Littlemiss
France
Okay. I'm obsessed.
I have to start off by saying I've always loved the soulmate trope. Always. From the electrifying first look at the person they've looked for forever to the dreams and confusion, UWMA was everything I could have ever hoped for and more. I adore the direction that they took with it. I don't know if a smarter person would have seen the twists coming but I didn't and every reveal had me bawling my eyes out and screaming about what a good story this was.The casting of Fluke, Earth, Ohm, and Kao is genius. They've got those similar looks and they all do a great job of giving off the same energy as their counterpart. Overall, the acting from everyone is pretty stellar.
From keeping up with BLs online, I'd only ever seen bits of Team and Win and gathered that they somehow must have managed to steal the show which led me to believe there would be a lot more of them than there actually is. But I get it, their chemistry is effortless. I actually loved how low-key they are. We don't see them meet, they're doing their own thing, don't have a big storyline, they're good friends, and it was really sweet. I think it was a great idea when you already have Pharm and Dean with their super intense love story right next to them. As for Pharm and Dean, Korn and Intouch, well... They're perfect.
The soundtrack is nothing special and sometimes it's a bit loud, although that one violin piece they play during the emotional scenes made it impossible for me not to cry. My one major complaint is that one of my favourite scenes with Dean's mother doesn't have the follow-up I was so eagerly waiting for which is super disappointing. Also, could have done without the recurring body-shaming comments. Still a 10/10, though.
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Absolutely blown away
I went into this with no expectations and pretty randomly when I saw how short it was. I would have happily watched a long series from this. In fact, I'm dying for it. I adore the premise, it's one of those stories I could watch twenty different versions of and never get bored.However, for being so short, "Long Time No See" does an excellent job covering all the bases. I didn't feel like anything was missing, the plot made sense, and the acting was great. The chemistry between the two leads is really good and instantly pulls you in. I thought Yeon Seung Ho was an interesting casting choice; he's got such an innocent face, it's super fun to see him play this character.
And it's got a happy ending, need I say more?
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Oh my god…
Spoiler-free until warning at the last paragraph.A lot of characters in this one! In the end I didn’t mind too much but I was happy to see them more or less go away in the second part, whether that was entirely due to covid or not I don’t know but that was fine with me.
Fighter and Tutor - First of all, Zee is UNREAL in this. Saint’s acting is also superb. I honestly have no words for how much I adored Zee, the way he looks positively devastated by Tutor is like crack to me, his face when he’s afraid of going too far with Tutor kills me in the best way possible; and Tutor, who’s usually so cute and innocent looking becoming so strong and confident in their more intimate moments is absolutely mesmerizing.
These two not only lived up to all the hype but exceeded all of my expectations. They love each other so much, just seeing them stare lovingly at one another makes me cry.
Saifah and Zon - Just me who’s very disturbed by the fact that Zon’s sister is writing about his love life? That’s too weird… Anyway, these two are cute for sure and I enjoyed their story but Saifah said it best, so much back and forth. Make your mind up, Zon, please… They do have an adorable height difference going for them. Also, Zon really is adorable once he loosens up a bit.
Japan and Tanthai - I liked these guys! Not too much focus and just cute enough that I didn’t even mind that they’re pretty useless otherwise.
Blue, Dew, and Champ - Unclear ending but uh… anyone really rooting for Dew?? Not me… The heck… I’m underwhelmed that Nat and Max seem to have been paired up, the chemistry for me absolutely was between Nat and Mark but maybe I’ll like them in something else, who knows.
Spoilers ahead!
I was disappointed not to hear Tutor apologize about what he said but then again we didn’t see Fighter apologizing for what he did either. Speaking of, I see how that scene could be seen as problematic but even as the audience, I thought Tutor was giving in as in: "this is who I want, screw his dad," and it’s also clear Fighter wouldn’t have gone too far so I didn’t mind it too much. I was more sad to see them fighting rather violently when they’d been so gentle with each other up until then.
A highlight for me were the flashbacks of Fighter falling in love from the start. That broke me. Zee’s acting in that scene is so perfect.
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Very sweet and a good time spent
Ah, this was cute! I watched it essentially as an introduction to OffGun and thought puppies and kittens would make this enjoyable but I really liked Emma and Porsche! They're really cute, the story's interesting, the drama makes sense, I was into it! It's not groundbreaking but also not too long which makes it perfect to watch when you're not sure what else to start that might be more of a time commitment.I was happily surprised by the amount of Pick and Rome considering the synopsis for Puppy Honey 2. I don't know that I particular felt that incredible chemistry that I was advertised but yes, they're great, I do see why people like them together.
