Reviews

You Can’t SHAME The SHAMELESS

Shen Wenlang is a blabbermouth who have the emotional awareness of a tablespoon, Sheng Shaoyou is a fluffy bunny with the temperament of an angry wolf, Gao Tu is a professional lair, and Hua Yong is…well, there’s a lot wrong with Hua Yong, but imma leave that for later, cuz right now I’m in a hurry. My aunt just called a family meeting, my grandmother is pregnant and she ran away with his boyfriend so…

WTH was that ending? People where are we running to? Who is chasing us? We were this close to perfection.

Anyway, I know for sure Hua Yong managed to manipulated me through the screen too, but I just can’t prove it. Cuz, tell me why I started this drama screaming at his lying arse, and here I am today, ready to defend him with all I have. Regardless, it isn’t much, just a half eaten sandwich and some gum, but still, I’d gladly give them away to defend that lunatic, who frankly needs to be smacked in the head with a Bible or put in a straitjacket, cuz the mfker is cray cray.

And I thought Cir (Boy Next World) was a psycho for inventing a whole parallel universe just to get a boyfriend, turns out there are levels to being a Lunatic when it comes to love. Let me lay it down for ya.

THE LUNATICS HOT 100: BL AUDITION
#1 Duan Zi’ang (New entry) = Kill to Love. REASON: Dude went to war and destroyed an entire country so he could kidnap his ex-boyfriend in hope to rekindle their doom relationship. Spoiler alert: it worked-ish.

#2 Hua Yong (New Entry) = ABO Desire. REASON: He’s a Hua Yong.

#3 Huai’ En (-2) = Meet You at The Blossom. REASON: Destroyed the livelihood of his lover’s family, so his lover would only be dependant on him.

#4 Ming (-3) = My Stand-In. REASON: It all started with Ming having a back fetish… smh.

#5 Cir (-4) = Boy Next World. REASON: My man invented a whole different universe just to get the boy.

#26 A Tuo (New Entry) = Secret Lover. REASON: Dude dated every girl who was interested in his crush to keep them away from him. That’s next level dedication.

Just to list a few. The only reason Hua Yong isn’t #1 is cuz the level of causalities he left behind weren’t as much, though, I have no proof, so it’s anyone’s guess at this point.

First off, to get something off my chest real quick. It’s getting real annoying with all these ‘I’m only here for the second couple’ nonsense crap that’s been going on in the bl world lately. “I’m only watching this because of the second couple. I skip all the other scenes except for the second couple.” OKAY AND? Dafug you want, Sharon? A cookie? An award, is that what you want Bob? I need some of y’all to give it a rest, cuz it’s no longer cute.

And I'm not talking about screen time, cuz in the case of Gao Tu and Shen Wenlang, although they were barely in the main story of the novel, I still had high hopes, and want more scenes with them, cuz they didn't have enough for my liking. I want ten episodes of Wenlang begging, Gao Tu being treated like he deserves and lots of kisses, but ya, we got what we got, and that finale was...yeah.

Anyway, so yes, I get it, sometimes we all get second couple syndrome, or the story of the second leads interest us more, but some of y’all have started to make it your entire personality and won’t shut up about it, to the point you start hating on the main couples, and have to let everyone and their mama know you're only here for the second couple. In the last couple of months alone, I saw it with Revenged Love, The Next Prince, Memory of Rati, to mention a few. Like, we get it, you are not that special Susan, go sit down.

I watched this drama for all four characters and l did not skip any scenes, and let me tell you, I had the most fun without being bitter and counting screen time even in effing previews. These four characters made the show and I remember them all equally and fondly, cuz really, it’s a story about MEN BEING PREGNANT, even if Shen Wenlang and Gao Tu were in the entire series for 5 seconds only, we’d still remember them. Cuz again, mpreg. Arrg.

SHENG SHAOYOU
32, 33 exes who were soft and loved to cry. Yeah, at some point we need to dissect this behaviour, cuz damn ho! Hua Yong was right, Mr. Sheng is a playboy, cuz did y’all see the moves he put on in the beginning of the drama when he was trying to get Hua Yong’s cookie? OMG, that s-tier Alpha was on!!

Mr. Sheng’s temper was adorable, omg, who even looks that cute being angry? Worse thing, it was just a front most of the time for his softie heart which was just so forgiven, cuz forgiving Hua Yong after he pouted a little and looked real sad at the cameras for an episode was wild.

I felt so bad for Mr. Sheng when he was being manipulated. Him and Gao Tu needed hugs, cuz those two best-friends (Don’t tell them I said this) from Country P had them and me stressing with their antics. I cried with him when Hua Yong left after attacking him. Hua Yong in the name of love put this poor man through heartbreak, high levels of stress, emotional abuse, physical pain that needed trips to the hospital, childbirth, Shen Wenlang, an identity crisis, and well… Hua Yong. Poor, poor fluffy bunny.

On a side note, Mr. Sheng is not all that innocent. The 33 crying virgins aside, dude was hitting that Omega girl while in a situationship/living together type of thing with Hua Yong. And, he was too soft-hearted and forgiven to the people around him. His father, brothers, Hua Yong. The way I’d have milked my anger with Hua Yong. But, after everything was exposed, Mr. Sheng went ‘alright, but lie to me again and walk out that door.’ Dude, that's it? The two s-tier Alphas in this drama were such losers when it came to love. Someone stalked you for years and homeboy went, ‘oh you’re a fan of me.’ No, Bob, he’s a stalker! If only you knew the things he did with your hands while you were sleeping.

