Reviews

Different, interesting but lackluster finale & kissing....

This series plays out in two worlds, one the reality and one the perfect version of the same reality. But as it is with perfect versions, it may seem perfect at first, but life is not interesting when all is perfect.

The main character realizes this when thrown in the perfect world, everything is too easy, there are no challenges and there is no room to grow. So he reflects on himself, breaks out of his box of thinking and recognizes his own faults and misinterpretations. Storywise the series is perfect. But the finale lacks in the intimate scenes considerable. There is no real kissing and also the longing of Kano is not delivered in the way I wish they had.

Both actors did a great job to play out the characters but failed when intimacy was required. The production quality is also top notch with very nice cinematography and variety in the vibes of the show through the lighting. Still a very good show even when it's sometimes a slow burn, but with a downer in the end. Because the story is unique it is still on my recommanded list. Too bad such a good story could not have been executed perfectly.

Leggi di Più

Johan shuttai! Is a Jdrama about how mangas are done and the process between the mangaka and editors, salesman, designers, distributors and basically the entire squad.
The drama is told mostly from our female lead point of view, korusawa kokoro who will hit you in the kokoro. She was a good athlete (judo) and her aim was to be part of the Olympic after suffering an injury she finds a new place in a manga editing company, odagiri joe plays her senior at work (sunbae, senpai, shesho, tensho) and followed by one of the best side characters that I've seen in my life.
The story follows the team mates and newbie mangaka wannabes into becoming mature and reaching mutual goals together, with hardly any lame moments this one was a beautiful ride.
Usually I watch a whole 11 episode jdrama in 2 days but I watched this slowly and rewatched many parts because I didn't want to finish it too soon.
The main goal of the team and kokoro is to get a Johan shuttai meaning a second printing on their mangas. Highly recommended for good drama lovers
9.2/10 from Johnson shampoo family.
Drama quotes:
“We all have wings that can't be seen, if you want to nurture splendid wings, read plenty of book"
"Read plenty of book, the shape of the book is the shape of a bird, just by reading it you'll have strong flexible wings, that's how you can fly anywhere"
"Writing a piece of work is like looking inside your own heart"
http://kissasian.com/Drama/Juhan-Shuttai

Leggi di Più

well-acted soul-transmigration story with one of the worst finale to date

Before diving into this, I'd like to say first that this show is an adaptation. The original material is a fairly popular webnovel, which tells a story about a outrageously loyal employee of one of the biggest fictional company in South Korea, Soonyang, who found himself transmigrated into the youngest grandson of the very company he worked for, Jin Do-jun just shortly after his death.

I was plenty excited for this show because I've always loved stories with rebirth & transmigration in the center due to its satisfying face-slapping laced with revenge type of story and to some extent, Reborn Rich didn't disappoint. The show clearly was confident with its thrice-weekly airing time, the casting line-ups, and it was fascinating seeing the rating rose higher and higher the more we dive into the show. I was afraid the show wouldn't be able to intrigue but I was wrong. From episode 2 onwards, the story gradually layered itself with step-by-step of how Do-jun tries to slowly steal Soonyang under his grandpa's nose, and eventually announced himself that he'd buy the company to his grandpa himself.

Some episodes are fillers, but some episodes are pure fun & smart battle-of-wits, polished as familiar as it could have been with the history of business in South Korea that I couldn't seem to drop the show whenever those episodes were on. Basically, if we're talking about pace & story, the show was pretty unstable on maintaining its tension. And those broken tension were usually caused by the (highly) unnecessary loveline, which I still thought as the most useless part of the show. Why?Because it felt like a different show altogether when these 'lovely' scenes appeared. In a story where revenge and political intrigue played a pivotal role, a love-line, personally for me, only served as a distraction for the main character themselves. It was not helping that the writer didn't know how to make the romance work (didn't even give the depth for both Min-young & Do-jun, and then suddenly they're dating????PLS), and how the director didn't have the right style to present the heartfluttering bits amidst the intense power battle between these Soonyang people. In others episodes, sometimes the pace was too slow and sometimes it turned less interesting, which turned out to be the way it was simply because the writer wanted to the satisfying meat in the next episode.

Seeing these patterns played out a couple of times made me realize; ah, the writer wasn't able to control the story to be as equally engaging each episode, and what was more surprising is when I was gradually made aware that despite keeping the main story intact, there were many details & points from the original materials left out to make the show adaptable for the drama format. It was less obvious at first, but the more we got near to the ending the more I realized the wrongness of the story which eventually cultivated into that stupid-ass conclusion which COMPLETELY betrayed the essence of the entire story with that one episode alone. It's an understatement to say that I'm disappointed. And I couldn't even imagine what the webnovel readers would feel seeing that clusterfuck ending.

You know...when you write an adaptation, you must know the original material well enough to be able to make out a more engaging story out of it. You have to know what fits into the format, what to include and what to miss, and what to keep in mind. Reborn Rich is essentially a soul-transmigration story. A unbelievable story where a supporting character gets a chance of living a main character's life after their death, and with their knowledge of the future and all, makes the main character's life theirs by the end of the story. The pattern is obvious, what you'll get from the story is also obvious. And during the time I've read countless rebirth & transmigration story, there hasn't been ONE that has a mind-boggling conclusion like this one. Why?Because it betrayed the value, the fun, the very reason why people still flocking to these stories. Hyun-woo's supposed to live out his life as Jin Do-jun because that's what we're all invested for to read and watch, his journey to the top. His journey to seek the power and make all Soonyang people pay for his death and everything. But to get that, there's gotta be a real & heavy consequences; he's in the place where he could never wish for and will never get for even if he's working himself to death for years. And he was also, if we're talking about the same show, obviously died in the first episode. His death is the key to the beginning of the story. It's because he was dead that he transmigrated. It was because he's gone that he had a revenge. It was because he's dead that we watched the whole ass show.

