTT selfish attitudes. His character hints at what becomes of a young, successful actor whose every utterance and action is on display for comment.

The FL Hanna, played by Yuchi Yao Yao. comes from an intellectual background following in her fathers footsteps studying Chinese history. Held back from a teaching role due to an earlier tragedy she is coerced into tutoring this intellectually lightweight actor.

Lots of humour and I found myself giggling often at the characters antics. A lot of the sweetness shows up in our MLs headwear and clothes and his very animated facial expressions make a welcome change to the frozen face style adopted by some of his colleagues. This is ultra sweet fun with the usual restrained romance expected by Chinese censorship.

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Fragility and beauty

This is a gentle and poignant reminder to savour life and our own frailties.
The story plotline is sad and I shed a tear at the end, however, I recommend this drama for the beautiful production and telling of this sad story. I did not feel that there was any exploitation between the couple as his desire to be useful morphs into caring then love for this intelligent and beautiful older woman. The cinematography and dialogue alone make this very watchable. If you love books and writing then you will appreciate how the unfolding novel is like a metaphor for the inevitable sad ending of their relationship.

Showing Matsumura Ryouko's ex husbands stern and practical nature is a good counterpoint to her young lover So Chan Hae's more nurturing personna. At 50 she is attractive, intelligent and a respected teacher facing a known disease that will rob her of her humanity.

The creation of the random library is an act of love and displays how in tune So Chan Hae is with her. The fact that this library survives in its original form leaving a legacy of their love is one of the plot twists that I loved.

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stayed in my mind

I really liked this very formulaic drama - Thai college students go through love angst due to inability to express honestly.
Dunk Natachai Boonprasert/Dao Nuea is in his first starring role and does an excellent job of being appealingly cute and naive.
Joong Archen Aydin/Khab Khluen has a more nuanced role. He has been apparently dating Gai since high school and this effectively means no one else has pursued him except for Nuea's ongoing unrequited feelings. As the plot unfolds we get to realise he has zero experience of love and his 'girlfriend' relationship was really as a close family friend.

When our two main leads meet up again Nuea is embarrassed by his past confession so cuts off any attempt by Khluen to start anything. He remains in the 'safer' unrequited mode pining for his love and any attempts by Khluen are seen as not genuine.
We all realise that had Khluen cleared up the non girlfriend issue there would have been more chance to show us how sweet they are together, unfortunately the writers persisted with the misunderstandings for way too long thus dragging down the momentum.

Lots of negative comments about the non C kiss when Khluen is drunk but I think it is in character with this shy person who is hopeless at words and just has everything going on internally. He admits he is dumb at love and this is true in both senses of not knowing and unable to speak.

His mother plays a lovely role and we can tell that she has twigged his feelings for Nuea and tries to encourage him to not keep everything inside himself. He also has supportive friends as does Nuea. Nuea's brother, Mek Jirakit Thawornwong/Khua Fah is the more obviously experienced actor and has a strong screen presence.

Overall I enjoyed this drama and am looking forward to the sequel with Fah as the ML.

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Friendship and going against the odds.

You know you have a vested interest in a drama when a couple sit down to eat a bowl of noodles and I find myself crying.

This is a drama I will rewatch in the future because there is a lot of depth to the characters. It has a storyline that depicts the passion of youthful dreams, the friendships that help move and motivate them towards their goals, pathos and humour.
The gaming element is handled well such that people like myself can become fully immersed in the competition outcomes.
The two main leads meet through a cosmic glitch and their interconnectedness is the main thread of the plot.
A well written script that has a lot of depth.
This has so much going for it that I hope many more people take the opportunity to watch it.

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Loved every minute of this racy movie.

Okay fair warning there is sex, vulgar language, hot kisses and nudity.

From the opening scene we are primed to be ready for the R rated content. It is a fun, sexy, romp of a movie and the FL Yoon Jung (Kim Ah Joong) totally owns this role. The comedic timing is terrific and her portrayal as a modern, sexually expressive woman is refreshing. The ML Hyun Seung (Ji Sung) is not afraid to own his emotions and vulnerability. He later displays impulsive bravado with equal verve.
For me the movie touched on; what women do to spice up a relationship, how women react when a relationship sours and the role of relationship in women's lives - and it is fun.

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Online harassment is pervasive

I like the fact that the women in this story are smart (mostly) and supportive of each other.
The drama deals with quite serious relationship issues of sexism at work, misuse of technology to spy on relationships, stalking ex boyfriend, females emotional support for their close girlfriends and bullying public opinion based on social media - all in 10 episodes so sometimes it is not polished but handles the topics well.

