DROPPED - Are we suppose to feel bad for Oh Su Jae???!!

I gave up in the middle of episode 3 when she brought up the first episode's mystery crime in the classroom.
This drama felt too insensitive and tone-deaf for me. The production quality and cast of actors were the only saving grace for me.
Either the Writers wanted the audience to find OSJ likable and failed,
OR
the Writers never intended to make OSJ likable and there's a villainous plot twist waiting near the middle or end of the drama to showcase that and confirm my suspicions.
Sadly, it looks like OSJ is meant to be pitied and rooted for, even though her pride, apathy, and 'holier-than-thou' attitude make it hard for me to stomach her non-existent virtues and ethics.
The more I watched this drama and OSJ, the more enraged and violent I got. So, I stopped watching.
Hopefully, I'll find other works of the actors to enjoy and appreciate their acting abilities. My issue is with the writing of this story and not the actors themselves.

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Conditional vs. Unconditional Love

This drama should go by the title 'Pure Love Dissonance' and not just 'Love Dissonance'.

The Japanese title 'Junai' translates to 'pure love', a specific type of love usually associated with Unconditional Love or Agape, also known as 'selfless love'.

Many forms of relationships and types of love exist in this drama. Relationships between lovers, friends, family, and not-quite enemies but definitely rivals. Various types of love are present in just about every form except for Erotic love. It could be a result of the innate censorship of the drama because of the rating or because it's from Japan a conservative country, but there are moments when the drama mentions Erotic love. However, it's just never mentioned about the main couple unless someone believes that that is the reason the main couple is together.

It's not. It's way deeper than that.

The main couple - in comparison to every other dynamic, pair, or relationship in the drama - represents selfless love. Unconditional love. The type of intimacy that is only present in those who have experienced 'infinite empathy' for another person.

Masaki and Sae met each other at one of their lowest moments in life and helped each other overcome their personal struggles and find comfort, support, and sanctuary with each other.

The explosive argument in the 7th episode between Manami and Masaki highlights that. She illustrates to Masaki that she would refer prefer Masaki and Sae just sleep together instead of emotionally cheating.

It was the first time I'd seen a portrayal of Emotional Infidelity. Very well done.

"What I can't stand is the heart! I can't stand the fact that you two are connected at the heart!"

Masaki and Sae have infinite empathy for each other that seems to last the test of time and circumstance. Despite almost everyone's attempt to break these two apart, even Masaki and Sae.

At times, the image of doves hounded by a circle of vultures comes to mind when I see more drama plied on to break the main couple apart. It was almost like they were the innocents and collateral damage to the world's expected forced expectations and eventually fallout for everyone.

The photo that ruined their reputation was of them consoling each other after a few days of constant emotional and mental exhaustion. Either from their toxic parents, inability to embark on achieving their dreams, or just from society pulling them away from each other for the sake of the status quo. No kisses, no sexts, no brazen behavior at school, and no explicit form of physical intimacy between them.

Just a 'shoulder-to-cry-on' mentality. Nothing more. However, the situation they're in is inappropriate. The backlash from the photo made the situation less ideal than it was in real life.

Sae is very candid, blunt, and level-headed. I adore Smart Leads because their actions have logical reasoning behind them and they usually acknowledge the consequences of their actions as well. Sae - in comparison to Masaki - is braver and more emotionally mature than her counterpart in the drama. Masaki may be the Sensei but he has much to learn from her when it comes to being true and honest to yourself, despite what life throws your way. She didn't 'fix' him though she did inspire change within him. He acknowledges that near the end of the drama too. Sae is the reason he's decided to treat himself better, be more honest, and live more honestly too. They bring out the best in each other simply the fact that they both just want to be happy living their dreams, together or not. Selfless love.

Manami represented obsessive love towards Masaki. All or majority of the parents were just Narcissists and toxic people. Treating their children as extensions of themselves and denying those children basic human rights like deciding their own path and their privacy rights.

When Sae's mother came to school to read her daughter's novel out loud, I was truly disgusted. Then, near the end of the drama, I choked up a little when her mother told her daughter to be different from her and therefore better than her. 'Go be with Masaki', she was saying in her own petty way. I laughed too but was happy that the mom was finally ready to not be selfish.

Another aspect of the drama that really hit home for me was the parent-child bonds. There's Masaki and his parents. Sae and her mom. And then, Manami and Hokuto with their father and Manami's mother play a part too. The type of love between parents and children should be Agape or Storge known as 'familiar love'. However Agape still trumps all other types of love.

Sae and Masaki's love reigns superior to everyone else's, especially at the beginning of the drama.

The other characters' relationships - between other people and within themselves - eventually and fortunately change for the better good near the end of the drama. Even the criminals in the show have a change of heart and/or redemption arc that I'm okay with. Everything that happens in this drama relates to someone's desire for love or in the name of love.

Masaki's statement to Manami's father in the last episode was profound and brutally honest. "So long as you shackle people with conditions, no one will become your family. Family comes at the price of no conditions, whatsoever." The difference between Conditional Love and Unconditional Love is how you love. Manami's father didn't understand until he lost just about everything, in every way.

I like the little details too. The music and sound design. The editing, cinematography, acting, and how this drama exceeded my expectations in every way. I love the time jump, the repeating topics of living without regrets, loving yourself before being able to accept love and knowing when to let go of what or who you love because you love them.

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Inappropriately Good

A short review for a short drama.

