Shiro

Empty eyes

This drama starts off with interesting, playful, cool slightly broken leads but drags on and on with boring plot point after boring plot point... slow mo.... flashbacks and filler episodes making my slightly affectionate eyes getting n to this end up as empty ones.

The leads ahve decent interactions and indeed do seem to look at each other wiht hungry/deeply affectionate eys but they are hot n cold, yes and no, on and off, and on and off, and poof someone is gone and poof someone comes back. Immature, impulsie and completely lacking communication skills are words that could describe every single character in this drama except for the kid.

A part of me loved the kid another feels really bad for the kid as he is just a kid but takes on the role of grown up, mature voice in the room. In the drama it is passed off as a good thing in my mind all I see is irresponsible adults making this kid grow up to fast.

Yes there are some decent shows of found family, courtship and friendship... Bad paranteing, more bad paranting and yes bad parenting from the so called good parents too.

So while there are some interesting and passionate moments between our mains and Im sure there is a good story to be told hidden in there somewhere... The drama it self may aim for deep affectionate eyes from the viewers, as the episodes went by, much like a bad marriage the affectionate eyses turende empty and I just could not wait for it to end.

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Sweet , sweet romance, friendship, rivelery and Hoodies, hoodies everywhere....

When the hoodies are flowing and umbrellas are showing, you just know this drama is going to be a hit! As this is such a sweet feel good youth drama with, lots and lots of sweet heart fluttering moments, so sweet that they literally had do add insulin just to keep the sugar levels down, while adding some pretty decent (but not perfect) representation of type 1 diabetes.

There are very few dramas with multiple couples that are as lovable and fun to watch as this one, as the mix of personalities, friendship and romance in this drama is well balanced, seldom over the top and just a joy to watch. Showing us both friends to lovers done complicated, hate to love, love to sad... Poor/Rich, Smart/not so smart...

I love the way this drama deals with different types of jealously, fear and privilege . Again not perfect but they do show how what some take for granted becomes an impossible obstacle for others. This without making it to angsty or messy for that matter.

The visuals in this drama are also just lovely, especially the great use of hoodies, fashion and everything cliche, youthful and nice... Including a contestant for best umbrella scene of 2022 or even the 2020s.

The main couple here reminded me a lot of Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik in terms of chemistry and acting, however the story is more of a Weightlifting Fairy meets Fight For My Way type of deal with the added mystery of who is the writer of Dear M, and who the real M actually is. But looses some points for some a bit to cringe dialog here and there and that the who is M does get a bit meeh after the 10th episode, you kind of stop caring who M actually is... And thought there is A LOT of sweet, sweet moments they are just not as many or as not as sweet as inthe dramas mentioned above. Still definitely a drama worth watching for all rom com lovers out there.

Bingabilaty:10
Heartflutter 10
Annoying moments: very few but enough to drag down the score.

So go, enjoy have fun and tell me what you think.

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Good start but crashed towards the end

This is a slice of life drama that shows that life is what happens between the day to day life and tragedies... While one tragedy after another seem to leave the leads unaffected its the small drops that push them over the edge, over and over again.

The first 6 or 7 episodes have decent pace and decent story and even made me shed a tear or two. Our female lead didn't really deliver much when it comes to talant but her story was mostly interesting and so was her character. This drama could truly have been great and gotten a higher score if it werent for the painfully slow last 3 episodes that went back and fourth, round and round we go...

At times it felt like they put more effort to shooting pretty things than making sure the story had a good flow. A decent story dragged out a bit to long while still leaving out a whole lot of missing pieces towards the end.

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Start of with a mist of mystery but ends up kind of meeh

What do you get when you combine a Lovely Cast, a predictable plot, Cringe and a whole lot of annoying elements?

Well I guess you get a whole lot of watchers who want to enjoy this but end up just felling meeh... Was it worth my time? probably not? Was it bad? Not really... it just lacked that spark that could have made up for all the annoying elements that would make me go oh all is forgiven.