And now you're telling me he wasn't dead?

Then what about those 17 years of him living his life as Jin Do-jun?

Was by the end of the story the biggest victim of all happen to be Do-jun who got brutally used as a plot device and abandoned just like that because Yoon Hyun-woo was simply dreaming about those years in a span of a week?Because his head is apparently more solid than a rock stone even being shot in the head doesn't make him die?????????

Because the show is so all smart that all they could do is to use truck-of-doom repetitively and escaped all the consequences?????

What the fuck is this.

And more of the reason to not like this conclusion is because it betrayed the entire story of what was supposed to be an adaptation. Because the webnovel is sure as hell isn't played out like this. Because the scriptwriter of this show got fucking greedy and crossed the damn line they shouldn't have; they disrespect the entire webnovel. They disrespect the original material just because they could and just because they think the whole story is theirs to write. BUT IT FUCKING IS NOT. THIS IS AN ADAPTATION. THERE'S A LINE AND LIMIT TO NOT BE CROSSED OVER AND THAT CONCLUSION??????THAT'S NOT IT.

I was able to overlook the writer's stupid ass decision to change the subplot here and there, adding the unnecessary romance, or making the grandpa's death lame as fuck despite him being one of the powerful characters in the show. I could forgive alllll that. Because they didn't change the flow of the story. But the finale did. In more ways than we all could imagine. Because it showed that the creator of this show didn't understand what must be done to deliver a transmigration story. They didn't understand the genre. The respect and love for these works, and why we came to love these superficial stories that weren't realistically possible but served as a satisfying read every single time. And to think I was excited when I first heard about the show...........and now I'm just angry. Disappointed but angrier at how they managed make a mess of a story that could have been turned out really good. If possibe, I'd highly recommend watching it only until episode 15 (minus the last few minutes of the ending). The last episode is entirely different story that shouldn't have been a part of this show. Period.

Even if I had complains here and there about the plot and the story, in terms of acting, the whole show is nothing less than perfect. Everyone in Soonyang were all so good I had nothing to nitpick; they also had personalities and some performances stood out than the other. It was also the reason why I stick so long for the show. Lee Sung-min was just............amazing. Flawless. Best acting performances I've seen this year. I wish we could see more of his chemistry with Song Joong-ki's character but nonetheless he was still such a huge blast to watch. Kim Shin-rok was absolutely killing her role too, and the tension between Kim Nam-hee and Park Ji-hyun in every single scene they're in are deliciously impeccable. I love nearly all the performances from Soonyang family members. They're all solid and know how to maintain that special intensity between the scenes. The music was just okay (sometimes I loved it, sometimes I don't), and well after seeing the ending, I didn't think I'd have a high rewatch value for the show.

Overall, Reborn Rich is a show that has its ups and downs throughout the story, delivery an intense power struggle between family members of one of the biggest fictional company in South Korea. The original material itself is very solid, and the way the story followed and reflected into past years of real business industry in South Korea was new and refreshing too. Featured strong and powerful performances, I don't think there's a reason you wouldn't want to watch the show. At least until episode 15.

Leggi di Più

Story:
When one is difficult in expressing oneself, what it would be like? Misunderstood? This drama focuses on that expect. Gives lesson in life that sometime all we need is a listener. The story is really good and it isn't that bad like others used to say. A kind of drama that would make you say.. Glad I did start it. It's cute, fun to watch, some drama scenes with plot-twist

The start was ok to me, some scenes were quite bothersome from few first ep but it did change you know! The story start to pick up from ep6 and it will get better and better.

bonus: It will take you back to Another Miss Oh feels if you ever did watched that drama. :)


Characters:
Each character has its own story and struggles. That's what I like about it. How one's grow and conquered their fear/insecurity/depression/weakness. The characters was like I started from here and look at me now.

Hwan Gi: this guy is so easy to love, sweet, gentle, kind and considerate... xD every awkward moments with him is so cute. You'll find yourself cheering for him in every step of the way. He'll also make you proud, I am so confident about it!~ plus there's a bonus, look forward to his dance moves.

Chae Ro Woon: yeah this girl is not easy to like, she could get all the hate, annoying and bothersome well she did all those because she's in a revenge mode but her character will have some development just wait and see.

Ji Hye: this character would make curious and say why? No matter what's the decision she made/ the reason behind it no one should judge a person lowly.

Kang Woo: The guy I used to misunderstood about his relationship with Hwan Gi but I was wrong about him. He is the character I want to improve the most/open-up along with Yi-Soo

Yi Soo: I find her role pretty dull from the start but surprisingly there's more color into her.
Yun Jung: my fav character. You'll like her for sure with her straight forward/honest/mature personality.
Silent Monster Team:were all good. my fav from the group is Sun Bong.
Even it was short I love the bromance and the tandem of Kang Woo and Yi Soo.

Actor/Actress
Shout out to Gong Seung Yeon for portraying her role effectively, such a good actress, I was totally immersed with her, I cried. Also to Yoon Park unlike his usual role as someone who is calm, serious in here he was different and I like it. He gets drunk, shouts, play, a free kind of character, a new side of him that I didn't see in his other drama.
As to Yeo Woo Jin I love his role here the most compared to his other dramas
Park Hye Soo there are times that I see her like a kid but it's ok she manages to act well.


OST: I like the ost and music, thanks to it I always keep up with the phase of the story as to emotions, didn't get bored because of it.

Overall:
Meter feels as to fangirl is sometimes up sometimes or just straight line. My excitement and overflowing feels disappeared along the way maybe because I start a new drama but despite that everytime I watch a new ep I still like it. A good romcom.

Recommendation: Oh yes to those who are into romcom you could enjoy this drama especially to the one who are shy/introverted/difficult expressing oneself I think you could relate over it.

Just don't overanalyze it like the others who use to complain with the title because they think the guy is isn't introverted at all instead with an anxiety attack.lol.

