Kate

Beautiful moments surrounded by nothing.

Here’s the thing - I liked the show when it started airing. I knew few people thought this type of plot might not work out with a drama format, but I was still full of hope. At some point, though, I had to admit they were right and I was wrong.

This show should be 12 episodes long at best. Preferable 6 to 10. It should focus on exactly 3 plotlines: Da Jung and Dae Young, Dae Young and his kids, and Da Jung’s job/dream. They should fill the episodes with school drama, as a lot of interactions were happening there. You can even keep the bullying and teen romance. But why, oh why do we need a love triangle? Why do we need a 2nd couple/romance? Why do we need all the scenes and interactions between Deok Jin and Ae Rin? Why do we need that Il Kwon mess? Or what was the point of this mystery photographer guy? There is so much going on in this show, and yet it feels like nothing is happening. All the most memorable moments that were truly meaningful were the family interactions. We do not need that many filler plots.

The last two episodes were some whole new level of cliche and stereotypes. When you have 2 cars of doom for the price of one, you know you've hit the jackpot. The back story about Ji Hoon's brother being connected to Dae Young was unnecessary and presented in the worst possible way. Such an emotional scene and yet, I could not stop laughing when the 2nd car came out of nowhere.

I don't even want to talk about the last minute "I'm breaking up with you for your own good" plot, because that trope just needs to die, or at least take a few years break from appearing on screen.

The highlights? All the scenes between Dae Young and his kids, both in the past and present. The slow realization he had about mistakes he made, the gradual learning that Dae Young actually cared a lot for Shi Ah and Shi Woo. These are the scenes I will remember after the show ends, and these are the ones that moved my heart the most. These were the gems that made me cry so many times, and if the show focused more on the actually important parts (relationships between main characters), chances are it might have gotten a 10 out of me.

For the acting, Lee Do Hyun aced the role. There are quite a few shows with the “younger actor playing an older character after body switch”, but none of the actors were as believable as Do Hyun. I trust this guy with my life. What do I see? Bright future ahead of him. His talent will lead him to some great roles and amazing projects.

Overall, the acting was on point. The emotional scenes were emotional, happy and funny scenes were just that: happy and funny. No areas of complaint here. Some people might dislike a few overacting moments from Lee Mi Do, Kim Kang Hyun and Kim Yoo Ri, but it was clearly a stylistic choice that has nothing to do with the acting skills of the actors themselves.

Usually I don’t pay that much attention to the soundtrack, unless it’s truly outstanding. Here, I liked quite a few songs, especially Sohyang’s Hello, which truly elevated the emotional scenes to a new level. Not to mention Sondia, who became one of my favorite ost singers, with an amazingly sweet and warm voice.

Overall, nice show, but skippable. I stayed for the parents and kids relationship and Lee Do Hyun’s acting. Even though I am massively disappointed by the obvious ending and last two episodes, the scenes between the family still made me tear up a bit and it shows how amazing this drama could have been if it was not for the unnecessary sub-plots.

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There are two ways of making a good remake: make it better or make it different.

Cube failed at both. It was not interesting, not innovative and the special effects were laughable - apparently people there have no internal organs.

Being perfectly honest, the only good thing was the acting. I am amazed how the actors were able to deliver a solid performance, when most characters had ridiculous arcs and out of the blue quick last minute changes of heart.

I think the worst crime of this movie was the fact it was simply boring. There were hardly any deaths nor traps shown. The ones we got were as basic as they can get.

There is nothing Cube 2021 can offer that Cube 1997 did not already deliver, so why bother watching?

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Over the top, on crack and hyperbolic, but somehow extremely relatable.

I’m not going to lie, semi-pro alcoholism is not exactly my cup of tea, but somehow, I did not mind it here. It might be the fact that realism went out of the window with the sea of alcohol they were drinking - it was both scary and impressive. I don't think I've drunk as much alcohol in the last 10 years of my life, as they drink in a week.

It’s all about these eccentric ladies and their daily struggles as they hit their 30s. Each of the 3 ladies presents a truly unique perspective and approach to life. At times, you might even question how they became such close friends, since the differences are so obvious. That’s one of the best parts of the show - watching them understand each others’ ideas, goals, views and opinions and accepting them.

