Reviews

It is worth watching for the comedy and cute romance. Chemistry was great with the leads. Plus, no Face Tune blur of the faces that leave actors looking like they are wearing smeared masks. Imagine seeing a pimple, a few or chicken pox marks in a new Chinese drama! The actors look natural. Their makeup actually matched the skin tones which is rare to find these days!
Budget was low, but, it did not detract from the story or the comedy. You will notice the costumes are not custom made to each actor or may be a bit wrinkled from multiple uses. There are fewer extras, soldiers and court nobles. These do not detract from the entertainment value.

Story
The base story is the standard palace drama where power struggles and back hall machinations take place daily. The young emperor has to establish his leadership against the typical power hungry competitors. He is supported by a girl dressed as a eunuch. This is no earth shattering epic drama. The story is light hearted and very funny at times. There are enough dramatic episodes to add variation and closure. No frustrating cliff hangers in a drama that is half the length of typical dramas and succeeds in bringing the drama to a satisfying end.

Acting/Cast
I was pleasantly surprised the male lead was ruggedly handsome and not a typical idol. He played his character well. He was a good match for the female lead. They had very good chemistry. Their comedic timing was also good. The emperor was straight faced and stoic but isolated from the real world. The girl was bubbly and streetwise. Their interactions seemed natural. I would like to see these actors paired in a modern romantic comedy.
The supporting characters were good. They enhanced the entertainment value of the drama.

Music
The music is not bad at all. This is a rom-com and not a documentary or historical heavy drama. The popular music that is the introduction to every episode has a touch of rock. It shows up again when the king makes a big entrance. It was the first sign this drama is more comedy than drama and viewers should not take it too seriously. Most of these palace dramas get boring when they try too hard to be authentic and overly dramatic.

Rewatch
I would not rewatch from start to finish. But, I will definitely rewatch the cute parts between the leads and the funny parts of the supporting casts.

Leggi di Più

This drama is realy outstanding.
Everything in this drama was realy great and shown realy well. The actors fit the characters very well. This was was my first j-drama after a three month break and I'm realy happy I watched it... ^^
About the cast : They all were amazing together. Keiko was Riko, Tomohisa was Naoki and for me they will always be these. Because they were amazing and it's like these roles were made for them to play. When you see them fighting you can feel your heart aching and when they make up you can finaly feel at ease

There is one main song (like in, probably, every j-drama) but it's enough to say that the music is perfect because the song is amazing fot the show.

So, I can surely say that for me this drama was outstanding. At first you can think that a violinist and a basketball player would never be good for each other, but later on you see that you were wrong. ;)How they meet, how they talk, how they help and advice each other was beautiful. How they see each other by coincidence and how they feel embarased. You can feel their emotions yourself and you feel like it's effecting you, too. And that's why you fall in love with this drama even more. And that's amazing.
I'd definitely say that it's a must-watch drama!

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Perfect side story

This side story if not really a side story for me. It's more a glimpse of what changed between Oh-aew and The since the end of part 1. It helps us to understand better how their relationship evolved and thus we'll not be lost at the beginning of part 2. It's real transition, The says it himself. Now that there is no sun to watch, they have to watch the moon. And I think it's very beautiful. PP and Billkin are so comfortable with each other, I love the sweet gestures between them and Teh doesn't seem afraid of showing publicly his affection, I know we'll have angst but I have hope for so many good moments in part 2.

I thought it would be a fan service video with only cute moments between those two . But I was wrong because in this 10 minutes video, Nadao still deal with coming of age theme. When you have to study elsewhere, far for home, when you life is gonna change for real and it's scary but also exciting. For instance, I like the fact that, during the scene on the beach, Oh-aew is not crying because he'll miss Teh. He's crying because he is saying goodbye to his younger self and his past life.

Last but not least, I'm always so much impressed by the cinematography. It's so beautiful, and it's only 10 minutes! The shots, the light... it's real art.

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Intriguing enough to keep going...

