It takes a century to learn to live in the present
I had been meaning to watch this one ever since it started airing, and I'm almost upset I waited so long to watch it. This drama is beautifully done, the acting is excellent, and the chemistry even better. While there may be a few plot holes and some annoyance at characters not being able to figure things out, it was overall a wonderful drama that is definitely worth watching.After losing the love of his life in the 1920s, San (Daou) uses a magical stone blessed by a goddess to live in his current form for 100 years to find his true love's reincarnation. With only a few months left, San is getting desperate - he needs to find her in order to break his century-long curse. Luckily, the keeper of the shrine has determined where this reincarnation will be, and San is ecstatic; that is, until he finds out this reincarnation is a man named Vee (Offroad). Thoroughly convinced this was a mistake, San is determined to find his real true love, all while slowly falling in love with Vee instead. San is left to wonder if Vee is truly his soulmate and able to break the curse, or if these 100 years of suffering will end with his death instead.
I really enjoyed watching this. The special effects weren't very good and there were some aspects of the plot that didn't really work for me, but for the most part I thought the storyline was excellent and the characters were developed really well. There's a lot of repetitive drama when it comes to the relationship, but it is still meaningful and executed well. In terms of the background lore of the goddess, I thought it was explained well enough to get the point across without unnecessary exposition, which was great. I do think fleshing out some of the side characters a bit more would've helped round out this drama, but overall it was beautiful and worth the watch.
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GreatInn sold me on this one
Whoever decided that Great and Inn should act together was incredibly correct. They are such a good pairing, and it was refreshing to see GMM put adult actors as adult characters with real jobs and not just students. They hit on some cliches that definitely aren't my favorite (starting a relationship with a hookup, fuck buddies to "what are we", etc.) but overall the plot was super fun.Dr. Wandee (Inn) finally works up the courage to tell his coworker that he has feelings for him, only to get rejected. In his despair, he ends up hooking up with boxer Yoryak (Great), who also happens to be his patient. The two of them start hooking up more regularly, in a strictly friends with benefits situation. Then, when Wandee's confession to his coworker spreads as juicy gossip throughout the hospital, he needs to convince everyone he's over this guy - and does so by convincing Yoryak to be his fake boyfriend. However, when you're hooking up with someone, hanging out outside of hookups, and pretending to be boyfriends by having romantic moments, how far off are you from actually dating? And of course, these "fake" feelings become all too real.
I love a fake dating plot, but I do feel like this one missed the mark on the whole "fake" part. Typically, I'd expect fake dating to not involve hooking up with said fake boyfriend. Wandee and Yoryak were dating in every aspect except the boyfriend label for SO LONG before they finally made it official, and at that point I didn't even realize they weren't officially boyfriends yet because it was so obvious they were. I feel like instead of dragging out the label, it would have been more interesting to either play out the friends with benefits to boyfriends or actual fake boyfriends (as in, no hooking up with each other and only acting romantic when around others) . Regardless, this show was super fun and I really enjoyed seeing Great and Inn act together. The plots outside of the relationship were really well done, and props to the show for including an asexual character that is still in romantic relationships and taking the time to explain. Overall, the show was light and fun without too much heartache involved, and the actors had enough chemistry to make up for anything the show lacked.
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Beautifully done slice-of-life BL
I had heard good things about Blueming for so long, but put off watching it because of the format. I find that many Korean BLs with 15-min episodes fall victim to the same pitfall - there's simply not enough time to get things done. This one, however, surprised me by how much they were able to do with their short time frame.Siwon has always been taught that the most important thing is how other people view you, which has made him overly insecure about how is perceived - his looks, his interests, etc. Most of the time, he comes off as charming and interesting, but a lot of what he says is actually just a facade so he retains this image of himself. However, Dawoon sees right through him. This makes Siwon anxious, and he really dislikes Dawoon for it. Once the two of them start to understand each other more, feelings between Dawoon and Siwon start to emerge.
Even though this is basically the length of a movie, they managed to convey so much in so little time. The conflicts surrounding both characters' personal lives, as well as their issues within film school, are very realistic without being overly complex, which makes them ideal for this show. I do think that the relationship aspect of the show would have benefitted greatly from more time, but overall the show was a really great short watch with a lovely romance between the main character. I ended up much more invested in them than I thought I would, and the ups and downs made this a fantastic watch.
