hello i don't declare war

this drama basically went through what some kdramas go through; a curse.
it starts really great then after 6 or 10 episodes.... you're sat there wondering, "what the heck happened?"

truth be told, i actually enjoyed this at first. i loved seeing a female character standing up for herself, being independent and just overall a wholesome character. i could relate to her being chaotic when things were tough. just really great stuff.

i think what i'm bitter about is that i do not see any character development? at all? like yes they do sort of try to convince us, the viewers that such change has happened but i don't see it? after those glorious 10 episodes, it fell quite flat with no substance left to be milked. it is to the point that i fast forwarded the remaining few episodes because i was honestly bored with the main characters and wanted to see more of han ji pyung, grandma, the samsan tech trio, sa ha and cheolsan. in those remaining few episodes, i was looking for anything else to wake me up from the snooze town in which the main leads live in.

one bonus point is that the ost is absolutely lovely.

to sum it up, start up is not entirely a bad drama but it does fell short in terms of the way the story progressed.

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I watched the first episode of this when it started airing but I wasn't feeling it so I put it on hold. I thought this was going to be one of those overdramatic love triangle thing and nothing gets properly resolved.

Whew boi was I wrong.

Dark blue kiss feels different compared to other BL dramas as it portrays a realistic view on a gay relationship that has its conflicts and misunderstandings with the addition of not being out to the public. And in this drama, they do address how hard it is to come out as it is not the same for everyone.

I think what I liked the most about PeteKao is that they balance each other well and they have actual proper conversations. In other words, they know how to communicate with each other. This also shows that they've dealt with many problems/fights before but what matters is they sit down and talk about it. Communication is key!!! (Other BL dramas, please take notes)

Hmmm... SunMork... I mean I love these two but the way their relationship bloomed which was that night at the bar.... maybe it's just me... it lacked a bit of climax?? (Well, we all know another kind of climax happened hA ha ha) Anyway, it's good that Mork and Sun found each other as they both need some warmth in their lives.

The female characters??? I love them all!!! Sandee, Manow and Kitty?? The holy trinity omgg I absolutely love that the girls were written in a way that is likable to the viewers. We don't get to see that very often in BL dramas so that's quite nice to see.

Pete's dad and Kao's mom??? They're the parents that everyone wish to have. It's super heartwarming to see how supportive these two are with their children. It makes me feel kinda bad for Non... this kid deserves a better guardian that will lead him to a better path. Non's dad should realise that the way he treats his child is no different to how you forget and leave something in the oven to burn. It's okay to discipline your child as long as you're not overtaking their freedom in having their own aspirations and goals of what they want to do. Teach them, talk to them, be with them but don't act like you're never in the wrong.

Overall, this was like a breath of fresh air. I wish to see more BL dramas written in a similar way and not just "I'm not gay. I only like ***".

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a reunion of two individuals who once lost their way

was this cliché? maybe. yes but also no.

i liked the way the story was unfolded, how every object in the house symbolises a valuable memory for the leads and also how the camerawork and aesthetics matches well with the scenarios. the slight comedy fits as well and didn't feel over the top. the way everything was played out in this movie seemed to be carefully pieced together and properly showed how beautiful character development is.

it would've been really interesting for an alternate ending where the two completely part ways as they ended on a clean note. while the ending may seem cliché, it felt fulfilling or like a sort of relief. the chemistry between the leads honestly made this movie a joy to watch and i might start watching more of their work.

overall, what a wonderfully directed and written story of romance where a rough start brought about a hopeful ending.

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A Beautiful & Tragic Gem

as someone who watched wuliang first, this made my heart ache. this short film revolving around Xiao Wei, Pei Rong and Wang Sheng makes you question, 'where does love come from?' 'how does love come to be?' or 'who loves who?'

with a stunning production and amazing cast, this short film definitely HITS you in the right spots. you will feel the pain the characters felt, the love they felt and the confusion xiao wei felt. i haven't watched the original but this remake really nailed it. there was something absolutely ethereal and haunting about the story.

xiao wei was a very interesting character because he is morally grey. he couldn't understand what he was truly feeling so for him to have 'emotional' connection to the husband and wife took a wild turn for all the characters.

overall, this was yet another amazing short film. i can find myself watching this again because there was so much that happened in just 31 minutes that i need time to process. my one advice would be to watch this before you watch wuliang to avoid feeling an empty void in your heart.