Seo Ji-seong (Song Ha-yoon) is a clever AI programmer and she is curious about a glitch in her Fridge AI that has access to a great deal of personal data. This data reveals her fiance is basically a sleaze who has posted 'non consensual' photos to his sexist buddies and made inappropriate comments in their group chat. I love that Ji-seong ditches him and does not back down in her condemnation of his behaviour. Her mum is very supportive of her, there is a terrific scene where the would be mother in law is given a thorough telling off by Ji-seong's mum.
Jung Gook Hee (played by Lee Jun Young, (loved him in Love and Leashes) is younger than Ji-seong appealingly straightforward and avoids technology. They cross paths frequently and a romance blossoms. Gook Hee has chosen to become a firefighter due to misplaced guilt over an incident when he was young. This guilt has emotionally scarred him and creates the back story.

The two girlfriends of Ji-seong are quite different personalities and are having difficulties in their own relationships yet always find time to offer their friendship.
The only jarring note for me was when Ji-seong was crying and hitting the fridge in a very childish and emotional outburst. I felt it was overacted. The rest of the time I enjoyed the ensemble and the plot.

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A super BL story that is about love and uses comedy to touch our hearts.

I fell in love with this drama the story telling is top notch. The pacing is perfectly suited for the culture and age range.

I felt a little embarrassed during the first episodes Noey soon won me over. His wannabe persona of glamorous, vintage, gangster, heartthrob is comedic genius. He switches demeanour in the blink of an eye. Bullying gangster always ready for a fight to crooning singer backed by his ever faithful gang singing and dancing to impress is crush, Pam.
His outrageous outfits, hair gel and cockiness overlay a teenage boy who wants his own 'special' person. Thi, initially, gets reluctantly roped in to assist him in his love quest mission and too attempt tutoring this wilful young student.

The joy of the production is watching the two protagonists change to realise they love one another.

There is a 5 year age gap that has Thi and his parents putting up barriers. Noey's sheer confident belief that Thi has fallen for him allows him to ignore all knock backs and keep forging forward towards his goal.
One of the most heartfelt scenes is in Chang-Mai when Noey displays his vulnerabilities and wins over Thi.

Watch the ending credits for the dance scenes and I dare you to not hum along. :>)

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This has rewatch value because of the subtle clues.

We meet Yoh a stay at home, self confessed slave to the handsome Mizuki. Yoh is trying to become accepted as a manga writer so has very little of his own income and is dependent on Mizuki's wage. This was the deal offered to Yoh in exchange for all the domestic duties, sexual benefits and submission to Mizuki's requests.
The dominant Mizuki does not impose too many rules and as the drama unfolds depicting their daily interactions it becomes apparent that Yoh is very enamored with Mizuki and quite thrilled to be with him, although he hides this by acting gentle and submissive.
Mizuki also enjoys the power play and shows very little daily affection remaining aloof and somewhat inaccessible to Yoh.

Cracks appear in their love game when Yoh is fired from his current publisher and his feelings of unworthiness send him onto depression. Mizuki breaks his usual role and becomes the carer causing confusion for Yoh and misunderstanding. Yoh's reaction in wanting to prove himself and his worth creates confusion for Mizuki and brings out his insecurities and fear of losing Yoh.

Both have the type of personality where very little is spoken and they rely on actions, They seem incapable of opening up a dialogue to discuss or analyse their feelings. This is the drama aspect of this story and it has some sadly comedic elements; Yoh hiding behind a sheer curtain, buying additional sets of sheets to encourage more sexual activity and getting drunk and clingy. Mizuki panicking and then confessing in the rain, reacting dramatically when he thinks Yoh is being hugged by another man, binding Yoh's wrists in an attempt to discipline him.

Kudos to the director for this interpretation of a manga. Both actors do a terrific job and are convincing in their depiction of intense sexual chemistry.

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This was annoying.

I mostly blame the writers, especially the ending scenes.
Yang Mi's character is a lawyer. I disliked her voice intensely it wavered between bossy school mistress to baby lisp. I could not imagine her being in court and we are not show any scenes, despite the premise she is a top lawyer. In the script I can accept that she has no desire to marry and play second fiddle to a husbands needs. I suspect she is possibly asexual because the lack of intimacy and passion shown and her overall stiffness. Always needing to be an alpha - top dog - her actions towards her fake husband (even after deciding she loves him) is often dismissive and she is competitive to her co workers.
Yang Hua's character is a genius stock trader, who, at only 22 gets set up as the fall guy and this crushes him. He is a bit of a loner and always wants to do things to the best of his (considerable) abilities so this set back drives him home and into a 4 year reclusive lifestyle.

