1
LightHouse74
U.S.A.
This review may contain spoilers
The Next Stop is Forever Hopeful
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.This was a great series with an interesting storyline. I think the pacing for this series was perfect and was hooked from the beginning. However, you may want to skip this if you are looking for a fast pace, high action drama because this series is not it. The script was very well thought out. I love how they interweaved the passengers and their loved one’s stories throughout the series. It had some farfetched elements but there only minor. I thought the three main characters (Kayashima, Shirahama, and Hatano) were well written and helped counter balance each other. The script also had a nice balance of personal storylines with the other supporting characters. There were some romance elements between multiple characters, but it was not overpowering. Some individuals may have a problem with the ending. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. The cast was excellent and did a great job with their characters. The cinematography and special effects were amazing.
Random Note:
This has an underline theme about society and how we should never judge a book by its cover.
This is listed as Pending Train on Netflix.
********Spoiler Alert********
There is a somewhat love triangle between the three main leads. However, it’s not that bad and does not become the main focus of the series which I consider a good thing (I hate this type of storyline).
You will not be satisfied if you need a clearcut happy or sad ending. This ending is open to your interpretation. For me, it’s an ending that has hope for the future.
Was this review helpful to you?
Random Note:
Warning! There are some gory scenes, but it’s not that bad. However, my tolerance level of gore is pretty high because I grew-up watching horror films of the 80’s and 90’s.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
My review for each section of this series is based on the following criteria:- Did it add anything to the original series
- Was there either an absence, advance, or regression of character/couple development
- Was the story concept interesting
- Script quality
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.
This section was consistent with some of the positive and negative aspects of the main series. It was cute and mostly enjoyable. However, once again the script was poorly developed. It also felt like a story regression. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. It seemed that the two episodes were meant to be part of the main series but was edited out because they wanted, or needed, another couple for Our Skyys 2. Yes, it was very cute to watch but it didn’t add anything to the main storyline.
******Potential Spoiler Alert******
The story concept for this section does not make sense. It would have if the script had written Gun’s management style in the main series similar to what was shown in this section. You briefly see it in the first episode but it quickly disappeared afterwards.
Why did we have to wait for this section to actually see Cher make one of his ASMR channel videos?
Was this review helpful to you?
Just Like the Series, Very Boring
The movie/series: See my full review for the series about the storyline, script, and acting. All of it applies to the movie too.The movie: Overall, they did a great job editing the series into a movie version. However, I wish they had fixed the weird editing choice from episode 7 because it does seem out of place and affected the mood for the next scene.
Random Notes:
You basically can skip the series and watch the movie version because there was very little that was edited out. As I stated with the series, you can wait to watch the movie until you have some time to kill and have nothing better on your must watch list.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Very Boring
I placed a spoiler alert at the end of this review.I usually wait for the movie version before I write a review, but this could not wait. This series was very underwhelming. The storyline used for the series was nothing new or exciting. This is not a bad thing if it had a great script. Unfortunately, this was not the case because it had too many weak elements. The main culprit is the lack of communication between all the characters. Using misunderstandings as a story element is nothing new, but this series takes it to a ridicules level. Another problem was very little to no character development with the whole cast, exception with Seon Ho. See spoiler alert at the end of this review for more information. The acting was ok, but nothing groundbreaking. The cinematography was good, but there was a weird editing choice in episode 7 that affected the mood for the next scene. It does have cool opening credits.
Random Notes:
This is one of those series you can wait to watch until you have some time to kill and have nothing better on your must watch list.
******Spoiler Alert******
I appreciate they did not use the “gay for you” story element. It was very refreshing that they had Seon Ho question his sexuality. After all, there are more than two types of sexuality.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Charming
I placed spoiler alert at the end of this review.If you are a fan of Cutie Pie, you will apricate the main point of this miniseries. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. It was great to see the cast stepping into their characters which they did a great job with what they were given. Unfortunately, this miniseries also had very little character development. The script was ok, but had some missed opportunity with some of the side characters. There was one editing problem with a backwards time jump in the beginning of the first episode that was not clearly noted.
Random Notes: It really depends on how much you like Cutie Pie if you should watch this.
******Spoiler Alerts******
The main point was to show the fans Kuea Keerati and Lian Kilen Wang’s wedding and stress the legal importance of same-sex marriage.
Was this review helpful to you?
Don’t let the first episode scare you off.
