Romance not found

At the beginning I was hopeful for this story, but multiple elements that I don't like just kept accumulating.
First of all, the story is very weak. I don't want to spoil anything, but the motivations behind the characters' behavior and actions in the story lacked substance. I found myself wondering why did a certain character act a certain way multiple times as I watched. I got to the end of the story as I was still trying to figure out how did it all work.
Secondly, the dynamic between the two main characters. This is usually something that can easily compensate a bad plot in my eyes: if I think that the couple is very cute and I'm invested in how their relationship develops/plays out, I tend to grow attached to it enough to let some other flaws slide. I'm sorry to admit that this wasn't the case here, because the dynamic was sad more than anything. Woo Jae was unnecessarily harsh and cruel with everyone, while Yeon Woo's golden retriever-like personality (?) looked like an act at all times. There are very few moments between the two that I could find sweet or romantic, and none of them got quite there. It felt more like watching two old friends becoming friends again, rather than two people who are in love with each other. The multiple kisses only helped to solidify my opinion on this: if anything, I wish they didn't kiss at all.

This series overall lasts a little less than two hours and half, so if you're really curious and you have the time you can give it a try, but other than that I really can't recommend it.

Read More

The biggest contradiction of the series

If you watched the series, you will know that Yu Zhen and Zi Tong were together and then broke up in a turbulent way seven years before the events of the series. Zi Tong actually comes back to Yu Zhen because he wants to relieve the burden of their past relationship and let him go on with his life and live happily with Shi Lei. Which makes sense, despite being incredibly annoying (I would have preferred it if Yu Zhen was able to actually go on with his life without his ex having to step in and get involved in everyone's business). As ridiculous as it might sound, Zi Tong gave Yu Zhen and Shi Lei his "blessing" and left. The whole Zi Tong business had already lasted long enough at that point, he got lots of screentime in the series, to the point that both main characters saw him in their dreams. At the end of the series I was already thinking that this character had been shown way more than necessary, so when I saw the special episode I was hoping to get some more moments about Yu Zhen and Shi Lei.

Instead of that, we got an entire new episode where Zi Tong Just. Won't. Leave.
As much as his story with Yu Zhen was important for the plot, it should have been incorporated in the series in some way, or abandoned altogether. If the past is past and it's time to think of the present and the future, then why is it necessary to see everything and more about a past relationship? At some point I just came to the conclusion that someone in the production team really loved the Yu Zhen/Zi Tong couple, so they tried to create more content about the two of them despite their couple not being endgame. I can't think of any other valid reason beside that (or trying to get on my nerves).

I only recommend watching this if you're someone who wants the full picture about Yu Zhen and Zi Tong. If you're looking for sweet moments about the actual couple of the series, prepare yourself to be disappointed.

Read More

Mostly good...?

I can't say that I didn't enjoy myself, but I also can't say that I'm entirely satisfied with this series.
The premise is good, and I actually thought that the pacing wasn't bad at all. It's an obvious slow burn and I was already expecting to wait for the two main characters to actually get somewhere with their feelings. The mystery around Yu Zhen is what drives the plot for the most part, and Shi Lei slowly unveiling it kept me engaged. Still, I feel like there were elements in the plot that were set aside in favor of others that were less interesting. Some things were introduced and not explained, some other things were introduced and explained but also discussed so thoroughly that it got kind of annoying. I'm being vague because I don't want to spoil anything, but I believe that it could have felt much more satisfied if the story was more coherent with its message and its various elements.

The main couple is very good. I believe that both actors did a pretty good job and there are specific moments that really let their acting shine bright. Their chemistry is also pretty good - I had my doubts at first, but they fit with each other quite well.
As for the second couple, unfortunately I can't say much about them. They are cute, both individually and together, but there's little to nothing about them. Nothing happens in their romance either, it was just a straight line with no events, so they were one of the least interesting parts of the series to me.
The supporting characters were all quite good. I wish Xiao Qian and Wang Jing were shown some more, especially since the dating ban affected them the most out of all the characters. As for Yi Zi Tong, to be entirely honest I think he had way more screentime than what was actually necessary.

The montage was good, but there was nothing especially interesting about the way the scenes were filmed. The music did its job well most of the time, but there were also many times when the songs played felt completely out of place and even stopped me from enjoying the scene, especially when the song played too loudly and out of nowhere.

