Zii3

Story has potential as a psychological thriller.

General spoilers at the bottom. If you want more specifics on the ending, I've added a few hidden spoiler comments to the posted review. Direct link: https://mydramalist.com/profile/Zii3/review/327061

A good stopping point for a happy and hopeful ending is at 55 minutes & 55 seconds in! Or watch until 58 min & 58 seconds AT THE LATEST, though an underlying tension that leads to the ending starts to become more apparent.

I'd say this is more an M/M story, or even a psychological thriller, than a BL. If you like BLs but are not familiar with darker Japanese dramas, you may have a very hard time enjoying this (any appreciation likely requires a bit of a masochistic mood).

I'd say only watch if you're in the mood for something weird and likely unsettling but intriguing and with some bits of sweetness. While there are sexual themes and lots of shirtlessness, there isn't much physical intimacy shown by the camera. Some things are implied, but even the kisses are head-blocked (so lips aren't seen). Which, honestly, I was thankful for as the two brother characters are under 18. Some situations were unsettling enough without actually watching through them.

The plot and it's multiple twists is interesting and clues/explanations are revealed at a slow but even pace. In that regard, I thought the film did a good job. It kept me mentally engaged.

It's not a great film but it will linger in my mind for awhile. Yet I don't feel mentally scarred by it, unlike I was by The Shortest Distance Is Round, for example. I almost wish a longer remake of this was made because the foundation of the story is strong and has a lot of potential for a gripping psychological thriller if things were fleshed-out and if the production had a higher budget so more could be done with cinematography, lighting, sound, and costumes.

GENERAL SPOILERS below.

I knew the ending was going to be disturbing because everyone says so. I even knew the basic plot point of why it ends tragically. Yet I was STILL shocked by the final minutes and the ending tableau, lol! Wow.

The ending is tragic and creepy and there are Machiavellian characters, though who exactly is the driving force and for what reasons are revealed slowly. The audience doesn't get all the puzzle pieces until the end.

The acting was better than I expected. I was rooting for the main couple and happy when they reconciled. I wasn't deeply emotionally invested though, which helped me watch through the end without being depressed about it. It did tug at my heartstrings a bit though.

I thought the screenplay and the director did a fairly good job with symbology and tying together visual repetitions. For example, Sho's favorite color is white. Ritsu held a white towel around Sho's head in the past to dry his hair. In a present scene, white cloth is held around Sho's head that Ritsu will turn into a shirt for him. Later, Ritsu holds up the shirt as he waits for Sho and we can imagine Sho's face there. The camera then shows that Sho's face is indeed surrounded by white, but someone else has subverted the sequence.

Read More

Adorable, well acted, & feel-good short film.

An easy, adorable, feel-good, 60 minute film. Actors are comfortable with each other and skinship and intimacy are believable. I won't rewatch often, but probably will at some point.

The three uknown, young male actors are really impressive; they are natural in line delivery and interactions and convey emotions convincingly. At first, Sun seems rather flat as a typical happy puppy-dog personality, but the script does give the actor a few more layers to work with further in.

All the boys are convincing in the attraction they feel and it's completely believable that Earth and Sun are falling in love with each other. The make out kissing scene is really realistic for teenage characters. Both sweet and passionate.

I was pleasantly surprised with the whole production. It has some weaknesses, but over all it's very smile-inducing.

GENERAL SPOILER about the parents:

The biggest thing that didn't work for me was Earth's parents; they were written and acted flatly, as caricatures. Their complete turn around in how they interacted with Earth was SO not believable. At all. My annoyance with how the screenplay handled this situation is continued below.

Earth's responses and growing frustration/resentment WAS realistic and believable though!

SPECIFIC SPOILER about the parents:

...

Also, it was probably unintentional, but the film seemed to promote running away from home to make parents change (they not only said we'll let you do guitar, but we'll let you do "whatever you want", and Earth even got a car shortly after). The result was very unrealistic, thus, not a great message for kids stuck in a similar situation. Sometimes moving out early is necessary for one's own preservation, but there are other things to try first. And a severely controlling parent is more likely to crack down harder at a large sign of "rebellion" (like running away for a couple days) than they are to become unconditionally supportive.

Read More

Good Acting, Mediocre Script.