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A love that is true but keeps tumbling over.

[I'm aware that the ending is one of the heated topics right now but I'm going to try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible.]

Whew.... this drama was BRUTAL.

It is so rare nowadays to find a drama that you get so into it and y'know what makes it better? 'My Dearest' was not entirely a predictable story even though we were all made aware that it wasn't going to be a jolly one.

A story of two imperfect people who are in love but due to their circumstances and unresolved misunderstandings, their love keeps tumbling over. Yoo Gil Chae and Lee Jang Hyun have such a gosh darn sickeningly, amazing and addictive oozing chemistry that whatever awful thing hit the fan, I found myself rooting for them. Truly great performances from Ahn Eun Jin and Namkoong Min.

I was in for a treat when I realised just what I got myself into: pure but beautiful angst. At first, Gil Chae was that character that I found entertaining, might be a bit immature and full of herself. Yes, she has the milkshake that brings all the boys to the yard. And damn right, it's better than yours. However, she totally bloomed into a strong and reliable character that I grew to love. Even then, she has always been a woman that was capable. Is she perfect? No. She has her issues but they're also understandable. For Gil Chae's case, she couldn't accept that the man in her dreams could be someone else other than Yeon Jun. While I know many might disagree with me, I personally like that the drama highlights that feelings for someone don't shift that fast. If this turned out to be like any other romance drama out there, it would no longer have a unique perception of a romance story. Maybe I'm just a masochist but it's nice to see something different for once.

The drama has some really nice screenshot-worthy moments (most of the time). I really like the camera angles and editing on this one. It adds details to the scene and makes me want to tear up even more. The music was not bad too. The cast was amazing. Not one person here missed. If I were to nitpick, I think the timeline was a bit weird on the last episode. Overall, the production quality for this one was pretty good imo.

By the way, can we appreciate that the women here are not fighting against each other but instead are standing up for each other? We don't get to see that in dramas very often and I genuinely appreciated that the writers didn't create unnecessary drama between my girls, Eun Ae and Gil Chae. They had the most precious bond in this drama despite Gil Chae's feelings for Yeon Jun.

This drama doesn't shy away as it is quite realistic in terms of how the war affected people. The women who had to go through so much hell, the grief people had for their loved ones, how prisoners were tortured and the bitter truth that the poor suffered harder than the rich. In addition, the annoying ones who take credit when they haven't done a single thing for the country.
The great contrast of past scenes to the current one makes up for a good way to show the viewers a clear picture of the situation that the characters in.

I'll try to be as discrete as possible but I believe the ending had a lot of weight more on Gil Chae than Jang Hyun. Are we not going to talk about how difficult Gil Chae's situation was? She has so much that she'll be leaving behind while Jang Hyun has the freedom to go as he pleases. Personally, I also found the guilt tripping and Jang Hyun being inconsiderate of her situation quite frustrating. I'm not ignoring the hurt that Jang Hyun feels but it felt like he was being selfish for not thinking about her case. Both Gil Chae and Jang Hyun were not aware of what went down from their last meeting which caused a lot of misunderstandings. This is also what I like about the ending because usually, in dramas, these misunderstandings might get fixed in a flash but here, it was much more complex and interesting.

I will not mention the person but we all know who to blame. I couldn't accept it at first because I got attached to this character. It is obvious that it was out of jealousy but it was not right. I'm highkey scared of what they'll do next.

In conclusion, I will forever not be over this drama. I was super invested every Friday and Saturday so I'll miss the fun (pain) I had. I'm sure there will be more heartbreak for Part 2 so better brace yourselves. I stand with my rating of 10. After the number of times I suffered, swooned and was treated like a punching bag, it's safe to say that this drama still became one of my top dramas this year.