Overall, I can say that it was mostly a cute and enjoyable series, but I can't help feeling mildly disappointed about it too. Watch at your own risk.

Read More

All the ingredients are right and in the right quantities, but there's no food

I watched the movie from the get-go, so I have no idea whether or not there are differences compared to the series. These are just my thoughts about the story. I haven't read the webtoon either.

The premises of the story are interesting, and the very beginning was funny. I was expecting it to be a romantic comedy for the most part: even though some parts were more embarrassing than fun, I didn't mind all that much. The characters all had the potential to make the story lively and memorable as well.
...so I really don't understand why did the writers decide to set all the elements of the plot and the interesting quirks of the characters aside, only to utilize two of the most annoying plot devices in existence (the miscommunication and misunderstanding tropes) and create one of the most boring BLs I've watched.
Out of all the elements in the synopsis (Seon Ho being an adult webtoon artist, him having lost his libido entirely until Mu Young becomes his assistant, Mu Young secretly being his fan), NOTHING is relevant in the plot. At best they are background elements, only introduced and not brought up for almost the entire film.
These are all things that I could easily let go of if the story was still good in some way, but it just isn't. Nothing relevant happens in most of the film. Unfortunately even the actors didn't do much to make it better: they spend more time thinking about what they (allegedly) feel, rather than showing it to us at any moment. Even when things actually happen in the story, the acting and the poor editing made the events feel unimportant and bland.

I don't recommend watching this nor the series. I'm usually nicer with shows that I was able to complete and give them at least a 6 out of 10, but this time around I can't. At some point I was feeling so bored and annoyed with everything that I almost dropped this title entirely, so I can't even say that I was entertained.

Read More

Cute, but not good enough to be part of HIStory

I have always been looking forward to HIStory since I first watched the first few chapters (HIStory1, Right or Wrong, Crossing the Line, Make Our Days Count, and Trapped), and I always felt like its main charm was its gradual improvement over time. I remember watching HIStory1 and feeling like the stories came straight out of some yaoi fantasies, then I watched both stories of HIStory2 and immediately noticed a big improvement in both the story and the characters. Then HIStory3 was just amazing, with two stories that blew my mind for how good they were (well, despite the MODC ending, I guess). I was hoping for HIStory4 to continue this improvement and bring it even further, but instead it was a huge disappointment.

Don't get me wrong: the story overall was kind of cute. The main actors had good chemistry with each other, which made their romantic moments feel intense and memorable, and for sure helped a lot with getting me through all the episodes until the very end. My problem with the series is that, although it had many interesting themes and flawed characters, they weren't explored, nor was there room for them to grow properly. The HIStory3 stories were great at this, so seeing HIStory4 handle its own story and characters so poorly was a huge disappointment for me.
The tropes used in this series were also very uninspired. I felt like I was watching the live-action of some low-quality yaoi from 10 years ago- the tropes are THAT old, overused and annoying. It's not acceptable from a 2021 BL series. The BL genre has done wonders lately and this felt like a huge step backwards. I could somewhat forgive it in HIStory1, but that was just because it was the very first chapter - now, at HIStory4, there's just no good excuse.

I feel like I want to vent more in detail about this series since I just finished watching, but there would be no point in doing so. All I can say is that I was mostly unhappy with all of this.
If you're looking for good kissing/love scenes and don't care about the plot, then this might be good content. Other than that, I don't recommend watching.

Read More

Too little and too much imbalance to make it worth watching

I really wanted to like this show, which is the reason why I watched until the last episode, but there's just too many things about it that I found incredibly annoying and unsatisfying.

Starting from the plot: there is the interesting premise of an enemies-to-lovers romance, where Rak and Diao pick on each other at work or at home based on where they have the power to do so. I was hoping some kind of balanced war between the two, with the protagonists giving and taking the same energy from each other, but it didn't happen.
The first episodes are all pretty much independent from each other, then toward the end there is a more evident continuity. A good chunk of the episodes weren't even useful for the sake of the plot or the characters, which is a pity - I wish they got rid of episodes 2-6 (and maybe episode 7) and used that time for more developments after episode 15. Since the only episodes that have some proper content are only about half of the total, I can't say that it's "worth it", especially because the only episodes I actually enjoyed are the ones from 11 to 15.

