Reviews

If you are willing to go outside your comfort zone, this is a unique drama that gives a lot of room for contemplation. Infidelity is not the usual hum drum romance. These 2 parallel affairs have something is common that keeps you from entirely sympathizing with the jilted spouses: empty, loveless marriages. At times I felt that the affairs were well warranted because the jilted spouses were so incapable of showing love and appreciation that they drove their spouses to seek love elsewhere. It was both tragic and extremely realistic.
The acting is exceptional and the plots twists will keep you on edge. I was quite shocked at how severe Japanese culture is towards divorce. This story would not play out the same way in the US.
In the end, truthfulness is the only way to conduct one's life. And if a woman chooses to have children, her only choice should be a life of sacrifice for her children. In conclusion, this drama is worthy of watching if you are in a relationship or are contemplating marriage. It will make you give pause to showing more appreciation to loved ones. I

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A kdrama with a horror twist is one of my favorite genres of Korean tv and with a show starring Kim Tae Ri, that’s written by the same writer who gave us shows like Kingdom and Signal, I couldn’t help but be excited about Revenant.

The series is mostly a murder mystery that intertwines evil spirits and other horrors into its narrative, which is not so different from many other horror-kdrama I’ve watched. The plot builds the tension within the narrative rather well, and each episode usually ends in such a way that you have to see the next one as soon as possible, but it does have a bit of a pacing issue.

The story works more like a mystery than a horror story in my opinion, but the evil spirits and the Korean folklore about such spirits and shamanism is used in an interesting (but perhaps familiar way if you’ve watched many such dramas) as such a tool to communicate moral questions about society, as well as the weaknesses and behavior of the characters to the viewer, like horror stories of this nature do. That’s the purpose of the horror.

For a while it seems like the story goes in a few too many circles with the main characters’ quest to get rid of these evil spirit, and the narrative loses a bit of momentum towards the middle. There is a lot of repetition and too little progress whether it was in the story itself or the characters own personal arcs, even though we are always learning more and more about these evil spirits and the past that explains the present. But towards the end the story does pick up the pace again.

There are plenty of great, interesting characters here, and of course Kim Tae Ri, like the other actors, is doing a great job in their roles but the drama struggles to give all of them time to tell their story while managing to keep a good flow to the story. There were almost too many character and it breaks the flow. The story affects the characters, but the characters don’t affect the story too much. Therefor the story overwhelms the character a little.

In some instances the narrative does seem to drag things out just because they need to fill the time with something. I’ve seen this screenwriter do horror very well before, as well as murder mystery, but mixing the two together seems to have been a struggle at times. Perhaps if the drama had been allowed to be longer, it wouldn’t have felt like it was holding too many balls in the air at once and allowed the story to breath a bit more or add more things in so it felt less repetitive.

An exciting story that allows the story to unfold through the characters and their actions, but ends up dragging them a bit unhesitatingly forward for the sake of the narrative. There is always something hooking you within each episode, but the build up between each cliff-hanger could have been better in some places. It makes the narrative a bit uneven, and I personally would have liked more horror. But overall a very entertaining watch despite the hiccups in the narrative structure.

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I just finished watching Goblin today, It was an amazing experience. I got to know that never judge a book by it's cover. I can surely say that it is one of the best Korean drama ever, I watched till date. Definitely you wont regret watching it. I am in love with the each and every character in it. This drama consists of each and every element you are looking for whether it might be comedy, romance, action, suspense, love, emotions. Each and every scene in this drama is drawn with some feeling in it. Especially it has a lot of emotional scenes which are worth to watch it. Gong yoo has made an expectional mark in this drama with his acting skills. The writer has done really a great job, the whole drama just flows like a river by revealing the past very smoothly.

Absolutely stunning series! Get ready to laugh and cry during each episode. Best K-drama I've ever watched. It's very emotional, poignant, and hauntingly beautiful a Korean fairy tale of sorts mixed with an amalgamation of beliefs. Every lead performance and supporting performances are amazing.

I won't give any spoilers but enjoy the show for its perfect cast and their tailor made performances for their roles, the amazing ost and art work, VFX and more. This show would be a memorable experience for me to remember in my life.

Definitely go and watch this drama it's truly a work of art and perfection ❤ Must watch and highly recommendable!

