Not Much Cooking

I watched this series solely for Off/Gun because they were so phenomenal in Not Me, but Not Me and Cooking Crush are polar opposites in every way. Cooking Crush is a rom-com but unfortunately neither the rom or the com was done particularly well and as a whole it lacked substance. It was generically cute with nothing to make it stand out from the legion of other Thai rom-coms. The cooking aspect, which could have made it more unique, was not utilized well enough to make a mark. With such a stellar cast, I'm disappointed that it didn't live up to it's potential.

Cooking Crush really leaned into the comedic side of things from the get go with heavy use of sound effects and exaggerated acting from its cast. But it wasn't well thought out, intelligent humor, it was simply cheesy and, in a number of cases, cringeworthy. In fact, it was so painful and not to my taste that I very nearly dropped it then and there. The main plot centers around Prem, a cooking student, who meets Ten, a med student, in a series of unfortunate events that eventually leads to Ten trying Prem's food and finding it to be absolutely delicious. He proceeds to ask Prem to teach him to cook which Prem refuses until he's in need of money to pay for his sister's school and agrees, though he charges an exorbitant price that Ten is all too willing to pay. From there they slowly fall in love, facing a few up and downs with time spent apart, the disapproval of Ten's father, and a brief scandal. The secondary couple of Dynamite, Prem's fellow cooking student friend, and Fire, a pharmacy student and Ten's friend, focuses on Fire separating himself from his domineering mother and finally having the freedom and opportunity to discover himself and come to terms with his own sexuality. Dynamite, having fallen for Fire some time previously, relentlessly pursues Fire, sometimes stalking him, in an effort to win him over which is eventually successful though they still have to contend with Fire's mother once she finds out. Secondary to the romance is Prem and his friends journey to be on a popular cooking show and the various challenges they face with it. It's a very simple series without much depth and it can stray into being downright tedious times. And for a show called Cooking Crush, I expected a much greater focus on the cooking and, once the cooking show began, on it. But while food is certainly woven throughout the story and is utilized well at times, there was a lack of detail that made it seem shallow. For all that Prem was supposed to be teaching Ten to cook, it felt more like a cooking demonstration as Ten wasn't seen doing a whole lot. The show, which could have been a great way to lean into the cooking aspect, was not well defined and key elements like the tasting and judges' comments on the food were left out. The pacing was slow. It could have very easily been condensed into ten, maybe even fewer episodes. There's a fair amount of filler with nothing going on or just sweet scenes between the couples which were not needed.

The characters themselves had both highs and lows to them, though Ten and Prem were certainly the highlight. One of the biggest downsides was that they were all supposed to be college students and yet the immaturity level made them seem more like high school students or even younger. There were also a few character inconsistencies, namely, Ten's father scolds him for using his fists to defend Prem, but a few episodes earlier he had slapped Ten himself. Despite that, there was some decent character development which I did appreciate.
-Prem is a budding chef who has the skills to succeed but lacks the confidence to do so. Prem's journey, besides romantic, is learning to develop his self-confidence and have faith in himself and his skills. Of course there's also his relationship with Ten, which starts out rocky, but quickly takes on a romantic note when the pair develop mutual feelings. Though there are moments of immaturity between the two, having their friends run messages between them being a big one, they are generally pretty solid together. Other than the aforementioned case and one or two other instances, communication is generally a strong point between them. Their support for each other is also quite endearing. I was, however, surprised when he started making unilateral decisions for his team after the drama with Ten punching Chang Ma. It felt out of character for him.
-Ten is a shy med student haunted by his past. He can be a bit of a hot head, but he learns from the mistakes he makes and more importantly is willing to admit to those mistakes and apologize for them. His love for Prem pushes him out of his comfort zone and helps solidify what he wants in life. His unending support and encouragement of Prem was very sweet. We should all have such support in our lives.
-Dynamite is characterized by his fiery personality that refuses to be contained or in any way diminished. He loves fiercely and gives his all, no matter the situation. Though his pursuit of Fire does stray into downright stalking, he's not creepy or threatening about it, just overenthusiastic, not that that makes it okay. He does eventually learn to respect Fire's boundaries and gains some maturity. Hiding their relationship from their friends though is not one of their smarter moves and does cause damage when Unky finds out he was left in the dark when Prem knew. It's a learning experience for all involved. And while he does grow and mature, he also never loses sight of who he is which I found admirable.
- Fire is the one character who experiences an identity crisis when faced with the fact that he might not be straight. Controlled and suppressed by his domineering mother, he is only allowed to explore his own wants and desires after she allows him to move out. And while he is clearly drawn to Dynamite, he is reluctant to voice the possibility that he may be into guys. One thing that I appreciated throughout this drama is that there are no labels. No one is identified as strictly gay or straight and none of the challenges they face in their relationships are related to their sexuality. It's refreshing. Once Fire recognizes his own feelings and accepts them, he's all in, quickly turning into a sweet, loving boyfriend. Perhaps a little too abrupt of a change for my taste. And while he may not see eye to eye with his mother, I did like the way their relationship was portrayed and how once he gained the courage to actually tell her how he felt, she respected that and was open to talking.
-Unky stood out to me with his passion and determination. The oldest of his friends, he faces the fear that they'll eventually decide to leave him behind, a fear that is the driving force behind his fight with in Ep 9. The way that they assuage those fears is very wholesome and creates a sweet scene. I do wish we'd seen a bit more maturity from him given that he was older than the others, but I suppose that's a fairly minor complaint. His budding relationship in the last episode with Pang was cute though I wish it had been introduced earlier.
-Chang Ma was an unnecessary character, at least as a love interest. I would have much preferred for him to be left as a mentor and friend for Prem rather than someone who came in and tried to stir up trouble. I actually quite liked him at first, but when he started pushing boundaries and vying for Prem's affection even though it was obvious he had feelings for Ten, official or not, he lost my respect. He did eventually get the message and helped to take the heat off of Prem's team after Ten punched him, but the damage was done as far as I was concerned.
-With the parents, I liked the fact that the gender of their child's partner was never an issue, even with Ten's father. He was concerned about Prem trying to scam Ten, not that Prem was also a man. And I loved Prem's grandmother and how supportive she was of Prem in everything. She was an absolute gem.

The acting was not quite as strong as I was expecting. I know how strong of actors Off and Gun are and this was not their best work. While the chemistry was there, it just wasn't at the same level as it was in Not Me or even Theory of Love. Neo was good as always, though having just seen him in Only Friends, his performance wasn't quite as strong here. Newbie Aungpao was entertaining as Dynamite and while it was obvious he wasn't quite as seasoned as the other actors, he still did a good job and was fun to watch. Dome was one of the stronger actors and I thought he did a great job giving a nuance performance.

The production value was decent. The uncut version has a much better flow whereas the cut version had some choppy scenes and cuts. I would definitely recommend the uncut version as it provides more insight into various characters and their actions/interactions. However, even in the uncut, there are still some awkward jumps and tonal shifts. With the cooking element, no offense to the actors, but not once did I believe they were actually culinary students. Their knife and cooking skills/technique was not up to snuff. This is where clever camera angles, close ups of hands and the like, etc. could have been utilized to fool viewers into thinking they were far more skilled than they appeared.

Ultimately I found Cooking Crush to be disappointing. Given the caliber of its cast, it could have been so much more, but the overly campy nature of it really suppressed their talent and it didn't have the weight it could have had. I would have loved to have seen a more serious take, with some humor still thrown in, and more of a focus on the food and how it brings the characters together. But that's just me, I prefer dramas like Not Me over ones like Cooking Crush. If you're an Off/Gun fan, you may very well enjoy it or if camp is your genre of choice, but if you are looking for something more akin to Not Me, this is not the drama for you.

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Not Much Cooking

I watched this series solely for Off/Gun because they were so phenomenal in Not Me, but Not Me and Cooking Crush are polar opposites in every way. Cooking Crush is a rom-com but unfortunately neither the rom or the com was done particularly well and as a whole it lacked substance. It was generically cute with nothing to make it stand out from the legion of other Thai rom-coms. The cooking aspect, which could have made it more unique, was not utilized well enough to make a mark. With such a stellar cast, I'm disappointed that it didn't live up to it's potential.

Cooking Crush really leaned into the comedic side of things from the get go with heavy use of sound effects and exaggerated acting from its cast. But it wasn't well thought out, intelligent humor, it was simply cheesy and, in a number of cases, cringeworthy. In fact, it was so painful and not to my taste that I very nearly dropped it then and there. The main plot centers around Prem, a cooking student, who meets Ten, a med student, in a series of unfortunate events that eventually leads to Ten trying Prem's food and finding it to be absolutely delicious. He proceeds to ask Prem to teach him to cook which Prem refuses until he's in need of money to pay for his sister's school and agrees, though he charges an exorbitant price that Ten is all too willing to pay. From there they slowly fall in love, facing a few up and downs with time spent apart, the disapproval of Ten's father, and a brief scandal. The secondary couple of Dynamite, Prem's fellow cooking student friend, and Fire, a pharmacy student and Ten's friend, focuses on Fire separating himself from his domineering mother and finally having the freedom and opportunity to discover himself and come to terms with his own sexuality. Dynamite, having fallen for Fire some time previously, relentlessly pursues Fire, sometimes stalking him, in an effort to win him over which is eventually successful though they still have to contend with Fire's mother once she finds out. Secondary to the romance is Prem and his friends journey to be on a popular cooking show and the various challenges they face with it. It's a very simple series without much depth and it can stray into being downright tedious times. And for a show called Cooking Crush, I expected a much greater focus on the cooking and, once the cooking show began, on it. But while food is certainly woven throughout the story and is utilized well at times, there was a lack of detail that made it seem shallow. For all that Prem was supposed to be teaching Ten to cook, it felt more like a cooking demonstration as Ten wasn't seen doing a whole lot. The show, which could have been a great way to lean into the cooking aspect, was not well defined and key elements like the tasting and judges' comments on the food were left out. The pacing was slow. It could have very easily been condensed into ten, maybe even fewer episodes. There's a fair amount of filler with nothing going on or just sweet scenes between the couples which were not needed.