You might enjoy if you're looking for something that doesn't require a lot of brain power, has multiple sweet moments, and with a little insight/commentary on the BL industry. There are multiple good hugs and passionate kisses.

General Spoilers below.
The two lead actors did well with what they were given, especially Gene. It's slow and awkward in spots and tension comes and goes. There are a lot of side characters that rarely held my interest. I fast-forwarded a lot throughout the series. I almost dropped it after Ep 8 but the story grew more interesting again in the last couple episodes. The kids kind of falling for each other when they were 6.5 and 11 years old was very odd though.

I did appreciate that it showed in practice various toxic things about BL fans and the BL industry catering to their delusional demands on actor's real lives. I also appreciated that more time was spent on the families working towards acceptance of their gay sons. It felt more realistic and nuanced than I was expecting.

Read More

Adorable And Comforting Despite Toxic Parenting.

General Spoilers below.
This slice-of-life series is adorable and the relationship between the two lead highschool boys is so healthy and sweet. Mutual support and care, interest, attraction, and communication. Their one-sided crush to friendship & mutual crush to boyfriends was so lovely and realistically portrayed. The two leads were only 19-20 yrs old yet are already great actors. They were natural, nuanced, charismatic, and held emotions in their eyes. I'm really impressed by them and would easily watch them in whatever they do next. The secondary couple was initially interesting but their story wasn't given much depth.

Trigger warning for emotionally abusive parents.
There is one parent that's a great example and another set of parents that are completely emotionally abusive (insane pressure for school performance, overly controlling and oppressive, guilt-tripping and shaming, and threatening). The toxic parents are written and acted one-dimensionally and their abrupt almost 180 degree turn around in the last episode was sooo unrealistic, but did allow the series to end on a lighter, more hopeful note.

There was too much plot introduced for the time constraints of eight 22min episodes and a lot of threads aren't followed up on.

Despite the weaknesses, this series was very enjoyable and left me with a smile and a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Read More

Touching, Mother & Son Navigating Coming Out.

I was surprised at how emotional it made me when it's only 16 min long (got a little choked up)! The focus is really on the relationship between the son and mother and the story is relatable from both character's perspective. The story overall is sweet.

On the Blued YouTube channel (in the USA).
The review by Giuca is also good and summarizes the details well.

GENERAL SPOILER
My rating is reduced due to the scene that starts with the schoolmate forcing himself on the lead boy, which is brief and not at all graphic but trivialized with a light-hearted attitude. The lead boy has invited an anonymous boy from online to try things out with but changes his mind when he sees it's the school bully. The bully turns out to be very sweet to the boy but the way they start is problematic and didn't need to be written that way.

Read More

Awkward Script And Tedious Overall.

Review for both Part 1, a 3/10 (19min), and Part 2, a 2/10 (17min). Found on YouTube (Nov 2023 in the USA).

Very poor writing and mediocre acting. Both parts felt tedious even though they were so short.

The interactions between the two leads are written very simply and are kind of cute but mostly boring. The 2nd lead is pretty wooden and I didn't feel much chemistry or magnetism between them.

The girl character is more a creepy fujoshi than a friend. The second season has a contrived love triangle. The way the new rival interacts with the the guy who can't figure out his feelings is so bizarre and laughably unrealistic.

The music (especially in part 1) and audio quality were good for a low-budget production. Cinematography was basic.

Felt like a waste of time to me.

Read More

Cute, Funny, And Fun With One Secure-Attachment Lead.

jpny01's review says things well. I'll add:
GENERAL SPOILERS included below.

I liked how Naoya was comfortable with his sexuality; it was never brought up, it just... was. His actions were consistently green flags and he had a very secure attachment style. After the first episode, he was also good at asking or waiting for consent for physical intimacy (unfortunately, the writers kept him and us waiting).

I loved how Kota told Naoya the truth fairly early on and by his own choice. It wasn't by forced circumstance; he did so because he genuinely felt bad and thought that it was the right thing to do. That is so rare and I was so glad the writers didn't follow the usual clichés with that plotline.

The writers did, however, use the inane cliche of one of the romantic partners resisting affection because it made them feel awkward all the way the to the end. At least it wasn't disgust, but still, that made it drop a full star for me because their relationship arc didn't feel truly satisfying. Even just cuddling with smiles at the end would have been more heart-warming than the peck on the cheek followed by a tickle fight.

