4
10
1
2
beachy romance with some darker moments
Overall: the dynamic worked better for me as it went on, but I was not a fan of several cliched plot elements. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI6tVlhqWH7KNPYxmkei5tB1&si=RCeoqPM6SsvzpeEEContent Warnings: sexual harassment, punches/fight, vomiting, attempted murder, manipulation, past fight, past murder, violence, fight, blood, homophobia
What I Liked
- beach setting
- easy to understand premise
- sweet/caring moments
- that a character stood up for himself, sought communication and made it know what he needed
- supportive characters
Room For Improvement
- the silly music over what should have been a tense scene and other examples where the music didn't fit
- tropey falls and catch, several cliched plot points
- multiple near kisses in episode 1
- some scenes at night needed more light on actors' faces
- comedy sound effects didn't make things funny
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This review may contain spoilers
absolutely needed better writing (watch suggestions)
Overall: I enjoy a series with a different premise, but unfortunately the writing/world building/pacing did not work for me. 12 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI. Re-aired on Studio Wabi Sabi YouTube channel.Content Warnings: past death/grief, dub/non con touching, 10 year age gap with a highschooler*, manipulation
Watch suggestions: unless you enjoy very slow pacing, characters doing nonsense things, a bunch of crying and untold flashbacks here is my suggestion
1. Watch episode 1, at the end tell yourself that Ongsa died
2. pretend that Suansoon goes back in time and tries different things like having Ongsa avoid that location/day/time but none of them work, so then he tells Ongsa to not meet him at the movie theater
3. Ongsa ignores him, watch episode 7 (basically a retelling of episode 1 from Ongsa's perspective)
4. watch episode 8 where Ongsa learns the only thing to do is for them never to meet when in high school
5. Ongsa time jumps to the present, start watching episode 11 at 19 minutes (although there is a cute high school moment at the very beginning of episode 11)
6. Watch episode 12
What I Liked
- mysterious vibe/present
- how what happened in the first episode related to later episodes
- sweet moments
- Karn (Dear Doctor I'm Coming For Soul) in ep 12
Room For Improvement
- character actions didn't make sense, if Ongsa had actually died and then Suansoon went back and told Ongsa not to drive that day and he didn't but still died and we see Ongsa repeatedly going back trying to change things that would be interesting (like The Butterfly Effect) however Ongsa wasn't even dead and instead of being by his partner's side Suansoon started a romantic relationship with high school Ongsa in the past...
- *age gaps generally don't bother me but the adult Suansoon actor is 36 and he looked like it, past Ongsa is in high school (actor is 25 but looks much younger), it was very uncomfortable to see the adult Suansoon in a romantic relationship with a teenaged Ongsa (who didn't even know that they end up together for quite some time), and Suansoon touching Ongsa when he was sleeping was not romantic but came across as creepy, in general they should have shortened this time and focused more on young Ongsa/Suansoon and older Ongsa/Suansoon
- nonsense stuff, how did no one say anything about a highschooler romancing an almost 30 year old??? why wouldn't in the present Suansoon call Onga's parents/go to their house/look on social media/talk to mutual friends/do an internet search/hire a private investigator/hang up fliers/go to their old hangouts....he just cried
- slow pacing, there was a lot of hanging out in a coffee shop and crying
- a bunch of flashbacks
- really poor world building and a ton of "because the writer said so"
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This review may contain spoilers
didn't feel the chemistry
Overall: although I like each lead character individually, the high school student/teacher dynamic was squicky and I thought Nekoto and Sahara worked better together. I haven't read the source material and am reviewing it on its own merits. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala and iQIYI.Content Warnings: fights, high school teacher/student relationship
What I Liked
- we rarely see a "delinquent" character, he was adorable
- crack comedy (it had the overacting vibe but it worked for me because it didn't have constant comedy sound effects)
- that chase scene in ep 1 was fun
- how a nerd character was good at sports
- styling (except 2 characters were styled younger in the present and older in the past which was strange)
- production value
Room For Improvement
- the writers really got me rooting for Nekoto, they seemed much better matched especially with how everyone (including Toki) continually emphasized that Toki was not an adult, there was a lot of screen time with Nekoto even in the final episode
- high school student/teacher dynamic (the accidental kiss, no shirt/head in Toki's lap, confession) all while Sahara was still Toki's teacher (which has an inherent power imbalance with grades, it is immoral/unethical and in most places illegal as it should be) and then the kiss at the end on what appears to be the day Toki graduated high school with the teacher wearing his teaching outfit was squicky, I think they could have mitigated this by having it take place in university (and Sahara not be Toki's teacher, or only for a semester and then they start their relationship later)
- Toki smacked Sahara on the back even though he knew he had a back injury (also reinforced Toki's immaturity)
- the side couple basically vanished
Age Notes: it was difficult to figure out the ages of the characters but in the final episode Toki mentioned that he was in his second year when most of the series took place and by looking at Japan's high school structure (3 years 15-18), Toki would have been 16/17 and then 17/18 at the end when they kissed (still at the high school). In the flashback, it said Toki was in 4th grade. Calculating backwards, he would have been 9 or 10 and Sahara mentioned the incident when he was in high school, let's say he was 16/17 so they'd have about a 7 year age gap. For most of the series in the present, they were 16/17 and 23/24 and then at the very end 17/18 and 24/25.