The comedy is good, well placed, fitting the situation and built on characters' personalities and relations. It’s not all fun comedy though. Each of the female leads have to deal with either past or present traumas and problems, which adds a layer of depth I did not expect when I started the show. These stories also serve as a great social commentary about several issues. All the tears, all the used tissues.

It’s a drama that finds a perfect balance between friendship, work, party and romance. The writer and director knew exactly how much screen time each of these aspects needed to feel like a cohesive picture with no underdeveloped plotlines.

The cast did an amazing job with the characters they played. Were they slightly type-casted based on the real life personalities of the actors? Yes. Being a fan of A Pink, Secret and Super Junior in the past, I can clearly see some similarities between the characters and people who played them.

Overall, I just loved it so much. Being more or less the same age as the main characters, I could not stop myself from relating to a lot of situations they had to deal with, feeling nostalgic about their past, that often was similar to my past experiences. It’s not a perfect show, but for me it was. There was truly nothing that bothered me or I would change.

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Downhill we roll, as the quality drops with each episode.

Here’s the thing - I was extremely vocal on feeds and while talking to my friends about how this will be my favorite adaptation of the story and how much they improved with making it more realistic and less over the top toxic. And then, slowly, with every episode my enthusiasm started to drop. A show I started with genuine love, I finished as a hate watch. I cried watching the last episode, cried from laughing so bad.

Rich guy with family issues falls for a poor girl with financial issues - we all know the stories like that, most of us watched at least one adaptation of F4. Was this a fresh and groundbreaking take on this cliche plot? No. It started really well with a more realistic approach to the characters - Gorya was less in your face superhero bully fighter and Thyme, while still rude and cruel, had some type of limits to how far he is willing to go. I truly enjoyed how it was more grounded in reality - they managed to make me like the female lead more, and hate the male lead less. Then it lost that spark as it played into all the toxic over the top semi-makjang ideas.

Honestly speaking, the biggest issue was Thyme. To people saying he got amazing character development, where? There was one episode left for the drama to end and he still needed his friends to tell him what is good and moral and what is not. Dude literally threw a chair in Gorya’s direction when he was angry. How was I supposed to root for him, when I saw close to zero improvement in his behavior - every time things got tough or he got angry, he went back to his old abusive and impulsive ways.

Saying it’s realistic that he did not change so easily would make sense if the drama was realistic as a whole - it was not. They clearly did not care about realism, so why try to excuse the character with that logic?

Gorya was fine during all scenes, except the ones with Thyme. They both used violence against each other and sometimes it was played as a fun little comedy bit. On the other hand, she strived for better and grew as a person when she was with Ren.

And here we face the biggest issue - they made Ren too good to be true. Yes, he made one mistake and acted rather toxic towards Gorya with the misguided actions based on his good intentions, but he learned from that and never did that again. He was so fine. That’s that.

Then we have that completely useless and not developed romance between Kavin and Kaning. I am not going to lie, the side couple was my favorite part of the Korean version - the story was interesting, the conflicts were well built, the resolution was satisfying. Here, we’ve got none of that. They made zero effort to convince me why Kavin was hesitant to start things with her. They were just in the background, occasionally being cute.

I don’t even want to talk about M.J. getting his plot thanks for KFC commercials at the end.

I did enjoy the friendship of F4 a lot. Their scenes, excluding the bullying ones, were fun to watch. They always had each other’s back and tried to solve issues as a team - well, the 3 of them tried to solve Thyme’s issues while he acted like a moody toddler either turning them down or running away.

Putting characters aside, the show did attempt and made some good remarks about the social differences, the responsibilities and struggles people might have depending on their social status. I appreciated how it was not all black and white - rich people have all the privileges and no real issues, and poor people are the only ones struggling.

Acting wise I don’t really have complaints. I’m not the biggest fan of Bright’s acting, but he was truly born to play this role. Thyme was rather dumb of a character, and the faces this guy was making just elevated it, making me crack a smile quite a few times. Tu did an amazing job as Gorya - I bought everything she was selling on screen. I would say, the only performance that was questionable was Win as Kavin - his delivery was a bit on one note and the lines just did not sound natural at times.

Production wise though, probably one of the best quality we have seen from Thailand for some time. The show was simply beautiful. It was impossible to watch even one episode without taking countless screenshots. They played with angles, depth and light and I appreciated that alot.