The drama starts off with a mist of mystery, a male lead who is some kind of Korean Phantom of the Opera with mostly mental scars, meets a supernatural... Our male lead has this mysterious unavailable charm that was almost captivating however once he took off the mask the mystery was kind of gone and all that remained was a beautiful face with a whole lot of cringe.

Our female lead had so many monologs I found myself bored off my mind and the people around them where 50 shades of annoying with one pretty good lookin Ahjusssi and well that is.

The story while predictable had a lot of good hidden inside and the good cast kept me from dropping this and stands for all the good so while I admit this was not the most enjoyable watch of the week, I still feel that the good does accumulate to a 7 ... So if you do not mind over the top annoying elements and love the leads in this it may just be a really good choice. But if you are just a fan of the leads you may just want to skip this.

Also will someone PLEASE give Seo Ji Hon a good romance where he is the male lead... Seriously this is getting ridiculous.

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Where toxic fumes and fluff create HOT steam...

This drama may not have a lot of story to it, as it practically is two guys in an arranged engagemnet keeping secrets from each other creating lots, and lots of trust issues and playing games instead of communicating with each other... Lots of cliches not much plot, highly entertaining and defiantly fun to watch for all us cliche fluff lovers out there... a feast for the eyes a fest for the ears... Toxic goo everywhere... However having parents not only support but encourage a gay marriage is kind of sweet and not very common in Dramaland... And I dare say it is really well done, not completely ignoring the society we still live in while trying to make the idea of an arranged gay marriage no less strange the idea of an arranged hereto marriage, with all their +s and -ses.

What is slightly troublesome in most of the show is the way two of the couples younger half are treated like kids with curfews, withholding of information, lies, lies and more lies... And well control and disipline ,.. more like they were their younger siblings or their kids but with steamy kisses and well made steamy sex scenes... People you should not have to control or discipline your other half.... However this does make for a starting point for character development and I did manage to separate the acting like parents and the steam but for those who find that stuff hard to separate and/or are sensitive to this type of stuff MOVE ON there are plenty other titles to watch you do not have to watch this one. It is entertaining but not that entertaining that it would make it worth it for those who get triggered by this type of stuff.

Kirin the young half of the main couple is such a talented sweetheart, hiding his true self 8for good reason), does a pretty good job jumping between personalities and conveying conflicting emotions, fear and desire to be loved. He has some pretty awesome friends (especially Syn )who are sweet, supportive, interesting and make for some pretty fun couples of their own.

Hia /Kilen is a typical cold CEO type with a fun and warm side waiting to be discovered... making for a whole lot of fun humour and some pretty fun scenes. Also not every time but many of the times they say Hia it sound more like they are saying sheeeea, kind of entertaining for those used to hearing that word as something else than a name...

Both guys very 2 different personalities (each) that are a blast to watch especially watch them swith between them.

The other side characters are pretty decent and this is the biggest revolution of them all the parents here seem to be the voice of reason. the other Hia Yi (Hias best friend and older half of the second couple) bothers me for some reason, could be the lack of reason...

But the overall message seems to be pretty decent, once you get past some of those other issues...

Bingabilaty High
toxic levels: medium high
Healthy relationships: none
Fluff: 9
Steam: 10
Entertainment value: 9
Quality: 7
Chemistry: fireworks
Kisses: A LOT, no dead fish in sight

Defiantly worth a watch for those who can stand the heat and separate fiction from relationship goals.

P.S. There are 2 cute dogs and some pretty heallereos PPL also make sure to stick around pasta the credits of the last episode.

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So bad it is good... Cringe and Cuteness as far as the eye can see...

This is short, easy to watch, easy to smile and definitely made me laugh once or twice per episode... And taught me that even cake can be funny...

The leads are cute as buttons... and have very interesting flirting techniques... The Second lead made me wonder if he was supposed to be a parody or if he was meant to be an authentic second lead... whatever their intention I loved him and he was probably the source of most of my laughter...

Other things I found funny was the very purple flat mate, scenes at the gym... completely illogical shower scenes... And a lot more...