Anyway, I love how kind-hearted Sheng’s real personality was, and how soft and adorable he is while secretly loving being pampered. Not gonna lie, I love the mouth on him too. There’s an episode when he was in a hurry, and dude literally shouted at his driver. ‘Have I lived long enough? is that it why you are planning to waste some of my time for me?’ LOL. Imagine if him and Mr. Shen were actually friends, they’d be so insufferable to be around.

GAO TU
My baby, my sweety-baby boo. Oh my beautiful Omega, how I wanna slap you with a rubber chicken. Hear me out, in the beginning I felt so much for Gao Tu to the point, I was looking for tickets to travel into my computer and punch Shen Wenlang in the throat, but as time went on, I went…

Yeah, Gao Tu is literally creating his own demons, and must like being miserable cuz, Sharon why? That fake Beta kept lying, and lying, and lying. Like, we all keep saying Hua Yong deserves an Oscar for his acting, but Gao Tu deserves one as well. He’d kept this lie going with Wenlang for 10 years, that’s a lifetime achievement best actor award right there.

Anyway, I felt the most for Gao Tu, everything with his sister, that sperm donor of his, and being in love with a man who hated Omegas. Man could not catch a break, and I just wanted to bubble wrap him and hide him away. But at the same time, I wanted to shake him. Yes, Mr. Shen sucks, but please talk to him, at least give him the benefit of the doubt for the sake of your friendship. Arrrggg.

I had a protect Gao Tu voice in my head that went, ‘Count your days Mr. Shen, it’s on sight! Whenever he said something hurtful to him.’ But at the end of the day, misunderstandings and miscommunications were their biggest enemy, and Gao Tu was rather the kind who’d rather go quietly into that night than make a whole lot of noise, and so in the end he had to endure all that hurt.

Mr. Shen didn’t suffer enough for my liking, but also, it was enough cuz of the lying. I’m glad our Gao Tu got his happy ending, a lovely son and a lover who…well, he’s Shen Wenlang and he comes with Hua Yong, so… but, he got his love and if he’s happy I’m happy for him. Still, I wanna shake him for making me sad for him when his problems would have been solved with the truth.

SHEN WENLENG
Abeg, make no one’s son come disturb me like Shen Wenlang did Gao Tu, cuz brotha why? At one point I was like, this man needs to rent out his brain and put his mouth out for sale, cuz he clearly don’t know how to use them correctly.

In kinder terms, Mr. Shen is pathetic and an embarrassment. No, I will not be explaining myself. Cuz really, you all saw it. Dude was literally trying to start a fight with a poisoned pregnant s-tier alpha on his hospital bed. He visited someone he’d missed and in love with and immediately insulted his home.

Yes, Mr. Shen’s mouth is a problem, but you know what, I don’t blame him for everything that happened. He trusts Gao Tu who he’s known for 10 years, so if he says he’s a Beta, that’s what he’s gonna believe. Sure, the Omega hating part is all on him cuz of his past trauma, and as a CEO of a pheromone company not being able to smell Gao Tu is an omega is wild, plus he’s emotionally constipated, but at the end of the day, they both to blame. Though, after the finale, I too would have ran away for three years.

Yes, we can argue: how the eff was Gao Tu supposed to know he felt different than the words he spoke? Cuz Mr. Shen was out there pretending to be with Hua Yong, telling Gao Tu his scent smelled, and he wasn’t pretty enough to be office decoration. HAHAHAHAH, No but, why is he like this??

But yeah, huge fan of Mr. Shen, you know, when he isn’t speaking. I think he should become a silent monk or something, cuz whenever he opens his mouth I go: Aeiii fresh boy, mr. mouth, mr spoke inside, mr information super highway, my friend will you keep quiet?

I’m glad he grew the eff up when he found out the truth. Truthfully, Shen Wenlang was the best. Yes, dude should pay taxes whenever he opened his mouth cuz all he did was littered with his words, but he was also a gentle soul. He cared and loved so much. Whenever Hua Yong was sick he was there, sure with an attitude but he was there, and the lights at Gao Tu’s… even being concern for Sheng Shaoyou, and they were born enemies. Plus he's basically HuaSheng’s second dad, cuz he’s the best godfather ever.

Also, I don’t care what both of them says, Hua Yong and Shen Wenlang are besties with a bow, cuz come on. I’m pretty sure someone would be like, ‘Mr Shen, where’s your best-friend, and he’d go, that lunatic? Who’d be friends with that crazy enigma?” hahhaa, but they do care. Asking each other for love advice and whatnot. I have no doubt when he asked Hua Yong ‘you cooking, who are you poisoning?', if he’d said a name and asked him to come and help, he’d complain but still go be look out.’ Best friend behaviour if you ask me.


HUA YONG.
HAHAHAHA. I’m sorry, but this enigma had me dying of laughter whenever he was on screen. Especially in episode 6. FAM!! Dude acted so traumatised, didn’t want to be touched, felt dirty and whatnot, and the whole time the mfker was a virgin. Sheng-xian-sheng was losing his mind with worry and regret, and Hua Yong was probably thinking, ‘1, 2, 3, cry now. 4,5,6 look real sad and shake a little.’ HHAHAHAHA

Every time I see Hua Yong on screen, I go, ‘here comes Mr. Sheng-xian-sheng-ing, he’s about to go, ‘Sheng-xian-sheng’ and completely do something diabolical while looking like an angel. FAM, this enigma for sure needs to be put in a zoo to be studied, cuz why?