Story is interesting but you can't ignore dumb decisions made by leads. First 10 ep were good, a solid 8/9 then one particular moment changes the perspective of how you see things and start questioning things. Then not so perfect story falls apart and you can't enjoy it quite well. Major spoilers ahead!!!
Now talking about the moment. Gu sanyeong was inside line of prohibition on a rainy day. Then evil spirit threatens her to kill her mom, then she freaks out and goes out to save her.
Another dumbest of them all moment goes to FL's mother when she listens to evil spirit and goes to kill yeom haesang. Then comes back and leaks info about thumb search and asks to spare her daughter. Lets assume that her brain got fried after all the shock. That way its better. Other minute things, maybe they used to give certain thrill to audience. Yeom haesang, the one who has most knowledge about ghosts among those alive uses subway, where he has no control over doors. When older detective got killed, he says dont open door until I get there.
Plotholes: 1) the very purpose of a horror story is how to contain/get rid of evil spirit. They should be clear and fault proof. In this there are 2 methods. One method, which includes 5 objects and name is stupid no matter how I see it. Evil spirit needs 5 objects to take over human body, and leads need them to seal evil spirit. This way spirit wins everytime, the moment they found objects it takes over their soul, and if they get objects/name wrong they die.
2) they found the skeltal remains/5th object, spirit didn't touch this object yet, but still took over Gu sanyeong. Existence and someone finding out the objects is enough?
Despite all the complaints I enjoyed most part of the drama. Acting is great and background score is refreshing. Na byeong hui (evil grandmother) is the only consistent thing lol. She's trash alive or dead. One thing for sure is evil spirit is genius and other characters are dumb.

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Watch if you lack stress in life

I did not really want to post a review of this. Since I dropped it mid way around episode 20ish and just watched the final 2 episodes. For me the chemistry is low for this pairing too.

Warning this is a very tiring, stressful and frustrating series to watch. Because the plot is so extreme with never ending issues. From the start of their relationship, its just non stop issues, issues and issues. The issues are so forced, ridiculous and extreme every other episode.

So if you want to pull your hair out, feels nauseating, experience cringe and dog blood. This series is for you. Happy ending in the end so if thats the goal, just watch a few early episodes and then skip to last 2 episode will make it a better experience.

But really there are better things to watch out there.

Leggi di Più

I was pleasantly surprised by this drama. Given the premise - an older woman being given her younger body back - I thought it would be more on the humorous side. In reality, it ended up being a very light, but incredibly sweet drama. It was nicely paced and very easy to watch.

It's really great to see a drama that touches upon the subject of age. Often times, especially in places like Japan, a woman's value is determined by trivial things such as her age (saying women past 30 are undesirable, their lives are defined by whether or not they eventually end up with someone during their 20's, etc etc.), but that is not the case in Sumika Sumire.

Sumi-chan is encouraged to enjoy her newfound youth. Never once is she portrayed as weird/gross for trying to live her new life, even though she is, technically, a 65-year old woman. She is met with plenty of love and encouragement from almost all of the other characters. And In the end, she changes not only her own life, but the ones of those around her as well.

Overall, it is a very sweet, light-hearted, and positive story. I like to think that Sumire, in its own way, is trying to tell people that if you're unhappy with your life, it's not always too late to try and change it. I mean, obviously, you're not going to magically end up with a younger body or go back in time or something. But, to me, the message is still pretty clear: you're never too old or too far gone to find happiness. Everyone deserves a second chance at life, and even if you feel hopeless, it's never too late to try.

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This is a heartwarming story about a city girl who goes to the country. While adjusting to the country, she having too deal with a stubborn teacher, her annoying mother, an old crush and her grandfather. It was an amazing storyline, the music was great, songs that i knew aswell as a heartwarming storyline to go with it. I found that the ending was just what you would hope for in any korean t-show. It warms your heart and makes you cry. If your into romantic ever afters then this is defently something for you.

I've seen lots of dramas but this has to be my all time fav. Its defently worth watching and rewatching. Nothing like a warm heartfelt drama. You would almost think its real. Something all us girls dream bout. Im so so envious of her -sigh-

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I would say this is my favourite C-drama of 2022 so far.

If you are looking for a dramas to watch that’s has a cute and sweet female lead and a hot, smart but slightly wicked male lead, then this is the series for you.

