A different type of Hunger Games!

I got major Hunger Games vibes from this show!

In a world of barely any guys, a female chosen from the lottery (similar to Willy Wonka's Charlie) is forced into a game show where top winners can live happily ever after with a male they choose at this government monitored place, called the Farm.

I had started this thinking it was going to be a cute lighthearted romance drama, but NO NO this was not it at all. The more I watched, the more complex it got into the dystopian world they live in. I was curious about the games they would play. They were decently entertaining and creative to watch.

The way they ended was pretty cliffhanger, leaving room for Season 2 so we understand more about the world they built!! I need to know more about the father! Everything was plotted and planned well, aside from some smh moments from the female lead. Highly recommend, especially if this is your first Thai drama like it was mine! The male lead is a fantastic actor.

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We need more sitcom dramas like this!

When you're not in the mood to watch heavier dramas and just want something lax, Eulachacha Waikiki is that type of drama to watch.

The story revolves around these trio of friends struggling to rent out their vacation guesthouse all while navigating life events. Their chemistry together was what made the show, and they were so funny! The first 9 episodes or so got me laughing at every scene at their absurdity. I love how they're not afraid to make fool of themselves.

However. it starts slipping after that. There aren't as many funny scenes, it gets serious, and everyone seems to have a romantic storyline, which isn't necessary! It would have been perfect if it remained lighthearted all the way through.

There was something going on until the very end, that I didn't even notice it was the last episode. I tried Season 2, and the cast just doesn't compare to the original. We need more funny dramas like this to wind down!

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Gwanhee's Inferno but still good

This is my favorite season, only because of one female: Hyeseon. She stood out to me since Day 1.

All the girls were beauty pageants, minus one, and it shows. There was a female, Hajeong, who had most of the spotlight initially, coming off as playful and unloyal, but I learned to love her the more we saw of her. Hyeseon remained friendly, bubbly, and was the most mature out of all the seasons. We need more ladies like her to get some personality and substance in this show rather than superficiality! Every girl this season was pretty different from one another though, which was good.

The guys are your usual. You got the super strong ones, the puppy boyfriends, the quiet introverts, and then you got Gwanhee. I don't get the hype with him. I think every girl initially liked him cause he was so tall, but really, he's the only one who you see talks the most, and has the most interesting character. He's the only one who actually has interesting things to say. The producers barely showed anyone else too.

Aside from the typical pairings that you see from previous seasons, with the same games, this was the first time so many girls liked one guy in a season. It felt like the whole show was centered around this arc. It was boring seeing this cocky guy who doesn't deserve all this attention, get so much attention, but the ending made it worth it. The ending episode was probably my favorite episode. I wish we get more group sessions or heart to heart scenes.

This was the first season of Single's Inferno with some genuine romance to it. I hope they have a better selection of male contestants next season! That way, they can all equally get some spotlight, because it was very skewed this season.

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Where was this show when I was 20?

This was a fantastic DATING show. I thought it was more of a coming of age at first, but the show definitely gravitates towards romance.

The show starts off with co-ed students attending a made up school and taking "adulting" classes. But you don't fully dive into what they are learning. You see more of their interactions, such as how they are when paired up in a dodgeball game, or putting makeup on a partner, or cooking a dish with a partner. But no dating allowed!

Chemistry basically builds until they reach the new year, and they start to live in a house together as fresh 20 year olds. This is when the no-dating rule is lifted, and they are free to ask each other out. There isn't much going on in the house, aside from going on dates. Other than that, the show is fully based on their interactions.

Every student was so mature! Some were bolder than others, some more reserved. But I have never seen so many mature students in one room before. The way there was no misunderstandings because they were honest to their feelings and spoke their mind as soon as they happened. It was so refreshing watching these new adults handle conflicts better than most would. There were so many cute moments and I loved their teasing playfulness to each other.

Unfortunately the couple I was rooting for broke up after the show, but I am happy for all the friendships continuing after the show!

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It was so good until the ending eps!

This is a completely fictional plot but with some realism: psychopathic genes. Should we abort babies with this gene or let them live? This ignores the nature vs nurture concept.

The beginning episodes starts off so strong, and so melo. We have a bunch of sad characters with a sad lore in this drama. I liked when it was focused on one case: the Moojin Serial Cases. I was into it, it was a little over the top alongside the broadcasting news show, but it was intense.