Music was fine? I honestly cannot remember one song from it. They were not that memorable, but if they were bad, I would for sure remember them not fitting the scenes.

Overall, what a journey it was. By the end I was rooting for Thyme’s mother to keep them apart. What a badass she was. Might be evil, but with a class. The most terrifying mother of all the adaptations.

I don’t regret watching, I enjoyed it a lot during the first half, and had fun making fun of it during the second half. It’s like, slightly better than Boys Over Flowers? In some aspects… but not all.

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Overly dramatic considering the actual content.

I sadly have to say, the only things I enjoyed about this short BL were Kim Yoo Hwan’s performance and the set design for the café.

From the strong jealousy that can mess up a friendship that lasted 15 years, through the magical speed of learning how to cook, to uncomfortable skinship Ji Soo was doing, I am just confused. The overreaction on the character’s parts did not correspond well with what was truly happening on screen too.

Even though Cha Woo Min's acting was lacking, the chemistry between Hae Won and Eun Gyu was quite nice - the problem was the lack of development. They presented it as quite a strong connection and love, while they barely knew each other. Considering they are all adults, the scale of the problems that Hae Won’s pretty face brought to the café was ridiculous.

This whole “lost dad” story came out of nowhere, and felt like an afterthought. Even the dynamics between Ji Soo and Eun Gyu were simply confusing.

Truly felt blessed by Kim Yoo Hwan - he delivered the internal struggle so well, it was easily visible on the screen even without any dialogues.

Overall, I don’t really have thoughts. It’s just one of the shows that happened, I saw and then moved on. I feel like it could have been a really nice short BL if they toned down the dramatic aspects - it was not that deep.
Will be paying attention to Yoo Hwan’s future projects since he impressed me a lot.

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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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The loop of framing Wei Young.

The drama went from solid 9 to 5.5, the plot went from entertaining cunning politics and schemes to repetitive ploys as if everyone got repetitively hit by the white truck of doom and got amnesia every few episodes, deciding to create the same schemes over and over again, for 54 episodes. Not to mention the IQ of the characters going from 150 to -10 as the drama progressed.

You know a show is full of clownery when a character that just has been tortured is being asked “Is it very uncomfortable?”...

I think the most disappointing aspect of the show were all the female characters. All the lead ones, except for Wei Young, had one focus and one goal only - to get the guy they love to love them back. All of them were scheming, plotting, risking their families’ and their own lives for dudes. How pathetic is that? Some characters were literally identical - copy paste. While at first they seemed to show some diversity of personalities, the second half reduced them all to just obstacles on the female lead’s path.

Every few episodes I tuned in for another “Who framed Wei Young this time?” game. By like 5th time it should be obvious that whenever someone accuses Wei Young for anything, she is innocent. The fact that even characters that did not even have a chance to meet her, and she did not affect in any major way wanted to kill her became a comedy of itself.

While I loved the female lead at first, the same traits that made me appreciate her, later became a reason for my dislike. Being patient, more reactive than proactive, acting low-key, never attacking first made sense in the early episodes - she had no power and no allies. Not being hot headed and thinking things through before jumping to action was smart at that time. Enough is enough though. When 90% of people around you want to see you dead, it’s high time to slowly eliminate them one by one, and not just react to what they try to do to you.

Male lead was a boring low-key psycho, who did some amazing job with gaslighting Wei Young in the last few episodes. There is close to nothing to say about him. He was supposed to be intelligent, good, noble, strong, empathetic, without flaws… boring?

I know a lot of people liked Tuo Ba Yu, but for me even he barely delivered as a character. Making his internal conflict more prominent would be better. I felt like with all his plans, he did not really risk that much when he took detours for personal reasons.

Since all the villains' motivations were either weak or boring, there was not that much thrills nor excitement. It’s obvious the female lead will not die 30 episodes before the drama ends, so all the life risking situations did nothing to me. For all the scheming, not that many people died and that’s a bummer.

That said, the drama for sure delivers in terms of acting. Tiffany Tang is a goddess in terms of looks and quite a talented actress. She did an amazing job acting as Li Wei Young. Sure, playing an 18 years old in your mid 30’ mid be a lot, but her performance was strong enough I did not even pay attention to how ridiculous that casting was age wise.

