Reviews

It has been a long time for me since I have written a review but I really have to give one
for this Drama. Because it deserves it!
I have always been a great fan of high-school-dramas, especially when they have
a "hero-like" main-lead :)
(maybe my addiction to them comes from Gokusen)
But for once I didn´t even plan to watch this Drama. By accident I clicked on it on a streaming website and I must say that this is one of the Dramas which are unexpected gems!

The plot was very well-done and it served it´s purpose. I was glued to the screen each time I was watching the episodes. I even put on-hold currently airing dramas such as "Kill me, heal me" only in order to watch a new episode of this Drama. Besides being a light watch, it involves a few darker themes as well (such as disappointment, bullying, betrayal etc). In my opinion it was the perfect mix of them. My favorite part weren´t only the held speeches but the presidents encouraging of her classmates, teachers etc in the middle of each episode were really touching as well.
I didn´t feel the need to stop to watch the Drama, like I tend to do with many melodramas.
But still it was enough to evoke excitement in me. Especially in the middle of the Drama.
As for the ending it didn´t quite satisfy me (no I won´t spoil it don´t worry) but then again it made me happy as well. You will see what I mean when you have watched it :=)

The female leading role (the president) seemed sweet and sincerly in her role. Her acting portrayed her innocence and ever growing strong will well, though I wouldn´t say that it was outstanding.
It was enough for me that I felt along with her and I really enjoyed her role a lot :)

The male main lead was more like a mysterious side-character who played a major role in achieving her dreams. At first I thought he would only play a gloomy, minor role but it turned out to be different.
I wouldn´t say that I will miss his role as much as from the sweet president, but I really enjoyed the interactions between him and her.

As for the other roles I personally really liked the "platinum" group, the student rulers of the school. I would have wished for even more of their screen time. Instead they more likely became side-characters.
There was no actor/actress whose acting I found to be "bad" and therefor I gave 9 points for the cast.

This definetely isn´t a cheesy drama as you might expect from the synopsis and I am glad that I came to watch it. I can assure you that most likely won´t regret giving it a try as well. It will be worth the time!

Leggi di Più

I'll start this off by saying that this is the 1st drama I watched after a MAJOR drama-slump so my very high rating is based more off of my enjoyment watching than any rational reasons like amazing plot or award-worthy acting.

I don't know what it is about C-dramas, but I accept their corniness and over the top acting more so than any others. It's like they're in on the joke with the viewers, so its ok by me. The story overall has a lot going on! There is LITERALLY something for everyone: Romance, friendship, action, fantasy, ALL the different time periods, vampires, werewolves, magicians... just to name a few. But the overall story is about a master and his disciples who time-travel into a person's past-life to fix a problem they are having in the present. It's a nice plot that introduces all sorts of mayhem and time jumping, and every time its a different story. So if you don't like the time period and plot in episodes 4-7, then maybe the plot and historic period in episodes 8-10 will do it for you. The common thread through it all is Ye Yin's meetings with past-lives of the people she knows and one very clingy vampire she keeps running in to. The awkwardness, the cuteness and pure comedy that follows will make you stick around just to see what happens next and how Ye Yin will get out of the problems she started in the 1st place!

Even though this doesn't have a romance tag (as of right now) there is some romance. An eternal love triangle to be exact. There are hints that there is some huge history between the two main men in Ye Yin's life, but we only get flashes here and there (probably saving it for season 2!)

The acting was over the top, and corny... but it fit the tone of the show and had me LOLing the entire series.

Like I said before, I was in a certain mood to really enjoy this series. So I understand that it may not be for everyone. But for getting me out of my drama slump, making me look forward to a 2nd season, and forcing me to watch some episodes RAW (bc I just couldn't wait for subs) this was near perfection IMHO.

Leggi di Più

A silver lining on the Korean BL horizon

Semantic Error may not reinvent the wheel, but its authentic characters, convincing performances of the lead actors and charming storytelling make this one of the most entertaining BLs I've recently watched.