The series made me laugh outloud a lot, the actors were good, both leads had good comedic sense, especially the one playing Kota, they had good chemistry, there were good messages without being preachy, and the whole thing was engaging and cute and fun. I can see rewatching this again at some point.

I would have given a 10/10 through Ep 6, then the rehashing of the same internal questions and conflicts in Ep 7& 8 lowered my rating to a 9/10. Though I was glad to see Kota and Naoya talking things out, it didn't actually make their relationship progress at all, which was weird to me. So that ffrustration and the relatively unsatisfying, clichéd ending (more bromance than romance) brought my rating down to 8/10.

Read More

Director's Cut Completes The Story (watch this, not the series!)

Realistic, honest, and overall heart-warming.
General spoilers. The biggest thing is that this director's cut has an extra 10 min that makes the end immensely more satisfying than the rushed & abrupt series end! (There's a great & helpful review by MusicalVeggies too.)

The cinematography and coloring were symbolic and beautifully done. Yuuki is like the sun and brings soft orange warmth. When he and Akira aren't together, life is a lonely cold-blue.

The mental conflict Akira went through was so realistic and hit home for me. Though it was hard to forgive the character it was an honest portrayal of a struggle that, sadly, not everyone conquers. At least Akira finds a way through it, as messy as it is for multiple people's lives.

The screenplay did a great job with that moment one realizes the ideology behind their thoughts and actions are not actually their own, but rather learned from family or society. And then also with the moment where something snaps and the determination to finally accept and choose what's best for oneself leads to the resolve to stop pretending to be "normal" and stand up for oneself.

For those struggling to understand certain actions of Akira, keep in mind that in Asian culture especially, there is tremendous pressure to marry and have children because society (and even status) is extremely family-oriented. This pressure is not emphasized in the screenplay because, I believe, it is already a cultural understanding.

Raiku as Yuuki was perfect. Yuuki didn't have as big of an arc in character growth to go through, but Raiku embodied all of his emotions deeply. It came through in his face, voice, and body. Every emotion he felt, especially when he was hurting, I felt deeply too.

Shirasu Jin was very good but his emotional experience as Akira felt flatter even though the character had more emotional arcs to go through. There was just a little something missing in nuances and behind the eyes for me. It was largely because of this that the shorter series end wasn't satisfying. Continued below but there is a spoiler on the ending...

ENDING SPOILER.
I needed to see more than 1min of them being happy in their life together to be able to feel their happiness myself after the 8(?) years of pain Akira put Yuuki through before going back to him. The director's cut gave me that.

The music fit well and was often beautiful. There were two specific songs I added to my playlist.

Read More

Cute & Character-Focused.

Four 45min Episodes. Acting 8.5, Story 6, Script 8, Chemistry 8, Music and Cinematography 8, Recommendation Value 7, Rewatchability 7.

So cute and sweet (and some hot moments too). Characters actually feel like high-schoolers for the most part. The focus is on the relationship between characters. While there is vollyball training, it is not a typical sports story (they only play one warm-up match).

All actors seem very comfortable with each other and there are a couple of sweet yet impassioned kisses. Even though there's not much plot the series was engaging (I did not fast-forward through anything). Both the main couple and secondary couple (step brothers) had me invested in them. There's light angst but medium tugging of the heart-strings and it's happily resolved.

I will likely re-watch at some point.

Same screenwriter as We Best Love, My Tooth Your Love, HIStory2 Right Or Wrong, and HIStory1 Obsessed.

Read More

Slice-Of-Life About Parenthood And Love.

The story was more slice-of-life and NOT about a college student/professor taboo. Their dynamic was really that of equals (there was a good balance mentally and emotionally between them). Overall it was heart-warming and I found myself smiling frequently. I highly recommend for one watch, though I won't re-watch often.

A sweet story about parenthood, love, family, self-acceptance, courage, and determining priorities.

The 7 yr old girl is actually written like a 7 yr old! No contrived lines that sound like an adult. And the actress is great and sincere in her role. Her interaction with the two leads is lovely, natural, and endearing to watch. There were no cringy, forced saccharine-sweet moments in the story, which I greatly appreciated.