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Should have kept it simple
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going in to DFF, but it really got me hooked in the first episode. Though there were some frankly unnecessarily explicit sex scenes for a thriller, the setup to the plot was done really well.Eight college friends take a trip to one friend's house in the woods, where there's no internet or cell service, to get away from the stress of school and have a big party before one of them goes off to study abroad. Our main(ish) character Phee (Ta) finds an old recording of a short film that 5 of the friends had made back in high school - but there's a 6th friend in the video that Phee doesn't recognize. That 6th person is Non (Barcode), who went missing after filming. The vibe turns eerie as they attempt to remake this short film, only to feel as though they're being watching. Suddenly, bad things start happening, and with no way to contact others, the 8 friends are left stranded, scared for their lives.
I assumed this show would take the typical cabin-in-the-woods horror movie idea and turn it into a TV show. However, the plotline started to become overly complex as it delved into the backstory of the original short film. Breaking up the tension at the cabin really did a disservice to this show, as it felt like it had to do a lot of explaining over the course of multiple episodes just to get the audience to understand what was happening. I felt like I was waiting to get out of the flashbacks and back to the cabin to figure out what was happening. I think they attempted to make this show overly complex, which ended up not working in their favor. There were too many characters and too much messy backstory for what could have been a really great thriller. Not to mention, the show gets really gore-heavy towards the end. However, as I expected from beoncloud, the budget was clearly pretty high for this one and the effects and production were great, as was the acting. I think they lost themselves in the story a little, but it was still very enjoyable to watch.
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A good crime drama that had something missing
Any time there's a new crime kdrama, I'm likely to watch it. It's one of my favorite genres. So when I saw A Killer Paradox on Netflix, I knew it would be worth a shot. While it's definitely not my favorite show, it was a fun and short watch. I do think Netflix has been doing itself a disservice with these shorter shows, as there always seems to be something lacking from them.Lee Tang is our main character and at first, he seems incredibly normal. He doesn't get good grades and seems to be a bit lost on what he wants to do with his life. While working at his part-time job at the convenience store, some particularly annoying customers come in. Lee Tang doesn't seem to be one to lose his temper, and mostly ignores them. However, as he's leaving, one of them attacks him - and Lee Tang fights back and kills the guy. However, when the murder case is "solved", Lee Tang is not charged, or really even suspected. Plus, it turns out the dead guy wasn't just some annoying customer, but a horrible person himself. It seems Lee Tang got lucky - and it seems this luck continues to follow him with every murder he commits. As he starts to be consumed by guilt, will Lee Tang's luck run out? Will the cops finally catch on to what he's doing? Or can Lee Tang manage to keep scraping by?
This drama was nearly comical even though it has a serious tone. A murder unknowingly kills horrible people, and always seems to get away with it in a superhero (or villain) style. Lee Tang is an interesting main character because he's so....normal. I think the one thing I really would have liked to see in this show is more tension between Lee Tang and the detective that's pursuing him. It seems like it would've really helped to round out the story, which I believe could have been done if they had had a bit more time. As much as I love shorter series, I think it's hard to do a complete crime show in just 8 episodes. That being said, I really enjoyed this one and thought it ended very well.
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Watch for OffGun
Cooking Crush was about what I expected it to be: a silly goofy gay romance. Don't go in expecting anything other than that, and it's a great watch. There might not be much in the way of drama, but boy is it cute and fun!Prem (Gun) is a culinary student, who doesn't really stick out with his abilities, but does an okay job. When his sister loses her tuition money, Prem needs a way to get it back fast. Ten (Off) is a med student who decides he wants to learn to cook - but really, he just wants to be around Prem. Prem charges him an outrageous fee for cooking lessons, but Ten doesn't mind since his dad is wealthy. The two get closer during their cooking lessons, and feelings start to emerge between them, but it seems there will be some obstacles before they can be together.
If you like OffGun, you should watch this. It's really goofy, and no problems seem to be drawn out too long. Overall a good show and an easy watch.
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Another victim of the K-BL format
Nearly every Korean BL I watch has the exact same issue: not enough time. And this one is no exception. I was excited to watch this one as a fan of SF9, and was slightly disappointed to see such potential in a show that could never live up to it, due to the time limits that K BLs seem to always have.Hanjoon has secretly been in love with his childhood best friend Yoojae for a long time now, but only truly realized it when he starts to get jealous that Yoojae is pursuing a girl. This brings out a lot of tension in their relationship, as both of them are quick to anger when it comes to issues with each other. It takes a long time for them both to realize that the reason they're always on edge with each other is because both of them are harboring more feelings than they thought, and neither of them know how to process it.