No, but, this Enigma saw some foreigner boy one time under a tree and went, ‘that one, I want that one right there,’ and made it his whole identity. He’s a black flag, sure, but when all is said and done, he’s just a loser in love, who happens to have psycho tendencies. Man even had a proposal strategy in place, and while I was going awwww at their kiss, that enigma was like ‘taming desire is like taming an animal.’ Hua Yong trained poor Sheng-xian-sheng like a dog with the cookies. Ahhhh. He wanted that man, and he did not care how he got him, and frankly, I respect that.

Also, I wanna know, did Hua Yong wake up in the mornings and while brushing his teeth went through his scenes for the day? like: Today, imma pretend to be an Omega, make pregnant soup for Sheng-xian-sheng, pack my suitcase in case I wanna be dramatic, get more pink makeup, speak slow and low, make some cookies, oh and overdose on pheromones and almost die to teach Sheng-xian-sheng a lesson. Yep, it’s gonna be a wonderful day. HAHAHAHAH.

Oh Hua Yong. Compared to him, Gao Tu’s lying was nothing. This man was so manipulative and such a professional liar, it took literal natural disaster for his lie to come to light. The gods were probably watching, and Mother Nature was like, naaah, fuck that dude, that’s enough, then boom, earthquake. Then the mfker had the audacity while Sheng-xian-sheng’s world was crumbling to go, ‘Yes, it was me that night. Yes, I am not an omega. Anyway, I love you, can I keep pursuing you?” HE HAD NO SHAME WHATSOEVER. Cuz, dude, read the fucking room.

Speaking of shame, I was dying of laughter when he invited himself to dinner with Sheng-xian-sheng’s ex that time while he was being iced by him. Hua Yong was like, ‘yes, come with us for dinner, I won’t kill you.’ And I was like: ‘Who is us? aint no one invited you to this. Honey, read the room, you are the effing elephant.’ HAHAHAHAH. So shameless. I love him. And yes, I am questioning my morals, thank you.

Like Hua Yong was so good, looking all soft and cute for Sheng-xian-sheng so he’d get what he wants. Me? I can’t even act cute to ask for something from a partner. I tried one time, even stood in front of the mirror to prepare and everything, but at the end of the day all I could come up with was, ‘hey hmm dude, send me money, my pet chicken swallowed a spoon and its in the hospital. She needs emergency chicken surgery.’ Yet, Hua Yong is out there lining up Sheng-xian-sheng’s exes for insight, drafting proposals to get his man and marry him, making soups and cookies, learning to cry, running a company that could literally buy half the planet, while still finding time to be Sheng-xian-sheng’s dream man.

Poor Hua Yong is not a lunatic, no, he has suffered, while having to keep up with his lies, it must have been so hard for him. He worked so hard, and I frankly think he deserves applauds for succeeding instead of that straitjacket. I’m glad he also got his happy ending, regardless he’s beefing with his 3-year-old child cuz he's a jealous idiot, but he’s happy so that’s all that matter.

FINALE: Yeah, liked it, but not gonna lie, I expected more, instead it was rushed and we barely got to enjoy it. I am hoping for a special episode or like deleted scenes cuz... that was just cruel.

Plot-wise, this is a bl drama about pregnant men, I don’t think I need to sale anyone on watching it. Like, you should already be watching it, have finished watching it, or like me, on your 56th rewatch. There's no in-between.

All in all, I read the novel and enjoyed it, so I was all in for this drama, I laughed, cried, cursed and laughed some more. I’m now a die-hard D4 fan, cuz those four were really good in their roles and managed to make me like them outside of the drama as well. I want yearly dramas from them. I HIGHLY recommend this, it may appear slow in the start but trust me, it gets better. Was literally counting seconds to Saturday every week.

I’m gonna miss them. The wait for more drama from them is gonna be torture.

Anywho, thanks for reading and Merry Christmas. Yes, you read that right, I’m now in my enigma era, so I do what I want and I aint gonna follow no damn calendar, so Merry Christmas!

Leggi di Più

“It’s not about getting better. The next stage just comes...

Then comes another stage, followed by more stages to go”.

I don’t think I have ever watched a show that introduces so many interesting topics to think about in such a light and heartwarming manner. The episodes might have been only 24 minutes long, but the impact lasted for hours, making me reflect on my opinions, thoughts and behaviors.

From the opening till the end - it felt both realistic and strangely eccentric and dream-like. Following Ha Jyung on the trips allowed me to take a moment to just relax and enjoy the views and the scenery. The straightforward and honest personality of our female lead added to the charm. I also appreciated how real her character was - a normal person in normal circumstances, taking a break from the busy and overstimulated world.

The wide range of topics tackled in the show included, but was not limited to: reflecting on our past goals and dreams, the role of an educator, adults' involvement in creating certain paths for children, focusing on their future rather than the current happiness, the disagreements and different perceptions generations have, where we always villainize the other side, not seeing the flaws in our own thinking and behavior.

We were faced with questions like: is striving for success correct, or should we just focus on doing what we love, even if it does not bear fruits? Why is it so hard to show interest towards another person and since when saying “I love you” or even “I like you” becomes so hard, that we found new ways to convey exactly the same emotions?

This is not all, and I’m sure each and every person would focus on different aspects, different scenes and different lines - seeing their own unique version of what’s presented in the drama.

Lee Na Young was such a perfect casting choice to portrayal Ha Kyung. On one hand her character was truly relatable, on the other hand she had her own charms and quirks that not many people possess. Creating a character that is both unique, but also relatable is not an easy job.