It's fast-paced. It starts off strong and finishes on a good note. The banter between the two characters is easy to follow and very spicy at times, it's easy to forget that they are work colleagues and boss/subordinates. Just like they forget most times too.

That's where the inappropriate aspect comes in. There's low-key flirting, high-key flirting, and all-around foolery regarding personal boundaries and what is work appropriate. The term 's**ual harassment' comes up about four times in the drama but the actual act happens many more times and yet it seems consensual but there's no verbal agreement that it's okay. (Hmm??)

I will say that the camera work, the music and soundtrack, and the acting were superb. I enjoyed the small moments of voice-over and narration. It didn't take me out of the story and it fit the short and intimate drama pretty well. The flashback scenes help with backstory and character development. I understood the choices and thought processes of the main characters a bit after those flashbacks happened. This was overall a well-written story and I would like to see the original manga to read/see more details that may have not made it into the Live Action version.

The acting between the two actors was hands down enjoyable. I cried when they were sad, I laughed when they were having fun and I cringed when there were awkwardness and spicy moments happening. In my head, I'm screaming and in real life, I'm squealing because, HOW DID YOU GUYS GET INTO THIS POSITION?! No wait, don't tell me... My heart can only take so much.

The drama is shorter than I expected and I could definitely use a second season but it's perfect the way it is. I'm starting to really enjoy the office romance genre thanks to this drama and Cherry Magic. I like the adult and mature themes of aging and allowing yourself to enjoy life, try something new, and accept love when it falls into your lap - no matter your age.

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Yes to everything!

I loved everything in this movie!

I laughed at the funny and cheerful moments. I was sad when the couple had their communication issues and intrigued when the two would 'play'. (Also, where did they go for all of those 'play' moments? Because yeah, I've heard of the Love Hotels/Motels in Japan and S.Korea but wow! Those places were so cool!)

Love the characters, the acting, the cinematography, the plot, and the way it ended. This film did so much better than any other film when it came to introducing BDSM. I would recommend this to anyone who needs to understand what good communication in a relationship looks like.

Listening to Girl's Generation for more than ten years makes me nostalgic for the maknae of the group to lead in this film. I loved her performance and how tasteful this film was and how mature she was able to portray her character.

This is cute, fun, serious (the research done for the Dom before she tried anything when they play), sensual, colorful, relatable (especially in the office scenes), and chaotic. I'm watching this again, not going to lie.

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Sit Quietly and Look Pretty

A beautiful drama in appearance. I've never seen a Cdrama set in the Old Republic time era so this was first. Everything looked beautiful. From the costumes, hair & makeup, set designs, and props. However, the drama feels mostly empty. And it's a short drama too. That's crazy to feel like the story is dragging on when there are only 12 episodes.
I will say that there are moments when the gentlewoman says something or does something profound and I'm proud of her for that. Those moments are far too few though.
The best chemistry was between the Detective and Yan Wei. Surprisingly, the actress that portrayed the gentlewoman in the drama was perfect for the part. The Detective too. The scenes where there was action were the best parts in my opinion.
The enemies in this fic were society and the gentlewoman's husband. (Who, I've learned from reading the first few chapters in the webcomic was a royal piece of garbage and the author didn't bother to hide it with a charming artifice and deadly, undiscovered threat like they did in the TV show.) Too much screen time went to the male characters too by the way. As if they want you to feel pity for why these male characters are so vile and oppressing to the FL and other females. Pity? Not here!
The ending is confusing and I don't want to think about it much because I'm sure the answer will upset me because it seems like all the trouble of getting the two female leads together was for nothing.
Pretty looking drama though. That's it.

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The Good, The Bad & The Ugly ~Worth Watching Tho~

NO SPOILERS HERE IN THE FIRST PART!

Overall: completely worth my time and energy to watch this drama and love it.
These two have a rocky and less-than-smooth start and the first half of the drama took my heart on a roller coaster. I have to give credit to this drama for leaving a lasting impression on my mind now and for being profound enough for me to feel so many emotions when watching this short drama. Bravo. If you can get past the rough, triggering, and unhealthy beginnings of these two characters' relationship, then I say watch this drama and you'll feel something. I'm sure.

SPOILERS STARTING HERE!
Both of the main characters have their issues. They both found an unhealthy way to interact with each other. However, both of them are victims of never understanding the difference between healthy expressions of affections and toxic, unwanted affections.

Kiyoi is a tsundere. He's cold on the exterior and soft on the inside. He's beautiful in appearance and seemingly mild-mannered as well. He doesn't seem interested in dating and he acquired a group of 'friends' pretty quickly at the start of the school year. He hides the fact that he's incredibly lonely and he really wants to be an idol so he can overcome his loneliness through his future fans' love and devotion. On his first day of school, he notices Hira, and the looks Hira gives him. Kiyoi isn't sure what Hira wants from Kiyoi but Kiyoi wants to find out. Just not in the best way...

Hira considers himself at the 'bottom of the pyramid' and finds it difficult to like anything. Or anyone, I guess since he doesn't seem to have friends or any old friends he use to have since he never mentions anyone else besides his parents and Kiyoi. He eventually gets a friend when he goes to university and meets Koyama. Hira has a speech impairment that makes him stutter and he gets too nervous to talk to new people. He owns a camera that his parents got for him when he was young to take pictures of things that he likes. He never photographed another person since he got a camera until he met Kiyoi. Hira finds Kiyoi so beautiful and lovely to look at that he can't help but follow Kiyoi around, do everything he tells him to and take his picture. He also says very intense and intimate things to and about Kiyoi that show his perspective of Kiyoi as the King in his life and Hira as a servant. This pedestal he puts Kiyoi on also isolates these two from having anything romantic or physical. At least in Hira's mind.

