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“It hurts because you seem so comfortable leaning back into sadness.”
Butterfly instead of white rabbit, magician instead of Mad Hatter, magical world and a lot of unresolved emotional trauma - get ready for it all. The Sound of Magic delivers both the enticing fantasy and the harsh reality.A lot of the things I liked about it, the details in the created world, were the result of the hard work of the webtoon writer Ha Il Kwon. The best examples are the names of the main characters - 아이 (child), 일등 (first; if we add his surname to the mix, it would literally mean I am first) that represent the internal conflicts the characters were facing. Seems on the nose? Maybe, but it fits the story and the approach they took with presenting it.
Ai was forced to grow up fast because of her family situation. Her dreams, hopes, wishes were all focusing on gaining money, as she believed being poor was the reason for her misery. She viewed every situation in her life from the perspective of her financial situation. She did not want to believe in magic, since for her, magic symbolizes hope for better life. All the good things end, like waking up from a beautiful dream, so why even start when you are deemed to be disappointed at the end, when you are back to unfair reality?
Ildeung follows the path his parents picked, doing his best to stay at the top. This takes a toll on his mind and his body. He realizes how trapped he was, yet he wasn’t sure if he is brave enough to stop chasing after the future his parents chose, and try to find his own path. His whole arc was built on small things that might seem like non existing issues, but in reality can take away your sense of individuality and self-worth: things like his dad not calling him by his name, but “Na Jin Man’s boy” - first he is his parents’ son, then he is himself.
Both main characters do not know how to be happy, feel free, make personal choices, act like children their age. And this is the story of them slowly freeing themselves from the cages they were locked in.
It’s hard to talk about Ji Chang Wook’s character without diving into spoilers, since we are mostly kept in the dark about who he is and his past till the end. That adds to the thrills though, creating that mystical and magical aura around him, making the viewers question if the magic is real till the last moment. I was invested in the simple question: who is this magician?
What I also liked about the show is how it spoke about the faults in adults while also not truly making the adults into villains (mostly). Some of them were annoying, sometimes acted unfair or selfish, but most of them were not evil, they were just humans.
The performance from the cast was great. Yes, some movements and facial expressions during the musical numbers were rather cringe and awkward, but it happened only a few times. I was quite surprised by all the emotional scenes, since they all hit me hard (yes, I cried), especially any scene with Ji Chang Wook in the second half - been a while since I enjoyed his performance so much.
Visually they did more than I ever expected. A few times the special effects, especially in terms of the motion, were slightly off, but nothing that would take away from the stunning pictures created.
A lot of the songs had stage-like performances that just sucked me in and I could not take my eyes off it. The A Curse of Asphalt scene was especially breathtaking, even though compared to some other songs, it had a more simple approach. Yet, with how instrumental, lyrics, vocals, visuals, set design, arrangement, all fitted perfectly like puzzle pieces, this song became my favorite performance.
Were the musical aspects all that perfect? No. Some songs just felt awkward with how they were placed in the story, at times feeling unnecessary. I understand why it became a musical-like drama, some lyrics had a really strong message and the performance features added to it - which would not be possible to achieve with simple dialogue. That said, at times I would skip a song or two as they felt redundant at that specific moment.
Speaking of music - all the instrumentals are to die for. Some melodies reminded me of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie (2010) - which fitted the theme perfectly. Even the sound design at times surprised me - taking into consideration the place the songs were sung in and mixing the vocals according to it.
Overall, I truly enjoyed it a lot. Had some questionable choices, acting and directing wise, but I still believe it’s a solid drama. While at first I was not sure about making it into a semi-musical, after seeing all the episodes, I understand the value that was added with some numbers and I appreciate the rather bold move they took with it (let’s get real, musicals are not exactly a mainstream genre loved by all). Ending review with a quote that I loved:
“Flowers don’t bloom on smooth asphalt, but on bumpy dirt”.
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Perfect balance of ups and downs.
Honestly speaking, I’m not that into makjangs. A full on makjangs is a trip to ruined mood and constant annoyance. What I do enjoy is a "soft" makjang, where the shenanigans are still ridiculous and over the top, but there are some breathers incorporated to make you actually enjoy the plot. Perfect Marriage Revenge is like that - perfect balance of ups and downs.We get all the evil mothers and stepmothers, neglect, abuse, attempted murder, secrets and betrayal, cheating, crime - all the entertaining twists known. But we also have a healthy relationship of the leads, nice and smart supporting characters, some fluff and comedy. The leads are not exactly complete underdogs who are beaten to the ground to raise in the last episode and win the prize. It’s rather an even fight between them and the bad guys, and that’s what makes it fun to watch!
