Heracin

I had no expectations and still was disappointed by the nonsensical plot choices and bland ending

Not going to lie, Pit Babe Season 1 is definitely not a series I would recommend as it is deeply flawed. Still, I wanted to give a shot to the Season 2 as I thought it could explore the lore more and provide a more satisfactory take on this very specific universe as well as on the various characters.

However, the writing was particularly weak. It first approached some interesting ideas but very quickly fell apart with characters making all the bad choices and a too easy ending. Another big issue was the numerous secondary couples : there were so many of them that it was impossible for me to really care about any. As in Season 1, the fantasy universe was not exploited enough : instead of developing the lore, the scenario got stuck on one note.

It is not all bad, as I quite enjoyed the performance of Pavel as Babe. He delivered some solid acting moments despite all the cringe factors from the script. His chemistry with Pooh (playing Charlie) was very good and probably the main reason I completed the series. Production was also good overall, even if some fight scenes could definitely have been better, they did not feel too cheap. The OST was quite enjoyable at first but clearly became too much as it was overused.

I would not recommend this to people as there are better BLs out there. If you had already mixed feelings regarding Season 1, this Season 2 will certainly not change your mind.

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Despite a good start, it very quickly became bland and repetitive

The format of this survival show is a bit different from others as it is takes a lot of inspiration from sports. There is a lot of sporty reference with participants being splitted into three teams (Rhythm, Groove and Beat) with Directors coaching them. Another difference is the amount of original songs in this show : some were more forgettable than others but still there is at least one or two songs performances I will rewatch for sure.

Unfortunately, the show interest radically decreased at his halfway mark. It got very boring with results becoming more and more predictable. In addition to loosing its steam halfway through its run, the biggest issues of the show is the rules regarding the trading of the players and the yellow cards. It was so unbalanced that loosing once meant very little hope to get better, the situation being bound to get worse and worse.

The cast is quite varied with 42 competitors that have very different level of training. Some have already debuted, some have trained for a long time and some are total beginners. More than the participants, the best part of the cast was the "Teams Directors" coaching the candidates. Some were more involved and hands on than others, but overall it was really what made the show to see how they built their team with their own vision. I loved to see Ten and Yang Yang from WayV and most of all the formidable Lee Changsub from BtoB working on the program. The other directors : producer El Capitxn (aka Jang Yi Jung) and Kim Yu Gyeom from GOT7 also deserve a mention as they did a very commendable job in a though situation.

If you are a fan of one of the directors or of survival shows in general, it might be worth to give it a shot. I personnaly feel it loose too soon its steam and became very predictable because of unbalanced rules. But there are a couple of performances that I really enjoyed, in addition to having some talented participants. If the concept would have been more fair for all the teams, and the gap in votes smaller, it would have been definitively more interesting to me.

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One hell of trashy and entertaining BL - a funny way to loose brain cells

This series is super difficult to review and rate. Objectively, it is really (really !) bad on many levels : writing was a mess to say the least, acting was pretty poor, characters growth inexisting and production value very limited with a lot of cringy choices. BUT hear me out : I cannot deny the fact that it was a fun journey to follow this series while it was airing.

I had some many (unwanted by the production team) laugh watching this drama...In a "it is so bad, it is (kinda) almost good" way. There is not a lot to say about the series, it features a lot of toxic relationship that do not really improve over the course of the drama. Other than the main couple, the two secondary couples are totally lacking either chemistry or interest. And the other plotlines are just random and useless.

On the positive sides, there are so many unhinged moments that I was always looking forward for the crazy of each episode. The acting was pretty limited but I will not blame too much the actors that had the difficult mission to make a nonsensical script and situation come alive. It was awkward at time but I can only praise the main leads for their commitment. I cannot say the same for sure for the supporting cast.

I can't recommend this to people as it is such a bad drama. At the same time, I think if you are looking for something in a "it is really so bad it is good" kind of way, you might want to give it a shot.

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Some stuff improved from S1, some not as good as S1 - still gripping and entertaining gameshow!

I quite enjoyed this second season of The Devil's Plan. It improved on some elements from Season 1 while being less good on some other aspects.