But Kiyoi doesn't want that. Not after he starts to change how he feels about Hira when Hira fights back against other classmates bullying Kiyoi. Their inability to say how they feel and be honest and open with each other causes them to inadvertently hurt each other and leave them separated with big misunderstandings. Kiyoi doesn't know how to tell Hira that what he says to him and how it makes him feel, feels new but good. So he tells Hira that his actions are a turn-off. The Japanese word 'kimoi' is a shorter version of the phrase 'kimochi warui' or 'bad feelings'. The culture translation for this slang is similar to telling someone that they are 'giving off bad vibes' or that they are a 'turn-off'. (There was some confusion and misinterpretations due to the subtitling of the videos but after some research, I've found out that 'kimoi' doesn't always mean disgusting like the translation says it does every time. I do believe that some of Hira's behavior was questionable, disgusting, and a little disturbing. I still finished this drama though, so I survived those few offenses.)

Kiyoi also hung out with a group of classmates that were mostly bullies who loved using and making fun of Hira since Hira will always tag along if Kiyoi is there to order him around. Kiyoi was different from the other students in that group - of course - but I was really surprised when he gave Hira his own money since bullies would never do that. It made me question Kiyoi's action a bit more and I started to pay attention to his body language more often and not just what he was saying. It wasn't until episode 5 when Kiyoi was able to give his POV for the show that things started to make so much sense after that.

The last half of the drama gets crazier and my jaw kept dropping to the floor because this drama is telling a story of these two lonely boys who find each other and find the thing they've been looking for in each other without realizing it. Their lack of slf-esteem, honesty and ability to properly communicate leaves the viewer confused and alarmed. Things get toxic and at one instance even violent since Hira imagines having a machine gun and shooting his fellow classmates because they were being mean to Kiyoi or saying something mean about him. That part almost made me quit the drama. However, that same episode - Kiyoi kissed Hira. Kissed him! All of the sudden, Kiyoi finds time to be with Hira. Go to his house, walk home together or study when its just the two of them. This all happens after Hira beats up a classmate that poured tomato juice (???) on Kiyoi's head after Kiyoi failed to win 1st place for the idol competition that he badly wanted to win. Kiyoi didn't look like he would fight back, just pretend that the bullying didn't phase him. Hira comes in like a firece storm and punches the guy until the guys' friends have to hold Hira back.

What I liked most about this scene was that it was shown from Kiyoi's POV and not Hira's. When Hira described the incident, there was only a black screen and a faded echo of someone yelling. Thanks to the creative direction, we get to see what really happened and we get to see what Kiyoi's sees when he sees Hira. This was the first time the viewers ever saw Hira act so differently. Even the teacher made a comment about it in Hira's POV in episode 3. After the incident, Kiyoi opens up to Hira. He actually asks him if he likes boys. If Hira wants to kiss him and then offers his hand (like some blushing maiden in a fairytale???) for Hira to kiss. Which Hira does - on his knee like some knight in shining armor, awarded for protecting his lady (in this case King's maybe??) virtue. I laughed actually. It was too on the nose and not subtle at all. I liked it and thought, "Okay, I''l keep watching."

The drama is beautiful. The way it was filmed was stunning. I love the Japanese countryside aesthic. I liked the moments when they were by the river and had their bike rides. I like the inside of Hira's home and the introduction sequences for Kiyoi and Hira. The actors are also very beautiful, each in their own individual ways and their acting was superb. The body language and subtle details make all the difference. I love this drama and the fact that its from Japan as well since it reminds of Kimi Wa Petto. Another drama about an unconventional couple that found exactly what they needed serendipitously. Beautiful.

The ending.... I won't spoil the ending but I adored Kiyoi's facial expressions and the progression the two characters had regarding their communication and relationship. Now I need to read the manga because there could be a season 2 & 3??!!

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A 'Reader-inserted Fanfic with a Mary Sue surrounded by a reverse harem, Time Travel Theme' Drama

This drama is a masterpiece.
It was horrible in so many ways and yet I thoroughly enjoyed watching this drama and laughing at it. Truly, I had tears in my eyes.

Now, I'm not really sure what this show was hoping to accomplish since there was no plot, no message, no greater idea to take away from this experience other than, "What did I just watch?"
The FL was Qian- no, her name is Mary Sue.
Names don't really matter in this drama because the characters are just stereotypical tropes copied from a Shoujo rom-com manga that got popular due to toxic, unhealthy relationships with rich, powerful, and emotionally stunted attractive guys.

Anyway, Mary Sue is detached from reality in the present day and suffers from melancholy though nothing in her life seems troublesome, tiring, or threatening. She lives with her mom, they have a successful business to support them and pay for the large, fancy room that Mary Sue seems to call her bedroom and Mary Sue is even engaged to an attentive, business savvy, and considerate man. What is her problem? I don't know and I don't think the writers knew either. They just needed her to quickly adjust to being transported to the past all of a sudden so they can get on to the juicy bits: the romance!

So yeah, the romance.....is bad. All of her love options are horrible and she herself isn't likable at all. Throughout the drama, many characters suffer Character Assassination and they make a complete 180 at just about any moment in the drama. Mary Sue decides to endanger a pregnant woman and her unborn child for a political move to boost her beau (at the time) the 8th Prince to the throne.

