A feast for the eyes, epic tale not without flaws but worth it for the journey it will take you on

I was expecting a lot from this Chinese Wuxia drama : the fact that Tian Jia Rui had one of the main role in a series directed and written by the very talented director Edward Guo really hyped me. Overall, it successfully managed to keep up with my high expectations and likely set the bar super high for any other future Chinese wuxia drama I would watch.

I loved the story thematic with the narration focusing a lot on the concept of dream and reality, it was truly an epic tale supported by an impressive production value. In the middle of a lot of action, mystery and investigation, the heart of the story is foremost about companionship and found family, as well as different kind of love. The evolution of the relationships between the characters (especially between the two main male leads but also with some of the secondary roles) was probably my favorite part of the show.

The costumes and the cinematography were impeccable. A real feast for the eyes, with a lot of details and superbly impactful. Every set felt so real, rich and purposeful with a minutiae that I rarely encountered. You can really feel the director vision and specific touch when watching the drama and that's something that completely fascinated me.

The acting was another strong point : the cast was pretty good with a great dynamic with each other. This for that matter can be witnessed in the ending generic of episodes which consists of them dancing together on a choreography on one of the main song of the drama. I was once again super impressed by Tian Jia Rui : he got even better than in "My Journey To You" despite the challenges inherent to his role, from "Didi to Gege", very different from his debut one. I got very attached to the main characters (and even some of the more minor ones) and it is a proof of the overall good performances of the ensemble cast. In addition to Tian Jia Rui, I will keep an eye on the future work of Neo Hou and Yan An. The acting of this trio was on point, together or separately in addition to be such eye-candy.

Of course, the series is not without flaws. I wish the lore and powers were more consistent and that there had been less magical objects conveniently appearing for the sake of the plot. I also found the shift in tones a bit jarring: especially in the introduction arc, there is some over-the-top humor that felt a bit flat and strange in the middle of the angsty parts. It fortunately got smoother and more balanced as the story unfolded. The script also took time to set up the stakes, with some situations and storylines being a bit repetitive in the first part of the series.

Other than that, some of the fight sequences lacked of rhythm and dynamism: they were all beautiful but sometimes to the detriment of the pacing (or even the logic) of the conflicts. Editing could also have been better regarding transition between scenes or even between episodes. The OST was quite good (with maybe one of the song being overused) but music was a bit abruptly inserted into some sequences. I'm pointing it out because all the remaining of the production was so flawless that those minor flaws were even more striking.

I would recommend this to people looking for a Chinese Wuxia drama with a super strong cinematographic vision and high production value, good acting and gripping story featuring different kind of love. Shift in tone was a bit unbalanced at first and introduction arc could have been better paced, but once the set up of the relationships between the characters is done, you are in for a captivating journey that will tug at your heartstrings.

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Queer chronicles of a gay guy living and loving in the big city of Seoul : a raw and poetic journey

This is clearly one of the most qualitative BL that I have seen so far, not necessarily one that I would easily re-watch but one that really left a strong impression on me. It is drastically different from what I have seen in the genre, as it provides a deep dive into the life the central character of the story, almost like a chronicles of his life. It can be seen as a slice-of-life with a lot of dramatic elements put in a realistic but at the same time poetic way.

The main character is a writer who in a way narrates his life to the viewer, which really give it a different flavor to most series. His relationship with his mother as well as with Kylie were central pieces of the story to me. The romantic interests in the series were more like passing boats into the hero's life, not the main focus but bringing up so many thoughts as he evolved through the various relationships. The ending felt bitter-sweet and made sense given all that happened to the hero and the way the storytelling was built from the start. I would not have minded an additional episode to better round it up tough.