The two leads were good and well-matched. A small caveat is that although they did feel drawn to each other, the sexual chemistry between them was a bit flat. That didn't detract too much though as the romance of partnership was more central to this story than sexual attraction. There are a couple of ok kisses and a decent intimate scene.

The friend of Fei Sheng Zhi deserves a mention too, she was great, both in how she was written and acted. I enjoyed watching her facial expressions whenever she was in a scene.

Nothing really memorable about the cinematography or music.

Read More

Toxic But Engaging As A Fantasy.

General spoilers only. Extreme obsession. In reality, hugely toxic relationship dynamics. As a fantasy, it was engaging and surprisingly emotional. This was very much a story of "the mind says no but the heart and body say yes". The fact that the obsession was kind of mutual, the character that I liked (Shao Yi Chen) got what he wanted, and the ending was sweet, helped mollify my unease with the way this fantasy was told.

This was superior in every aspect of production to the first two parts of History1. The screenwriter (and director) is different for this one and it shows.

The acting was great and tugged at my heartstrings a lot more than I expected. The story grabbed my attention and held it, and the acting of the lead quickly got me invested in him. The music fit perfectly and enhanced emotions and tension. I did not fast-forward through anything.

The two leads were very comfortable with each other and their physical and intimate interactions were very intense. If you like the fantasy of forced-seduction, their scenes deliver spectacularly!

I'll likely watch again at some point, but it will probably be a while.

Read More

Beautifully Produced, Medium-Heavy Psychological Exploration.

Recommendation value 8-9 if you're in the mood for something uniquely interesting, thought provoking, and beautifully done. *It feels more like a psychological thriller than a romance BL!* It's not perfect, but it's different, hooked me quickly, I enjoyed the whole thing, and I will definitely rewatch. General spoilers only at bottom of review.

Story/Script 8, Acting 9 (Yoo Jun was a 10 & story is from his POV, Hur Hyun Jun was a 7), Cinematography/Lighting 8.5, Editing 10, Music 9.5, Audio 10, Chemistry 5 (leads fairly comfortable with each other but attraction feels more like best friends than love interests), for intimacy there was a lot of close physical proximity, some skinship, and flat kisses, Angst level (mostly resolved) 9, Rewatchability 7.

It's a fast watch with eight 15 to 16 minute episodes. Given the time constraints, I think the story did a decent job building the connection between the leads. It definitely could have benefited from more time, to give more weight to their deepening bond, but there was enough there to elicit an emotional response from me as the series went on. Yoo Jun as Yeon Woo is the main reason for this- he got me invested in his character very quickly with his captivating performance!

I was especially impressed with the visual and audio editing. It was seemless, perfectly enhanced scenes/emotions, and created a cohesive feel. Certain parts of the audio track (music, silence, or ambient sounds) would subtly crescendo and decrescendo within scenes to emphasize certain lines of dialogue, create/build tension, or underscore emotions. Sometimes the part of the audio that swelled was brief and sometimes sustained, and it all seemed purposeful. I thought it was really masterfully done.

GENERAL SPOILERS

Trigger warning for suicidal thoughts and attempt.
It is a hopeful ending for the leads.

Read More

College Slice Of Life About Insecurities & Opening Up To Others.

Recommendation Value 9.5, Acting 10 (everyone was good, especially the leads), Angst Level 8 (resolved), chemistry 9 (Actors were comfortable with each other. Some skinship, a few amazing/emotional kisses, and a brief but lovely lead up to a love scene shot in silhouette), Cinematography/Lighting 9, Music/Audio 5, Rewatchability 5 (for personal reasons), No suspension of disbelief needed, character emotions & psychology made sense.

Another reviewer said it well: an "empathetic and observant slice of life story." How insecurities accumulated growing up can impact the psyche and in different ways for different people. Beautiful emotionally and acted very well but it resonates a little too much with my history so I don’t see rewatching this often. That's why I'm ranking it a little lower in my personal list even though I would easily, and highly, recommend it.

The interactions between characters is the focus more than the plot is. The dialogue is written well and has a realistic flow to it. Pretty cinematography and lighting. Music was okay; not memorable but nothing distracting.

GENERAL SPOILERS
The last scene between the main character and his mom is especially powerful. Also loved his interactions with his sister throughout; very realistic. Made me cry a bit in happy relief the last episode. Feel good ending though I wanted it to last longer and show more of their lives.

