Heracin

Unfortunately, never got onboard as much as I wanted with the romance

This age gap love story between a young host and a teacher who became his tutor had everything to seduce me. I enjoyed the first half of it with the focus on learning and the night life topic providing a very griping context for the romance. I found fascinating the Kanji writing and learning issues discussion. I found interesting the way the characters were built : deeply flawed and mostly unlikable because it was understandable given their background. I also liked the OST overall and the production value, even if there were some awkward editing with abrupt fade to black between scenes.

However, I never managed to get fully onboard with their romance. I believed in the tutoring relationship and found it even very touching. However I was never convinced by the romantic chemistry. I think it is part linked to poor casting of the two main characters as well as storytelling. Indeed, they never showcased real intimacy between the main leads as their relationship remained very pure, which given the respective age and job of both characters felt strange. In addition to not offering satisfying romance opportunities to the couple, the scenario also derailed quite a bit as it provided to the antagonists too quick change of heart and undeserved redemption.

I am left to ponder if another casting for the main actor and actress would have helped in making the romance more palatable and the relationship feel more passionate despite the flaws in the scenario. Here some of their scenes felt very fake and lacking in the more romantic as well as more angsty moments.

I would not recommend this to people as I feel there are better "older woman/younger man romance" out there. Maybe with another cast and without the scenario derailing in an over the top way, I would be less severe with my criticism of the series.

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Past the very entertaining honeygate, my interest drastically slowed down...

This BL features the evolution of the relationship between Jin, a rookie actor, and Akin, a very experienced popular one. I truly enjoyed the beginning, however, midway through I got more and more frustrated at the traumatic events being dumped on one of the character and the too easy handling of the many aftermaths. It felt very much "1 episode = 1 trauma = 1 resolution (often within the same episode, consequences be damned !). The quickness with which issue are resolved and their huge number totally prevented me to feel any angst for the characters. Some of the antagonists also had some easy way- out that I found absolutely undeserved and underwritten.

Production had some clear high and low. Some scenes were memorable (even if kinda gross and logistically impossible, aka the honey scene). However, the camera work was very clunky and awkward at times. It might be because of the huge height difference between the two male leads...But there were obvious issues framing properly their faces when interacting with each other, especially at the beginning in some critical scenes. It got better overtime though.

Despite those flaws, it is not all negatives. The chemistry between the actors was very good. They seem very at ease with each others and they share some very believable sizzling moments. The first part of the series with its solid introduction and the way the relationship get concrete was very entertaining. I also enjoyed the ending soundtrack, even if the remainder of the OST did not leave a lasting impression on me.

I would not recommend this to people because of my issues with the writing. The good chemistry between the actors could save it for you, so if you enjoy crazy BLs show set up in entertainment industry with an heavy part of dramatic events, this might totally be up your alley. Unfortunately for me, I got too annoyed with the traumas dumping on one of the main characters and the easiness with which everything was resolved each time, preventing me to care about what was happening on screen.

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Very disappointed by the writing and pacing, too many secondary couples without substance

This BL is about the encounter of dentist Jin Xun An and restaurant-bar owner Bai Lang who suffer from a serious tooth ache and is terrified by having to go to the dentist. I found the story interesting at first in a slice-of-life way...Unfortunately, it felt apart very quickly because of big issues in terms of pacing as well as in the writing itself. At the end of each episode, I realised how slow the development of characters went, and how little happened in each episode.

In addition to the main couple, there were also 3 storylines around 3 secondary couples which were unispired and not really developped in any purposeful or meaningful way. It felt like random fluff but without any substance or care and details for the characters. I really think the series overall would have benefited for the script to focus solely on the main couple and only one additional couple. Preferably on the bartender and apprentice one. That's the one that was the most exciting and cute....and sadly enough there was almost no screen time for them.

The acting was quite average. The main actors had some cute moments but nothing really exciting. The chemistry was cute but not flaming hot. I think I wanted more from it but the script was not helping at all.