The production was stellar. All episodes were filmed, directed and edited in a similar fashion, but at the same time, all had specific tricks that enhanced whatever story was told in each episode. Be it adding more blur and slightly distorted shots to create these dream-like sequences, or using first person perspective to make viewers connect to the scene and potential feelings the characters are experiencing. The soundtrack was the cherry on top, making me want to drop whatever I was doing and set on a trip myself.

Overall, I feel like no matter how much time I would spend on writing this review, it would be impossible for me to truly convey how much I love One Day Off. It's a rare clean 10 for me.

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How to be a Family

The idea of a contract marriage, and seemingly a child from a previous marriage, didn’t appeal to me initially. But how the story is being told and how everything unfolds make this drama a very worthwhile watch. All the characters are lovable despite each has his/her flaws, making them believable. A child is always the center of attention, and here this cutie is the most adorable child in recent dramas. What seemingly a fake relationship and marriage that initially try to address the psychological issue of the boy by giving him a complete family that he craves, have become a real outcome as the fake parents fall in love.

He (pronounced as “her”) Qiao Yan (Wei Zhe Ming aka Miles Wei) is the CEO of a conglomerate owned by his family and a single father. He loves and dotes on the child, at the same time tries to discipline him like an adult. The outcome is ineffective and hilarious until he meets Qin Yi Yue (Hu Yi Xuan), a child psychologist. Seeing how readily He Wei Fei aka Xiao Bao (Lennon Sun) takes Qin Yi Yue in as his own mother, He Qiao Yan coerces Qin Yi Yue into a contract, with high compensation, to be a pretend mother of Xiao Bao and a pretend Mrs He, for he is a “number” guy who does everything in black and white. Little does he know he falls head-over-toes in love with Qin Yi Yue himself. He misses and thinks of her whenever she’s not around, and he would find ways and means, using Xiao Bao as an excuse, to see her. The interaction is cute and hilarious. The family dynamics are warm and pleasing. What seemingly two very different personalities, he is meticulous and analytical, and she is spontaneous, come together and form an enviable family with a ready-made son.

He Qiao Yan is a person who doesn’t express his emotions very well and openly. He doesn’t understand human relationships and has lived a monotonous life. In other words, He Qiao Yan is a boring person and Wei Zhe Ming captures that 100%. Despite being an immaculate person, I really love how he acts to protect Qin Yi Yue by dropping everything he’s doing and come to her rescue. He Qiao Yan may be a genius in everything but is an idiot in love relationship.

This is my first drama of Wei Zhe Ming. At the first look, he didn’t appeal to me. But he grows on me and by the end of the drama, I find him the most eligible single father to die for. His acting is so convincing with small little facial expressions such as a raise of the corner of his eyebrow, a blur look on his face etc, capturing all the essence of his character.

Qin Yi Yue is disorganized, intelligent and quick witted. Despite being a doctor, she is not very health conscious as she feasts on junk food. She finds He Qiao Yan a weirdo initially but moved by him when she sees his devotion for the child who is not his, and his consideration for her well-being unspoken. Their love development is gradual and solid.

I have liked Hu Yi Xuan’s acting in “Sleepless Princess”. I find her charismatic with an air of freshness and authenticity. Here as a child psychologist, she is soothing and gentle. Even at times of helplessness, she still smiles with tears and resignation in her eyes.

Chinese dramas will not be complete without some tropes such as arranged marriage for economic benefits which is not much different from marriages of the old days among the royals. And of course, there are the side couples who are also the best friends of our ML and FL.

My Verdict
This is a very enjoyable drama most romance buffs will love. I love it myself. It’s funny and light, especially when it comes to dealing with the child. The parent-child dynamics are really fun to watch. Both main lead characters are mature with a tsundere ML and a warm and approachable FL. Although some parts of the editing are lacking, it hasn’t turned into a disaster and ruined the story. Overall, this is a wonderful drama not to be missed.

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Pretty but soulless

The Silent Sea seems to have all the right ingredients, from premise to set design to casting, but unfortunately somehow failed to truly grab my full attention.
I don’t consider my time with this show wasted at all, I did sit through all eight episodes in three days after all, but this is not a drama I see myself ever coming back to nor thinking about ever again

Visually speaking, this is a very impressive show. Probably the most expensive-looking Asian drama I have ever watched. The CGI definitely didn’t disappoint. And yet, for the most part, the cinematography didn’t leave a strong impression on me. Not implying that it was bad, not at all, I consider this to be a pretty visually stimulating drama, but it wasn’t anything more than competent. None of the shots felt bland or flat per-se but I can’t shake off the feeling, that The Silent Sea just lacked a certain something. Nice to look at, but not particularly interesting. The only thing I can say with certainty is that this show is dark, thematically, but also literally at many parts. So dark in fact, that at many points I was having real difficulties figuring out what was going on. That can be a stylistic choice of course, but I still don’t feel like it was an exactly smart one.

However, in my opinion, the biggest fault of the drama lies in the characters, which I couldn’t bring myself to really care about. For starters, I thought that many of them were too similar in personality. But I also just failed to connect with anyone emotionally. I don’t think that the actors are at fault here, if anything I was more than pleased with everyone’s performance, but it seems like The Silent Sea didn’t leave any room to showcase human emotion. For the most part, I don’t feel like we got to know anybody. There were very few scenes where I got a clear image of the crew’s dynamic with each other. I don’t need media to have banter and funny and witty one-liners every second scene, in a Marvel-movie-fashion, but I still needed something, anything from The Silent Sea that would have convinced me that these are truly individual people with their individual flaws, strengths, quirks, aspiration, and dreams.

Plot-wise I think this show was fine. The premise was what originally attracted me and the twists and turns kept me engaged, but I really do feel like a story can only be as strong as its characters and unfortunately, this drama just missed the mark here.