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This review may contain spoilers
theatrical series that needed tighter pacing especially in the beginning-middle
Overall: although I liked the unique premise, it felt like the director or writer was also the editor and couldn't bear to remove/edit down any of the scenes that they filmed. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on WeTV.Content Warnings: deaths off screen, suicide, self-harm, manipulation, mental health struggles, grief
What I Liked
- unique premise
- production value (lighting, felt very theatrical)
- styling choices (especially that first scene)
- incorporating symbolism/metaphors
- discussion social justice issues such as same sex marriage
- in episode 4 they argued realistically by talking over one another
- bathtub scenes
- they ended the series 7 days before Valentine's Day
Room For Improvement
- a ton narration i.e. telling vs showing, the pacing felt very slow even watching at a faster speed, this story would have done much better as 6-8 episodes, this slow pacing (and it airing over 12 weeks) actually made my point below worse
- Sunshine started as unlikable which is okay, but the audience needed to see character growth before the last minute, finally in episode 8 he seemed to have a little character growth but then his wish undid it, then we saw a little more but by then it felt too little too late
- the mystery/world building wasn't engaging, it was confusing (I think there was a lot of symbolism/metaphors that I didn't grasp), they needed to explain things just a little bit more/more clearly
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could have been so much better
Overall: the cringey/cliched plot and those non funny managers ruined the series. 12 episodes 45 minutes each, aired on Viki (in U.S.) and iQIYI.Content Warnings: non con/dub con, non con kiss, stalking, harassment, manipulation, blackmail, non con picture taking, violence/injury
What I Liked
- how Ja and First played different characters than they have in the past, I like to see actors not getting typecasted
- what was shown in the flashback to give a little bit of a reason for Punn's thoughts/actions
- the side couple's nsfw scene and the morning after (second scene was also well done but hated the circumstances)
- kissing/nsfw (but I was also horrified by the guys doing it in the onsen, other people bathe there!)
- Punn & Ashi sweet interactions
- Punn's realistic first day working
- I was really hating the brother but he did come thru in episode 5 and siblings can be pretty awful at times so that is realistic
- the soap opera scenes were fun*
- supportive family, mom had good advice about communicating clearly and making opportunities
- those huge, fluffy dogs
- actual consequences for characters who did bad things
Room For Improvement
- Punn feels too childlike/immature (stalking, that bizarre confession) to be in a romantic relationship
- the lightning speed relationship pacing in episode 7
- dialogue was unrealistic/contrived, the episode 11 drama was also contrived, Punn's anger would have made so much more sense if the writing happened before they got together instead of after
- *scenes could have been cut shorter for better pacing, as an example that very first scene should have been shorter and it would have been punchier, this did not need to be 12 episodes
- zero interest in the managers fighting and disappointed to see another stereotypical trans woman character
- the side couple's second steamy scene was overshadowed by the circumstances of it, disappointed to still see this in 2023 (and not a fan of the harassment vs reluctant pursuee dynamic), the writers should have cut the managers/love triangle and given the side couple actual dialogue
- not well integrated product placement
- unrealistic stuff, why would a superfan be late to a fan event? why would a non out movie star be dancing in public? who would confess in front of two other people like that in ep 5???
- so much of the final episode was spent on dragging out the drama with the lead couple, and focusing on the other characters
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So Bad It's Good!!!
Overall: I don't even know how to rate this series. If you watch it at double speed and think of it as a cheesy soap opera, it is wildly entertaining. However, it is not a serious or realistic bdsm or mafia romance. Aired on Gagaoolala & YouTube (YouTube has some of the (few) steamy scenes shortened/cut))Content Warnings: murders, gore/blood, kidnapping, slaps/beaten up/violence, manipulation, dub con bdsm (in the first instance), non con touching (sleeping), manhandling, maybe under 18 (in the book Baiboon is 15 but they don't say his age in the series)/age gap side relationship
What I Liked
- this has so much nonsense (pirouette lap sits, shots of running water, zero research into bdsm, Kim making the stupidest decisions). I put this stuff as Room For Improvement as well because it's either awesome or terrible depending on how you watch this series. I laughed so hard every episode.
