This over the top action, black comedy spoof was my cup of tea.

I loved how Vincenzo Cassano coolly handles all that is thrown at him whilst sporting bespoke Italian suits. From airport muggers, cooing pigeons, betraying partners, corrupt officials ....... the list goes on.

He seems an unlikely thug with his neat appearance yet he handles the fight scenes with aplomb. Using his Mafia savvy he outsmarts and out fights his way whilst plotting how to remove tons of gold from under a building.
His running mate is thrust into her role and it is a radical about face for her after her father is is murdered. The role is tough and she pulls off the about face realistically. Together they make a formidable team.

There are numerous excellent actors in the ensemble and scary violence is juxtaposed with slapstick humour, this may not appeal to all, I liked it. I was pulled along by the rocking pace and unexpected cliff hangars that were resolved with quirky twists.

Expect lots of laughs, murders, violence and law breaking it is a hell of a ride.

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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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This drama was a delight for the eyes and ears.

The FL, Shen Li, is a petite and ballsy character with a masculine "yang" mindset. The ML, Xingzhi, is an aloof and esoteric character who has refined his ability to not be affected by his emotions over 1,000's of years and in the ensuing relationship demonstrates a softer more "yin" aspect.

Both characters are wonderfully written and brought to life on the screen. They have a development arc and their bantering and affection is very endearing. Supporting actors are also 3 dimensional and given sufficient exposure to assist with the overall story line.

There all the successful Wuxia elements of beautiful costumes, terrific dream like sets, over the top CGI, gorgeous lighting and beautiful settings. Comedic actors and situations break up the grimmer battles and villain actions so that it has good flow of interest despite the length. I liked the ending it has a modern twist and wraps up their relationship nicely so don't skip this.

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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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I was pulled into the drama of the show and was touched by the participants willingness to allow us, the audience, to witness their emotional journeys.The 4 hosts of this show were terrific in their heartfelt reactions often mirroring my own responses.

The 10 participants had their own unique personalities and watching them adapt, struggle, confront and accept their emotional responses to their past relationships and the potentially new relationships was mesmerising.

Season 2 outshone season 1. Some of the tasks were the same, however, the addition interviews gave more depth to the individuals POV. The ex's room was a roller-coaster of heavy feels and it was as interesting to note those who were willing to face this and those who avoided it. The locations were excellent and Jeju island looked amazing.
The support and friendship offered by all the participants demonstrated their maturity. The banter and careful one on ones helped when the emotional struggles threatened to derail them.
As an audience member I got to review my own actions in past relationships so some therapeutic insights were a bonus to me.
A superbly produced show with attractive participants and hosts all willing to open their hearts to us the audience.

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Brilliant

Be prepared to fall in love with the characters, their development is so well handled and their acting is on point.
Everything in this drama screams acting masterclass.

I was pulled into their court intrigues and felt deeply about our main couple who are world weary and have been betrayed by the very people they admire and have vowed to protect. Their relationship is a constant, the chemistry and respect is palpable.
Ruyi is one of the strongest female leads I have encountered. She is proud, fierce incredibly talented, flirtatious, outrageous and admirable.

The young naive princess Yang Ying is a hidden gem. Her emergence from terrified female out of her depth in dangerous situations to a person who weighs up the difficulties and makes informed choices is terrific to watch.
There are lots of bad/evil characters but one of the most interesting is Ruyi's disciple, Li Tongguang, his plotting and machinations make him an easy fall guy target and his obsessive stalker behaviour to his shifu creates lots of opportunities for conflict.

If you come on this journey and hold out to climactic last episodes you will probably need several boxes of tissues. For me the most heart rending is watching the youngest member of the delegation. Yuan Lu, who despite his heart issues pushes his body to exhaustion delivering the vitally important message requesting military back up for his brother. Then there is Shisan, known as a playboy and lover of all things beautiful in life, making sure the woman he loves is safe before making a final heroic stand fending off the enemies.

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Delightful rom com cleverly executed.

Nichika as Aoyagi- imbues his character with the right amount of introversion and angst as he fights his low esteem issues to try and make a success from this BL drama opportunity.
Aran as Akafuji- on the surface a successful, experienced actor dedicated to improving his acting until he actually meets his stan Aoyagi and has to try very hard not to be a gushing fan.

Lots of lovely comedic scenes as each ML misunderstands the motives of the other, Their inner world is given to us as inner dialogue and this highlights the inner and outer conflict each is feeling.

Despite the briefness of only 3 episodes the story is cleverly plotted and unfolds at a good pace revealing their feelings and growing romantic interest,

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Burgeoning romance

Ichika and Amane show great character development as each has to step out of their comfort zone to make this arranged marriage work.

At this time in Japan the role of females was very prescribed and Ichika has to overcome her upbringing, lack of confidence and the constant reminders by her Aunt and others that she is not worthy to be the head chef. Amane, being younger, has more modern thinking and his ideas are the catalyst for the ryoten restaurant and Ichika to solve the dwindling financial situation.

I liked the scenes where the couple work together to solve problems;
the American delegation not wanting Japanese prepared food
the US Japan women's group charmed with the bento boxes and making sushi rolls
the wedding reception on a budget
the competition to save the inn

The couple show a lot of consideration and respect and we can get glimpses of their feelings slowly changing to romance. They do not declare love at the end, however, they step closer and make a pact to continue together.

The manga is ongoing so it would be nice to get another season.

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Delightful!

Season 2 outdoes itself in allowing us, the audience, to watch from the sidelines as their day to day activities play out. The details are where we feel the love between these mature men who have been a couple for around 8 years.

Slowly permitting more of the outside world to interact with them and acknowledge their cohabitation. we are given insights into the Japanese societal norms and lack of legal support for same sex couples.

