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Completed
My Engineer
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 9, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers

4 rushed love stories mashed in to 1 series

This series does not have a coherent story at all and there is nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise. Thank goodness I went into this with such low expectations that I was safe from disappointment. Why Oh Why would you try to cram 4 different love stories in to any series when you are well aware you wont be able to do justice to any one of them

Lets begin with the our main couple – Bohn and Duen
Bohn is a Senior Engineering student who is known to be ruthless towards his juniors. He meets Duen, a junior Medical student and due to an incident punishes Duen by asking him to buy a flower daily for 30 days. In the course of these 30 days Bohn and Duen fall in love with each other. I say “fall in love with each other” but what you see is far from it. Bohn has such an insecurity complex that if he even sees Duen talking to another guy, he rages and drags Duen out of there just to later end up apologising for his behaviour. In one scene after raging, he asks Duen to come home with him and I feared that he will tie him up in his house so that he doesn’t talk to anyone else. Duen on the other hand always acts as if Bohn is a friend. Doesn’t confess his love and always tries to push Bohn away whenever he tries to get close to him. This isn’t a love story. It’s a story about an insecure guy who keeps teasing his friend. On a side note, I have seen drunk people act, I have seen people acting drunk but what Duen did in episode 2 after a few drinks was nothing close to anything I have ever seen.

Mek and Boss
Boss teasingly always addresses Mek as his husband and himself as Mek’s wife. Unbeknownst to him though Mek has secretly been in love with him the whole time. Boss rather hits on every girl he lays his eyes on and finally finds a girlfriend thanks to Mek’s help. However, when he is forced to keep his distance from his budding idol girlfriend, he realises his feelings for Mek and they start a relationship. The only complaint I have with this love story is that it wasn’t explained well at all. There was a time where Boss tells Mek that he always interested in him. All this while actively pursuing relationship with other girls. It feels like he settled for Mek instead of being in love

Ram and King
This is the only love story that was managed well. Ram is a junior engineering student who keeps to himself and doesn’t talk to people who aren’t his family or friends. King, a senior engineering student finds Ram intriguing and tries to get close to him so that they can talk. Ram starts caring for King and this makes him fall in love with Ram. Ram on the other hand also starts developing feelings for King. I liked the character of Ram, someone who is stoic and not friendly but also a deeply caring individual. Good care is taken to show their love growing organically throughout the series reaching a significant point in the last episode.

Frong and Dr. Thara
There isn’t much of a love story here as till the final episode we just see Frong starting to develop feelings for Dr. Thara but there certainly is potential in this storyline as Dr. Thara is shown as someone who is innocent and simple whereas Frong is passionate showcased when he falls for Duen but warns Bohn to treat him well.

Although Season 2 was announced, it has been sometime and I don’t believe it will be picked up and that is just fine. The series ends on a god note where all the relations are highlighted and rest can be left to our imagination.

Give this one a try only for the characters of Ram and King and may be Frong and Dr. Thara. Rest all are just meh!

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Completed
Love Area Part 2
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 26, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

An unentertaining attempt to continue with a flawed story-line of season 1

The sheer confidence that the makers of this series must have displayed when they decided to continue with the story left off in season 1 is mind-blowing. Love Area Season 1 had its flaws like the lack of any story or even character development except for Pete and King which I was a little interested in. Instead of Season 2 being an attempt to right that wrong and genuinely try to tell a story about the 2 couples would have gone a long way in salvaging this series. But the makers decided to double down on their previous mistakes and decided to make some more.

We end Season 1 with Valen and Kaitoon developing feelings for each other and Pete and King reconciling and giving their relationship another chance. A great material in my opinion to begin Season 2 no matter how little they showed in the 1st season. We however find that the makers abandon this opportunity and instead decide to create drama; first by introducing 3 new characters and have a love triangle going on. Fair to say I was not interested in that affair even a little bit.

Then we have the story of Pete and King, where their relationship is already rocky and 2 new characters are introduced to make this plot even more convoluted. We are left to ask questions like What's up with Pete? Is King falling for someone else? What has Sean got to do with Pete and what does he want and why? None of these questions are satisfactorily answered and we are left with more confusion than what we started with.