The show is beyond unrealistic, but if that’s anyone's complaint, you picked the wrong genre. Makjang is not supposed to be realistic. There were many scenes where I laughed out loud with how detached from reality they were - that’s the beauty of dramas like that.
For the romance - the chemistry was chemistrying. Sung Hoon ain’t a good actor, but he knows about romance, that’s for sure. What’s strange - his lack of skill was actually a perfect match for the drama. I honestly don’t think I would enjoy it as much with a “better” actor.
Jung Yoo Min won my heart with her performance as Yi Joo. I bought both the naive and good hearted, and cunning and strong. The emotional scenes tug at my heartstrings, the badass scenes made me clap like an excited kid.
Big props to Jin Ji Hee too. Han Yoo Ra might ended up as my favorite character. Amazing performance, and surprise nuance in how the character was written.
Overall, I binge watched it in 2 days. Once I started I could not stop. Addicting is a perfect word to describe it. I planned to just skip the scenes and watch the romance, but I ended up being glued to the screen and seated for 12 hours with hands away from that right arrow on the keyboard.
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Romantic comedy fitting XXI century standards.
Not having much inside on how sub-dom relationships work, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the depiction, but I can for sure say the movie does an amazing job in presenting it in a positive light. The word best describing the movie is: consent. Everything that happens is the result of mutual agreement that focuses on the preferences and needs of both sides.What’s more, while the movie presents Jung Ji Hoo as someone with, to call it broadly, issues, it flips the expectations the audience might have. It shows how the problems he faced were not the reason he sought that type of preference, but rather the judgment, he faced because of his preferences made him doubt himself. From the start, there was nothing wrong with him, but rather the society that puts unreasonable expectations and limits on everyone’s freedom of expression.
The thing that made me appreciate the movie more was the fact it never centered around sex itself. Focusing on other aspects of the relationship, with explanatory narration was a great choice.
Honestly speaking, the movie was just adorable. Watching Ji Woo and Ji Hoon try to figure out themselves, their preferences, but also work it out within their relationship was just an entertaining journey. I feel like there was a level of innocence presented on screen that will surprise many viewers.
The cast did an amazing job. There was only one scene that got me “this is just too scripted and unnatural for me to ignore” because of Lee Suk Hyeong’s delivery and the weird timing of the scene itself.
Production wise, I could not ask for more, though I might have asked for less. For me, some of the special effects were unnecessary. That said, they did not really lower my enjoyment of the movie.
Overall, it does a good job in presenting sub-dom relationship in a new light, that shows the more realistic and broad perception of it, without only focusing on the sexual aspects of it. It serves as a good criticism of the standards society creates, that serve no one and often hurt us. I would truly recommend it to all the 16+ audiences for sure.
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You’re never too old to enjoy life.
Allowing yourself to feel happiness, enjoy small things and create a deeper connection to other people at times might feel like either a luxury, unobtainable pleasure or inappropriate whim. Old Fashion Cupcake shows you how we all deserve happiness in our lives, and how growing older doesn't mean you need to put it aside.Have to say, even though the romance was quite a treat, and the mutual pining was a blast to watch, the “anti-aging” plot was the one that grabbed my attention the most. Following Nozue on his journey to discovering himself again - outside of his daily routine and work, was fascinating and extremely heartwarming.
Togawa's low-key chase after Nozue gave me all the best feels and just enough angst at times to make me fall for the couple hard. I appreciated how he not only wanted to be with Nozue, but he was also truly trying hard to help him enjoy life, enjoy his work, and enjoy all the small things he was too afraid to try in the past.
Both main actors aced the roles. The passive attitude Nozue had for a lot of things, how he just tried to survive each day, how he fell into the routine and forgot how fun life can be - I could see that all in the performance. Kimura Tatsunari perfectly acted the small possessive and jealous moments, Togawa striving to help Nozue come out of his shell, the care and admiration - all and more.
Honestly speaking, it was just a fun, enjoyable short watch with some uplifting messages and moments that most adults (and younger folks) would appreciate to hear.
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It just felt as if they were trying too hard with the presentation of emotions. There was nothing subtle about them in a lot of scenes. The aggressive crying, especially when done by Billkin was comical. I just couldn’t connect nor relate to what the characters were feeling coz of that excessive presentation.
The plot was amazing until it became teen makjang. I loved to see the friends in the past rediscover their relationship and struggle with figuring out if what they feel is truly just friendship or something more. The clues were subtle, hints dropped here and there… and then I was slapped across the face with insta story dramatic war talk with hysterical crying, posting shit on public feeds instead of sending dm, like a normal person, not to mention doing things that should not be done in the presence of family members. These kids had no brain.