My jaw dropped.

That happened often while watching this drama and not in a good way. I have never been so shocked, so many times while watching a drama of only 35 episodes. There were moments where all I can do in reaction to what was happening on the screen was to shake my head and repeat out loud, "Wow. Wow." There were SEVERAL attempts and actual, successive assaults and r**e throughout the drama. There was se**al coercion, child endangerment, child death, mass murder, sexism, misogyny, physical/emotional/mental abuse, domestic violence, and all-around deceit. By everyone. No one was innocent in this drama - except Mary Sue's mom. Poor lady. She was just a pawn in the bigger scheme of this train wreck. It's hard to say this went off the rails because there doesn't seem to be any end goal in this drama.

Not everything was bad in this drama. There were rare moments too. The acting isn't the problem. The actors did the best they could with the flat, dry source material called the script and screenwriting. The main couple was boring to watch though they provided the most comedy in the drama and that's due to the romance aspect. I found those moments hilarious because this drama, unfortunately, reminds me of 'Boys Over Flowers' and I hate that story. No, I'm not a fan of young, impressionable, and innocent girls falling in love with their bullies who happen to be rich and handsome. No thank you. This drama is the Ancient Chinese version of that story. The similarities hurt to look at really.

The show is either tone-deaf or delusion, I can't tell. (Could be both.) One moment the ML tells the FL lead that he wants to control everything about her after he makes a public display of jealousy and drags her away 'by the wrist' - the FL responds by laughing. LAUGHING! She tells him that he's cute and he reminds her of a little boy.

.....Excuse me? Does a boy - or really an overgrown child - throwing a tantrum sound attractive to you? It doesn't to me. Why is this in a drama that came out in 2011? Why is such a toxic portrayal of 'love/romance' present in a nationally popular drama in 2011? I'm confused about how it got popular other than its visuals. Both the actors, costume, and setting. The Foribben City is gorgeous as always. This drama was definitely beautiful to look at but thats' it though.

One scene was filmed pretty well, later on in the drama and the editing is much better to follow than some Cdramas that came out this year. The writing doesn't make the show make sense, but the editing makes it easy to know the total area and space where the actors are located and there's some type of attempt to keep a measurement of time since Mary Sue arrived in the past.

Which that scene in the first episode was hilarious to watch! Nothing realistic or convincing there's since a young, beautiful girl dropping into a brothel showcase in a thin, short dress in broad daylight is nothing big! She's perfectly safe, I'm sure!

Also, Mary Sue wanted to go back but 5 or 6 episodes in, she's forgotten her prior struggles and instead falls in love so nothing else matters after that. I was waiting for the laws of the universe to guide her into completing a certain mission she was destined to do OR for the universe to correct itself and remove her - a paradox - from the past. Never happened. The story of Consort Liang and how she saved the Emperor's sister from dying according to history but instead saving her erased her history altogether - that was a great moment. Flawless moment. There were finally repercussions to these Time Travelers' presence and actions.

However, Consort Liang goes back to her original timeline and Mary Sue stays because of love. Not her poor mother who is not doing well back at home. But anyway, the show must go on since there has to be a new Emperor before the show ends. it happens, it's anti-climatic and the 8th Prince gets a free ride to the future - even though the nine planets aligning is supposed to be an event that only happens every 14 years. Apparently, that was just a suggestion and the writers were just 'being creative' so the couple needed to be together.

One thing though, Consort Liang or Sun Yan should have been the FL for this story. They actually had some character arc to them though Sun Yan deserves better. I honestly feel like if Mary Sue hadn't dropped in with her Plot Armor and inability to do anything wrong - Sun Yan would have been the perfect person for the FL role.

This drama was a hot mess and I thoroughly enjoyed looking back at something from 10 years ago and seeing something way older and outdated than it should have been. 1.5/10, I only recommend if you watch it to laugh and not to take anything seriously.

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Dropped the Ball Halfway Through

There was a promising start with the two sisters with very different but interesting personalities and abilities trying to survive in a world that was built to oppress them. Either in their home life with their family and filial piety or in their hearts about who they can and can not love. The Aunt of the Crown Prince and eventually King was a well-constructed villain and opposition to the main characters but not only did they kill her off-screen - they replaced her with her next-to-useless son that was a sad and sorry excuse for an antagonist in the story.

Also, I have never watched a Chinese historical drama that featured a Spanish guitar in the OST. (Plus, it only came on around the two guys and that confused me because is this what they call bromance because I felt something else and it was not platonic! Hilarious, but I loved those moments because why not?)

The ending was lackluster and disappointing and the little sister was a nuisance towards the end and quite the liability. Kudos to the actress for the older sister though! I was actually rooting for her and loved how sensible, calm, and collected she was! I can support her as an Empresss and it's too bad we couldn't even enjoy that since the plot needed her to be weak and a damsel in distress for the main couple to have some more, unnecessary heartbreak before the show was over.

Pretty drama but it suffers the same syndrome as most other Chinese romance, historical dramas that were too long for how little plot and development existed in the end.

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A Prince playing pretend at being a Pauper

Not only was I disappointed - I was offended. Don't bring up a haunted past of a character that lost a parent when you only mention it twice in the drama and never again. Some people have had close calls concerning death and have lost loved ones - so this was just offensive, laziness, and irreverent. No thank you.
Also - stop using the struggles, pain, and death of a female character as a catalyst for a gay couple! (Or any couple really!) Torfun doesn't deserve such disrespect! This reminds me of Manner of Death and I strongly disliked that drama too. Gave it 1.5 stars because it was bad and disappointing but it didn't offend me as much as this drama did.

