Beautiful love

I finished watching this drama yesterday and I'm still so full of emotions for it. This review will most probably be biased, but I'll do my best to express myself clearly.

First of all, the story is pretty good. The main elements of the plot are nothing that hasn't been seen or told before, but I believe that whoever wrote the episodes did a wonderful job in arranging all of it in a beautiful way. The pacing is great for the majority of the series, there are no moments that felt empty or unnecessary for the sake of the story. I'm giving it a lower score because of some elements that I didn't find very satisfying, mainly the way some things seemed way too convenient (like some characters arriving to the scene conveniently early or conveniently late without proper reasons behind it) and some facets of the story that I believe deserved to be explored better, or at the very least explained further.

The actors all did an amazing job in what they did. No character felt out of place or stiff, and all of them were relevant in their own way, which is always satisfying to see. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing were absolutely amazing and I loved any of their moments on the screen, both individually and together. Their relationship with each other blooms beautifully and I was in awe most of the time. As someone who watched multiple BL before, I feel confident enough to say that this could easily be classified as BL rather than a bromance: even without kisses or confessions, these two seemed so blatantly and hopelessly in love with each other that calling it a bromance would be an understatement.

I have not watched many dramas of this genre before, and most of the time I tend to drop them for one reason or another, but this time around I was invested all the way through and I ended up watching multiple episodes in a row. Word of Honor captured my heart, broke it in half and healed it back multiple times, but it was an adventure I really enjoyed. It became one of my favorite series and I recommend giving it a try!

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The ending made me raise the rating

While I felt like the series could have used more time to better show its multiple elements (everyone's characterization, the romance between Yudam and Dongbaek, Denis' overall situation and feelings, the details about the curse, etc.), I also feel that the time this series actually had wasn't used properly.
Every episode lasts about 15 minutes, yet 5 minutes are always spent for the opening sequence, a very thorough summary of the previous episode and the next one. When I say "thorough" I really mean it: I feel like one could easily just watch half the episodes (the even numbered ones) and not miss anything about the plot. The remaining 10 minutes of each episode are used showing the actual story, but the pacing is way too slow for the time an episode has: I often felt like I was watching multiple snippets of a much longer drama. I believe that they could have done a better job picking what was worth showing and what wasn't.

The only redeeming quality of this drama is the fact that Min Yudam and Seol Dongbaek make a very cute couple, one that made me sob out loud as I watched the last episode. That's the only reason why I would recommend this drama: if you're looking for a solid plotline that is properly shown, this is not for you.

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Why am I feeling so tired...?

I started watching for two reasons: the presence of Choi Siwon as one of the protagonists (I never saw him in a drama before) and a short clip of John Jang and Park Ji Wan (Park Yeon Woo and Son Hwa Ryung) from the show. I also liked the premise enough, but unfortunately things didn't go as smoothly as I hoped.

This show has two main weaknesses: it tried to use certain tropes and elements of the story way too much, to the point that it got very boring, and at the same time it introduced multiple interesting themes that could have been explored more but ended up being set aside.
The love story between Yeo Reum and Jae Hoon could have ended in the span of the first few episodes (after a few fixes here and there), but instead the writers tried to drag it for longer, which made the series oddly tiring for me to watch. Any kind of obstacle that comes between the two main characters doesn't feel threatening to their love in the slightest (not Han Ji Yeon, not Kang Chae Ri, nothing at all), so it ended up feeling as entertaining as watching paint dry. I was half-hoping that this long wait could be useful for the two of them to actually mature, but that wasn't the case either.
The show actually introduces multiple themes that could have been explored better: not only the environment behind the production of a reality TV show, but also eating disorders, mental illnesses, past traumas, relationships with family and colleagues, and so on. All of these themes ended up being neglected in favor of the boring main plotline, so I couldn't help feeling robbed in the end.

Like many others both in the comments and in other reviews, the only reason why I didn't regret watching this drama and why I'm giving it such a high score is the unexpected couple of John Jang and Park Ji Wan. John Jang went through a beautiful character development, and Ji Wan's character also got to show multiple sides of her character. That, combined with the lovely plot they got, turned them into the most interesting part of the entire drama. I wouldn't mind watching the series one more time just for their moments.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this drama. It was entertaining and I was able to finish it, but I didn't enjoy myself all that much. I only recommend watching in case you don't have anything else to watch at the moment.