The characters themselves had both highs and lows to them, though Ten and Prem were certainly the highlight. One of the biggest downsides was that they were all supposed to be college students and yet the immaturity level made them seem more like high school students or even younger. There were also a few character inconsistencies, namely, Ten's father scolds him for using his fists to defend Prem, but a few episodes earlier he had slapped Ten himself. Despite that, there was some decent character development which I did appreciate.
-Prem is a budding chef who has the skills to succeed but lacks the confidence to do so. Prem's journey, besides romantic, is learning to develop his self-confidence and have faith in himself and his skills. Of course there's also his relationship with Ten, which starts out rocky, but quickly takes on a romantic note when the pair develop mutual feelings. Though there are moments of immaturity between the two, having their friends run messages between them being a big one, they are generally pretty solid together. Other than the aforementioned case and one or two other instances, communication is generally a strong point between them. Their support for each other is also quite endearing. I was, however, surprised when he started making unilateral decisions for his team after the drama with Ten punching Chang Ma. It felt out of character for him.
-Ten is a shy med student haunted by his past. He can be a bit of a hot head, but he learns from the mistakes he makes and more importantly is willing to admit to those mistakes and apologize for them. His love for Prem pushes him out of his comfort zone and helps solidify what he wants in life. His unending support and encouragement of Prem was very sweet. We should all have such support in our lives.
-Dynamite is characterized by his fiery personality that refuses to be contained or in any way diminished. He loves fiercely and gives his all, no matter the situation. Though his pursuit of Fire does stray into downright stalking, he's not creepy or threatening about it, just overenthusiastic, not that that makes it okay. He does eventually learn to respect Fire's boundaries and gains some maturity. Hiding their relationship from their friends though is not one of their smarter moves and does cause damage when Unky finds out he was left in the dark when Prem knew. It's a learning experience for all involved. And while he does grow and mature, he also never loses sight of who he is which I found admirable.
- Fire is the one character who experiences an identity crisis when faced with the fact that he might not be straight. Controlled and suppressed by his domineering mother, he is only allowed to explore his own wants and desires after she allows him to move out. And while he is clearly drawn to Dynamite, he is reluctant to voice the possibility that he may be into guys. One thing that I appreciated throughout this drama is that there are no labels. No one is identified as strictly gay or straight and none of the challenges they face in their relationships are related to their sexuality. It's refreshing. Once Fire recognizes his own feelings and accepts them, he's all in, quickly turning into a sweet, loving boyfriend. Perhaps a little too abrupt of a change for my taste. And while he may not see eye to eye with his mother, I did like the way their relationship was portrayed and how once he gained the courage to actually tell her how he felt, she respected that and was open to talking.
-Unky stood out to me with his passion and determination. The oldest of his friends, he faces the fear that they'll eventually decide to leave him behind, a fear that is the driving force behind his fight with in Ep 9. The way that they assuage those fears is very wholesome and creates a sweet scene. I do wish we'd seen a bit more maturity from him given that he was older than the others, but I suppose that's a fairly minor complaint. His budding relationship in the last episode with Pang was cute though I wish it had been introduced earlier.
-Chang Ma was an unnecessary character, at least as a love interest. I would have much preferred for him to be left as a mentor and friend for Prem rather than someone who came in and tried to stir up trouble. I actually quite liked him at first, but when he started pushing boundaries and vying for Prem's affection even though it was obvious he had feelings for Ten, official or not, he lost my respect. He did eventually get the message and helped to take the heat off of Prem's team after Ten punched him, but the damage was done as far as I was concerned.
-With the parents, I liked the fact that the gender of their child's partner was never an issue, even with Ten's father. He was concerned about Prem trying to scam Ten, not that Prem was also a man. And I loved Prem's grandmother and how supportive she was of Prem in everything. She was an absolute gem.

The acting was not quite as strong as I was expecting. I know how strong of actors Off and Gun are and this was not their best work. While the chemistry was there, it just wasn't at the same level as it was in Not Me or even Theory of Love. Neo was good as always, though having just seen him in Only Friends, his performance wasn't quite as strong here. Newbie Aungpao was entertaining as Dynamite and while it was obvious he wasn't quite as seasoned as the other actors, he still did a good job and was fun to watch. Dome was one of the stronger actors and I thought he did a great job giving a nuance performance.

The production value was decent. The uncut version has a much better flow whereas the cut version had some choppy scenes and cuts. I would definitely recommend the uncut version as it provides more insight into various characters and their actions/interactions. However, even in the uncut, there are still some awkward jumps and tonal shifts. With the cooking element, no offense to the actors, but not once did I believe they were actually culinary students. Their knife and cooking skills/technique was not up to snuff. This is where clever camera angles, close ups of hands and the like, etc. could have been utilized to fool viewers into thinking they were far more skilled than they appeared.

Ultimately I found Cooking Crush to be disappointing. Given the caliber of its cast, it could have been so much more, but the overly campy nature of it really suppressed their talent and it didn't have the weight it could have had. I would have loved to have seen a more serious take, with some humor still thrown in, and more of a focus on the food and how it brings the characters together. But that's just me, I prefer dramas like Not Me over ones like Cooking Crush. If you're an Off/Gun fan, you may very well enjoy it or if camp is your genre of choice, but if you are looking for something more akin to Not Me, this is not the drama for you.

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Perfectly Vengeful

Perfect Marriage Revenge is not the kind of drama I typically get into, but every once in a while one catches my attention and I'll end up watching it. And what fun it was! Brought back to life after suffering a lifetime of abuse and neglect, Yi Joo comes back for revenge, but along the way finds love and the family she'd never dared to hope for. It's one of those dramas that you know is going to have a happy ending, but the ride to get there is a touch bumpy and the drama is delicious.

I tend to struggle with Makjangs because they always feel slightly too long and somewhere in the middle things start to lag and I lose interest. At 12 episodes though, Perfect Marriage Revenge mostly avoided that issue because there was so much going on that there just wasn't a whole lot of time for filler nonsense. There's a fairy tale element here, I think someone mentioned Cinderella, which is certainly apt given the evil stepmother and sister vibe, but in this case, Cinderella is, in many ways, her own fairy godmother and the handsome prince is more than just a pretty face. Yi Joo spent her entire life as a door mat, letting pretty much anyone and everyone walk all over her. Yet, despite the extreme abuse she suffered, she refused to let it turn her bitter, at least until she's on her deathbed and begins to realize just how deep that abuse ran. Given a second chance at life, she sets out to take revenge on her adopted family and utterly destroy them for the pain they caused her. Her first move, is stealing her sister's love interest, who is all too willing to join forces with Yi Joo. Do Guk had fallen in love with Yi Joo before he even really met her, her paintings capturing him, and when they died on the same day, he wished for her to find the love she so desperately wanted. Also given a second chance at life, he throws his lot in with Yi Joo, determined to help her seek her revenge and make her fall in love with him along the way. Of course, it's not smooth sailing. Their enemies, namely Yi Joo's adopted mother and Do Guk's brother, aren't entirely stupid and they manage to win a few hands, but in the end, good prevails and evil falls. Being a soap opera, naturally you have to throw common sense out the window and just go along with the absurdity. There are plenty of twists and turns, most fairly obvious, but with one or two that actually did surprise me. The ending was a tad prosaic. Everything gets wrapped with a neat little bow and it's almost too perfect. Still given everything our leads went through, I suppose they deserve a non-dramatic ending. The pacing was decent all things considered. It did get a tad laggy about midway, mostly with repetitive scenes, particularly between our leads as they reassured each other that they were in this together and they would succeed. Yes, we got that the first five times you said it. But otherwise, things progressed pretty steadily.

Ah, the over the top characters, dramatically plotting, hunting down secrets and desperately trying to conceal secrets, righting the past and attempting to destroy the past. They're all larger than life and almost to a man, or woman, polarizing.
- Yi Joo is the perfect woman. Despite her family's abuse, she continued to go through life with a smile and refused to let their hatred tarnish her. But once she set her heart on avenging herself on them, she was ruthless, meticulously tearing them apart. The change in her from the first episode to the next is stark. Gone is the naive, trampled young woman and in her place is someone who knows her worth and is willing to go to bat for herself. While the need for that change is clear, it's still abrupt. And while not apparent in that first episode, it's quickly shown that she is a very intelligent woman, though how she has some of the knowledge she possesses is unclear. Her relationship with Do Guk, while slow moving, is overall well done as she grows to trust him and then to love him. Despite the drama surrounding them, their relationship is relatively drama free, save for when she discovers that he was also brought back. Even so, they maintain communication and soon overcome that obstacle. Yi Joo's character development, despite having a few moments where it stalls, is also well done. While Do Guk certainly serves as her biggest support, she is not without agency and is pivotal in changing her own life around.
- Do Guk is the perfect man to Yi Joo's perfect woman. Caring and loyal with a strong moral compass, he comes alongside Yi Joo to help her accomplish her mission in taking revenge on her family. Obviously taken by Yi Joo from their first meeting, it's not revealed until much later just how deep those feelings go. While the reasons Yi Joo fell in love with Do Guk are more obvious, Do Guk's reasons are more shrouded. His feelings originated from how her painting made him feel and grew from there. He serves as a safe space for her and she for him. His character development is much more subtle and yet it's still present as he comes to find his own purpose and gain the strength and courage to pursue it.
- Jung Hye is Yi Joo's deliciously malicious adopted mother. Rotten to the core with a cruel streak a mile wide, she made Yi Joo's life a living hell, until she comes back and Jung Hye finds that she's met her match. A woman willing to do absolutely anything to get ahead, she is a master manipulator. Lying comes as easily to her as breathing even when it comes to her own daughter. She's consistent in her vile ways until the bitter end when she's left with the knowledge that she has been utterly forsaken.
-Yoo Ra is the worshipped daughter of Jung Hye who can do no wrong. She looks down on her older sister because she's adopted, flirts with her sister's husband, and is a pampered princess. While not generally taking an active role in her mother's schemes, she attempts to do her own damage to Yi Joo and discredit her, though she's rather inept and her own reputation is damaged instead. Piece by piece she is brought down as she discovers she's not even her father's daughter, her mother has been lying to her, and she's pregnant with the wrong man's baby. I was concerned for a bit that they were going to go for a redemption arc with her, but was very glad they didn't as that just wouldn't be as satisfying.
- Jung Wook is Do Guk's conniving older brother. The presumed heir to the family's company, his moral compass points in the exact opposite direction as his brother's. Willing to cut corners, lie and cheat his way to success, there's very little he won't do to get ahead. Holding the event that left him with an injured leg over his brother's head, he actively seeks to leave Do Guk out in the cold, making home an uncomfortable place for him and reminding him of his supposed superiority. While Jung Wook never shows any remorse for what he does to his brother and Yi Joo, he is eventually brought down a few pegs when his father reveals that all the resentment he'd built up and held onto, blaming his father for abandoning his mother, was all for naught as it was in fact, his mother who abandoned them.
-Honorable mentions go to Do Guk's mother and grandmother who were both badass women in their own ways. I loved them both and how willing they were to accept Yi Joo as a member of their family. And, of course, can't forget Yi Joo's own mother who overcame so much to be reunited with her daughter. The one character I did feel a bit bad for and whose ending wasn't wholly deserved was Se Hyeok. There's certainly an element of he made his bed and now he has to lie in it, but he at least seemed to have actual remorse for his actions and was trying to turn over a new leaf. It's a pity that he couldn't escape Yoo Ra.

