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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Loved every minute of it.

This was wild.

I surprisingly really loved that we figure out very early on what actually happened between In and Wang's parents. It's not a drama about this huge mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's about very real, human emotions and pain that still cuts so deep you can't bring yourself to say the words out loud. That being said, I was hanging on to every word being spoken, so still very much on the edge of my seat. And when I think about it, really, the ending is very much expected as well, and yet I was incredibly invested. The progression of them meeting, the intense gazes, getting to know each other, to confessing is so seamless.

Pond is phenomenal. So talented. And his smile had me kicking my feet, he's super cute, let's be honest.

[Spoiler-ish] There's honestly so much more I feel like I need to think about and digest when it comes to the daddy issues part of it all. But it was so interesting. I mean, the fact that they never address out loud how he looks just like his father, leaving us to connect the dots with the pictures of the two of them from the past with the way In looks at Wang when they first meet. That got me so good.

Highly recommend.

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Gripping until the very end.

I haven't written a review in a while but I feel compelled to write one now since I consistently failed to understand the scathing reviews after each episode. Why Her? was a wild ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. The acting is wonderful with no exception. The soundtrack is really beautiful and perfectly fits the atmosphere. We get a really strong, resilient, and flawed FM and deeply wronged yet sweet, loving, and intelligent ML.

I will say that I had higher hopes for the romance. Although, since the most common critique I read was that the romance was out of place, this should sound like a positive point for those less interested in this part of the drama. I thought their chemistry was greatly enjoyable and to me, their story was set to be absolutely incredible. It started off so strong in the first half but, in the end, I was sad not to see more development for them, especially with Gong Chan appearing less in the last quarter of the show.

I'm not entirely sure what else to say to convince others that this drama is worth their time, other than I was on the edge of my seat for most of it and that I'm not about to forget about these characters anytime soon.

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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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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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Good start and... no, that's it.

It honestly could have been really nice if it wasn't for the fact that it makes no sense... The acting's good and the actors have great chemistry but those two alone can't make up for having everything else missing.
The beginning's nice. I enjoyed the premise and Ki Jin and Yeong Woo are both interesting characters. But the more it goes on the more it feels like entire scenes are missing. The last two episodes, especially. There's at least 4 scenes missing to make sense of whatever the hell is meant to have happened. Episode 7, I thought okay... let's see if episode 8 can make sense of what happened here only for episode 8 to leave me with even more questions... It's frustrating to get attached to characters (even just a little bit) and not understand why they're crying, why they're mad, why they're not mad, why they're making up, who's to blame, who left or didn't leave, how much time has passed, these are genuinely all questions I have since finishing this series. That's too many questions.

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Trying to write a review for Utsukushii Kare is going to be hard considering how speechless it's left me...

After the first episode aired and the criticisms started, I defended Utsukushii Kare primarily on the fact that the contrast with the adorable Kieta Hatsukoi airing at the same time was startling. While I adored Kieta Hatsukoi, the premise isn't exactly unique. Utsukushii Kare came in and brought something so vividly different, I was hooked from the very beginning. Yes, it's not sunshine and rainbows. It's messed up kids, obsession, mistreatment, and other troubling behaviours, and I loved every second of it. Every episode gets wilder and wilder, more and more intense. The tension building progressively is truly remarkable. Their dynamic is one that while, yes, I would disapprove of in real life, I would love to see more of in dramas. It's a very flawed, intense romance, with a happy ending nonetheless, and I honestly couldn't ask for anything more.

The story is captivating, the acting is very solid, the soundtrack is perfect, and the complexity of their relationship definitely warrants a rewatch in the future. Easily 10/10.

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Strong start, such a confusing ending...

Up until episode 7 I was really defending this drama. It's very aesthetically pleasing, the actors have nice chemistry, plus they're gorgeous, and the soundtrack is wonderful. I was really enjoying it! It's a cute and short drama. They don't all need to be groundbreaking.
But episode 7 and 8... The conflict is confusing and the resolution even more so. The angst went from 0 to 100 so fast and back to 0 just as quickly... Jung Woo says let me explain and I thought we'd get some clarity but we don't even get to hear it because Do Gun's already moved past it. Just when I thought it couldn't get any more confusing, suddenly it's three months later but they've not seen each other? Why?
I'm glad I watched it, they're cute and there's definitely some noteworthy scenes but in terms of the story, while I was fine when it didn't look like it had a solid plot at first, they lost me when it all stopped making sense. I genuinely do not get Laura's problem...

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Keep your expectations low and you could love it

I felt I was in the minority looking forward to a new episode every week, but I really loved Don't Say No. From the start, I loved the synopsis; I thought a new couple struggling to go from best friends to lovers sounded really sweet. Both couples are adorable, and I very quickly found myself super attached to everyone. When Don't Say No was first announced, I thought "uh ok... but Fiat's the worst, though?" but his growth from Tharntype is really lovely to see and his main storyline is actually really good.

That being said, you can't expect too much from it. It's true that although Ja and First are really cute, they struggle to look natural and their intimate scenes are pretty awkward. But in all their other scenes, I really can't find anything to complain about. They're so sweet and they love each other so much.

Leon and Pob absolutely contributed to my willingness to ignore the less polished parts of the show (except that one episode where the scenes' order makes zero sense, that still irks me...). James is the best actor of the bunch, in my opinion. And he's so ridiculously loveable as Pob. James and Smart's chemistry is pretty unreal. I mean, they're just so good. Highly recommend.