Firstly, what I enjoyed about this series was the fact that the male lead didn’t get swayed by the other females that were chasing him, he showed his commitment to the female lead on multiple occasions and not once did he choose another females side over the female lease.
The second thing I liked about this series was the female lead. Once she was determined to like the male lead, she stayed with him, even though her sister and parents didn’t like the male lead. She was a sweet female lead who was kind to everyone and showed growth as the series went on. She wasn’t as naive and gullible like she was in the begging . She became more smarter, but still sweet.

The first thing I didn’t like about this series was the first villain who appeared in the begging. I felt like her presence was just unnecessary and the fact that she just disappeared without addressing the main plot of this series was just a fail for me.

I would have given this series a 10/10 if it was not for the last 4 episodes. I felt that they were unnecessary and they just caused unnecessary tension between the ML and FL. The last 4 episodes were unpleasant to watch and they didn’t add anything to the series as a whole.

I would have watched the ML and FL relationship grow after all the oppositions around them were solved.

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High quality, heavy load

Has this drama high quality? Absolutely yes.
Was acting good? Perfectly. I can give 100 out of 10 to everyone (idk why but maybe except Lee Min Ki)
Was the story interesting and unusual? YES!
Were the dialogues meaningful and thought-provoking? Definitely.
Did I enjoy watching this drama? No. A big no.
Did I finish it no matter what? Yes.
It was a heavy load on my shoulders which I am still feeling. Wasnt enjoyable for me at all except few scenes. Why? Cuz it was so relatable for me. Relatable much as giving pain to me. Some fears mentioned were my own fears that I am afraid to mention. Some frustrations were my own frustrations that I can't find any way out. Some weariness was my own weariness that I am struggling with for many years. This drama didn't do any good to me. At the beginning of the drama, we were all sad. All characters and me. And at the end, at least some of them are happy compared to the beginning, I am still sad. Nor their sadness neither their happiness made me happy.
I can see that why many people like this drama that much. It is in a different league compared to most of the dramas. But I prefer dramas with lower quality and higher pleasing level.
According to me who can enjoy this drama most? Adults who are satisfied with their lifes. They might have problems in their past, but now they should be happy about their life in general. I think for younger people like teenagers, it can be a boring drama with 'pessimistic adults', it can be seen as "unrealistically plaintive" even if it is totally real. And I think for the adults like me, adults who have big problems, who have big disappointments, who have to deal with things that they've never thought they are gonna deal with before, this drama is heavy load. I am happy to finish this drama finally. I would never start it at the beginning if i've known it is something like this.

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A feast for the senses with an underwhelming ending.

Chang'an is a city of splendor, temptations, and secrets — a truth no one understands better than Wu Zhen. By day, she endures mockery and admiration as the rebellious and unwed daughter of a duke and the only sister of the queen. By night, she is the revered Cat Lord, the fierce protector of the Demon City that lies beneath Chang'an, a position that keeps the mortal and demon realms in a delicate balance. She has long been content with this arrangement, using society's scorn of her unconventional lifestyle as a means to keep her secrets safe. However, her carefully constructed double life is jeopardized by the arrival of Mei Zhuyu, the reserved and calculating newcomer at the Bureau of Mystic Investigations, whose agenda is as hidden as her own. With the looming return of an ancient and devastating enemy, and the worlds they swore to protect under threat, these two opposing heroes are forced to become unlikely and unassuming allies. As their destinies intertwine, their relationship blooms into one that is as complex as the secrets they keep.

From the very beginning, Moonlit Reunion lures us in with its breathtaking aesthetic, a world brought to life by the stunning visuals and enchanting osts. The vivid contrast between the mortal world and demon underworld is one of my favorite features in this drama. For instance, when the camera cleverly glides through the Ruyi Pavilion in episode one, it reveals the extravagant fashion of the elite, roaring laughter of the patrons, rich melodies of the musicians, and mesmerizing dances of the performers. I remember thinking that nothing could rival this visual excellence, and then something did. We are introduced to the Demon Market — an unparalleled explosion of vibrancy, chaos, and richness in a world usually enveloped by night — and my jaw hit the floor. This duality extends to the very atmosphere, as the drama excels at using green and blue lighting to signal the mystical encroachment upon the mortal realm. The seamless combination of dazzling cgi, skillful cinematography, and beautiful soundtracks is an absolute feast for the senses.