Casting was very solid overall with the main actor clearly being the strongest part of the series. I really hope to see him in other works because it is his performance that elevated the watching experience and made me care that much for the character he portrayed. The cinematography was pretty good: the apartment of the hero was a character in itself evolving with him as he went through various life events, the OST was also very fitting to the drama and there were quite a lot of very memorable scenes that were filmed super impactfully.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a different kind of BL story. It is more of a chronicle of a life rather than a standard romance. Of course, I have nothing against fluffy and butterflies romance or angsty tales of passion but here it is a different proposal both in terms of content as well as storytelling. The good writing, the very deep topics relating to what's happening in real life as well as the interesting arc of the main character arc strongly resonated with me and make it worth your time. If you enjoy BL such as 'I Told Sunset About You' and 'The Eighth Sense', I think you should give it a shot.

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A new form of delightful torture when you are watching it hungry

I'm in overall very satisfied by this new competition cooking show launched by Netflix. It is a bit reminiscent as some of their other survival shows (such as Physical 100 with one hundred contestants competing). Here, it is similar principle: 100 individuals (mostly all skilled-professionals active in restauration field / highly respected chefs and so on..) are competing with each other through various cooking challenges.

The food is really appetizing, the candidates have pretty varied skills and cooking styles and there are enough variety in the challenges they do to not bore the viewers. In addition to having a good cast, the editing style of Netflix as well as the way they often finish their episodes on a cliffhanger make it an highly bingeable TV show. The pacing of the competition is really nice and tight with the format being a breath of fresh air from the usual cooking shows.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a refreshing take on competition / survival cooking show. The food is simply mouthwatering so be careful to have some food at home when you watch it (or be prepared to be delightfully tortured). I hope they make a season 2 with hopefully some new ideas to keep the concept interesting without repetition.

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Brief and intense, sadly poetic and in memory of Yook Woo Dang

This short film (only 12 minutes !) manages to do so much in so little time. The cinematography was on point with many metaphors and vivid pictures. The way the water and the lipstick are central to the storytelling, as well as the sad tale of the turtle... I find it quite beautiful and poetic.

I did not know who was Yook Woo Dang (Yun Hyon-seok :1984-2003) (to which this movie is dedicated) and I did some research afterwards to understand who he was. That brought an additional layer to my understanding of the movie, and that's definitely a plus as a viewer.

I would recommend this to people looking for an impactful and beautifully gut-wrenching short film. It is very worth 12 minutes of your time. If you have any trigger, be mindful of the tags as it is a pretty sad and brutal story approaching very sensible topics in a mindful and purposeful way.

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8 minutes short film to bring awareness on discrimination faced by LGBTQIA+ people

This short movie of 8 minutes packs such a punch. It brought to light many issues still faced today by LGBTQIA+ people, especially here through the angle of trans as well as non-binary people. It is pretty impactful and allows to further the reflection on the topic through the lens of the main character as it showcases vignettes / short stories that happened to them.

It is clearly too short to make a lot of sense in terms of scenario / continuity but it is efficiently showcasing the discrimination faced by the main character as well as the internal turmoil they live through despite their family support. The filmmaking was good with some very symbolic and purposeful images all throughout the short movie. I felt that acting could have been better for some of the scenes but not enough to undermine the story.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a short movie with a point of view. It is a project run by the Thai Transgender Human Rights Foundation aiming to foster awareness on various issues still faced today by people belonging to LGBTQIA+ community. I feel they managed to reach their objective in only 8 minutes which is an achievement in itself.

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Artsy and sincere story

I enjoyed that short film intertwined with the song RERUN of PP Krit. It is about the evolution of the relationship between two guys Kit (played by PP Krit) and Chou (played by Nine Naphat). It is very sincere and simple but with an artsy touch that I appreciated. The filmmaking does an excellent job in showcasing how they fell in love as well as the set back they may have faced.

The acting is good overall. PP Krit is once again demonstrating how captivating he is when emoting. Nine Naphat does a good job as his counterpart. He is not too bland and unassming at the side of PP Krit, which is already an achievement as he could have been easily eclipsed by the star power of PP Krit.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a short movie with some artsy and indie vibe. If you are a fan of PP Krit, this is a must watch (coupled as well with the MV of the song itself). The scenario is not revolutionnary in itself and I wish they went deeper on some elements but it is enough in conveying emotions.