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winning a medal is not everything

tw// sexual assault, rape

what this drama gave me was more than i asked for. i'm not in any way saying that this drama is simply a warm hug or full of happy pills but it's like a comforting way of saying, "it's okay. you're having it rough right now. it's okay to accept that feeling" similar to the dilemma of 'push or pull' situation, this drama teaches you to 'feel' and not suppress your emotions.

it's clear that ga eul has been mistreated and abused. that's why she locked her feelings and emotions inside a cage. the moments where someone is nice to her, she views it as a form of manipulation. the complex thoughts of "can i trust this person?" was wonderfully portrayed through this character.

in a competitive sports industry, it doesn't help that coach oh is an annoying virus that uses his power to his advantage. while i would've loved it if he got destroyed earlier on, it shows the reality that there are monsters like this in the real world that are favored by big hands. there are those harrowing stories that are not documented but they are very much happening at this minute.

now, let us look at some of my fave parts of this drama:

-a galore of inspiring quotes
there are so many lines spoken that are worthy to be engraved in gold for how much it resonates to the audience. my favorite aspect of this drama is how it emphasizes that weakness is not something to be ashamed of. instead, it can be a sign of growth. to open yourself up to people and be a bit more carefree, you are allowed to embrace yourself more in many ways other than weighing everything on your shoulders. if i were to include my fave quotes, it would take up my whole review.
here's one: "If the world won’t change, I must change. Only then can I survive" -Jegal Gil

-beautiful use of symbolism
i specifically liked the use of crustacean and camel as a metaphor for ga eul. while these are the only examples of symbolism, they both swayed my heart to the fullest and wrecked my heart because of its meanings.

-good combo of comedy, action and melo
there were sad moments. there were also hilarious and badass ones. no medal team was perfectly fitting to the picture. this group involves people who have gone through a lot yet they stand tall and fight against injustice. it's quite a shame they were only used as plot armor when more could've been explored.

-no cardboard characters
everyone in this drama has shit going on. yet, we get to see characters develop wonderfully as the episodes progress. ga eul, lee mookyeol, the whole skating team. heck, even park seung ha started to grow on me (even a lil bit) in the end.

-a lovely twist
as the drama was halfway reaching its final episode, there was a point where i was slowly losing interest. thankfully, the unexpected trio happened. as though an elephant was in the room, this sudden twist somehow converted my worries to laughter and full on wholesomeness. who knew 'he' could work with the very same person he's been trying to crack down this whole time? i just love it.

-important topics were carefully addressed
i'm tired of sexual assault and rape being brushed off like it's nothing. in here, we see how much it affects a person and how hard it is to bury such a horrifying memory.

"Did I bring it upon myself?"

this. it's so sad that even though she's the victim, there is a part of her that makes her feel like it's her fault. in addition, there is an inhumane side to society that shame victims into thinking it's their fault or that they were 'asking for it'.

-the sismance
“Alone, I will not be able to achieve anything. And you’re the one I want to race with” -Cha Ga Eul
although we didn't get to see much of oh sun ah and ga eul, they were the ultimate tsundere duo. they didn't express it through their face but their actions showed they cared for each other.

while i loved this drama, i can't say it's perfect. midway or somewhere the last few episodes, i was having mixed emotions with how the drama sort of shifted from this healing drama to something else. personally, i feel like this drama would've done better with sticking to the way it was. the romance was just so out of the blue for me.

despite the frustration i felt from the final episode, i can't take away my love for this drama. at first, this was an astounding 9 for me but we can't have everything our way. in my heart, this drama did more good than bad so i'm going to let the it slide.

to anyone searching for healing dramas, you're on the right track.
do you have to know about sports to enjoy this drama? no.
'mental coach jegal' isn't just about sports. it's about healing, hope, self-acceptance and anything else that helps you get back on your feet.