I also liked the wisdom within the youth, teaching me new things...

I cringed, I laughed, I binged it too fast and I want more!

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Pursuit of paceing

This is another hard to rate drama, as it starts off really well, unlike many other costume dramas that start off really draggy with lots, and lots of details that are impossible to keep track off from the start. This drama eases us in to the complications ahead, starting off with some kind of 100 days my prince but without the oh ho and amnesia. Nice towns people, a bad ass female lead and cute kid.

Some adorable lines such as if you want the cubs you must feed the wolf and all roun sweet and fun male lead too.

Then the drama takes a turn to the oh so repetitive justice warriors gone mee... over to the blood thirsty annoyingly boring... Our bad ass female lead becomes this super self riotous warrior with a huge saviour complex trying to carry the whole worlds injustices on her own... Over to the back and fourth annoying , draggy and then book action, things happen and all is forgiven. It is as it they put the long build upp draggyness many other dramas have in the middle instead of in the beginning.

Making me want to rate this all between a 5 and a 9 so I decided to give the bad ass female characters, chemistry and charming male lead some extra stars and settled for an 8 even though I am glad it is finally over...

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A beautifully captured moment (okay years) in time

This drama is such a trip down memory lane, relatable lovable, sweet and deep. Not so much for the sports and romance this dramas strengths are rather the slice of life, nostalgia, real events, issues, mixed with beautiful stories of friendship, hardship and some other ship...

To be honest I was a little bit annoyed at the way they portrayed the female lead in the first few episodes making her seem a lot younger than she was supposed to be as well as making the male lead seem a lot older than he was supposed to. I understand that it was probably done to set the scene and mood but it was little bit over done and borders on annoying. However that faded out as the story progressed and rather turned in to character growth instead of annoyance.

I was also annoyed at people pushing blame, wishing others harm o and it did have just a little bit to much yelling for my taste... But hone it had all these really good one liners and scenes encouraging mistakes that I almost forgot about those annoying elements.

There are a lot of good and interesting messages in this drama, great cinematography, gorgeous use of umbrellas... cuteness, fluff and everything painful... The short visits in to present day are well placed and though they could be considered spoilers making this drama spoil itself... the spoiling still keeps us wondering why, how and in what way are they going to... dare I feel happy? In other words these so called spoilers keep the emotional level high thru out the drama.

The people and situations portrayed in this drama are often complex and are often shown from different angels taking a step away from the typical good guy/bad guy as well as showing the affect on the people behind them.. As well as showing the circumstances leading up to the situation or sometimes questionable decision.

The setting in the late 90´s was so much fun to watch, having been a teen at that time my self I just loved the way they used tapes, showed the fashion, the computers, the first phone... the fear of the 2k-bug and the events that helped form the people of my generation, even if I myself liven on the other side of Asia at the time,

I have, laughed, cried, been angry... Yep felt just about every single emotion out there making this drama just right for me and would have given it 10 stars if it wrest for some cringey annoying dialog here and there as well as a few (very few) twists that felt like they were trying to make us a bit to emotional. The emotions were there just fine without those scenes so they ended up annoying me. However I do love this story, the way it is told and the overall messages conveyed in this drama

In numbers
Bingeabilaty: 10
Lovable and interesting characters: 10
Annoying elements : -2
Frustration: 7
Sidestorys: 10
Main story: 10
Oneliners: 10
Relatable characters: 9
Visuals+ eye candy: 10

In conclusion I loved it!

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The story may be iffy at times but the execution is gorgeous

This was just so pretty, from the scenery to the colours, lighting... And OST making me ad an extra or maybe even two star just for being a pleasure fore the ear and eye.

The story itself has some issues, I am not going to lie not so much for the age gap as the main leads are indeed consenting adults, and not in a type of power relation where one part is dependent on the other.

The female lead, young as she may be is smart, forward, and is going in to this with her eyes wide open. It is easy to see that she and the male lead connect on several levels. She does of course have some issues but they are more about other stuff than age. However the way they style her most of the time does make her look a bit to innocent and child like, something that did bother me.