Production wise it has some amazing shots. Some locations they filmed at were breathtaking. There was quite a lot of work put into the details of the set designs. One thing I have to praise the show for is the make up - no one looked like a ghost with the foundation too shades too light cutting off when the neck starts.

Overall, the first 20-25 episodes were quite fun. The set up was strong enough, motivations of the characters clear. But then I got another 30-35 episodes of exactly the same thing. It was the same story told over and over again with few details changed. Instead of this person framing Wei Young for some crimes, it’s this person. How much of that can I take before I fall asleep?

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The lost spark?

I have to sadly admit, this season was not that great. While it had amazing and fun moments, I was actually bored at times. While season 2 was also a bit disappointing in terms of the places they went to, the dynamics of the cast saved it. Here, the lack of So Min as a regular member could be felt and it was just not the same experience.

The guests were also the issue - some had little chemistry with regular members, some barely got any screen time since they barely interacted with others (Chan Young, I really like you, but during the whole episode you said like 3 lines…). I also feel like the regular members were a bit too focused on themselves and did not include the guests in the conversations enough. What’s the point of inviting people, when you end up just chatting and arguing among yourself?

I also do not understand why they cut down the number of games, when they were always one of the most entertaining parts of the show. With how most of the members are rather bad in them, it was fun to watch them try so hard while getting poor results. I’d take more games and less mukbang screen time anytime.

That said, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. There were some moments I replied a number of times - the debate game in episode 2 being one of them. Still love the cast and their interactions and chemistry, but I think it’s time to say goodbye to the show. The format starts to get boring, they have too many food related places.

PS. They get bonus points for using Woodz’s music more than once as a background song.

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The whole show was based on the lack of communication.

If they actually started talking to each other even a little bit, the show would be half of the length if not less. One could think this will be a rivals to lovers type of a drama, but it ain’t it. It ain’t anything.

The plot had potential, but they should have established the initial conflict a bit more. They “warmed up” to each other too fast, but to keep the story interesting we got some random miscommunications. If you want to make your show a full on cliche entertainment - fine with me, but lean into it. It was just too basic. It was not realistic in any aspect to appeal as a slice of life, but it was also not bold and fun enough as a mindless entertainment. It’s half baked fluff.

There was also one side plot that simply made me feel uncomfortable and it's worse the more I think about it.

The leads had a mild and mediocre chemistry and while the acting was decent, no one wowed me, but I also did not feel offended by the performances. Yes, the “nsfw” scenes were cringe and funny, but I blame the directing, not the actors themselves. The way they tried to frame it as sensual, but delivered full on awkwardness…

The production was the biggest clownery. I mean, I was more discreet about recording lectures at university than them acting as reporters. They could have done a better job with props and framing to make it a little bit less ridiculous.

Overall, it’s a show I’ll forget I’ve watched in two days, but I don’t regret watching it. It weirdly grows on you as you watch it. Watching it every Friday became my afterwork routine.

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I would like to start by saying: this is not really a school drama in the sense we usually understand it. While the plot takes place in the school, it’s more about the politics that go into being a teacher and how the school is running as an institution. We don’t get that many cute and lovable interactions between students and teachers, and it’s more focused on the power struggle between different departments, permanent and temporary teachers and other institutions involved in the education and internal struggles between doing what you find right and fitting into the environment.

That said, it’s not all rules and cold politics. We get to know an amazing variety of characters, with different motivations, behaviors and ways of dealing with problems, and as we watch, we learn that at times there is no good nor bad decision, but rather a variety of different choices and all of them have some pros and cons to them. The few interactions between teachers and students are truly meaningful and add to the emotional depth this drama presents.

I assume many people may not like Go Ha Neul since she at times acts really cute, unsure and innocent, but in my eyes she is actually a really strong character. With everyone saying she should not get involved or rebel against the system, she fights her battles and proves everyone wrong countless times. There is nothing wrong with being cute and strong at the same time. She wants to stay true to her beliefs, do what’s best for students and survive in a new environment. She makes mistakes but is quick to admit to them and learn from them.

The whole drama revolves around the daily struggles of realistic and complex characters with many flaws but even more good qualities. There are no really bad characters, just different people dealing with problems in different ways. While we might agree with some more than others, it's not hard to see the logic behind them all.