Meeting each others parents, discussions on retirement, death and funerals is refreshingly explored in their shy way.
This season gives us dialogue around commitment and the last episode is extremely touching.

Love is demonstrated in action rather than emotive displays of affection and their mutual caring and respect is heart warming.
Hopeful for another season XXX

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Kpop exploitation explored.

NB If you choose this drama because it has a comedy genre I think this is misleading. This is not a fluffy romance. It explores the very unhealthy actions of the victim rescuer dynamic.

This drama highlights what happens when a young girl, who due to earlier neglect by her money grasping mother, decides to become an idol. She is groomed by her manager and eventually becomes a money making product. Along the way she begins to experience crippling anxiety. This is conveniently ignored by her manager until during a concert she collapses. He then bundles her off to live in an apartment that is part of a shared household.

An insight Doona gets later in the story is that the managers deliberate ghosting of her during this mental breakdown is to force her to suffer loneliness and isolation and drive her back under his control.

FL Doona is an emotional red flag mess.
she has no close friends, anger issues, abandonment issues and severe anxiety and depression. She acts out aggression in very inappropriate ways (using glass bottles as a weapon) and has never experienced love.
ML Won Joon enters the story as a student studying for his engineering degree who moves into the share house to be closer to college. He has left behind his single parent mother and a chronically ill younger sister. He has also had an unrequited love with a former childhood female Jin Joo whom he perceived to be out of his league due to her families wealth.

The story depicts the initial misunderstandings and then eventual curiosity and attraction between the two leads. Both actors represent their characters excellently.

The ending is left open for us to choose what happens next and this is very suitable after all the angst each character has faced in this relationship.

One thing I felt was that these two people needed to meet to help each of them to grow and heal. Both show more maturity and better boundaries in the end.

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This is a story about fated love

Just finished watching this very sweet and excellent fantasy drama that left me in tears and with a big smile.
Everything about this production was well thought out and flowed. The BL relationship issues were tastefully handled with great sensitivity. Both ML's were invested in their roles and very believable. Some of the other characters were also top notch and overall the standard of acting was very high. There are side characters and other family dramas playing out but the focus remained firmly on Jom and Yai.

It was interesting to get a glimpse of an older, more feudal, Thai family of the 1920's and the dependence of their servants.

I was very invested in their love and anxious right until the end to know how they could resolve this time-span issue. The intrigue and suspense is masterfully maintained and I love that there are not trite answers, I was left happily wondering ................
Simply wonderful and raises the bar for future BL's

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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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Art is the theme

I really enjoyed how this fantasy drama was portrayed.
The emphasis on painting and the different styles and interpretations of how to depict a theme was very entertaining and educational.
The FL is caring for her artist father who has been driven mad. We later discover how and who was involved. Meanwhile his daughter is following in his footsteps. The back story of how she was blind and then became sighted is also part of the flashbacks that weaves together elements to bring us to the dramatic latter half.
The actors did a great job with special mention of the young actor playing the tiger demon. The ML, Ahn Hyo Seop, has different characters to play and is excellent in each.
As the blind scholar Ha, astrology advisor favored and funded by the king, he portrays a quiet dignity and elegance very appropriate to this role.
As the mysterious masked Ilwolseong he has built a network of spies and informants so is able to sell information to the wealthy.
As the Demon (Mawhang) and the use of CGI, he becomes a dangerously strong mythical creature.
The FL is a plucky character who is devoted to her father and desperately seeking a way to cure his mental illness. Her attraction to scholar Ha is very sweet and believable. She displays astounding ability to paint and to copy masters. This is her fate so that she can be chosen as the divine painter tasked with creating the portrait needed to use in a ritual to capture MaWhang the demon.

Visuals and attention to colour palette help to create the atmospheres of painting, love and crisis. The costumes and settings are done well and will be appreciated by anyone who enjoys costume dramas, The traditional Korean paintings a re a bonus.
If you are still hesitating about watching have a look at the extensive picture gallery.

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Like entering a deserted alleyway at night - tread carefully.

There are a lot of dark truths depicted in this drama.
It starts with Kim Mo Mi's childhood dream of making it big as an entertainer. She has the body and the talent, however, her face does not conform to societies standards of beauty. Her solution to wear a mask and live stream fulfills this desire,
Her fans are men who lust after her and during a brief encounter with a shamelessly flattering man she is attacked and almost raped. The man is accidentally injured and her rescuer is another fan who has been stalking her. Her instinct is to call the police but she is persuaded by Joo Oh Nam that he will fix things.

Each chapter reveals more about the the individuals.
Their fears and lack of autonomy leading to reaction without plans. We learn some of their back story and how their family upbringing has emotionally crippled them.
The decisions made are reactions that they justify;
She asked for it
He deserved it
God wants me to punish her
I was pulled into the drama by the terrific acting and the moody lighting and sets. A tawdry element overlaid with gritty reality and a serious lack of glamour is reflected in the choice to have plastic surgery to become beautiful but still have the inner ugliness show through.

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Season two has improved the format

Attractive men who get the chance to step out of their comfort zones to quickly choose and declare their interest in the inhabitants and hope it gets reciprocated.

Terrific show that will hook you into the emotional turmoil that is looking for romance in a contrived situation (8 strangers meet in a house full of cameras) under time constraints of 8 days.

Egos are bruised and some get inflated but at the end of the day all the participants get a chance to express themselves and to reflect on how they approached love.
Way better than season 1.
The location was superior. The final discussions, episode 12, between the men who had unfinished business so they could express their feelings individually was handled well. Lots of opportunities to select a date or roommate and someone they hadn't dated.

Great pacing and capturing the action.
Point for improvement - name tags it can be confusing for non natives like me.
A chart to show current date pairings and connections.

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