I will be honest, I was “traumatized” by episode 4. It was just so not fitting compared to the rest of the story. We had subtle coming of age and rediscovering relationships plot, but episode 4 just went HARD on everything. After that episode I was kind of confused. This one episode completely threw me out of the story. Normally, not liking one episode would not have much impact on my views, but here it’s ⅕ of the whole story and a lot of important moments happened in it. So even though it’s just one episode, it had quite a negative effect on my viewing experience.
Out of all the characters, Bas was my favorite. He was a loyal friend, and even though his feelings were hurt, he was still willing to help the person he liked.
Teh was just a ball of frustration that caused me to feel annoyed more often than not. By episode four I didn’t even wish him a happy ending in terms of romance. I was truly done. Not to mention I am not the biggest fan of Billkin’s acting. A lot of his facial expressions just made me laugh at inappropriate moments.
Oh Awe was a baby that needed to be protected. He worked hard, but sometimes it’s not enough. He was true to his feelings and spoke about them openly, but when the other person is not being honest with you and themselves… Well, it simply made him miserable.
One thing that for sure was truly a high quality level - production value and visual directing. Damn. This show is beautiful. I am not one to take screenshots of the shows, but I wanted to take quite a few while watching I Told Sunset About You. Stunning.
I loved the serious topics they decided to comment on with this show. I love the ideas behind some of the truly impactful scenes, BUT the approach and the end result was not always something I enjoyed.
Overall, it’s still a step in the right direction for Thai BLs. While I love the silly rom-coms with only entertainment value, we also need some more serious series, which will balance the easily digestible ones. I don't think we need a continuation for this one though. This had perfect closure.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great comedy, lukewarm romance, underdeveloped drama…
which means only 1 of the 3 main genres are truly worth your time. And with how serious the topics that fall under “drama” were, I cannot just move past it and enjoy the funny fluff.For the comedy - they went into it and put all their brain power to make it work, and it truly did. Every episode had at least a couple of jokes that made me laugh and smile. Some were slapstick, some were filly, some were more subtle. I also appreciated at times dry delivery, which was obviously a deliberate choice. The absurdity of some scenes were perfectly used to create comedic moments.
For the romance, that’s just my subjective opinion, but I did not see that much chemistry between Shin Min Ah and Kim Young Dae. With how in love he was and with how open about sex her character was - there were truly no real sparks going on.
At least the second couple had more dynamic and fun to watch relationship. Gyu Hyun and Ja Yeon were the spark of chaotic fluff and I’m extremely happy we are getting (even though short) a sequel for them.
Then we have the true issue of the writing - a mess that was any and all serious scenes, storylines and plot points. For 12 episodes, they truly tried to have it all without putting in the work and it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Hae Yeong and her mother’s relationship was a tragic case of parental neglect of a child's emotional needs, but why at the end did it feel like it was all a “misunderstanding” on FL’s part and her mother “truly loved her”? Why does it feel like the drama is trying to tell me the mother did not really do anything wrong? Why the conclusion to this extremely complex and damaged relationship is the death of the mother? Why was there no real conclusion? The mother was selfish till the end. The mother chose other people over her own child till the end… the mother lied till the end. But now I as a viewer am supposed to forgive and forget because she dies and FL is sad about it? If that’s not it, then what is? Because the drama was not clear what exactly their message here was.
Then we have the issue of Nam Ja Yeon’s abusive father and how they decide to give a close about that story by adding a dildo fight between him and Gyu Hyun… that was just a new level of lows. That was the issue that kept coming back - good comedy, but ill timed comedy.
I also at some point started to see how selfish each and every character was and instead of liking them more with every episode and seeing their growth, they started to annoy me more and more. Some examples: .
For Ji Uk the promise he made as a teenager was more important than being honest to the person he claims to love. With how her whole life something and someone was always more important than Hae Yeong, to now know her partner also chose someone over her… painful.
Hui Seong deciding to not take a DNA test for her child is also selfish. One would assume a child would want to know who their biological father is… I guess it is on brand with overall message of the show: how biological parents don’t give a fuck about their biological kids. Not one good parent in this show… I am honestly impressed.
Overall, I just felt frustrated. They could have had a good pure rom-com with great comedy, but mishandled too many important issues. If you don’t give a clear message of what you want to say, you need to give more details about the circumstances so the viewers can form opinions - it lacks said details. And if you are not willing to put the work and time into developing these stories, don’t make trauma a major motivation and factor for almost all characters…
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A little bit too ambitious…
Here’s the thing, I refuse to give brownie points for a good idea that was not quite well executed. Time travel romance is hard, because if you want to do it well, it won’t be easily digestible. Why? Because old times were awful. And that’s where I Fell You Linger In The Air fails - the realism of the setting.Did I enjoy Jom and Yai’s love story? Yes. But did I feel emotionally affected by it? No. Because I felt like all the issues were presented in an extremely simplistic manner I just did not feel the pain and the angst at all. At the end of the day the time period became a plot device to deliver some mild angst, rather than a proper setting. Even the truly awful and traumatic moments were presented with not enough care to make a real impact.