What I particularly appreciated is the small cast. A lot of series set in a school, they usually have a billion friends whose names I'm still trying to remember by the end so this was so great for that reason. It's just their small group of four friends and I loved it.
Someone on that show reeeeeally loves the fall into the other's arms trope.
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This review may contain spoilers
Splendid!
I'd read a lot of praise surrounding "Dark Blue Kiss" and was so excited to finally get around to it. Happy that it didn't disappoint one bit!Alright, so first PeteKao:
Let's be honest, Pete isn't the most... likeable in this one, but I do love him all the same. I mean, his boyfriend is the cutest, sweetest, most likeable guy in all of their school, I'd be worried about someone wanting to snatch him up, too! He thankfully makes a few good points eventually which helps redeem him. Although, thank god for Sandee for telling him straight a few times. As for Kao, I think it's already clear that I adore him. I just wanna eat him up.
Although can we talk about how in one of the prequels, Kao is the one taking photos for Sun but now Pete is the photography enthusiast and Kao suddenly knows nothing about cameras? That was weird.
I'm obsessed with Pete's dad and Kao's mom. All of their scenes are so precious and really wonderful and honestly so refreshing and necessary when telling a story about a kid afraid of coming out. To see both of them react so beautifully is wonderful.
There's a lot that reminded of "Tharntype 2". Kao and Type getting into trouble for being too kind to a kid with a crush and bad intentions, Fiat and Non being that kid with a crush, and finally Tharn and Pete being the possessive and jealous type. Though I love "Tharntype 2", "Dark Blue Kiss" has more than just miscommunication to the major conflict which is a big plus (there's still a lot of it, though, so they're both pretty much equally frustrating eheh).
Speaking of Non, I think it's hilarious that he just disappears after the truth comes out. Fiat gets a redeeming ark in Tharntype and I was not about it, I actually thought this was much more fun when you've spent a whole season hating the kid. Karma (but yeah his dad needs to chill...).
Then, SunMork:
Sun is really cute and I do like him but it takes that boy such a long time to question himself and it doesn't look like he ever would have without Rain. Rain being sort of stuck in the middle was actually really awesome. I loved him. He's really sweet, loyal, kind, and funny; what more can you ask for? I feel as though I still don't really know Mork, which is a shame, but I like him. I thought their story was just as interesting as Pete and Kao.
The soundtrack is really, really great. I'm especially obsessed with the opening credits, I never skipped it, it was that good!
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Even better than expected!
Wow! Loved this! New favorite for sure.I only have good things to say. For an enemies to lovers it's not much of a slow burn which is nice. Sam and Yu's chemistry is incredible.
I thought the pacing was really good. There's not too much insistance on stuff that we maybe don't care too much to see like Shu Yi's initial crush.
I love getting to see Shu Yi go from angry and hurt to a soft marshmallow, he's so sweet. As for Shi De, that boy is instantly so loveable. Shi De's mom is also such a nice character.
The soundtrack is really nice as well, I mean it's all just really good. Watch it, seriously.
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Adrenaline-Packed and Ridiculously Entertaining
I usually try to be a bit more eloquent in my reviews but genuinely all I can say about Bad and Crazy is I fucking loved it.It's super wild, so funny, and such a good time. Lee Dong Wook and Wi Ha Joon are an amazing pair and the bromance is top-tier. The villains are awesome, too. Boss Yong especially is a great character. I didn't think it was all as predictable as I've seen others say it is but it's true I don't tend to try and predict what's going to happen.
I think if you tend to be more on the skeptical side and looking for realism, you do need to get into it with an open mind and remember that we're following Ryu Soo Yeol. We're following him 95% of the time, seeing what he's seeing. If you're thinking "wait, this doesn't work," in my opinion yes it does, in Ryu Soo Yeol's head it does.
I would highly recommend Bad and Crazy, especially if you need a break from more mellow dramas or romance, and are looking for something a little more... well, crazy.
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Definitely flawed but worth your time.
When Cutie Pie was first announced, I got into my head that it would be a bit more... serious, perhaps? Instead, it's heavy filters, flawless makeup, clichés, and a cute soundtrack. I didn't mind, though! Once I got my head around the fact that it would greatly differ from my expectations, I was good to go. I actually quite liked all of those aspects, but it's undeniable that Cutie Pie is very flawed in the plot department. It's quite slow, often nonsensical, and the back and forth is at times really annoying. I really wanted Cutie Pie to answer my craving for a good arranged marriage trope, but the end result definitely didn't do that for me. Despite all that, they still managed to keep me pretty hooked.What actually bothered me, though, was the incredible potential in Nuea and Syn. These two genuinely had more room, more depth, to their story than the actual second couple. There's a lot of nothing happening in Yi and Diao's scenes...