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A lovely quarantine-themed series

I don't have much to say about this series, other than the fact that it was absolutely lovely in all its aspects.
The story is very simple, but it's also shown in about one hour in total (every episode is 5-10 minutes long and there's 10 episodes) and no time was wasted at any moment. The characters were defined very clearly and got very good characterization, all through the dialogues they have with each other through video-calls, with very few exceptions.
The actors all did an amazing job as well. I've heard that this series was filmed with phones, which makes it even more impressive. Everyone seemed natural and I got really invested in the main characters and the development of their romance. I was afraid that the two protagonists would not fit with each other as a couple, but in the end they seemed to have great chemistry and I loved to see their moments together. I also really liked the mix of Japanese and Chinese.
It's easy for very short series like this one to feel rushed or like something is missing somewhere, but there was no issue like that in here. It surely won't keep you on the edge with loads of angst and drama, but I believe that this is also its main charm: since there isn't any dramatic event in the entire series, it's very good for whoever has an hour to spare and wants to watch something cute and relaxing.
I strongly recommend watching it!

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Cute overall

First of all: if you watched the first episode and you're considering dropping the series altogether because of how the main characters seem to be like, please consider watching a couple more episodes. At the beginning I was actually considering dropping this series because of how Bai Lang seemed too spoiled and childish, while Xun An seemed too grumpy and cold - a combination I saw too many times in romantic series, I'm afraid. The story and the introspection of the characters do a marvelous job at portraying both of them much better in the following episodes.

This series was pretty cute, and I mostly appreciated the original take on both the plot and the character introspection. The main characters have both their own emotional problems and ghosts of the past, but at the same time this isn't one of the usual "who needs therapy when you have a boyfriend?" kind of situation. The slow but steady development of the relationship between Bai Lang and Xun An was beautiful and I enjoyed it very much. Also, although this is more of a personal preference, I really appreciated how the problems between the two weren't the usual misunderstandings and "let's just disappear and have a very long time skip" sort of problems that BLs use way too often, but rather problems that might occur to a real couple.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for the secondary characters. I feel like the writers tried to include too many stories in the same series, which only resulted in frustrating, barely-there side plotlines. There was a lot more to show and tell about Qing Tian and Alex and their story just left me wanting more; as for Da/Xiao A and the hockey player, I'm still wondering who thought it was necessary to include their romance in the first place.
I also didn't really like how Qi Ran's character was introduced in the story. I feel like the production team worked hard to show us his character and his past with Xun An at the best of their possibilities, but I was completely unable to enjoy it - if anything, I felt bored.

In conclusion, I'd say that it was a very cute watch, and the actors played their roles very well. Although it's far from being one of my favorite BL series, I'd recommend watching it once if you're looking for something romantic and with the right amount of drama.

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It touched my heart

When a drama touches my heart and makes it flutter for its protagonists this much, I'm not able to stay too objective about it. This time in particular, I had very low expectations and was ready to feel bored while watching, yet my opinion was turned upside-down by the end of the first episode.
The relationship between Amagi and Takara is sweet and quiet, and the drama focuses on how the feelings they have for each other slowly change and adapt to their day-to-day life as boyfriends. At the beginning of the story they just like each other from a distance, and they even seem okay with just watching each other from afar and not getting involved with each other more than the bare minimum - even the confession and their decision to start dating seem to happen because of a lucky slip of the tongue. They're not used to express their feelings or even communicate properly with a romantic partner, and they're not even used to being loved like that either. Include the fact that they're both teenagers and you're bound to obtain a story with multiple trial and errors, misunderstandings, and clumsiness when it comes to a romantic relationship. The personalities of both characters were portrayed clearly and I believe that the acting was quite good as well; even though I usually hate misunderstandings and miscommunication in any kind of story, this time it didn't feel annoying at all, because it had a point.
I also really like how Japanese dramas in particular tend to leave a lot of room for introspection and inner thoughts. There's a lot of that in T&A and I loved it.
There is a couple of secondary characters that stood out more than the others, but there was no room for them other than to function as support for relationship advice or devices to stir up things, so I don't have much to say about them.