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So basically the movie is about humanity, just like the main character didn’t lost his humanity during that situation he fall in, he still help this other girl even narrowing his chance of surviving this hell, and just like how the government authority took advantage of the situation even though they are partly to be blamed as to the fall of the tunnel. The movie will also give you this question “will you choose the life of one person above the lives of other people affected by the situation?".

This is an intensely claustrophobic experience and I am not even a claustrophobic person. They really capture the emotion during the situation, the camera angle, the sounds from falling rocks and the dust particles are what makes it possible. I like the way they insert comedic moments in the situation, it’s hilarious but makes sense, they played it brilliantly. Aside from suspense, the drama is pretty heavy here as the dilemma falls to the people involved like the rescue leader and his wife, you will feel sympathy for them.

The CGI is brilliant, realistic, Hollywood level. The soundtrack will creep you as it brilliantly conveys that situation, lack of sound at some parts that suddenly broken by falling rocks or footsteps is brilliant, it added up to the horror element in the movie. Cinematography is insanely beautiful just made the acting better at some part.

Solid performance from the cast like Ha Jeong Woo, Oh Dal Su and Donna bae they are exceptionally brilliant but we need to commend Nam Ji Hyun for what she has done here because it’s her character that added up layer to the movie and she nailed it brilliantly.


That joke at the end is so good that it adds .5 to my score.


Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/

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Sorry if my review sucks, I've never written one before T^T.

This was the first ever Taiwanese web series I've seen and let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot was a pretty basic one for the boys love genre, which was step brothers falling in love. Although the plot was quite basic, it sure as hell did entertain me. It just added so many cute elements that I had to keep watching and I'd scream every time a new episode was translated. The actors weren't bad at all for a web series. Their acting was very natural unlike some bl dramas where the acting would start off super awkward. The music was nice in my opinion and they did a great job with it fitting the mood of a certain scene. I would definitely watch this series again, especially as a pick me upper. My only complaint is that it was super short and I wish that they made these episodes a bit longer. Overall, this series made it on my favorites list and if you're a die hard fujoshi like me, I really recommend it.

P.S. I heard that the officials of the web series are going to try their best to have a second season for the series because they got so many requests from the fans. *crosses fingers*

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Plot set-piece driven rather than character-driven

Any story needs to be about characters, and the plot driven by the characters. What I mean by that is that a characters' nature or past trauma, etc. needs to drive how they behave and and react to things. For example, if a character was bitten by a dog as a child, he may have an irrational fear of dogs - and maybe falls in love with a vet. That's organic drama rather than artificial external crises or relying on very implausible misunderstandings, which is one of the laziest sins in writing.

The way characters behave in this series make no emotional sense, because the author wants to get from point A to point B, and so that determines how the characters behave. Points A & B were almost always just tired cliches that were not integrated into the plot and did nothing to advance it but were rather just there to be there. A couple of examples:

- The Past Connection. This appears to be irresistable to BL writers (actually a lot of Asian drama genres) - a past connection between Souta and Mahiro serves no plot purpose - it's just there to be there, and as a result it leads to Souta implausibly not remembering Mahiro, because if he did remember him, that would complicate the plot. And so he doesn't.

- The Restraining Hug Fom Behind. Mahiro thinks Souta is leaving, but it turns out that instead he's staying forever. Does that make him happy? No, he gets upset and tries to leave. Why? Why would that upset him? It wouldn't. But then Souta wouldn't need to grab him from behind to prevent him from leaving.

- The Implausible Misunderstanding. Souta drives four hours from Tokyo and arrives at just the precise moment - it couldn't be one second earlier or one second later or the misunderstanding wouldn't have happened - to see Souta hug his boss, who Souta assumes is Mahiro's boyfriend, despite the fact that he knows them both, the boss has actively encouraged Souta to be with Mahiro, there is zero evidence that they're dating, and it was clear Mahiro was upset, so it is clearly a comforting hug, not a romantic one. But the writer needed to insert the next cliche, and so Souta has to misunderstand, and for no apparent reason decides to become the boyfriend of...

- The Interfering Woman. Ugh. I don't even want to dwell on this, but it chews up an enormous amount of runtime.

The end result is two unrelatable and unpleasant characters who behave inconsistently and are annoying.