Leggi di Più

Don't watch it! You'll regret it! (This movie doesn't deserve the overall user rating it has)

One word: Rape. Rape that is excused and diminished. It's treated like he just accidentally stepped on him. That's how much they don't care about it and act like it's nothing. Everyone, including the victim, acts like it's something to just move on from and forgive and forget. Not okay! And "cultural differences" is not a valid explanation/excuse. He also almost rapes him a second time!

There have been some shows and movies I've watched with some questionable consent scenes. I can dismiss these scenes (majority being kisses obviously) for a lot of shows/movies, because it's questionable AT WORST, they have only completely consensual scenes from then on, and I recognize that it's not real. There have also been some (like Love by Chance) where there is a side couple that has a rape scene and uses it as a romantic trope, which is absolutely gross. I can skip it and watch the other couple/couples and be fine, because they aren't the focus.

This is not the case with this film. This film has one "couple." And it's not questionable consent at all; it's undeniably rape. I couldn't look past it or skip it. This was a waste of my precious time on this earth.

The only thing I'm getting out of watching this is that it was another movie added to my watchlist. That's it. I saw a thing. Unfortunately, it was horrible.

Leggi di Più

My husband is dead - I think we all wished he was

I didn’t expect to enjoy this show as much as I did. I do like how Cha Jung Sook made a complete turn in her life after her near death experience. It’s like she knew her life was far from great before, but she worked so hard to convince herself otherwise.

I love how supportive Seo Jeong Min is of his mom. He might not be able to always show it, but he is proud of her and is willing to help her as much as he can. Seo Yi Rang is a bit too selfish for my liking, at least in the beginning. I can understand this is a big change for her, but she is almost an adult and should be able to take care of herself, at least to a certain extent. I know Cha Jung Sook made her kids, her husband, and her mother-in-law so dependent on her by always doing everything for them, so I cannot blame her daughter fully. But she showed a lot of growth towards the end of the series.

The mother-in-law is awful, but I think Seo In-Ho is even worse. Not only did he cheat on his girlfriend with his now wife when they were younger, but he’s been having an affair with that same ex for probably close to two decades. He is incredibly selfish, the only thing he seems to care about is himself and his image.

I am not usually one to feel sorry for the mistress, and I can admit that Choi Sung Hee is not innocent in this situation and can be quite evil, but she is also hurting. Seo In Ho treats both his wife and his mistress horribly. I really wish they would both just up and leave him, take the kids and enjoy their lives away from him.

Choi Eun Seo is someone we want to hate, but in the end, no matter what she did, she is just a victim of the situation as well. Seo In-Ho only seems to have kind of an okay relationship with his son, but between his daughters, Choi Eun Seo is the one that got the short end of the stick. He treats her even worse that Seo Yi Rang. But she doesn’t cut him any slack either, so maybe its his guilt talking.

Doctor Roy is an absolute joy. I love how he gave Cha Jung Sook hope, he gave her a dream to follow. He was the first person to truly believe in her. He is also very supportive of her. I like their friendship dynamic a lot. I don’t think romance is needed, even if it looks like that’s the path the show my take.

I like how they are combining the more serious sides of the series with the more dramatic and even comedic ones. It is not overdone, which is what I feared.

The ending was perfect. It was just what was needed to conclude the series. I think that all three adults that are part of the love triangle did an incredibly mature thing by admitting they were all wrong at some point (the two ladies more than Seo In Ho) and they did what was best for their children in the end. I couldn’t ask for more.

Leggi di Più

Go watch Hidden Love now!!!!

It's a beautiful series, and I think it deserves all the hype. I love how all that ends up, and without a doubt, it is one of the most outstanding cdramas in 2023.

Story:
In this story, a girl named Sang Zhi falls in love with Duan Jia Xu, her brother's best friend. Jia Xu regards Sang Zhi as a sister, yet Sang Zhi has started having feelings for him. As time passed, he developed feelings and fell in love with Sang Zhi.

The various periods of Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu are depicted throughout the plot, which is very well developed, from when they first met to when they started dating. It is very light and airy and shows various stages of relationships.

Cast:
Zhao Lu Si (Sang Zhi) and Chen Zhe Yuan (Duan Jia Xu) worked effectively in depicting their personality. They have fantastic chemistry on-screen and off-screen. They are the greenest of green flags, and their relationship is healthy. The series gets better because of the characters' excellent communication and comprehension. ZLS demonstrates how Sang Zhi matures as a character. Victor Ma also did an excellent job of portraying a brother who is a bother to his sister and still cares about her no matter what.

Twenty-five episodes is most certainly insufficient for me, but rather, it's without a doubt the ideal length. I, as of now, need to watch it again as it is beautiful, as it were. I strongly encourage anyone who hasn't seen it to try this drama—it's a warm and beautiful work of art!

Leggi di Più

I just have to start by saying I loved this drama. I'm saying it in a very biased way. Why? Because it is EXACTLY the type drama I like. It's as if it was custom made just for me. This is a drama only OCN can succeed in making. Overall the same style as TEN. A special team is formed to help in the recovery of missing individuals. If I were to compare it to TEN, I'd say I liked the way the the team was formed there more than here, where we got to know the characters before the team was formed while in M, it felt a bit rushed. Otherwise the idea is similar. The focus is on the human side of the perpetrator and the victim. Many times it's hard to identify who is the real victim, and it's hard to hate anybody. On a more subtle note, we got into the politics of law, and the meaning of justice.