Then, it went downhill from there, when the writers started adding other cases and info on top, and the lines start to blur. There started being more harder to believe scenes. The show does a lot of cutting, and then going back to the scene later on to reveal a bigger picture, which is an unique directing style, but can be confusing for viewers like me.

Choi Hong Joo is the most unlikeable character in this show. She's literally in everyone's business and holds all the clues, but she doesn't reveal anything.

Despite the complicated plot that went a little all over the place in the rush to the end, the cast played an pivotal role in drawing me in to keep watching. And the kid actors!! There were so many.

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Finally A C-Drama I finished

It's so hard for me to find good Chinese dramas, so this was one of the rare ones that I watched from start to finish.

The story is about a girl who falls in love with her brother's friend, who's 5 years older than him. Sounds spicy, and the trailer and plot made it seem like the couple will go through many ups and downs. But this drama was the complete opposite of dramatic. It was so sweet, without being cringe. This was one of the main reasons why I loved this drama. The guy was so romantic, sweet, and caring, without being too over the top. The girl may seem spoiled given her family background, but she was raised right: humble and kind. They complement each other so well!

The progression of how the couple grew to be together was so natural. At first, I thought the actress was too cutesy in having to play a younger girl, but I ended up being used to it, and it worked on her.

In real life, the age gap is only by 2 years, so I'm curious to know how it would be like if the age gap was further, to be more realistic. Either way, they had amazing chemistry, and I'm going to miss this cute couple.

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Typical movie, but I enjoyed the concept

I was initially drawn to the phones and social media concept. Putting yourself out there too much leaves you prone danger.

But, the plot started as stupid as the main girl giving her PASSWORD for someone to repair her phone screen. That is not something that would be asked, and she never even questioned it. She was your typical dense girl for the sake of creating the plot. She would blame her friend she's known for years than the random stranger she met for a couple days.

I think they spent the most details on the beginning shot sequence, which was really well done.

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Another drama with a damsel in distress FL

I watched this because my bf said this was his 2nd fave kdrama. But I think he was just watching this for Jisoo.

The drama is politics, and it all started because of the scheme thought out between North Korea and South Korea to get a political party to win the election. A North Korean spy on a mission in South Korea ends up intertwining with a university female student, and now he's forced to hold the whole college dorm hostage.

I started in 1x speed but had to ramp it up to 1.25x because of how slow paced it was. The whole drama basically takes place in the school, with the students being held captive all day every day. Ep 9 is when things finally start picking up.

I do enjoy the action and thriller aspects of this drama. It felt like an emotional rollercoaster watching the ups and downs they go through every time something new is uncovered. There is romance sprinkled throughout every time the main leads get together. The romance was that symbol of innocence amidst the politics and cruel time period they were living in. You feel for them. You yearn with them for how their life could have turned out if they were just normal people without their background to hold them back.

I could not care for the female lead/Jisoo. She was your typical useless damsel in distress who did nothing but cry the whole drama. Even her dad doesn't listen to her, despite the amount of times she thinks he will. Cheong-ya, or Yoo In Na really carried the show for me. She was such an amazing actress.

I personally wouldn't recommend this drama but it was a decent time period drama with good thrills.

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Best TVB Drama of 2023

I was skeptical in watching this drama at first because it was literally the same cast of "I Got The Power" and I thought it would be like another boring terrorist cop drama. But when I started it, I couldn't stop.

The drama essentially revolves around this fictional anti-terrorist police force that consists of 2 groups: one heavy-duty-guns-out-SWAT-team group and some office-workers-but-still-know-how-to-fight group. Every couple of episodes, there is a new crime case to crack with different guest actors each story. I can't attest to the accuracy, of course, but I love how they incorporate a lot of real life moves that the SWAT team members probably would execute in real life. The fight scenes were also so intense and well done, and the operations always felt so smoothly run, from start to finish.

I wish we got more back story on why Ruco even started being bad. I'm genuinely curious. The ending was very rushed, with Ruco's death being so lackluster. You would think the biggest baddie of the show wouldn't die without one big final showdown or villainous deed. TVB loves those jumping before the fire explodes scenes lol. But his role was truly fun to watch. And his sidekick was a good plot twist!

Overall, really well executed drama that kept me entertained. The police and story arcs brought a lot of nostalgia to good old TVB dramas. Please write more quality dramas like this, TVB!