The acting is OK. The Souta actor is pretty good, Yutaro is one-note and has no presence or charisma. There is almost no chemistry whatsoever. Mahiro behaves like the wife of an alcoholic in an abusive relationship - he actually recoils from Souta every time they're near each other, and he just looks afraid all the time. Souta manages to express some repressed longing, but it's still not convincing. There is no romantic chemistry between them, and certainly no romance. They barely even touch each other, at least not on purpose.

A positive is it's well-filmed and the setting in the countryside is lovely. Well, Souta gets naked sometimes, and he has a nice body, so there's that, I guess.

Another positive is the Taiwanese store owner, who is an appealing character and causes a plausible (!) misunderstanding when he reads a note that contains kanji characters that mean "former coworker" in Japanese, but mean "ex-lover" in Mandarin, which leads to the series' best comic moment.

Overall this was a total waste of time, and a disappointing squandering of an interesting premise and a strong start. But it goes nowhere, is frustrating to watch, and is way too long for the amount of "plot" in it. I would skip it.

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A simple and ordinary story told with the most imaginative way

 Stories with many plot-twists, complicated storytelling are most of the times what we are looking for because they can easily catch our attention. However, a simple story can be good if it’s done right and in a creative way. That’s the case with “Yumi’s cells”.

“Yumi’s cells” is a romcom but not a common one. It’s a light drama that everyone who loves romcoms can see and enjoy. If you have a bad day, “Yumi’s cells” will bring a smile to your face and brighten up your day. To be fair though, “Yumi’s cells” is not everyone’s cup of tea. The things which make the story enjoyable and unique can also work the other way around. Let’s see what these things are.

The story

 “Yumi’s cells” tells the story of Yumi and her brain cells. Yumi is an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life. We are basically seeing Yumi’s love life and her daily struggles. There’s nothing special about Yumi’s life, nothing extreme or mind blowing is going to happen, so why is this story special? Here is where Yumi’s cells come into the picture.

There are plenty of stories where biological functions of the human body were explained as actions of small creatures living inside the human body. These small creatures can be portraying cells, organs, emotions and so on. In Yumi’s cells they are portraying her cells. Through the cells we see Yumi’s thoughts, emotions, habits, how she is making her decisions and literally everything about her character.

The whole philosophy behind cells’ actions is very creative and well written. Cells' thoughts and actions are very natural and spontaneous and it’s quite amazing how the impact of these is working on Yumi. It feels accurate and at some point, very realistic. Thus, the watchers can easily relate with Yumi and feel all kinds of her emotions and understand completely the cause of her actions. Apart from this, there is also a very funny perspective about the cause of many behaviors and also allegories of some body functions that makes the story really funny and enjoyable.
 
The Webtoon

The story is based on a webtoon by the same name, written by Donggeon Lee. The webtoon contains 512 episodes and the original run was from April 1st 2015 to November 13th 2020. The drama’s first season consists of chapters 1 until 206 of the webtoon. As I have read the webtoon, I have to mention some differences that make the drama good or bad at some points.

The storyline hasn’t changed much, the milestones of Yumi’s life are all there. One main difference is that they have cut many scenes from the cells and added more to the humans. That way, the screen time between cells and humans is balanced which is a good thing cause the story focused more to Yumi and not to the cells like the webtoon. They also cut some episodes from webtoon that were fillers. Thus, the story is more fast paced than the webtoon.

However, cutting many scenes is also a problem as it destroys the natural flow of the story. The story is moving way too fast and it doesn’t leave any space for the relationships’ dynamics to develop. That’s why some situations seem a little bit rushed or/and forced.

A personal negative about the cutting scenes is that many of them are my favorite parts of the story. I was excited to watch these particular scenes on the drama but they never appeared so it’s only logical that I was sad and disappointed about it.
 
Another difference is that they reconstructed some scenes by combining two or three different chapters of the webtoon as the please, without chronological order. They also added some extra scenes that haven’t been on the webtoon. This was expected to happen, as it happens all the time with the webtoon adaptations. Some of the episodes that have many changes are 5,6 and 7.

I don’t mind changes, if they don’t affect the story and the characters as much. There is one thing that bothered me, a lot. They made Yumi a liar and that pushed her into very awkward situations, many times and, of course, created unnecessary drama. Yumi is a very honest person and that destroyed her image a lot.
 
 
The production

Making a live action for the Yumi’s cells wasn’t an easy task. That’s because they had to mix live action with animation which is very risky. Fortunately, I think they combined these two genres perfectly. 