This series had a great cast that really embraced the drama. Jung Yoo Min was lovely as Yi Joo. She did a great job of combining Yi Joo's softness with an iron will. Sung Hoon was effortlessly charming as Do Guk with an added depth that gave the character dimension. Together their chemistry was a little more subtle, but also very much present. They didn't need excessive amounts of PDA to show that they loved each other. Lee Min Young did her job very well as I absolutely despised Jung Hye. Kang Shin Hyo as Jung Wook, however, was not as compelling. I certainly didn't like his character, but my feelings were much less strong when compared to how Jung Hye made me feel.

The production was quite good. I liked the cinematography. Possibly because painting and art work played a part in the story, there seemed to be a higher level of attention paid to color in the costumes, set, and design in general. It was very pleasing to look at. The women's costumes in particular were gorgeous. It was clear that a lot of time and effort was put into those. The men's, however, was lacking a bit and it would have been nice to see them given the same attention to detail.

Perfect Marriage Revenge is not a drama to take seriously or try to find sense in. It is a soap opera so anything goes, no matter how absurd. But there is humor to be found in the absurdity, fun in the drama, and satisfaction in the knowledge that good will triumph over evil.

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In the Pits

I wanted to like Pit Babe. The racing concept, in particular, was intriguing to me as was the action/mystery aspect of the story. The inclusion of several actors that I was familiar with and liked was equally appealing. However, the more I watched, I found the lack of explanation regarding the plot and characters' actions, the poorly developed relationships, and generally awful script to be a major turn off and by the end, I was more just happy that it was over than anything else.

Pit Babe suffers from a mess of a plot combined with terrible writing. It tried too hard to combine multiple genres and failed to do so in a coherent way. I also found the lack of any kind of explanation for things to be very frustrating. I was aware this was based off a novel, but had never read it or looked into it, so I went in blind. I was immediately slightly confused by the whole Alpha concept which was never explained and which became further confusing with the introduction of Pete and Way as Enigmas. The story is apparently part of what's called the Omegaverse which I had no knowledge of and had to go poking around the internet to even get a basic understanding of what it all meant. That was a major strike against this series. You cannot expect people to have necessarily read the source material so there needs to be some kind of explanation woven into the story to at least give a general idea of what's going on. As frustrating as it all was, I eventually just went with it as I had no intention of doing a lot of extra research that I shouldn't have to do in the first place. Aspects of the "senses" that some characters had was also either not properly explained or not explained at all. Why did some have it and others didn't? How exactly did they work? After Charlie's fake death, the fact that Babe's sense was apparently fluctuating between them was equally left unexplained. Again, there was a lack of explanation in general, and that, combined with a number of fairly glaring plot holes, really took away from the story. The first half or so of the series was plagued with a certain level of repetition with Babe finding out something about Charlie that made him question his feelings and kick Charlie out, go crying to Way who pretty clearly was trying to manipulate him, only to discover that it was either an overreaction on his part or Charlie had hidden some piece of information for a good reason and they would eventually reconcile. Some of Alan and Jeff's interactions also felt a bit repetitive at times towards the beginning though less gratingly. I found the ending to be unsatisfying. Tony's dead but what about all the kids and cleaning up the mess he made? What happens with Kenta and Pete? Instead of answering any plot related questions or attempting to wrap up the story, the last ten minutes or so are mainly NSFW scenes or cute scenes between the two main couples. It felt cheap. The pacing was inconsistent. There were a few moments where it got into a good flow, but those were generally pretty short lived. There were far more moments where it just dragged.

This is yet another Thai series that suffered from an overinflated cast. There were too many characters introduced at once and even by the end I still didn't have all of them straight. Because there were so many characters, there was a tendency at times for characters to disappear for a period of time and then suddenly pop back up. That also didn't help with keeping them straight. A number of those characters proved to be superfluous and could have very easily been cut or condensed into one character to make things more cohesive. Besides the two main relationships of Babe/Charlie and Alan/Jeff, there were several others that were toyed with but never went anywhere which was annoying. North and Sonic was a pairing that was teased and actually could have been made to work but was never confirmed. Pete and Way was a late addition that was somewhat interesting, but too little, too late for me compounded with the fact that given Way's feelings for Babe, I doubted he was ready to move on so quickly. There was also Pete and Kenta's history which could have been used to bring them together, but again, they completely disappeared after Tony's and Way's deaths.
- Babe was interesting initially with his playboy attitude and cockiness, but an underlying current of kindness and though he would deny it, love for his friends/family. All of that immediately gave him a certain depth of character, but his sudden change of character when it came to Charlie was odd. He went from being a playboy to a committed relationship essentially instantaneously. There was little to no reasoning given to what it was about Charlie that made him fall in love aside from the fact he didn't smell like other Alphas. It was instances like this that left characters feeling unrealistic. While his lack of trust was understandable, his back and forth with Charlie got old very quickly and even in the last couple of episodes, the way he said things, the wording he used, made me wonder if he really did love and care about Charlie. Certainly I never got the impression that his feelings were quite as deep as Charlie's.
- Charlie left me with a lot of questions regarding his past and how he got to where he was. There was a lot left unexplained about him in general, including why he didn't smell like other Alphas did and how his sense worked and how he found out how it worked. I didn't find him to be a particularly interesting character. Sure he was cute, he obviously cared about Babe and worked to take care of him, but as a character, he felt fairly shallow. His love and loyalty to Babe seemed to make up most of his personality. But similarly to Babe, it wasn't made clear why he fell in love with Babe aside from physical attraction. Time was not well delineated in this series, but I did find his improvement in racing to be improbable, particularly since it seemed that he was a complete novice and yet in a relatively short period of time he was somehow able to compete with Babe who'd been racing for years.
- Way was a disappointment of a character. He'd "loved" Babe for years, however, it's clear that his love was more an obsession than anything true. He didn't hesitate to use his sense on Babe on several occasions to nudge him in what he perceived as the right direction, namely breaking up with Charlie and remaining alone. Nor did he hesitate to attempt to force himself on Babe eventually and showed more remorse for having been caught than for what he actually did, at least initially. The fact that Pete was so easily able to turn him was implausible to me and it was clear that they were going for a redemption arc which conveniently concluded with his death. It felt shallow, cheap, and poorly executed. I have no issues with a redemption arc if it makes sense with the character and is properly done, but this was not it.
- Alan and Jeff were generically cute, not that that's a bad thing. I did enjoy their relationship and the build up of it. It felt better developed than Babe and Charlie's since they'd worked together and gotten to know each other before they got together, but there was still a bit of that element of what really drew them together. Separately, I appreciated Alan and his care for those under him. He was loyal to a fault and he truly treated the team and those who worked with them as family and my heart broke a little for him at Dean's betrayal and seeing how much that hurt him. While Jeff's sense and how it worked wasn't well explained, he made it sound like he had to actively use it when touching someone and yet there were times when it seemed like that wasn't the case, it did give him the excuse to be a loner and then have Alan be the one to help coax him out of his shell. While not an overly strong character, I did generally like him. He, and Charlie for that matter, could have just disappeared, but instead they stayed behind to fight Tony.
- Tony felt cartoonish as a villain. I never found him to be particularly threatening or scary. It seemed they were going for the kind of character who appears benevolent on the surface with a malicious streak under the surface, but I don't think they successfully brought that out. Certainly he was an absolutely horrible person, but there wasn't enough to him to make him a true threat. There was nothing regarding his history and how he came to power to help give him depth as a character and that was a major failing.

While the plot and writing were definite detractors from this series, the cast made the most of it and they were a highlight. Pavel's acting has improved since I last saw him and despite the inconsistencies of his character, he did quite well and I enjoyed his portrayal of Babe. Pooh was the baby of the cast, I believe, and this was his first role so I wasn't surprised when he didn't quite meet the standards the others. Not that he was bad, he actually did a decent job all things considered, but there were moments where it was obvious that he's quite green. His chemistry with Pavel fluctuated a bit. There were times where I really felt it and others where it seemed hollow. However, I'm chalking that up to the writing more than anything. While I was not a fan of his character arc, I do think Nut did a great job as Way and working with what he had.

There was one aspect of this series that I really liked and wanted to comment on and that was how Babe and Charlie did not conform to the norms when it came to who was top and who was bottom. With most BLs, the more traditionally masculine looking character, i.e. taller, more muscular, etc., is the top and the softer character, i.e. shorter, less muscular, cuter, etc., is the bottom. I liked that it was flipped with Charlie as the top and Babe as the bottom. It was refreshing, particularly the way that it was normalized, no questions asked, it was just the way things were. That is one aspect that more BLs should normalize, not pigeonholing characters' sex position based on appearance or even personality.

The production aspect was overall pretty decent. There were some odd camera angles at times and some awkward jumps, but overall, nothing too distracting or detracting. The action scenes felt amateurish at times and obviously choreographed rather than natural. The music was catchy, but forgettable.

Pit Babe could have been so much more than it was. The racing concept is not one that I've seen used frequently and it was refreshing to be outside the typical high school/college setting, but the poor writing combined with the messy plot and multiple plot holes just made it fall flat. The lack of realistic characters and well developed relationships was another detractor. There were parts of it that I enjoyed, but as a whole, I wouldn't have missed out on anything if I never saw it.

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One Palm Distance

If any director was going to direct a Thai BL that would lead me to give it a perfect 10, it would be P'Aof. And Last Twilight is *chef's kiss* perfection. There is nothing about this drama that I did not love. The story, the characters, the cast, the music, every part of it came together into this beautiful, timeless whole that left me laughing, crying, sighing, and in the end, feeling utterly content.