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A mess that's finally over - I think

The second part of the season is where we finally get to the meat of everything - the action. With that being said, the drama was very chaotic. The focus this season is on all the side characters. For one, we see the bullying gang all get their fair share of karma. Honestly. they are all a screaming mess. There's not one scene we saw where they weren't cursing one another off.

Dongeun is becoming more of this almighty main lead with plot armor who's just conveniently there at every scene, watching her plan unfold successfully. If you're wondering how she plans all this, not much is shown. We just watch and accept!

The storytelling is unique, in that in jumps back and forth a lot to convey something. I particularly like the landlord backstory the most.

Luckily, this time around, I watched the whole drama in 2x speed. Otherwise, this drama would have been another slow burn.

I can see Netflix milking another season with the cliffhanger. But they also really tied a ribbon with this ending the way they concluded it with even the random romance.

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It was ok, I'm surprised I finished

I thought the movie was a wholesome simple one about a stranger connecting with another through time and talking about each of their crushes. While this was true, I wasn't thinking too much of the following plot twist that ensued. The plot twist led me to believe the guy friend is a jerk. How is he gonna pick up his friend's turtle, call it the same name, and continue to raise him with his kid? Also, turtles live that long? The girl also isn't any better for always being near the guy friend despite having a boyfriend. I feel bad for the main guy.

I didn't expect to tear watching this on the plane, but a tear definitely trickled down near the end. It was a bittersweet note learned, although the very last clip ruined it for me. I wish they kept it simple instead of throwing us off with timeline madness.

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Very very slow burn revenge

I was drawn to the overall premise. A victim dedicates her whole life and personality to seeking revenge on her high school bullies. You can see the PTSD and long term injuries she faced as a result of the extreme violence, even over 15 years later. And that, is to show just how much of an impact bullying can have on a person, which Korea really should learn by now.

Every episode being less than an hour was a huge blessing, and I sped through the first couple eps. But then, the drama slowed down a lot, more than I am used to. They cut to a different scene often to focus on each of the many characters, but the scenes themselves are boring to watch. This drama is an example of nothing's going on, but actually everything's going on.

The casting bothered me a lot at first. The older version of the male students looked believable, and so did Park Yeon Jin. But Song Hye Ko was an older actress than them, and the age gap was very obvious. The other girls also looked nothing like their past selves. Not a big issue, but just a hindrance if we want more accuracy of the casting. I know Song Hye Ko is suppose to play a cold woman who lost all emotions since the bullying, but her face was literally a stone, outside from the one time she (forcibly) laughed. And there was a lot of forced laughter in this show. On the other hand, I really enjoyed watching Jung Sung Il's performance! He plays a stoic guy as well, but I see sooo much expression with every blink and facial movement he makes.

A lot of parts are still confusing to me, but it's great in getting me ready to watch part 2 of the drama. Also, these comments make it seem like this show is a romance drama with the ships. I wish we talked more about the actual things going on, because this drama is a mess.

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A BOLDER Korean dating show

This show was a mix of Transit Love/Exchange and Singles Inferno.

The cast room in a house together and play games to win dates. Just like the Singles Inferno producers, these producers milk on the strength games! Literally don't join this show if you're not strong, because the stronger agile people kept winning.

What's slightly different from other dating shows is that the cast members first meet in bathing suits and spoke in casual speech to one another. I loved that idea, since you break all awkwardness and show your vulnerability right away. The cast also had new bed arrangements every night. Other than that, the show was intriguing at first, but it got boring with the mundane routine of games, dates, and new bed arrangements.

The appeal for the cast members fell when I learned most of them were pretty much models. All of a sudden, everyone is painted in a light to be coming on here just to earn some fame to me. Here's my thoughts on each:

Sungjae: First impression, he was the best looking to me and seemed polite. That was until we saw him get ANGRY, and immediately I was turned off. You don't want to mess with this guy when you get on his nerve, because he will blow. He also seems like the type to not take rejection for an answer.

Yuna: This girl really was a character. She unfortunately didn't get as much screen time, but it was funny she called out Nayeon for being a player, when I think she was trying to be one too.

Juyeon: My fave! She was the most genuine female cast member, and as soon as no one chose her in the beginning, I knew this was yet another sign of Koreans always avoiding the tan girls and having that same beauty standard.

Timothee: The fact that he started latching onto the female who made bank tells you something about his character. He also comes off very calculating in his motions to draw people to like him.