The novelty factor is not there anymore, still some of the twists hit and are exciting. The participants are also more aware on what to do to succeed and collaboration, forming alliance is more important than ever. I wish we would have spent even more time following the bonding outside of the games because the social aspect is such an interesting part of the show. Some had more cunning social skills, some had clearly high intelligence and the best had it both

The cast felt more balanced than in S2 with less "free riders" that were just being carried by the overall group. I feel the ones that made it through the end truly deserved it. Like in S1, not all the games were at the same level of interest and if I appreciate the change in making both regular and prison games with high stakes, I had trouble to care about all of them.

I would recommend this to people that enjoyed the first seaon. It shares similarities but also is quite different for some parts. I wish the next season (if there is one) will manage to find an even better balance between social interactions, alliances building and games. It might be difficult to renew a third time the gameshow, to keep the participants on their toes, not knowing what to expect...But I still wish they try it !

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Visually strinking thriller, with a good production value & solid writing while mostly predictable

This chilling thriller features an aspiring mangaka who accidentaly found a serial killer crime scene. This impacts him drastically, allowing him to elevate his art skills and his career, as he draws inspiration from this encounter for his debut series. I predicted quite a few twists and still I liked a lot how the movie ended. The main character was really ambivalent : a very grey, pitiful hero, which I truly enjoyed.

The acting was pretty good overall, a bit less on the side of the villain : he was frightenaning but it could have been even stronger. The Art was so strong that the actor playing the serial killer could not really measure up against its fictional manga counterpart.

The production value was very good. The sketches, fictionnal manga drawings were all very well made and participated a lot to the angsty and dark atmosphere of the central story. I liked how the production showcased the Art, making it a clear mirror of the real life crimes. It was chilling how close it was, which was the point. The OST had a nice ending song but nothing really noticeable during the movie.

I would recommend this to people looking for a gripping thriller. If you like stories featuring artists as well as the creation process, I think this will for sure be an interesting watch as it takes you on the journey of an assistant mangaka drawing inspiration from real life crimes to start a career and the dramatic consequences of doing so. Be mindful of the triggers if you any as there is quite a bit of gore and blood due to the nature of the film itself.

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Not enough stakes, not enough sparks.

This vertically filmed South Korean BL features the encounter of idol Do Ha and stuntman Jae Yeon. As the latest is teaching how to handle action scenes for his next movie to the former, feelings arise. Honestly, I found the story pretty forgettable overall and I think that chemistry could have been better. I was pretty interested by the set up, but looking back at the ending, I feel that the pay off was too modest given the set up done.

I would not recommend this series as I feel there are better BL out there. It is a pretty bingeable watch due to the format but I feel that nothing really exciting happens. The vertically filmed scenes did not help to showcase adequately the fighting scenes and the close up on the faces of the actors, rather than creating an impression of intimacy, left me with a feeling of disconnection.

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Solid acting, classic story - entertaining overall thanks to the cast performances

This movie is relatively classic and predictable as it follows the journey of a new teacher in a high school where she fight against toxic environment with heavy bullying. Despite the classic trope and context, it manages to remain all along very entertaining and griping with an effective storytelling. There is no real surprise and it tends to be a bit too unrealistic for the action sequences in a Webtoon / Anime way, but it is an enjoyable overall story. The production value was good, there are some strikingly horrifying and atrocious bullying scenes. The OST is alright but not memorable.

The acting was certainly the strongest point of the film. The ensemble cast did a very good job. I had some trouble to reconcile the image I had of Lee Jun Young as the main villain here. It was such an unexpected contrast with the only role I had previously seen him (in Love & Leashes) that it kinda blow my mind. He was impressively frightening as this monstruous student thirsty for blood and inflicting deep suffering on his fellow peers.

The stand out performance for me is Park Jung Woo playing the main victim : he has some ultra memorable and painful scenes that truly amped the stakes. To be honest, both Lee Jun Young and Park Jung Woo are difficult to picture and find believable as highschoolers, but I'm not complaining of their casting in the roles given the quality of their performances. Next to them, Shin Hye Sun does an honorable job but she pales a bit in comparison and feel not as credible in the fight sequences.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a vigilante story, featuring some teaching moments and action akin to webtoon/anime style fighting scenes. The overall story is classic but very entertaining, supported by strong performances. Be mindful of the tags if you have any triggers, as it is pretty graphic in the violence showcased.

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Quite captivating despite not being fully onboard with the romance because of writing issues

This drama features a forbidden romance between a 25 years old teacher and her 15 years old student. Given the stake of the romance, the unethical and taboo aspect to it, it was quite a gripping and angsty watch. There were some captivating parts but I never went fully onboard with the romance because of the writing issues.

