was that it?

After getting The Eclipse recommended to me atleast a million times I decided to watch it, and it was much worse than I anticipated. I liked the caracters (some of them that is), Ayan and akk are engaging enough individually, but I can't really understand why they like each other to the degree they do. Thua and Kan are okay, but Thua's "twist" is the worst case of character assassination I've ever seen in my entire life because it actually came out of NOTHING. And it also just doesn't make any sense that Thua would ever out someone, when he quite literally experiences bullying every day for being queer himself. And then they just move on from it? Without Thua ever really properly apologizing, and it's just weird.
Wat and mo are like, there? But they both have very little significance to the story as a whole. They are both okay, but I feel like Mo is only there to serve the purpose of being "a suspicious person", to move attention away from Akk.
The concept around a school curse sounds cool on paper, and it works well as a theory, but I think the show would have improved drastically if there was actually existed a curse.
Ayan's motivations make sense, because he's at school mainly to find out what happened to his uncle, but it's like he forgets his own mission in the middle of the program and suddenly focuses on a lot of other things and it just seems a litt messy to me.
Also I really like Sani, but MA'AM YOU ARE A TEACHER. Like teh thing with her and wat...? very funky. I also still can't understand why she comes along to Akks's house, like hello SHE IS A TEACHER. She's not their best friend, they're not the same age at all.
On the topic of age. First and khao playing high school students when they were both 25 during filming :0
No thanks.
Overall, I didn't think it was terrible while watching it, but there was a lot that didn't make much sense and that could have been done in a much better way, considering the concept they started with in the first episode. From a citical standpoint, it's messy and weird, but it's not bad ot the degree that I'm going to hate the characters the actors too much. I know that many consider it as one of gmmtv's best shows, but it just didn't quite work for me on that level.
Msp and nlmg are definitely better and less confusing in my opinion. Watch it if you'd like, and like it if you want to, for me the great actors just couldn't save this doomed story and badly written script.

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someone use the eraser on this director

simply put, I am in agony.

I have been anticipating this show since it's announcement early this year, and have been looking forward to it for AGES. And how could I not? It's an adaptation of one of my favorite mangas and jbls, with my absoloute favorite GMMTV pairing, could it get more perfect than this? Oh boy was I wrong. This show is pure chaos, from the production to the editing to the acting, it is a slop of content to get through, and I say that with great sadness in my heart.

ACTING:
I love geminifourth, and I seriously believe them to be one of GMMTV's best pairings when it comes to both chemistry and acting as a whole, but why do they actively suck the life out of me in this show? Fourth's acting feels so incredibly forced and stiff as Atom, and he seems like a watered down version of the character he played in My School president. The acting is so fake and the characters doesn't have an ounce of self-awereness. Now don't get me started on Gemini. He is given a poker-face character that is meant to be cold, but he just looks bored out of his mind. The only parts where I don't feel like jumping out of one of the steamy windows in the show (seriosuly what is going on with that), is when they're actively having a conversation. And the worst part of all is that it's none of their faults, it's the director.

DIRECTING:
good lord who is this god-forsaken man. I can not begin to describe how much I hate the directing for this show. Not only does it butcher the original characters of the jbl by making them an empty shell of what they're supposed to be, but it doesn't even attempt to showcase gemini and fourths genuienly great acting skills and performance. The pacing is also so weird. Considering it's an adaptation that follows a previously made story, the pacing shouldn't be a problem right? Wrong. Though yes, the show follows all the same story beats and plotpoints as the original, it doesn't leave any room for the actors to just, idk act..? The characters are left no room to breathe between conflicts and it makes for a not-so-pleasant viewing experience. THIS MAN DIRECTED MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT, WHO HIT HIM IN THE HEAD WITH A METAL BAR AND MADE HIM MAKE THIS SHOW WITH THREE CONCUSSIONS???

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Also, did they use up the budget on that one good song in the intro ooor..? The filming and especially the editing, as many have pointed out, is also hot garbage. My eyes need a break atleast 4 times while watching an episode. It is so cheaply made, and the choppiness is so distracting that I can't focus on anything that's going on on screen. Adding to the distracting editing, the humor and appeal in this show relys solely on out-of-place sound effects, and goofy royalty free background music that gives me emotional whiplash every ten seconds. And I know that they used sound effects and funny music in My school President aswell, but the diffferece is that it actually fit the situations they were put in, and added to the actors performance, instead of the other way around. Here it's as if the actors were given scripts with sound-effects on them telling them to follow the editing instead of just acting like regular people.

I am so serious when I say that the only parts of the show that manages to muster up any sort of value for me, is the chemistry between gemini and fourth, and mudmee and atoms friendship. It feels as is none of the writers or director have ever seen nor read the original source material, and it SHOWS. They have no idea how to develop the characters of their relationshsip, because they fundamentally fail at realizing and understanding them in the first place.

I will watch it to the end, simply beacuse of the sliver of hope I have for the quality to get better, but I can't say that I am anticipating it.