Please don't read this and conclude that I consider this to be a bad drama, I truly don't but it didn't really leave me feeling anything. It didn't make me smile (which, considering the genre, was to be expected), it didn't make me sad, it didn't frighten me, it didn't even really make me think about anything much.

Would I recommend The Silent Sea? Kinda a tough question. Personally speaking, it didn’t hit the spot, but I also feel like this might come down to a personal preference in genres. If you like science-fiction, violence, and (most importantly) cool-looking space-stuff, I’m sure you’ll have a field day with this. If you’re looking for a more emotional experience, maybe skip this one.

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I do not say this lightly - TOTAL MASTERPIECE.

I have seen over 400 dramas. I have given a 10 to a drama only ONE time. But I will say unequivocally right now, that this is one of the best asian dramas of all time, and not only will I award it my second 10 ever, but if I could I would give it an 11.

Learning To Love stands toe to toe with the heaviest hitters of drama like What Happened in Bali, A Million Stars Falling From the Sky, Meteor Garden, Goodbye My Princess, The Rose, Secret, Que Sera Sera, That Winter The Wind Blows, Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Yanxi Palace, Kleun Cheewit, Chugakusei Nikki, or Rise of the Phoenixes. This is so good it's hard to put into words, but for the sake of leaving a review, I will try not to go on too much and keep this brief... while still conveying the insane degree to which this show is both A) a really effing good watch and B) an incredible work of art.

Where to even start....

The main theme of the story is refracted in a hundred tiny ways all throughout -- each character and each action kind of mirrors possible past or future or parallel lives of the other characters in this incredible kalidescope where you can see how any character could 'there but for the grace of god' be another character, and they all reflect aspects of eachother while retaining a deep and unique individuality at the same time. It's so gorgeous how it's all laid out, and how everything subtly connects to everything else. It's just poetry. Every aspect of this drama transcends the sum of its parts in a myriad of fractals that would be impossible for me to describe in less than 10k words, so I'll spare you. Suffice it to say, it is just so damn good.

This leads into mentioning the cinematography which was classic, beautiful, balanced, powerful. Cinematography that actually added it's own voice to the story, like a narrator's voice in a really good book. Plus, it has that throwback feel we all crave and miss so much from classic asian dramas. We all complain that "they don't make em like they used to". Well, this IS like they used to make 'em. So much so, that when they mentioned "covid" at one point, it kind of threw me off for a minute, because this drama feels so much like one of the really good older dramas.

(And can I just mention here that the ost/bgm is a SLAVE to the story. It serves ONLY to accent the emotions carried in the scene, and it is just as perfectly executed as every other part of this production.)

The characters - all of them - are compelling and SO well-acted. A flawless ensemble, led by two fantastic actors that deftly carry the story and convey so many emotions... this was impeccable casting, and impeccable acting. I haven't been this impressed in a long time. This is where imo it stands above even major classics like Rise of the Phoenixes... Kimura Fumino and Murakami Raul Maito are doing double the lifting compared to Chen Kun and Ni Ni in RotP. I almost can't find an equivalent to compare them to, and they deserve to be considered among some of the best performances of all time.

The vibe of this drama has a very classic flavor, the emotional angst and tension is so palpable, so much happens in each episode, not a minute of screentime is wasted. Gives off an aura of 'A Million Stars Falling From The Sky'. And something really incredible happens as the episodes progress.... the story could end in so many different ways, or it could end on any scene itself and still be really really good. You know what's going to happen like a trainwreck in slow motion, and yet you don't actually know what's going to happen at ALL because there are so many possibilities for where the story could go, and as it hurtles toward it's inevitable ending, you still get the feeling like each new scene will hold some fresh magic in it. You get this incredible blend of dread and hope mixed together indistinguishably from one another, and it just relentlessly ratchets up and up through each episode as the possibilities for how it will end keep multiplying. Every character's psyche is peeled layer by painstaking layer and we are afraid and excited by what we will find at the core of each person. Each character is slowly and inexorably pushed towards their breaking point... the true selves they hide to the world have less and less room to hide... and it all feels so volatile and mysterious as you watch it unfold.

I cannot say enough good things about this drama, and I cannot possibly recc it more to anyone prepared for a serious watch. This is gripping and angsty and a little bit of a hard watch, but so so so freaking good. Nailed the ending. Actors are just so incredible here. So much heart and soul are in this.... it feels like a masterclass in what an asian drama is supposed to be.

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Seriously don't watch this one. I was happy to find this drama out since it looked like a GL so I was happy that Viki is getting wlw relationships some spotlight as well.
But damn I was wrong, I can't believe I survived watching all the 8 episodes. The only pros are that both the female leads acted quite good and that I liked the OST but that's all.
The characters are awful, manipulative and cheating. All the relationships (romantic or friendship) are so toxic it hurts.
I'm not even sure if this can be considered GL since the female leads were always like "we're just best friends" and they had friendship rings and each of them got a boyfriend at the end of the drama. Like what?!
Lesbians and wlw in general deserve much better representation than this sh*t.

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Just don't even bother, save yourself the headache.

This deserves a much lower score - but I did enjoy the first 15 episodes, and she did write some damn lovable children, but holy hell was this a disaster, and this writer has been officially blacklisted by me, lol. First of all, not a family drama. Especially if you go in after watching some great ones like Once Again, Never Twice, Five Enough, etc. Definitely more a makjang disguising itself as a family drama. But not even a good makjang. You've got multiple amnesia plots, beyond awful parenting, schemes, a lady who screamed most of the series, a weak ass ML, a female lead that literally never got a break and was always in tears, traumatized children, Sa Ra (she's a whole thing herself), and it goes on. Not a cute healing drama about a older widowed man finding love with his children's teacher.