The plot tackled some important issues like inequality of genders, abuse, exploitation, and the generation gap, but the solutions and conclusions were laughable with little depth and meaning behind them.
It’s hard for me to take this epic time defying love story seriously, when everything else about this show was juvenile in terms of writing. I honestly feel like I would appreciate the connection between Jom and Yai more if I only saw their clips on youtube, because everything that surrounded it made it seem less valuable and worth the watch.
That said, I did enjoy quite a few characters. The main duo obviously being part of the approved group. Except for the, I also loved James who was the true MVP of the whole show and Fongkaew who was the one to take matters into her own hands. Great characters and great performances.
At the end of the day, I feel like it was simply too careful and too focused on being more approachable.
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Fun, exciting, engaging and entertaining - just a bit diluted.
I would be lying if I said I did not have a fun time watching. So Hee was as unique as always, Ji Yeon as crazy and Ji Gu as grumpy. Their friendship was still the best and strongest part of the whole show (till one specific scene). Compared to season one, it also focused on them outside of their friendship, so we’ve got less group drinking moments, but instead could see them interact with other people more.One thing I liked was the fact Kang Buk Gu did not really feel like the main character. I don’t think he had more scenes or importance than for example Kim Sun Jong, which I don’t complain about since he was never a character I looked for while watching the episodes even in season 1. It might be something that others dislike though.
The issue I had with this season is how disjointed it felt. First two episodes don’t fit into the timeline at all and while I understand they had to give a proper closure to the events from season 1, I am not sure they handled it in the best way storytelling wise. And the similar “individual stories not quite connecting together” feeling lasted for the whole duration of the show.
Some episodes were truly great, some were nice, some were not memorable at all. The quality fluctuated a lot. As a whole it was less funny, less moving and less entertaining. It’s still a great drama though, far above the majority of comedy shows. It just pales in comparison to season 1.
The arc this time was them as individual people learning how dependable they are on each other, and how it does not always have positive effects. I understand it on paper, but I think it was not quite well presented in the show itself.
Then, there was one side plotline that was the biggest issue for me. Without giving any spoilers of what happened, the events just made me question why these 3 girls are even friends and how did this friendship last so long. We got an unsatisfying conclusion to an extremely complex problem. The writing of this one side plot was so bad, I actually lost any interest in ever rewatching season 1 and 2. I just cannot see the friendship in the same light anymore (more about it in a comment below).
Performances were amazing - great continuation of the phenomenal deliveries from previous season. It truly feels as if the actresses were born to take these roles.
Overall, you can sense that this season is different and I think the change of the director is obvious. Personally I preferred how Kim Jung Shik handled the story. Season 1 was my first 10 in 2 years. While season 2, while I don’t regret watching, I would not exactly recommend others to check out.
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The good
Dare I say this had one of the best set of supporting characters I have ever seen? They all were competent in their areas of expertise, but flawed in other departments, which made them more realistic and relatable. They had their own side stories that were simple enough not to overshadow the main plot, but engaging enough for me not to skip any scenes. The number of badass ladies this drama has is also amazing. I would be confident in saying this show was run by the girls.
The romance. I know a lot of people complain it was not this epic love story, but that's exactly what I loved about it. The romance felt natural and slow paced. The characters had so many important issues to deal with, the fact we didn't spend too much time on them being lovey dovey made sense. It made me appreciate the small moments between them more, as they all felt special.
The main characters and cast. I want to compliment Angela Yuen especially, seeing as it was her first main role in a drama. She made me hate Ming He so much, but also enjoy each and every scene with her. All the actors and actresses did a phenomenal job portraying their characters. A few Crystal Yuan scenes felt slightly off, but not to the point it made me annoyed or frustrated. Her performance was still quite solid.
The storytelling. Exactly my type. We had the main plot slowly unfold as we followed the main characters dealing with side plots. And these side plots were actually entertaining. With each story we were introduced to a new side character, that later on had an impact on the main plot. Nice! Not to mention the progression from revenge to justice leading to the well being of others that main characters wanted to achieve. The moral dilemmas they had to face and the choices they had to make were interesting to watch.