If they wanted to be serious about the topic of death - why add unnecessary comedy, or an attempt at blatant romance or an idea of redemption arc - if you weren't going to follow through?! It's a rural setting in the forest, in the middle of nowhere with poor, impoverished villagers with a 'chaebol/prince' character doing community service for three months thrown in the mix.
Poor Torfun.
I feel bad that the village, the villagers, and especially the children are just plot devices to get the two main characters together. All of the drama was in the direction of 'get the two guys together - to do what? To be what? A causal attempt at drama/slice-of-life with nonexistent BL? (Why do Thai BL dramas sometimes have characters be attracted to the same sex like it's happened to them before but it never shows that evidence IN THE DRAMA AT ALL!?? Sexual fluidity is real you know?)

The romance wasn't even romantic and the plot twist in episode 7 was quickly shot down by the next episode when the drama couldn't go through with the idea of Tian actually being the one to kill Torfun directly in that car race. No. He's innocent of murder so let's focus back on the romance and his 'redemption' for the 'guilt' he feels for having Torfun's heart. Not the guilt of stealing medical documents he should have never been privy to, or lying about why he wants to volunteer, or running away from home after a HEART TRANSPLANT SURGERY BECAUSE HE ALMOST DIED - possibly worrying his family to death scared he can be anywhere dead in a ditch somewhere, or lying and manipulating to the villagers into thinking he can teach at all, or never telling the village doctor that he has to take daily medication that lowers his immune system?!?!

As a pre-med student - this hurts to watch. My head hurts from trying to follow the show's logic when the only logic is: 'get the two main guys together'. That's it.
It's not having Torfun's heart that Tian should feel guilty about - it's the fact that he's a whiny, sheltered, reckless, selfish, inconsiderate, spoiled brat that can't seem to do anything right. He almost had a child drown on his watch after numerous adults advised him to not take the children to the waterfall that day. A day AFTER Phu tells him that the waterfall is really close to the border and it's not safe to be at that waterfall unsupervised! Reckless. After some casual child-endangerment, back to the romance of Phu, the 'stoic' and mean Forest Ranger and Tian, the volunteer Teacher that means well???? I don't think so.

Imagine how good this drama could have been if the writers actually allowed the characters to be people with real struggles and real solutions to their problems. Tian is a horrible son and the actor for this character could not come through on the emotional scenes to make this character feel like a natural, breathing person with fears, hopes, flaws, dreams, and passions. (Was the only hobby he had before he found out he had a heart disease was playing with toy cars? What is the director thinking? Or is it the writer's fault again? Someone dropped the ball here unless everyone involved has butterfingers.)

Instead, his three facial expressions have to convey what's supposed to be happening and the music cues are supposed to help the viewers know how to feel because I can't tell what's going on when watching him on screen. Tian's parents are a part of the problem but their money is Tian's first solution to his biggest problems. Nepotism is strong in this drama. That and the social divide between classism and the glimpse into the socioeconomics in Thailand. Why bring up such topics if you will not address how bad it is and how as a society when we watch these dramas should feel about such injustice in the world. I guess it's not important if it doesn't concern the possible relationship between two guys, that's why.

If Tian creates more problems? Solve it with money or say you are the son of so-and-so to save your life. I wanted Mr. Sakda to kill Tian then. The drama would have finally been good then - but that's a terrible thing to wish on a person. Fictional or not, right? Right?!

I want my time back that I wasted on this drama. I want the writers to apologize to Torfun and all the other women in this drama for using them for plot devices (especially Tian's mom. She was just there to be dramatic and 'an overbearing mother', screw you writers!) and I want my time back. Once again, that's messed up.

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A Mastery of Mass Manipulation (This drama has me in a chokehold like Yohan!)

This is solid. The drama doesn't pull any punches and it hits the ground running. Everything is fast-paced from the start for a reason. This drama is a Masterpiece and a shining example of what more to expect in Kdramas moving forward. A Trailblazing type of drama that is original in its genre and a blended artwork of cinematography, casting, lighting, acting, writing, directing, sound design, and pacing. This is a must-watch.

I did my research before watching this drama. I came across an article that mentioned an interview with the writer of the show who is also a former judge. His writing brought realism - scary realism - to the Dystopian alternative universe of South Korea, post-COVID.

Technically, many of the things that happened in that drama has already happened or are currently happening around the world. Like America for example, the writer said he was inspired by International government policies and politics when creating the universe and it shows! The President in the drama can be seen as a certain President that was running for the Presidental Election in 2016. (Sounds familiar?) Or the many corrupted government officials and CEOs of various conglomerates that helped fund them. Something that is definitely current in many countries.

The writer also said something else that I was impressed by: he writes characters without assigning gender. I love that. He created strong women that can be soft and fragile too. He created strong men that can vulnerable and sensitive too. Kim Gaon
was a 'Babe in The Woods'. He was thrown into a nest of vipers for the expense of someone else and instead that 'viper' turned out to be the most trustworthy person Gaon has ever known. (This story reals feel Gothic in that aspect since Gaon as the Babe in the Woods gets held hostage in the Gothic castle later, a.k.a Yohan's deary mansion in the middle of nowhere!)