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Dark and murky story, wish it would have been more fleshed out

This very short movie is about the encounter of a vampire and a dead drowned girl as she is brought back at the morgue where he lives. I enjoyed their interactions, the way the scenario interlocks their fates. I wish tough the story would have been a bit more fleshed out as we learn enough to understand the main characters but not enough to really be moved by their horrendous destiny as it goes very quick on it. The side characters seems also to be there just for the sake of explaining things.

The acting was good: Ji Sung and Park So Dam exude together sexy (and morbid) chemistry. They carry very well the movie, making this a tragic and wicked tale rather than what could have been otherwise very campy and comedic if not properly acted. The filmmaking was good: the special effect was well done but could have been a bit uglier and dirtier. It seems a bit too clean but I can understand that esthetic choice.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for an horrific short movie. It is in the realm of horrow but not frightening. It provides an interesting point of view on the vampire myth as well.

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Raw, brutal, horrific and proof that beauty can be found in the darkest place

This drama is far from your regular BL and will take you on a brutal journey as the characters are evolving in the darkest side of the night life of Shinjuku. The story is very heavy and gritty in addition to be totally immersive: once you start, it is both very complicated to continue because of the violence but at the same time as difficult to stop watching. There are a lot of exploration in the psyche of the characters and I was deeply invested in the storytelling. It was in overall well paced, I only wish there had been a bit more time to wrap up the ending.

The acting was overall very good: I found it pretty balanced between the two male leads and there were no obvious weak link among the cast. Maybe the way that some of the heavier material was played could have been improved but I found it was mostly a convincing emotional portraying.

There is an inherent indie feeling to the production that I enjoyed a lot. The various locations were very interesting and well-filmed: wether it is the Shinjuku night life as well as the other places the characters are going to. I enjoyed as well the opening song, very fitting for the series.

I would recommend this drama to people that are looking for a dark story. Be mindful of the triggers, there are a lot of abuse, violence. It is a super impactful story, not necessarily that rewatchable to me because of how gut-wrenching it is. You need to be strong to go through the horror but at the same time the moments of beauty and love that can be found are worth the brutal journey.

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Average but entertaining, I was there for the hot moments between the leads but not much else

While entertaining for sure, this drama had also a very nonsensical scenario that made me roll my eyes more than once. The numerous hot moments between the leads were satisfaying but not much else. I wish the world building, magical elements and all the scheming would have made a bit more sense. Here, the writer drop a lot of diseases, poisons, healing sessions a bit like it arranges the plot to foster tension between the characters and to amp the stakes. It is often done without logic and feel very deus ex machina.

Overall, acting was alright. The main villains were too caricatural to my taste (in the writing as well as the acting) but given the lack of nuance of the script, I don't see how it could have been done otherwise. I quite enjoyed the chemistry between the two main leads. Richard Li looks towards the heroine were really hot and He Xuan Lin was very good as his counterpart. Overall, the couple was quite smart in their actions (even if helped a lot by the writing) and it helped rooting for them.

I felt the editing was a bit all over the place, the succession of sequences felt abrupt, not letting a lot of time for characters development and growth. A bit more room to breath bewteen heavy moment would have helped the series to feel less absurd and to be more connected to the fate of the characters. Similarly, ending felt too rushed. The soundtrack was okay: nothing remarkable and quite repetitive, but not bad.

I would not necessarily recommend this to people as I feel there are too many issues to really warrant a watch. There are some exciting and hot moments between the leads but it cannot save the drama from its writing and editing issues. I feel that the format of 20 minutes episodes was not exploited properly, the numerous events faced by the characters in quick succession made it both entertaining but also completly nonsensical. To be noted: a couple of points of some of the storylines can be triggering so be mindful of the tags if you have any triggers.

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Fun and cute travel short show to see again the cast of His Man Season 2

This special show (cut in 6 small episodes of about 12 minutes) features the cast of His Man Season 2 in a format similar(but much simpler and with clearly less budget) to the TV show "1 Night 2 Days" as they all go somewhere for about 2 days and spend the night together.