This had a very cute, weird but cute, story concept. I started watching this with the mindset of a sitcom. I know it’s a comedy, but watching it as a sitcom made it more enjoyable for me. Although it had a few weak points, the script was very different and uplifting. The first episode is a little bizarre due to the heavy stalker element of Toh. However, this element is toned down in following episodes. I usually don’t like series with a big cast, but they did a good job with keeping you interested. I actually remember who they were and started to care about them. The group dynamics of both groups was great and they were very supportive of each other. Their teasing can get a little out of hand at times, but they were always there when someone needed it. The actors were incredible and did a great job making you care about their characters.Random Note (Added on 3/4/2023): I strongly recommend watching this on Idol Factory’s YouTube channel, if you can, instead of Viki because the English subtitles on their channel is definitely a lot better than the ones on Viki.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Everyone has Family Drama!!!
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.This was a great series from start to finish. The script was outstanding with the exception of one aspect. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. The overall theme is that families are complicated, including the ones you create for yourself. The actors were outstanding in this series and did such a great job with their characters. This also had beautiful cinematography.
Random Notes:
I love watching series/moves that are set in a different generation. It was cool how they incorporated the Y2K millennium bug scare.
******Potential Spoiler Alert******
I personally felt the minor romance storyline between Keg and Bung was unnecessary. It would have been cooler to just see them form a close friendship without this. However, the good thing is this was not overpowering and doesn’t take up that much screentime.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The best one out of the 4
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.I stand corrected, this is the best one out of the compilation series. However, I may be bias because I love sci-fi storylines.
The positive: Although it had some elements that did not make sense, the script was good. The pacing was great and did a decent job introducing the characters’ backstories with one exception. I like the underline analogy about relationships in general. The two lines from episode 6 that sticks out to me is “You are an independent entity.” and “None of us own anyone.” The actors did a great job with their characters and portrayed them very well. Had very good cinematography, graphics, and music.
The negative: The script had some underdeveloped section which were only minor problems. It did take some liberties with the AI concept which some may not like. They also didn’t do a good job explaining the backstory with Chu Yi Ping’s dog. The script has one of my most hated story elements, but it actually made sense for a change. Again, this was only a minor problem for me.
******Spoiler Alert******
My main criticism is the length of the time jump. I’m not against it in this story because it did serve some purpose, but 7-years seemed too long.
Their first few kisses were predictable, but still cute.
I sort of understand the dog and Ever 9 comparison they were trying to make but it was weird and seems like a stretch to me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Watch with Low Expectations
I give them kudos for trying something different. This series was ok, but it could have been a lot better. I think the BL sitcom concept is interesting. Unfortunately, this series did not execute it very well. I kept watching it because I like the characters and hoped the writing would get better.The positive: The cast is great and their acting was awesome. They did a great job considering what they had to work with. The one good aspect of the script is it makes you care about most of the characters. The scenes involving Pleng’s imagination was great and found myself waiting each week for them. The theme song is very catchy. I wish the MV had subtitles. The series also had great sets.
The negative: The script is not the greatest. It took me awhile to figure out why many of the episodes seemed off to me. The reason is many of the scenarios that they place Rak and Diao in are the usual ones you would see in a regular dramatical series which does not work in a sitcom format. The scenarios also take away the BL enjoyable factor for me. The workplace jokes are over the top and are often very offensive. The jokes remind me of bad 70’s/80’s American sitcoms. There are also some running themes that became very annoying after a while. The very ending of the last episode was cute, but anticlimactic. It was done in the hopes of a possible 2nd season. As for production, the laugh track is annoying. They placed it in random spots that don’t fit in. There is also an overuse of sound effects. Using both in a series does not make it a sitcom. The content of the script also has to match the sitcom concept which this series fails to do.
Random Note:
The subtitle timing can be off-track. It’s either too slow or too fast at times. Some of them also include the timing notes for the subtitles.
If there is going to be a 2nd season, I’m not sure I will watch it. My wish list is that they keep the cast and set, but use a different screenwriter.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Beautifully Decorated Cake That’s Missing Flavor
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.Overall, this series was ok. Although it’s not a new concept, I still appreciated the attempted. It failed with the executed and something got lost in the mix. One problem is the pacing was a little off. There were some sections that felt rushed and disjointed. This caused some scenes to make no sense. Then we get sections with long useless scenes that are there as filler screentime. One example is there were too many flashback scenes in episode 5 and 6. There were also some weird scene placements which added to the story disconnect. Another problem is the script has many weak elements. Once again, there were one too many story elements/conflict scenarios for a 6-episode series. All the storylines were messily incorporated and received half-baked out-comes. Considering most of the cast is still relatively new, the acting was ok. I normally don’t single out actors, but Ohm unfortunately didn’t do a great job with his character. He didn’t show that much range of emotions with Shin. The cinematography and locations were stunning. However, it had some poor background music choices which did not match the mood of the scene.