The lead characters were amazing in their roles, and so were the guest appearances in each case. Kim Kang Woo as Gil Su Hyun was such a troubled character. He has a deep darkness, and an extremely cute side. I love that he's no cheesy idealist. He will get blood on his hand, not for the sake of justice, but only to make the world a bit less awful. He's not faultless, as we see his view is not absolute, but he seeks the same satisfying ending I want. His frustration would always reflect mine. Next is Park Hee Soon playing Detective Oh Dae Yeong, who's personality it pretty much the opposite of Su Hyun. He's pretty loud and outgoing, and his life is mostly in the light with a happy family. He got many years of experience making him very perceptive. Seeing his trail of thoughts and the way follows track is engrossing. The two guys have the chemistry and the perfect foil for each other. Rounding up the team is Jo Bo Ah as Jin Seo Jun. Though much younger and beautiful, she did convince me of her being a focused hacker and smart. I enjoyed the sunbae-Maknae feel.

Other interesting characters were those involved in the cases. Though Su Hyun was supposed to be the genius of the show, those perpetrator were the geniuses. The performances were dazzling for a number of cases totally broke my heart.

Other than the cases and character, I like how the theme was forming subtly little by little each episode, until we got to the last episode. I find they quoted it perfectly:

- Currently we are living in a world that's filled with the fruit of injustice
- A History of injustice manipulating justice to kill off justice

I enjoy my mysteries, but since it is embedded so well with such a deep theme about law and justice, it reveals a deeper message that the drama is telling the viewer, leaving us in deep thought about the matter.

I would highly recommend this drama for anyone who enjoyed TEN or OCN dramas, and mysteries in general. There isn't any romance but, there is bromance at a more understated level as well as camaraderie.

Leggi di Più

My Sassy Girl is the remake of the super popular, early 2000's movie of the same name. In this version, though, the story doesn't take place in modern times, but in the Joseon period. I found it a thoroughly enjoyable drama for the most part. It's a light romantic- comedy sageuk with a dose of political intrigue mixed in. In all honesty, though, there was really nothing much that set it apart from countless other dramas of the same genre. It's pretty standard fare, but I really liked it nontheless. The cinematography is beautiful. The use of color and lighting make it stand out, as well as the costumes. Truly, out of all Joseon era sageuks, this one has the best visuals and costuming that I have seen.

As I mentioned above, the story itself isn't original and it actually doesn't follow the original My Sassy Girl that closely. In the first couple of episodes, you can recognize a couple of scenes and situations, and the main character's friends have a similar profession/hobby, but that's about it. There are also quite a few modern Korean culture and society refrences used, which had me chuckling. All in all I do recommend this drama, despite it being so similar to others. It's still a fun watch.

Leggi di Più

My relationship with this drama can be described as "it's complicated". I watched it all, because I liked it that much, but my friends who have seen me posting about it on the feeds (I have to thank them for their patience, this was 50 episodes after all!) probably thought I hated it sometimes. Yes, I complained about it that much.



This drama is highly rated, so I guess I have some explaining to do. That's one reason why I am writing this review - seeing that so many people absolutely adored this drama, I want to offer a somewhat different point of view. The other reason is that I feel like I want to sort out my thoughts about it.



So, did I like it at all? Yes, I did. Not because I thought it was very beautiful or extraordinary or anything, and not because I was swept away by the romance. No, on the contrary I found this drama to be very, very silly with too many plotholes, and even though I generally enjoy teacher/student romances I didn't feel a lot of "chemistry" in this drama. Part of it can be explained by the fact that the man lives in "The Hall of Emotionless", above everything else. But even so… At first I was disappointed with this drama and thought to myself: "What ever is this?!" but I learned to take it for what it was and enjoy iy as such. I saw this drama as light and fun, not a comedy but definitely impossible to take seriously, some things annoying and some things delightfully enjoyable.



The thing is, many things in this drama don't make a lot of sense, especially not the details. Things happen without reason or explanation all of a sudden and the characters are saying and doing irrational things sometimes. At Chang Liu they honour vitures like being "emotionless" and without desire and ambition. Yet all of the characters - except the male lead, sometimes - display all kinds of very human emotions all the time - like distrust and suspicion, jealousy, and a lot of importance is placed on the times when the disciples have to compete agains each other. They have to do their best to win, because there can only be one winner of course. I fail to understand how it is possible to fight for the spot as the sect leader's disciple without having any feelings about it. Also, it is against the rule to fall in love, but some people break the rule with no consequences.



The writing is definitely lacking, it does a terrible job at explaining the details and even the greater lines that would make the context - the setting, the basics of this fantasy world - come to life. We know that there are some "demons" and some "immortals" and some "humans". And there is some great, dark danger that is threathening the existence of the whole world. How and why I have no idea, but the "deity devices" that are spread out among the various sects (what is the purpose of these sects and what are they doing there?) can keep things in check. Of course, the bad guys are trying to steal these devices. All of this is sketchy at best. It seems like someone wanted to write a teacher/student story in a fantasy world, but didn't have enough imagination, and decided to roughly copy the manual of "Fantasy Story 1A". There they are "cultivating", which in some way or another means that they learn magic skills that mostly consist of being able to fly on the edge of a sword, push people away with a flash of light or create a shield around them, and make all those wuxia moves. The good guys live in golden halls, the bad guys live in dark, cave-like places, and their soldiers seem to be retired orchs who are sometimes very, very useless fighters. I really hated how boring and pointless the whole fantasy setting was. There is not even any real feeling of Good v/s Evil.