The production value is quite low but the atmosphere among the cast, the good vibes and honestly the pleasure to find them all back together is really satisfying. My favorite couple from the whole dating show is there and they are for sure as lovable as when we discovered them. The poor guys seems to be destined to freeze when filming as they travel during winter times, but at least the weather and activities provide to the viewer a sweet nostalgia throwback.

I would recommend this to people that enjoyed His Man Season 2. Do not expect anything deep, just fun fluff moments between the cast members with not a lot of production. The friendship between the participants feels real, cute and wholesome.

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Strangely paced "Pirates of the Caribbean meets Robin Hood" story - underwhelming

Unfortunately, I found this movie a bit underwhelming. I'm surprised because what's not to like about a 'Pirates of the Caribbean meets Robin Hood" film? Sadly enough, it takes almost half of the story to really have the pace picking up. The interactions between the two main characters were the best part of the scenario, but it fell too little too late. I truly enjoyed the last part for the action but at the same time, I felt the moral of the story and the resolution were very weak.

The acting was satisfying, with good chemistry and a strong ensemble cast. The action scenes were convincing and pretty varied. The music was not outstanding but suitable for an action movie, hyping the thrilling moments at the proper time.

I would recommend this movie despite its flaws because I think it might be a case of "it's not you; it's me". If you enjoy adventure movie, you might want to give it a shot for yourself. I did not find it that entertaining because of the pacing issue but I'm not regretting watching it. I will also be curious to have a look at the sequel. I was disappointed by the resolution and ending but I truly appreciated the acting as well as the action scenes.

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Too short but still worth it for the interesting context and the cast

Disclaimer, this review only relates to the 29 minutes short film, not to the additional bonus making of / behind-the-scene which lacked subtitles.

In a nutshell, I found the premise very interesting and quite subversive (especially given the fact it was released in 2009) as it features the romantic relationship between two guys separated while one is doing his mandatory military service. In a very short time, I found the movie made some very compelling points, with scenes showcasing how somewhat taboo their relationship is seen by Korean society. Unfortunately, the film is too short to really get to the bottom of the conflict and remain relatively superficial on the turmoil faced by the characters.

The acting was good and it is quite pleasant to watch some familiar actors that I had seen in other works, here at the very beginning of their career, in an indie movie. The production value is quite limited, you feel the budget constraint. Even though it felt very strange because of the shift of tone, I enjoyed the opening and ending generic. It was quite fun to watch with some joyful folk music that I appreciated.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for an indie BL short movie. It approaches love between men within the mandatory military context in Korea, which is not a very common topic. It felt unfortunately a bit short in terms of storyline and what it is trying to say, mainly because of its short length format. Still, given its short duration, it is worth giving it a shot, especially if you want to see performances of Yeon Woo Jin and Lee Je Hoon at the beginning of their career.

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Sometimes entertaining but missed the mark completely in terms of writing

Full transparency here, I had no clue what was "Omegaverse" when I decided to watch this series. And honestly, I'm still not sure after watching the series to fully understand what encompasses this new (to me at least) genre/concept. I thought at first it was wolf related as there is mention of alpha, then they lost me totally at enigma...I think I understood from what was hinted by the show (and also some comments) that men are able to be pregnant as well, but the logistic behind it went completely over my head. All of it was a bit disconcerting but the viewer needs to roll with it without a lot of support from the script.

Therefore, my main complaint for the drama is really the lack of proper explanation regarding the lore of the universe. The power of the alphas are never really addressed in a way that make complete sense...My thought process behind that as a viewer, I should not feel the need to do extensive research on the supernatural elements that the shows try to explain to grasp what's really at stake behind the relationships between the characters. That honestly tempered my enjoyment of the watch.

The plot is totally bonkers and feels for its most part like a fanfic fever dream. There are some griping moments in the story and some hot scenes that are pretty good. But for the majority of the show, I oscillated between being entertained because it was so bad that it was good in a way...And then being totally over-it and frustrated because of the characters (often) stupid choices. None of their "plans" felt very prepared and there were a lot of undeserved / too quick forgiveness for some protagonists.