The diverse cast of characters are a delight to watch. Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu are compelling leads and true equals in their cleverness, competence, and power. It is the kind of relationship I can appreciate for the main couple of any story, as it makes for a well-balanced partnership. However, Moonlit Reunion is significantly elevated by its ensemble of supporting characters (such as Liu Tai Zhen, Mei Si, Hu Zhu, Shuang Jiang, Xuan Hui, Huang Yi, and Mei Wen Hua), who make this world feel complete. I am particularly fond of Liu Tai Zhen and Mei Si because of their nostalgic charms that are reminiscent of classic Hong Kong cinema; and their evolving relationship is captivating, making me tune in daily to watch their romance unfold. The exploration of the varied dynamics in this drama, even between characters with seemingly little reason to interact, also adds layers of unexpected depth to the narrative. For example, Mei Si and Xuan Hui make the most surprising and endearing duo of friends — they are my absolute favorite.

Among all the dramas airing at the same time, Moonlit Reunion was the one I had the highest hopes for — that is, until the story got close to the end. With less than half the episodes left, the story takes a sharp turn for the worse following the fallout between Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu. It is a transition made all the more infuriating by Mei Zhuyu's sudden change in personality. The shift might be brief, as he does revert back to his old self, but the damage done leaves a lingering foul taste in my mouth. As the narrative progresses, the high-stakes plot that has been so meticulously crafted falters. Instead of the epic showdown that was initially promised, the villains are disappointingly taken down in a series of anticlimactic defeats. The death of an important character makes me question my emotional investment in the story. It lacks the intended impact the writers aimed for and is overshadowed by the far more heartbreaking demise of an earlier supporting character. The rushed finale feels lackluster, leaving the story with some unanswered questions that I cannot delve into without entering major spoilers territory.

Although its underwhelming ending marred by wasted potential sets the story back, Moonlit Reunion is still a worthwhile watch. The drama's gorgeous cinematography, captivating world, and compelling characters make it a memorable, even if flawed, experience for fans of rich visual storytelling. It has been a few days since I completed this drama, and despite not being fully satisfied with the execution of the events leading up to the conclusion, I still can't help but miss the story and its characters. Perhaps in the end, the real reward lies in the journey itself, no matter how imperfect the destination.

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Itaewon Class was an emotional ride with an especially promising start. Just after the first two episodes, I felt immensely attached to the main character, Park Saeroyi, and was looking forward to following him on his journey. Throughout the 16 episodes, I definitely learned a lot from his hardwork and values. Park Seo Joon did a phenomenal job with his character and left me in absolute awe. Whether it may be understanding the beauty of life or being reminded the importance of hardwork; I was thankful to be able to get to know and learn from Park Saeroyi.

However, apart from Park Saeroyi, I did have a few complaints for the other characters. Some characters were especially annoying, and lacked development. I did like that the drama showcased imperfect characters, but it also sometimes excused the ignorant behaviour of these characters - almost making it seem that such behaviour was appropriate to viewers. Some characters were especially inconsistent, and just seemed random. This switch was really annoying to see because it didn't make sense. I think these characters had a lot of potential to really compliment the story, but the writer just changed them randomly in order to make Park Saeroyi look good. I wish the side characters had contributed a little more to the overall plot but unfortunately we were unable to see that as viewers.

The show also became a little slow in the middle, but then quickly picked up its pace later. I was disappointed with the last two episodes as I felt that there were unnecessary additions to the plot. However, the ending was still quite nice and most questions were answered.