This was truly an emotional ride, which made me laugh and cry many times. By the end, I loved so many characters I disliked at the beginning, and it was all possible because of the amazing writing. We either got fantastic character development or a deep dive into their perspective, which helped us understand their reasoning. While the plot was not the most complex and thrilling, the relationships built between the characters were all we needed to fall for this drama's charm.

For whom: people who like complex and realistic characters, slow paced dramas that truly show problems from different perspectives, character driven dramas, beautiful cinematography.

Who may not enjoy it: people enjoying a lot of action, overdramatic style of filming and dealing with problems, high school dramas that center around students and not teachers, people that get bored with politics and behind the scenes of a workplace, romance driven dramas.

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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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Countless misfortunes with Disney solutions.

Idol: The Coup opens with quite refreshing, more accurate depiction of idols and the Korean music industry as a whole, but ends on an over the top, makjang note. And yet, I truly loved the show. Somehow, it convinced me to ignore all the flaws and only focus on the true entertainment and emotional connection I have made with the characters. And for that, I am thankful.

The drama tells the story of Cotton Candy, who are deemed as "'망돌(망한 아이돌)” (mangdol - failed idol). Both the company and the members themselves gave up on trying to succeed, with Jenna, the driven leader, being the last person who still tries her best to make the team overcome the issues and survive in the industry.

Each member has her own traumas, hardships and obstacles they need to face, and as the drama progresses they learn how to trust each other again, how to work as a team, protect and support each other.

Idol: The Coup truly takes the viewers on a whole journey of “hate to love”. At first, you might despise the majority of the characters, just to end up loving them and rooting for them by the end of the show.

It’s also the first drama with an idol driven plot, where the songs are truly good, and something I could see in a music show. Both, the songs that are suppose to be part of the fictional groups’ discographies, and the songs that were only used as a soundtrack easily found a place on my playlist, with few favorites being: “Home”, “Honest”, “You Can Cry”, “Fly Up”, “Pray” and “Remember Me”.

It would be a crime to write this review and not mention the amazing chemistry between Jenna and Jae Hyuk. This dynamic was extremely entertaining to watch. While at first it might seem that Jae Hyuk holds all the power, each disagreement they had, leaves the viewer thinking he was the one who lost and was more affected by it. It became a battle of wits and determination, over one character just abusing another.

The acting was not outstanding, with some idols struggling to connect to the emotions and truly deliver the lines in a natural manner (I’m looking at you Kim Min Kyu and EXY), but overall, none of the performances were truly cringeworthy, and the few miss-deliveries became a charm of the show too. Maybe I am biased, maybe I just convinced myself to love even the bad aspects of the drama, but at the end of the day, does it matter? It was a fun watch, whenever it had or had not had any issues.

That said,

If you want to watch idol romance, this ain’t that. While the female and male leads have amazing chemistry, and many viewers wished to see some kind of feelings spark between them, it never crosses the line of hints and future possibilities.

If you want to see a realistic portrayal of idols’ life, this ain’t that. While the first 3-4 episodes did a good job showcasing the struggles “failed” idols might face and the industry trend to see the idols as replaceable assets and not human beings, at some point, the amount of tragedies happening to Cotton Candy reached a ridiculous number. The solutions were coming out of nowhere, just as the problems were showing up with little explanations, and at times, as complete contradictions to what already was established in the drama. That said, the issues themselves were not unrealistic, but rather the fact they all happened to this one group in such a short period of time.

If you want a wholesome drama with nice characters you can root for from the beginning till the end, this ain’t that. There were moments when I wanted the group to disband, there were moments when I totally understood why they were failed idols and maybe they should not work as a team. I went from “let them disband”, through “I’m an ot4 stan”, to “I don’t care if it will make no sense, these babies need a happy ending”. The characters are truly flawed, but you might end up loving them despite their shortcomings.

Overall, what a ride it was. Idol: The Coup has countless flaws, and yet it made so many viewers enjoy it and get excited for more episodes. The idea of one hour and thirty minutes long episodes scared me, but when they went down to just one hour, I was truly disappointed. Each episode made me want to see more, and wish for just a few more minutes of the content. I got addicted to this soft idol makjang with fun, but frustrating characters, over the top tragedies and Disney solutions.