Finally, they decided to botch the relationship between Valen and Kaitoon. Like in Season 1, Valen continues to act like a douchebag and I fail to see what Kaitoon likes in him instead of going for Non who is a more caring and loving individual. Well, love blossoms between Valen and Kaitoon and we get the mandatory montage of them vacationing and having awkward conversations leaving you holding your face and wondering when will this end. After the mandatory montage, we get to the mandatory 3rd act break-up courtesy an illogical misunderstanding that is inflated because the two characters’ inability to listen. When eventually we reach the final episode, I was pleasantly surprised that Kaitoon reacts like a real human but the final few seconds robs me of that satisfaction.

This series ends up being a lesson on how not to extend your series to another season when you have no good storyline to showcase, main leads with no chemistry and think that more characters disrupting the ongoing relationships between the leads is what will make it successful.

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Completed
Love Area Part 1
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 25, 2023
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers

A series failing miserably at narrating a story

I am at a failure to understand why this series was divided in to 2 seasons. Season 1 has nothing to offer story-wise or character development. It just seems to be an introduction to all the characters that will show up in the next Season. The only couple that had some kind of story going was King and Peat and we do get to know a lot about them and their relationship. Apart from those two the rest of the main characters just exist in this series’ universe.

The main story loosely revolves around 3 characters: Valen a rich, good for nothing guy who loses money on bets and reaches a point where he unsuccessfully tries to rob a guy at knife point. He in my opinion acts like a douchebag throughout the whole season with not one likable characteristic. Next, we have Kaitoon, a complete opposite of Valen. He is hard working and always ready to lend a hand to those in need. He is an orphan and works odd jobs to pay for his studies. Finally, we have Nont, a student who wants to be a doctor so as not to disappoint his father. Although the first season seems to be an introduction to these characters but nothing is fleshed out and we don’t get to know about them other than what I described here.

There is a probable love triangle in the making where Nont likes Kaitoon whereas Kaitoon and Valen are developing feelings for each other. I understand Nont's feeling for Kaitoon. They share a good bond and Nont is the person Kaitoon goes to whenever he needs advice. They also have shared some good moments together. What I don’t get is Kaitoon's feeling for Valen. He hasn't done anything to garner those feelings. On the first instance Valen tries to rob Kaitoon and gets him beaten up and robbed of his wages, ruins his birthday cake albeit unintentionally after knowing he never had a cake of his own. They haven't shared a conversation between each other that doesn't include either them arguing or Valen acting like an angsty teen.

In conclusion, this series fails at multiple levels especially having no chemistry between the two main characters and they still had to go for Season 2. Give this one a miss if you can.

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Completed
Ingredients
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 6, 2023
21 of 21 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

Short series leaving you wanting for more

If you are looking for a series that is a slow burn where the 2 main characters spend a good enough time together as friends before starting a relationship then look no further.

Ingredients is a story of Win a wannbe musician who is looking for a right break that would propel him in to stardom and Tops a chef who likes to cook and experiment with recipes. The story captures the daily happenings in the lives of these 2 characters while they stay together as roommates. The series takes us on a slow journey where we see Win struggling with his dreams and Tops helping him soothe his worries by cooking delicious food.

The series concentrates more on the life of Win and Tops and other actors just enter and exit the scene to give you a glimpse of each of their characters. We find the troubled relationship Win has with his mother and brother, Tops losing his mother and the father remarried and has a small kid, we meet loads of Win's friends but not a single of Tops friends, Win's averseness to cats and babies and Tops helping nature when he meets his injured neighbour.

Jeff and Gameplay did a fabulous job of bringing the characters of Win and Tops to life. The dialogues between the two seemed natural and they shared a great chemistry together. They also star in a short series He She It and their chemistry continued there as well.

A slice of life story played by wonderful actors with fine songs played by Jeff and a slow paced story that keeps you glued and you are satisfied when they ultimately get together.

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Completed
Ocean Likes Me
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 4, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.0

Need more episodes to be coherent

8 episodes of 15 mins each is clearly not enough to showcase the story that this series is going for. We have quite a few complicated characters that make up this story but due to limited time or reasons unknown the series mainly focuses on Han Ba Da.

Han Ba Da is a chef from a renowmed restaurant but due to conflicts with the boss who is also his boyfriend decides to run after his dream of opening up a seaside Udon restaurant. He is great at making udon noodles but is goofy, gullible and is not comfortable talking to people. Not the right mixture for running a successful business. There is also his ex-boyfriend who wants him back working at his restaurant and will not shy away from destroying his reputation.

Enter Tommy who is a wannabe musician who has seen no success and comes to this small seaside town for inspiration. Here he meets awkward Han Ba Da and decides to help him pursue his dreams in the process falling in love with him.