The review! This drama is beautiful to look at. The camera work is flawless. The scenery, set locations, and action shots are all different from each other with different moods, colors, shadow play, and angles. I enjoyed the variety of these moments. It's a stark contrast from Gaon's small, cozy home in the poorer side of town, to the clean and immaculate office building of the Live Court, to Yohan's cold and dark mansion out in the countryside. This drama took me places and I enjoyed that!

The music is to die for, there I said it, and I won't take that back. There were moments when I was watching intensely at the screen and had to rewind to reassure myself that I wasn't just imaging the music sounding quite excellent at a very emotional or important moment. I wasn't imagining things, the music is 12/10. The OST has a song that is sweet with gentle, female vocals and an accompanying guitar to represent innocent love. Then, there's the swelling symphonies and heavy orchestra for the more chaotic moments and action scenes to rev up my heart rate because the crescendo was bittersweet since you're happy to finally breathe again, but you're upset that it's over. (Rewind button again!) Next, there's a rock guitar type of song whenever Yohan is up to his Batman acts again! Of course, with his trusty sidekick Rob- Gaon, I meant Goan. (But Yohan really referred to him as his sidekick so that's canon right?!)

The casting and acting were wonderful choices and I applaud the crew behind the camera as well as the cast in from of the camera. I loved every character and I didn't hate any character I wasn't supposed to, so this makes this drama the best drama I have seen all year. That's impressive. The women in this drama deserve a standing ovation. When the writer said that he doesn't write characters based on gender, he meant it. He truly meant it and thank you so much for that because was finally got a FEMALE VILLAIN THAT DID EVIL SO WELL! *chef's kiss*

When Seon Ah was walking down the carpet for the funeral.... that moment is seared in my brain. That is a Power Walk - the actress definitely has the legs for them. Her outfits were on point. The styling for each character fits the personality of the characters and no one looked out of place. Every detail in the visual aspects was perfect. Just as perfect as the common imagery of showing certain characters' reflections, or them looking in the mirror to represent the duality of a human being is perfect. Applause, applause, standing ovation.

(Also, the government official Cha Kyung Hee was a terrifying, powerful, cruel, horrible, and pitiful person. I nod my head at her last scene and the decision she made reflecting the proud and decisive person she was always portrayed as in the drama. A fitting end for her and a clever twist to the story.)

So is this the part where I mention the BL? Maybe.... maybe individuals that aren't aware of the writer's intention are clueless to the fact that the story is supposed to be a story of politics, crime, and love between two men. But I am aware that that was the original intention and trying to watch the drama without immediately looking for those BL moments was unnecessary because it's more or less shoved in your face within the first episode. *teehee* The tension!

Could these two characters be any more intense than that first meeting? Yes! Buckle in, because it's only the beginning.

Look, the drama starts off pretty fast-paced and continues to do so until at least episode three where Gaon finds himself in a Gothic horror romance story as the naive, yet fearless (sometimes careless) main heroine. This is why 'babe in the woods' fits him so well. I referred to him as Baby Boy quite often because he's precious and needs to be protected at all costs! (Apparently, everyone feels the same, like his childhood friend, Professor Min, his coworker, and of course Yohan.) Jinyoung's idol looks helped in the 'deer in the headlights' look of naivety and innocence. He's even beautiful when he cries, true talent because I was definitely flinching whenever he was manhandled or hurt. 'Someone save Baby Boy!' or 'Oh no, not the Baby! Don't hurt him please!' I said these phrases often and the actors Jisung and Jinyoung have an age gap of 17 (!!!) years so yeah. He's a baby.

The Devil Judge - the titular character and the drama - was a masterpiece of mass manipulation through media and the like. Some characters in this drama were playing games with other people and secrets. It was refreshing to see so many complex characters with dubious morals and corrupt ethics on-screen in one drama. The calmer, domestic and wholesome moments are between Yohan, Gaon, and Elijah. Also, the mystery behind the church fire was a clever twist and satisfying to know the whole truth. Elijah must be protected too!

The verdicts for the crimes in the show are just, unethical but just all the same. I truly enjoyed the moments where the corrupted criminals realized that the system will not let them off because Yohan is no one's friend. Especially those who are responsible for the broken system in the first place and/or benefit from it. This was cathartic to watch. Yes, I got excited at the scenes with the public flogging, castration, and electrical chair but look at it like this: an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind.....so let me enjoy this before we all go blind! Now, the public flogging, I thought it was going to be on his butt with a long wooden paddle that I've seen in historical Korean Dramas, but that kind of flogging was acceptable too. The scene with the electric chair was more complicated since there was a scene where children were participating in something that they really couldn't truly understand and such knowledge of their actions would be very detrimental to their mental health. That moment showed the downside to such 'swift/easy justice' as Professor Min quoted in the show.

I would say watch this drama. Watch this drama and watch this drama. If you like dramas like House of Cards, Sherlock, or Law & Order - you'll love this drama for many more reasons than you were aware existed.

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More than I expected and more than welcomed

This was a perfect conclusion to another surprisingly good Netflix Kdrama. The Sci-Fi genre tag got me interested in this drama in the beginning, and then the first season's finale had me invested in what was going to happen next for this alternative universe that was heavily influenced and indebted to an app called Love Alarm.

What I appreciate more than anything is the conclusion and logic making sense until the very end of the show. It was completely rewarding to stick with the show until the end of the second season finale. I'm glad the series is short because it feels like it makes the story better. No excess airtime to waste time and put in red herrings, or smoking guns in the series that takes away from the plot and character's development.