The strongest aspect of Semantic Error are the characters and the palpable chemistry between the lead actors. Both Jaeyoung and Sangwoo are incredibly likeable characters, which is always a good thing in a romance drama. If I don't like one of the leads, it's just hard to get invested and root for their relationship. Our lead actors seemed to have fun playing these roles, and it felt like they genuinely wanted to tell this story. There was absolutely no awkwardness or apprehension between them, instead we got sizzling chemistry and gradual attraction that convincingly builds up the tension between our main couple. It's reminiscent of last years "To My Star" in terms of quality and chemistry between the leads.

Park Jaechan plays Chu Sangwoo an intelligent but emotionally distant computer science major. Sangwoo´s stubborn nature and obsession with rules could have made him come off as cold, but he was surprisingly sweet and funny. Through Park Jae Chans excellent portrayal, Sangwoo´s robotic tendencies come off as charming and endearing instead of unnerving.

Park Seoham plays Jang Jaeyoung a confident, popular and talented design major. Seoham is a social butterfly, seemingly getting along with everyone, he's the typical handsome cool kid. What makes him different from a lot of other leads of this stereotype is that he's actually a kind soul and rather self-reflective. Something I was very thankful for since Jaeyoung´s charming, caring and fun personality made it so easy to root for him.

The supporting cast may have not been fleshed out like our leads, but we got some memorable additions to the cast. Often when side characters show up in short dramas like this, it feels like they are taking away screen time from our main couple. That was absolutely not the case for Semantic Error, since we usually got fun banter or meaningful conversations whenever one of the side characters showed up. Apart from the characters, I really enjoyed the dialogues and humor in this show. It never felt forced and enhanced the lighthearted and fun atmosphere.

The cinematography gives you a cozy feeling with its fall setting and use of vibrant colors. I also want to point out the excellent soundtrack by Coldin. "Romantic Devil" is super catchy, while "Can you stay" is a soothing track that makes you feel all warm inside.

Personally, I was entertained from the first to the last episode, so there isn't much to criticize. You could argue it's rather uninventive with its university setting, enemies to lovers trope and the school rebel falls for nerd setting. All of these valid reasons to give this a pass since it's been done so many times before. If you aren't tired of it yet or if you're the type to be won over by good storytelling and endearing characters, I would give this one a chance nonetheless.

Semantic Error was able to not only establish incredibly likable characters, but also show the gradual affection between them. We see they're falling for each other and most importantly we understand why they are falling for each other. Frankly, that's something not all romance centered dramas accomplish. Although short, this show is very well paced, perfectly utilizing the amount of time they have without focusing on unnecessary fillers or rushing anything. It's a short and sweet youth drama which is the perfect comfort watch if you need something to warm your heart and make you smile. Definitely re-watch material.

Leggi di Più

A warm, comforting hug on a rainy day

This drama is pure comfort in its sweetest, most nostalgic form and I absolutely loved it for that.

Each episode had me smiling like an idiot while watching, desperately wanting more yet feeling so fulfilled and satisfied with each piece of the story. The two main leads, Jyun and Zhen Hao, have astounding chemistry. I was especially impressed to learn this is Zhen Hao's debut as an actor! His performance at times did not have the most depth, but he did great with the script he received. Jyun on the other hand, perfectly embodied the character of Qi Zhang. He is just such a beautifully open, warm and comforting person - watching him just made me want to give him the biggest hug. I loved that their characters were so different, and by interacting and getting to know each other, they both learned and grew in wonderful ways. Their interactions and the build of their relationship were so endearing!

The side ship, Ray and Ah Jian, was such a well-written contrast to the main couple. The two actors also had fantastic chemistry and their scenes, while at times feeling a little disjointed from the main story, were so well done that you can't help but root for them and enjoy their story. I don't feel it happens very often that I love all the ships in a drama but this one really hit it on the mark. The other additional characters all had depth and personalities that were great to see - I particularly loved Qi Zhang's band/friend group. The love and care they have for each other was just so good.

The story is nothing wild or crazy, but it isn't trying to be anything other than warm. That's the best way I can describe it - like getting a warm, comforting hug on a rainy day, when everything around you feels like it's falling apart, but the hug helps warm you up and keep you stitched together. There is fluff, there is angst, there is a lot of hurt and comfort. It portrays toxicity in family and relationship dynamics and promotes healing, learning who you are, what you want and how to stand up for your ideals. The OST is also fantastic! I've added both the intro and outro to my regular playlist.