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cheesy but enjoyable

i came for the cheese.
i stayed for the cheese.

yes, the concept is not brand new. what i appreciated tho is that the seemingly "bad guy" isn't entirely a jerk... just a tad bit childish. when it comes to the fl, i was so happy she wasn't presented as naive or spineless. this movie really presented a strong fl who won't let her guard down but she's also caring and understanding.

considering this is a high school romance and i try to avoid filipino movies when it comes to this genre, some parts are indeed cringey but the chemistry between the leads is undoubtedly real.

the emotional moments were done well to create a connection for the leads. it was heartwarming to see the ml help the fl during her rough times. i think one thing i wasn't a fan of was how supposedly sophia was viewed to be unattractive because of her braces. thankfully the transformation thing they usually do wasn't major or made as much of a big deal.

overall, this is an entertaining and cutesy movie involving two teens with different lives and underlying struggles.

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what was the point?

there are literally other ways to educate the audience about homophobia... so why?

such wasted potential when the first few episodes had a different feel and perhaps mAybe just maybe they'd show a hopeful tone and say "it is time to address these issues. it is normal to love who you love. no one has the right to tell you different. you are the only to have the right to say it. no one has the right to take that away from you. parents should support their children because they love them and not because of others' perception."

what did we get? a recycled rewritten plot of two gay people dying from a car accident before we get to even see anything else of their relationship.

why kill them off? you do know you could still deliver a way impactful message of two guys standing tall with their heads up and telling the world, "yes, we are who we are. deal with it."

where is the character development? we didn't get to see sandee own up to her mistakes... she literally was blaming shake (his ghost??? the audacity) and being overall on the other side of the plate when ken was in the hospital and even afterlife???? kevin telling her "it's not your fault." when it clearly is! she didn't have to out ken to his mom... then nothing as tragic as that would've happened... ken could've come out to his mom at his own pace

i can't even get myself to rate the rewatch value for this bc no way josé will i ever rewatch this again.

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can't sleep? watch this

this was disappointing...
i came here to have my heart shattered but i almost fell asleep instead

the idea is interesting and the story of eun hae and jae shik could've been brought to life if the writer was sure where they were going with for this movie. for over an hour long, i was told nothing much about the characters and the progression of the story was random. certain scenes felt unnecessary and did not make any difference to the story.

the only redeeming factor was eun hae. those interactions she had with jae shik were heartwarming and i couldn't help but be glued to the screen during those moments. the child that played eun hae will surely have a bright future as she knows how to deliever a powerful performance.

other than a few "awww"s, there wasn't really much to this movie that kept me engaged.

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cute but messy

well... what happened? who knows? i don't. that's for sure.

i haven't read the novel but the drama inserted multiple storylines into one that makes me recreate the mathematical equation meme with me as the confused goof.

from the start, it was refreshing to see completely new faces, very chill cute couples and a catchy ost as well. i absolutely loved seeing solo and gui develop their relationship, no running around in circles of their feelings toward each other. it was pretty clear they were whipped for each other and without confessing, they both can tell. that was a charming way to show the relationship between the two and i really thought i could sit my bum without having to sideeye things. however, this is the bl world and you're sometimes bound to see some problems here and there.

so.... what were the problems?
-no consequence to one's problematic actions
okay. picture this. you're chilling at a cafe shop with your bud and you catch the barista taking pics/making a livestream of y'all without your consent. a normal reaction is get pissed and call the police.
what did dr. petch do?
listen to khim's outlandish excuse that she's some lgbtq+ guru and that the he's the one in the wrong and soon some total A+ bs happens of dr. petch doing exactly what khim did, hurting other people in the process... and they fall in love.
don't get me started with the attempted sexual assault on solo and how it was brushed off without that girl and her accomplice facing consequences.

- "boys don't cry"
whew.... i don't know if this is a mistranslation but wow this line irked me. when will this type of mentality be erased? everyone deserves the right to cry their eyes out! the fact that solo said this to moon, a literal kid was astronomically disappointing.