- appreciated the multiple consent check ins in the initial "bdsm" scene
- the bodyguard shower scene was totally random but hot
Room For Improvement
- random long shots of faucets running, shoes on the bed, awful tattoo
- nonsensical actions and dialogue, Kamol couldn't find another partner in a large city??? Why is Kim so appealing? Why refuse to do something and then instantly gives in? A sample line, Kamol says to Kim "don't worry I'm not involved in drugs or human trafficking"
- the other side couples were not well developed
- awful kissing (but apparently that first scene had zero workshops and the two leads had never worked with each other so that's the production's fault)
- not just 1 but three annoying wannabe girlfriend/boyfriend characters
- zero research into bdsm, also wounds that don't match and look like they were drawn on with lipstick
- slow pacing (watched most on double speed)
- didn't like the overhead camera shots in the beginning and there were some really odd transition shots (like the faucet running water)
- English subs on top of the Thai subs when they were speaking Korean was difficult to read
- they should have cut out the bobblehead commercial breaks
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This review may contain spoilers
a heavier series
Overall: this was a grittier story with disappointing pacing/focus. 12 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on: YoYo English YouTube channel (not in Japan or Korea) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTB73Ibi_X3GNyvCGbi8mAefS-Lhep63A&si=iPvnlW2PiAx3AY2f ; GagaOOLala (not in Japan or Korea) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5333/the-sparkle-in-your-eye-2025-e01 and Viki https://www.viki.com/videos/1261379v-the-sparkle-in-your-eye-episode-1Content Warnings: rape off screen (end of ep 8 and in flashbacks in later episodes), blackmail, non con kissing, non con touching/sexual harassment, manipulation, drugging, vomiting, slap, non con picture taking
Watch Suggestions (to get rid of most of the content warnings, focus on happy/sweet times)
- watch episodes 1 & 2
- episode 3 watch 21:50-end
- episode 4 watch beginning-3:20 and 9:40-10
- episode 5 watch 5:30-16:10
- episode 6 start at 8 min
- watch episode 7
- episode 8 watch 5-15
- skip episode 9
- episode 10 watch 14-16
- skip episode 11
- episode 12 watch 23:50-end
What I Liked
- caring moments
- character growth
- showed a more realistic take on what happens at the end of episode 8
Room For Improvement
- way too much time spent on the antagonist, pacing in general was slow and then the very end was rushed/not enough with the main couple
- a character did something terrible after he knew or could have guessed what happened and then in episode 12 he pressured/ignored a survivor's wishes (I'm not clear that the survivor gave him the go head, though he did realize his wrongness after talking with another character)
- noble idiot trope
- side couple's love story was uninteresting, I didn't see what the director was supposed to have done differently and then suddenly everything was all fine between them
- some lackluster kissing
- nonsense stuff
- (neutral) I tried to not get angry at a character not telling the truth about a smarmy character by realizing that he was also a victim/survivor
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a strict CEO and a freewheeling guy
Overall: I enjoyed their dynamic but I needed less of the scheming woman cliche. 30 episodes less than 2 minutes each. Aired on Swipedrama app (also has I'm Your Pet). It took me 3 days to watch the series for free, which is really good for these vertical series. Note - episode 1 starts out as a preview and then goes into the episode. App information below.Content Warnings: non con video recording, manipulation, mention of past intimate partner violence
What I Liked
- opposites attract dynamic
- laughed when he agreed to keep something a secret and revealed that secret a minute later
- sweet/caring moments (under the table footsie was fun)
- the 'say please' part in ep 17
Room For Improvement
- cliche wannabe girlfriend character and failed redemption arc
- wanted something at the very end that would have wrapped up the story nicely
How to Watch For Free
Day 1: check in, ad after check in = 7 coins, 3 ads = 9 coins, watched episodes 1-12 (free to watch), 13-15 used coins, 16 & 17 (when I ran out of coins I touched outside of the coin packages and then I could watch an ad to watch 2 more episodes 18 & 19). I then got the 6 coins for watching 5, 10 and 15 minutes but something glitched so I only watched up to episode 19 for free on Day 1. There are other ways to get coins (ie sign in, social media, get notifications) so you could watch more. Leftover coins day 1: 2
Day 2: check in, ad after check in, 3 ads (17 coins plus 2 from day 1) - watched episodes 20-22, then watched 23 & 24 daily ad, checked in 5, 10 & 15 min and watched 25 & 26
Day 3: watched a few ads to finish the series
App Notes: unused bonus coins seem to last for a year, episodes don't re-lock, you can't skip to different episodes (must watch them in order), no wait time between watching ads is nice
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silly and short series