The story is about failure, rediscovery, persistence and patience and would have been aptly showcased only with more time and episodes. This highly edited story isn't stitched together coherently and characters come and go with no effect to the story. We needed more understanding of the character of Tommy and his struggles instead of just Han Ba Da.

All in all a good watch since its not too long but dont expect a lot from the story.

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Completed
TharnType
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 4, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers
How in the hell did this pass as a romantic drama is beyond me? All you see from start to end is toxicity, molestation, violence and manipulation. And all this going on between the two main leads. The back stories for a few other characters would require them to get urgent psychiatric help. Lets start with some of the characters

1. Tharn (Mew): An openly gay character with multiple partners in the past. Nothing wrong with that. But why oh why is he so fascinated by Type! He is diagonally opposite to what Tharn as a character is. I do understand that opposites attract but not with the kind of characters they both have. There is no way Tharn would be attracted to someone like that or atleast that has not been explained. Also, Tharn doesn't appear to care so much about consent. Kissing Type when he is asleep, going down on him when he constantly asks him to stop, showing concern when Type narrates his back story but does everything that would traumatise Type further and becoming a punching bag for Type both physically and verbally.

2. Type (Gulf): A homophobic person who hates gays from the core of his being because as a child he was molested by a man. A good reason to be a homophobe but without any rhyme or reason decides to sleep with Tharn. He doesn't like being labelled as someone in a relationship with another man and hence keeps it from everyone but in the next instance decides to let people know that he is with Tharn. He likes to verbally humiliate Tharn at any chance he gets but Tharn finds this endearing. Gets jealous of Tharn's exes and shows extreme reactions when he even hears their names.

3. Tar (Kokliang): A kid who looks underage is madly in love with Tharn but is going through some issues mentally wherein he can't stand a crowd and rushes home and locks himself in a room. He is a painter but seems to have given up on that due to a traumatic event. A victim of gang-rape by 3 men who drugged him he choses to remain alone and only trusts his brother. He was in a relationship with Tharn and were going strong until he breaks up with him. Later he tries to get back with Tharn and creates a wedge between Tharn and Type but all this due to being manipulated and blackmailed. In the final episode he appears to have been miraculously cured of his mental affliction.

4. Tum (Hiter): Tar's brother and an ex band-member with Tharn. He leaves the band after Tharn and Tar break up and blames Tharn for Tar's current state. Although the series shows that they are brothers, Tum appears to be in love with Tar.

5. Lhong (Kaownah): Tharn's best friend and his band mate who really cares about Tharn. But later we realise he is in love with Tharn and has been the cause of all the break-ups he has suffered. He tells all of Tharn's love interest that he is cheating on them and does the same to cause Type and Tharn to break-up. But if that wasn't enough he hires 3 men to drug and rape Tar and records it to later blackmail Tar to break-up with Tharn.

6. San (AA): A friend of Tharn's older brother who is tasked to take care of him but instead lures him into the music room when Tharn is 14 and has sex with him. Although Tharn states its consensual but we arent informed of San's age at the time so I have my doubts whether this was legal. He still wants to get back with Tharn although Tharn only respects him as a senior/brother.

What we have here are a set up hopelessly terrible characters all surrounding Tharn who himself has no redeeming qualities.

The series brings to light certain sensitive topics like child molestation, homophobia and rape but takes no time in brushing it under the rug with no explanation. It looks like it is used as props and its offensive. Type is still shown to be a homophobe after sleeping multiple times with Tharn going so far as to not talk to his friend who comes out to him. Willingly sleeps with Tharn after balling his eyes out recalling the time he was tied and molested by a grown man when he was just a child. Tar is drugged and gang-raped which causes him trauma but with no specific reason is all fine by the end of the series.

You can watch it for the great performances by all the actors and the music is good but be ready for your sensitivities to be hurt.

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Completed
Youths in the Breeze
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 29, 2022
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

A great censored BL from Mainland China

It appears that there are some fantastic BL stories from China but due to heavy censorship we only get to see the tamed version of these stories; turning a good BL series in to a bromance. Youths in breeze also suffers from the same treatment.
3 wonderful stories where boy meets boy and you can feel an undercurrent of a relationship growing but it ultimately ends at them being just great friends. But what can you do? You play the hand you are dealt. That being said, this anthology series has done the best with the censored story

The 1st story is about a shape-shifting cat who is on earth for a year. His happy life is disturbed by the brother of his owner who is allergic to cats. Here ensues a game where each one is trying to get the other out of the house but their animosity turns to friendship. This was more of a comedy with the 2 actors getting into shenanginags to one up one another while showcasing the relationship between siblings and a cat and his/her owner. The director did a great job of showing all this within 8 episodes with the only issue being that a few points remain unexplained and is left to our imagination.