-the father a.k.a dementor
i'm still flabbergasted about how solo's dad literally stalked him for years and then when he was beginning to find his source of happiness, this dementor dude emotionally abuses, locks him up and starves him. is solo his son or a prisoner?
also, you're telling me he made gui suffer along with his son as a test to their relationship? nope. bye.

the main leads are not entirely bad actors as seen in emotional scenes such as the death of big mama and when solo got locked up and also the card denied scene. those were pretty good performances. this then makes me wonder why the acting seems out of place at times. the facial expressions can seem blank and not conveying any emotions at all. this also applies to phu's actor which i did love but was stiff at times. kao's actor was decent, the character was playful but also delivered well written lines.

overall, this can be a hit or miss. the storyline is quite messy (if only the doctors and khim wasn't dragged) with a bit of an underwhelming ending but if you like cutesy couples, this is for you.

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brace yourselves

seeing the mess that is the first season and being salty about the ending, i ask myself everyday "why bother watching season 2?"
the answer is i'm a clown and this drama is a circus. hence, i belong in this drama. frankly, despite the characters making my blood boil with their idiotic decisions, this drama is quite addictive. what are we here for? the drama. what do we get? THE DRAMA..... and a bucket of tears.

the friend group consisting of boom, boyo, stud and earth contribute to my high ass blood pressure but ya know what? i love them a lot. i love how they're super supportive for each other and it's evident they went through a lot of shit together. i may not approve of the decisions or choices they make 120% of the time but i love their chemistry.

while in real life, a character like bew isn't easy to forgive.... you feel sympathy in here when given a proper character development. love is supposed to not involve absolute desperation to the point of going overboard and harming others. that is not love. that is obsession. seeing boyo forgive bew and become her friend was honestly admirable. it would've been nice to see more of bew hanging out with the group and seeing what she's up to. if season 3 were a thing (i'm not expecting anything), i'd like to know if bew and tod got together as it seemed like that's what the ending hinted. it was great to see enemies at the start become the best of friends at the end. we rarely get to see such an outcome so props to whoever decided on that idea.

math who? the stud x earth x sam dilemma was the trickiest problem i ever came across. earth's whole life revolved this gOoD boY bEsT boY image and with time, he eventually combusted. earth spent his whole life not being able to break out this tightly packed bubble that is a white picket fence "perfect" life" and his "perfect" boyfriend. he never really figured out what HE wanted. all his life decisions were depending on sam and about 5 % of it were his decisions. i can't blame earth for being out right brutal to both sam and stud but i also don't agree with him cheating. with all this chaos, watching earth break up with sam in the finale was so cathartic and heart breaking at the same time.

amm and criss was such a breath of fresh air from the rest of the couples. this couple is probably the healthiest one and amm is just amazing ohmygod. this girl is hella strong. i love how this couple communicate their feelings and try their best in rough situations because they truly love each other. i appreciate the efforts in representing a lesbian relationship and shining light on asexuality and mental illness. i already made up my mind that i'd riot if this couple didn't have a happy ending so i was super happy seeing my babies get back together.

we have some badass women who don't need no men like music and boyo then we have locker. bro is such an idiot thinking his same old tricks would work on boyo and music. if anything, boyo and music deserve each other. two independent badass women against the world.

i don't think i can ask for a better ending to this series and i wouldn't ask for a season 3. this drama promoted the concept of self love with characters like boyo and earth and the ending scene of boyo smiling in bed alone radiated the drama's message greatly. love y'all selves first.

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are you looking for a light hearted drama that'll deceive the heck out of you, take a whole ass u turn and run you over? well then, you're in lucK hA

i already read the reviews and comments about this before diving head on this drama and when i did began to watch this, i thought "oh.... this looks okay? the main leads are cute.... how bad could this be?"

tHEN BOI OH BOI EPISODE 10

so voldemort (yes idk the ml's name) stalked xia lin for 2 ish years, faked her medical results and took advantage of the situation and tricked her into a marriage

love.... is the moment???????

i really can't wrap my head around it.... this isn't love... this is gross, creepy and hella wrONG on so many levels so whY oh why did xia lin forgive this guy???

am i supposed to sit here and feel bad for this dude? i would've liked it better if xia lin completely removed this guy from her life, contacted the police about it and ended up with chu yan

did i like anything here? yes. three words.
-ost
-doggos
-chu yan

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I don't get it???

In the first few episodes, I was so hyped to see a female lead with a strong personality. It was also funny at first seeing the male lead have those breakdowns over having a crush on the female lead.