Random Notes:
The two opening credits in episode 2-6 was weird.
Product placement was ok with one exception. In the middle of the 4th episode and during a very important scene, it turned into a Toyota commercial. This killed the overall significance of a scene between Shin and Peach.
If you are new to my reviews, I’m fascinated by seeing familiar location used in different series. The location for Peace’s house was also used in the series “Shadow” (Dan’s childhood home), “Sing Again” (Piano’s childhood home), “Mama Gogo” (Annie’s house), and in “21 Days Theory” (Q’s house). Yes, I acknowledge I'm a nerd for this.
******Potential Spoiler Alert******
On a positive note, this had a happy ending. However, it was rushed with everyone forgiving each other.
I wish they had just focused on one- or two-story elements that showed the character backgrounds, relationship development between the main leads, and friendship developments between all of the characters.
Was this review helpful to you?
It’s Ok, but the series was better
The movie/series: Although the storyline is basic, the script was well executed. It was not overly dramatic and gave a more realistic viewpoint about the LGBTQ+ community. The actors did a wonderful job portraying their characters. The cinematography and graphics were great. The series wisely used all of its screen time. The opening and closing credits for the series was very cute and fun to watch.The movie: On the positive side, they did add a few new scenes. Overall, the move version was not as good as the series. This is why editing is very important. They did a decent job editing it into a cohesive movie. However, they made poor editing choices. The main problem for me was key scenes were cut from the series. I’m assuming this was done for timing purposes, but I felt most of the cut scenes helped with the relationship and story progression. There was also many scene placements that was changed throughout the movie which didn’t help.
Random Notes:
The series was another BL office romance from 2023 that a really enjoyed watching. I just wish the movie version retained the same magic the series had.
I strongly recommend watching the series version. The added scenes were cute, but does not compensate for all of the cut scenes. As for my rewatch value, the 1 is for the movie version. The series is definitely a 10 value.
The movie didn’t clearly mark the college flashback scene which was 4 years ago.
The colors are not as vibrant in the movie version. The picture appears dull.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Somewhat Disappointing
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.It’s been a while since I was disappointed with a Taiwan BL Series. Overall, it is not a bad series. It just could have been much better. I appreciate the majority of the characters were working adults. It has some interesting story concepts, but suffers from poor execution. The script started off good but began to slowly unravel by episode 6. It completely came undone by episode 11. See spoiler alert at the end of this review for more information. The actors were great with what they were given. It’s not their fault that the script was greatly lacking in many areas. The cinematography was great, but had an excessively long picture montage at the end of each episode for some reason.
Random Note: Don’t stop watching after the excessively long picture montage at the end of each episode because there is an additional scene after it.
******Spoiler Alert******
Although it had a happy ended, episode 12 was bizarre. It tried to minimize a series situation from episode 11 to make it seem like it was no big deal. It also throws in a random wedding for a side couple that is introduced in this episode.
Was this review helpful to you?
Makes you appreciate what you have
This had a great story concept. I’ve always wondered about the personal stories associated with the objects found in second hand shops. The only problem with the script is it does fall short on the execution with the first two storylines. However, it did a great job transitioning into the next storyline. The series has an outstanding cast that did a great job with their characters. It also had beautiful cinematography and great music.Very Brief Storyline Review (Don’t worry, no spoilers):
Bond and Relationship (Episode 1 & 2) – This was ok. The main problem is they tried to pack in too many story elements in this section.
Memory of Happiness (Episode 3 & 4) – This was ok. The script felt incomplete which made it lacking something.
Road to Regret (Episode 5 & 6) – This story was a lot better than the first two. However, there was a miss opportunity in completing Got’s storyline.
Our Soundtrack (Episode 7 & 8) – This was a good story and was the first one that felt complete.
Love Wins (Episode 9 & 10) – This was a great story that also felt complete.
Somewhere Only We Belong (Episode 11 & 12) – This was a great story. I loved how they incorporated the other 5 stories toward the end.
Random Note: The story hints in the teaser trailer for the first 2 stories were more interesting than the actual stories we get in the series.
Was this review helpful to you?