Rak was obviously written to be a perfect character, way too much to get back at Diao at work and being unprofessional, or even put up any kind of resistance against anyone. I had the impression that he was being pulled and pushed around by the other characters at all times, without him even complaining about it because he is "too nice" and "loved by everyone". Not saying that a character can't be like that, but if that's the case, then why would you use this characterization in a story like this one?

Diao, on the other hand, is just too much, to the point that I had to fast forward many scenes (and in a couple instances, entire episodes) to avoid the second-hand embarrassment his words and decisions gave me. He acts unprofessionally at work, then keeps pranking Rak at home "for revenge", even when it was all his own misunderstanding. I'm not going to say that he's the worst I've ever seen, but his juvenile behavior makes it very hard to grow fond of him.

The actors are both good and their chemistry is great, but while Win got to show a lot in the series (especially toward the end), Earth felt a lot more limited in his expressions. Not sure if that was because of the directing or if it's all on him, but still.

Leaving aside my two biggest complaints about the series (the imbalance in both the plot and the character dynamic), there were also multiple smaller things that I found annoying, such as the continuous sexual harassment from almost all the characters toward Rak, the transphobic lines that someone thought would be funny (they aren't), and the very invasive sound effects and canned laughter that are spread all over (sometimes they are even used during the most serious moments, it was very annoying).

I can't say that it was all trash, because the final few episodes glued me to the screen and I also found it funny here and there, but that's it. If you're interested but you want to spare yourself going through all of it, I can only recommend watching the first episode, then skipping to episode 8 and watching the rest.

Read More

Doesn't even come close to the current standard for BLs

I chose to give the series a 6 instead of a 5 because, at the end of the day, I was able to watch the whole thing. I want to list the things that I liked about it in case you're undecided but you're looking for reasons to start watching.

- The main characters look good together. I felt that their scenes were pretty cute, enough to keep me engaged. I also heard that Max and Hao are an actual couple in real life (cmiiw): if that's true then watching the series is a good way to support queer representation from people who are actually queer themselves.
- The story is straightforward and there's no risk to lose track of anything going on. The episodes are also about half an hour each, so it doesn't take too long to finish either, in case you're looking for something that isn't too demanding.
- In case you're a fan of Taiwanese BLs, you can find a few cameos from different BLs, more specifically: "Be Loved In House: I Do", "HIStory 3: MODC", and "HIStory 4".

Unfortunately the good things I can say about this series end here. Now, for what I found disappointing:

- The plot. The main trope is "childhood-friends-to-lovers", which is a very popular trope, but I believe that one can easily work with the most popular trope and give a creative spin to it. This doesn't happen in P&M, where it looks like the writers just filled the story with tropes and clichés and expected them to work on their own, without proper writing. The events arrive one after another without any sort of smooth transition, build-up, or even logic. I felt like I was watching a live-action fanfic, and I'm not talking about the good kind of fanfic.
- The two main characters are supposed to be best friends, but to be entirely honest they looked more like colleagues who get along. Their so-called chemistry was nowhere to be found, unless you consider cheesy set phrases and kisses "chemistry". The development of their feelings and thoughts is not there either, so I felt confused the entire time about whether they actually liked each other or not, since it looks like they're just going with the flow.
- The secondary couple, if possible, was worse. I felt like they could have been replaced by two mannequins, and the plot would still work somehow. As crazy as it might sound, I thought that Li Gong and Ze Shou's fathers were a better romantic couple than them, without even being a couple in the first place.

Overall, it felt sloppy. I can see the potential in a story like this one, so I don't believe that it's complete rubbish, but the result overall feels undercooked. If refined and taken proper care of, it could be MUCH better. As it is, I can't bring myself to recommend it.