This is definitely going to be a comfort series to re-watch for me!

Leggi di Più

We Go FAST Through the Censorship Process...

This is one of those dramas where we witness how patriotism and propagande pretty much take away all the focus from the otherwise ok plot. A drama with some really good characters, friendships and relationships that just do not get the time they deserve to develop and give us our romance and fluff... Instead we keep on seeing how evil the foreign countries can be... How they just discard the Chinese engineering, and that China is better off fighting alone... or together with other Chinese people... putting trust in pretty much any one outside Chine is bad... and so on and so on... Between the moments of Go China we get to see opposites attract, trauma will confine you but love, trust and the mother land will set you free...

The pacing for the couples is frustratingly slow, and on again off again at times even if most of the characters are lovely. I did find it hard to relate to their choices. The drama could have been 10 episodes or less if they just cut out the flashbacks, slow mo, and repetitive stuff.

That said I did find myself curious about how things will turn out, I was rooting for the couples, and the umbrellas in this drama where top, top, top!

Leggi di Più

This show is all about relationships and it is love-hate for me

Dear Diary, I just had a lightbulb moment while watching Begin Again. I just realised that the show was designed to present us with a series of beautiful, happy or swoon-worthy moments like sugar highs and we shall want more. Unfortunately, for some of us, this will feel superficial when the highs wore off.

The show started well and promisingly. It wore the rom-com tag with pride and it left the viewer with little doubt that the show was light-hearted and fluffy. The OST is full of happy little tunes and zany sound effects to help us to spot any double entendre. The writer flipped the usual marriage contract trope and made the FL the instigator and she was smart, head strong as well as the powerful CEO of a large corporation. The ML was a sweet, gentle soul in contrast. There was good chemistry between the OTP but it was not without issues. The meet-cute was good and the pace was cracking in the first few episodes. However, once the show started to go on rails then the weak story telling began to show. One such issues was an odd tonal misalignment. As I mentioned before, the show took its rom-com root seriously. It seemed hellbent on being funny and light hearted even though when you look at the themes that were touched upon it was anything but. There was PTSD, unrequited love, one sided crush, obsession, revenge and stalking, etc . They are hardly trivial matters but the show muted their impact. You can feel an unease and a discord building under the cheery veneer if you bothered to look.

By the mid show mark, the corporate world of the FL has collapsed due to the shenanigans of a revenge plot. However, while it was presented to us as a surprise twist, it was telegraphed to us earlier on. In a sense, it was a tell-tale sign of the writing. Almost everything about the show was very transparent and shallow. Lots of tropes were used and most characters were one dimensional. Some did play for laughs but the lack of depth was telling.

The wheel really came off when the FL played the noble idiot card around the 2/3 mark. Why writers insist that running away from someone who truly loved you is the best way to bring them happiness and peace. Really?! In this case, it was even worse as a child was involved. As other reviewers have mentioned, she could have simply accompanied the ML overseas but that would be too logical.

Then the magical unicorn joined the cast. There was a SIX years time skip and the show basically used a 5 year old boy as the Deus Ex Machina to reset the show. Sunshine and happiness returned to the blighted land and we rejoiced!

However, there was little character development in the mean time and nothing was really addressed. In fact, the show basically spent the first episode after the time skip to berate the FL (via her friends and family) for being a noble idiot. If it was such a bad idea then why use it as a plot device? When you consider the script even had the ML telling the FL upon their reunion that he didn't change his phone number for 6 years and she pointedly said that she didn't either then why didn't they just call as they were obviously still pining for each other. Not only the OTP had a reset, the 2OTP (the author) had a reset and started their courtship again when nothing happened for 6 years?! The 3OTP pairing (the actress) was a waste of time.

Honestly, the last 10 episodes were done like a string of scenes designed to give us the feels or make us swoon but barely advanced the threadbare plot. It walked the same grounds of the earlier episodes. Sure, the little boy stole the show and the couple moments were sweet and the ML will make you swoon. It was so light that it could have lifted the Hindenburg. The revenge plot resurfaced briefly but it was poorly handled and strained credulity.