Indeed, the scenario fails to provide reasonable explanation for them falling in love with each other. All along the drama, they don't spend enough time together and don't share that much of a strong bond (based on trauma nor shared passion) to really make sense of their love. At no point of the story, there is sufficient steam to justify their connection by implying it is just rather lust than love. It does not feel like lust, it certainly feel like love from both side but there is no convincing background and reason behind it...Especially given all the risks they face, for the teacher especially.

At least the script does condemn their behaviors and does not try to apologize their actions. They are in the wrong in the eye of the society and they bring pain to their loved ones while following that path. However, I wish the writing went a bit more crazier in terms of passion and feelings, in order as a viewer to better understand (not meaning approve) the rationale being their love and why they have chosen that painful road. Maybe if they had both much more trauma in their life at the time they met, would it have been better in terms of building the romance. Not saying that it can be justified, but if they shared more moments together of comfort and bonding, it would have made the romance more believable.

Regarding the cast, it is the debut role of Mizukami Koshi. I think the casting team did a good job to cast an actor that was around 18-19 years old to play the part as it made the romance a bit more palatable than if they casted a 15 years old teen to play the role. Can it be considered as a cope out or an easy way to make it more romantic than it should be given the context ? Maybe but it was a safe production choice. I will be curious to see more work of Mizukami Koshi, he felt a bit green in some of the more intense scenes but still was very charming and charismatic despite the flaws in acting. Arimura Kasumi whom acted has his counterpart in the role of the teacher did an alright job but nothing really outstanding or memorable.

I would recommend this to people that enjoy taboo and forbidden romance. It is for sure an interesting and captivatingly angsty story. I found the romance lacking on some aspects as I feel the build up lacked convincing background for the respective feelings of both main characters. Despite this big flaw, it is still an entertaining watch that is worth a try.

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Hwang In Youp stole my heart in this rom-com !!!

This romantic comedy is centered around the journey of Lim Jo Kyung, who escape from bullying thanks to the power of make-up. Over the course of the story, she will learns to love herself with and without make-up, while finding love and acceptance, even bare-faced. The rivalry and bromance between the two main male characters is certainly my favorite part of the show. There drama is full of memorable comedic scenes, some of the most fun involving them bickering.

The story is not without flaws and required from me some suspension of disbelief. Indeed, the way the heroine is supposed to be considered as a super ugly duckling without make-up because of relatively poor skin condition and big glasses was not very credible to my eyes. I also really did not care about the secondary storylines of all the adults : it was a big part of the drama but I would not have minded for all of it to be removed from the drama, especially the romance of the heroine' sister. Removing that useless fat from the drama would have allowed the episodes to be shorter and focusing on the core of the story, making it better overall.

I clearly fell in love with Han Seo Joon, the character played by Hwang In Youp. I truly wish and need to see him in more lead roles because he is such a bright star. The character had the strongest narrative arc among the main roles : in spite of the writing, I rooted for him all along and that's a testimony of the good acting and charisma. He was indubitably the key factor in my appreciation of the drama as well as the root of my frustration when I felt the writing was not fair to his character. Next to him, Cha Eun Woo performance and character paled in comparison. I think his acting was not the worst but too surface level for me to like as much his character.

Next to both of them, Mun Ka Young was an excellent discovery : she had such a cute attitude and delivery of her lines in her role that I could not help to root for the happiness her character. I am very excited to see her in other titles. I cannot say the same from Park You Na who completes the quartet of main roles. I found her acting rather flat and the overall arc of her character annoying and cliche.

The production value was pretty great. The decors were colorful, totally fitting the girlish and youthful vibe of the series. The making and directing was very good for the romantic scenes, making them very swoony overall. The soundtrack was pretty good. I particularly enjoyed hearing Hwang In Youp sing one of the OST's song : fortunately, because it was used quite a lot in the drama.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a romantic comedy set in high school. It is a pretty light watch overall with some good comedic scenes. It is not that deep but the overall message is positive. A lot of fluff, not that much substance but enough for what it is supposed to be. Even if the romance did not go in the way I would have wished it to go which frustrated me to no end, I still had quite a bit of pleasure watching the drama. Sometimes, that kind of fun is exactly what you need.

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Interesting dystopic universe but lacking on many points

The premise of the drama is super strong: in a world were men birthrate is ultra low, women must compete on a reality TV show to gain the right to be in a relationship with the rare men available. I found it quite fun with some of the games played by the participants of the competition. It also attempted to approach deeper societal topics to which the habitants of this dystopic universe are confronted to. However, I found it overall too surface level and the resolution felt like a quick fix to reach an outcome but without really addressing all the societal issues approached.