Each of these 15-20 minute episodes could have and should have been 45 min. There's a quick conflict in every episode, where the causes, conflict, and aftermath are never fully fleshed out. Plus, they attempted to give both characters complex family situations without having the time to do so properly. They either should have cut out some unnecessary conflicts to flesh out the characters, or lengthen the episodes to flesh out the conflicts. As is typical, there is truly no way to have multiple complex characters with multiple complex conflicts in a series with a total run time less than a movie. Frankly, a movie would have been better because at least it would have been one continuous storyline instead of 8 separate conflicts that they resolve in under 5 minutes. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the acting of the main two. The tension and fights felt like real issues that 18-year-olds would have, and nothing about this show felt cheesy. A fun watch that I wouldn't recommend too highly.
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Perfect balance of fantasy and romance
My Demon surprised me with how well they managed to do a romance drama while still keeping the fantasy elements all the way through, and keeping an entertaining storyline. I will say that most of the twists were fairly predictable, but even still the story itself was very enjoyable to watch.Jung Gu-won (Song Kang) plays a demon who makes deals with people in exchange for their soul. Additionally, he has powers that essentially make him invincible. Do Do-hee (Kim Yoo-jung) is the CEO's favorite potential successor of Mirae group, though she's the only non-blood related candidate. This naturally creates tension within the family of this corporation, and the lengths to which the other family members are willing to go to in order to destroy Do-hee become clear as the story progresses. When a twist of fate bring Gu-won and Do-hee together, they both reluctantly become reliant on each other, which leads to unexpected romance between them.
Overall, a great fantasy romance. They somehow managed to hit every romance trope and still pull off each one. The actors have great chemistry together, and the development of the relationship is well-paced and fun to watch.
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Supernatural thriller x emotional rollercoaster
(Reviewing the entire show here)When I started death's game, I was fairly intrigued. The idea of a character being forced to live 12 lives that are destined to end quickly was an exciting plot idea, and I was curios to see where they could take it. As the show progresses, it gets more and more interesting.
Yee-jae's life seems to be clouded by misfortune. Without ever being able to catch a break, he decides to take his own life, only to be confronted by Death herself with a punishment that she sees fit: he must live as (and attempt to prevent the imminent death of ) 12 different people. But no matter how hard he tries to prevent them, the deaths seem completely unavoidable. Slowly, he realizes that the deaths he's facing seem to be related, and so he attempts to figure out this common denominator using the knowledge of all the lives he's lived. Naturally, Death doesn't want him messing around in her punishment, and is sure to make each death more painful than the last.
This show was much more emotional than I thought it would be, and I really enjoyed it. I thought that the way the episodes led into the next was well done, and it didn't feel like the tone shifted abruptly, but rather throughout each life Yee-jae lived, he seemed to learn more and become more empathetic. The cast was AMAZING and did an excellent job portraying these very different characters, while still conveying the same emotions that Yee-jae would have felt in every new situation. The ending was very well done, and wrapped up the show very nicely. It's a fairly short watch, and definitely worth taking a look at!
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Don't watch for the mafia plotline...
I almost wish I could rate this lower. The "gangster" aspects mostly involved a loose mafia plotline, complete with poorly choreographed fight scenes and a rivalry that made no sense. However, despite the lackluster gangster oppa plot, I found myself enjoying every single episode WAY more than I expected.This show is fun. It's light, an easy watch, and unintentionally goofy. There's not too much drama between the couple over the course of the 8 episodes, which is ideal in a show like this. Tew (Meen) and Guy (Ping) meet while playing online games together and decide to meet up. The two totally hit it off and start hanging out together more regularly, which of course leads to them falling in love. However, Tew's attempts to hide his "gangster" identity don't go well, and this could put Guy in danger. I find mafia BLs to be hit or miss, especially when it comes to the action scenes. I don't typically expect a lot out of Thai BLs when it comes to that, but if you're going to do a gangster concept, I do think that's pretty important. While it may have missed the mark there, it made up for it in the cute and fun romance, which is worth watching.