As I said before, they cut many scenes from the cells and added more to the humans so there was a balance between the animation and the live action. That way, the watchers didn’t get tired of the animation scenes. The scene transitions between the animation and the live action were also very well executed and discreet which also helped the viewers to get used to the animation. The first two episodes will feel a little off but after them, you will enjoy watching this combination.  

The animation style that has been used is 3D animation. Before watching the drama I had my doubts if the animation would turn out bad or good. After watching the drama though, I can say that the animators have done a very good and detailed job and I was very satisfied with the result. The only reason to dislike the animation I think would be because some people generally don’t like animation or are experts and see all the errors a common eye like mine can’t see.




Overall, Yumi’s Cells is not the romcom we usually get to see in dramaland (especially in kdramas). It had some flaws and I wasn’t fully satisfied with the adaptation but I’m happy that now more people know about this unique story. I hope in the future we will see more romcoms that won’t follow the usual clichés and give us something fresh and beautiful, like Yumi’s Cells did.

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Tragic, epic, visually impressive.

"The Slave Hunters" is a cinematic-style KDrama, almost like a movie for the big screen. (It would definitely be an experience on the big screen.) In any case, "The Slave Hunters" has a lot to offer during ist 24 episodes.

There is strikingly selected staging of the landscape. Korea presents itself self-confident with its countless riverscapes and deltas, its mountains and coastal regions. The viewers visually accompany the protagonists on their long journeys across the country.

The accumulation of well-trained, well-structured torsos of the male actors is also characteristic for "The Slave Hunters". There's a lot of work involved, and it's appropriately staged here in numerous shots. Why not?

In connection with its sporty mimes, "The Slave Hunters" also comes up with a variety of brilliant, sometimes spectacularly choreographed fight scenes. Above all, Jang Hyuk once again sets quite a monument with his versatile martial arts skills.

The KDrama also presents - if you like - some Joseon-style parkour. 'Chase' thus gets a nicely invigorating touch. (Side note, in case you don´t know: Parkour is a special form of athletic movement art - a mostly urban steeplechase that has become fashionable in the last few decades. Individuals choose the most effective way to get to their destination, and that's hardly ever the predetermined path. Rather, the urban or natural landscape is re-perceived with regard to potential obstacles and evaluated as to how these can be creatively overcome on the individually chosen route, for example by jumping, somersaults or the like.)

The KDrama also stresses the subject of fatal love triangle in its complex emotionality. Eventually, there are also more love stories in the side plots. Yet, to be honest, the romance aspect should not be your reason to watch... The complicated dynamics might drive you crazy at times, so does the rigid play of the ex-and-again-general.

After all, the story mixes a good pinch of humor with profound wisdom. Surrounded by all the muscle-packed, fast-paced spectacle, the question of how a just society can be achieved is examined, i. e. whether it can ever be achieved at all. As soon as people gain power, won't they always tend to turn their fellow human beings into slaves, chattel or lackeys? And: will a changed political system change the people? Or do people have to change for the system to change? As a premise it is stressed that slaves are also human beings, e. g. that it actually starts with an attitude, that one should not deny any human being to being a human being - certainly not according to their genetic origin. "Slave Hunters" historically refers to the beginning of socio-critical Yangban movements against practiced slavery.

At the same time, the KDrama shows life under simple/poor living conditions - unembellished in all coarseness, e. g. ugly, blustering, brutal, unkempt and uneducated, but still warm-hearted. On the other hand, the fine silk clothings and the well-groomed, educated demeanor of the nobles and officials cannot hide their emotional coldness and corrupted souls.

All in all: It is not surprising that the KDrama in average thrilled more than 30 percent of the South Korean population and received numerous respectable awards and even international nomination. Above all, Jang Hyuk, for whom his role seems to be tailor-made. He fights, jumps, sprints, barks, laughs, cries, digs into the deepest depths of his soul and on top of that presents profound street smart and wise philosophies.

"The Slave Hunters" has a charm of its own. It´s tragic, epic, visually impressive.