As many have pointed out in the comments a better title would have been a Gentlemen and a Witch, because somehow Sa Ra was the female lead in this. So much of the narrative was wasted on her and her awful self. The amount of terrible things she did disguised as love, were not love. She was basically an obsessed stalker who wanted a rich husband. If you thought she'd get a fitting end - no, she just left. After everything she did she could just walk away. And the male lead was pretty damn pathetic because he fell for literally everyone of her schemes, even when everyone around him was telling him it was suspicious, which of course hurt the female lead every damn time. At first I was shipping him with Dan Dan but by the end I - along with many others were wondering why she would keep running after this man. And then there's Cha Gun, who was in love with Sa Ra for what? She used him and dumped him every damn time, and he still thought she was a good person?

Literally everyone of the parents were terrible, one trying to sell her daughter off for money and would always play the victim, another one (Dan Dan's dad) who seem liked a timid man but was really a controlling POS still obsessed with his ex who treated his daughter like a child and reacted very hostile anytime she disobeyed him and was consistently disrespectful to his wife's feeling because of his stupid pride. Another mom who just went along with her daughters nonsense specially when her child clearly need professional help who was also a thief. Another who thought she could make up for her mistakes by tricking her daughter and and ex into moving back to the states with her.

Sure there was a happy ending but it felt pretty bitter after everything you suffered through for 52 episodes. Well, less for me since I either skipped through or just flat out didn't watch at least twenty of them, thanks to other people recapping the episodes, lol. Sure I ran the range of emotions from loving it to, eh whats this? to the wtf? to angry to just a complete lack of empathy to eh I guess the ending is cute? But what was the point. All the nonsense in between was just nonsense.

The kids? I give them all the props. Literally more mature than all the adults. The boys themselves were freaking little angels who deserved so much more. I'd keep a eye out for the actors, they were better than some of the rest of the cast. But I guess I should be fair - I think most the cast are better in other dramas.

But yeah, just don't watch it and go watch a lakorn instead. At least you'd be more entertained.

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OK, this was seriously not what I was expecting. I originally thought this was about a spoiled right girl getting into a sticky spot but it isn’t at all that. She’s not a spoiled rich brat. She is smart, confident, kind and hard working. Completely different from so many other rich girl/boy kdrama. I have watched several series that have originally aired on Netflix and they have been blunders. This one was surprisingly refreshing and fun to watch. I laughed so many hard on some scenes. There were many scenes that were heartfelt and that made you feel like you wanted to cry too. I can only give this series a 10. It was unique, funny, heartfelt, romantic and a had some action to go along with it. Even the small fight scenes were good. The leads had an amazing chemistry and the supporting cast really felt like a major part of the series. Their presence was felt and if they weren’t there you’d notice, I seriously grew attached to all the cast.

Love, loved, loved the series. This was so different and fun. The supporting cast had the personalities that made you laugh or cry. I knew when I saw them on a scene something funny was about to be said or happen. They were brave, somewhat smart, loyal to a fault and honest. Loved the female lead as well. Her personality was authentic and just yes.

Watch it. Get ready to laugh, laugh and swoon.

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The Art of Strategic Retreat

Immortal Ascension is the long-awaited live-action adaptation of the hit xianxia web-novel A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality by Wang Yu (忘语), a defining work of the "mortal cultivation" sub-genre. While the novel chronicles protagonist Han Li's thousand-year journey over a sprawling 2,400 chapters, this ambitious adaptation condenses the first 200 years into 30 episodes. It is set in a brutal, realistic immortal world where might makes right. The Heavenly Dao (天道) is indifferent to concepts of "good" or "evil"; the path to immortality isn't about grand morality or predestined genius, but about raw power and survival. Here, cunning, alchemy, and artifacts can trump sheer talent.

Three borrowed bowls of flour for flatbread. That is why an ordinary village boy, Han Li, stumbles on to a thousand year path to immortality. It isn't a profound or carefully considered decision or even a conscious choice on his part —just survival instinct, pure and simple. It begins in Shenshou Valley, a place that opens his eyes to a world beyond his wildest imagination and offers his first chilling glimpse into the callous utilitarianism and transactional nature of cultivation relationships. He picks up the underappreciated skill of gardening and chances upon his most invaluable artifact. From his first mentor, Physician Mo, Han Li learns the core secret to immortality: live to fight another day. He is the master of the art of strategic retreat—my lips would twitch every time he began stealthily backing away at the slightest hint of hostility.

Han Li is an unconventional protagonist. He isn't motivated by naive heroism and chooses a path that is ultimately selfish and solitary. Often underestimated, he prevails through cautious pragmatism and resourcefulness, relying on methodical long-term planning, deception, and fleeing unwinnable conflicts. Despite the running gag that Han Li is very plain, Yang Yang is perfectly cast. His immaculate appearance and radiant, ageless glow convey the aura of a character who is ultimately unattainable. I've never been a fan of his acting, but this is by far his best role. His portrayal is exquisite: the careful circumspection in his movements, the nuanced flicker in his eyes, the micro-expressions that signal he is always watchful and calculating; that fraught stillness when sensing danger; and the intense, cold-blooded ruthlessness in combat. Yang Yang's power, grace, and natural athleticism are on full display. Instead of just standing around uselessly waving a fan (Who Rules the World), he delivers multiple thrilling, intense, and brilliantly choreographed action sequences that showcase Han Li's ability to think on his feet, using his cunning and resources to level the playing field. The visual effects, however, are a bit dated and at times overwhelm the impressive stunt work, detracting from how flawlessly Yang Yang executes difficult mid-air acrobatics while staying completely in character.