If you don't like slow dramas and you're looking for an exciting story, this is probably not for you. Other than that, all I can say is that this became one of my favorite BLs.

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Not enough going on for my taste

Story-wise, this series has good potential to be interesting: rivals-to-lovers tropes tend to be very exciting since they usually start with mutual respect (even when it's reluctant!) and it leaves room for character development and introspection.
In this case, the writers decided to neglect that potential entirely. I was hoping that the series would get better despite that, but instead it felt like the story never developed a distinct flavor. Most events happened without me having much of a reaction, simply because they felt like they were meant to fill up space and nothing else.
The actors were decent, I'd say, but the characters weren't explored and their relationships were barely portrayed. Shu Yi is supposed to be a very close childhood friend of Zheng Wen and Yu Xin, but judging on their scenes together I'd barely consider them acquaintances; there are a couple moments of them teasing each other that are probably meant to show that they're close, but these elements are way too inconsistent to amount to something.
Unfortunately, the relationship between Shu Yi and Shi De is also damaged by this. I don't want to give further details and risk spoiling anything, so I'll just say that the chemistry was nowhere to be found.
The finale was also extremely unsatisfying. It didn't feel like an ending at all, and what's worse is that, since I've seen the teaser to the second season, it made me lose all the interest I had in this series.

I might be biased because of the high rating, but to be honest I expected much better. I'm glad to see that this series reached its ideal audience, I guess, but to me it felt flavorless, which is quite bad when compared to the multiple amazing Taiwanese BLs out there.

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Much better than the series

After watching the series and feeling awfully disappointed, this special episode was a breath of fresh air. Time-travel to the past version of oneself isn't a trope I like at all, I usually avoid it, but they managed to use it in a cute way that somewhat gave me relief from the bitterness I felt over the main series.
The plot itself isn't anything special, but it works for a single episode like this one. The characterization, the chemistry AND the acting felt way better in every aspect, so much that I wondered if the production team is the same or if they changed it for this one special episode. The music is the same as the rest of the series, so while it's not great, it feels like an actual sequel and not like its own thing.
It almost made me wish that the main series was about Li Gong and Ze Shou in high school.

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Unfortunately, nothing stood out

I was able to finish the series and I found some parts of it cute, but other than this, I found too many flaws for it to be worth recommending.

- The premise of the show is cute, but is drowned by other plotlines very quickly, and by the end I wondered why did they bother with the couple assignment trope to begin with.
- Speaking of plotlines: there's so many, way too many for a six-episodes drama. There could have been hope if they gave up on one or two of them, or if they had more episodes to better tackle them, but unfortunately this is how it is. As a result, the different plotlines are introduced but never properly explored, so it really felt disappointing overall.
- As I said, some parts were cute. Unfortunately though, the chemistry never seemed to bloom at any time in the story (mostly because the excessive plotlines I mentioned above DIDN'T LET IT), and even the feelings between the two protagonists seem to develop in a weird way. I'm not saying that they should be all about their romance at all times, but I felt like there wasn't enough of them, which is a huge flaw for what is meant to be a romantic drama.

I really can't recommend this drama because it feels like a draft, rather than a finished project. Nothing stood out enough to me to make it memorable, except the fact that it was so messy and unsatisfying.

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Perfect delivery

I rarely rate series with a 10, even when I really enjoyed them, but I feel like this one deserved it. The only flaw that I can think of is that it's shorter than I wished it to be, but other than that it's very, VERY good. The relationships between the characters (not only among love interests, but also with friends and family) are portrayed very well, and even better- it was clearly SHOWN instead of being TOLD, which is something that many series get wrong. At no point I felt lost wondering what did the characters feel or what was going on, even when nobody was putting it all into words. The character development is also very good and well-paced.
The music is an element that I usually don't care about all that much, but this time around the songs were just too good to be ignored. I also appreciated the fact that music in this series is an actual passion for some characters and not just an aesthetic used for a couple of romantic moments.
The chemistry is very good, and let me specify that I'm talking about actual chemistry and not kissing scenes (if you're looking for those and nothing else, then you should just look elsewhere). The protagonists seem sincerely fond of each other, and the same can be said for the second couple.

