Adorable BL pairings, worth a watch despite some unfinished business taste for 1 of the romance

This BL college romance is centred around 2 main couples as well as 2 secondary couples. I loved a lot the two main romances, they were very different but wholesome in their own ways. There was some angst and pining, but overall also a lot of cuteness and fluff. The secondary storylines were less entertaining, with more (unaddressed) red flags as well as an odd pacing disturbing the main plot rather than improving it. The ending was a bit disappointing as it let a few open doors but hopefully the season 2 provides a better closure to the show so that the viewer is not left with some "unfinished business" taste for one of the romance. Even without a second season, it is still worth the watch thanks to the two main pairings.

Indeed, I found the two main couples really great thanks to the satisfying performances of the 4 main male leads. They are clearly beginners and some scenes are a miss...but they manage to be so cute that their flaws are more charming than anything else. The casting for Pete and Ae was amazing: the actors (Saint x Perth) had a genuine chemistry together which resulted in a super sweet portraying of a young couple starting a relationship. Their love is so pure, their relationship grow organically in a natural way. it is really a pleasure to follow their adventures on campus. Tin and Can couple (played by Mean x Plan), with the enemies-to-lovers trope, provided an interesting counterpart to the show. The secondary characters were less exciting to follow and the acting for them was quite average. It was even borderline bad for some roles such as the two comic reliefs (who were often over the top) as well as for some of the more traumatic crying scenes.

The soundtrack felt at first quite atrocious: a lot of piano songs were overplayed on top of the pop songs, the mix and transition of the sound between the scenes was not properly done. However, I finally found myself appreciating quite a bit the opening song of the generic, it was kind of repetitive but I enjoyed more and more as I was diving deeper into the episodes. In general, the production value felt a bit amateurish but it did not prevent me to enjoy the drama.

I would recommend this to people looking for a wholesome BL romance in a college settings. It is set up in the same universe as Tharntype (which is the sequel of Love By Chance) but it can be a bit confusing as the cast is a bit different for the same roles between the 2 shows,. I personally enjoyed Love By Chance more than TharnType: it is less problematic (except for the secondary storylines which are repetitive between the 2 dramas) and it is cuter. Still, be mindful of the triggers.

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Master-Servant BL platonic story, angsty and enthralling despite the bad subtitles

The movie depicts the very peculiar master-servant relationship between 2 men, one being entirely devoted to the other. The plot is quite simple in itself but manage to captivate thanks to their relationship feeling super taboo with its fair share of controlling and unhealthy aspects. Despite some rather caricatural arc (once again the female protagonist is atrocious), I was properly fascinated by the story.

I loved the chemistry between the two main male leads. It was totally believable, they took my breath away a couple of times with all the angst they were living through. I had to pause the movie at some point because it was so painful. The remainder of the cast is more average, they do a suitable job but nothing exceptional.

The music is quite atmospheric with some classical piano tunes rather well balanced with the story. The production value is good but more in line of what is expected from a series rather than a movie.

I would recommend this to people looking for an angsty BL story centred around a gut-wrenching Master-Servant relationship. Despite its short length, the movie manage to be enthralling despite the horrendous subtitles. Be mindful of the tags as the movie can be triggering.

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Movie does not live up to the manga due to the format constraint but is still quite entertaining

The movie is an adaptation of the manga "Silver Spoon" from the great Hiromu Arakawa. It is a slice-of-life story in an agronomic high-school in the rural Hokkaidō region.

If you have not read the original story, you might get a bit confused by the story as it a "collage" of scenes from its first narrative arc, there is some kind of conclusion but a lot of aspects regarding the development of the various characters and their future are missing from the plot. It is more than likely due to the format constraint in addition to the fact that the manga was still ongoing at the time of the release of the movie.

The acting is quite good, the actors are able to interact naturally with the farms animals. I found the adults casting a bit lacking in terms of charisma, there are much less colourful and inspiring than their "paper"-counterparts.

On one side, the music did not left a lasting impression on me. On another side, I found the film-making quite good with some nice shots of the "Ban'ei kyōsō" (= draft horses racing very specific to Hokkaidō).

I would recommend this to people that love the manga from which this movie is adapted. If you are nostalgic of it, you will enjoy seeing "live" some of the iconic moments of Silver Spoon. Be aware that the story depicts some less glamourous sides of the farm life, with the more realistic / gruesome aspects of it all (including a visit to a slaughterhouse), so you might want to skip it if it is triggering for you.

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BL high school romance, interesting content not developed enough because of time constraints

This drama is centred around the relationship of two high-schoolers that live together and develop feeling for each other.