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One word: Cinematography

This show is without a doubt amazing, a couple of things in the middle confused me a bit, and the lack of inner monologue made some things a bit complicated, but other than that, I have little negative to say about it. Now with that said, this is without a doubt the MOST BEAUTIFUL kbls I've ever seen, all the colors are gorgeous and the filming is creative and not messy in the slighest. Many kbls have this where problem that the filming and angles are often very lackluster, but this show really took the time to get nice and well-thought-out shots and scenes that make watching the program more satisfying. All scenes filmed with jaewon's psychologist are magnificent, with creative angles, use of color and props. The first scene in epsidoe 10 is also pure cinematic art, the simplicity of the use of color and the angle, the different patterns, it reminded me a lot of Nevertheless, a series that also have amazing cinematography and probably a higher budget. Both jihyun and jaewon's acting is amazing and their dynamic and chemistry is amazing and incredibly natural.
Aeri and joonpyo are fun side characters with distinctive personalities that are both interesting to watch, and that don't overshadow Jihyun and Jaewon's story. Eunji is a bitch and I don't want to talk about her.
The music is great, the characters are realistic, the main issue makes sense, there are stakes, there is character development, and the ending is satisfying and everything just clicks.
Also they play Conan Gray so-

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Nostalgia done right

Japanese series tend to be very good at creating a sense of nostalgia and belonging to the places and stories in their series, his is no exception. With a cold filter, slightly saturated colors and a wardrobe and styling that couldn't be more perfect, this is a clear indicator of when the series takes place, i.e. in 2006. The actors are all quite young, and are all incredibly convincing in their roles, the relationships between them automatically make the series much better to watch and follow
you are put into their lives, how they behave, personalities, interests, they are all REAL people. Coupled with magnificent cinematography and a sweet and simple story, this easily becomes one of my favorite series ever. It is so much more than just a bl, mainly because the romance between nagisa and shun is not the main theme, but rather how this affects those around them, and how it makes them grow and develop together. Nagisa's relationship with his own orientation is so realistic and it hurts my heart to think about his past, and why he behaves the way he does. It's simply wonderful to see how all the characters evolve and develop together, both shun and nagisa who discover their feelings for each other, and chika and ako who really mature throughout the show. I really only wish the series was a bit longer, if it had been 8-10 episodes I really think it would have been perfect, even though the series has incredibly good pacing, I think it would really benefit from having a bit more time to go on, to really emphasize both nagisa and shun's feelings. Basically, this series is gorgeous and i haven't been able to stop thinking about it since i started watching it, it is such an easy watch and definetely worth your time! <3

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Not amazing but weirdly I loved it??

disclaimer: I have never read the webtoon so bare with me on this one

This show is badshit insane, and I LOVED it.

The premise of a woman who turns into a dog by kissing people? I am confused, but nonetheless intruiged, something about weird plotlines allures me what can I say. I described it the best in a quote I wrote while watching, "ugh this kdrama is everything a kdrama should be, stupid as hell plot, cliche upon cliche upon cliche, awkward situations UGH IM IN LOVE". Like yes sign me up. Now, what I didn't know I was signing up for however, was the actual amazing romantic chemistry and heartfelt connections that paint this show in an absoloutly beautiful light? I was strapped in for a silly time why am I suddenly crying????

WHAT IS GOING ON? :
Now, I have to adress the ginormous elephant in the room, that is literally everything but the budding romance between the two main characters, cus none of it really made any sense, like at all..?? Like beforementioned, the show mainly foces on our main female protagonist Haena who has a special ability. Her family suffers a curse that makes it so every female born, literally gets turned into dogs when kissing someone for the first time. Okay?? But why?? Now that is the question isn't it. Throughout the show we get small flashbacks that all point to the reason for this curse, but it's not explained fully until the last couple of episodes.

In a previous lifetime (iknow ofc ), Haena and her love interest Seowon ends up in a tricky situation. Haena is the maid of a princess(?) or daughter of an emperor(?) or something I don't know (my memory sucks), and to save her lover, she reveals the whereabouts of this princess to some bandits that wants to get her. What Haena isn't aware of however, is that the princesses lover is literally an all-mighty mountain spirit (???), who somehow mistakenly thinks that Haena and Seowon actually KILLS HER, thus resulting in the mountain-spirit cursing all of Haenas bloodline through generations.
You see how everything kind of imidiately falls apart?

THE SAVING GRACE:
Looking away from all the previous lives, magic spells, curses and mountain spirits however, what is this show really about? Haena, together with Seowon (love interest) and Bogyeom (mountain spirit in hiding), is a highschool teacher trying her best to navigate the ups and downs of romance and dating, while having a terrible dog-kiss curse. She has a crush on fellow teacher Bogyeom, and wants to confess her feelings for him. In a moment of true desperation (she was drunk at a work gathering), she decides it's finally time. And, not only does she confess, but she also KISSES this man, being fully aware of her curse. But uh oh! It turns out, she was so blackout drunk that she ends up mistakenly kissing Seowon, the other teacher at the gathering, and she totally freaks out and runs away cinderella style (she turned into a dog). Now the show is about Haena trying to inexplicably get Seowon to drink with her? So that she can kiss him again? Before it's been 100 days? Or she is going to stay a dog forever?