Read More

Slow, delicate and quiet

It's a beautiful drama that revolves around the themes of relationships, self-worth, coping with hardships in life, and the true self as opposed to the idealized self. These themes already make it very interesting, as every single character is shown as a whole person with proper depth and elaborate feelings and thoughts.
An important part of the plot, if not the most important, is deafness (and Deafness) and the many facets of it. Since I'm not deaf myself, I'd rather let actual deaf/HoH people judge whether it's good representation or not; all I can say is that it was a very interesting theme and it seemed to be explored properly and not just used as a fancy plot device.
What I liked the most about this story is that it doesn't make fun of its audience with poor writing. There is no villain because there's no need for one, and all the characters have both their perks and their flaws in good balance. All the events flow nicely without annoying decisions that don't make any sense or annoying events that are just there to make us feel bad.
The actors all did amazing. The friends felt like actual friends, the lovers felt like actual lovers, the siblings felt like true siblings, and so on. There's little to no physical touching in the entire drama, so I suggest you looking elsewhere if you're expecting passionate kisses or anything like that.
While the music is very pretty, I was mostly impressed by the use of the silence in many scenes, which make them have a bigger impact on me. The only thing I really didn't like about this drama were some abrupt cuts between one scene and the next, which were pretty jarring: at some points the music just cuts off to silence all of a sudden, which can be confusing.

Overall it was a very sweet and memorable drama, probably one of the best I've watched. If you're looking for something sweet and slow, I highly recommend watching this one.

Read More

Very good show

There were many things to enjoy about this show. If you've watched a good share of Korean BLs before, you might recognize the two main characters of Kissable Lips. This show doesn't have a supernatural theme (thankfully?) and I believe it was developed much more nicely, both in terms of plot and in terms of character growth.

- The trope that starts off this drama is the forced proximity, which is a personal favorite. Most of the story revolves around their work days in the company, and (surprise!) they ACTUALLY WORK. It might sound absurd to be surprised about it, but for some reason it's hard to find office romance series where the main characters actually work instead of just flirting with each other all the time, especially if one of them is a rich and spoiled chaebol.
- The plot is actually interesting. We don't just see the characters randomly growing fond of each other: they actually get to know about each other's personal struggles and private lives, they support each other at work and outside of it, and most importantly they clash with their personal ideas while also reflecting on themselves to change for the better. The fact that they're a team manager and an employee might make it sound like there's an overwhelming power imbalance, but the writers were able to make a very healthy and balanced couple out of these two. Loved to see it.
- The acting, the set, and the photography were pretty good. It didn't have the feeling of one of those huge, high-budget dramas, but I felt like the production team poured a lot of work and care into it.
- The relationship dynamics were pretty good. The chemistry between the two main leads was excellent (maybe the fact that they starred in another drama together in the past helped with it?), but I also liked to see Ho Jun with his father and the secretary, Jae Yoon and his friend/crush, the two of them with their team mates. The atmosphere was always lively and all the characters are likeable, I never felt bored.
- The changes in the characters from the beginning to the end of the series were blatant, but their build-up was SO. WELL. DONE. They become a lovely couple without leaving me wondering how did it happen, nor did it ever feel like their character development was out of place.

- There is a flaw in the plot, which is an overused plot device that lots of series (especially Korean BLs) use toward the end for a bigger dramatic effect. I'm not going to say what is it since I don't want to spoil anything, but I feel like this is what made me rate the series with a 9 instead of 10.

In conclusion, I really have to recommend this one. It might not be one of the best BLs ever, but it was cute and fun to watch, and also so well done under many aspects that it would be a shame to skip it.

Read More

Amazing character dynamics

I don't want to say a lot since I believe that you should watch for yourself. I just want to list the elements that impressed me the most.

- I never got distracted and was fully immersed in every episode, even when I was feeling tired or not really in the mood for it. As someone who gets distracted easily even when in the mood for watching dramas (I usually finish a one-hour long episode in almost two hours because I can't focus), this is pretty incredible for me.
- The story, while being VERY dramatic, wasn't as unbearably sad and frustrating as I feared. The numerous obstacles were justified by the overall plot, and while I felt my heart ache for the mains, I never felt frustrated about it and my interest in the story didn't fade.
- The dynamic between the two main characters is one of the best I've seen in a Korean drama so far. In most dramas the love story always ends up being between "a person and a woman" rather than two people, even when the female lead seems to be empowered/independent/whatever. In "The King's Affection" the romance is between "two people", and the protagonist actually comes across as a complete person who just happens to be a woman, as it should be.
- Kind of related to the point above: despite it being a historical drama, the gender roles aren't reinforced all that much and the characters have more room for their personalities to flourish.
- Most of the support characters have their own role in the story and aren't just there to act as a frame for the main characters. The only (very bad!) exception would be the second male lead, but the vast majority of second male leads in Korean dramas are either just there to be a useful tool for the main characters, or a complete waste of time, so I wasn't surprised.
- The gender-bend trope was done right, without those "funny misunderstanding/accident" moments that can be found elsewhere. It's the first time I see a serious take like this and I loved it.