I liked, no, I adored many of the "bad guys" in this drama. I don't often fall for the characters that belong to or turn to "the dark side", but if it's done the right way, there is something about it that appeals to me. I liked Sha Quian Mo, aka Sha Jie Jie, from the start. I like the way he's so powerful and has almost complete control over his subordinates - he has quite a bit of that awesome great power that makes some people kind of hot - and yet he's so emotional and soft on the inside. Or at least a part of his inside... He was my favourite and with a better story, he could have been a wonderful character! Purple Fairy, too, is a character who is strong and proud and elegant, sharp and powerful. Too bad this is mostly ruined by her foolishness, her obsession with love that makes her kind of stupid, and weak. Even so, I always adored her and stayed a little bit on her side even when she did bad things. (As for the bad guys, Ni Man Tian was one I did not like at all. She was just a spoiled brat who was mean for no reason. No fun at all.) Dongfang was also an interesting character and one that I liked more and more, once I got past the first few annoying episodes. I also liked some of the supporting characters. (Yes, I'm saying that I like the supporting characters more than the main couple, but… I find that to be pretty okay. It's too bad the supposedly great romance didn't sweep me off my feet this time, but looking at the rating and the other reviews, I guess that's just me…)



It reverses good and bad, in a way. The people in the golden and pastel coloured castle are the good guys, but often they are colder and more cruel than the villains. Well, this is at least true about some of them. There are some lovable cliché good guys (minor characters who are sweet and give the leads support in the right moments) and some cliché bad guys whom you love to hate. Because of this "reversal" in the characters attitudes and actions (or should I say that some characters are actually rather multi-layered) it is sad that the setting is still so cliché. I dislike how they use colours so stereotypically, especially knowing that some c-dramas can be really beautiful. (I've heard that this is actually pretty good for its genre, but seeing as this is my first Chinese fantasy drama I can't compare it. It does have a few pretty sceneries but nothing special, in my opinion.)



This drama is like a big bowl of candy. Not premium quality, stuff, but sweet and colourful. Too much, but it kind of looks good. Even though you know it when you bite into it, that there's really not point in eating it, you just can't resist it. You just take another piece. And another, and another, until you're full and had enough. You shouldn't have started eating to begin with. But another day, you come back for more!



That's what this drama was like for me. I dislike a lot of things about it. I wouldn't recommend it for the romance - as much as I have a soft spot for teacher/student relationships, this couple did not move me. Even though I have to admit there were a few sweet moments, overall I find this romance utterly unromantic with no chemistry to speak of. Bai Zi Hua is a very stupid man whose decisions don’t make sense a lot if the time.



Well, there's one thing about it - this drama, I found it amusing! I was disappointed at first, because I had expected something grand and beautiful and exquisite (well, who can blame me, the second c-drama I ever watched was Nirvana in Fire and it kind of set the bar and made me have unreasonable expectations). I found this to be ridicilously silly. It really is. But once I accepted the silliness, embraced the comedy (although I'm not sure if all the things that made me laugh were meant to be funny) and tried to ignore the stupidness of a lot of the plot, The Journey of Flower quickly became my guilty pleasure. If I hadn’t had that feeling about it, I would have dropped it after four or five episodes… but I did watch the whole thing and didn’t skip anything except a few figthing scenes in the last half of the drama.



Tonight I also watched a few of the cut scenes on YouTube. They are... interesting, but including them (the ones I watched) would not have made the drama better in my opinion, only more frustrating.

Leggi di Più

So how would I describe this show? This story tried to be too much. It was a romance mixed with slapstick humor, and dark thriller. How did those elements combine? Not too well, actually....but the parts that were good were good enough to keep me watching until the end. This show started off strong and I was loving it up until about a little over halfway, when it dawned on me that the story was just kind of nonsense. But the leads are so freaking adorable (and probably every teenage girl's dream fantasy romance) that they kept sucking me back in every week. I think Park Bo Young may have reached 'girl crush' status for me. And Park Hyung Shik is almost too pretty - but his acting as Ahn Min Hyuk crushing on Do Bong Soon --- I just "can't even" with him. Too cute for words. They were so cheesy together, but this ahjumma was eating it up. Seriously....this romance is what the show has going for it. But even that is unrealistically done. This show is just fluff....lots and lots of fluff. The story line is chaotic. There is an evil villain that is just too horrifying to be in a rom-com. It was very jarring to go from sweet romance scenes to a creepy masked kidnapper who is terrorizing young women. And the slapstick antics of the gangsters and the high-school gangsters and the screechy femme planning team leader was funny the first time but became just useless filler that was pretty annoying fast forward material. And a lot of people hated that, although played for laughs, the mom seemed abusive (may be why the writers tried to explain that one away in the final episode.) There were funny parts, sure, but they overplayed their hand with them quite a bit. The only thing I would rewatch in this show is the moments with Min Hyuk and Bong Soon. Would I recommend it....sort of. I mean, you'd have to know going in that the story makes no sense, but as a backdrop for a super cute, cheesy beyond belief romance...if you can deal with that then, yeah, go for it. I was entertained for sure (otherwise the rating would be like a 4). But if you need a plot that is logical and a more 'mature' (not THAT kind of mature, but more grown up) romance, then this one won't be right for you.