The biggest flaw of the show is its shortness: there were so many good elements to the story that I really wish that the drama would have been longer to develop them more. It would have made the romance more believable if the pacing had been more balanced. All the narrative arcs were interesting in a way but it missed the mark sometimes as their developments were a bit too rushed and superficial.

The two main leads did a convincing job and the growth of the relationship of their characters was cute to follow. Maybe there was not enough pining and tension but it is clearly because of the script rather than the actors' fault. The side characters were properly fleshed out, even with not a lot of screen time, I was interested in their interactions with the two main protagonists.

I love the soundtrack of this drama: the opening song was great and overall every piece of music in the story was really pleasant to listen to. Production-wise, the show was pretty with some iconic scenes (most of them being shown in the opening generic which was a bit of a spoiler but also was great to watch those moments again at the start of each episode).

I would recommend this to people looking for a BL high school romance with a cohabitation trope. It might not be that memorable, but it is a cute short watch.

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Unexpected melancholic youth story

The story was rather unexpected to me. It does not really qualify as a romance but rather as a coming-of-age journey for two young people finding each other and building an uncanny friendship. It is a good concept but there are some elements lacking in the plot building to make me totally invested in the relationship between the main characters.

There are two timelines which both have their importance but there is unfortunately not enough time to develop both of them well enough. Moreover, the pacing of the movie felt quite uneven when switching from past to present. The flow of the plot gets better after the set up and there are some scenes between the 2 main protagonists that are thoughtful and leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.

The cast is overall okay: I enjoyed the performances of the two main leads playing the younger roles. I found the acting of the adults a bit too mild and subdue...but it might have to do with the script making their characters quite passive.

The soundtrack is nice but does not stand out among other Youth Japanese movies. Similarly, the production is quite standard for the genre: it is efficiently supporting the story-telling, nothing more.

I would recommend this to people looking for a melancholic youth story. It is a sweet-and-sour tale which might bring you down before picking you up.

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Hyper problematic BL, entertaining train-wreck

Let's not sugar-coat it: the story is super problematic and showcases a fair share of toxic behaviours: from homophobia to non-con and much more...If those issues had been treated more realistically and with more sensitivity (or just simply more logically ), it would have been better in terms of characters growth as well as relationship development. I found the build up of the romance totally non-sensical: the big shift from disgust to passion seems like a jump and the scenario did not make it believable at all. Overall, the side characters are not interesting and sometimes appear annoying or even unlikable.

Regarding the cast, they did not impress me. They did better in the cute / sexy moments than in the deep emotional ones. I do not blame the main actors as I think the issue is foremost the senseless plot making it very difficult to believe in their characters relationship.

But to be fair, not sure that the objective of the show is to provide a well-conceived BL romance, it seem more like some kind of fan-fiction scenario coming to live with queasy and dark fantasies not well addressed. There were a lot of directing and editing issues making the flow of the story too abrupt and nonlogical. That's why funnily enough, I even thought that some of the intimates scenes were dream sequences coming from the imagination of the protagonists because they seemed so out of place and out of characters...but they were real...

Despite all of these flaws, it is to be noted that the drama is entertaining to follow, with some hot scenes. The show is never good, but it gets a bit better in its second part (in terms of story as well as acting).

I would not necessarily recommend this to people as there are better BL stories. However, this specific series seems to be a staple of the BL Thai drama world so it might still be worth your time depending what you are looking for. Proceed with caution if you have any trigger.

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Bromance between Police Academy Students: a fiery midnight run !

This movie is centred on a duo of police academy students that find themselves investigating a crime in the middle of the night, literally running all over the place trying to help.

I found the pacing of the film really well done: it is never boring and manage to deliver a clear message. The protagonists are efficiently defined and well-conceived: the viewer understand very quickly their motivations, characteristics and their relationship. The plot is not that nuanced: it is not very critical on the current system and can be seen as a bit simplistic. But overall, what matters is that the story is earnest in its intentions and is gratifying.

The 2 main actors were awesome: they had great chemistry together, they wore their hearts on their sleeves and were really complementary. I'm not surprised by their amazing performances given their respective body of work.

The soundtrack was not overly present but I found the ending song upbeat enough to conclude in a satisfying way the movie. The filmmaking was really good in terms of fight scenes as well as training and practices scenes of our 2 "rookies"/ungraduated cops.

I would recommend this to people that love one of the main male leads and that are looking for a great and entertaining cop movie!

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Cute and platonic fluff showcasing only the main couple relationship

A cute sequel to the Theory Of Love drama, completely centred on the main couple relationship. The secondary characters are just here for figuration purpose.