The fighting scenes and aesthetics. This show is simply beautiful. The fight in the rain between Yi Qing and Ah Jing was probably the most beautiful scene I have ever seen. The set design, camera angles, editing - it all contributed to this visual feast.
My boi Bi Luo.
The bad
The last episode felt... flat? Especially with how intense the few leading to it were. Quite anticlimactic. They were building up to something epic, but they did not deliver. It wasn't bad, not even that disappointing. I was just expecting something more.
Qing Lan reasoning in the last few episodes. Maybe I am dumb, but the lack of logic behind his actions was amazing. I think they have wasted a little bit of potential this character had.
Slight lack of consistency with the skill sets of few characters by the end of the show. For the sake of the plot progression, some characters that were known to be amazing fighters suddenly weren't that strong anymore. It wasn't that easily noticeable, but since I paid a lot of attention to them, it did make me sigh with a bit of frustration.
Too much poisoning, not enough death caused by it.
THE "SO BAD IT'S GOOD"
GLORIOUS UNDERWATER SCENES! The thing is, in all shows I hate bad CGI, but somehow in wuxia, I love it. The whole show is amazing and beautiful and perfect, but then the underwater scenes and CGI used there was so bad I loved it. I had the same experience with The Untamed - the bad CGI was one of the reasons I loved the show so much.
Yi Qing's coughing... slowly... I started laughing about it and appreciated it more.
Overall, if you want a show that focuses heavily on romance, this is not for you. While the romance is ever present, it's not slammed into your face every second. For me it was a perfect combination of nicely done characters, interesting plot lines, great production value and pure entertainment.
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This should have been a special episode only…
Let’s be real, they could have just put the last arc in a special episode and it would work way better. Most of the episodes were nonsensical and Minato was just frustrating on a whole next level. Why did he feel even more shy and teen panic after they got together than in season 1?Season 2 does not really give you many sweet scenes to feed your fluff desires, nor does it develop characters in any meaningful way. Everything important happens in the last 2 and half episodes, so what’s the point of all the rest? I thought I suck at romance, but Minato is a whole new level of failure and if it was not for Shin’s undying patience, this relationship would fail hard. Realistically speaking, I just mostly felt bad for Shin in the first 10 episodes.
The second couple was way too similar in their dynamics to Minato and Shin, I quickly lost interest… Misunderstanding and lack of communication is a clear indicator the writer did not really have any solid idea what to do with them, they existed to fill the screen time.
The acting was great, just as it was in season 1. At least from Kusakawa Takuya and Nishigaki Sho. Quite a few scenes that were surprisingly touching, a number of scenes that worked only because they did their best to deliver, even if the script itself was lacking.
Overall, it’s more or less skip worthy.
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This review may contain spoilers
Eye candy and empty calories…
Fast food entertainment at its finest. Highly addicting, but you’ll feel hungry 30 minutes after finishing the meal, realizing you just ate a bunch of nothing - empty calories. Was it fun? Sure. Was it actually good? Debatable. Saying this drama is a quality one is like saying McDonald’s is a healthy meal - false advertisement. That said, there is a reason we all crave fast food from time to time.Starting from the good aspects - Xue Fang Fei. It’s impossible not to love her. Even the villains appreciated how smart, cunning and brave she was. Seeking revenge without abandoning your morals and principles, when the people you fight against have no true honorable values that hold them back is not an easy task, and yet she managed to achieve that. While her goals were important, they were never more important than people in her life. She never took the easy road that could unnecessarily hurt others. What I appreciate the most about how her character was written: she was strong, but still presented in an extremely feminine way. Beautiful, loyal and smart, empathic, emotional and caring.
Her revenge turned seeking justice arc was quite well developed and paced. Her plans were realistic enough, I never thought she had some superpower type of skills (excluding her playing zhiter - that’s some borderline xianxia magic) - she knew her strength and the advantages people around her have, she understood the strengths and weaknesses of her enemies and acted accordingly to what was most beneficial. The risks she took were understandable and the ways she survived all the crisis made sense in the context of the show. Great female lead to follow throughout 40 episodes.
Princess Wan Ning - the way I went from hating her to loving her. By the end of the show I would love to see a drama from her point of view - filled with pain, helplessness, tragedy that leads to her becoming the villain, because no one cared for her when she was the victim. Her arc is for sure my favorite and feels the most completed. Fang Fei’s tragic past truly did not feel that tragic when we got the full picture of what Wan Ning had to go through and how she was used and abused. Her resentment and selfishness started to weirdly feel justified, even if at times directed towards wrong people.
