tuhr

if you can get over some comically terrible nc scenes then this is pretty cute. the actors are perfectly cast and i like how their relationship develops over time. i just cant get over how it completely misses the mark on how the intimacy is directed. they just look so stilted and awkward, though it does get slightly better in the later episodes. i also think a certain conflict was resolved too easily. overall this wasnt terrible but i expected something far bolder a la The Novelist

it does feel shady like did they need to mention him failing at being an idol so many times lmao

i didnt expect much from such an absurd premise but i actually really enjoyed this. the plot is kind of nonsense but carried by the main cast and the leads have good chemistry. admittedly i was a bit thrown off by how the ml looks so much older but he won me over by the end. i think with a bigger budget (so they could actually afford players for the soccer games lol) this couldve been really great, but its still a cute and funny watch as is

Beyond Evil
The Scarecrow (haven't seen yet but hear it's good)
The Prosecutor's Proposal

also these two are less solving crime moreso fighting corruption but may be up your alley:
The Devil Judge
Bloodhounds

youre right i got the names mixed up haha, thanks!

thats true. im interested to see how things turn out but at least now haoyu seems really insincere like everything he does is calculated

this is objectively terrible but it fails so spectacularly at virtually every aspect of production it almost creeps into so bad it's good territory for me. i just cant believe that this is a real show that exists. like an entire team of people worked on this watched the episodes back and decided this was the final version that was ready to be released to the world. id say this feels like a high school film project but i think even high schoolers could do better. this feels like everyone involved lost a bet and just wanted to shit out a bl series as fast as humanly possible. so many shots are so obviously first takes/blatant mistakes that were just left in post. other times several different takes of the same exact shot will be included as if they couldnt decide on one. whichever video editor they hired off fiverr was clearly smoking crack. what little plot there is is genuinely incomprehensible as if entire chunks of the story were removed. this is my The Room (2003)

my hall of fame moments:
- the random ripple transition effect thats used once in ep 3 and never again
- the plant being moved out of frame in ep 4
- putting a bandaid on a nonexistent wound in ep 6
- the fork being slapped away in ep 8

i wasnt sure what to make of qi haoyu and han lu's relationship intially but it seems like theyre meant to parallel yushao and qinglang from 7 years ago, which if the case makes me feel bad for the inevitable heartbreak when hanlu realizes haoyu was just using him to catapult his career. i find it interesting how important the concept of cp (couple) seems to be in the industry to the point where you have someone like yuhao willing to resort to all sorts of crimes just to capitalize on the hype

im not sure how to feel about this after possibly the strangest confession ive ever seen but it was cute i guess

this wasnt great but enjoyable enough if you can turn your brain off and not ask too many questions. it's pretty obvious that the villain guy is the only one whos actually an actor, while the rest are just there to look pretty and kiss each other. still there are worse ways to kill an hour

this was cute but sadly too short. i feel like we sped through the years too fast and a bit more development especially in the early stages of their relationship wouldve gone a long way. i will say the ending was really beautiful (specifically the directors cut version). also the cameo of shigu and haoting from modc was really cute

i laughed at the candle blowing scene so hard it was beyond parody like yes we get it hes weak and timid but jesus can he get any more pathetic

this was an odd one but i liked it. the interactions between the leads were really fun, but i think it was lacking some development in the romance department (though i guess that couldnt be helped given the short runtime).

yeah i remember being confused too, this review helps explain the backstory from the book a bit https://mydramalist.com/profile/Blkittykat/review/470782

thanks for playing! i might make region specific quizzes for next time

i was planning to drop this but eps 4&5 werent half bad. i like hae ge and his very expressive eyes, and the leads interactions feel more natural

my theory is that sometimes lower budget productions end up having more/longer episodes because they dont have editors to tell them to cut down lmao

thank you so much for playing, i also really enjoy your quizzes!!

i havent read the book but honestly i think this portrayal of fang chi is even more insidious because he comes across as well-meaning enough to where you almost forget how incredibly controlling and manipulative hes being. like is he really helping gao zhun heal or is he just making him 100% dependent on him

the constant flash forwards and flashbacks are incredibly confusing i have no idea where their relationship stands but i guess theyre back together(?). also not sure how i feel about the reveal the luqing was trying to protect xiaofan like its giving noble idiot. i think his friend put it best like why couldnt he just tell xiaofan about his mom and spare him the humiliation rituals