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One could say it’s your typical Thai BL, but that would be insulting to all the mediocre Thai BLs. Technically it’s the same old story - two cute guys pinning for each other because they suck at communicating their feelings. It should be all cute fluff, pure entertainment, feel-good watch. So how come it was either boring or infuriating? The good aspects were toned down, while they exaggerated the awful miscommunication trope to some ridiculous levels.

Daonuea? Cute, chill, awkward. Somehow have like 3 guys after him, go figure. At the same time, I hated him. He claimed to care for people and their feelings while also acting like a coward leading people for whom he obviously has no feelings. It’s not like he was truly an awful character, he had his moments and overall I enjoy his interaction, sadly only with people that had no romantic links to him.

Then we have Khabkhluen… I don’t even know where to start. His whole story? Ain’t buying it. This level of lack of communication, but also ONLY when it involves Daonuea? Ain’t buying it. The “progression” of his feelings? Ain’t buying it. He was just poorly written, that’s that. While it was fun to watch his silent moody demeanor at first, as the drama progressed I simply got tired with it, since the guy had like -10000 initiation levels. He just did not do anything.

I don’t care enough about the side characters to write about them. Some had some random not well executed last minute stories presented, but who cares? Not me.

I think my biggest issue was how they built the conflict, or rather dropped it out of nowhere. What it felt like - they obviously did not have enough plot for 8 episodes, so they had to invent some random issues that had no place to exist and be part of the show, that’s how ridiculous they were.

The acting was… mediocre? I was fine with most scenes, but the cast failed me with anything involving deeper emotions.

Overall, damn this was disappointing. It had a decent start with the first two or three episodes, and went DOWNHILL from there.

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It gave me “30 minutes google search” vibes.

Maybe my expectations were too high since everyone and their mother hyped this drama - how amazing the romance was, the serious topics about idol lives, the acting and production. But why do I feel like it was all so basic?

Was the romance extremely cute? Yes. The chemistry between William and Est was undeniable. It followed quite a few cliches, but executed in such a good way, I didn't even mind. And yet, there was something missing, and that something was the well developed conflict. I rather have them being this fluff from beginning till the end pairing, than see them go through ridiculous, underdeveloped conflict in the second half.

Then we have all the “idol” issues. While they opened up discussion about many problems and restrictions they might face, they were so not serious about being cohesive in the presentation, the whole writing started to fall apart. They talk about how idols are basically stalked and cannot even date in public, but in the same episode the leads are walking around in public hugging and holding hands like there is no tomorrow. Or how CEOs just see idols as products, but also have them out of the blue grow a heart by the end for no good reason. There were many contradictory moments that just annoyed me.

The plot was unrealistic, the resolutions of conflicts and issues were beyond magical and Disney. Everything was introduced, nothing was developed. I don't even want to talk about Earn, because why did this character even exist and why was he not gone for good?

What I did like a lot though was Jun - easily the best character from the whole show. I was actually getting more excited about his scenes than the main couple. He was quite unpredictable, fun, refreshing, cheeky and just slightly annoying.

The acting was surprisingly good for rookies. Here’s the thing though, and that’s something I see in majority of Thai BLs, the romantic scenes are usually better acted than any other scenes in the show. I feel like during their workshop they focus just slightly too much on them, and giving some of that time to practice other scenes would actually improve the overall quality of the drama.

Production was fine. Everything about the idol aspect was mediocre, but even Koreans who are leading in the idol department, also suck with idol dramas in terms of the songs, music videos, choreographies - they just do to match the real quality of the production we see in the industry.

That said, the drama was prettier than most other Thai BLs. There were quite a few scenes I had to take screenshots of, which does not happen that often for me with this genre for this country.

Overall, I had fun, but only a few days passed since I finished it and yet I already do not remember the majority of what I have seen.

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Love Like the Black Hole - sucking the energy out of me.

It was just truly not a good follow-up after part 1. They limited/removed all the good aspects of it, and the new things they added/developed did not grab my attention or were just ridiculous.

One of the things I struggled with was the random shifts of tone - from drama to comedy, sometimes happening multiple times in one scene. I did not feel the emotional impact because of the random comedy lines, but I could not quite laugh about the comedy, because of the serious tone and situation the characters were in. This lighter tone fitted part 1, since the setting was less serious and less prone to major incidents. The moment Shao Shang entered the palace, it all changed, and I feel like her character and how the scenes were carried should have been tweaked to fit the new environment. I’m not saying make Shao Shang a completely different person, but character development exists in writing for a reason.