Overall, this was definitely a meaningful and enjoyable watch. The reason why this show is receiving such a high rating (from me) despite its flaws is because of the lessons it served. As I saw this show and went about my life, I found myself thinking about Park Saeroyi and the importance of hardwork. Even if it was fiction, I really learned a lot from this drama and was thankful for the insights I gained. In addition, Itaewon class held some especially beautiful scenes that had my heart racing and gave me goosebumps. The OSTs were beautiful, and I know I will play them countless times in the future! Itaewon Class may have been lacking in some areas, but it was still a great show that managed to keep me eagerly waiting for new episodes each week ((:

Edit: I wrote this review almost six years ago, during a time when I was uncertain and stressed about achieving my career goals. But I often thought of Saeroyi and drew strength from his perseverance to keep going. Now, six years later, I’ve accomplished a major dream of mine, and coming back to read this review feels incredibly heartwarming :,) Allhumdulilah for everything, and thank you Saeroyi for inspiring me to continue <3

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Is it camp though? GAP and the messy politics of lesbian representation

We did it folks, Asia’s first full-length Girls Love. There is a lot to say about what GAP represents. As the name suggests, this was an earnest attempt to well, close the gap for lesbian representation in Thai cinema, which is mostly known for its variety of BL content. It's a groundbreaking drama that's breaking barriers for sure, but did it break the mold of mediocrity? This review will be a wild ride so let’s strap in (no pun intended!).

I’ve been advised to go easy on this drama and I will do my best. I fully recognize what GAP means and represents for Asian sapphics, and I also recognize that no one involved in this was going for art-house cinema. And I myself am also not immune to charming cheesy trash. But I can’t write this review without addressing GAP’s quality in some capacity.

Since I am trying my hardest not to lose my lesbian-license it might be a good idea to ease in with the good stuff:
GAP’s cinematography is a bit of a hot mess but it does have its more stylish moments. Surprisingly enough those ended up being the sex scenes. I genuinely felt like these were the visuals that the director put the most thought into (I will not comment on how I feel about that) and I appreciated that GAP didn’t feel the need to dial the steaminess down just because it featured two women instead of men. This was an aspect I had been largely worried about before GAP even aired. If BLs are produced primarily for a female audience, would that mean GAP would be produced for a male audience? The fact that the director/producer was male, didn’t ease my concerns. I feared that what I would be served was bound to be a product of sheer fetishization. But I also did not want GAP to feel sexless, just because it had female protagonists. Women having sexual desires is cool actually. Well, I am happy to report that I actually had no issue with how GAP portrayed lesbian sexuality. The male gaze might be impossible to escape but it was subtle enough that I, a bitter lesbian, could still get something out of those scenes.
I struggle with critiquing an actor’s performance, especially if it’s in a language I am not very familiar with, but I will say that Sam’s actress Freen brought a lot of charm and humor to her role. Sam is a bit of a bitch and while I don’t think that her character was executed brilliantly, I also recognize that a lot of measures were taken to make her more likable, which is an effort I can appreciate. One of those was making Sam sufficiently awkward, something that the actress embodied pretty well (maybe because she did feel a bit awkward, who’s to say). I appreciate this effort even more so, after I have been informed, that Sam actually behaves a lot worse in the source material. I think softening those edges was the right move for sure. But script changes aside, I thought that Freen’s characterization came across as charming either way. Charisma is a difficult thing to evaluate because it’s very subjective and also innate to a person, so it might be something that you can’t really praise someone for but I do think that Freen really did the absolute best with the material she was given.
I don’t want to imply that my favorite aspect of a lesbian love story was a male character but I do have to earnestly commend the show for Kirk. The show’s main antagonist is Sam’s grandma, someone so comically evil that all that’s missing is a big mustache she can twirl. Kirk is not that. In fact, Kirk is the guy that everyone at the office loves. Someone that at first glance might even seem like an ally. The guy your friends insist you should marry because he seems “like one of the good ones”. And Kirk is an absolute douchebag. This was a character that appeared likable, had solid motives for the way he behaved, genuinely believed he was doing the right thing, and he still managed to be a huge asshole in a way you had to build up to. Kirk didn’t “suddenly turn out to be evil” because he isn’t and he never has been. But his crime was entitlement. He believed he was entitled to the company as he believed he was entitled to Sam. It’s, dare I say, an attempt at social commentary, that managed to be both subtle and effective all in a show that tended to be painfully on the nose. Kirk as an antagonist amidst the mess was truly a breath of fresh air, I think the casting choice was also great. Choosing some BL-heartthrob to portray him was the right call.
I guess as far as representation goes, this is pretty solid. We obviously have two morally dubious sapphic disasters for our protagonists but we also have one trans woman who is not entirely played for laughs (and one that is….) and a butch/masc lesbian which is something you rarely see on TV these days. None of these characters are entirely “unproblematic“ representation but that is also such a boring standard to uphold so I can live with a little messiness if it means that we get a more diverse cast.
This is such a small thing and I am not sure if it even was intentional, but the OST when something 〜shady〜 was going on and when Sam and Mon were getting down to business were pretty much alike. This furthered the impression that their relationship was a bad and ominous thing that was happening. This might not have been what the show (that presumably is first and foremost trying to be a love story) was trying to imply, but since I have been blessed with both eyes and a brain, this was a conclusion I inevitably arrived at. The OST seemed to point at the concept that Sam’s and Mon’s inherent toxicity was supposed to be text instead of subtext, which I thought was neat at least.