Overall: this is a short romcom filled with cliches, but it made me laugh so I rated it an 8. Aired on Rookie Thailand's YouTube channel and their TikTok.Content Warnings: none
What I Liked
- it made me laugh a few times (including the drunk dancing)
- (neutral) comedy sound effects
Room For Improvement
- the organizing guy was unprofessional in the beginning, but he made amends
- this thing was full of cliches but it really didn't bother me that much
- that didn't really feel like an ending, wish they had more fully developed/concluded the story
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This review may contain spoilers
Movie version is better than the series version
Overall: The 80 minute movie version focuses on Bank & Golf instead of the many characters in the bloated 270 minute 9 episode series (I dropped the series due to numerous random characters and not understanding or caring what was going on). This is set 5 years later from the movie My Bromance (2014) where I hated the ending but the retcon in this is so stupid. Watched on YouTube.Content Warnings: none
What I Liked:
- acting from Fluke & Fluke
- Golf did apologize several times and Golf's dad apologized once to Golf
- Golf saying that he wants Bank to be happy even if that means Golf and Bank aren't together
- Golf & Bank's appropriate couple shirts towards the ends and also their sweet moments
Room For Improvement:
- that is the stupidest/non logical retcon I've ever seen. Why would Golf or Bank's friends ever agree to that? Golf could have at least had amnesia (after the brain operation) and the parents shipped him abroad and then made up the lie that he died.
- Bank is so calm when he learns the very shocking news that the love of his life is not dead and his loved ones lied to him for 5 years, I thought he would drop the phone at least
- Bank's lack of yelling, breaking some dishes, really anything at people who lied to him for 5 years!!!
- the love triangle was totally unnecessary and per usual, I didn't like it
- dismal set design, the bookcase/cupboard by the stairs didn't have anything it it, it looked like the house was not lived in
- the hardcoded subtitles went missing in a few parts
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What did I just watch?
Overall: Even reading the summary doesn't help me to understand what it was that I just watched. And I have zero desire to re-watch it and see if I can figure out what was going on. It appears that this was related to the first Find You In The Crowd, but don't ask me exactly how. Watched on Gagaoolala.Content Warnings (I'm not sure what was reality and what wasn't with these): murder, attempted suicide (graphic), manipulation/lying?, suicide?
What I Liked
- there was some nice music
- acting was fine
Room For Improvement
- the plot was incomprehensible, multiple flashbacks/forwards/dreams/maybe dreams?/cutting quickly to other scenes/choppy editing
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better in the second half
Overall: I have mixed feelings about this series. Adapted from a manga (and then also an anime) which I haven't read and am reviewing the series based on its own merits. Aired on GagaOOLala (not in Japan or South Korea) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6645/unexpectedly-naughty-fukami-2026 and TVer in Japan.Content Warning: dub con kiss
What I Liked
- different personalities
- easy to understand premise
- that both were into physical intimacy*
- there was character growth
- supportive sister
- non cliched ending/able to communicate and solve their problem
Room For Improvement
- *the intimacy and chemistry didn't work in the first half, they had too much space between their bodies, there were dead fish lip presses
- not sure if there was a translation error, but a character said not to do something and then the other character did it
- voiced inner thoughts
- a character was very rude/shallow in the first half, he named the other character "loser" in his phone contacts, I suggest starting at episode 5 2 minutes in to skip most of him being a jerk
- showing a gaggle of women at the workplace thirsting over a character
- multiple flashback montages
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a comfort show with a few hiccups
Overall: the sweet/caring dynamic was fun to watch, but there were a few plot/character missteps. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/your-sky-episode-1-1mjy70t567o?lang=en_us ; episode 1 cut on YouTube (not available in Japan or South Korea) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcTibKbv20S4ZNMvGUzUFQZrJenvr4xCa&si=Z1iDluCF_Hhpy73L I added up the timings in ep 1 and the uncut was about 1 minute longer - I didn't see any difference between the cut and uncut versions.Content Warnings: manipulation, non con touching/manhandling, punches, non con picture taking/sharing, coercion, transphobia, non con touching, victim blaming, homophobia, manhandling
Watch Suggestions (uncut version)
- watch episodes 1-6
- episode 7 watch beginning to 3min and 52-end
- episode 8 start at 13:30
- episode 9 skip 31:30-35 and 38-44
- can watch all of episode 10 though the second couple annoyed me
- episode 11 watch 4:15-21 and 47-54:50
- watch all of episode 12