Shen Yu Rong is not a character I loved, but it’s for sure a character I loved to hate. In my eyes, he was the true villain - weak and pathetic, not wanting to die, surviving like a cockroach - and for that I am grateful. What a consistent and delusional pain in the ass this man was, it’s impressive. Blaming other people for his mistakes, for the decisions he made, till the end not willing to face his past. His obsession over Jiang Li made perfect sense - it was his way of erasing his mistakes, living as if they never happened, starting from the beginning, clean slate.
The visual presentation - how stunning! The way they shot the movements, how they used the costumes to their full potential, how some moments honestly became breathtaking - especially for the female characters. There was something graceful in how the camera framed women.
Then we have the acting. Wu Jin Yan and Li Meng easily stole the whole show. Somehow Wu Jin Yan was able to present both immense strength and vulnerability at the same time. Li Meng was just mesmerizing as the egocentric princess broken by her traumatic experiences. When either of them showed up, they just made you focus on the screen.
On the other hand, the men in this show served nothing, but looks. Duke Su was delicious to look at, but sadly he was mostly talk and no action. For the majority of the show he truly did nothing except fly around and flirt with Jiang Li. While her revenge was detailed and well presented, his felt like an afterthought.
Ye Shi Jie, while cute, with some of the prettiest eyes I have seen, was painfully underdeveloped. What’s the point of showing he has feelings for Jiang Le, when it leads to nowhere? Other male characters were just a way to push the plot forward by either randomly saving the day, or annoying ruining the plans.
Seeing how technically speaking the politics of the show had a major impact on the plot and the characters, they were boring and lacked detail for me to care about. I did not care who is against whom and why, who has more and who has less power in the court, who is safe and who can be killed - they started to explain the big picture way too late for me to even pretend it’s engaging.
The biggest issue I had though, was the structure of the show - everything seemed uneven and mismatched. Jiang Li is this tragic heroine who lost everything and is set to seek revenge, but then we find out she did not really lose nearly as much as they present at first - everyone came back from death, her included.
First episode presented a makjang level of drama, and then it never lived up to that crazy hype, slowly becoming more tamed and boring. And what’s more that became tamed and boring? Duke Su. At first presented as this domineering and extra in his entrance man having a national emergency level of extreme fire chemistry with female lead, to them lead to nothing - these two were taking their sweet time with the romance. This was such a slow burn romance, it barely moved. The candle kiss traumatized us all. They led us to believe we will get some proper romance, and what we’ve got was an eye staring contest between Jiang Li and Duke su every episode.
They also had a really weird way of introducing characters and villains - there was no subtle set up for them. Out of the blue we are getting scenes with a new threat we are supposed to fear, but I’m like: who is that and why should I care?
Last two episodes were full clownery. I never laughed so much watching scenes that are supposed to be moving or tense. Some highlights include Jiang Li saying she can do archery, when she held a bow twice in her life. Another one was the random cheap death of two guys working for Duke Su - why did it even happen? Why did the war even happen? They never presented it as a major threat, so why even make it a last minute plotline?
Overall, it was fun and disappointing at the same time.
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Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
22 people found this review helpful
Adachi does not see much value in himself. He compliments and admires other characters' traits he himself also has. He is smart, nice, polite and hardworking, but if you asked him, he would deny it. With his newly discovered magic powers of reading minds (who knew getting bitten by a radioactive spider is outdated, and staying a virgin is a new way of gaining that superhero title), he slowly, but steadily starts to see how others view him as a worker, friend, or love interest. It’s quite interesting to see how, only by internally being faced with others unfiltered thoughts, Adachi gains the courage and confidence.
Kurosawa, damn boi. The wrinkles killed me. You are reading a review written by a ghost. That smile could stop a war. Not gonna lie though, I did find him creepy at first. But when you accept the fact we also say a lot of over the top and weird shit in our minds, to never be spoken out loud, he is kind of relatable. I truly appreciated how, even though he truly liked Adachi, he didn’t want to force anything on him. He was fine with just being his friend and supporting him. He also struggled with some internal issues that are a focus of one episode. Thanks to that, we can see him in a different light, that makes him that more charming.
I wasn’t crazy about the 2nd couple. Wataya Minato looks 16 at best and Tsuge Masato looks older than any other character (though we know he is 30). The comical and over the top behavior just didn’t click right with me. Not to say Asaka Kodai is a bad actor, he aced that over the top act. It’s just not something that I enjoy in shows.
The acting overall was top notch. Akaso Eiji truly portrayed the confused and low self esteem Adachi well, and love was literally radiating from my screen every time Machida Keita showed up. His facial expressions were so on point, I had to rewatch many scenes, just because I was so amazed by his skill.
The show itself is more than just a rom-com. It touches on issues like self love and self esteem, prejudices, standards forced by society that some might not want to follow and the idea of following and giving up on your dreams.