It's a short series, so it might be a good show to watch when you have a few hours spare to binge-watch it. It's heartwarming and moving, definitely a gem!

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Full of refreshing elements

This series includes multiple tropes that aren't easy to find in other shows with similar premises: a group of friend with amazing chemistry all the way through, a secondary couple that is already in an established relationship, and the tackle of other themes that aren't common to find in a BL (and some are just very unusual overall).
The main couple is simply adorable. I really liked the development of the relationship between Le Jian and Amber as they share common interests at first, then end up becoming best friends in a short time because of how comfortable they are around each other. The love and affection just ooze from the characters without them having to say anything specific, which is the best thing to see in any film or show: by the time their feelings are put into words, it's already blatant how they feel.
The pacing was probably the only thing I really didn't like about this show. The beginning is sweet and tender and all, but it can come off as a little slow, and I can see myself skipping or fast-forwarding in case I were to watch it again; on the other hand the ending felt more rushed than I would have liked it to be. Overall it was still enjoyable though, so I can't say it was a huge flaw.

In conclusion, I found it cute and very interesting under many aspects, but if you aren't into coming of age stories and slice-of-life pacing, this is probably not for you.

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Cute and feel-good, but also kind of empty

I have enjoyed multiple short films from Strongberry so far, so I was pretty excited when I first heard that they would finally release a longer series. All their series can be very sweet, funny, or sentimental, and they're all excellent queer representation, so I was looking forward to this one.

I can say that I enjoyed it, but also felt unsatisfied with the story. There is some plot (more like the skeleton of a plot) in how Choco and Milk managed to come back to Jungwoo as humans, and there are also vague hints at how Jungwoo lived his life during their absence, but other than that it's 100% slice of life, without much happening. There is no major event and no character development whatsoever. I was hoping to see Choco and Milk face the many aspects of living their lives as humans, although I also understand why they didn't feel the need to since they're Jungwoo's pets.
The actors were all very good, especially Choco and Milk, whose behavior really mirrored that of a dog and a cat perfectly. I'd say that the show is mostly centered around that and the dynamics between them, Jungwoo, and Jungwoo's boss, and it shows them in a very straightforward way.

I felt a little disappointed in the lack of a solid plot for the story, but the overall atmosphere of the series and the acting made up for it. If you're looking for something cute that isn't hard to follow, this might be for you.

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Memorable, special, wonderful!

I don't know the right English words to describe this series. All I can say is that it stands out among the others for its plot and execution, so much that I believe it belongs to its own special category, along with Manner of Death (which has the same directors and is set in the same universe). I've only just found out that it's actually the remake of a short movie with the same main leads.

This series is a detective story with supernatural elements, which also happens to include a mlm romance. I was afraid that, since it mainly revolves around time loops, it would get repetitive soon, but the story develops nicely and steadily, with more and more details being added to the story and making it so that the plot never stagnates. It also tackles multiple interesting themes: the importance of life, of pursuing justice, of being there for your friends and family, of being honest with others and with themselves. It also touches a little on the aspects of afterlife, alternative universes/dimensions, and such. It was very interesting to see it all come to life.
While the pacing is just right, the story is also packed full with events and plotlines, so it might feel overwhelming for whoever is looking for a relaxing watch - I can't stress enough that this series is NOT relaxing. It will keep you nervous and eager to see what comes next all the time until the very end of the last episode.
Something that I appreciated was how the supernatural element wasn't used too much: it has its limits and regulations and the characters are not able to rely on it or get rid of it at will.
The actors all did a good job. I can't say I was a big fan of the chemistry between the two main characters, as in some instances it felt like one of them was "in love" and the other was just playing along, but overall I was satisfied. I was afraid that Tin's character would be responsible of carrying the show all the way through, but luckily it's not like that and the other characters (especially Dr. Sing) can pull their weight just fine.

In conclusion, I LOVED watching this series, and the only reason why I didn't give it a full 10/10 is that the genre is not my personal preference. Since I was still able to enjoy myself plenty, I'd suggest you giving this show a try and see for yourself if it interests you!