Leggi di Più

Portrait of Thai urban-queer teen culture

'GelBoys', iQIYI Thailand's third original series, brings us a romantic coming-of-age story of youthful relationships in the modern era, set against the vibrant, pop-culture-filled backdrop of Siam Square, the beating heart of Bangkok.
Due to its high cultural trust, 'GelBoys' is an example of how small studios save Thai BL production. Its vibrant cinematic language, engaging script, and on-camera realism are noteworthy. In the latter respect, the series makes exceptional use of mobile phone footage, natural lighting, and guerrilla-style street filming to create an almost documentary-like intimacy.
In this place full of contrasting vibes, the epicenter of everything cool that exists in the Thai capital, a place where fashion is sculpted and emerges, "Fou4Mod", a high school student who longs for a romantic relationship, finds himself flirted with by Chian, a boy who sports gel nails and who casually invites him to get his nails done together in Siam Square.
"Fou4Mod" falls in love with him, but soon realizes he's being "put on hold" when he discovers that Chian is also inviting Bua, a half-Thai, half-German TikToker, to gel nail sessions.
For this reason, "Fou4Mod" decides to get revenge by asking his close friend Baabin for help, and they do their nails together in an attempt to make Chian jealous and experience being in a state of "waiting" for themselves. We soon discover that Baabin has been secretly in love with "Fou4Mod" for years. What if Bua ends up liking Baabin? Wouldn't a romance between the two be the ideal solution to the conflict the four protagonists are experiencing? What could happen to this love triangle? However, this won't be a "perfect love triangle," as Bua likes to go on dates with Moo (Bonus Nutthawut Eamchuen), a schoolmate.
The interesting thing about the love triangle in 'Gelboys' is that the character with two suitors isn't the main protagonist. The Thai series essentially follows "Fou4Mod," not Chian. It's Chian's romantic choice, not "Fou4Mod's," that drives the story; And the romantic choice, which is at the heart of the story, isn't up to the boy who fell in love with the woman who introduced him to the world of gel nails. What if, among so many romantic options, "Fou4Mod" will eventually have to choose between Chian and Baabin?
Also interesting is the fact that, very often, the BL narrative takes us to a boy who has always believed he was heterosexual and today wavers when he discovers that he has fallen in love with another man. 'Gelboys' takes us through another path: here is a boy who is firmly convinced that he is gay, but hesitates as to which of the two boys he is attracted to is the right one to have a romance with.
With a style reminiscent of the intensity of 'Euphoria,' the American series created in 2019 by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin and starring Zendaya in the lead role, but with a clear Asian identity, 'Gelboys' has revolutionized the industry with a plot that embraces uncomfortable truths. Moving away from the idealized fantasies typical of Thai Boys Love, the series explores the contradictions, fears, and hopes of a generation navigating the gap between hyperconnectivity and loneliness. Beyond a romance, 'Gelboys' stands as a stark reflection of how technology, immediacy, and the constant search for validation confront the emotional vulnerability of young people.
Launched by iQIYI, the world's largest online video and movie platform, the series specifically seeks to expand Thai content in the global market with the announced goal of making the Southeast Asian nation a global entertainment center.
The first impression I get from the first frames is that I am in the presence of a great real-life portrait of teenagers who go to and from school from the BTS Skytrain, go through their daily lives while sharing with their friends, with their classmates, with their teachers, with their partners, while they flirt with the boy they like, spy on social networks, follow from a distance the person they have fallen in love with... while they are filmed with a mobile phone, so that it seems more natural... and they, oblivious to everything, they don't know it.
If we add to the above the music, the absence of internal monologues, the capture of how uncomfortable and transcendental teenage love is, a boy wanting to be "cool" in front of the person he likes, the awkwardness, the nail art, the pop culture, the cartoons as part of the plot, the trope of love at first sight with a different approach than usual, and the atmosphere of Siam Square, with its combination of street food stalls and high-end restaurants, the various attractions that the Passerby finds in his path, such as the revered Erawan Shrine or the Jim Thompson Museum of Art, we find a series with the development and rhythm of its very realistic and relaxing story of LGBT+ life.
Sometimes I get the impression of being a team of reporters in the middle of a public street filming passers-by or acquaintances.
Siam Square in particular and Bangkok in general are the heart of the story, as the characters are essentially urban. In my opinion, there is an intention to show the city beyond its iconic tourist destinations.
The construction of the atmosphere of 'Gelboys' depends not only on the acting talent, but also on the aesthetic and narrative decisions of the production team. The happy and festive tones combine harmoniously with the oppressive and dark ones in the direction, to reinforce the feeling of emotional claustrophobia that the main characters experience, one in an attempt to conquer the boy he likes, and the other who oscillates between two loves.
In this sense, each shot is a reflection of their internal states, from moments of joy, of sharing experiences in communion, and others of doubt to episodes of despair.
Another relevant aspect is the use of real locations combined with sets designed specifically for the series. Additionally, music plays a key role in the narrative. "No-status Status", the main song performed by BUS, is not only a poetic anthem, but a constant description of the situation experienced by the protagonists. It's worth noting how the musical themes are played from the characters' phones, not from a sheet of music.
With a very attractive, dynamic, fresh and highly addictive format, behind the series, guaranteeing success, is the same technical team that produced 'I Told Sunset About You' and 'The Paradise of Thorns': Boss Naruebet Kuno as director; Kate Karakade Norasethaporn, Junior Naron Cherdsoongnern and Boss himself as scriptwriters, and Tang Tawanwad Wanavit as director of photography, this time with the first collaboration with LOOKE.
The viewer can notice from the first images, in this romantic, youthful, musical and episodic series, the influence of the French Nouvelle Vague, with its low budget, film cuts, with sounds, light and music emanating from the same story, with technical simplicity, with greater narrative freedom, with filming with a greater presence of natural settings, which has a lot to do with what filmmakers did in the 90s of the last century, in the music video, and codes of staging such as breaking with studios and sets, and going out into the street to film with a camera (or a mobile phone, as is the case) and a recorder, and thus creating a visual poetry that reflects the life of the inhabitants of the asphalt.
The homage to the French Nouvelle Vague is palpable in the film cuts, in the breaking of the fourth wall (the characters do not speak, but they do look at the camera as in 'À bout de souffle', the 1960 police drama written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg.
Boss Naruebet Kuno is a master in experimenting with genres and structures, with characters and with the traditions of a cinematography perhaps not unaccustomed to these experiments.
Due to its realism, 'GelBoys' feels like a series redolent of dreams, aspirations and desires of today's teenagers, but that also has the power to evoke the memories and nostalgia of those who have already gone through this stage of life. It pleasantly reminds me of the GameBoys era.
Equally noteworthy is the idea it gives of being an independent film product due to its low budget, dealing with everyday topics and being closer to the public. I am glad that creative interests are not dominated by the desire to make a big income.
On the other hand, the use of the technique and creativity of the grader is notable when regulating lighting variables such as color dominants, luminosity, brightness, saturation, and contrast of the different shots through photochemical processes in the laboratory, thereby achieving the same shots shot with different mobile phone cameras and in changing light conditions.
It seems to me to be a very different series from the usual BL series, with an impeccable aesthetic, with a very Gen Z story, with strong Y2K vibes, but which does not lack a certain retro vibe. And it brings us familiar faces and new ones.
"Fou4Mod" is performed by New Chayapak Tunprayoon, known to audiences through projects such as 'Ready, Set, Love' and 'I Promised You The Moon', the sequel series to 'I Told Sunset About You', in which he played Au.
For his part, Chian comes to life through actor Pide Monthapoom Sumonvarangkul, who we have seen in the sports-themed BL series 'Our Days', by screenwriter and director Kyo Thanate Limchaloen, in which he played Q.
Baabin is played by PJ Mahidol Pibulsonggrama, who has gained more public attention after starring in Off director Monthon Arayangkoon's romantic medical drama 'Good Doctor' and the series 'Eightraordinary', and who is also the younger brother of JJ Krissanapoom Pibulsonggram, who recently played 'Thiu' Wasan, the police officer in 'Spare Me Your Mercy'.
GelBoys is the series debut of Thai-German model and actor Leon Zech or Leon Brocco as Bua.
"Fou4Mod" Chian, Baabin and Bua and their schoolmates seem to be not a group of actors playing a certain role they were chosen for, but real students in their school uniforms, with their textbooks in their backpacks, guitar on their backs, living everyday life, experiencing first love, being like real teenagers are: impulsive, hormonal, daring, adventurous, idealistic, optimistic, liberal, critical, eager to be an adult, constantly searching to spend more time with friends and less time with family, spending more time alone in their room, trying out different personal styles (clothes, hairstyle, makeup…), trying out different hobbies or having changing interests… And this gives it a high degree of realism, rarely seen before in a BL series.
The viewer may feel repulsed by the person who uses his peers for something as selfish as making others jealous, but that is so well portrayed in this program that one waits to see how the story continues.
In the midst of some of the most visited attractions, restaurants and shopping centers in the city of Bangkok, such as Siam Paragon, Siam Shopping One, MBK and Central World, and that kind of open-air shopping center with a creative atmosphere, with its endless alleys of improvised stalls and open markets to explore, each with its own range of extravagant products, these four young people live the experiences of first love, love at first sight, the first flirtations, and also the first nail job of their lives.
Due to its realism, 'GelBoys' feels like a series with the scent of the dreams, aspirations and desires of today's teenagers, but that also has the power to evoke the memories and nostalgia of those who have already gone through this stage of life.
'Gelboys' is not just a series: it is an invitation to reflect on adolescence as that stage of constant changes, where each person seeks autonomy and their own identity.
The masterful performances of New and Pide, together with a cast of talented actors, take the audience on a path full of emotions, conflicts and universal truths, where in that search for identity, having dreams and aspirations are of vital importance.
'Gelboys' transcends the traditional molds of the genre and demonstrates that series can be both a space for entertainment and a platform for art and introspection. What would you do, as a teenager, to achieve your dreams? Won't these help you form your character and define your personality in order to guide your actions and define what you want to be, how you want people to identify you and how you want to see yourself in the future? These are the questions that 'Gelboys' asks us episode after episode.
In short, 'Gelboys' has a huge heart, a lot of realism, great musical numbers and many sentimental moments... it will bring tears to your eyes, laughter... and you will jump with joy and happiness.