The production was standard with nothing really noticeable here, except for the various meals which looked very good (lunchboxes and cocktail from the resto-bar that looked really appetizing, characters cooking tantalizing dishes...). The OST was relatively ordinary and left no memories at all on me. The ending sequence with the cute dance was fun but I did not like the main song.

I would not recommend this BL as I felt there was pacing issues and the writing was really not strong enough to have interesting elements during the full duration of the drama. There are not enough good ideas and plot points for the length of the series, the screenwriter could have taken some shortcuts on some repetitive developments and focus a bit more of her energy in building one secondary couple (-just one of them) to improve pacing. I enjoyed much more comparatively the two other BLs that I have seen from the same screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (namely "We Best Love" and "Kiseki Dear to Me"): those two were not without flaws in the writing but were really nice to watch despite of it. In the case of "My Tooth Your Love", the acting and the production are not strong enough to compensate the issues in the storylines itself and make it exciting enough.

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A really nice and heartwarming youth romance - a stand-out in this genre <3

This movie is about the development of the relationship between two highschool students, through an exchange of a diary. The premise of the story is super simple and worked very well. It was just a super cute and heartwarming youth romance featuring some lovely friendship as well. The pacing of the plot was good and the evolution of the relationships between the protaganists felt very natural.

The acting was very good: the female lead was a really sweet chipmunk and the male lead was handsome with a lively personnality. Both worked very well together as well as with the secondary cast acting as their friends. I will for sure be looking for more dramas / movies with Takahashi Fumiya because he was really charming and gave a lot of charisma to a role that could otherwise have felt very flat.

The production value was pretty great: the decors are colorful and warm with a lot of details. The soundtrack is really diverse and in line with the story and the love of music of the main characters.

I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet highschool romance. It is pretty classic for the genre but it is really well done and was able to brought me a lot of feelings when I watch it. The filmmaking, the directing and the acting combined to a well-conceived scenario will provide you all the feels.

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Found family and friendship matter far more than blood ties, series brought up a lot of emotions

This is simply a great family drama. A story where found family and friendship matter far more than blood ties. I loved-to-bits the relationship between the three youngsters as they grow up, between themselves and with their father figure. The various arcs of the series were well-built and developed, with maybe a less inspired last act which could have been better balanced than a succession of misfortunes.

I loved the main characters and the actors and actress really brought likeability into their roles. They had a good chemistry together and you felt the change and shift in their relationships over time. It was very pure and satisfying with a lot of looks and attentions from both boys toward the girl. The cast playing the older generation did also a good job, I really disliked some of their characters which mean they did a good job portraying them. The "villain(s)" of the series are really enemies you hate, I could not manage to gather an ounce of sympathy for them as they were (or at least one of the "antagonist") unredeemable in my eyes and not worth of any redemption. Some of the secondary roles were more averagely played but it was ok in overall.

I enjoyed a lot the production value. There are a lot of cooking scenes that are very appealing as well as some striking and memorable moments for many of the relationships. The OST is beautiful: it is sad and nostalgic but very pretty at the same time, it is tugging your heart strings. The opening and ending generics are great and un-skippable but you really need to listen to it without watching the images in order to avoid spoiling yourself (which I managed to avoid fortunately).

I would recommend this to people looking for a great family drama. There are quite a lot of characters and they take their time to develop each of them. It is a very satisfying watch which can brought a lot of emotions. The ending was a bit tiring in terms of scenario for the last arc and a bit too quick at the same time. I would have loved a smoother landing but I was not disappointed in any case.

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BL story with an original cute concept but not fleshed enough

I found the concept of the pets coming back to life as humans super interesting and cute. It was a chance to have a lot of fish-out-of-water moments and to have the characters act out all the stereotypical sides of their inner dog/cat. Unfortunately even if there was such scenes, it was not enough for me and I would have liked to see this aspect of the story more developed. Overall this interesting and fresh idea for the show's plot was not fleshed out enough. It required a lot of suspension of disbelief (which I was up for) but did not take enough advantage of the trope to make it totally fulfilling for the viewer.