The bad:
One fun fact about me is that I have severe scoliosis and awful posture which is why my physician ordered me to do extensive physical therapy for an entire year. This painful progress might have been erased entirely by sitting through this show as I had to watch it with my head permanently tilted. I am not exaggerating, nearly every second shot of GAP is a Dutch-angle (tilted picture). Sometimes this made sense. A Dutch-angle creates a certain uncomfortableness, an eeriness if you will. Also: Sam is in a higher position than Mon. The scales are tipped. But more often than not this was a creative decision that puzzled me. It’s obvious that the director just thought it looked cool so he decided to use it ALL THE GOD DAMN TIME WITH NO THOUGHT IN MIND. I thought about making a drinking game out of it but that would have been a genuine health hazard.
What is it that this company does? This is an office romance but I m not even sure what this office is ordered to do. Something something social media something something. I wouldn’t care about this if it didn’t play such a big role in the overall plot. Also: Sam wants to keep her company and we’re supposed to think that she is deserving of that but we never see her work ever. It is implied that she is harsh on her workers because their performance determines whether she can keep living her life or will be married off. Well girl, how about you do some work then? I get it, it’s inherent to the cruel nature of the exploitative capitalistic system that the CEO never does any actual work and only leeches of their employees so this is quite accurate to real life but GAP is a silly romance and I am supposed to root for the undeservedly rich. I can’t do that if I never see Sam actually achieve anything. Every little success is due to the work of someone else and it’s not because of her management style but despite of it. To a wage worker like me, this is quite the hard sell. And I actually kind of like Sam and for her to be a bitch and a bad boss at the start of this show is fine, but we never see the needed character development from her. Sure, she warms up a bit, but arguably not nearly enough to excuse her prior behavior.
Sam and Mon suck. Not nearly as much as individuals as they do as a couple. It’s not so much that they’re unhealthy, I think the show knew that to some extent and I don’t think all love stories in fiction need to represent what is desirable in real-life. It’s more that they were… annoying? Which is a weak criticism, I’ll admit. But their constant bickering never seemed worth what they were getting out of the relationship. I was never sold entirely on their love. They had chemistry, sure, but that is very little to build a relationship on. If this was supposed to be a fatal-attraction sort of deal where they cannot keep away from each other despite how unhappy they make each other, this drama also failed to address that in a productive way. I like messiness and flawed, dumb people (I myself belong to said demographic), but Sam and Mon only seemed to always reunite because the narrative needed them to. Not because they were good together or it seemed like something either of the characters would want.
The sound quality was pretty atrocious in a way that I can't explain how it even got like this. Some passages of dialog were completely fine while others sounded like they were recorded with a fork. But I am not a casual lakorn-watcher and I have been informed that for a production of this size and budget, this is quite normal so this is probably just something you have to get used to and I am willing to let this one go.
I want to address the plot but it’s difficult to critique something there is so little of. Which is fine, intricacy is not what anyone watched this for. I guess the story is best described by things happening. One thing happens and then another one. Are those events correlated? Who is to say. But things certainly kept happening, that’s for sure.

So, is GAP an amazing show? God no. Is it an okay show? Also no. Should you watch this? I don’t know, I honestly don’t. I don’t know if I am capable of celebrating something solely for what it might represent. And I can’t recommend this show no matter which framework I use to analyze it. But yet I find myself wanting to. I once wrote that there are two schools of thought when it comes to LGBT+ representation: Either “we want stories that represent our experience, even if painful at times” or “we want access to the same rom-com escapism that heterosexuals get”. And personally, I see value in both. The problem is that I don’t think that GAP managed to deliver either one though I can certainly see attempts in both. There are some hints of social commentary and there definitely is the over-the-top rom-com storyline. But GAP is not good, it simply isn’t.