I also some whiplash with the abrupt shift of tones : the drama oscillates between heavy over-the-top comedic moments and heavier situation...I did not find the balance between those very well done. The acting did not impressed me. It was okay overall but clearly there was a bit too much overacting for me for some of the characters. I particularly had some issue appreciating the female lead character "Day". I found her acting quite stupid in a lot of situation. There was a lot of Deus Ex Machina to help out the character all along the series, which I did not enjoy. The main romance was not my favorite part of the series but I truly loved some of the side relationships with the friendship and family bonds.

The production value was great. The sets of the "TV show" part of the drama, with the various games were super colorful and beautifully made. The scenes in the "real world" were also very well conceived with a very believable urban vibe. It totally made the world convincing. The soundtrack was okay, nothing that memorable, some jazzy tunes as well as indie ballad.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a different type of series. It has some strong YA dystopian book vibe, so if you are an adept of the genre, I would suggest to give it a shot. In my opinion, it is lacking on many points: romance, acting, writing but I cannot deny the fact that it was pretty entertaining to follow, with a great production value.

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Nothing to see here

Honestly, it is for a challenge that I decided to have a look at this very short movie (less than 3 minutes). As it is very short and helped me completing a challenge I'm not upset to have seen it. I just feel there is not a lot to see here.

The story is almost non-existent, the music is horrendously superposed into the dialogs and the actresses are rather unconvincing in their roles, with some very bad make-up. They don't have much to act on, so not putting the blame on them but I honestly cannot say I was interested by anything happening on screen.

I would not recommend it. In the same vein, a short Chinese movie featuring a same-sex relationship between two women and providing in a very short amount of time some interesting storytelling is "The Fox Spirit and the Little Priest", radically better. I strongly suggest you watch it rather than this one.

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It will not replace His Man S2 in my heart but honestly truly enjoyed the wild ride and messiness

I binge-watched the show in 2 days, which proves how good TV it was for me. It was such a wild (and dramatic) ride and I was super invested in the storylines (especially the most messy one). I enjoyed the summery vibes, it is a nice contrast to the two previous seasons. There were some really cute and fun location / activities proposed during the dates, it was pretty entertaining with a nice soundtrack.

The main flaw of this season relies on its ending which was painful to me as I felt my favorites participants had quite the short end of the stick. I do not understand why the epilogue did not feature all the protagonists to keep us posted on where they are now...Especially as the show has been filmed about one year ago, there was for sure some better way to close it. I simply cannot understand the editing and storytelling choices that were made at the end.

Despite the fact that none of the relationships that made it through the end were entirely satisfying to me, I loved the ensemble cast as well as the dramatic tensions that were interwoven into the story because of some of the contestants. It was messy and really entertaining for sure. All the contenders were likeable in their own ways.

I would recommend this to people that love dating shows. If you enjoyed the previous seasons of His Man, you will probably enjoy it. The mechanics stays the same (with minor changes: some exciting, some useless) with also a bit more of production / editing choices to keep things interesting. The main failure of the season relies in the questionable decision the production team made regarding the epilogue of the series. My advice: watch episode 1 to 13 which takes you on a highly bingeable and messy journey, providing a fluffy and sometimes dramatic story; and don't watch the episode 14 which does not bring any value to the series and can lead to some unnecessary frustration.

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Eye candy with some splendid visuals but some flaws in writing and pacing (especially in 2nd half)

This drama is about the encounter between strong heroine/chaebol Do Do Hee (who runs her own company among some family dissession regarding the group succession) and very charming, powerful Demon Jung Gu Won who makes dangerous but very tempting deals with humans.

I truly enjoyed the first half of the show but it unfortunately lost a bit of steam in its second half. The writing is full of great ideas, there is a mix of genre which is really well done and the set up and characterization is quite strong for a lot of the protagonists. Unfortunely, the pacing is not good and the series can feel sluggish at time with the central plot not moving very fast and a lot of gimmick being repeated to seemingly "fill" time. Instead of some fillers scenes, I would have preferred some fat to be trimmed from the story: the same story could have been done in less episodes (or shorter episodes) in a more dynamic way. I also regret a bit that the ending did not adress enough certain questions important for the future of some of the characters, after a very strong start and entertaining first half, the latter part of the drama felt a bit weak.