Why not 10? I have to say, the last episode was quite disappointing. I felt like the events that happened in episode 11 were barely addressed, the explanations given were just easy ways out of the complex situation. Not to mention the last scene, that should just not exist in the first place. It just showed the limits of what actors could have done, set either by themselves or their agencies.
Overall, it was an extremely good watch. I went crazy over Kurosawa because he is the best boi on the planet and I would fight anyone on that. No doubt I will rewatch the series (I’m writing it as if I haven’t rewatch all the eps every week already) and enjoy everyone’s performance.
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Simplistic symbolism and how being a teenager is actually hard.
A rare case when my brain sees all the flaws, but my heart says: I don’t care. The whole show has a great juvenile charm to it, and the sloppy storytelling and in your face symbolism just adds to it. Sure, I strongly believe that with a few different directing choices this could easily become one of the best BL shows up to date, but even as it is right now, it’s truly enjoyable.Yes, the setup on the surface is painfully stupid. We are sold the story of this abusive authoritarian school and students fighting for their rights, but what is presented is 3 students not wanting to wear uniforms. Is it that simple? No. It was never about uniforms, it was about self expression and more accurately sexuality.
The uniforms and the rules were supposed to represent the norm in terms of sexuality. Following the rules in school meant following social norms. Suppressing your sexuality to fit with what was established and deemed as "normal". The whole show is a commentary on the conservative and outdated ideas and how they harm the youth. It’s a great subject with a idea on how to present it, but not as good of an execution.
The storytelling was not detailed enough. We are presented with a wall of rules that were established, yet we actually know about only two. What are the others? No idea. What consequences are the students facing if they break the rules? No idea. There is the curse, but that’s it. Where are the parents? The whole adult side of the show is ridiculously unbelievable.
On the other hand, it made perfect sense why the teens were being “overdramatic” - they are teens. Suppression of individuality at the time when it's most crucial to figure yourself out is not really a small thing. The Eclipse did a great job to make me sympathize with the issues these kids were facing and how big of an impact it has on them. From the point of view of an adult, my initial reaction was: why are they so dramatic? Just be patient for the next few months, graduate and move on. But that type of thinking is the issue - if they are told to follow the rules and not question anything now, how will they learn to fight for their rights later? Their actions as teens will shape their behavior, motivations, personalities later on. Nothing really changes as you grow up. First you are told to do what your teachers say, later you are told to listen to your professors. Then you need to follow your bosses instructions. That’s why it’s so important for the youth to ask questions, debate, reflect on the problems and issues and not just do what adults tell them.
For the characters, the leads were phenomenal - both in the writing and portrayal. Seeking validation and purpose. Sticking to the role one obsesses over, because it feels like it's the only thing that defines who we are. The fear of being seen as disappointment. The drama also touches on the subjects of depression and suicide. How we should not judge one’s struggles based on our own standards. How we should be patient with others, because we cannot know and truly understand what they are going through.
What I appreciated the most was the takes on coming out and accepting your sexuality. It’s not the “I don’t like guys, I only like you”. It’s not “everyone is either gay or loves gay”. None of the unrealistic scenarios here. It often takes time to figure yourself out, it takes time to accept what you find, it takes time to then admit it to others. In that aspect I could not like the relationship between Akk and Ayan more. Not to mention one of the best on screen chemistry I have seen in ages.
For the acting, I've been a fan of Khaotung for some time. Realistically speaking, he is one of the best that Thai BLs can offer. I rewatched some scenes simply because of his performance. Thank god First was cast as his co-star, also delivering a solid portrayal.
Production wise I don’t really have complaints. I think some of the setup and directing ideas were too big for the production team, which led to a few questionable and ridiculous takes, but damn the show was pretty.
Overall, I liked it a lot. Yes, the setup and the way they decided to present some serious issues was questionable, but I still believe it was better than the majority of BLs out there. The biggest problem was the transition from rules at school being the issues, to how they relate to the overall social norms and homophobia - it was too jarring. You get the idea behind it all, but you still feel like it’s a bit too disconnected from each other.
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Cat and dog dynamics done in the best way possible.
For the main couple, this is close to perfection. Simple story that presents both enemies to lovers and friends to lovers trope, depending on the perspective taken.The relationship progression between Shu Yi and Shi De was really well paced. It didn't feel rushed, the milestone moments were happening at the right times, and never felt out of place. The dynamics between them sold the show. Both Shi De and Shu Yi have this trickster quality to their actions, which makes We Best Love that much more entertaining. The plot could be simply described as: two main leads getting closer to each other, one step at a time.