The story remains pretty light with a much stronger comedic tone than in the original series. The power balance between the 2 main male lead stayed totally flipped. They have not found a complete equilibrium but overall the story shows how much the protagonists have evolved positively in terms of communication, expressing themselves and dealing with jealousy. It is clearly not perfect (otherwise there would be not plot at all) but it is better.

The main actors keep doing a convincing job. However, the script offers them even less opportunities to show deep emotions and the comical tone of the show can be a bit irking at time. There are also shortcuts taken in terms of production and storytelling: for example, when Off (playing Khai) is doing all his internal monologs, it is clearly a case of "tell" rather than "show". It is obviously the easy road to take: the filmmaking makes the actor's aside informing the audience rather than to have the directing, scenes and dialog doing the work.

The production and the OST continue to not really stand out: it is quite generic and expected for the genre.

I would recommend this to people that loved the parent series, and that want to see more of the relationship between Khai and Third. Do not expect too much of it, it is just cute and platonic fluff.

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A truly satisfying second part of this captivating revenge drama!

I was once again super impressed by the scenario of the drama: every little details in the script were full of impact and meaning on the story. It was a real pleasure to see all the pieces of the puzzle falling perfectly together. Over and over, I found myself captivated by the plot which maintained a good pace, totally bingeable with its engrossing intrigue.

The performances of the ensemble cast uphold the ones from the first part. Even though we saw seemingly a bit less the teens actors, they remained consistently great. The relationships between several of the adults couples / pairings was further developed providing some truly emotional and sometimes disturbing scenes. I loved to see how evolved some of the most unsettling and quite toxic partnerships.

I continued to be totally immersed in the soundtrack: the songs ending the episodes were particularly moving with their agonizing vibe. Production-wise, the show maintained a high standard: quality of the sets with its luxury accessories and magnificent houses as well as gripping scenes kept luring the viewer deeper into the series.

I would recommend this to people that love the first part of the show (it would be criminal to not finish it) and that are in the mood for a dark revenge drama with a well-built scheme, beautifully directed and acted. Be aware that this series can be triggering.

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Cruel tale amazingly acted! Brace yourself!

This series could have been another common revenge story...Instead, it turned out to be the captivating first part of a cruel tale amazingly acted. The script was well-built with effective setup payoff and credible plotlines. The well-thought pacing creates a very bingeable show. The tone of the drama is really dark making the few instants of respite and hope really bright for the protagonists.

The ensemble cast is great: most of the actors are doing an impressive job. I found the younger characters particularly gifted: each of their scenes left a strong impact on me. Song Hye Kyo successfully plays the complex (anti)-heroine. The performances of the others characters (allies and enemies) are not to be outdone either. I totally fell for the charm of Lee Do Hyun and will be looking forward his new -(and old) dramas.

The production is really great, there are a lot of scenes that are poignant and even harrowing for your soul while still at the same time being beautiful and healing in some way. The opening generic is fascinating as well as the overall soundtrack, haunting at some points.

I would recommend this to people looking for a captivating revenge drama. If you like dark stories and have appreciated thematic around social classes like in "Parasite", this one is for you! Be aware that this is a really brutal story which can be very triggering as it is centred around bullying and very violent.

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Movie as flawed as the original drama: BL romance stays too superficial. Missed opportunity!

The movie (in its first half) is kind of a repetition of the drama with not a lot of progress regarding the relationship between the two main characters. Important questions regarding the couple's dynamic and the power of Adachi are never discussed. It could have been so much more if the writer had took this opportunity to approach topic such as power imbalance and consent in a relationship.

However, the second part of the film get slightly more profound as it broaches on deeper storylines around the treatment of same sex couple in Japan. Unfortunately, it remains quite superficial and reserved on the subject but at least it lays some good foundation before closing the story. Let's say that it is clearly more "baby-steps" than real LGBTQ+ militancy but it has the merit to exist I suppose.

Similarly to the drama, I had some trouble believing in the alchemy between the two main actors. There are very few believable skinship moments and I felt that the romance was progressing in an unnatural way: sometimes really slowly and some other times too quickly. The relationship was depicted as very pure and modest but that does not justify completely the lack of sparks between the leads.

The film-making was quite standard for the genre but given the release in cinema, it would have been nice to feel a bit more the budget when watching the picture and to have some more eye-catching scenes. The soundtrack did not leave a lasting impression on me, maybe because it was not really present.

I would recommend this to people that are fan of the original drama and are curious of the future of the couple. Do not expect something really deep but if you are up for a sweet BL office romance, this might do it for you!

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Cute and empty ad of 12 minutes starring Lee Min Ho and Yoona

This drama is composed of two episodes of 6 minutes and actually consists in a long ad of 12 minutes for Innisfree's "Long Wear Cushion" new product. The concept of the commercial is clear: two friends who are tiptoeing in romance territory at a coffee shop and in a library.