You'd either love this purely for the feels and sweet moments and ignore whatever else was going on and you will be happy. Or if you watch this with critical eyes then you will hate how the poor script was veneered over by "Mills and Boon" moments and ultimately leave you with a hollow feeling. Maybe re-watch the last few episodes if you needed a sugar hit.

Leggi di Più

The most untypical kdrama that I have watched thus far!! So realistic and adult like and I mean they even show people smoking!!! (We all know a good percentage of Koreans are smokers and its usually never shown in dramas) This drama had very adult problems and adult solutions. Some parts of the story line, unless you've lived it, I think would probably be a bit confusing as to why certain characters do certain things. Great drama though! I breezed through all 16 episodes and am really bummed that it is over. If you liked the male lead in Lucky Romance, you will enjoy this male lead as well. You become so invested in the characters and their story lines and really feel for what they are going through because it is all so relatable. It has one of the most bada** female characters that I have seen. Really so enjoyable and like everyone says a breath of fresh air to watch.

Leggi di Più

Utterly brilliant from start to finish

Wow!
From start to finish this is a brilliant drama. The main characters have so much chemistry (even when she does want to stab him in the eye with a chopstick) and their support teams are fabulous with plenty of amusing moments to further elevate this story. Fabulous costumes, fight scenes and attention to detail round off this production.
Not gonna lie, there is plenty of blood and drama with believable bad guys and the odd death thrown in..
Had me hooked very quickly and binge watched the whole thing as I just couldn’t put it down.
Will definitely watch this again.

Leggi di Più

I have to start out by saying that I am middle aged and thus may have a different tolerance for slow, slow, slooooooooow dramas, especially those that make me feel nostalgic about my own youth. Sprout is really nothing special, the simplest story about a girl who falls for a boy who is dating someone else, and how the relationship unfolds over a summer vacation. The reason why I give it such a high rating is because the show delivers exactly what it set out to do, and that does not happen as often.

I loved Sprout because it really captures the essence of that first love, and it does so with great cinematography, beautiful piano music, catchy rock tunes, and lots of eye candy. The intense feeling that you're destined, the incredulity that you're not the one for the one you love, the fact that you can feel both agony and exhilaration at the same time when you catch a glimpse of the person you like when you're going down the steps in school. It also shows quite well how one refuses to accept that one has stopped loving someone and moved on to someone else--that first disappointment in oneself and in love in general.

The show is very slow, but I think this is because with the fixed images, the piano music, the seemingly simple scenes, they want you to savor how intense and unique the commonest of moments may seem to you when you're first in love. Perhaps this series works better for those over 30 who know love changes flavor after a few years, who knows.

The acting is a bit off, particularly in Jesse Lewis, who is gorgeous but has much to learn. Miku is awkward, but it does not go poorly with her character, and Chinen Yuri displays all the warmth and charm that one would need to fall for a boy in high school. All in all, I think this relatively young cast did a pretty good job.

I encourage you to give it a try if you enjoy romantic stories that are slow, understated, and emotionally honest. But it is certainly not one of those exciting shows that have you gripping the edge of your seat.

Leggi di Più

A Good Foundation

So... you want to get into Pete and Kao's story but don't know where to start? That was exactly my dilemma! A quick Google search told me that this three-part compilation by GMMTV was all you really needed in order to continue onto Dark Blue Kiss, the sequel series. I do think it accomplished what it meant to do, as most of the reviews on the full series (Kiss Me Again) claim to have just skipped to the Pete/Kao scenes anyway. But that doesn't mean it was smooth sailing.

The first half of this mini-series was rough for me to watch. It literally does what it claims to— it just shows the scenes with Pete and Kao. That's it. And with so much of the show and overall storyline cut out, there is really no tangible plot to follow. The animosity between the two of them, without any context, was boring at best and annoying at worst. Also— there were SO many fight scenes??? And it felt like they were one right after the other, so repetitive and boring, but that was mostly because this compilation doesn't show the scenes that happen in between. Still, it got to be a bit much.

I did end up enjoying the second half much more, especially once the jealousy and actual feelings emerged. I don't totally love the characters yet, but I'm looking forward to watching a full series about them!