Is it camp though?

Define “camp”, please. Well, camp describes “art or entertainment that deliberately does not follow traditional ideas about what is considered good in order to produce a humorous effect”. The two types of camp that exist today are purposeful camp and unintended camp. As the name implies, intentional camp refers to the purposeful use of camp in humor. Unintentional camp results from naïveté or poor quality or tastes. It’s “so bad it’s good”, it’s the love of the unnatural, artificiality and exaggeration. This sounds like an insult but truth is that camp and the LGBT+ community have been intertwined from the beginning. Being excluded from mainstream society and mainstream art meant that we had to create our own. And this is where we got our ability to celebrate the ugly and weird. Camp evaluates tasteless kitsch whereas the bourgeois feuilleton high culture scorns it. The camp's level of sensitivity ranges from intense adulation to sardonic, disinterested amusement. Therefore, the definition of kitsch and camp is mostly subjective. And in my subjective perspective, when I look at GAP and see the nonsensical plot, the questionable performances, the Dutch-angles, the fake crying, and the constant yelling, I see camp.
Is this too little of a basis to recommend something? That is up to you but this is the hill I choose to die on.

I understand why so many people needed this to be good. One of my first comments on here reads “If this show turns out to be bad, I will simply gaslight myself into thinking it’s good”. It’s not just the lesbian representation, it’s the longing for a story that is not dependent on men. And now that GAP failed to be even passable, there is the fear, that no one in Thailand’s entertainment industry will ever try again to produce a WLW-story. But truth be told, I think we will be fine. I have never been a BL-watcher but according to all sources, Asia’s first BL was absolute dogshit and yet the genre found its niche. More importantly, however, while successful representation is undeniably incredibly important, social progress comes first. Good LGBT shows, books, and movies have always followed social changes in the real world, not the other way around. As East Asia becomes more progressive, the entertainment they produce will inevitably diversify. But we shouldn’t put our hopes and dreams in these capitalistic constructs. Our liberation should not be dependent on how much money people can make off us. Instead of hoping that rich men in production companies tell our stories we need to get out there and fight for the rights and resources to tell them ourselves.

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Use For My Talent; Sweet, But Unremarkable ...

Let’s be honest for a and disregard the " Korean vs. Chinese version" argument by openly confessing that neither version will ever be a " masterpiece". Of course, this is not to say that both versions of the show were "unwatchable". Both cast and production values in the dramas are good . However, the screenwriting? Well, that’s another issue entirely.

For those unaware, the Chinese version follows the same basic premise as its predecessor; successful male lead and owner of a cleaning company Gu Ren Qi ( Jasper Liu) suffers from Mysophobia as a result of trauma. Through a series of strange events, he ends up meeting and employing female lead Shi Shuang Jiao ( Shen Yue), however, she is his polar opposite by her unkempt and blasé nature towards dirt . Ultimately this leads to a complicated rocky road as Ren Qi discovers himself falling in love with our female lead.

Cultural changes aside, there are a couple of things which did work well in this version ; the male lead seem a bit more paved out as a character with his backstory, and he did not have the same accentuated reactions ( as his Korean counterpart) to a piece of dirt. However, ultimately Ren Qi did suffer the same fate as a" staid male lead". His backstory (rather than being used for development), is played upon the " tragic trope” card with few defining reactions or emotions outside of chasing the female lead Shi Shuang Jiao.

Shi Shuang Jiao was also your archetypical " prosaic heroine". There was nothing inherently wrong per say with Shuang Jiao as a female lead. She was sweet and a kind-hearted person,however, if you could put an evident sticky label on Shuang Jiao, then it would certainly read; the ‘“quirky and cutesy” female lead who is" stuck in the middle" between Ren Qi and the " boy next door" Lu Xian’( Dai Yun Fan). After all, Shen Qiao only truly existed in the series as the " love interest" rather than an individual in her own right.