Speaking of the cat and dog dynamics, Shi De reminded me of a Golden Retriever with his warm and patient demeanor, and Shu Yi was like a small cat - playful and curious. Seeing them interact with each other just brings happiness to my heart and a smile on my face.
Shou Yi was one of the characters I was the most curious about. Sadly, if his story gets any more depth, it will happen in season two. That said, him being the relationship MVP for Shu Yi and Shi De was one of the funniest aspects of the show. I never enjoyed someone being such a busybody as I did with his character.
Being perfectly honest, some side characters were unnecessary, or rather, they got unnecessary side plots. Some of the scenes and developments came out of nowhere since there was not enough screen time to dive deep into the side plot progression.
The production value was amazing. I especially appreciated the transition scenes, which are usually extremely generic, but here they became either pretty or fun screenshots (shout-out to best supporting character - Mr Skeleton). Music wise, I cannot remember one song. On one hand, it means OST was not that memorable for me, but on the other, it also means they were fitting for the scenes they were used for, since I was not bothered by them.
Overall, amazing chemistry that, at times, almost set my laptop on fire. On point acting, especially from Sam Lin - boy shocked me in one scene (good acting always gets me overexcited). One of the nicest and well paced BLs that tells a simple yet extremely engaging love story.
See you in season two!
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Great moments rather than a great story.
This could have been a perfect warm, cheerful, positive and destressing show with some fun and quality characters and great messages and dialogues, if it only had a solid direction of the plot. But it turned out to be a bit of a mess, with few gems here and there and a lot of unresolved frustration for me.At first, they set the stage perfectly. We know who the main characters are and what their goals are. Who they need to fight against and what are the stakes. And then it all gets sidetracked and everything loses focus as we get more and more not well established side conflicts that are resolved in a half-assed manner.
Instead of truly diving deep into these underdogs trying to survive and strive in the company, keeping their webtoon team on board, we got a lot of random side stories and problems that were loosely related to the overall plot. Honestly, it’s the first time when the villain did not have to do anything, because the issues kept showing up even without his involvement. Things started moving forward in that aspect only in the last few episodes. Quite a weird and not engaging plot progression, if you ask me. Overall, there were just too many side plots and characters, so nothing felt truly developed and all conclusions anticlimactic.
The good point in how some messages were delivered was the fact the viewers get the "lecturing" and life lessons WITH the main character, and not delivered BY main character. Thanks to that, it never came across as preachy.
Onto the characters, On Ma Eum was amazing, until she wasn’t. Extremely optimistic and hardworking. What's important - she did not think things would just go well, she believed she could work hard to make them go well. She bet on her work, not luck. While she is a bit stuck in her "positive" world and attitude and fails to instinctually see how other people might have different approaches, once confronted, she tries to understand other people and act according to the new information.
Where her character failed was any and all interactions with Shin Dae Ryuk. Calling her approach as “ignorant” would be a compliment to how it truly went. On the surface it was all cute, nice and uplifting, but by the end, I just wanted this girl away from this child.
Seok Ji Hyung and Jang Man Cheol were amazing seniors and great mentors. I appreciated how I got no romantic vibes from Ji Hyung and Ma Eum. I loved to see their mentor-mentee dynamics. They tried to stir the pot with previews, but I learned not to trust them early on. I think we as viewers are conditioned to see romance everywhere, so even deep, platonic relationships seem to hint at romance for us.
Goo Jun Yeong might have seemed like this asshole cold main lead, but he was actually quite cute and harmless. He was straightforward with what he said, reacted well to people guiding him and took suggestions and advice to heart. He was far more open to new things than I thought he would be. It’s true that he had his ups and downs, but that’s what made him an interesting character.
All that said, with the great cast of the main characters, the one that truly stole my heart was Shin Dae Ryuk. It’s literally a crime how such an interesting character with such a complex background was not more of a prominent figure in the show. That wasted potential just makes me sad, and the conclusion to his story - mad. I don’t say it a lot when thinking about dramas, but this was truly offensive. It was so bad, I cannot even simply dismiss it as an ignorant take.
I don't have that much to say about the acting - everyone did a great job. Kim Se Jeong's existence is just unfair to us all. Not only is her singing just phenomenal, but she is also an amazing actress. She is so natural, no matter what role she takes. Also, the scene stealer, show stealer and hearts stealer - Im Chul Soo.
Production wise - typical kdrama. It was not breathtakingly beautiful, but it had some great moments screenshot worthy. Can’t remember one song, so that sums up the OST quiet well.
Overall, it was a nice watch. You know how there are some books with amazing quotes, but when you have to talk about the plot, you have barely anything to say? This drama is similar.
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