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Short but Impactful
I was hesitant to watch this drama, mostly because I typically find myself not enjoying sci-fi kdramas too much. However, this one surprised me!!In a bleak and dystopian future, the world (or at least S Korea) has been destroyed with little breathable oxygen left. A strict divide in social class leaves the top of the pyramid in a cushy, oxygen-filled environment and the refugees fending for themselves in a barely livable and barren landscape. Moving up the social ladder is impossible - unless you're a delivery driver. Sa-wol decides he will do his best to become a driver like the legendary 5-8, who seems to do his job and help refugees at the same time. However, the job is much more dangerous than it seems, and the people at the top seem to have no interest in helping those beneath them.
This short series depicts a not-so-new take on a dystopian future, but does so in a way that's very enjoyable to watch. Sa-wol is very committed to his dream of being a delivery driver and gets himself wrapped up in a mess bigger than he ever anticipated. Many plot points were totally under-explained, but overall for 6 episodes it was super solid. I think this would've worked better as an 8 or 10 episode drama, but still definitely worth the watch.
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Genuinely funny
Typically, jokes in BLs don't land well. Whether that's due to translation errors or the constant sound effects in unclear, but this one actually made me laugh. The humor in it was well done and the storyline felt super fresh. Having a show that tackles the toxicity of the BL industry while keeping the show mostly light and fun is impressive.Gene is an author who is convinced into writing BL, even though he doesn't want to. To his surprise, his novel is such a big success that it's being adapted into a series. Gene is asked to come to the casting call where he meets the man who will play the lead in the series, Nubsib. Nubsib immediately falls for Gene. However, Nubsib is supposed to be acting as if he is in love with his costar Aoey - both on and off camera. This conflict between Nubsib's career and love life, as well as Gene's wish to stay out of the spotlight, cause tension between the developing relationship between Nubsib and Gene.
This show was a fun watch that never had me at the edge of my seat, but always kept me entertained. It was light, the romance was cute, and the actors did a great job portraying their characters. However, the classic episode 11 curse ruined the ending a bit for me, but mostly because I think it's over done and just not an enjoyable conflict to watch. Still, the show was worth the watch and a nice break from the university/engineer BLs.
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Nearly Great
MoD was a very enjoyable show to watch IF you're more invested in the storyline than the romance. There were so many scenes where the relationship should have developed more, but then there's a cut to the next scene! Max and Tul have such great chemistry together, and I honestly wish we could have seen a more gradual development of their relationship instead of kiss scenes that seem out of place and a lack of romance in the scenes that should have it.The plot was really interesting and I enjoyed the crime aspect of the show a lot. I think things could have been sped up just a bit, but overall it was fairly well paced. The characters outside of the MaxTul were still super interesting to watch, and the viewer is kept on their toes trying to figure out what actually happened in the murder case. I think that this is a great watch, but the writing of the romance scenes was a little rough. Max and Tul were able to pull it off, but it could have been executed a lot better. Intertwining the romance and the crime plotlines in a way that didn't make either seem out of place would have made this show flow much better.
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You can't go wrong with the bodyguard plot
A cute Korean BL that once again fell victim to the 10 minute episode tragedy where no matter how good the story is, the characters are never fully developed. This plot could have easily been a longer series, and I really enjoyed both of the main actors performances! I love the classic bodyguard trope, and it was done well here, though all the relationships felt a bit underdeveloped due to the time constraints. Gotta love the homoerotic tension of wrestling with your "friend" only to stare into their eyes as they have you pinned to the ground. Classic.Was this review helpful to you?
Extremely unhealthy relationships that you can't stop watching
Personally, I'm a sucker for a good bodyguard drama AND a good mafia drama. Put those together and I'm gonna like it. However, in good conscience, I can't give this series 10/10. As much as I loved this series, the consent was questionable at best (arguably non-existent for most of the scenes) and the characters...still end up together after that. I feel like they fail to flesh out the consequences of these scenes (and honestly, why did they include them in the first place?) The mafia plotline was pretty loose if we're being honest, but most of that could be explained away by Kinn not being the head of the main family yet.The one thing that made this drama as good as it was is the chemistry of the couples. There's the perfect amount of conflict and plenty of tension between them and it makes for an interesting watch. I dislike shows where they seem to get together too easily, or where the conflict is so drawn out to a point where they're barely even together. The balance in this show is perfect. I still have complaints about the 3rd couple, but the main two are the important ones anyway imo.
The action scenes keep your attention the whole time, and the twists in the plot keep you on your toes. It's got the perfect touch of comedy added to the otherwise fairly serious plotline. The actors do a fantastic job portraying these characters. Unfortunately, the storyline brushes over huge issues of assault, manipulation, and torture, and treat these as normal aspects of the relationships instead of addressing them.
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