The 2nd story is also a fantasy where a character from an unfinished novel enters into the world of the writer. The writer is commissioned to write a tragic story and the character is trying to to get the writer change the story to save his sister from a fatal disease. During the course of convincing the writer, they both begin good friends. Here we see a writer with limited freedom over his own story wherein he is struggling to save the sister of one his own characters resembling the story of his own sister and her fate. Its a story about sibling relationships, helplessness and sacrifices you make for others.

The 3rd story is more grounded in to reality. Its a story about two athletes who used to be friends but due to a misunderstanding, find competing against each other for a chance to participate at a state level competition. Its the same old friends to enemies to freinds stories that we have seen in multiple other dramas. This story deals with the topic of friendship, trust and hard-work.

Each of the stories are unique and presented exquisitely within the limited time they had. Kudos also to all the actors in this anthology series. As with many series with a great story but limited time, this too suffers from a rushed relationship building with no or very limited back stories of the characters. In certain cases, the endings seems a bit ambiguous and you feel you need a few more episodes to get a better understanding.

However these flaws are more of a nitpick and the series meets what it has set out to achieve and that is entertainment.

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Completed
Kissable Lips
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 27, 2022
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

When a Vampire meets a terrible script

A supernatural based BL series is rare and hence was interested to see this one but alas! I was dissapointed.

This series is about a dying vampire (Kim Jun Ho) who needs someone with pure blood to save his life although that remedy would turn him into a mortal. Enter fellow student (Choi Min Hyun) who can save his life but might die in the process. Will Kim Jin Ho take the risk of killing someone he loves to save his own life?

This premise sounds promising and could have been directed in a manner where every episode ends on a cliff-hanger like;
1. Kim meets Choi and later realises he is pure blood and that peaks his interest
2. He pursues Choi after learning that he can only be saved when Choi gives his blood willingly
3. While in pursuit to make Choi fall for him, Kim instead starts developing feelings for Choi
4. Choi learns Kim is a vampire but doesn't care as he is not aware of his true motives and is now in love with him
5. Choi finds out that he is pure blood and the reason behind his parents death
6. Choi starts hating vampires and stays clear off Kim. Meanwhile, he is also informed about Kim's state and the reason for his punishment
7. Time is running out for Kim and Choi offers to help save his life
8. Kim doesn't want to harm Choi and finally sacrifices himself

Its not that these elements were not shown in the series but it was not fleshed out at all. We in fact are introduced to other characters making the storyline more and more boring as its going into tangents and is turning incoherent. All this on top of sub-par acting by both the leads made it a chore to finish this series.

Another Korean BL series suffering from terrible plot that leaves us with more questions and this time it didn't even have the advantage of good acting. Give this one a miss if you want as there is not much entertainment value.

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Completed
2gether
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 22, 2022
13 of 13 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Beauty in Simplicity

Let me start by saying that there is nothing extra-ordinarily great about this series. The story is simple with 2 students fake dating each other which turns into true love over a period of time. What I in fact enjoyed the most was the acting of the 2 leads. Their chemistry was top notch and you could feel the love between them.

The story progresses slowly which is a plus in my book as we get enough time to see how the feelings are developing, a bit of their back stories, their passions and their faults. The story is well paced, except for the mandatory 3rd act breakup that comes and goes too soon in my opinion and just seems rushed. Do not show angst for the sake of showing one.

Yet again as with many other Thai BLs I found myself rooting for the supporing characters more than the main leads. The friends of each of the leads also performed exceptionally well and their individual love stories although started mid-series but had a satisfactory conclusion.

Since both the leads are in the music group there are bound to be songs and it did not disappoint. Not something I would listen to daily but did not turn me away from the scenes.

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Completed
Hard Love Mission
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 15, 2022
7 of 7 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Mediocre acting over an even mediocre story

Although this is a mini series and a lot of plot has to be cut to fit in within the 7 short episodes, but it looks like no time was spent on the script. For the first 5 episodes nothing interesting happens as the characters move from one scene to another

The 5th episode ends on something interesting but again it falls in to the uninteresting area for the last 2 episodes. Especially the last episode is nothing but a major dump of back story but by this time I have already given up and just want this to end.