---------------- Side Note: --- historical background ----
The historic frame refers to the time of King Injo in the 17th century as well as his son and Crown Prince Sohyeon. As a result of the submission after the second Manchu invasion in 1636, the Crown Prince (together with his wife and other officials) went to Shenyang practically as a hostage of the Qing. He spent his time there working diplomatically on peaceful relations between the Joseon and Qing dynasties.
His commitment also brought him to Beijing, where he became familiar with Western culture through his acquaintance with Jesuit missionaries. However, his father did not like Sohyeon's diplomatic commitment and open-mindedness at all. He feared that after his return and accession to the throne, he would want to reform Joseon with Catholicism and Western values. Prince Sohyeon's sudden death is interpreted by historians as deliberate poisoning. There is some evidence that his own father was behind this. Sohyeon's wife was executed for treason and only the youngest of his three sons survived their exile on Jejudo.
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It may have some minor subplot issues, but is still an utterly underrated Kdrama

Go Ah-in (Lee Bu-young) is a no nonsense woman whose only purpose is to do her job as a creative director in an advertising agency in the most perfect and flawless possible. At first glance, she was able to finally achieve her ultimate career goal when she was promoted as the first woman to be an executive director (Chief Creative Officer/CCO) at her company. However, Choi Chang-soo (Jo Sung-ha), Go Ah-in's superior had another plan in mind.

At first glance, 대행사 (Agency) is an office drama comparable to Misaeng, but given with a company director's POV instead of an employee's. Both are great in their respective stories, and just love them both.

But for this show specifically, I love that it has a fast-paced flow and deals with the intricate office politics and complex world of the creative industry well, especially for people without creative industry background like me. Each episode increases tension between the main characters, and their rivalry really makes the plot interesting. One may think that this "rivalry" may be tiring for the remaining episodes, but with the addition of new stories and characters along the way, the story just keeps more interesting as more layers are being uncovered.

It's also great to know their respective characteristics and alliances on each factions in the office politics drawn early on. It may be seen as boring as we already know which side a side character is, but it didn't bothered me as much.

Jo Eun-jung (Jeon Hye-jin) is the most "fleshed out" character other than Go Ah-in in terms of her background story. It's quite remarkable to see how she is able to balance out her duties in the office, despite her son's disapproval for his mother to work and resign instead. Also, it's great to show that despite her dilemma, she is fully backed with support by her husband and mother-in-law. With this stigma against working mothers in a conservative yet competitive Korean society, it's quite good, if not refreshing, to know how this show addresses this issue. But then again, I didn't like that the MIL and the father wasn't that helpful to Eun-jung in convincing the son for her to work.

Personally, I knew what the outcomes would be, but would is still gagged with how each outcome are shown. It's like knowing that there would be a plot twist, but doesn't know what that plot twist would be. This is true most particularly with the presentation cliffhanger at episode 8.

The only production lapse that I noticed was during a throwback scene on the second ep where the creative office used modern-type computer monitors when it was set in 2004.

After the 1st half, this show now focused to complex corporate drama and chaebol problems care of Kang Han-na (Son Na-eun). She has an eccentric character and seems reckless on the outside, but is actually smart, if not cunning on the inside.

One complaint is that it would have been better pacing-wise had Han-na be developed into someone who can stand on her own despite facing failures, rejection, despair and loneliness. The romance subplot was just too transactional and there were virtually no chemistry between her and Park 부장. But if the writers really decided to insert this storyline, it would have made more sense had it was inserted towards the end (at least the last 2 episodes). I would have no complaints even if it was rushed since then again, I can't see the chemistry of said romance.

Being nit-picky as well, there were some things that this show failed to explained more. First, is Ah-in and her mother's story. After the episode 12 confrontation, I really hoped that there is more to be discussed and more emotions be shown to really have a a fulfilling closure on their issue. It ended even only through a text, which was appalling since it was built-up very well on the earlier episodes. Second, Ah-in and the budding romance with the CEO of a gaming company. The spark was already there and Ah-in could've enjoyed said romance, but it was just forgotten midway. What happened?

The ending was satisfying in a way that it wrapped the main stories very well, in a compelling but not overdramatic fashion. Yes, it was expected, but then again it was executed perfectly in such that it was not boring. The last episode was very engaging in terms of portraying the cooperation of Ah-in and Han-na for their "common enemies". It was the definition of women empowerment in a society where men are still dominant in many corporate aspects.

Still, every episode ended with a bang. I think the reason why it has a lower MDL rating is due to its delayed subbing. It's very surprising how this is not picked up yet by major international streaming platforms given its high ratings in Korea. It may have minor subplot issues, but is still an utterly underrated Kdrama.