Leggi di Più

When Mr Wrong Turned Out To Be Mr Right!

I was anticipating this drama not only because of Chen Xing Xu as the male lead but also because of the director, Chu Yui Bun, whose works included "The Long Ballad" and “The Blue Whisper”. He also directed the other two dramas that made up the “Honey Trilogy” - “Ashes of Love”, “Skate into Love” and now “The Starry Love”.

Well, I was not disappointed. The Starry Love has beautifully captured the twists and turns of destined love based on the theme of marrying the wrong man who turns out to be the right one.

The plot centered around a pair of twin sisters, the older sister Qing Kui, favored by the human race, and was betrothed to the Heavenly Empyrean. The younger sister, Ye Tan was considered a jinx and was bullied all her life.She was promised to the Voidwalkers (demon world) as the consort to the Crown Prince. On their wedding day, the brides were switched, setting off a series of trials, tribulations, rescues and romance.

This high-budget xianxia delivered what is expected of its genre, an engaging ride that takes the viewers through a journey filled with a myriad of emotions. Well-paced, the show swung from romantic to dramatic to funny quickly and smoothly, and it keeps the entertainment level high throughout the show.  The ending was not what I had hoped for but I cannot lower my rating because the drama on the whole, was so well-executed.

The story never lost its momentum, and just got better and better. I like that the tropes that can take up to several episodes in other dramas, did not get dragged out and instead were resolved quickly. I never felt tempted to skip, and there were many scenes that I would rewatch just so I could appreciate the gestures, effects, and dialogue again.

The production was undoubtedly high-quality, and a lot of attention paid to the details. The cinematography, costumes and sets provided a striking visual impact, and the special effects/CGI were well-done, immediately evoking feelings of wonder and fantasy. Furthermore, the choreography for the fights, flying, and other action shots were done so superbly.

Overall, the script scores points with dynamic characters who struggled with their actions, who were not always clear if they were doing the right thing or what the right thing even was. Most good characters had flaws, and the villains had backstories that made them relatable and their actions justifiable. Viewers will come to understand what the characters went through, the reasons for their emotions, and their circumstances. I find myself connecting with the characters and rooting for many of them.

I have nothing but praises for the cast. Chen Xing Xu proves his acting chops again as Youjin, the ML. He did so well not only in the intense emotional scenes but also in simple scenes where the audience only needed to watch his face and feel the love that he had for YeTan, the FL. In the drama, CXX had to play 5 different characters of the same person which he pulled off wonderfully.

Landi Li’s acting as the FL left a firm impression, and I was blown away by her superb performance. I did not like her character, Ye Tan at first but I warmed up to her quickly especially after finding out more about her tragic childhood. I came to respect Ye Tan, someone whom I would describe as resilient and resourceful.