Last Twilight starts out big, introducing the characters' pasts and what led them to their present selves and the struggles they're facing. For Day, it's the gradual loss of his eyesight and coming to grips that his life has been irrevocably altered and the fear of how others will perceive him. For Mhok, he is still dealing with his sister's suicide as well as the implications of having spent time in jail which makes it difficult for him to find a job move on with his life. When Day and Mhok meet and Mhok becomes the jaded and closed-off Day's caretaker, they slowly begin to heal each other as they find acceptance and eventually love in each other. Mhok is the one person with the ability to pull Day from the darkness he's been hiding in and back into the sunlight and back into life. With the help of others, he shows Day that his life can still be fulfilling, even if he can't see. One thing that binds the story together is the book Last Twilight which one of Day's friends had recommended for him to read. Mhok reads it to Day throughout the series and Day identifies with the main character and her struggle. They have multiple conversations about the book and it serves as an important turning point for them when they seek out the view pictured on the back of the book. It's at this lookout that Day completely loses his eyesight and when they return home, have to deal with Day's mother's wrath at Mhok having not only crossed the line with her son in entering into a relationship with him, but also, in her mind, putting her son at risk. When the surgery to fix Day's eyes fails and he's forced to reconcile himself to the fact that he may never see again, there's another shift in Day and Mhok's relationship as Day seeks to become more independent and on a trip with just the two of them, Mhok finds himself fretting about Day's safety and the pity that he has never before felt creeps in. When he receives a job offer to work as a chef in Hawaii, he turns it down, not wanting to leave Day. The fact that pity for Day played any part in his decision, even if only incrementally, leads Day to break up with him. One of the very few aspects I didn't love about this drama, and it's a minor one, was the number of time jumps at the end. If memory serves there are technically three, two that jump three years in the future each and then one that inexplicably decides to jump back three years. That first jump reunites Day and Mhok for Night and Porjai's wedding with both having been quite successful during their time apart, but the feelings are clearly still there. However, when asked for a second chance, Day turns Mhok down, afraid of a repeat of past events until a chat with his mom makes him realize that he does want that chance and after some running around, the pair are reunited, this time for good. There's a back and forth after this of Day three years after having another surgery which was successful and gave him his sight back and then bouncing back to immediately after the surgery when he first opened his eyes. The conclusion is, fittingly, back at the view where Day lost his eyesight as the pair once again talk about the book and Day is able to actually see and appreciate the scenery. It's a satisfying and beautiful conclusion to a wholesome and beautiful story.

I've seen some complaints about the pacing, but personally, I though it was pretty perfect. It was steady with hardly a fumble and never once did I find myself bored or wanting it to speed up or slow down. While I am not blind nor is anyone I know, I felt like they handled the topic of blindness quite well. Day's feelings were shown as valid and understandable as was the learning curve both for himself and those around him as he reentered the world and learned to live in it. I think it really pinpointed that oftentimes what stands in our way is ourselves. If we're willing to put ourselves out there and take a chance, then abled or disabled, the sky is really the limit. I similarly appreciated that despite getting pregnant outside of wedlock, Porjai was not treated as a pariah and was not judged, at least not that we saw. As women are often ostracized in that situation, it was refreshing as was Night and Day's mother obvious acceptance of her and her daughter.

Last Twilight really was, for me, practically perfect. There were a few things that I might have liked more information on or to delve into more, but I feel like I'm being more nitpicky than anything as most things couldn't be expounded on due to time constraints I'm sure. August was a there and gone character in a lot ways; he came back into the picture, was there for a brief period and then disappeared. But the effect he had on Day during that short period made me wish we had a little more insight into him and his thought process, particularly when it came to how he was, in essence, pursuing Day which ultimately culminated in their kiss. How exactly was he expecting that all to end? Did he really think it would make Day happy to be falsely pursued by him and then have him up and leave? There was just a lack of common sense it seemed behind most of his actions. I would have liked to delve more into Mhok's past and his emotions and thought process. A big one was when he and Day broke up. Day's reaction to Mhok pitying him could be construed as over the top and if this was another drama, I might have rolled my eyes and thought he was overreacting. But given the material and the characters, I actually thought it worked quite well, because it was made clear that one of the things Day hated the most, was how people pitied him. The fact that Mhok didn't pity him was part of what attracted him and what he found so satisfying in their relationship and what made him feel secure. I think knowing that Mhok pitied him destroyed the illusion he had and he was afraid that feeling would continue and affect their relationship. There was probably an element too that he didn't want Mhok sacrificing his future to be with him. I found Mhok's fear of losing Day and the sentiment that he didn't want to lose out on time to be a valid one and I really wish that we'd been given more insight into that fear. Again, given Mhok's past, with what had happened to his sister, I could understand where that fear came from and it shouldn't have been dismissed quite so easily. I would have liked to see him and Day have a more serious conversation about the whole thing at some point, but that would have taken up far more time than was permitted. The medical side of me wanted more information about Day's eyes and what exactly had happened. My best guess would be that the accident caused non-infectious keratitis which then developed into infectious keratitis, but generally that's treatable so I would have liked some details. There were also a few other issues that popped up that could have been resolved with less drama then there was, but, again, I'm nitpicking.

The characters were solid and I really came to love each and every one of them. Even with the side characters, there was a satisfying amount of character development and it really did add another layer of depth to them and the story.
-Day was definitely handed the short end of the stick. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to go from a national athlete to being disabled. His anger and bitterness at the world was understandable and was shown well, as was his fear of the judgment he might face, but not be able to see. It was incredibly satisfying to see him gradually blossom with Mhok's help and venture back into the world and discover that while there were people who might pity or judge him, there were also those who would not and there was still so much for him to experience. His reconciliation with his brother was well done and not rushed at all. When it got to that point, I felt it was believable that he had grown to the point where he could truly forgive his brother. I loved seeing him there at the end with his own bookshop and being independent and thriving.
-Mhok was similarly unlucky, hanging out with the wrong crowd which led to his imprisonment after a fight combined with his sister committing suicide and the fear it instilled in him. I appreciated the spotlight they shown on how people who have been imprisoned for one reason or another are ostracized and the difficulties they face, particularly in finding employment. There are few employers out there willing to give second chances unfortunately so it was especially gratifying to see him grow and succeed once he was given the chance. And while Day was used to people pitying him, Mhok was accustomed to being judged once his past was discovered. He and Day found their home in each other in part because neither reacted the way others did. Mhok did not pity Day and Day did not judge Mhok. I think Mhok's growing fear that something might happen to Day if he wasn't right there all the time was a valid one based on his own experience and, again, I wish we'd had the opportunity to delve into that and it had been addressed more. I did appreciate that Mhok did not blame Day for breaking up with him, but instead decided to take it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
-Night carried the guilt of having been the cause of his brother's blindness and in many ways it defined him for a large part of the series. He was constantly seeking to atone for what he had done, doing his best to take care of his little brother in as much as he would let him which wasn't much at all. Still, he never gave up and he was supportive of Mhok and Day's relationship and helped however he could. He made lifestyle changes like no longer drinking and truly sought to better himself. And while Day's attitude and behaviour frustrated Night, it was clear that no matter what, he loved his little brother. I loved that they were able to reconcile their relationship and the Christmas dinner scene when he feels like he's finally accepted back into the family is so sweet and wholesome. I do wish we'd gotten to see a little more of his relationship with Porjai, but even without that, I really enjoyed their relationship and how accepting he was of her and how he loved her daughter like his own.
-Porjai was the kind of female character I wish more BLs had. She wasn't a villain, she wasn't a roadblock for the main characters' romance, she was Mhok's ex, but they had the kind of relationship that I'm sure some wish they could have with their ex. They were close friends, protective and supportive of each other. Mhok provided her with a home and she was a sounding board for him, giving him advice at times or just taste testing his food and she helped him get a job at her workplace. When Day decided that he wanted to give Mhok a second chance, she jumped into the car in her wedding dress and was all ready to hunt Mhok down, grabbing the mic from that poor airport employee to yell for him over the intercom. She was a beautiful, strong woman and I just loved her character.

The acting was so good on all fronts. Jimmy has come a long way from the first time I saw him in Bad Buddy. I was not impressed with him then, but he has just continued to improve himself and I felt he really nailed the character of Mhok. I thought he handled all the emotions he had to portray really well and gave a nuanced performance. Sea blew me away. He had a challenging role, but he had me truly believing that his character was blind and I could really feel the character's emotional turmoil. So well done. And Jimmy and Sea's chemistry has improved as well since Vice Versa. I really enjoyed the build up of the relationship and they just portrayed it so beautifully. Mark is a winner no matter what role he plays and this time was no different. As both the repentant big brother and loving boyfriend/husband, he was perfect. Namtan is also great no matter what role she plays and she hit the perfect balance here between sassy and caring and I really enjoyed her performance.

The production was overall very well done. In particular, the scenes in Songklah on the mountain were so well done and beautifully shot. I thought the opening was creative with the way it was blurred and then became clearer. Again the incorporation of the book Last Twilight as well as The Little Prince was a fun addition with the way the stories were interwoven with the plot. The music was perfect, though I particularly love William Jakrapatr's song for the series. I may have been listening to it on repeat since it was released on Spotify.

Last Twilight, for me, is the pinnacle of BL dramas, it's what other dramas should aspire to be in their own way. There are others that have come very close, but for me it was the most consistent in terms of pacing, story line and character development. I fell in love with it from the first episode and that didn't change as it progressed. I cannot recommend this drama enough. It hits on some hard topics but does so in a respectful and sensitive way and ultimately is just so heartwarming.

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New and Improved

So many BLs focus on dramatic plots and scenarios that would never happen in real life and while those have their place and can be quite entertaining, there's something about the simplicity and normalcy of The New Employee that makes it stand out. It's not all burning passion and smoldering looks and kisses, but rather the quiet development of a relationship, realistic trials that any couple might face, and learning how to communicate and make said relationship work. The New Employee is a desperately needed breath of fresh air.

