nafulamasika

Watching the FL and her bestie. I can see it now, the shadow of tragedy creeping into every glance they exchange. They're not just plotting schemes; they're weaving a funeral shroud in plain sight, stitch by calculated stitch. And her bosom bestie? She's not a character, she's a sacrifice waiting to happen, a heartbeat they'll silence just to twist the knife deeper into our heroine's soul. Mark my words: they're going to kill her not for justice, not for revenge, but for the sheer, brutal poetry of pain. And I am not ready.

What a satisfying ending!! This was well done.

Stellar casting, great acting, an intriguing story, and a genuinely capable female lead. Right up my alley. So far so good at episode 5 and while I'm enjoying it, the pacing feels completely off. It almost feels like ten vertical dramas stitched together into a single episode. There's barely any time for backstory or for the tension to build before we're thrown into what should be major, climactic moments. The result is that I haven't had the chance to truly love or hate any of the characters because the story rushes from one dramatic reveal to the next. Every episode feels like an extended trailer rather than a fully told chapter. Maybe the writers are trying to squeeze hundreds of novel chapters into the opening episodes, but if that's the case, when does the story finally slow down, breathe, and let us go on the journey with these characters?

He actually pulls off sleazy so well!

This is my exact beef! They are determined to turn her into a damsel in distress that needs XJ to save her. They cant let her just be badass by herself!

Episode 26: The hype promised a battle-hardened female general who was at par with the best, but the writers were still determined to make HY a damsel in distress. HY is supposed to be not only a soldier but also a general, so right in the middle of the critical mission of assassinating the enemy general, HY loses focus and breaks down in the middle of an active battle and starts crying because for some inconceivable logic she thought XJ died in battle, this is despite the fact that she could not find him among the fallen soldiers in the ongoing active battle. Point is he could have been anywhere on that battle-field, but she decided to start mourning right there, all the while losing awareness that a soldier let alone a star general should have. And ofcourse she did not even ensure the enemy general was dead, the enemy was about to sneak up on her crying and she was so unaware that XJ had to come and finish the job and then save her. I love this show but they are killing me here.

My exact sentiments!

I struggled with this one, which was really frustrating because of how popular this was in the BL community. Taishin was unhinged and while the drama found a way to romanticize his odd ball behaviour, (labelled as persistence) it just gave me the ick, which is to say a lot because I have excellent absorbers for JBL redflags. Taishin’s saving grace is that he was not being calculating. He was just being himself and he wore his heart on his sleeve. Not sure why anyone would write such a character. I am not partial to helpless, clueless main characters, and perhaps that is why I am overly critical. Taishin came off as way too naïve. Tittering on intellectually challenged. Takara even remarked how MC’s brain worked like a child’s. He did not seem to have a life outside Takara and therefore there was somewhat of an imbalance. How he looked down on himself while at the same time worshiping Takara and catering to his every need, was not cute!! Taishin literally kept stalking the ML, peeping at him from behind corners and doors going through his stuff to find out what brand of water bottle the guy used, plastering himself against the walls when ML walks by etc. What?? Why???? There were moments where Taishin seemed to need rescuing from himself. It felt like Takara was taking care of a younger airhead brother and not a love interest. That whole I am shy, dumb and fragile routine was cringe and it was difficult to see Taishin as an equal partner with Takara in their relationship.