Ultimately, this is probably the best way to give a viewer the background so they can jump into the next show, but I'm really hoping Dark Blue Kiss is miles better than this was.

Leggi di Più

Eh.

The number of tropes in this drama is sky high, but luckily it's a relatively short drama so it's still palatable...
Yes, we got the some lead loses their memory (that's actually the setup of this whole drama so this isn't a spoiler)
and then we got some parents that don't want the leads to be together
and some jealous second leads / random girls
leads thinking the other lead is together with a second lead
etc
you know, we got ALL of these -sigh- (just missing the Korean drama kimchi slap and the water splash scenes lol

But I still gave it a >7 because Li GeYang is real cute and I'm glad that our second lead Cai Yasi (from The Love Equations) finally got rom com first lead and doesn't have to watch his best friend fall in love with someone else!!!
And the leads' interactions are pretty cute. When they aren't fighting.

I don't know. This is a good time filler and cure for the Cai Yasi second male lead syndrome. But other than that, there are much cuter / more original rom coms than this.

Leggi di Più

IT WAS SO GOOD I WANNA GIVE IT A 100000 BUT THATS NOT POSSIBLE SO I GIVE IT A 10

NOT ME WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. I didnt review while it still aired because I was curious to see how everything would play out. If the writer could maintain the plot and keep it as good as it was until the very end.

The storyline was one of a kind. I get to watch dramas with such unique plots once in a while. Both the characters and actors grew on me so much.

White and Black - their bond was just so lovely. No matter how far they were or how different they became they still managed to portray SIBLING LOVE/BOND at its best! I think this is the best character of GUN I've ever seen and it will forever remain with me.

Sean really grew on me. I found myself wondering what his character was about to rooting for him every sunday, crying while he cried and smiling while he smiled.

YOK & DAN - while some people may have hated Dan for his decisions. I understood everything he did. Sometimes loving someone is not so easy and I was so glad Yok could understand that. I loved this couple every step of the way.

Gram & Eugene - I had reservations about them and may have rolled my eyes at them until towards the end but I came to understand. As much as I wanted Black with Eugene, I admit he really did hurt her and she deserves to be happy with whoever she chooses.

Gumpa - Oh my Gumpa! What a character! And Grams ex girlfriend was such a queen! I was hoping Todd wouldn't be what I suspected but everyone cannot be good. He wanted same thing as Black but just choosed a different direction. It really hurt to be see how their story played out!

I'm not sure how they managed to make not a single scene boring in this drama. I cannot think of a single thing wrong with it. Watching dramas these good has raised my standard so high, even more higher than it was before. This was a MASTERPIECE! The plot, the actors, the music! I have to say i dont think any other show can beat this anytime soon.

One last thing! THE MUSIC WAS 💋 WHOEVER was in charge of the music deserves a Bonus!

Leggi di Più

When I first decided to watch Piece, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it definitely took me by surprise. I was immediately hooked in the first episode and overall, it was a really great drama. I just wish it either had longer episodes or more of them because it was so addicting.

Story: Aside from loving the teen/school romance theme [Yuma and Tsubasa were pretty cute], I was mainly drawn in because of the mystery plot revolving around a certain classmate's death. As the story jumps between the past and present, the mystery begins to tie or "piece" all the main characters together and delve into their own personal lives and innermost feelings/secrets as they search for answers about their classmate's past. One thing I will say in advance is that you may love or hate the ending. I actually liked it, but the only thing I'm not completely satisfied with is that some questions were left unanswered. Nevertheless, the story itself is really engaging as there are so many twists and turns that have you guessing until the very end. You'll also find that the romance in this drama depicts a darker side of love as each character has their own secrets and struggles that prevent them from being true to the people around them or unable to let go.

Acting: I thought the acting was decent. There could've been a bit more improvement, but they still did a good job. I must say though that Nakayama Yuma played his distorted character Hikaru really well. I found myself charmed by him one minute, and chilled by him the next. Definitely a big step up from his Koishite Akuma days.

Music: Everything was great. The songs went nicely with the characters, I loved Yuma's opening song, and even the matchbox twenty song went well with the drama.