At only 7 episodes, this series had a limited amount of time to bring this story to life, but it did a good job working with that limited time. There were very few if any superfluous scenes, rather it all came together to make the most of it's time to develop its characters. Most of the various plot lines were done well with satisfactory conclusions; only one or two were left hanging. I found the ending to be both wholesome and satisfying. I loved that the four of them came together to create something and with all their talents combined, I can only imagine how successful they'll be. I appreciated the maturity of it. These were two adult men embarking on a new relationship, but that didn't take away from both the excitement of little things like dropping honorifics to say each other's name and the giddiness of holding hands for the first time or the anxiety caused by their first fight and learning how to communicate effectively. There are parts I would have liked to see fleshed out more, but I also didn't feel like there were any glaring holes and the pacing was good, so I really can't complain that much.

Seung Hyun is a late bloomer, a young man in his late twenties still figuring himself out and what he wants to do with his life. He's a relatable character and while he does come across as a tad naive with an almost childlike innocence, he's not childish. His relationship with Jong Chan is his first so he has a lot to learn, but he does, figuring out how to communicate and navigate fights and everything else that comes with a relationship. His struggles didn't feel overblown or exaggerated, but more like what anyone might face.

Jong Chan took the idea of the icy, unfeeling boss and made it his own. He's a focused workaholic, but he's not mean and not abusive. He works hard and while he might not be buddy buddy with his subordinates, he's also not unfeeling and they clearly respect him. His behaviour as a boss is juxtaposed by how he is outside work where he shows a warmth that is especially brought out when he's with Seung Hyun. He's honest and communication is clearly important to him. He keeps no secrets from Seung Hyun and is clear about his faults, freely acknowledging them while also working to overcome them.

Ji Yeon and Kang Hae were so refreshing. Having female characters who were not relegated to serving as the catalyst for one of the main leads figuring out his feelings or acting as a villain was a pleasant surprise. Both women were strong, independent characters who had their own stories and goals. I enjoyed Ji Yeon's and Seung Hyun's friendship and how she'd supported him over the years and his new friendship with Kang Hae and how they worked together was just as enjoyable.

Kwon Hyuk and Ji Yong were both superb in their roles. Their chemistry was so good, subtle and sweet and absolutely perfect for the roles they played. Kwon Hyuk was so good at balancing the focused professional at work with the warm boyfriend. And Ji Yong really brought Seung Hyun to life as a hardworking intern and enterprising ad creator.

The production quality was good. Some of the night scenes could have done with a bit better lighting, but that's really my only complaint, if you can even call it a complaint.

I thoroughly enjoyed The New Employee. It was a very pleasant change from the unnecessarily dramatic and poorly told series I've watched recently and I really cannot recommend it enough. That being said, if you're looking for fireworks and hot NSFW scenes, this is not going to be the drama for you. However, if you enjoy simpler, well told stories with a realistic and sweet romance, you should absolutely watch this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Finally Over

I you don't have a VIP membership with IQYI to watch these two episodes, don't bother getting it, they're not worth it unless you absolutely loved the rest of the series. It's simply more unnecessary drama, awkward NSFW scenes of Dino shoving his tongue down Rak's throat, and concluding with Chalam, Suea and Mhee talking about their notably absent lovers.

The whole plot line with Tart was absurd. Again, in what way is Rak such a catch that men are willing to throw any kind of boundaries and societal niceties out the door? I truly do not understand. But here comes Tart who's apparently harbored a crush on Rak for years and suddenly decides to pursue him and who gives a damn if he has a boyfriend. There's nothing likeable about the character. He aggressively and creepily pursues Rak, stalking him, even buying his phone number from a fellow classmate so he can call and text him. This culminates in a confrontation between Dino and Tart with Dino inexplicably resorting to his fists. This would have been a great time to acknowledge and potentially rectify Dino's temper, but the whole thing is conveniently swept under the rug. Even the two women filming the scene are stopped and convinced to delete the video with very little effort.

The second episode turns its focus to the characters of Chalam, Suea, and Mhee who talk about their lovers. It's very awkward because we never actually see their lovers' faces. We hear voices, see some hair or a shoulder maybe, but that's it. I'm going to assume it has something to do with the upcoming Buddy Line Y Animal series, but it just made for some strange camera angles and uncomfortable close ups of the actors. I was not a fan.

More of the same mediocre acting and poor production. More of the annoying comedic sound effects and more bad music. Although these episodes took the cake with the scene where Dino and Rak go meet his parents and the girl they wanted to arrange a marriage with. The back and forth with the music was maddening.

I will reiterate, don't spend your money for these episodes, they add very little of substance. Save yourself the two hours you would have wasted and find something worthwhile to watch.

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Bury the Dinosaur

There is really not much, if anything, to love about Dinosaur Love. The only reason I even took an interest in it initially was because of Pepper who I liked in Love in the Air. But I found that I wasn't a fan of either his character or acting in this series, and I saw far more of his tongue than I ever wanted to. This isn't even one of those dramas that could have been better if X, Y, Z was different. This is one that probably would have been better off left on the cutting room floor in it's entirety.

The plot is completely nonsensical. It jumps from point to point without necessarily wrapping things up and the transitions are abrupt. The beginning with Mek and See-Kram getting together and cheating on Rak was poorly done. Why either of them chose to betray their friend and lover was not well explained. The fact that they both came back begging for forgiveness was pretty rich of them, particularly Mek considering he'd tried to rape Rak. That mess really only served to make Rak single and available to get together with Dino, but could have been utilized far more wisely to establish the characters and build on them. There are a few plot holes that are more annoying that they're not explained than anything terribly critical and multitude of unanswered questions. The passage of time is not well established either. It would have been nice with some events to know how much time had passed just to get a grasp on how quickly things were progressing. The ending, if you stop at Episode 8 is jarring and doesn't feel like a conclusion. The pacing was all over the place and generally just frustrating. I got to episode 6 and very nearly dropped this drama because I was so done with it. Not that I got anything out of finishing it. It really wasn't worth it.

Dinosaur Love suffers from an overinflated cast. There are so many supporting and guest characters that it got really hard to keep all of them straight, especially Dino's multitude of friends. There was no need for all of them and they took away time that could have been better spent trying to sort out the mess of a storyline. There was also a tendency for characters either pop up unexpectedly after being absent for a while or just disappearing. After apologizing and saying that he would win Rak back, Mek was never seen again. See-Kram is last seen in the hospital and then is absent for multiple episodes before suddenly popping up to ask for Rak's forgiveness. Guy had a mental break down and was suicidal last we saw him, but suddenly he's out and about and fine? Unsurprisingly the few ladies of the cast were completely underutilized. Sammy as Plabu was there for the jokes and Michelle as Please was present to be a "rival" for Dino's affection, but not really, and once she and Rak had their talk, she was another one who disappeared. I will never not be disappointed when they do that. If you're going to cast women, use them.
-Dino simply looked too old to believably be in college. I think the story would have worked better with him having already graduated from a realistic point of view. He was a weird combination of red and green flag moments. He had moments where he was an absolute green flag like when Rak offered to be his boyfriend in a panic after almost being raped and he declined. But he had other moments where he pushed Rak's boundaries and was pushy in general. He did generally back off, but sometimes Rak had to say it more than once. His temper was also a serious concern. It took very little to set him off and make him turn physical and that was not addressed in a satisfactory way. Also, what exactly was Dino a part of? That's never established and once that point was no longer useful, it was thrown out, but I was genuinely curious if he was part of a gang or just a good old fashioned thug.
-Rak's whole personality almost was him being cute and that got old really fast. He was this odd combination of naive and innocent and yet at the same time, not. I will give him credit for his consistency, once he'd made a decision, he really didn't waver. And despite his kind and innocent nature, he never led any of the multitude of men pursuing him on if he wasn't interested in them. Why he had that many men interested in him in the first place, I cannot begin to fathom. While I generally would commend his honesty, there were times where he kept secrets from Dino despite knowing it would cause conflict since Dino hated lies and secrets. While I have no doubt that Dino's temper was the primary reason, it's something that Rak should have felt comfortable addressing.
-Chalam was moderately amusing initially, but quickly grew boring and repetitive. He just had no personality outside his obsession with omelets and he was featured far too heavily to have that and his manner of talking be his only traits.
-Suea was fairly entertaining and was one of the sole bright spots. Not a great character, but Aomstin was expressive and that helped.

The acting was fairly disappointing. I was not a fan of Pepper here, he didn't suit the role for me. Kong was boring. He lacked any kind of diversity in his expressions and mostly just walked around with this wide-eyed, innocent look. The chemistry between him and Pepper was overall lacking. There were a few moments where I felt a spark, but for the majority of the series I was left unimpressed. Again, Aomstin was entertaining as Suea at moments if nothing else because he knew how to use his facial muscles. Even if a lot of is expression were a bit exaggerated, he had some variety. I love Sammy, but this was such a stupid role she really did not get a chance to shine unfortunately.

The production was lacking a lot. The lighting within scenes was off at times with one angle being bright and another being dark. It lacked consistency. The comedic sound effects were severely overused and had me hitting mute more than once. That horrible bird sound was used so much. The music was extremely generic and at times annoying. The transitions were also very poorly done. They'd go from relatively intense music to something perky and upbeat which did not work. The opening credit song wasn't bad though and I ended up kind of liking it.

I can't recommend this drama in any way. It was a positive chore to get through and I don't feel like I gained anything from it other than disappointment and lost time. Go find something better to watch and avoid this one.

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Middleman's Disgrace

It's hard to believe that Middleman's Love and Bed Friend are in any way connected. They're so completely different, it's almost jarring. While I wouldn't say that Middleman's Love was a series I was hotly anticipating, I was curious about it and looking forward to it to some degree. Bed Friend had a host of issues, but Jade was not one of them. I thought Yim's portrayal of him was a bit one note and there just wasn't a whole lot to the character, but with the focus on him and a proper storyline, there was potential. Unfortunately what we got was a complete disaster. Where Bed Friend tried to be darkly sexy with a healthy dose of trauma thrown in, Middleman's love went for a rom-com feel, heavy on the slapstick comedy. It doesn't work and it was almost physically painful to get through. If it was any more than the eight episodes it was, I would have bailed and I very nearly did within the first fifteen minutes, but clung on because of comments that it improved. And while there is some improvement in the last two episodes, it's far too little, too late to make a difference.