It is really empty story-wise and acting-wise: it is all about some cute scenes between Lee Min Ho and Yoona, both being really pretty and starring in each other's eyes.

I would not recommend this unless you like one of the main actors and you have want to see them act sweet together. As it is really short, you will anyway not lose much time watching it.

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A film noir conveying an unclear and grey message

This police movie is quite classic in the topics it approaches: corruption in the police force, undercover investigations, drug crimes,...Its plot does not stand out among the existing movies in that genre and suffers from some pacing issues.

The main default of the film is the grey message that it is conveying. The ending was quite unsatisfactory to me, as I'm left to wonder what was the morale of the show. A story does not always require to have deep meaning but as the characters were almost having philosophical discussion on what being in the police workforce entails, the conclusion felts a bit like a cop-out.

The main cast (-an entirely masculine one with a lot of veterans) deliver solid performances. The relationship between the two leads is incredibly well depicted, making us doubts a lot the intentions of the characters. I wish the story had offered even more options to the actors to act their hearts out, because I'm sure they can show even more than what they did with the material given.

The film-making and directing are strong. There is clearly a "film noir" aspiration in the aesthetics and storytelling of the movie making some of the scenes really appealing to the viewer's eyes. On another side, the OST did not stand out to me.

I would recommend this to people loving Choi Woo Shik or Jo Jin Woong and/or who are looking for a police movie with high production value. It is still a pretty flawed picture in terms of story, pacing and ending, so you will not miss much skipping this one out.

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Youthful platonic and romantic story with the sweetest male lead ever!

This is a very cute movie with the sweetest male lead that can exist. It is a very youthful and platonic romance with a slow and quiet pacing. Story-telling wise, it does not reinvent the wheel but provide a satisfying experience to its viewers. The story has a real sentimental vibe and illustrates (-sometimes quite literally) in an interesting way the time passing by and the evolution of the relationship between its main protagonists.

I was impressed by the acting of Yamazaki Kento. He can sometimes be a bit of a miss for me but here I found his emotional scenes pretty convincing. He was able to subtly demonstrate a lot of feelings in a more natural and subdue way than in some of his other works. Overall, this picture had a good cast and did not feature too much overacting (which is often a big flaw in the Japanese productions).

Production was rather standard for a high school settings but some of the visuals were rather pretty. The stationery used, the doodles and drawings showcased in the picture were also a nice addition to the plot as it become essential to the characters developments. The OST was pleasant with his classical piano touches and fitted well the story.

I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet quiet romantic and non-toxic story with a male lead exhibiting all the best traits of characters and full of green flags.

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Not bad but kind of average with a lot of crazy ! Would have been better as a movie.

I liked the premise of the show even though I was able to guess very easily the 1st episode big reveal. In addition to this one, I was unfortunately able to guess all the twists of the drama. Overall, the plot was very conventional with not a lot of surprises. It was divided in 3 main arcs which were quite repetitive in their narration. The pacing made it difficult for me to keep my interest up over the 12 episodes. I'm therefore wondering if the story would have been better as a movie with a more direct focus and less repetitions. I would also have preferred for the romance to be totally absent from the plot as it was one of the less convincing part of the show.

Still, "Bad and Crazy" remains all along quite entertaining and fun, and manages (even if sometimes quite awkwardly) to balance its thriller and action aspects with some more comedic (almost slapstick) side. There is clearly some suspension of disbelief that needs to be done in order for the story to remain compelling. I must admit I had some trouble doing that.

Overall, the acting was good but with some misses. Lee Dong Wook delivers a solid performance as well as Cha Hak Yeon and Cha Shi Won whose both play characters in the police force. The relationship between those three cops was the best part of the drama with their ups and downs. Wi Ha Joon and Han Ji Eun did a suitable job as the remaining main roles but I did not find myself fully invested in their performances. It is a bit of a shame but I'm wondering if it not more related to the writing of these roles rather than linked to the actors. The biggest issues in acting are coming from the villains who are written as super caricatural leading to the cast playing them in a really lousy way with a lot of overacting in some scenes.

The fight sequences were a lot of fun and the OST added a nice touch to crazy and mad vibe. It was super amusing to watch some of the scenes with the soundtrack blasting some loud metal or rock songs in the background. However, regarding the central appeal point of the drama, I found that the filmmaking did not necessarily enhance well enough the impact of it on his hero and his entourage. I have seen other shows treating this much better in terms of reveal and of staging.

I would recommend this to people looking for a police drama with some psychological aspects and quite a bit of upbeat action scenes. Be aware that this show has an almost cartoonish / manhwa vibe with big shifts in tonality over its course, so it clearly is not for everyone.

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