Despite the short episodes, the drama was kind of slow-paced and a bit missing in terms of feelings and passion because of the focus of the directing being more ambiance-based rather than scenario-driven. The atmosphere of the series was soothing but it still felt at some point a bit as a waste of potential for both the concept and the actors. Indeed, the acting was good overall (especially knowing that the main leads are rookies) and the dramatic scenes were well pulled off. It could have been better in terms of romantic chemistry but the friendship was very believable and sweet.

I would recommend this to people looking for a short story with a fresh concept giving off an healing vibe with very cute characters and who do not mind relatively slow-paced and platonic relationships.

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Impressive and memorable BL that wrecked my heart and took my breath away in the best way ~~~

This BL drama manages to do so much over the course of its 11 episodes of about 30 minutes. It portrayed the relationship of two highschoolers in a very worthwile and touching way. It made so much sense why they grew closer, despite (or rather because of) their difference in social class and personality. Their family background was instrumental in bringing them together and nurturing their connection. The writing of the series was very solid in getting to the point, without too much fioriture and creating a clear picture of the story for the viewer in very limited time.

The chemistry between the two main leads was very good. The evolution of their relationship felt very credible in their feelings as well as the way the intimacy naturally increased between the characters. There was a brilliant progression over time in the skinship moments and the way the kisses got more an more passionate as the series progressed took my breath away. It felt very real but poetic as well. There are a myriad of gestures, little touches that gave life to the characters and their romance in a meaningful way. Some scenes will definitely stays into my memory for a very long time.

The production was really good with water being a common thread in the making and a key element for the storytelling. I loved the OST with the un-skippable opening song and the emotional and sorrowful music which was inserted purposefully in the background of some of the scenes.

I would strongly recommend this stellar and emotional BL to everyone looking for a poetic romance with gut-wrenching storytelling. I wish they had a bit more time to even further develop some elements but it is also because I loved it so much ! Do yourself a favor and don't miss episode 11 who serves as a beautiful epilogue to the story with a strong and important activist point of view ! Far from being preachy, it opens the door in a mindful way to reflection on the place of gay relationship in Japanese society.

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The best season so far !

The production team really managed to renew this tv show by making it a team competition between countries. It felt more interesting and balanced, as each team had the same number of female and male participants. There were also less participants which make it more easy for sharing screen time, as most of them have a bit of it.

They also brought up some fun mini challenges and moments making it more easy to observe the various dynamics between and within the teams. The esthetics with some of the challenges being arbitrated by people in Korean costume was also on point.

That being said, even if they improved a lot compared to the past season, the finale felt underwhelming and I would have loved to see even more variety in the type of physical competitions as those were mainly featuring strength. I would have loved to see also more one-to-one face off and more cultural moments given the variety of teams present.

I would recommend this to people that enjoyed the previous seasons, as this one has definitely improved on some of the elements that were a bit frustrating in the past, like the unbalance between team challenges. I'm really hopeful we get a new season of it !

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Are they aiming to meet new people or reuniting with ex-lovers?

The concept of this dating show was a total novelty to me. Multiple exes couples meet and need to live in the same house, trying either to foster new relationships, either to get back together. That leaves room for a lot of turmoil as all the exes have different reasons for separating and different background.

The best part of it ? The viewers and the participants don't know who was in couple...So you are bound to spend a big part of the show trying to guess what were the past couples, as the cast is requested to treat every participant the same way and keep a secret who their exes were.

I had a blast following this show, because it felt very new. However I must admit that some of the episodes felt also absurdly long and that a better pacing would have help keeping me engaged until the end. I also found the ending quite awkwardly put together, but that's often the case on the dating shows I saw.