The story is a pretty generic office romance between an employee and his intern. It had the potential to be cute, but there's so much crap and unnecessary drama to bog it down that it's anything but. And sometimes that's redeemable if the characters are likeable, but they weren't. I guess there's the theme that there's someone for everyone, but it definitely could have been done better. I was put off almost immediately by the animation sequence that started things off. It was weird and unexpected and pointless. There were a couple more instances of that and they failed to add anything beneficial. They just continued to be weird and pointless. Equally off-putting was the abundance of comedic sound effects. Those were eventually toned down, but still very much overused. Given the title, I anticipated the fact that Jade always found himself in the middle would play a larger role than it did. In effect, it really played no role as it was mentioned a couple times, but that was about it. I think the drama could have been much more interesting if they had leaned into that concept and how always being in the middle really affected Jade. The NSFW scenes were...interesting to say the least. The scene between Gus and Tong felt abrupt. There had been the whole push and pull between them for a while, but when they finally got to the point where they were a couple, they immediately jumped into bed. To me, it felt out of character and out of place. Jade and Mai's scenes were even more out of character. Considering how Jade is Jade and that he was a virgin, the level of sensuality he gave was not believable to me. There needed to be some awkwardness and fumbling and not straight to sex god. Also going to say that the two of them eating the rose was just weird. There were, however, a couple things that I did appreciate like the theme of consent that continued over from Bed Friend. Gus actually verbally giving consent to Tong was nice to see. I also really liked both Jade's and Mai's families and how supportive and loving they were. With Jade's family, the conversation they had where they acknowledged his feelings was very well done and I wish we'd had more scenes like that.

The characters were pretty much irredeemable trash.
-Jade in Bed Friend was cute, a bit quirky and eccentric, but not in a bad or obnoxious way. He was a good, loyal friend who seemed to have a solid head on his shoulders. But with this series, it's like they took his eccentricities and magnified them a thousand times to the point where it didn't even seem to be the same character. And that was a major downfall because Jade ended up feeling more like a caricature than a character. He was loud, awkward, and painfully self-conscious, not at all cute. Other than getting over his fear of rejection to pursue Mai, there was very little character development. There was a lot of potential for Jade and if they had retained his original character, I think the romance between him and Mai could have been quite sweet.
-Mai was a besotted puppy who truly was essentially perfect. He was not one of those characters who seems perfect on the outside, but as things progress his flaws are shown. No, he was portrayed as being the perfect employee, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect son, everything. He lacked any kind of dimension or interest. He revolved around Jade and that was it.
-Ueau and King returned to serve as love advisors for Jade and Mai. We didn't get to see a whole lot of them outside that role, but the few moments we did revolved around petty drama. The fact that Ueau couldn't have a simple conversation with another man without King getting his hackles up was absurd. And while Ueau was still pretty much himself, they neutered King. In Bed Friend, he was confident and sexy, and while he pretty much always caved to Ueau, he had a personality and was his own man. Middleman's Love saw him turned into a simpering puppy whose most frequent line was calling Ueau Teerak (darling). Sort of cute the first time or two, but it quickly became redundant. He as a name, King, consider using it. Also, be done with the jealousy. It's not cute.
-Gus and Tong were a cute secondary couple, but their back and forth and where they stood got confusing at times. It would seem like they were getting somewhere and then next scene Gus would be sulking for some inexplicable reason. They needed more screen time to really build on their relationship. Also found Tong's comment that Gus never annoyed him and that he was just foul-mouthed to be utter BS. You were acting very annoyed a time or two there, sir, being foul-mouthed had nothing to do with it.

I'm not going to hate on the actors because they had garbage to work with. The script was a disaster and should have been shredded then burnt. Watching the behind the scenes, you can see how much effort they put into it, but there was just no saving it. As much as I couldn't stand Jade, I will give Yim all the kudos because I can only imagine how hard portraying him was. Playing high energy characters like that is exhausting, but he remained consistent. Tutor, again, just had nothing to work with. I know he's a good actor, but there were so many close ups that I don't think he had a chance to really spread his wings. He wasn't wooden though which he easily could have been and there was expression in his eyes so I'll give him that.

The production needs to be fired. How they looked at any of this and thought, yeah, this looks great is beyond me. They let down their actors who deserved so much better and they let down the fans who had been looking forward to this. There were some awkward scene cuts as well as a few scene jumps that didn't help matters and made the story progression more confusing than it needed to be. The opening credits with the bobbleheads was not cute or funny, just bad. That was one of my first indications that this series was not going to be what I expected. And the music, particularly during the NSFW scenes was either forgettable or distracting. For the NSFW scenes, it didn't fit and I ended up muting eventually. I don't understand why they feel music is necessary for those kinds of scenes. If you have to have it, use instrumental pieces, it flows better.

To sum it up, Middleman's Love was a dumpster fire that should never have been made as is. The few cute or wholesome scenes are buried so deep, you have to sift through a mountain of garbage to find them. This is such a case of wasted potential and I hope Tutor, Yim and the other actors are given better opportunities to show their talents cause this was not it.

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Middleman's Disgrace

It's hard to believe that Middleman's Love and Bed Friend are in any way connected. They're so completely different, it's almost jarring. While I wouldn't say that Middleman's Love was a series I was hotly anticipating, I was curious about it and looking forward to it to some degree. Bed Friend had a host of issues, but Jade was not one of them. I thought Yim's portrayal of him was a bit one note and there just wasn't a whole lot to the character, but with the focus on him and a proper storyline, there was potential. Unfortunately what we got was a complete disaster. Where Bed Friend tried to be darkly sexy with a healthy dose of trauma thrown in, Middleman's love went for a rom-com feel, heavy on the slapstick comedy. It doesn't work and it was almost physically painful to get through. If it was any more than the eight episodes it was, I would have bailed and I very nearly did within the first fifteen minutes, but clung on because of comments that it improved. And while there is some improvement in the last two episodes, it's far too little, too late to make a difference.

The story is a pretty generic office romance between an employee and his intern. It had the potential to be cute, but there's so much crap and unnecessary drama to bog it down that it's anything but. And sometimes that's redeemable if the characters are likeable, but they weren't. I guess there's the theme that there's someone for everyone, but it definitely could have been done better. I was put off almost immediately by the animation sequence that started things off. It was weird and unexpected and pointless. There were a couple more instances of that and they failed to add anything beneficial. They just continued to be weird and pointless. Equally off-putting was the abundance of comedic sound effects. Those were eventually toned down, but still very much overused. Given the title, I anticipated the fact that Jade always found himself in the middle would play a larger role than it did. In effect, it really played no role as it was mentioned a couple times, but that was about it. I think the drama could have been much more interesting if they had leaned into that concept and how always being in the middle really affected Jade. The NSFW scenes were...interesting to say the least. The scene between Gus and Tong felt abrupt. There had been the whole push and pull between them for a while, but when they finally got to the point where they were a couple, they immediately jumped into bed. To me, it felt out of character and out of place. Jade and Mai's scenes were even more out of character. Considering how Jade is Jade and that he was a virgin, the level of sensuality he gave was not believable to me. There needed to be some awkwardness and fumbling and not straight to sex god. Also going to say that the two of them eating the rose was just weird. There were, however, a couple things that I did appreciate like the theme of consent that continued over from Bed Friend. Gus actually verbally giving consent to Tong was nice to see. I also really liked both Jade's and Mai's families and how supportive and loving they were. With Jade's family, the conversation they had where they acknowledged his feelings was very well done and I wish we'd had more scenes like that.

The characters were pretty much irredeemable trash.
-Jade in Bed Friend was cute, a bit quirky and eccentric, but not in a bad or obnoxious way. He was a good, loyal friend who seemed to have a solid head on his shoulders. But with this series, it's like they took his eccentricities and magnified them a thousand times to the point where it didn't even seem to be the same character. And that was a major downfall because Jade ended up feeling more like a caricature than a character. He was loud, awkward, and painfully self-conscious, not at all cute. Other than getting over his fear of rejection to pursue Mai, there was very little character development. There was a lot of potential for Jade and if they had retained his original character, I think the romance between him and Mai could have been quite sweet.
-Mai was a besotted puppy who truly was essentially perfect. He was not one of those characters who seems perfect on the outside, but as things progress his flaws are shown. No, he was portrayed as being the perfect employee, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect son, everything. He lacked any kind of dimension or interest. He revolved around Jade and that was it.
-Ueau and King returned to serve as love advisors for Jade and Mai. We didn't get to see a whole lot of them outside that role, but the few moments we did revolved around petty drama. The fact that Ueau couldn't have a simple conversation with another man without King getting his hackles up was absurd. And while Ueau was still pretty much himself, they neutered King. In Bed Friend, he was confident and sexy, and while he pretty much always caved to Ueau, he had a personality and was his own man. Middleman's Love saw him turned into a simpering puppy whose most frequent line was calling Ueau Teerak (darling). Sort of cute the first time or two, but it quickly became redundant. He as a name, King, consider using it. Also, be done with the jealousy. It's not cute.
-Gus and Tong were a cute secondary couple, but their back and forth and where they stood got confusing at times. It would seem like they were getting somewhere and then next scene Gus would be sulking for some inexplicable reason. They needed more screen time to really build on their relationship. Also found Tong's comment that Gus never annoyed him and that he was just foul-mouthed to be utter BS. You were acting very annoyed a time or two there, sir, being foul-mouthed had nothing to do with it.

I'm not going to hate on the actors because they had garbage to work with. The script was a disaster and should have been shredded then burnt. Watching the behind the scenes, you can see how much effort they put into it, but there was just no saving it. As much as I couldn't stand Jade, I will give Yim all the kudos because I can only imagine how hard portraying him was. Playing high energy characters like that is exhausting, but he remained consistent. Tutor, again, just had nothing to work with. I know he's a good actor, but there were so many close ups that I don't think he had a chance to really spread his wings. He wasn't wooden though which he easily could have been and there was expression in his eyes so I'll give him that.

The production needs to be fired. How they looked at any of this and thought, yeah, this looks great is beyond me. They let down their actors who deserved so much better and they let down the fans who had been looking forward to this. There were a number of scene cuts that were very awkward and really killed the flow and tone as well as a few scene jumps that were equally awkward. In both cases, they made the story progression more confusing than it needed to be. The opening credits with the bobbleheads was not cute or funny. That was one of my first indications that this series was not going to be what I expected. And the music, particularly during the NSFW scenes was either forgettable or distracting. For the NSFW scenes, it didn't fit and I ended up muting eventually. I don't understand why they feel music is necessary for those kinds of scenes. If you have to have it, use instrumental pieces, it flows better.