From the outside, the drama seems average. Average cliche stories and character stereotypes with repeated plotlines that we've all seen before. I wasn't expecting much when jumping into it. I just wanted to know how much of an impact will an alternative universe with an invasive but innovative app called Love Alarm will have? The impact was major.

First and foremost, the drama isn't a Romantic Comedy, Coming-Of-Age, or Love Triangle with an emotionally constipated chaebol and the 'nice guy' who is just a friend. This drama is Science Fiction in a way that overshadows the other genres of this drama. It was during the season finale of season one that I first realized that this drama's only important and constant main character is the app: Love Alarm. This drama is about Love Alarm and how it affects society and the individuals that reside within.

There's a time jump in the story and a well-done one at that. It jumps forwards and later reveals important and crucial details that happened in the time jump. The cinematography was perfect, as well as the music and acting from the small cast. These otherwise flat and one-dimensional, trope-like characters were able to showcase deeper and complex emotions and experiences in a considerable amount of time. Worth a standing ovation in my opinion. Everyone has a just end that made sense for their characters' decisions and development. I particularly like the fact that the son and mom of the horrible husband and father politician have a.....mutual understanding and concern for each other despite the trauma and pain they went through in the past together and separately.

There was growth and healing in the drama. A journey of self-identity crisis, self-discovery, and self-love that was missing in a world monitored by an app. The main female, JoJo was able to make peace with herself and heal from her Survivor's Guilt that she carried with her since she was a young girl. A tear-worthy moment at the 2nd season finale in Jeju. It was beautiful and I cried I admit. I think anyone would too after the positive message that was relayed to her by Duk-gu, the founder of the app. I like what he said in the end, that he doesn't regret making the app despite the fact that he didn't directly benefit from it as he hoped. He was glad it worked out for others. However, he realized that too many people were depending too much on an app and not their own instincts and feelings. What I got from that was the idea to always seek out companionship and connection in person as well and not just through algorithms suggested through an app. There's always room for error in science because science is man-made and humans make mistakes. Get to know yourself, love yourself, and trust yourself.

I think the great message that I took away from this drama is related to the Sci-Fi genre of the app Love Alarm making decisions for humans that humans can never be able to calculate through science. Love isn't an exact science, just like any area of science isn't exact. Humans are too complicated and complex to be conveniently computed and researched into data.

I'm always down for Sci-Fi dramas and this was a great but wonderful surprise and I would love to see more of this Netflix! You hear me?!?!? Make it happen!

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A supernatural dream come true, turned a sappy nightmare

First of, this drama is undeniably pretty. The money for the drama was well spent on the production quality, location shooting, costume and interior design. Si Teng's outfits were everything for me. Everyone was well dressed and so much eye-candy! I like the flipped tropes of Guy saving Girl and mean male lead - instead it's Girl saves Guy and mean female lead. Si Teng was a sight for sore eyes when it comes to female protagonists and I want to see more like this. This drama had an interesting and impressionable dynamic for their ML/FL couple. Si Teng is more mature, powerful and wiser than Qin Fang is, so the subtle scenes of them in different scenarios and adapting to new situations is great because even their arguments are entertaining to watch.

However, there the ending/s....
....I don't understand anything.

The last five episodes lost me completely and I stopped asking why anything was happening anymore. I would recommend this show but only to watch until episode 20 and then stopping there because the story just goes into utter chaos afterwards. Si Teng suffered character derailment when she was infantilized and pitied for being a child before the establishment of New China. (Yes, I noticed that.) Suddenly, Yan Furui becomes an unexpected hero who lives to old age, surrounded by success and family when he started off as a bumbling, pitiful comedy relief character. Quite insulting and mind-blowing because so many scenes will be iconic to me from this show, but the ending is so strange and mystifying that I will never truly understand what happened and I think it's better that way.

Still worth a higher score for everything else but the 180 plot line twist after episode 20 and the 'dates' (????) between the young Si Teng and Qin Fang at the end takes away from a 10/10 scoring. Try again and do better please, don't depower your main lead near the end of the show!

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The Quiet Moments and Serious Conversations

11/10! That's my actual score. (It would have been 12/10 but that scene with the toilet humor just took it too far. Just the idea of..., no thank you.)

I haven't been in love with a Thai show since the second season of SOTUS. I am thoroughly impressed. Crazy thing was, I didn't have any expectations when starting the series. I just watched it because someone mentioned the couple reminding them of another guy/guy couple. Eventually, the show grew on me. The characters and creative direction grew on me. I feel like, if I had more time to wax poetry about this show and not do my coursework, then I most definitely would. Just a highlight of what I loved from this show:

1 - Gene and Sib and their developing relationship through honest communication. (Sib took a while to be honest, but once he did he never lied or hid anything from Gene again.)Their backstory, reunion and ending was well-rounded and I'm happy with their conclusion. I didn't leave the series wanting more because it was lacking or wanting to forget what I saw because it wasn't worth my time. No, all's well that end's well. Everyone got a just ending it seems (Aoey too!) and it was fitting. No issues there.