The male lead has an awful headband most of the time reminding me of 80s rock,I personally love 80's rock but the look was just bad. that sad, aside from the head band the guy did indeed show some great aesthetics and was indeed shot in slow motion from a bunch of very flattering angles. His character was kind, pretty passive, and seamed to try to hold back most of the dram a. And as long as he holds back we the viewers are offered a lot of build up, gazes, slow mo stuff... And fluff, colourful lighting and stem or fluff making the frame look all dreamy... steamy...

The second male lead is probably one of the most oblivious characters in all of dramaland, I honestly think they made him stupid and childlike to show us that the female lead was a better match to the old guy than the guy her own age. Other than that he was just in the way and slightly annoying.

The female leads mom shows us yet again that controlling your grown up child is a bad idea, she is in desperate need of therapy and did not really add anything good to the plot at all , not even good drama and flavour, just flavourless spice that burns your mouth but gives you nothing.

The rest of the characters range from ok I see you are there to wtf, just don't.

There is a really cute cat, a bunch of fish some of dramalands most amazing umbrella scenes with not only black and yellow umbrellas but also leaf umbrella and painted umbrella. Besides naming the drama "The Forbidden flower" the drama incorporates a whole range of interesting flowers, both on canvas and out in fields. Making both animals , umbrellas and flowers an in-separate good part of the plot, more interesting than most of the supporting characters.

All in all a good watch with plenty of steam, but it is definitely not for everyone, and while there are a few boring episodes some odd editing choices (censorship?) here and there it is overall highly binge able and a decent drama to watch if not for the plot than for the beauty of cinematography and OST,

P.s there are quite a few flashbacks and montages that look a bit like an 80s romance intro/power-balad video.

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Bickering Fun

If you love bickering, hate to love, to hate, to love this is definitely a good place to ind it.

It is such an easy binge, one moment you started it then next you are waiting fo that last episode to be released the next day,

While I am not going to lie, there are a few very annoying over the top characters, their screen time is limited enough to not drag down the score to much.

The rest of the characters are lovable, sweet, and jus ta blast to watch. Especially the Past versions of the leads. Those to had me feeling a whole lot of nostalgia, pain and sweetness all at once. The chemistry between the two kids was just so perfect. so playful and cute. The way those two conveyed emotions impressed me a lot. Actually ID say all the teens in this drama where really well casted and did a great job both past and present.

If you are looking for something to surprise you , unpredictable twits and thrills this is not the place you will find it,. Unless you are new to dramaland that is, and if so then part of me envy's you...This is definitely a good drama for beginners. But for those experienced in drama land the you are bound to smell the twists several episodes a head.

While the grown up cast was all pretty good. I want to give some extra point, and love to the female leads new best friend she definitely had me wanting more

A fun and easy binge for all bickering hate ti love lovers out there.

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Icicle humor, icicle plot and sweet, sweet icicle love

Is it better to have loved and lost or to never have loved at all? well this drama attempts to answer that question in the most twisted way.

This obviously not a drama for everyone seeing it got allot of negative reviews but I liked it. Could they have gotten more of this cast with a slightly better story sure, but if you enter this with low expectations you will probably be as pleasantly surprised as I was, but if you are reading this then well that may just be ruined for you.

Things I loved: about 90% of the humor it is cold, a tad dark and hits just the right spots with me . Icicle men, Icicle woman, icicle humor... Humanity does make you wish for doom once in a while so it is nice to be able to see something that tells us dude people suck ... I loved the chemistry between more or less everybody. the little brother and ceo did have some annoying parts but they were short and easy to overlook. The male lead in the second couple is cool as an icicle can be and I love him for it! Bo Youn is as funny, sweet and great as always making me smile over and over again. Yes I may have a slight crush on her, and the rest of the cast is highly crushable compensating for the less interesting partes of the drama. .This drama shows great friendship and family bonds and does not really have any one to bring out your inner anger or frustration (I do not know if that is good or bad but it just is). The pace varied from to fast to way to slow to just right... so its a mix. The visuals where great and so was the OST.,. It has some several interesting twists but they are very well defined and easy to follow. Oh and their wardrobe and styling was great except for Dooms black pants that were not well fitted at all (it looked like he had a diaper on).