To sum it up, Middleman's Love was a dumpster fire that should never have been made as is. The few cute or wholesome scenes are buried so deep, you have to sift through a mountain of garbage to find them. This is such a case of wasted potential and I hope Tutor, Yim and the other actors are given better opportunities to show their talents cause this was not it.

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My Dear Mediocre Oppa

One of these days I will stop anticipating that any kind of mafia drama will reach the same pinnacle as KinnPorsche, but it is not this day. While I wasn't expecting My Dear Gangster Oppa to reach that caliber, I was anticipating something sexy and gritty, albeit more lighthearted. And while the first couple of episodes were actually pretty decent, it quickly went downhill bogged down by a weak villain, pointless characters, and poor development. It had the makings of something interesting and unique but ultimately just ended up being painfully mediocre.

The plot was interesting if not well-developed. There more than a few plot holes that marred it. But the concept of two guys meeting through a game and falling in love with the catch being that one of them is a gangster is not your run of the mill mafia story. The first couple episodes did a decent enough job of building on that plot and I was intrigued. However, once Thiu left the mafia, it felt like it lost it's way. A fair amount of unnecessary drama was introduced and the plot no longer felt as cohesive. One element that I quickly found frustrating was the lack of risk. Nothing really felt at stake. At no point did I find it believable that any of the characters were truly in any danger. That was likely in large part due to the fact that the characters' various enemies seemed incredibly inept. Particularly in Episode 8 when Thiu and Tul take on a house full of gangsters and Tul ends up with a relatively minor injury and Thiu is perfectly fine. That's not realistic and it really took away from the experience for me. The action scenes in general were a bit of a low point. The gaming element was a good addition, if a majorly underutilized one. Considering that's what brought Thiu and Guy together, I would have liked to see it play a larger role. In particular, that CGI scene of them playing in, I believe, the first episode was very cool, but we never get another like it. There needed to be a greater balance between the mafia aspect and their day to day lives. It is fairly trope heavy, particularly towards the beginning. Lots of accidental slips and falls that leave characters in each other's arms or in compromising positions. It got old fast. The pacing started out steady but then deteriorated as the drama progressed. The last episode to two episodes felt very rushed.

At only eight episodes long, it struggled with its characters and paying proper attention to the characters who should have been focused on like the leads and paying too much attention to side characters who contributed little to nothing. In shorter dramas like this, I already anticipate that it's not going to have the level of character background and development that I would typically like and it was only made worse by that distraction. Characters like Wal and Kenji took up far too much screen time that should have been devoted to building on Thiu and Guy's relationship. And other characters like Tul and Boss could have used a little more screen time to build up their relationship. I was actually impressed that they went as in depth with Thiu and Guy's backgrounds as they did. Frankly, they could have cut them down a bit to just focus on the relevant parts.

While Thiu had the dressing like a gangster down pat, his demeanor and actions did not fit the role. Obviously time mellowed him out from the revenge driven young man who joined up, but I would have expected him to be more ruthless and less merciful than he was. And while it's not specified how long he was a gangster, it was long enough that it seemed like sticking to the rules and keeping your promises should have held more weight than they did. Aspects like promising Guy he wouldn't return to his boss all while fully intending to break that promise did not sit well with me. I feel like that could have been a fairly simple conversation of if Kenji's in power, he will come after them again and won't stop until one of them is dead so this is not something that can be avoided. I do think Thiu's immediate trust in Guy and essentially falling for him at first sight could have been better explored and explained. Where Thiu was not the most trusting person, Guy was pretty willing to open himself up if someone gave him the opportunity. I found him to be cute at times and wildly annoying at others. His actions didn't always make sense and he came off as needy and childish at times. Even so, there were moments when I appreciated him like in the last episode when he got Boss to go after their guys. He wasn't just a damsel in distress, he actually did take action from time to time if not the most well thought out action. I did feel like he fell for Thiu unrealistically fast. He's been in love with his best friend for years and then someone new pops up and he's almost instantly in love. I understand the shorter run time meant they couldn't build up the relationship a whole lot, but I do think more could have been done to show that attraction growing over a longer period of time. Still, despite his and Thiu's differences, they didn't feel wildly unmatched and made for a fairly decent couple.

Wal was an incredibly frustrating character and he got far too much screen time. He just wasn't that interesting of a character and his sudden conflict of feelings was misplaced and unnecessary. It felt like a continuation of the gay for you trope, except that he maybe met someone there at the end. Still, I wasn't a fan. His pursuit of Guy too right after Guy and Thiu had broken up felt borderline manipulative.

Kenji was just painful to watch every time he was onscreen. Everything about him was over the top and cartoonish and not in a way that was funny or worked. It was just very cringey. He didn't feel like a real threat, mostly because his actions didn't match his mannerisms. If he was truly deranged, he would be acting first and asking questions later. But he was constantly giving Thiu chances like when he went to save Guy. If he really wanted to hurt Thiu, he would have killed Guy then tried to kill Thiu as well. Win or lose, he'd have done the damage. Honestly, he could have been a really interesting character if they'd really leaned into the deranged behaviour, but instead he just came across as impotent. The background given to explain his actions was very weak and really explained and added nothing.

Tom, Phai, and Muffin as Thiu and Guy's gaming friends were fun additions and were actually relatively well done. There was enough to them that they had substance to serve as supporting characters, but there wasn't an excess of information about them either. Their banter and camaraderie was well displayed and most scenes they were in were fairly entertaining. Tul and Boss lacked the screen time to be any kind of believable side couple. I did appreciate Tul's loyalty to Thiu, but would have liked to know a little more about what made him tick and why he was so loyal. Boss's fluctuating loyalty between Tul and Kenji was largely swept under the rug and his loyalty to Kenji was not particularly well explained other than Kenji had saved his life. I think they could have made an interesting couple, but there were just hints and not a whole lot of actual development.

The acting was pretty mediocre. Meen and Ping weren't bad as a couple, but I wasn't getting fireworks either. They didn't have the natural chemistry that some couples do and as such there were times when it was better and times when it really fizzled. Ping seemed to struggle with the more emotional scenes. The tears and emotions felt more forced than natural. Meen could have been more expressive. I get playing the serious gangster, but a little more depth would have helped him seem less wooden at certain points. As much as I did not like his portrayal of Kenji, I will chalk a portion of that up to the writing and direction, Tommy could have done worse. It was a challenging role for his debut and I hope he has further opportunities to showcase his talents.

My Dear Gangster Oppa left me feeling disappointed. I wasn't expecting anything amazing going into it, but I did think it would be better put together than it was. As it stands, I can't really recommend watching it. There's no aspect about it that's good enough to warrant sitting through it. There are other, better dramas currently airing or that have recently concluded that I would watch first.

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Forever Beloved

One of my biggest issues when it comes to Asian dramas is pacing. They're either horrifically slow in places or just go way too fast to try to wrap everything up. This is one of the few dramas I've watched that pretty much nailed the pacing. I was never bored and the ending didn't feel rushed. As for likability, well, it took me less than 24 hours to burn through it. I was hooked from the get go. The chemistry between the leads was amazing and their developing relationship was captured so beautifully. The issue of being in a same sex relationship and the effect that might have on others was handled with such care and created a truly heartfelt scene. I also just loved how unfazed everyone was with those relationships, such a change from how things were even a few years ago. The acting is superb. Like I said, the leads' chemistry was smoking, and even the more minor characters are engaging. The secondary relationship was sweet and I enjoyed watching it develop as well. I would highly recommend this drama. It's an easy watch, somewhat cheesy, but very entertaining and one I will certainly be rewatching.

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Save The Dance

This is a short and sweet drama that despite the limited run time still manages to deliver a decent story with relatively well-fleshed out characters. Both leads were interesting and nuanced though I would have liked it if their backgrounds were delved into a little more; there was a lot left unknown or just hinted at. But their chemistry was quite good, more of a slow burn than hot and heavy which I quite liked. The relationship does feel slightly rushed, but I think that's more due to the short run time than anything else. They still make it work. The dance aspect was unique and I really loved how it was actually a key part of the drama and not just a side note. The choreography was well done and quite lovely to watch. The OST was also quite good. I felt it matched the story well. Overall it was an enjoyable interlude from the daily grind. It's not a masterpiece by any means and, again, the short run time limited it in various ways. There are certain aspects I would have liked to see fleshed out more, but even without that, as long as you don't delve too deep and are able to suspend one's disbelief I think you'll find a rather lovely, touching story.

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Light in the Dark

Light on Me is a relatively short, but sweet drama that I found engaging despite its faults. On the surface, it does come across as your typical high school drama complete with all the tropes you've come to expect from BLs. However, the more I watched, the more I saw that there is a depth to it, not so much with the story, but certainly with the characters. There's something about it that's almost relaxing and it made watching it very easy.

Light on Me does not break the mold of high school dramas. There's nothing new here, the same old tropes are used. However, aspects like learning to accept yourself and stand up for yourself are explored and add to the story. It took a couple of episodes for me to really get into the story. I struggled with Taekyung as the lead because he was so robotic. However, as other characters were introduced, I found myself becoming more invested. I will say that the robotics do extend to the other characters to an extent and it does make it harder to form attachments to them. It gets better as the drama progresses though. Some aspects like turning the sole female character into a villainess was frustrating. It's overused and the whole scenario of her spreading the picture was unrealistic and unnecessary. The passage of time was also not well documented and it would have been nice to have some idea of how much time had passed between events. The love triangle, which I am generally not a fan of, was actually really well done here. Both couples have their pros and cons and there's enough understanding that they really could go either way. I do wish a bit more time had been given to the build up of Taekyung and Shin Woo's relationship since it was endgame, but it was still done well enough that I can't complain too much. The pacing is slow and steady, which is part of why I found it kind of relaxing. There are no real extremes, it has a course to follow and it does so quite well with very little meandering. I appreciated that.