Pete has still a long way to go to be a good actor and Tonliew (Yoshi) and Chompu (Vivi) were the only saving grace. This is one BL that I am sure I will forget soon. Give this one a pass or you can keep this running in the background while you complete some chores.

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Completed
Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2022
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Puts a smile on your face

This has been the best feel-good series that I have seen so far. For a short 4 episode series, they have managed to show a lot more than what a 12-16 episode series fails to achieve. They cut-out the unwanted melodrama and stuck to the relationship between the 2 leads.
From best childhood friends you see their relationship blossoming into something different in a short span but it doesn't feel rushed or that you have lost some important plot points. The story moves from one moment to another successfully capturing the characteristics of the 2 leads and the way they interact with a handful of other characters. There is no angst, no break-ups, no misunderstandings. Just 2 friends taking their relationship to the next level and just enjoying each others company. You get to see what they feel for each other and you are rooting for them.
Besides, this series has the simplest and the best confession scene that had me smiling from ear to ear.
A fabulous job by the creators keeping the story to the point and delivering the best performances out of all the actors.

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Completed
Light on Me
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 10, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

An awkward but interesting love story

Another BL story around high school students. I feel like all iterations of stories that can come out of this trope has been covered. So you will find nothing new in this series. Group of boys attending school, developing feelings for their classmates, a rival, being shamed for their feelings only to later realise to fight against this shame and get together. Add to this a wise friend who is there to look out for his peers.
There is nothing that sets this story apart from many other series made around the same topic. However with 16 episodes, they did a very decent job of fleshing out the characters and describing their motivations. You are aware of how each of the characters behave and there is an arc for each of the main and supporting characters to make for a great narration. That being said the love between the characters don't seem genuine.
Woo Tae Kyung starts liking Shin Da On because he is very kind and he feels good being around him. Not sure how this can be described as being in love. Shin Da On falls for Woo Tae Kyung because he can open himself up and talk freely to him. Something that can be a precursor to love but not the main reason. Noh Shin Woo likes Woo Tae Kyung because he is interesting and that intrigues him. This failed to convince me that the love is genuine and might even last.
Due to this rudimentary feelings that each hold for the other I found myself rather routing for the wise friend. His genuine feeling of friendship and always being on the side of his friends was believable and made me relate more to him than other characters.
In conclusion, nothing new story-wise but the performances by all the actors has been exemplary. There might be a few scenes that could have been done better but that would be nit-picking. The story keeps you hooked till the end to know who actually end up together. A sure watch for those looking for a good Korean BL with love, heart-break, a bit of angst and lot of fun.

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Cutie Pie
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 9, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

A simple concept concluded haphazardly

I had such high hopes with this series when I read the synopsis and saw the first few episodes. Alas! with every consecutive episodes the hopes died a slow death.
The story is about Lian and Kuea bethroted to each other at a very young age. But when they grow up Lian has no love towards Kuea. Kuea, heart-broken decides to end the engagement only for Lian to realise that he has feelings for Kuea. The concept was new to me as I have not seen a series with arranged marriages before let alone between 2 men and this got me excited. The series starts promising where we get to see the contrast between the 2 characters. Lian being a strict businessman with only limited time for his fiance and Kuea being a singer and a lover of fast cars and bikes but hides his true self from Lian. They separate from each other due to Lian's indifference towards Kuea and so starts a journey of self-realization and getting to know your true feelings.
This is where the story starts to lose me. The story of the arranged marriage was not convincing as the families just wanted Lian to take care of a very young Kuea. The mention of marriage was said in jest. Not sure why these 2 pursued that idea till their adulthood?
The sudden change in Lian's feelings towards Kuea was confusing too as there was nothing that justified either his love or his initial indifference.
There is clearly an age difference between Lian and Kuea however Lian saying that he loved Kuea from the day he was born just gave me the creeps. Not sure who thought that it sounds romantic or endearing?
The parallel story of Khondiao and Yi needed more explaining. Khondiao has lost his memory but we dont see how that has affected him in any sense. Unless Yi says it we dont even realise that Khondiao is suffering from memory loss. In fact we dont even know which memory has he lost.
In conclusion a simple concept was made confusing by inconsistent characteristics of the 2 leads, moving from bizzare or unbeliveable. The actors however did a great job with their performances and the songs are worth listening to. Its not too bad to not give it a try. Watch it for the performances and the songs.