SIDE NOTE:
It will be an unforgettable watching experience for the last 2 episodes. At times, I was reading English subtitles, and at others, it was Indonesian. I was really able to maximize my Korean and Indonesian skills just to get the gist of what they were saying. Still, it is a very rewatchable Kdrama and I enjoyed watching it despite some minor subplot issues.

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Anit-BL

What will happened if you realize that you are living in a novel? All of us have dream about it no matter if it’s a BL, Henti, Superhero, etc. But this new show brings a new light of many people, including myself, about the consequences of been in one, especially if you didn’t have any options or power to pick the novel. I honestly was wandering how they will start with this BL, well, antibl. The introduction is very clear with many funny scenes that we are all familiar with. It’s so hilarious that it feels like this show is making fun of how expected things can be in a manga or any bl novel. And we all have thought about it of; how cool would it be if somehow, we get transported to a novel.

We find ourselves following Inukai Atsuhiro (the Mob = extra character in a movie, or any show) in his everyday routine of anitbl and how he strategies in order to fight the world! Yes, it’s him against the BL world.

The most important question that I have about this BL or Anti-Bl is, how is he the only one that knows he is on a BL world?

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realistic. relatable. refreshing.

ik we are here for the "dimple couple" Shin Min Ah and Kim Seon Ho (atleast I am) so I'll skip the introduction. I haven't seen the original work so i won't mention any comparison to it. the plot seemed like something new to me and trailer gave fresh vibes so I didn't hesitate to start (nor do I regret). I'd discuss some aspects in the drama I particularly loved so you may relate to it or consider watching :)

PLOT/PALETTE:
so. back to the drama. a girl leaves her job and goes to some rural place and sees a guy who's... everywhere? I thought it would be cdrama style cliché but it's actually far from that (thankfully). color palette of episodes are really relaxing to watch. I'm not an artsy person and I don't know much about palettes but it's really calming and definitely suitable for the picturesque sceneries.

CHILDHOOD CONNECTION DONE RIGHT:
what i really loved in the drama is that despite the leads having a couple of childhood interactions, they don't give much importance to it and (rightfully) move forward because it was simply a part of their past. it was refreshing to see such an arc because in most dramas, the leads who hate eachother suddenly fall in love because they "vowed to marry each other as 3 yo kids" or whatever, you get the idea.

BEST PORTRAYAL OF LOVE TRIANGLE:
the characters are written realistically and mature. props to the crew for including minor details that may seem unimportant but really adds on to reality. there's no over the top cheesy lines and exaggerated portrayal as seen in many other rom-coms. every single arc (including love triangles) is carried out so well that no part of the drama bores the viewers. I simply can't stop admiring how beautifully the love triangle was carried out because in most case it would simply ruin the overall drama experience.

SIDE CHARACTERS HAVE THEIR OWN LIVES TOO:
the side chracters had their own story to tell, not just being comedic clowns or matchmakers for the main leads. ofc their story slightly depends on the leads because they are centres of the drama but we can agree the writer gave justice to the supporting casts by not always placing them in scenarios where leading characters need them. EVERY character had their own situations and struggles but the way each person grew through the story made me happy and proud.

overall, the drama kept it charm throughout. 100% worth the watch! long story short, start watching now!!