If you're interested in a project with Park Eun-Bin after watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo and you like historical dramas, I highly recommend watching this.

Read More

Cheesy, but I happen to love cheese

I'm not a fan of the body-swap trope, and although this time it was handled differently than usual, I still wasn't sure about watching, and was only encouraged by the presence of Ohm and Nanon at first (they were shown a lot more than Jimmy and Sea in the first trailer), and by the positive reviews later.

This series in incredibly good, in the sense that is full of many good things. It left me with a sense of fuzzy and happy feelings inside of me all around - I guess it might be the definition of "emotional support series". Here are some examples without spoilers:
- The acting is very good; not only in the sense that the actors were good ad going with the flow and working with what they had, but rather in the sense that they grabbed my full attention and amplified the strength of every scene, even the most simple ones. I felt like I was there with them.
- The characters are never villanized, which is VERY unusual for any story.
- The romance is great. The characters actually put effort into trying to understand each other and help each other, own up to their mistakes, communicate (!!!!!) in a straightforward and honest way, and most of the time aren't afraid of expressing their true feelings. Helathy dynamics like these are becoming more frequent lately, but they're still so rare, and I appreciate the fact that Vice Versa did it right.
- The main trope of the story wasn't just treated as a cute idea for a romantic story: the writers actually took into consideration the psychological consequences for someone who wakes up in a different dimension in a different body. The plot also doesn't just focus on the romance, but also on different aspects of life and different types of bonds.
- The heart-fluttering moments, if you're into it, are pure gold.

I don't consider this series a perfect masterpiece: there were multiple things that I couldn't fully understand (the main one being: how does a portkey even work and what's the point in having one at all?) and some others that I wish were explored a little more (like how did Tess and Tun live in the other universe and how did they settle when they came back), but I enjoyed myself with this series a lot in any case.

Look for something else if you're into action-packed series, but if you're into Romance and Feelings™, this might be for you!

Read More

Oddly romantic and enjoyable

I felt like writing a review because of the low rating, as I don't think it really deserved it. After seeing the score and all the negative comments I was bracing myself for the worst, but this one actually became one of my favorite Mafia-themed BL (the other one being "HIStory 3: Trapped").
As usual, my first worry was about the Mafia theme, as I feel like most series get it horribly wrong, but this time around I was pretty satisfied with it: it wasn't just about people waving guns around, but the weapons and the bodyguards also weren't there for show - there IS action and not just pretty people in suits. I also appreciate the fact that while this was one of the more "wholesome" depictions of Mafia, nobody in the series at any point acted as if they were just "misunderstood good guys", nor did they ever imply that being in the Mafia was anything remotely honorable or desirable.

The story wasn't anything new, but the execution was what caught my heart. I read somewhere that the characters in the novel are a lot different from the actors that were chosen for this series, but I believe that the choice was on point? Kim looks sweet without giving the idea of feeling absolutely powerless, and Kamol is just THAT good of an actor - he's very charismatic and his expressions made every scene feel vivid and real. The romance was very sweet and almost cheesy at some times, but I never felt annoyed while watching and it goes at the right pace without being forced. Although none of the characters are particularly deep, I appreciated how they gave some level of depth even to the secondary characters.
I won't pretend like there are no flaws to the plot - there were, I just enjoyed the show so much overall that in the end they didn't influence my judgement all that much. This might be because my expectations for this series were already pretty low to begin with, so you'll have to judge for yourself.
As for the sexy scenes, I can't judge because I didn't watch them: the series on YouTube had all its steamier parts cut to almost nothing, so there are only a few pecks here and there and not much else. I recommend looking up the episodes on a different platform for the full experience.

If you're looking for comedy then I strongly recommend looking elsewhere, but if you're looking for romance then this might be the right show to watch.

Read More

"Follow your dreams" done right

What I usually dislike about the usual "follow your heart and do what you want to do" kind of stories, is how the characters are rarely placed in a context where they can doubt of themselves in a realistic way: it usually feels like they're held back by self-doubt only, while everything else (physical and mental condition, friends, family, money, and so on) is completely in their favor, making it hard for me to relate to their story at all.