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Unconventional and beautiful

When I saw the title I immediately tried to guess the contents: it had to be a supernatural romance, or a murder mystery, or a horror series. Given these expectations, I was a little confused at the beginning as to what was this series meant to focus on, but I caught on quickly enough for it to become memorable.

This story is mainly about relationship bonds (between family members, friends, and lovers), and most of all about grief, loss, and painful events in life. It's never too somber and gloomy to make it heavy to watch, and there are also some funny moments here and there, but it still manages to deliver its messages well.
I believe that the lack of action and drama was necessary for this type of plot, since they would have made the series derail from its main themes too much. In my opinion, that kind of entertainment can be easily found anywhere else and it's not needed here. Still, I understand that this is definitely not everyone's cup of tea.
The love story between the two main characters was one of the healthiest and most heartwarming I've seen. There is no unnecessary drama around their moments: they're just two young men who are attracted to each other, and luckily neither of them is secretly a ghost or anything like that. Their ups and downs are tied to their personal lives and struggles and not to the actual relationship, which was refreshing to see. Their dynamics also felt very realistic.
Kevin's family members were all very good as well. I was afraid that, given the type of plot, they would have turned all four of them into a single monolith-like group, with a hive mind and all, but instead each one of them has an individual personality and color. The dynamics between family members, just like the couple, felt realistic and believable.
Something that I want to criticize about the plot is the pacing, which was... not good. There were some aspects of the plot that deserved to be elaborated more (mainly Kevin's relationship with his aunt and the rest of the family, and also his bond with Jake), and the dialogues felt unbearably slow multiple times. Wouldn't blame anyone for watching the series at double speed or even quitting out of frustration.

In conclusion, do I recommend it? If you're looking for something sweet, slow and sentimental, then this might be for you. If you're expecting any kind of action, drama, thrill, or anything like that, then you should look somewhere else.

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Annoyingly plain

At first I had very high hopes for this series because of what seemed to be the setting - I have never watched any series/film that revolves around street races, and since the teaser seemed to include both that and a good amount of romance, I was looking forward to it.
The first disappointment for me was exactly this: racing in Love in the Air is a minor device at best, and an aesthetic at worse. The characters are seen being involved in this illegal race that seems to be such a big deal for everyone, but the setting is explored so little that, now that I finished watching, I'd argue that Love in the Air is more about university life than racing. (Minor spoiler here: we don't even get to see Pakin in person for the entire series, he's only ever mentioned despite being such an important and powerful character.)
The second disappointment was finding out that this story relies on a handful of tropes that are just... handled in the worst way? There's multiple instances of dubious consent, assault, stalking, and other things that are heavily romanticised. I read/saw these tropes in BLs multiple times in the past, but it was about 10 years ago or so, and I really thought that we had gotten over bad writing in favour of good characterization and introspection. I guess I thought wrong. After realizing that the author of the novel this series is based on is also the same author of TharnType, I'm not even surprised.

Despite my disappointment, I decided to keep watching, in hopes that I would still get to enjoy the series to some extent. The couples are cute and they have some very romantic moments, but I'm afraid there isn't much more that I can say.
- Rain's character seems to be almost entirely undefined. At times he looks stubborn and decisive, then he randomly turns all soft and cute and well-behaved; at times he almost looks capable to think and make decisions on his own, but then he seems to just lose his brain. I feel like his personality changed at every scene, which was frustrating to see.
- The series did a good job with Rain and Payu, showing that they don't just live for each other, but they also have their job/studies to take care of which are equally important. Then the story decided that Sky and Pai only need to be around each other and think about each other at all times; Sky got to show a little more of his university life, but Pai literally seems to be a rich guy whose only task in life is to pursue Sky in any way possible.
- I'm not a fan of dubcon, but I was willing to let it slide in case the series tackled it well. And... it didn't. Not in a horrible way (I'm not expecting a series to teach me that something is Bad and Wrong), but in a very plain way. The most controversial tropes were handled in such an unoriginal way that I felt annoyed and bored.

In the end, I can say that the couples were cute enough to let me watch until the end. Rain and Payu were more interesting to me, while Sky and Pai's story (which starts at part 4 of episode 7) got boring very quickly and I ended up fast-forwarding the last two episodes. I can only recommend this in case you have nothing better to do.

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