Other than that, there were so good production ideas to allow participant to interact with some of the other participants exes, while still keeping the secrecy, by making them chat together for example. Picture participants chatting with the ex of a new person they are interested in...But without knowing who is really this "ex" in the house...It makes for some fun show moments.

In addition to the fun concept and the refreshing ideas, to hype the secrecy, I also enjoyed the music overall. The panel was alright with 4 regular hosts and one changing panelist member. I would have preferred they keep it consistant, without the guest panelist because the panel interactions felt quite inconsistant as they were still finding their marks with each other.

I would recommend this to people that enjoy dating shows. It is the first season of a franchise features exes trying to find love, either through new encounters, either by reconnecting with their past. I am definitely onboard on watching more seasons of it, as this concept was super interesting and bringing a lot of variety to that genre of shows. Be aware that the episodes of this season can feel quite lenghty but still, it is worth giving it a try.

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It honestly could be a great promotion for a new K-band

This short movie makes a very good job at building a compelling story around a South Korean band, just before they go on stage. A lot is happening, in a very short time, the script makes the viewer immediately understand the stakes as the relationships between the various protagonists unveil.

The casting was really good : especially, with Yunho from ATEEZ who was outstanding (which is not surprising, as he get really immersed in his characters in each MV I saw him in).

I would recommend this to people that enjoy stories featuring music and relationships in turmoil. Story wise, it did feel full fleshed, even if of course I wish it was longer to provide more meat to this interesting youthful story.

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Very powerful and impactful

This story of this movie felt very important to tell. It is set in 1987, at the end of the martial period in Taiwan and shows the brutal reality of that era, the discrimination and the protests. The relationship that it depicts in that context, felt super powerful and underlined by a very solid writing.

I'm not sure the epilogue was really that needed, as it made me take a slight stepback in terms of emotions...But other than that it was extremely impressive in its writing, showcasing a strong militant point of view and well constructed. The acting was excellent, the production was really good at featuring the social context of the story and the OST was very fitting, even if I was not necessarily the biggest fan of one particular song.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for an impactful coming-of-age story set in a rough period of time.

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A healing rom-com in a very interesting historical setting, with hints of sadness

This drama is centred around the romance between a Japanese navy officer and one of the daughter of a merchant in 1936. The Japanese era on which it focus as well as the gallery of loveable characters made it a very easy and soothing watch. I also loved the secondary characters, with them having both my fave relationship of the series, between each other as well as with the leads.

The casting was great. Honda Kyoya and Yoshine Kyoko, as the main leads, have a fun chemistry and are oozing cuteness as their characters get to know each other, in a very charming and wholesome way. It's been a while I had not seen Honda Kyoya and he is such a dream in that role. Yoshine Kyoko is also bringing a lot into the drama, with some good comedic instincts without never feeling annoying.

I loved how detailed the costumes and decors surrounding the characters were. You really feel immersed in a different era of time. I also salute the choice of having an external narrator punctuating some scenes : for once, it made perfect sense. The OST was also super sweet with an adorable opening generic.

I would recommend this to people looking for a rom-com, in an historical context, providing room for deep thoughts, balanced between instants of happiness and hints of sadness as the heroine is confronted to the tough reality of being in love with a soldier. You go through the seasons with the characters, as they get to know each other : lovely !

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S2 of exciting game show that will put your brain on fire in a very entertaining way !!!

Exactly like in Season 1, the concept of this TV show features teams of students from different universities that face each other around games requiring a lot of brain power. Once again, the showrunner managed to have a nice variety of challenges and rythm all throughout the length of the show with of course, some games being more exciting than others.

The cast was really good : once again, full of genius...Maybe even more impressive than in Season 1. The production also improved a bit the set up of the games, despite the budget seemingly still quite limited. My only nitpicking is that some games were set up but not all results / solution shown. It might have been a sensible production show to keep a good pacing but it was a tad frustrating when it happened.

I would recommend this to people that love to watch skilled people, full of talents, compete with each other. It is a very gripping show that might take you on a binge watch that will fry your brain.

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