Fortunately, despite some of the flaws in the writing/pacing, there are a lot of very entertaining elements that makes this series an entertaining watch. I love both the female lead and the male lead: their pairing worked very well, they were beautiful together and a lot of their scenes felt very dreamy (and almost like an ad for perfect couple). Song Kang (playing the Demon) is really the king of visual in this !!! Let's be honest, he is a real pleasure to watch, his acting was good and he really elevated by just his presence the eye candy factor !!! Kim Yoo Jung's acting as Do Do Hee was very good and I cannot wait to see her in other works.

The production value was amazing: the clothing, the decors, the style and directing were all top-notch. There was a lot of details that made the fantasy elements feel very real (the office of the demon, the book, the clocks,...so many details helping in the world building). The fight and action scenes were convincing and there was some pretty iconic moment in terms of filmmaking. The OST is pretty great as well with the intro song really beautifully opening each episode.

I would recommend this to people looking for a high production value rom-com with some fantasy elements. Despite some flaws in the writing and pacing (especially in the second half), the casting, directing and filmmaking make it worth it. I was mesmerized by the decors, the clothing and the visuals of both male lead and female lead, they really brought a dreamlike quality to their relationship. If you enjoyed drama as "My Love From The Star", you will likely enjoy this.

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Not my cup of tea despite interesting premise

This queer movie follows the story of one North Korean deserter as he escapes to South Korea and settles there, facing quite a lot of difficulties. The premise of this picture was very interesting but unfortunately I had some trouble appreciating the scenario overall. I usually like love triangle, but it missed the mark for me here because I was not able to empathize with the characters and found some of their actions not sensible.

It is a very raw, brutal as well as surprisingly graphic movie. I think the shock factor was privileged by the director and screenwriter rather than the likeability (or at least just building) of the characters. It was not a boring watch at all but I would have preferred the plot to focus more on characterization as well as making the protagonists' choices be more reasonable and understandable for the viewer.

The acting was overall okay. The actors had really intense sex scenes and gave it their best. As the relationships evolve and get more intertwingled, as well as the situation the characters live through gets more difficult, the acting remains all along pretty strong with good portray of the most emotional scenes. I think where it was lacking was mostly relating to the chemistry : I felt the passion and rage, but I had trouble believing in the love and romance...I think it might be again more due to a directing/screenwriter choices but I would have preferred the film to take another approach.

I would not recommend this to people because I cannot say that I enjoyed the movie. As it is quite short and has an interesting and original premise, so you might want to give it a go if you are looking for a pretty raw BL. It leans strongly into the melodramatic genre which I would have appreciated more with a better characterization and storylines. Be aware that this movie can be very triggering: it is graphic, violent and depicts very toxic relationships.

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Emotional well-acted roller-coaster romance during the Qing invasion of Joseon Dynasty

This historical drama take place in the Joseon Dynasty, in the 1600s, during the Qing invasion. The invasion aspect is the one that intrigued me the most with some pretty interesting political aspects. The war is quite gutwrenching to follow as it impacts a lot characters you appreciate more and more.

This story is quite melodramatic with a romance that I think is quite nice and with a lot of emotional stakes...The romance is not my favorite part of the drama as it is truly a series of misfortunes and heartbrakes. It for sure take a lot of resilience for the heart of the viewer if you are rooting for some of the couples...

Production and acting-wise, it is very good...The soundtrack is nice with very melancholic balads perfectly fitting for the story but are not necessarily songs that I will keep on listening very often contrarily to some other shows. There are a lot of action sequences that are well executed and the crying/sentimental scenes are very well done as well.

The actors and actresses are very well casted and you found yourself very invested in their characters survivals. Ahn Eun Jin is brilliant as the brave and strong female lead with a super attaching cunning side. Namkoong Min is excellent as the flawed but super intelligent and tactical hero. I love them as individuals but I am less invested in their relationship as it is sometimes difficult for me to understand why they should/need to be together. They have a nice chemistry together but it is not the most sizlling one and I hope to be more invested in the romance in Part 2 of the series. I'm also truly wondering if I'm not protecting my heart by trying to not be too invested in the romance...

I would recommend this to people looking for a very good historical drama with good acting and set during an interesting period of time. If you do not enjoy melodramatic moments and just want a cute / fluffy romance, this is not the drama to watch as it is pretty rough for the heart.

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