Casting-wise, the actors did an okay job...There were a lot of weaknesses (especially regarding the villains that felt super caricatural) but as none of the cast was helped by neither the scenario neither the production, I will not fault any of the actors for what was offered here. The best relationship was the secondary one but I still will be willing to watch another show featuring the main pairing Pooh - Pavel as their chemistry was pretty good. A lot of their scenes were super cringy and they went for it...That's an achievement in itself.

Production-wise, I wish the action scenes were better filmed and that the music was less basic. There were mainly one song repeating at nauseum when characters were having sex and I don't know, it set the mood with the jazzy beat but got very repetitive as well. Most of the soundtrack felt generic and not good. Product placement was not well done as well.

I would not recommend this to people unless you already know/like the "Omegaverse" genre/concept. It missed the mark for me because I don't know anything about it and even after watching the series, I'm still totally perplexed. I must admit though that there were some entertaining parts to the overall trainwreck provided by the series and I will probably try to watch season 2 by curiosity...Hoping for the writing, filmmaking, soundtrack and acting to be better now that they have soft-launched the "Omegaverse" in Thai dramas.

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Enjoyed the high school friendship part, not fully convinced by the romance and its evolution

The premise of the story with the misunderstanding and triangular/rectangular relationship is very interesting. It reminded me of some Shojo mangas I read as there are a lot of classical storylines: the class school play, the class building activities...A lot of fun high school moments that I enjoyed to see here. It is not that innovative but it is very fluffy and sweet to follow. Unfortunately, I started to progressively be disinterested after the 1st half of the drama as the story stagnated. I felt there was a bit too much of repetition in the main relationship with not a lot of progress nor evolution in the second part of the series. Comparatively, I felt that the narrative arc of the secondary couple was stronger and had a better flow in terms of development.

Overall the acting was quite good in the more comedic moments, when the story does not take itself too seriously. When the tone was more serious, I had some trouble believing in what was happening on screen. I liked the two main leads but I felt there were better conveying friendship than romantic sparks.

The soundtrack was really nice with some pop songs enjoyable and fitting the high school romance thematic. The production was satisfying, in line with standard from the genre.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a Japanese BL high school series. The scenario is very reminiscent of classical high school Shojo manga storylines, so if you are familiar with and enjoy those, this drama will likely be a comfort and comfy watch for you as it was for me. Even though I have some nitpicking regarding the pace of the romance and its evolution, I still enjoyed the watch.

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Memorable slice-of-life story, beautifully acted and filmed

I really enjoyed the story. It follows the character of Hirayama who finds joy and light in the simple things of everyday life. It addresses strong societal but human issues: loneliness, shadow workers, can you feel surrounded but alone, can you be alone but satisfied...There is very little dialogue in the first half of the film, and it is the part that seduced me the most. The second arc allows more introspection on the character and also calls a lot of things into question. The ending scene shook me and was memorable in its simplicity... It is bittersweet and concludes in a sober but strong way the film which values ​​the concept of Komorebi all throughout.

The acting performance of Yakusho Koji is incredible. His acting is the cornerstone of the film. There are so many moments that are solely relying on the way he looks at the world and the people he meets. As there are not that many dialogs, without an excellent actor, the ideas that the script conveys might have not be transmitted as well as it was. Nakano Arisa (in her first role here) was very good as well and brought a fresh breeze to the story through her part.

Music is an important part of the movie. Our main character listens to a lot of tapes while he rides, and it is so acutely fitting with the vibe of the film. It is a common thread to the story and I really enjoyed being carried on by the music which is part of the life of Hirayama. The piano pieces also contributes to the masterfully crafted cinematographic experience that this movie provide. The filmmaking is beautiful, very atmospheric with some sets I found really interesting.

I would recommend this movie to people that enjoy slice-of-life genre and introspection. It is a very chill film in its pace, very simple in its story and therefore which might not please everyone. That said, the poetry that pores through this slice-of-life story, the fact that I got so attached to the main protagonist as well as the beautiful filmmaking featuring stunning shots of Tokyo (and more precisely Sumida) make it for me an excellent discovery really worth the watch.

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