Nayeon: A total red flag, but I enjoyed watching her. I will also like to join the bandwagon of buying her guidebook on how to flirt and allure men.

Junghyun: So cute and his age shown lol. He became my fave for being so sweet. Can we please get some treatment for his sore lips at the end, like dam.

Jihyun: She was the most confusing member I ever seen. None of her actions made sense. She led Cheolmin on quite a lot for it to mean nothing.

Cheolmin: I feel bad for him, as he seems like a genuine funny and nice guy. He never once got mad at being rejected and stuck to one woman till the end.

Hoseok: He is the moodmaker of the gang. But unfortunately, he is too aggressive and reacts outwardly that I'd run the other way in fear if he were to have a crush on me. He also seems hella petty.

Unlike other shows, there were some scenes that were bolder than what I usually see, and I loved the panelists' reactions every time. I normally root for potential couples I like in dating shows, but I didn't feel anything here.

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Cast is better than S1 but nothing changed

I watched the first season. It was good, but I had wanted something more if they were going to do another season.

This season just felt like a complete replica of Season 1. The team didn't even try to change anything, besides having a slightly more diverse cast. They tried to make certain cast members shine more, robbing other casts of their scenes. I would love to see Hanbin or Sejeong and their mundane chats over having to bare another scene with Seulki awkwardly talking to someone.

The cast this season was a lot more interesting and diverse than Season 1's, which was fun to see. They had more chemistry with one another. The production team pulled the same grimy move of having new member arrive later on in the eps again, but at least Sejun was able to make the most of it and ended up soaring up people's favorites list with his charm. I was so bored until Sejun came into the picture. I'm so happy we had a little justice for So-e arc when he started liking her. Their scenes were the most genuine without any cringey lines or awkwardness!

And again with the weird games. I have never watched such uncomfortable games in my life, and these games were even more cringe than last season's. Every chance for viewers to see their bodies and strength, the production team is all over that. There was also the most random scene with Sejeong and Dongwoo tanning on the beach. That was so uncalled for and unnecessary.

There was a lot of beating around the bush conversations this season, which dragged for so many episodes. As much as most people were green flags, it doesn't work for a reality show. Everyone was too laidback this season to bring on any spice. I enjoyed the surprise ending twist though. Seulki matched Jongwoo way more, and she was only holding onto Jinyoung through attraction. Jinyoung never once gave a clear answer, compared to Jongwoo. They had nothing in common. Just like last season, sincerity prevails. It's interesting to see from a viewer's perspective that someone who loves you over someone you love has won again.

Netflix is probably going to milk more seasons after this. And being the dating show junkie I am, I will reluctantly watch. I just really wish they would change things up for next season.

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From bored skipper to an emotional wreck!

This is probably the most memorable and favorite time travel drama I have ever watched.

The story starts off with the main girl missing her boyfriend who went missing (most likely died) in a plane crash. She ends up time traveling back in time to become a girl student who looks like her, who has a classmate friend that looks just like her boyfriend! I thought the two female characters' stories were separate, but everything end up being more interlinked than expected. Any move from this past would ripple and affect the main girl's current timeline. And, she wasn't the only one able to time travel!

The beginning, like the first 8 episodes, were really boring. They played that oldie cassette song WAY too much. The acting felt unnatural, and there were too many of, what I thought were filler scenes. Turns out, I WAS WRONG.

The first half may be boring, but every scene, even the cassette song scenes, was actually pivotal in the time travel timeline! I am actually super impressed by how the production team came up with everything. I also change my mind about their acting with the last 5 episodes, as I realized how great they were in playing multiple characters. Except the uncle's acting. Plus, their CHEMISTRY got me in an emotional wreck every time I felt they were separating. Another title for this drama should have been "How to Fall in Love With Li Zi Wei in 13 episodes" cause UGH, what a perfect character. I loved him in the timeline with the younger HYX.

Suicide, depression, and other medical illnesses were explored here with even a touch on LGBTQ, although that was quite random. I loved how they were inserted in subtly and bittersweetly.

In what started off as me nonchalantly watching and struggling to feel for the main girl's tears and longing for her mans in the beginning, I UNDERSTOOD and felt everything she was feeling by the end. Heck, I miss her boyfriend too and I was literally crying with her. And I love how I was able to do that because of the way this drama was executed.

Because of how many intricate details were placed in this drama, I'd look over the boring parts and applaud the overall storyline and beautiful casting and chemistry.

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