It does not have much new if you have seen things from this genre before but it is still enjoyable and made my heart flutter once or twice as well as tikel my laughing muskels.

So if you are in it for the fantasy sure you will probably hate it, if you are in it for the humor and fluff you will probably love it.

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Quirky but still a decent watch

To be fair I am not a huge fan of comedy, over the top or especially quirky, but started it anyway partly thanks to The Butterflys review and heads up and partly thanks to the leads as well as sides talented, some more good looking than others and very experienced. More or less a guarantee for high quality acting even if the story will be off.

I enjoyed watching the contrast between the characters, most of their interactions and while I do admit there were some (a lot of eye rolling moments) there are very few characters that I found truly annoying from start to finish but several characters I wanted to see more of.

This is in no way a masterpiece and there is quite a bit that does not really make any sense but somehow that feels intentional so it works. A lot is under developed, rushed and I am pretty sure they put in the work for a second season.

P.s. It has several really, really good umbrella scenes for the umbrella fan

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Good chemistry, sloppy plot

This drama started off really well, showing great chemistry interesting characters and sinner struggles.

The chemstry between the two main leads is phenomenal, I would even say that this is a rare gem amoung GLs with leads who are both interesting and deliver beautiful intimate scenes with some of dramalands most beautiful kisses, touches and a true feeling of aicing and longing for each other.

But then came the twists with one part making less sense than the other. with poorly written (and casted) villains, twists I could smell miles away but hoped they wouldn't go there... (but they did) and just boring and annoying plot lines that honestly did nothing to the story more then prolong it and add episodes to the count.

The most accurate line in the whole dramas was probably "you are just as crazy as your mother" and honestly I did not know who I hated more at that point, I was like thats right man but also who are you to say anything you #€#€Q€"€"€"€#€"#€"

The acting is extremely inconsistent so I blame the director for only focusing on the intimacy parts. Basically if you skip the plot and just hop to the interactions between the brother and sister + girls + granny it could be an 8.5 or even a 9,5 but as for the rest a 6 would be a generous rating.

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Fantasy vs. reality

This is a sweet and fluffy drama, with just enough drama for it to be a drama. The acting/directing could be better, I wouldnt say it was bad but it felt a bit awkwered at times and could probably easily be fixed by more experience and directing.

The characters are interesting but a lot is under explored and could use more screen time and depth but where rushed instead leaving me with a slight feeling of meeh... However it does have its fanboy charm... And does have a nice touch of idol vs human behind idol idea to it.

If they were to make a season 2 I would probably watch it, not that they have much more to explore but more out of curiosity of where they would go with this,

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Insecurely, crushes, gender conventions and sweet smiles

Nothing (okay maybe somethings) bet the smiles on these leads faces, as we are invited in to 20 shades of handling ones insecurities and finding ones own path and love on the way. The drama also offers a whole lot of great self aware lines, and a whole lot of "Ha??".

Here we get to see long time crushes meet new love, as well as questions about kindness, gender conventions, and what is love? what is attraction?

Our female lead is so insecure yet blunt at the sam time I can't help but love her smile, honesty and all round awesomeness being true to herself and others.

Our gender fluid/crossdressing lead is such a sweetheart juggling armour, jealousy, expectations and shock over and over again. Can I be loved for who I am or do I have to throw away my wig and make up? For the person I love, for society or for myself?

The male lead is such a cutie too, while he may not war make up he has more or less 0 macho tendencies (honestly the gender fluid one has more macho/manly than this guy) and is such a clueless little sweetheart I just wanted to give him a hug.

Actually all the character in this play around with gender conventions, beauty, crushes, and insecurities in various ways offering us the viewers a whole palette with an added bonus of amazing dimples, smiles and people who truly smile with their whole face especially their eyes.

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