Navillera is one of the very rare shows that actually made me think that I, too, might be able to follow my heart after all. The charm of this drama is not just in its premise (although, I'll be honest, the idea of a 70-year-old man wanting to learn ballet was the major reason why I got interested in the first place), but also in the way it narrates the story. It's realistic and vivid, and none of the characters are there for no reason. The doubts and struggles of Deok Chul's family, and the problems of Chae Rok are all very much real. Rather than watching a drama, it really felt like looking into someone else's life.
For the same reason, the drama felt a little slow at times, but it was the right pace to show everything the right way: it was necessary to show the mind of the characters and the events around them, and it was useful to lead all the plotlines to a worthy conclusion.
I had read the webtoon before and really loved it, so I can't say I wasn't a little skeptical about the drama at first. There are some differences that I couldn't ignore, but I guess it was unavoidable.

Overall, I highly recommend this drama. It made me cry multiple times as I watched, but I'd be more than okay to cry again in the future while watching a second time.

Read More

I expected much better

I wanted to watch this series because I'd never miss a project with Earth. I was also curious to see Earth and Mix in a new series as the main characters, because I liked their dynamic in 1000stars and I wanted to see how would it go with different characters and a different plot.
I'm afraid I didn't like this series as much as I was expecting to. I don't think I had too many expectations as I started it, so I guess it just wasn't for me.

- The story started in an interesting way, but ended up being VERY unsatisfying. There were big secrets at the beginning that ended up having very unsatisfying, almost nonsensical explanations right at the end - the kind that makes me wonder why did certain characters act the way they did. I felt like they slapped trouble in the middle just because there was the need for drama, when in fact it was pointless.
Luckily the "main" part of the story (the body-swap and the travel to the four temples) was much better and worked wonders for Win's character development, which is why I was able to enjoy most of the series.
- The characters are good, but they could have been much better, especially the secondary character. I feel like Win/Mix was the only one who truly got to shine, while everyone else was unsatisfying in one way or another. His chemistry with Korn/Earth was amazing as always, but it was sadly the only good thing character-wise. I feel like the acting was what truly saved the story: Jan did an outstanding job at portraying both Win and Lin and her parts were all amazing.
- While there wasn't as much product placement in this series (beside a couple coffee cups here and there), it felt a lot like watching a promotion of different beautiful places in Thailand, and most importantly the food. It felt new and if it really was for publicity, I didn't mind at all.

In conclusion, I can say that it was cute and entertaining, but not an amazing series. I'd recommend watching if you have some free time to spare, but don't expect anything exceptional.

Read More

This one went way beyond my expectations

I was very hesitant about this series, because murder mysteries aren't my cup of tea - if I have to choose, I'd pick a sweet romcom over a thriller any time. After seeing "Manner of Death" popping up among BL recommendations, I finally gave in and decided to give this series a try, ready to drop it as soon as I got bored with it.

Now that I finished binge-watching the entire series in the span of a couple days, I can confirm that it was absolutely worth it. The only reason I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 is that, as I said, it's not my preferred genre, but that's it, because everything else was great.

The plot was very well built. It's well-paced throughout all the episodes and there are no useless/filler moments anywhere (I especially appreciated the lack of the usual product placement skits that can be found in several Thai BL series). It's very suspenseful and I genuinely couldn't figure out who was the culprit and what was the entire story like until the end. The characters and the music are very well utilized as well.

I hadn't realized that the main actors were Tul and Max, the same main leads as in Together With Me, but when I noticed I felt so happy to see them again in a series together. More than anything, I was happy to see that they got a series without the annoying dynamics of Together With Me and its sequel - both actors are very good and have great chemistry, so they really deserved it.
Another thing of Manner of Death that I greatly appreciated was the very little drama regarding the main couple's romantic relationship. There was no insecurity about anyone's sexuality, no ex relationships, no miscommunication (and if there was any hint of it, it didn't last long). The dramatic part of the drama was entirely for the mystery murder part of it, which made me appreciate the main story a lot more.

I'd rather not say too much about this series because I think it's better to just watch it and enjoy. Be careful for several sensitive topics in case you have problems with those, but other than that? You're in for a great ride.

Read More