Of course, then there’s the pairing between Shuang Jiao and Ren Qi. Admittedly, whilst there is certainly emphasis in the Chinese version of Ren Qi and Shuang Jiao sharing "mutual ground", this is also where the series hits a bit of a rut also. This is because whilst it is implied over their shared " traumatic pasts" helping their relationships to develop, it is hard to truly define what either Ren Qi or Shuang Jiao truly saw in one another ( apart from this) in the first place.

The side characters of the series were a little forgettable . Second main lead Lu Xian did have the potential to be intriguing , however, his ineffable desire to " chase after the female lead" and not truly having a life outside of wanting to win her affections put any possible character development down the drain . The other two pairings of the show between Zhu Yan ( Su Meng Di), Shi Jun Jie ( Yanan), Li Dong Xian ( Charles Lin) and Wang Qian Qian ( Huang Si Rui) were arguably more entertaining at times than our main leads, though they were certainly nothing to write home about either with cliche setups.

So, what’s left to say about " Use For My Talent" and is it worth watching ?The Chinese adaptation wasn’t inherently "bad" per say. It did have a really good cast and an incredibly sweet pairings. For fans of cutesy romantic dramas then this is right up your street, however, just don’t expect great character development either.

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Forest.
No spoilers ahead
*There are many Negative talkers about this drama I will like to tell them that it is a perfect drama with a great story and a perfect cast.
When you will start watching this drama you will feel like it is boring and it is not moving forward but trust me that's the main point to build a perfect plot for the story and after when you will come across more episodes you will feel like it is amazing*

For me, this drama was perfect it has everything that I need in a drama romance, slight action, business, and stunts and much more that you can not imagine.

It was a great journey to watch all the episode from the beginning without escaping anything and watching perfectly.

I personally enjoyed watching it.

Now for the story......
Kang San Hyuk(our male lead) is the CEO of the investment company RLI. He disguises himself as a rescue worker with the 911 special rescue team to find out about a development project of the forest.
He has memory issues, and cannot remember key details about his childhood and longs to unlock the secrets of his past.
Jung Yeong Jae(female lead) was a resident of a surgical hospital who wanted to succeed. However, due to an unexpected incident, this ace doctor was sent to a deserted hospital in the middle of nowhere: Miryeong Forest.
“Forest,” tells the story of a man who has everything except a heart and a woman who has lost everything except her heart. They have what seems like serendipitous moments, but they meet in a mysterious forest – and the pair feel strangely drawn to one another.
What is the key role the forest plays in their intertwined destinies…


Peace out.
Aniket Yadav
@theaniketyadav

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Speechless

I am very disappointed in this Cdrama. I felt like I wasted my time watching it all the way to the end.

Let me start with the positives. To me the only real standout for this series was 'Gun God' and his whole team. The were very relatable, funny, dramatic and their acting skills were up to the task. I also enjoyed how their characters where well developed, especially Gun God with his very detailed character background.

Apart from this the rest was a complete flop. The main character Squid was useless and they probably only had this character in the series to create a romance storyline, There was no depth to her character and she did not offer any value to the series. Also what annoyed me so much about her was that she is supposedly a genius that started university at 15 double majoring in AI and Cyber Security and yet she couldn't understand what the game was all about (it was literally about cyber security hacking servers and blocking intrusions).

I would have expected her to actually contribute in some way to the teams success since she was supposed to be an expert in the field (all she did was create a stupid game with pepa pig).

Don't even get me started on her insane stalker vibes (you can actually get a criminal record for doing the stuff she did). The whole series she was stalking the living daylight out of our male lead and when he finally proposes she said no? that made no sense at all. There was a part somewhere in the last few episodes where someone tells her that she has no personality and that was the most accurate description.

Now for the fillers - It gave me flashbacks of trying to watch Naruto where there was just so many senseless episodes and an insane amount of flashbacks. If they had to cut all the BS from this series we would have probably ended up with about 31 episodes of a series that was better paced and edited.

Overall I wouldn't watch this series again (only watch it if you have nothing else to watch)and in terms of comparing it to other Cdramas i've recently watched in E-Sports genre it is lacking it every aspect.

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