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Well, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Unfortunately there are two: 1) the re-telling of Tin&Can story with mixed up timelines, and 2) the chemistry between Tin&Can. Well, the re-telling was an odd choice. I’m not bothered by it, but other people are. I have seen many loosing interest in this series because of that reason (and also because Saint isn’t part of the cast). Starting from zero with Tin&Can while showing us Ae crying through 3 whole episodes makes no sense. It’s not like they tried to reboot everything and make a stand-alone series. Also they wasted 6 episodes with the re-telling without providing something new and exciting. Some of the scenes they had to re-act were not as iconic as the original ones. I liked some of the new scenes, but they didn’t change the story at all. It just feels unnecessary. The characters changed a tiny little bit with Tin being more soft and vulnerable and less arrogant and dangerous looking (which also seem to disappoint many) and Can being a bit softer and more mature. But yeah, not a big difference. It's not like in DBK where they changed Kao's character so much he was unrecognizable (I'm still salty about that). So let’s move on to the second elephant: The chemistry between Tin&Can. I thought the chemistry was so great (much better than in s1) and that's why I looked up the actors (what I rarely do). I was surprised to see how close they are in real life. They seem to have personalities that resonate well together and that explains the great chemistry. But this chemistry vanishes completely when they have to kiss. You can feel through the screen how much Plan hates it, and that makes me sad. It’s not like I get some homophobic vibes from him. I highly doubt Plan would do any better in those scenes with a woman. I have seen him kissing a girl in another series (if you can call that a kiss) and it was even worse. He did well in the famous couch kiss at the end of s1, so I really don’t know what’s the issue suddenly. Maybe they shouldn’t cast two guys who are good friends? Watching them kiss makes me rather uncomfortable. Sometimes I prefer to look away, which shouldn’t be the case. It’s not their fault if their „couple“ becomes so popular, but perhaps they should just stop doing those roles when they don’t feel like it. I highly doubt they are so poor that they need the money. That said, I think the director’s decision plays a role too. Kisses were purposely not shown. They didn’t even kiss when they had sex. That’s a first, really. I’m pretty sure I have never seen a bed scene without a kiss. Enough negativity. Despite Plan being the mood killer I have to compliment him for his acting. He has to play the ugly, stupid monkey which isn’t easy and requires some courage. In fact I have never seen a similar character in any other BL series. He is not just there to look handsome, he has to be lively, crazy, cute, funny, sex-hungry (lol). It’s not an easy role and he does a good job. I’m really into the character when he appears on the screen. But yeah, at the end of the day the whole series feels so uninspired. I feel awkward watching it. I giggle like a little girl (like I never did before, I will admit it), I laugh, I shake my head, I feel embarrassed (really embarrassed like I never did before either watching any other BL), I have to look away, I hold my breath – it’s a whole EXPERIENCE. And then I’m sad, because it could be so much better and I know they messed it up. I wish they had done a better job (better writing, better intimate scenes) and I wish more people would love it. I didn't even mention the other couples, because I feel it's a waste of time. They don't have enough screen time, aren't very exciting or they are just toxic. Tin's background story and the issues with his brother aren't well told or well presented. I'm just not a fan of the writer. If not for Mean&Plan who are very charming, I highly doubt I would bother watching this.
EDIT: Since this series ended I have a strange feeling in my gut. For whatever reason I don't want to think about this series anymore (and I will not rewatch it). Hearing about questionable behavior of the cast towards the only gay character in the show (Earth) isn't helping either. This really was a train wreck.

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My boyfriend is an Idol.

The series does a great job of portraying the reality of idol groups and how they are constantly under scrutiny, how internal conflicts and competition can arise and how difficult it can be to maintain unity when the industry often pits members against one another. I appreciated how the show tackled the issue of favoritism, where one member is pushed into the spotlight while others are sidelined. That’s a very real struggle for many groups.

Now, when it comes to the romantic side of the show, I have to say, I really liked it. Thame and Po are the definition of green flags. Their relationship was built on patience, care and understanding. Thame’s attentiveness toward Po, the way he never rushed him and always made sure he felt safe, was just so refreshing. Some of their scenes made me feel like I was experiencing a first crush all over again hehe. Their relationship just felt sooo pure, yet deep.

However, I do have some critiques. The first half of the show was excellent but the second half lost some of its momentum. The two episodes focused on Jun and Po felt unnecessary to me. I understand why that subplot was there and I know some people connected with it but personally, I felt it took time away from the core of the story. I would have much preferred more focus on Thame and Po’s development instead.

The breakup arc was another part that didn’t entirely land for me. It was realistic given how brutal the entertainment industry can be, a relationship like theirs was bound to face challenges. I saw it coming and I understood why it happened but at the same time, it felt a bit frustrating since their romance was already such a slow burn, they barely had time to fully be together before they were torn apart again. It created a bit of emotional whiplash for me...I get the drama of it but I wish we had more time to actually see them as a couple before the conflict hit.

That being said, the chemistry between the leads was really amazing. And the kisses left me gasping. Both actors did an amazing job, not just them but the entire cast delivered strong performances. Every character, even the side ones, felt fully realized and I liked that.

Overall, while I had some issues with the pacing and a few plot choices, I still enjoyed it and I hope to see WilliamEst in a new project again.

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