What I Liked
- showed a main character as kind through his actions at the beginning
- caring/sweet dynamic and that they communicated
- one of the few child-like characters who had agency (actively made his own decisions without being manipulated into things)
- supportive friend group
- Fah's loving and supportive family
- non cliche ex girlfriend
- intimacy and check ins, continued intimacy/not rebuffing intimacy
Room For Improvement
- character exposition dump montage with voice over for the other main character
- though Rak had agency, his continued child-like demeanor got on my nerves after he and Fah were intimate
- the stereotypical trans woman character
- nonsense stuff: so drunk he couldn't recognize someone but still able to stand/walk and talk, friends didn't seem to know what was going on but everyone else did in ep 2, that the antagonist didn't switch his focus to someone else
- in episode 6 they needed to show them filming so viewers realized that it was for the student film and didn't really happen (on/near the beach)
- in episode 7 what a character did could have killed another character, that was too violent and though the couple did briefly talk later, I couldn't totally trust a character that showed that level of violence
- a character randomly showed up to comfort Oh, they could have weaved that character in earlier
- nonsense in episode 8, there was plenty of time to say something to another character
- in episode 8 a 3rd couple came out of nowhere, could have built that up better
- the victim blaming in ep 9 was infuriating
- continuity error in ep 9 of no pants and then pants
- some of the camera angles were odd
- episode 10 with the apology letter and shopping part
- episode 11 a character acted totally different (and other characters hinting at it didn't work because what I saw as a viewer was different), the other adults not saying things right away, the manhandling, the 180 shift, none of it worked for me
- episode 11 and 12 should have reduced the family drama and spent that time better developing the second and third couples
- (neutral) comedy sound effects
Question - I'm wondering if the nickname "Saggy Cheeks" would better be translated to "Squishy Cheeks" - if anyone who speaks Thai can talk about the translation please let me/us know. "Saggy Cheeks" has a negative connotation to me but I had the impression that it was a silly nickname, not a negative nickname.
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Dominant Yakuza and Wimpy Corporate Slave
10 people found this review helpful
could have been a 10/10 (need a season 2!)
Overall: I liked the nervous office worker compared to the collected bad boy gangster; however, there were too many flashbacks and there was a very cliche plot point towards the end. Runtime is about 30 minutes. Episodes 1-3 are free to watch https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIBpX20YnmIiP897j9WiDoGMXkS_5XZE5&si=pq9pgBL_1VRDtGEoThe rest must be watched/paid on the mov, Inc app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=movie.mov.app&pli=1 / https://apps.apple.com/us/app/short-movie-tv-mov/id6648779972
Content Warning: fight, blood, non con touching
What I Liked
- their dynamic/chemistry
- easy to understand plot
- visuals
- office worker cleared something up soon after he saw it
Room For Improvement
- with only 10 episodes they could have moved the story along a bit faster/had more relationship building between the leads, too many flashbacks, not needed side plot with the boss
- fight scene looked/sounded very fake
- the very cliche thing that happened towards the end of the series and I can't believe that's how the other character would respond when they barely knew each other
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Thai romcom
Overall: this is the epitome of a Thai romcom. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel, playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI72NwYDLdpMM17t-B-9BvTB&si=1Jdv5bf4kpg-sShr ; later re-aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40694c-only-booContent Warnings: held against will, harassment, past death, non con video taking/sharing/unwanted public outing, manipulation
What I Liked
- clear premise
- a few central characters
- cute moments
- supportive friends
- Kang's supportive mom and that Moo's mom was smart and saw thru him (not a fan of how Moo's mom later though)
- briefly addressed a downside of shipping culture
Room For Improvement
- wish Kang had shown Moo some interest instead of showing distaste and then turning his back to show the viewer that he enjoyed Moo's flirting for the first 5 episodes
- after a clear rejection in an episode, I wanted Kang to be the one to approach Moo but unfortunately it was once again Moo
- comedy sound effects were excessive and detracted from the comedy
- cliche/not needed angst towards the end (to avoid this you can stop watching at episode 10 part 2, 10 minutes and start it again at episode 12 part 2 at 4 minutes
- a CEO suddenly changed his mind felt like 'because the writer said so'
- the time jump and then a voice over exposition dump at the end of the series
- could have condensed the series for faster pacing
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