It's a running theme for old kdramas:
Why make a strong female lead and then make her fall for a jerk with an indescribable ego?

I didn't like how draggy it got after episode 8. The characters were literally just running around and having a minute or two of a crying session and what do they not do? They don't resolve their problems. And the way they do resolve these problems are just not convincing?

This was like BOF's sibling but watered down.

What made me continue watching? The actors. I absolutely loved the main actress. She delivered her role well. Lee Jong Suk with that emo hair and showing his pipes will forever be ingrained in my memory now. Hyun Bin? Not the best but he did the body swapping convincingly.

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"That summer was ours to keep"

firstly, what a drama this was... i have so many emotions that i went through in these 16 episodes in a span of 3 ish months. throughout this drama, i felt sadness, grief, giddy, soft, frustration, single and most of all, i found all the characters relatable. it was like watching so many versions of myself in a drama. that's when you know a drama is done well. you feel so much to the point that you want to reach to the screen and say, "i feel you buddy"

it's crazy but the friend group almost felt like real people to me. the struggles that these characters had and the funny plus wholesome interactions they had; it all makes me feel nostalgic. twenty five twenty one takes you back to your good days and bad days but manages to take it up a notch to deliver a story in which anyone can resonate with it. i grew attached to the characters, the story and the atmosphere to the point that i kept this drama in my list for more than a month. i couldn't let go of it.

the struggle of adulting, the beauty of friendships, how backward the thinking was to excuse abuse of students, the bitter circumstances of others and how love doesn't always work out. everything is in this drama yet the pacing is not weird at all. if i were to complain about anything, the ending definitely felt quite rushed though i still understood where the characters were coming from.

here's me rambling about other stuff i loved in this drama:
-can we please talk about yu rim and hee do? they're legit so precious and it was a joy to see how their relationship evolved. i think besides the whole friend group and the cutesy romance, these two definitely made this worth a watch. the chemistry was so good that you could almost fool me that these two were into each other.

-i really enjoyed seungwan's character and her strength to go through what she did. she was like a mom in the group.

-ji woong was also fun to watch and he was really cute with yu rim. everything about these two were fluffy.

-hee do!!! my sunshine! i love everything about this girl! she's the literal definition of the meme "never back down never what" she improved so much as a character but she always had that fighter spirit in her. i'm proud of her.

overall, i really enjoyed this. this drama is something i wouldn't mind rewatching in the future but i'd definitely need some emotional support. it is a one-of-a-kind drama that you won't get to see much of. the great pacing, wholesome friendships, beautiful romance and meaningful lessons are all what makes this drama such a good watch.

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a movie ahead of its time

i tried to watch this movie a few years back but got piled up with uni work. picking this back up was a good thing. besides the hilarious moments, there were hard-hitting scenes that fully grips your emotions.

a part of me is happy that an lgbtq+ movie like this remarkably shows the deeply rooted feelings and struggles of internal homophobia. even though the real world is slowly becoming progressive, we can't deny there's still a long way to go. the wounds from words and abuse that lgbtq+ community face is very much present to this day.

min soo and hyo jin both deserve their lives free from discrimination. what i loved from this movie is seeing them standing up against the world and telling them, "if you can love, why can't we?" i liked kim dong yoon's performance during those powerfully emotional scenes. he truly knows how to deliver. hyo jin's scenes with min soo were fun to watch and the serious parts were done well.

what i was a bit bitter about was that i wanted to see more of hyo jin and seo yung. it's already a rarity to see a lesbian couple so i was bummed to not get much of an insight into their relationship. i mean, c'mon they're also main characters so why didn't we see enough of them? however, i do appreciate the actresses for playing their roles well though they didn't get enough screentime. despite it all, the ending does make up for it

one more aspect of this that i side-eyed was that there were gay characters that seemed to be stereotypes. even then, despite the acting being a bit over the top at times, g voice had a lot of comedic moments.

overall, this was a movie that aims to not only make you laugh but also open your eyes. with a great balance of comedy and seriousness, i'm not ashamed to recommend it.

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