I love the decision to shoot mostly on location—it vividly reinforces the vastness, timelessness, and solitude of Han Li's journey. It may have made lighting and framing more difficult to control, but it's far superior to the typical fake, over-lit, and stagnant xianxia set. The plot feels condensed, and the pacing is uneven, alternating rapidly between character introductions, heavy world-building via dialogue, and high-octane action. Some important characters—Physician Mo, Mo Caihuan, and a few of Han Li's Yellow Maple Valley mentors—are fleshed out, but too many others zip by cursorily. While Wang Duo plays the villain with great relish and humor, Wang Chan's character is a cardboard cutout, because Han Li's greatest antagonist is truly the indifferent universe—and Han Li himself, and the humanity he must leave behind.

At times, this feels like a video game, but it is actually a quite sad and profound story. The narrative tone doesn't indulge in sadness; Han Li's moments of temptation and regret are subtle and transient: a pause, a concealed glance behind lowered eyelids, the slightest hesitation, the moment he gives in to a brief hug. It's all in the subtext, in how he regularly shouts out to Li Feiyu, recalling his last mortal friend. Han Li is not a relatable protagonist; it's hard to feel sorry for him, as he does not feel sorry for himself or for the people he coldly leaves behind.

Fittingly, at the end of this first phase, we come full circle to a precious piece of flatbread that Nangong Wan casually snatches from him. Ms. Mo would never have done that. It's why she is not the endgame; she isn't ruthless or selfish enough to accompany him on his journey. While this is not a romantic story, the character who moved me most was Ms. Mo. It is with his first love and final obsession that Han Li almost allows himself to be mortal.

I don't know how to feel about this kind of story or Han Li's path. It is inspiring as a tale of how an ordinary person can become extraordinary. And a sobering lesson about at what price. It is a story that has stayed with me. I have to rate it 9/10.

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What’s with all the hate?!

Reading all the negative reviews I’m stunned!

The message(s) this show sent were so clear, and quite simple to understand. Money will not buy happiness. Even after our main character survived the show, he was haunted by what happened to him. Begin only able to sleep and begin haunted by nightmares whenever he does, made it irrelevant if he had money or not. Because of the things he had to do for those numbers on his phone, he’s just as miserable. And the underlying message was said directly to us: life will go on. No matter what we go though, everything will continue as it used to.

Another criticism of this show that I’ve seen is that it’s „a cheap copy of squid game” which is just baffling to me. Squid game and The 8 game may tackle on the same issues on the surface but the way in which they do so is completely different. Squid game was fair, every player had the same ground-zero, it’s point was mainly the lengths people will go to in order to earn money (small squid game spoiler ahead) proven by how many players returned to the game. The 8 game on the other hand replicated the outside world with just 8 people, rigged from the start just as life is. By creating an ecosystem with a hierarchy we got sort of an „animal farm” scenario with everything returning to higher floors supremacy.

I do have my own criticisms of the show. However overall, for a tv show, this is brilliant. But again, looking at the reviews not everyone agrees with me. Not liking something is fine but the nonsense reasons I see are just insulting.

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5 reasons to watch Fighting Mr. Second

I am absolutely in love. Literally. I usually never write reviews or for that matter watch shows live or pay attention to the BTS stuff but this show grabbed my attention and never let go. It will forever hold a place in my most memorable and favorite dramas not just a BL

1 - Cast/Chemistry

The whole cast is pretty great, from YU’s eyes that break heart to Chih Tian Shih whose monologue left everyone in tears. But the stand out will always be Sam Lin, he is just amazing at making you feel exactly what Shi De is feeling. Who knew a “Hi” could be that sad.

Also there chemistry is undeniable. Whether it’s the angry scenes, sweet ones or smexy times there is always a kind of tension between the 2 mains. They just feel so natural together and never felt forced or overdone.

2 - The Mains

Shu Yi - I love this dramatic baby. He is a force of nature, selfish, arrogant but in such a cute way that you can’t help but root for him in the end. I love that he never backs down from Shi De, always challenges him at his level and calls him out on his crap.
Goa Shi De - I think he is my overall favourite character. He was originally going to be more macho and aggressive but with the input of Sam they changed him to agreeable, bendable , humble and accepting. I think the writer (of the show) said it best when she said that Shi De’s biggest flaw is he’s always been the pioneer in his relationship with Shu Yi and feels like he should go out first to clear the way of obstacles but he underestimated Shu Yi ability to catch up to him so he made mistakes. He holds everything inside and when he explodes it left me in tears of sympathy.

3 - Storyline

The story is quite simple for the most part, it’s about the after of the happy ending. In season one we see Shi De and Sho Yi finally get together but what happens after that? Can young love in all its immaturity conquer insecurity, distance, pride, misunderstandings and get to a more mature place? When you’ve been hurt by your most trusted one, is possible to let go of angry in order to forgive? Can you withstand your partner’s hurt and hatred to earn the forgiveness? Are you willing to walk hand in hand instead of always being the strong one that shows no weakness? These are main conflicts.

At first I didn’t think I was gonna like this as much as the 1st season because the “misunderstanding” troupe is so damn over used but if you roll with it and stick with the characters, the internal reasoning from episode 4 allows you to sympathize with the real why.