Overall, it's absolutely worth the watch but you'd have to keep in mind that the plot is pretty weak... It's really sweet, Nunew's voice in that soundtrack is insanely good, the outfits are great, Nuea and Diao's friendship is such a highlight of the series, and Zee and Nunew's chemistry is off-the-charts. It remains true that I would watch anything with Zee in it. He was the perfect choice for this character.
I'm gonna keep a fond memory of Cutie Pie, I'm sure, but my heart is desperately in need of more Syn and Nuea...
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An awesome direction for BLs to be going
Ah, I don't know exactly what to think. I'm kind of mad at myself for binge watching it. I think it might have been more enjoyable if I'd paced myself more.Anyway, I would definitely recommend it, if only for the fact that it's super unique and a nice change. Tian alone is worth a rewatch.
Pros:
- very different setting
- wholesome village dynamic
- interesting storyline
- the CUTEST main character. I wasn't super taken by Phupha but as I said, I absolutely adore Tian. He grows into such a sweet ray of sunshine with the most gorgeous smile nearly permanently on his face and I'm absolutely in love.
- Tul, whom I also love
Con:
- not too long per say (after watching four movie length Korean bl drama, I was stocked about how long this one is) but it was dragging in a lot of places. I found too much back and forth was happening in the last two episodes especially for me personally.
- not much romantic development
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The four boys are all very unique and distinct characters, each with their own loveable traits. I feel for Bas, poor thing is going through it and having to third wheel James and Ait as well? Ouch. I really wanted more of Kaprao but that's just because I love him a lot. Marco is a sweetheart.
I'm glad a second season is coming but honestly even though there's no resolution per say, I wouldn't say this is an unsatisfying ending, I liked it exactly as is.
One thing I didn't understand was the need for Ait's jealousy. It just seems unnecessary to me as it doesn't further the plot in any way.
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Aftermath makes it all worth it
This is rough, because on the one hand I'm ready to defend certain aspects of this season til I die, on the other hand, "Together With me: The Next Chapter" as a whole sucks. Oh my god, it sucks. Cho and Yiwah are boring, Farm has become absolutely detestable and Bright needs to die. Seriously, how anyone can root for Farm and Bright is beyond me. Poor Rit was too good for them, anyway... Also, the fact that Korn's sister isn't in this season is beyond stupid.Basically, it's impossible to rate it properly, but also not fair to give it a poor rating just based on the fact that they went with cheating, especially because they give us some of the best scenes ever. It has some of the best but also some of the worst.
My rating for everything but KornKnock goes like this:
Story: 4.0/10
Acting/Cast: 8/10
Music: 9/10
Rewatch Value: 1.0/10
Overall: 3.0/10
My KornKnock rating goes like this:
Story: 9.0/10
Acting/Cast: 10/10
Music: 9/10
Rewatch Value: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Korn and Knock are brilliant. Yes, it sucks that they went with a cheating storyline but by god the aftermath is superb. I really fell in love with Max here. His acting in episode 12 is... I mean, it left me speechless. I think about Korn saying "Don't push me away, I've been crazy since you left me" every single day and I'm not even joking. It made me sob so hard the first time I watched it. The way Korn, eyes swollen from crying for days, tears running down his face, grabs his face, says in the softest voice ever “Because you’re so cute”, sighs in relief and kisses him, that part… that part makes me want to scream into a pillow it’s so good. The whole reunion and ending is just perfect.
And this is coming from someone who absolutely despises cheating storyline, normally I'm out right away. Thankfully, I read one review that said episode 12 healed all wounds and decided to trust it and I'm so, so happy I did. Basically, don't skip out on the whole season because of that. Well I mean... KornKnock are so worth it, the rest of the characters... sadly aren't; they're not at all as enjoyable as in season 1, so by all means maybe skip them...
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Drastically different quality from one story to the next.
I'm afraid Rain and Phayu set the bar too high for Sky and Prapai.It's too bad, I really believe they had the material to make Sky and Prapai's story just as good. They even had the hype as it definitely seemed a lot of people were looking forward to them more than Rain and Phayu but the chemistry was nowhere near as good as BossNoeul and neither was the acting, though I was thankfully pleasantly surprised by Fort in some of the more emotional scenes in the last episode.
They kept all the interesting bits for the very end. I really don't get why you would want to do that. From their first to their penultimate episode, there's really not much happening... I don't think I could even tell you what happens besides Prapai is after Sky and Sky is resisting. Looking back, the way they meet is a pretty good indicator of how badly the rest of their story is going to be handled. Even without mentioning the acting, the whole thing didn't feel as polished as the first part. The phone calls alone were horrendous to listen to.