Rewatch Value: I'd probably watch this drama again because it was a refreshing take on a teen drama. I suppose the mystery being solved might not be as fun as the first time, but the relationships between the characters and the underlying messages about life makes it worthwhile to watch again. I'd say give this drama a chance if you like teen/school romance stories or mysteries =]

Leggi di Più

This part is not yet the actual "review" but some sort of a disclaimer.

There are scenes in the season that will show substance abuse with unsafe sex practice, rape, implied prostitution and self-harm. And they did not in any way sugar coat it. If these kind of scenes are the things you don't want to see, move on to a different drama/series.

From Season 1, no character is a student. That should give the viewer an idea and a mindset that this is very distinguishable from the typical Thai BL series/drama as it involves school and students. All characters since Season 1 are consenting adult.

Now with that laid out, the proper review:

STORY
================
This season, "Final Call", is how you ruin a good enough prequel.

The plot could have taken a more direct path and should not have included frivolous scenes.

Yes, in the novel Pop will become a Flight Attendant and Oat will be a monk... However, this season feels like it is beating around the bush.

Case in point: Bo and Pent. Even if you take away their scenes, when they are together, you can still get at the outcome of the drama. As for Mo and Nick, they should have limit their airtime. I for one like a proper "closure" for the character of Mo. For the characters of Newyear and Win, they did not directly interacted with Oat, Pop, Bo and Pree; so my question is: "Why include them?". The only logical reason I can think of is that the are preparing a spin-off for their relationship. And to think that their relationship is so messed up, I am inclined not to watch it if ever there would be one. But for Newyear alone, I might watch it.

If the production team did that, remove Bo-Pent and Newyear-Win; and lessen Mo and Nick scenes, they could have include more sweet scenes for the lead characters, Oat and Pop after all, they are the focus of series since season 1. Unfortunately, that did not happened. And give you the impression that they cut corners just to included the said "unnecessary" scenes.

Last rant on how could Oat-Pop more airtime. The side story. I know it is pretty important for series/drama to advertise their sponsors' products and services, however, in this specific series, it is lengthy to say the least. Like in My Tee/Cause You're My Boy. I am wondering, why WTD-FC did do what they did in SS1, when Pent was doing a liver stream, they should have infused the Blued app in this season. Like other thai series, they show their sponsors products within the scenes of the episode. If Blued had a big "advertisement investment" in this series, then sorry, it somehow ruined the series.

For the story proper... What is the greatest sacrifice that you can make to see the person you love most be happy even it means not being with that person or to achieve his/her goal in life. That where the script writer should have focus on this season.

And achieving your ambition or goal in life can make you happy? Will it make you feel complete and contended? Or will it leave an empty space in you knowing that someone made the ultimate sacrifice just for you to be where you want to be?

Unfortunately, Episode 8 did not salvage the entire season as it has damaged beyond redemption eventhough it is the best among the rest in terms of content and emotions.

The quotes: "Fortune favors the bold", "Fortune favors the brave", "Fortune favors the strong", for this specific series, did "Fortune" favored anyone? Or left everyone broken? Or do we need to see the silver lining amidst what happened? Try to be positive and hopeful perhaps? Ultimately, after you watched this series, you decide what will happen next. You make your own ending. Will you unearth the time capsule or just leave it buried for the years to come?

ACTING/CAST
================
Episode 8 showed how Strong and Oreo mature in their acting ability. Needless to say, how Strong shifted his personality from season 1 to this season is a noteworthy performance. For Oreo's improvement is his facial expression. It became more expressive and shows more depth in his emotions.

And as for the rest,they have just been consistent how they acted from season 1.

MUSIC/SOUNDS
================
I never thought when slowing the pace of this song, On Dao Dtok (Romanized) original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiXp7xjDru0 and the slow version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4dujt2ObJQ , will drastically change your emotion. Evidently in Episode 8.

Boy Sompob's OST ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbLyKTGCH6c ) is a fitting ending for this series.

REWATCH VALUE
================
As it is badly produced with cringe-worthy scenes. I could not see myself re-watching this. With the dark themes (not in terms of cinematography) in the plot that did not have any bearing in the totally of the story can throw off anyone from liking this.

Leggi di Più