It might just sound like I'm dunking on this show, again, but just trust the process. Basicly, this forces Haena to go out of her way to talk and interact with Seowon as much as humanly possible, so that she can lift the curse before it's too late. Throughout this pretty long period of them interacting more and getting into whacky (kill me) situations with eachother, they honestly build up such a believable and trusting relationship it makes my heart ache. Seowon is conviniently afraid of dogs (I have to laugh), and Haena helps him overcome this fear. After this their romance builds up in an extremely natural and satisfying way and you almost forget how fucking weird this show actually is, cus the chemistry is simply TOO DAMN GOOD. Both the main actors perfomances are so good and it just made me really buy their connection and relationship, especially when put in dangerous situations and all the other shit that happens in the later episodes. They FEEL like a real, honest to god couple, and they play it so extremely well. Also them being lovey-dovey legit made me want to die so if that's not the bes confirmation of good performance idk what is.

IS EUNWOO HOT ENOUGH TO GIVE A GOOD SCORE?:
This show, is a show :)
Personally, I give it an 7.5 for story, because it seriously drags in the middle with the mountain-spirit guy, and it was so excruiciatingly boring to the point where I almost stopped watching, BUT I can't give it anything but a fucking 10 for romance. The cast is SO GOOD and Eunwoo really put his heart and soul into this role, I swear I have never seen him act as hard as this ever. True Beauty is seeing this and crying.

All in all, I loved a lot of it, but a lot of it was also extremely boring. I had to skip most of the parts of the mountain-spirit guy in the last episodes, because I just could not for the life of me pay attention or pretend to actually give a shit about his character, his story or motivations. Also, if they were going to reincarnate his lover from their previous life (which they do btw oops), why of all things reaincarnate her as a highschool student MINOR, while the mountain-spirit was a grown ass adult teacher at the school she was attending? Their dynamic was so off and I was so weirded out every time they interacted. ALSO ALSO, in the end they tried to pair her up with eunwoos nephew anyway, SO WHAT WAS THE POINT? She basicly did nothing for the story and her character mostly just confused the hell out of me.

Anyway, Eunwoo ate down, Haena is my mom and I never want to take a walk in a mountain in South-Korea.

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To date Suyu myself I would have to time travel, but to what year?

I would like to preface this by saying I absoloutly adore this show and the characters and I would never steal Suyu from Wubi ever (I would porbably die in a 1v1 fight), but why is the time period of this show so extremely confusing? The thing about this very spesific critic is that it sounds really nitpicky to point out, but it seriously bothered me so much while watching that I just had to say something about it.

This show is a remake of an older show that came out in the 90s(?) or atleast early 2000s, therefore it makes sense that the creators would like to keep the same "old" feel when directing it. The problem with this is that while a lot of the scenes, places and clothes fit that aesthetic super well, it somehow feels like they just forgot to keep the thing going in the middle of the show, making the clashing elements so extremely out of place and distracting it becomes jarring.

Like in episode 5 when Suyu uses a really old fashion heavy-duty box computer at his friends house, while Wubi literally whips out a macbook less then 5 minutes later, EXUSE ME WHAT DECADE ARE WE LIVING IN? They use huge computers, old casette TVs, they have cds, casettes and DVDs that are IN USE, they never use laptops/computers when in school, literally just paper, pencils and books (idk if that's the norm in China pls don't sue me).

The interior and clothing design is also so aggressively 90s, but Wubi talks about how Suyu is weird for liking a song that came out in the 90s? As if it's ancient and not from the decade they're living in at all. They take pictures with cameras and not phones, they use flip-phones with keyboards and ipods, no headsets just earplugs and cd-players. BUT THEY STILL HAVE MACBOOKS?

My head hurts. Anyway WUbi better be alive or I'm suying the entire Chinese government, thank you and goodnight.

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Intriguing start, lackluster ending.

The first half, and the middle of this show is really great and I was truly impressed by the talented actors, good cinematography and interesting characters. That being said, the ending did not really stick the landing for me. First off, we get a time skip in the middle of an episode, in the middle of a still ongoing conflict. This seriously really confused me, and it felt like they were trying really hard to stray away from the original plot of the show? The last half of the 6th episode and the enitrety og the 7th are really just random shenanigans that don't' try to explain what has happened during the time Taehyun and Dayeol spent away from each other. The last two episodes were simply rushed, and instead of focusing on a satisfying end to their story as high school students, they rather rushed them into student/college life with zero context and sent them on a random trip.
I think if they had really focused on working through the conflict they had at the end of ep 6, this series could really be perfect. Certain parts of this show soars, but the ending really doesn't do it any favours. I personally think they should've kept the standard 8-epsiode length of korean bls, while also focusing on the characters as highschoolers and their issues while being highschoolers, that never really get resolved. This would give Taehyun especially much more time to develop, evolve and reconsider his feelings and approach to Dayeol. This show is definetely worth watching, as long as you're prepared for what awaits you at the end, which is boring melodrama that is barely developed. All in all, Yechan and Jaehan are seriously good actors and you should definetely check out Omega X aswell <3

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