Let's not forget the good part, though. BossNoeul have insane chemistry. There's no awkwardness at all and the way they look at each other alone had me giggling like an idiot. Speaking of idiots, Rain is such a lovable dummy, I really love characters like that, but he's definitely one of the dumbest. I love him a lot ❤️ Thursdays were so much more fun with them.
I really went from such a high to a pretty low low... In my opinion, RainPhayu is 10/10; SkyPrapai is more of a 5/10. It's pretty jarring. It feels very strange to rate it so low after loving Rain and Phayu so much but at the end of the day, it wouldn't make sense to give higher than 7.5 to a show I wouldn't recommend you watch more than half.
Anyway, watch Rain and Phayu ❤️
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Pleasantly surprised!
I read a few reviews that said the synopsis sounded promising but they had a hard time getting into it. I had sort of the opposite experience. While the synopsis did sound really promising, I put this series off for a long time not just because of the lower ratings but because I was afraid I would hate Chae Ro Woon's character. I finally decided to give it a shot anyway and was hooked from the very beginning. Chae Ro Woon isn't loud and obnoxious like I thought she might be. I thankfully didn't find her annoying, she's cute! Yes, I did prefer her in her quieter moments and the last episode took a bit of my appreciation for her away, but I still liked her. They're not making it into my favourite pairings but I was definitely rooting for them!I didn't expect the wacky editing (that doesn't last the whole series, though) and was a bit put off by it at first but once I leaned into it, the series has some really funny moments.
The story is a bit flawed in some aspects but I did like it. It's full of twists, none of which I saw coming. One thing that really didn't work for me though is Ro Woon not realizing who Hwan Ki is for so long. At least have Hwan Ki wear a mask, it would fit his character and help with the realism.
In terms of the characters, in the beginning, I was particularly gripped by trying to figure out what kind of man Woo Il is. I wish there had been even more of Hwan Ki and Woo Il, actually; their relationship was one of the most interesting aspects of this drama. I loved Hwan Ki, he was the sole reason why I couldn't stop going back and think about whether or not I should give this series a try. Gyo Ri and Yi Soo broke my heart the most.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this, maybe more than most because I kept my expectations low but either way, I really liked it.
Major beef for how their end credits spoiled a major kiss that one time I forgot to pause as the last scene of the episode ended. Why would you do that? Why should I have to pause so that I won't be spoiled? Argh...
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In terms of the acting, Yoon Hyun Min especially is really remarkable playing two very different characters and he just gets better and better as the series progresses. I also really enjoyed Hwang Chan Sung. However, Nam Myung Ryul was giving me cartoon villain energy at times, both in terms of acting and his character.
I really liked So Yeon and Nan Do but I somehow finished the series feeling like I wished there had been more of them. Perhaps because the conclusion is a bit short? I'm not sure.
The action in the last few episodes was top tier. I really enjoyed those moments, especially.
The one thing that actually bothered me in terms of the storyline is that one major flaw in Nan Do's backstory. I won't elaborate to keep this review spoiler-free but I hope I wasn't the only one confused.
Also, absolutely irrelevant but how gorgeous is Choi Yeo Jin? Wow...
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I've never been so confused...
What a weird experience this was.First 10 episodes I'm sat here thinking: "Wow, this is amazing," only for it to turn into a massive trainwreck.
There's a lot a of great things to be said about the first ten episodes!
While I was expecting something a bit darker for some reason, instead of real hate to start off, it's childish and hilarious bickering. The two main leads have great chemistry and great acting. The story is interesting enough; I was even thinking that despite being a step-brother story, a trope that I hate, it wasn't bothering me at all because of how it's set up. It was easier to watch in part because it's not a tight-knit family, they don't get along so there's less stakes if they do want to be together. The soundtrack is great, it's non-invasive and not overused and when there is music, it's a really pleasant guitar or piano tune that I genuinely love.
And after episode 10... well... I actually have no words.
Gu Hai gets a personality transplant that even great chemistry can't fix. Up until this point, he was very overly affectionate but it was still somewhat palatable and funny, keeping in mind that for a BL made in 2016 I knew to be prepared to not let myself be bothered by the more problematic aspects. I can't even say that Luo Yin "looks" like he wants to run away because he absolutely does! He's so uncomfortable, even more than before, and it's just not possible to enjoy at that point. And honestly the story just stops making sense. The step-brother aspect never becomes relevant; we don't even get to really see anyone react.
I actually didn't know that it was censored until it actually is very obvious scenes were cut and after watching those scenes, oh boy, it's even worse than I could have possibly imagined.
That being said, the whole story behind the series, what happened to the sequel, and the actors being separated and struggling to find work after the ban is heartbreaking.
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