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Cherry Blossoms after Winter
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 6, 2022
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

A feel good series with no angst and drama

For no reason that I can think of I have been ignoring this series but finally I decided to give it a watch and I am glad that I did. This series is kind of different from many other BL series that I have watched. So what makes this one different

Story: In simple terms it's about two boys that live under the same roof, stay aloof from one another but certain circumstances brings them together and love blossoms. Since it is an 8 episode series things move at a faster pace. Limitedtime is being spent to show the backstories of the 2 main characters and in more ways than one their personalities are relatable. The story could have been fleshed out but due to lack of time they decided to cut to the chase and just show the bare minimum. Like there being a bully in school tormenting one of the leads and you feel you have your antagonist but then he is no where to be found after a couple of episodes

No 3rd Act break-up: Every love story usually goes through the 3rd act break-up. Misunderstanding, family or society pressure, conflict between the leads and many other reasons are shown almost close to the ending for the 2 leads to break-up and then they get together in the final episode. There is no problem in showing that, its just that with limited episodes it always seems rushed. In this series we feel that we are nearing the third act break-up thanks to the mom but then no such thing occurs. The 2 leads always remain together. It was new and refreshing and I was happy about that but also it made me feel that the idea was to not show any drama. So I was glad but not content with this

In conclusion, the 2 actors did a fabulous job and showed great chemistry together. The story could have been managed well with certain parts fleshed out like the bully and the flower shop owner. But if you are looking for a no non-sense, less drama show that do give this one a chance. You will come out feeling good

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Big Dragon
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 3, 2022
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers

"Love is like choosing a pair of shoes..."

It was when these words were spoken that I realised this series won't be entertaining anymore.
This was a hotchpotch of all the different ideas or tropes that you can imagine a generic love story can have. And the same ideas were contradicted by subsequent scenes.
1. Rivals to Lovers: The series starts with showcasing how the two protagonists (Mangkorn and Yai) are womanizers and are eyeing to get the same girl. They meet and try to one-up each other leading to a drinking competition and ending with spending a passionate night together a result of spiked drinks. Strangely the glasses of both the leads were spiked which made me wonder is it still rape when both are under the influence of drugs albeit due to the clumsiness of one of the male lead's bodyguards? After coming to their senses, Mangkorn keeps annoying Yai by bringing up that night and the recording that he possesses. He practically blackmails him to be his friend and in no time they fall in love. But in the later episodes we are told that Mangkorn liked Yai for a long time. So there was no reason for antagonising Yai.
2. Female Love Interest: Mangkorn's dad wants him to get married to his friend's daughter Hong. This plot is introduced while Mangkorn is trying to win Yai over. It made for an intersting twist as we now have a potential love traingle. This plot is later destroyed when we are introduced to Hong's girlfriend. So there was never a love triangle to begin with and Yai losing his mind over this was for naught as it could have easily been explained to him.
3. Male Love Interest: Yai has a friend Nine who returns to Thailand and starts showing interest in Yai while he and Mangkorn are having a bit of a misunderstanding. They also show Mangkorn and Nine fighting over Yai's affection. But in the final episode we find Nine actively helping Mangkorn to stay with Yai. No reason for Nine to give up on this pursuit. But now he is helping Mangkorn and it appears that the love rivalry had no reason to be presented other than extending an episode. BTW the second season has been teased to run on the same plot of another male love interest of Yai. If its anything like what they had for this season then please have mercy.
4. Multiple couples: Other than the 2 main leads we are shown a relationship between Hong and a girl student. They have a few dialogues in the penultimate episode and then we dont see them again. Their relationship is mentioned in passing and looks like they were introduced just to resolve a minor misunderstanding between the 2 leads. They also tease us with a potential budding relationship between Yai's 2 bodyguards. But nothing comes of it and for a good number of episodes we dont get to see them on-screen at all. May be they will using this as fodder for season 2
The story needed a lot of working on to make it more coherent. Instead of the mandatory 3rd act break-up being about Hong, they should have rather concentrated on Mangkorn's plan to travel to New York for 2 years for his Master's degree. This would have helped in showing the budding romance between the 2 leads and a genuine concern of losing each other.
In conclusion, the acting by the 2 leads and the supporting characters was great. If you are a fan of enemies to lovers genre then you should go for this series.

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