One of the shows flaw is focusing on the Alpha plot at the second part of the drama and cutting out the emails scenes that many felt was a necessity. However I felt like the director did the Alpha plot to show the mains working together in a common goal to show a glimpse of what there future working together is like. And it also was a vehicle for Pei Shou Yi and Yu Zhen Xuan to be in each other orbits again.

4 - Music

The music in this show is actually really good, only rivaled by ITTSAY as my favourite BL soundtrack. Usually I find the music overused and distracting because sometimes it doesn’t go with the scene it’s in (I’m looking at you Love by chance and Tharntype). But here it fit the theme of the season because it’s slightly bluezy/moody and YU has a beautiful voice.

5 - Side Characters

I actually don’t really every like multiple couple stories in general because it draws too much time away from the main couples storylines especially in shorter dramas. But here they gave us interesting side story between Pei Shou Yi and Yu Zhen Xuan that was just enough to make me want to see where there story goes in there spin off series without annoying me with too much screen time. I ended up falling in love in Yu Zhen Xuan in episode 6.

Will I rewatch this drama? Yes it’s now cemented in my heart as 1 of my favs. Should you? I say don’t hesitate, some people might find it not as fluffy as the first season or can’t overlook some flaws but give it try cause it might surprise you.

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a coming of age story with 3 protagonists

Overall: the first half of the series had me hooked as a romance/coming of age. However, the addition of a 3rd protagonist and the lack of romantic progression changed the focus of the story which I did not enjoy. I think I read the first volume of the manga a long time ago and I've seen the prior 2017 movie but I'm basing this review on the 2024 series' own merits. 12 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4485/i-hear-the-sunspot-2024-e01 and iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/i-hear-the-sunspot-episode-1-2556woqrs6s?lang=en_us

Content Warning: punch, grief/mental health struggles

Watch Suggestions (to focus on the m/m leads)
- watch episodes 1-6
- skip episode 7 (can watch the 40s recap the beginning of ep 8)
- start episode 8 at 14 minutes
- start episode 9 at 7 minutes
- in episode 10 skip 19:30- 21:40
- watch episode 11 beginning to 4:20 and 15 to the end
- watch episode 12 at 12 minutes to the end

What I Liked
- dynamic between the leads (in the beginning half, then they needed to communicate)
- acting
- representation with a character who has hearing loss, showing how even people who are trying to be kind can isolate a person
- generally not a fan of extended flashbacks but episode 2 and the beginning of episode 3 gave us critical background information to understanding the characters and I'm glad we had this towards the beginning of the series
- that Taichi sought communication in episodes 2 & 5
- sweet moments like fishing together
- production value (some really gorgeous shots in the beginning episodes that conveyed things by showing like opening the curtains or how the basketball court went dark and empty, also good shots in episode 11)

Room For Improvement
- started the series with a flash forward and also some of the ominous voice overs
- the camera blocked kiss, I don't care if that's how it was in the manga, we are at a different time and place from when the manga was written and I expected a non camera blocked kiss
- Taichi was written to seek communication but then was unbelievably dense and didn't communicate any more
- Maya's backstory was way too late and the way she was written did not evoke empathy, the writers did her character dirty
- too many flashbacks in episode 9
- anti climactic ending, the finale had a protagonist talking with other characters for the entire first half of the finale

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Have you ever watched a show that made you feel like you are a dirty pedophile? If not, and if you are looking for one, then this one is for you!

Before anything, lets talk about the good things:
1.Newyear and Jur's King and Burger. Newyear somehow reminded me of a young Ohm and Jur's obvious over acting is endearing. I think the series will have a more positive reaction had they made them the focus of this show.
2. Is there a number 2?

Truth be told, I cant tell how anyone behind the show thought this was a good idea. This series is so reminiscent of the director's past works- Make it Right and What the Duck, but it seems like they never learned their lesson and instead amplified what people hated from those shows. Now lets talk about the not so good things:
1. The story. Cramming so many things within a 6 episode show is just too much, plus you really cant tell what the show is about. Is it a love series? Is it a murder mystery series?
2. Just like Love Sick 2, they managed to add another 2 of the most annoying characters ever on a tv show. There's no need to explain why Bookko's teacher is so despicable. And there's Mint's Pakaiwan. Also, special honorable mention to Ning's Pimtha, because
3. I really dont understand why some showrunners are so intent on making girls the villains in a boy-love series. Adding hate-able female characters doesnt automatically make viewers accept boy-love, if anything, its just lazy writing.
4. Speaking of lazy writing- this one seems like a mash up of a few other shows but is much more poorly executed. It is quite obvious that Burger King's story is derivative of Kieta Hatsukoi and there's an abvious attempt to make this into an Agatha Christie show.
5. I mentioned earlier that this show can make you feel like a dirty pedophile - the short shorts (it somehow felt like shorter shorts from Make it Right) is just too much and way too distracting. There was also quite a lot of disturbing shirtless scenes. I remember i was cringing during that scene when King removed his shirt and is trying to strip Burger - they obviously doesnt have what it takes to do that mature scene (they look like naked 10 year olds with those tiny bodies) but to force it does not look sexy, at all.
6. Bigboss' permanently constipated puppy sad look face. No matter what scene he is in, its the same sad face.
7. If they're planning season 2, which we all know is coming despite all the company's drama, I sincerely hoped they kept Pakaiwan dead because we dont need to see her anynore.

What's sad is there are hints that this could be a much better show. Overall, if you lower your expectations, it is still watchable and because of Burger and King i will give it a 6 (and also because i hate giving lower than that). Skip if you can only watch a few shows a week and save your viewing time for something much better.

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