The characters are where it's at with this drama. There's an element with each of them that they are more than their appearance and outward actions and I really enjoyed that.
- Taekyung starts out as a loner who doesn't feel the need to have friends. However, despite his introversion, he's relatively confident in certain situations and honest to a fault. As he gets involved in the student council and starts to make friends, it becomes clear that he has a big heart and is actually a very selfless person. My biggest qualm was the fact that almost right up to the end, it seemed like he was still vacillating between Shin Woo and Daon. I would have liked to have a clearer picture as to when his feelings for Shin Woo started to manifest.
- Shin Woo comes across as cold and rude but in truth he's a sweetheart who just takes time to warm up to people. He's loyal to his friends and has great respect, both for Taekyung and Daon. The way he treats them both is a testament to his character. Despite his love for Taekyung, he's willing to step aside for Daon because at the time, that's who Taekyung loved. However, once things fall apart between the two of them, Shin Woo takes the initiative to step forward and pursue Taekyung. He's respectful of Taekyung and despite his own awkwardness, does his best to be there and support him.
- Daon was probably one of the most compelling characters for me. The evolution of my perception of his character as more of it was revealed was very interesting. He starts out very likable, a little too perfect, but a good guy. But as things progressed, I realized, he wasn't very genuine, he was very much a people pleaser and he lacked perspective and knowing how to prioritize. If anyone needed his help, he dropped everything to help them, meaning that Taekyung, if they'd entered into a relationship, would never be his priority. And eventually I just realized that he was selfish and really only cared about himself. But the great thing about him was that once he realized all that, once Taekyung pointed it out, he put out the effort to change and better himself. He stopped caring about what others thought and catering to their needs and that was so refreshing to see. Because despite those faults, Daon was not really a bad guy. The neglect and lack of love from his family obviously played into a lot of his mindset and actions. I think he had the most character growth out of any of the characters and I loved it.
- Namgoong was one of my favorite characters. I loved that beneath the goofy surface was someone who was far more mature, observant and wise than anyone gave him credit for. He truly cared for his friends and was fiercely loyal to them, helping them in any way that he could and sometimes that meant calling them out for their crap. He was just an all around good guy.
- While not a huge player, I really liked Mr. Seo for his wisdom and his investment in the students. He obviously cared about all of them and made an effort to connect with them. He's the kind of person you wish all teachers were like.
-Sohee is almost not worth mentioning. She's the token female character that it was decided should be the villain because she's loved Daon for three years and therefore, first come first served, regardless of how Daon feels. She somehow decides posting a picture of Daon and Taekyung together is a great idea to break them up and have Daon go running into her arms except that it blows up and Daon cuts her off. Predictably she apologizes to everyone, everything is forgiven, and they're all friends. Boring. She could have been so much more and I'm disappointed that this what they decided to do with her.

The acting certainly could have been better. Sae On in particular was far too doll like and it wasn't just the makeup. I understand the character was supposed to be introverted and awkward, but he was just wooden and lacking in almost any expression. Particularly comparing him to Yoo Seok whose character was also introverted and awkward, yet he's still so expressive and brings so much to the screen. Chan Yi's performance sometimes felt a bit empty, but for the most part he did quite well. And Woo Jin just brought Namgoong to life and was a pleasure to watch.

The makeup was a big issue. Particularly for Sae On, he had so much makeup packed on that he looked like a mannequin. The others weren't quite as dramatic, but all around it was excessive. That being said, I did like the fact that this was a longer drama. I wish more current BLs would keep with this because that made a big difference. The production value also felt higher and in general it was better quality all around. The music was great. I really enjoyed the closing song and several of the other songs worked in.

This was just a very enjoyable journey and my only issue is how long it took me to discover it. I would certainly recommend it as one of the best Korean BLs I've seen and hopefully future ones will follow in its footsteps.

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Near and Dear

Kiseki: Dear to Me is a lovely little drama that I found thoroughly enjoyable. While not without its faults, it largely makes up for them with an eclectic group of characters, a decently told story, good music, and some excellent acting. It does get a little bit busy and would have benefitted from a more streamlined and cohesive plot, but it's not to the point of being unwatchable. It thoroughly drew me in and I have zero regrets after watching it.

In it's simplest form, this is an enemies to lovers story but the premise is unique enough that it doesn't feel totally cliche. Bai Zong Yi is a studious, rather grumpy student whose life is upended when the charismatic and mischievous gangster Fan Ze Rui blackmails him into taking him in and treating his wounds. There's no sense that one has more power than the other and that contributes to the interest and entertainment as the two learn to live together and eventually fall in love. I appreciated that the time frame was made clear. There's no question of whether a scene is past, present, or future. It begins in the present with a short little scene and then jumps to four years previously in 2019 and carries on from there. However, there's a lot going on and while the developing romance between Zong Yi and Ze Rui takes the front, there's also the ongoing fighting with a rival gang and trying to sniff out drug dealers at the local school. It's a lot to pack in and the story suffers for it. A decent amount could have been condensed or cut completely to allow more time for character development, providing more detailed information and world building, or giving more time to the episodes set in the present. For example, it would have been nice to have a more clear understanding of the gangs and how they worked. Things jump forward four years after Episode 8 and while I don't generally like time jumps, I understand the necessity of this one. Now set in the present day, the story becomes more, not less convoluted. There's not much time to get everything wrapped up and some things are left hanging. The memory aspect was a big one for me. Both Zong Yi and Ze Rui suffer brain injuries, but with Ze Rui it's unclear if he truly lost his memory for a period of time or if he was just faking it the entire time. With Zong Yi, he suffered short term memory impairment which was not explored or well explained. He uses a notebook to jot down important events, but it doesn't seem to effect his life too much and is largely forgettable. There are also some irritating moments where dramatic or misleading things happen but turn out to be nothing. Two primary examples would be when Chen Yi got shot and that served as a cliffhanger but was ultimately nothing and the last episode where an attempt is made to trick the audience into thinking Ze Rui has died. Both instances were cheap and unnecessary. The pacing was all over the place, but generally felt rushed. Again, just trying to fit in way too much. Particularly towards the end, there were a lot of moving parts and scenes that should have held significance weren't given the time they deserved. There needed to be a better balance between episodes focused on the past and then the present and that just wasn't there.

I am generally not a fan of romances between adults and minors. There's too much room for the adult to take advantage of the minor and manipulate them. However, I was less bothered here because there was an element that it was necessary to the story. Also Zong Yi was seventeen and while he did have some young, impulsive moments, his feelings for Ze Rui did not feel impulsive and their love did feel genuine. And Ze Rui did have clear moments of conflict and he did try to create distance. All of that combined evened things out for me. I know the teacher/student aspect bothered a number of people, but personally, due to the nature of the circumstances surrounding it, I didn't have an issue with it.

The character development was pretty decent and was certainly present. Not as much with the main leads as I would have thought though, at least not positively. I did find the second couple of Ai Di and Chen Yi to be more interesting and satisfying to watch. The largest issue with the characters was an overabundance of them. There were too many side characters and relatively insignificant characters to try to keep track of.
-Zong Yi starts out grouchy and closed off, but once he falls in love with Ze Rui, it's like he has a personality transplant and is suddenly largely kind and gentle. While he has a few grumpy moments, they seem largely for show. I would have preferred a more gradual change to his character and I would have liked to see him retain some of his original characteristics rather than becoming a whole new person. He's also a little too perfect. Aside from the last episode when he's pissed that Ze Rui didn't think of him when he was stabbed, he doesn't express any anger or resentment towards him for what happened in the past. That felt unrealistic. He should have felt something other than regret that he couldn't protect them both.
-Ze Rui remained largely the same throughout. While he expresses guilt and regret for what happened in the past with Zong Yi, he doesn't appear to really change. He's still a manipulative person but he has a good heart. Frankly, I thought he got off way too easy. Zong Yi suffered a lot because of him, from serving jail time to having permanent brain damage that dashed his dreams of becoming a doctor. Ze Rui didn't apparently suffer any permanent damage from his head injury and aside from being stabbed by Zhang Teng's sister which doesn't seem to actually be that serious, there are no consequences.
- Ai Di in particular was a delight and hands down my favorite character. He was small but mighty and I loved his attitude. He was fiercely loyal to his friends and to Chen Yi, who he'd been in love with for years. Forced to play second fiddle, he nonetheless stays by Chen Yi's side to help him even sacrificing himself to protect him and do what's necessary after Zong Yi is injured in prison. What's so great about him is that he does grow and develop, yet he remains true to himself. There's never any doubt that he is Ai Di.
-Chen Yi starts out in love with one of the gang's bosses and only becomes aware of Ai Di's feelings when he and Ai Di sleep together after he's been drinking. He also discovers the birthday presents Ai Di had gotten for him over the years and eventually comes to realize both Ai Di's and his own feelings. His attempts in the present to win over Ai Di are both humorous and adorable. Once they get together, it's like nothing's changed and yet everything has changed. Their dynamic is the same, but they're obviously in love. They balance each other out very nicely.
-The other characters were largely unimpressive. Although I did love Zong Yi's father and sister and how loving and supportive they were. Their interactions were so wholesome. The boss and his man were an interesting addition. We don't generally see older BL couples, so I appreciated that they were included from that perspective, however, they were not well utilized and they had so little screen time that they felt superfluous. Zhang Teng was a pretty boring villain. I didn't really find the lollipop to be off-putting, I just found him to be over the top and non-threatening. There needed to be more to him to make him feel like a viable threat. Even his history with Ze Rui felt incomplete and rushed. Suh Ning as his sister out for revenge was not a well developed plot point. It was obvious she was up to something, but there needed to be a greater buildup.

The acting was well done, but the undisputed star of the show was Louis as Ai Di. He was so committed to the role and he was a stand out in every way. He had great chemistry with Nat whose acting was more understated, but still good. Hsu and Taro were both pretty strong, though it was obvious at times that this was Taro's first role and he's still young and green. They both did a fair amount of acting with just their eyes and I was impressed with their chemistry, especially considering their 10 year age gap. I did enjoy the cameo of the actors from Be Loved In House. I keep hoping they'll get another series. And it was nice to see An Jun of HIStory 4 again. He had more than a cameo role and he did a good job. There was also a cameo from two of the actors of Plus & Minus, though I wasn't a fan of that drama so I had to go look them up to figure out why they looked familiar.

The production quality was a mixed bag for me. There were some really great transitions and cuts and then there were some pretty subpar ones. The lighting was sometimes too bring and other times bordering on too dark. There was just a general lack of consistency. I did like the costuming, particularly for Ai Di. The man was a style icon. I loved his unique look and how well it fit his character. The music was also good and worked well where used.

It's not perfect, but it's fun. It's not a drama you can look at too closely because once you do, things start to unravel. But if you just go with it, it's a great ride. This is definitely one I would recommend and one I will be rewatching in the future.

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