His mother is quite controlling and his father thoughtful and compliant so his choosing a similar situation in the contract marriage is not surprising.

The 2nd ML plays his role well. He does not grasp the concept of misogyny even when the reason for the fake marriage is spelled out. He assumes the FL will come to him and is quite obnoxious when drunk. He also refuses to assist a female worker being sexually harassed by a client and tells his coworker to film the evidence and then does not report the incidence even knowing it is vital for a conviction.

The 2FL is young and doted on by her parents and feels very privileged. She perceives her fiance's renewed interest in the FL and her youth and jealousy cause her to create scenes.

The woman in charge of the Law office and the other lead female lawyer have strong roles. Neither is written too sympathetically and some of their dialogue is borderline offensive yet is not challenged.

It has an interesting plot framework that jarred with me on many levels.

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Pay attention

In the 1 st series we have a female warrior/master who pretends to be a maidservant. Her pupil is besotted and through great effort gains sufficient skills to be praised by her and along the way falls in love.
In this 2nd season our two lovers (due to plot contrivance) do not recognise each other for the majority of the 10 sessions. ML is now a bad ass with unlimited power and FL is a weakened female locked away by her self-serving mother.

Characters from 1st series abound and there is a thread of humour peppered throughout that was not part of the 1st series. Special mention of the black turtle and Park Jin's cooking. Lots of CGI special effects and a great many characters all acting in their own best interests to the extent that from a Wuxia drama it became a melodrama.

What also stood out for me was how the modern element crept in. From short hair to some language idioms, and the Fl was was definitely channeling a modern woman at times.

I found this entertaining and if I ever rewatch the 1st series I will probably rewatch this as well.
Actors all did a great job and production was very elaborate but I feel the Hong sisters needed to keep the themes and flavour of their brilliant 1st series.

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"Regrets I've had a few"

I have watched the other 2 productions and I feel that they are improving the format with each show.
I think the people who come on the show are very emotionally brave. They are about to be filmed during intimate conversations with their exes and be judged by the viewers.
We, as the audience are given a ring-side view of all these individuals and their past relationships are revealed later in the show so guessing the pairings is intriguing.

I find it fascinating to watch those who come on the show with a clear goal in mind find their determination failing as jealousy shakes their resolve. Few people, I believe, can handle seeing their ex enjoying and thriving in the company of another unless they had already handled a mutual agreement to split up as a couple.
This show sends the individuals into past reflection and has numerous contrivances to trigger this. I personally think this is a good thing because it gives them a chance to appreciate what was good in their relationship and what may have caused the breakdown.
Their are many shifts in the couple emotions and as a viewer, or even one of the hosts, it can seem easy to comment on where the individual is failing to communicate their feelings. As a participant the burden of emotions warring with their logical mind can elicit some poor responses and regrets.

These are real people and even if some participate to perhaps get higher media cover they are reduced to an individual looking for love.
I also like that we get to see that pairings are not always obvious. Brief connections can be as painful, or joyous, as longer term established relationships and offers us a chance to think how we might have reacted in this.

After all the exaggerated emotional dramas I have been consuming this program is refreshingly 'real'.

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A food topic drama that focuses on relationships (food, maths, friendships).

This is a drama about what happens when your passion is extinguished then re kindled in a different direction.
Gaku is obsessed with maths. His way of comprehension is depicted in visual fx so we can see the complexity of his thinking. When he can no longer believe that maths alone will bring him to the pinnacle he was aiming for he is devastated. Enter the 2ml Kai who is looking for a genius successor. He challenges Gaku with more and more difficult culinary challenges and each time Gaku breaks through his own beliefs of limitations to create stunning food results.
Gaku is a pure soul and others are attracted to him and support him. There is an underlying problem with Kai that he has hidden and this has a profound effect on all the main characters.
Each actor stays true to their character and enough time is spent on revealing the back story of Kai to ensure our sympathy.
Gaku is now obsessed with Kai's goal and this drives him in a way that alters his basic sweetness to become a driven person who is unable to relate to those around him, leading to the inevitable alienation.

The ending is lovely after all the angst and a hint of bromance shows our to MLs encouraging each other in a supportive. caring environment.

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