Read More

Sweet. Don't Take Too Seriously And Enjoy.

Simple, sweet, light. It made me smile a lot and I ended with a big smile and lingering warm feelings.

A lot of suspension of disbelief required, especially around the stalker and the avoidance of going to the police. That was ridiculous, but the show never felt too serious so I was able to shrug off the awkward things and enjoy the series.

Though I would have enjoyed more time for the story to unfold a little more organically, for six 20min episodes, it surprisingly didn't feel unsatisfactory. It was a little awkward in spots jumping time to progress with the story but that was easily shrugged off.

The acting was good but the show also didn't require huge depths of emotions. Han Hyun Jun as Ji Woo easily kept my attention even though I personally wasn't visually attracted to him. He did a great job with some subtle yet deeper layers of feeling in the last episode that produced a little emotional angst (that gets resolved). Kim Tae Hwan as Ro A was a good match with him though I was wishing for a little more intensity in emotional expression the last episode. That didn't diminish the feel-good ending though.

There's some skinship and physical closeness throughout. The kiss at the end is not very animated (a step above a dead-fish-kiss) but it lingers and the body language of the leads gives it emotional intensity.

The secondary characters were good in their roles

The music was fine and didn't distract. Nothing special about cinematography, lightning, or dialogue, but nothing cringy either.

There were two bits that made me laugh a lot. The best was in Ep 1 with the tongue-in-cheek use of opera music while sharing a drink; clever and hilarious.

I could see rewatching this at some point.

Read More

NEW Take On 18 Yr Old, Bodyguard, Rich-Kid-Poor-Kid Story!

Overall 8.5 rating. Story 7.5, Acting 8.5, Chemistry 9, Music/Audio 9, Cinematography/Lighting 9, Rewatchability 6.5, Secondary Characters 9, Suspension of disbelief required is moderately high, Emotional angst level (mostly resolved) 9, Character emotions & psychology make sense.

Not a typical highschool, bodyguard, or rich kid poor kid story! The dynamics and interactions between multiple characters really kept my interest and the script was mostly written well. What didn't work for me is mentioned in the "general spoiler" section at the bottom of this review.

I really liked how they showed the class divide between Nuengdiao's world and Palm's through everyday examples; in both big and subtle ways. It really ties into the psychology of Nueng and Palm and their actions/decisions throughout the series stay true to character and are believable (especially for 18 year olds in love).

There is a definite magnetism between Nueng played by Phuwin and Palm played by Pond. There is a lot of great physical tension between them as they fall for each other, then a lot of skinship and some very emotional kisses.

This series had a fantastic secondary cast. Both of the moms are wonderful (yet very different from each other), Uncle Kit is an antagonist who feels like a real person (not just a one-dimensional "villain"), Chimon as Ben is charismatic, and Perth as Chopper is phenomenal with inner conflict and emotional depth.

I especially loved the dynamic between Chopper and his dad (Uncke Kit). They were both completely emotionally convincing in some very high-tension scenes.

Sound and silence were were utilized really well to enhance emotions and tensions. There were 3 songs I loved and have added to my playlist. Many of the songs have English lyrics so it was easy for me to tell how well they fit the scenes. What was odd is that there were 2 or 3 times (brief) where instrumental Christmas carols were used as background. That seemed really out of place to me and mentally took me out of the moment each time.

Pond and Phuwin are strong actors and easily had me invested in their characters quickly. They felt a little bit flat or not quite comfortable, however, in scenes that required panic (of which there are a couple). It wasn't a big detraction, but it was noticeable to me.

I really appreciated the little scene about gun safety that was added in as the young adults were training.

I will likely rewatch this at some point. I'll probably view episodes 1-8 and 12 the most frequently.

GENERAL SPOILERS below

My biggest issue with the story was how unrealistic it was about some very common-sense things. Some examples:
A very wealthy family has members who are injured or threatened yet no professional bodyguards are hired, at all? But then late in the series they are? Things pertaining to safety come up multiple times so this had me rolling my eyes.

When various people are shot the first, second, and third instincts are NOT to apply pressure on the wound to slow bleeding. Facepalm.

Palm refuses monetary payment or assistance multiple times yet later in the series is somehow able to obtain what he needs when he needs it.

Read More