Still, Qing Kui, Ye Tan’s sister remained my favorite as she was the epitome of the strong FL. She was truly the iron fist in a velvet glove. Brought up refined and elegant, Qing Kui was the opposite of Ye Tan, but she was also intelligent and tough when necessary. She was brave and unafraid to love. To be honest, I shedded the most tears for her as for me, her sacrifice was the greatest. I also enjoyed Luke Cheng’s portrayal of Chao Feng who displayed conflicting motivations as he strove to protect his loved ones.

The entire ensemble did so well, and the supporting characters helped to carry this show. There was such good rapport among them, like the endearing sismance and bromance among the various characters.

Not surprisingly, the OSTs were on another level featuring Sa Dingding, Liu Yuning and Mao Buyi. The songs were very fitting and set a dramatic and emotional tone that is infused throughout the show. Interestingly, just like The Blue Whisper, there is a male and a female version of the same song. For posterity, I have listed the main tracks below.

Soundtrack list (I will add the Spotify links once available):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-PBZ8ZbSCM
1. 星落凝成糖 (The Starry Love) - 萨顶顶 (Sa Dingding)
2. 与子成说 (Speak With You) - 刘宇宁 (Liu Yuning)
3. 双花儿 (Flower Pair) - 双笙 (Shuang Sheng)
4. 天地无瑕 (Flawless World) - 萨顶顶 (Sa Dingding)
5. 天地无瑕 (Flawless World) - 毛不易 (Mao Buyi)

My verdict: I do recommend this drama! I love a good love story, and this was definitely that along with the angsty melodrama that is typical of a xianxia drama. Those looking for a complete story will likely be left wanting for more by the lackluster ending. However for me, I enjoyed the complex yet enduring love among the 2 main couples and prefer to imagine a bright future ahead of them.

Leggi di Più

I am genuinely surprised by the amount of high the ratings for this drama. This drama is all concept and zero plot. It's finally over and I'm still waiting for a coherent storyline. There were enough moments that I found interesting or even entertaining, to keep me from dropping this drama early on, but I'm convinced that not much planning went into the making of "The Beauty Inside", and they were just relying on the actors to make this weird idea work. For me, that simply wasn't enough. Clearly, this is a movie plot idea stretched beyond its means to fit a drama format (Something I realized too late).

I won't go into the details, but this is basically a story about two people who seem uniquely matched, and in some ways ill-fated. There is also a general theme about empathy and opposites attracting, which is also echoed by a secondary couple. These are very common themes in Kdramaland, but usually, the story becomes more involved and engaging with each new episode. The opposite happened to me while watching this. Everything interesting happens early on and then too much of the time is filled with repetitive tropes and boring scenes full of annoying banter that goes nowhere and adds nothing to the overall story. Her uniqueness remains unexplained for the entirety of the show, and his issue is resolved so simply that it almost felt like cheating. Well, at least there's a great pairing to carry the show, right? Well, yes... and no.

The cast is lead by Seo Hyun Jin as Han Se Gye, who I am a big fan of, and she hasn't disappointed me yet. Instead of playing the quirky odd lead, here she plays a celebrated actress... but don't worry, her quirky charm still shines. She is matched by Lee Min Ki as Seo Do Jae, who usually takes some time to grow on me. He is always super low key and straight-faced in the roles I've seen him in, and this is no different. His robotic charm and her unpredictable energy do work well together for the most part, and they have good chemistry, especially in the earlier episodes. The main problem I had with them is that, once they didn't have a strong conflict to play off of, their scenes started to feel more forced and cringe-worthy. I feel like sometimes they tried too hard to be cute together, and it just turned out to be more annoying than adorable.

The supporting cast was a mixed bag of people I really liked and people I could barely stand. Lee Tae Ri and Moon Ji In both played their loyal assistant/bff roles well, and had good chemistry with their bosses, but one character who I was never really sold on was Ahn Jae Hyun as Ryu Eun Ho. I honestly don't get his appeal at all. Much like Lee Min Ki, I've always seen him play low key characters, but having two low energy males in one drama felt like a downer at times. My problem with Ahn Jae Hyun is that his character is meant to be super attractive and innocently charming, but to me, he just felt subtly arrogant and often boring. The dog's acting had more range than him. Most of his scenes, especially the drinking scenes with Han Se Gye & Woo Mi, made me want to skip all of his dialogue completely. The one thing that made me almost like his character was his chemistry with one of my favorite characters in the whole show, Lee Da Hee as Sa Ra. I loved Sa Ra's mean but reluctantly nice attitude, and matching her with a guy wanting to be a priest made their relationship fun to watch. There were times I looked forward to their scenes together as much as I did the main couple, but like the main couple, their story became very repetitive and dull towards the end.

Also, keep an eye out for lots of glaring cameos! It's almost like actor product placement lol!

Would I watch this again? Definitely not. There's just way too much filler to justify 16 long episodes worth of show, and every episode felt like an eternity to me! I even fell asleep while watching more than once. I would have to skip through most of the scenes just to rewatch the parts I like. Also, the last 2 episodes were so incredibly boring that just watching all the combined flashbacks would basically give you the entire drama in a nutshell. The ending didn't do much as far as closure or answers either, so even completing this drama until the end the first time felt like a waste of time.

Overall, I wish this drama was better since there was the potential for it to be good, but I think the lack of a strong storyline, the repetitive moments and flashback abuse, the way too easily resolved conflicts, and cheesy dialogue make it impossible for me to recommend this drama, even to die-hard romcom fans. There was a missed opportunity to create a really interesting love story, but instead, they decided to go with standard clichés and a super light-hearted and safe plot that won't make audiences too sad or upset. They even tried to imply a meaning for the main character's "identity crisis", but it came across to me as an afterthought and a stretch that failed to give this drama the substance it was going for.

But I guess, like beauty, this drama is in the eye of the beholder. Count me among those who are unimpressed with "The Beauty Inside".

Leggi di Più