Yes, some of her behavior could be excused because of her young age and the lack of education/neglect. Some things though were so out there, it was too much to take even for me. Random treason? Why not? Making more or less the same mistake a few times in a row? Shao Shang will deliver. Here’s the thing - she was never that impulsive in part one. We saw her plan and scheme a sweet revenge quite a few times. Rarely ever she just randomly jumped into action without prior preparation. They amplified her hot-headed temper so much in part 2, it was hard to watch, and she went from one of my most beloved characters, to one of the most frustrating ones.

Not to mention, she demanded from everyone to accept her for who she is, while not doing the same for others. The egocentrism made it hard for me to like her.

With all that, there was one thing I liked about her character - her strong belief that women are as capable as men. That women can be individuals with their own goals, plans and motivation. That she can be happy and fulfilled without a man. Yes, sometimes they presented it more as her being just stubborn and not wanting to communicate/cooperate, but the overall sentiment stays the same - she knew her value and she knew she was capable.

Here’s another thing about her age though - it makes the romance creepy. I do not want to hear how “time period accurate it is”, because the whole drama is NOT accurate and realistic. Shao Shang with her bevarior in that time period would be dead in a few episodes. There is no reason to keep the semi-pedo age difference between the leads for accuracy, while also making sure everything else does not follow the time period customs and norms. On one hand I had to mentally age Shao Shang to be 18, to feel fine with the romance, but then I had to constantly remind myself she is just 15 to excuse her stupid behavior.

On the stupid behavior - what the heck happened with Buyi? The last few episodes were especially ridiculous. He was known to be meticulous, able to turn any situation for his benefit, and patient with his schemes. Now - all out of the window, left in the trash as he slays his way straight to treason and basically exile. He did not even try to find a different way. The Emperor was so painfully biased towards him, I’m sure he would agree to execute his uncle under false allegations, if it meant keeping Buyi safe.

And what’s up with the massive self-victimization of the leads? Both acted as the most pitiful people on the planet, acting as if they were the only ones who ever suffered hence their actions, no matter how egregious, were justified. Buyi thinking he never felt real love since his childhood is basically a slap in the face to the Emperor, Empress and even Consort Yue. All these people literally cared for and loved him more than their own children. Buyi had literally such a huge support system, and he willingly refused to use it. His loneliness is on him. It’s his own choice. He literally refused all the love people were giving him.

In the eariler episodes I was joking around saying he is basically a psychopath, because he distresses by torturing prisoners and hunting down traitors, but the closer to the end of the show I got, the more real it became. Dude was a psychopath. Machiavellian might be a better term.

Family drama, all the tea spilled during the dinners and gatherings was an easy 10/10. Shao Shang went from 10 to 5, back to 7 on good days. The romance was lukewarm, and Leo Wu carried it all on his back. Sorry, but Shao Shang gave me nothing in that aspect. Technically she did say she loves him and all that, but did she really? Like, really? I felt nothing, not a tiny bit of romantic feelings from her to Bu Yi. One day she was questioning what love really is, and how it feels, next day she was making some random love declaration and lecturing others about her undying love for Bu Yi. And my brain went - since when? How? It was literally: she doesn't love him, next scene: she loves him. And even then it felt more like her trying to convince herself she loves him, rather than her actually having these feelings. So since I did not understand when and how she fell for him, even the more emotionally impactful scenes felt a bit flat.

As much as I disliked the writing, I have to say the performances were truly strong. Especially Zhao Lu Si - this girl has such an emotional range I am amazed every time I watch her on screen. Leo Wu did well delivering the emotionally broken man too, especially during the more intense scenes. Other roles were not as demanding, but the performances were just as solid.

Another really minor and random thing that was good - some kills. They did not shy away from blood and truly showed the injuries and pain that comes with slashing someone up and running someone over with a horse.

Overall, I think I just feel disappointed? It hit me while watching the last episode, how good part 2 could have been if it was focused mostly on the separation and what happened after they reunited. The more serious and dramatic tone would make sense with the characters being older, the angst would be more impactful if it lasted longer than a few episodes. They would have had more time to show how Shao Shang changed through the years, and how she matured. I also feel like it would make much more sense if she truly fell for him after they reunite in the future.

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