2 - The music and sound direction. I love the quiet moments in the series. The moments where minimum to no dialogue happens and there's only nonverbal communication and visual interpretations of the emotional atmosphere at that moment in time. The first time it happened after Gene and Sib kissed and the white fadeout screen and Gene writing out the scene for his novel and the audience seeing the kiss happen through that as a memory and flashback was surprisingly creative but unique. So I love it. There's more moments in the series when its quiet and intimate for the people on screen. (Tiffy and Tum were very awkward and hard to read at the beginning of the series but as the show continued they made more sense to me and their interactions held more meaning the more the viewer got to know them. )

3 - The acting! The acting was everything for me. Gene is quite lovely. The actor fits the role perfectly, I think. He was mean, quiet, nonchalant, nervous, naive, shy, serious, silly, mature, kind and complex. He was relatable as a human and I liked that it was easy to understand how serious Gene took his writing and his career. Sib was a firecracker and I loved him for it. He followed through on whatever he said he will do and was so brutal and blunt that it was refreshing to see against Gene when Gene gets shy and polite in public. They mesh well together in that aspect.
The meeting near the end of the series, before the Press Conference was my favorite scene of Sib. Everything he said to Tum's sister was true! All of the side characters were memorable too. Loved Hin and Tum! They suffered too and their pain and struggles were just as gut-wrenching and sad. I had tears for them when they were sad and abused and joy for them when they were happy and successful. I appreciate the attention to detail for their stories and character depth as well. This show really felt layered and more complicated than I originally thought and I love it. (I said that already but it's true.)

4 - The social commentary and serious conservations. The moment in the later episodes of the family dinner after the main couple admits to themselves that they want to be together but they're not sure about coming public with it yet - was tense but realistically harsh and necessary. The conversation concerning the toxic nature of the entertainment and BL industry as well as the political ideology of those of the older or more conservative background have on the topic of gay men and their human rights was a reality check in such a fantastical show. The show didn't go into the debate of legalizing same-sex marriage in Thailand but it did raise some interesting questions about how people in Thailand see BL as just an entertainment phase and not a prelude for more legal rights granted to LGBTQ+ members living in Thailand. (Almost as if some people think that it's all fun and games until someone actually is gay. Props to Gene's mom for being the first to come around and leading the other parents to broaden their horizons so they don't miss out on their son's lives.)

There's more! Oh there's more but this is something I can see myself rewatching over and over again. Plus, that last episode and the last 30 minutes of the romantic scenario scenes were the metaphorical cherry on top! I was smiling so hard the whole time! Gene's outfit looked like it was tailored just for him. I saw the costume interpretations of Snow White, Juliet and Cinderella on Gene and started to clap out loud. My neighbors probably hate me but whatever! They broke the 4th wall in that last episode and the true ending was so touching. So happy for Gene, Gene & Sib and Ms. Rose - who wrote Lovely Writer??

Just brilliant. Take all of my money.

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First time seeing a Same-Sex Wedding in a BL drama, so great!

This drama is conflicting for me. I don't hate it but I don't love it.

There are a few things I like about the show like the TengTeng and Li Cheng pairing, the budget for high and quality production, the music and the costume design for the characters. That attention to detail was fantastic to see and well appreciated.

What I love the most is definitely the Wedding. So phenomenal to see a couple be together and have it be official and legal and recognized and celebrated. I'm so glad Taiwan is so much more progressive than other Asian countries so moments like the wedding - it's not only a fictional fantasy but an actual reality for all couples living in Taiwan. It's so heartwarming to see.

Things I hate or am disgusted by about this drama is almost everything with the other 'couple' and how they become a 'couple'. Not why, just how. S**ual assault and r**e should not ever be acceptable and it especially should not be the cornerstone of a relationship. That's just so unhealthy. Trigger warnings for that because this drama brings up the issue with multiple reactions to it and it's up to the viewer to decision how they feel about it. But I say no, no thank you.

TengTeng and LiCheng were the MVPs of the show! Honestly.

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Impressive but far from perfection

First of all, this is a pretty good introduction to the theme of 'Tomb Raiding' genre in dramas.
The production quality was okay and the direction was confusing at times, with weird screen transitions and time skips that pushed the story along further in the drama. There was a lot of information that went over my head because I'm not familiar with the original source material and this is my first time watching anything related to the franchise. I will say that the effort from the actors and CGI was good and that the writing and placement of '2-D characters' was annoying. I'm talking about the minor, filler characters like the background actors and mostly the women. All of the female characters fit into an old stereotype of 'pretty but temporary' - can't get in the way of brotherhood. (Except Granny Huo, she's a riot and I would have loved more of her and A-Ning in the show. Like, seriously, please give me more versatile women in this drama please!)
Even the henchmen and lackeys were expendable too. I would have liked to see more action in the room transition sequences and the archaeology details or reference points for the tombs they were raiding and better organization from a group of professors that have been on multiple expeditions, if the script is correct. It looks like the budget for the drama was big but not sufficient since these rich, young people are suppose to be the current generation and legacy of affluent families that have unlimited amount of riches to fund these life-threatening trips but why does everyone have a phone from the early 2000s? Flip phones, really?!
But I liked the small moments and the big grand ones of tomb reveals and history lessons (folktales?) shared in the story. I wasn't too impressed by this drama, but it does make me want to see more related media about Tomb Raiding in the future.

(Also, the age of the main character is suppose to be older than 30!!??! I don't believe it! When he mentioned that his 12th birthday was in 1989, I stopped and realized - wait what? He's not a fumbling, inexperienced but cocky and clever young college grad student like I thought he was?! It made more sense why everyone babies him in the show, if he was that young. His cousin even joked that 'his cleverness has to make up for his lack of physical prowess'. Insane. And the fat-shaming is only something I've seen done so normally and publicly like I do in Asian dramas. Specifically Chinese. It might be a cultural thing but it's still hard to digest that the character's name is 'Fatty' and nothing else.)

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