It's too bad they only mentioned An and Nat in passing, though, cause I would have loved to actually see them together. Even Leo's parents got to be cute, why not them?

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Very sweet but a bit all over the place

Let's start with what I loved:

Wu Zheng is wonderful. Watching him be so gentle with Yu Shi was possibly my favorite part. I respect the fact that they chose to tackle DID and didn't make a complete mess of it (in my opinion). The acting is quite good, Wu Zheng is obviously head over heels and I really appreciate that Yi Da Dian wasn't overacting for Yu Shi. Not only that but he was very believable playing two different personalities.

Now, what wasn't so great:

First of all, the pacing is off, to the point where it's pretty jarring at times. Then, introducing a new couple out of nowhere. In the end, you're left wondering "Who is Jun Zhe?", "Who is Shang En?", and "Why should I care?" Either make a longer series with two couples who both get time to have a well developed story or keep it short with one couple. Finally, it's too short. I actually mean it's too short, not that they didn't use the time well. I think they needed at least two more episodes to come up with something that feels satisfying in the end. It's a compliment saying I wanted more, though! Now in the end, I still think it was very cute but it could have made such a bigger impact on me had we had more time to understand their relationship and understand why Wu Zheng fell for Yu Shi.

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I have so many issues with this season I don't even know where to start.

Argh, this was frustrating.

How can they tackle a story such as abuse of power, sexual abuse, and waste so much time on James and Ait's relationship? My problem isn't even that I find them boring or that Ait is annoying and immature. My problem is that they could have had something actually valuable to say and they bailed. The endless speech about James and Ait being in a relationship bore me to death. Even while acknowledging that shipping actors together is huge in the BL industry and makes sense to talk about (the way Lovely Writer also did), Tee's problematic behaviour comes last and is barely addressed. Honestly, I was more satisfied with the first season's ending... It felt open ended and optimistic whereas this one felt rushed and unresolved.

Now, don't get me wrong, I wanted to see Bas and Marco get together, but somehow when they do, it fixes all of Bas' issues? The depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, the constant self-blame? I can even excuse that they picked the weirdest time to have sex, I can believe that would happen, but it was way too rough considering Bas' history which made me really uncomfortable. Oh, and that's without even mentioning it's mere hours after Marco confessed his love to James. Yikes...

I'm trying to remember positive aspects but the end got me so upset I think I forgot everything else. I mean, if you exclude what I said above, Marco and Bas kissing in front of the cameras is quite cute. Apart from that, Bas' struggles are very real and definitely what I wanted from this season, brilliantly acted by Michael as well. Everyone say thank you Michael for giving this season a reason to exist. He single-handedly raised all of the scores.

I wouldn't say don't watch it because Michael is amazing but... gosh it's flawed. If it was any longer, I would have said don't bother.

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Crossing my fingers for more Korean BLs of this length and quality!

The first three quarters, my heart was beating so fast. The last quarter, they played with my emotions so much I was afraid I'd throw my computer out the window. Overall, I had a great time!

The acting is great, everyone is very gentle and soft which is I personally adore. Tae Kyung is just awkward enough that it's not painful to watch, instead he's very sweet and innocent and leaves you hoping you could be more sincere and honest like him. Shin Woo opens up so beautifully that it doesn't feel like he gets a sudden personality transplant. It's very nicely paced in that regard. Ah, I love this boy a lot. He's a cutie pie. I really oscillated when it came to the way I felt about Da On. He's obviously got good intentions and is just misguided but it's hard not to feel annoyed when people keep getting hurt around him. As much as So Hee gets on your nerves, in retrospect I understand her more than I thought I would: three years is a long time to hold on to someone who won't tell you no just to be polite. Now, I don't always vibe with the funny best friend type of character but honestly, Nam Goong is a gem. He's not too over the top, really funny, sweet, and, as it turns out, loyal, reliable, and very mature beneath his goofy exterior. Bonus points for Haet Bit who is wonderful and adorable (Season 2! Season 2! Yes?).

In terms of the story, it's definitely heavy on the love triangle. I wasn't prepared for how much Tae Kyung likes Da On, which made me think maybe it wouldn't have the clear ending I expected. It kept me on my toes, that's for sure! Individually, the characters are all pretty interesting. Although, I wouldn't have minded a bit more info about Shin Woo. There's so much time spent on Da On's personality that it feels a little unbalanced compared to Tae Kyung and Shin Woo.

It hasn't dethroned my favorite Korean BL despite having the huge advantage of being longer but it easily is way better than a lot of BLs out there. More please!

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Call It What You Want isn't high production by any means but what it does have is an important message, a great storyline, fantastic actors, as well as a good soundtrack.
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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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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I really didn't know what to expect from this. I don't generally enjoy anything AI related but I have a thing for tropes like prosopagnosia so I wanted to give My Holo Love a shot. I think AI stories can rarely make a 10/10 show; the debate around AI is too complicated, in my opinion. I went into it with a decent amount of suspension of disbelief as well, but even just the fact that we're not going to discuss how strange it is to entertain the idea of human/AI romantic relationships is where I was being lost. Not to say I didn't enjoy it because I really did! I thought it had a really satisfying ending, as well. 12 episodes was a great call; I think 16 would have felt too stretched out.

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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