Reviews

This was a really great series that managed to balance its constant hilarity with moments that were surprisingly profound or heartwarming. The cast of characters was almost universally endearing, mostly thanks to the incredibly comic performances that the various actors delivered. Despite all this, I found the series to be unexpectedly didactic, delivering viewpoints on topics such as friendship, honour and pragmatism. Unless you have an aversion to a bit of blood, this is a must see. My only regret is that it finished at episode 10.

P.s. as someone already pointed out, the theme song is a cover of 'Otoko no Kunshou'- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frC94k58Hvo - Jiro Sato, who played Riko's father, makes an appearance in this music video.

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While I admit the story line is extremely cheesy in some places, it is just as sweet and touching in others. The relationship between the characters is incredibly well depicted. This is not an indepth story...if you want that go look at Vampire Prosecutor. But neither should you pass it by. Once you get into the story, it's very entertaining and interesting. The characters grow on you with each episode, and you are rooting for their family by the end. Some of the vampire parts are silly, but it was the best for its time. I would actually be as likely to re-watch this as I would be to re-watch Vampire Prosecutor (and in fact I have re-watched this show a couple times). It's short, and is a great just sit back and watch show.

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I was sad with developed

When I read the synopsis I was curious, because there was potential in the history. There were 50 episodes for developed all details. When I was watching I was more and more frustrated with the lack of attention for developed and fix the mystery.

Well, the series lost a lot of time with stuff those no matter. I am frustrated I don't recommend this drama.

If there is a remake to fix this inversion of the importance. In other words if the directors and writers put attention in history, not in foolish and repeated jealousy the series can become good.

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Lenta, porém deliciosa!

Eu amei como o romance é construído, não teve traição e a enganação foi Joke já gostar de Zo há muito tempo!
Muito fofos, atuação não é das melhores, mas só alguns personagens se perdem ali, Nita foi usada na medida certa. Vovó maravilhosa, só gostaria de saber como o pai de Zo ficou, se ele foi pra casa ou não.
Os beijos muito fofos e a cena da primeira vez do casal foi muito fofa na medida certa!
Sorri demais toda vez que eles se beijavam ou se abraçavam, fofos DEMAIS!
Lembrei um pouco do meu relacionamento, nesses longos 7 anos foram muitos altos e baixos e ficamos juntos, crises vieram, mas relacionamento é isso, é algo fluido que precisa estar todo tempo se adaptando as pessoa envolvidas!
Muito amor e respeito envolvido!

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Beyond my expectations ~

Beyond my expectations ~ my own opinion that may or may not others agrees with ....
I like dramas that goes not like what I thought it'll be~
I had nice time watching , which I didn't expect~ I'm glad it was one from the type of drama that kept me day and night watching hehehe till last ep ^^
Kind of typical kromance but so well presented , the acting the osts and the filming I liked all
And so puzzled by how low the rating ? It deserves more at least at least over 8 but why ?? It deserves more ...
I liked the way how she questioned the feelings and the acts by him , and how he do revenges that woah loved it
And ofc I fell for the main although I like the sec but the main ( heart eyes emoji ) XD

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Good and Evil Through the Tragedy of Choice

Waiting for a drama to premiere is an act of faith, and my journey with this one was a test of patience. At first glance, the storytelling felt muddled, a puzzle with pieces that didn't quite seem to fit. It wasn’t until the narrative settled into the familiar rhythm of the academy that it truly found its footing, building a genuinely compelling momentum. If I had to draw a line, the first half of the drama was a solid, engaging watch. The second half, however, wasn’t as satisfying; it stumbled where it should have soared. And yet, even in its imperfection, the final episodes held moments that resonated with a quiet power, leaving a bittersweet taste that lingers longer than a more polished, forgettable finale.

Having seen other adaptations of this author’s work, I was prepared for a certain formula. I tried not to make comparisons, but the echoes were impossible to ignore. The drama leans heavily on familiar, even overused, tropes: the immature and childish female lead who eventually matures, the enemy-to-lovers dynamic, and a collection of obsessed, psychopathic male characters who blur the line between antagonist and outright villain. I had hoped that the second male lead, Ji Tongzhou, would be a complex antagonist rather than a full-blown villain, but the story took a darker, more definitive path—a common tragedy in these sprawling cultivation tales.

What truly anchors this story, however, and what saved it from being a simple trope-fest, is its core theme. Beneath the flashy CGI and frantic pacing lies a poignant exploration of nature versus nurture, of birth versus choice. The drama masterfully deconstructs the very foundation of its world. Everyone speaks in hushed tones of a past catastrophe, a great war between immortals and demons. The elders, draped in the robes of sages, indoctrinate a new generation to hate a faction branded as evil by birth and origin. But the truth they so carefully conceal is far more damning: the sages were never truly sages, and the devils were never born evil.

This hypocrisy is the engine of the drama’s tragedy. The so-called righteous immortals, led by the sanctimonious Cui Xuan, are driven by greed and a hunger for power they mask as divine justice. Cui Xuan’s secret prison, the Xiaoqian World, where he drains the life force of demon spirits to fuel his own cultivation, is a more horrifying evil than any act committed by the demon clan in the show. He didn't just kill Qing Cheng (Wu Gen), the master who chose love and redemption over transcendence; he betrayed the very essence of their brotherhood, exploiting his trust to imprison and eventually murder him. This act of intimate betrayal is the true face of "righteousness" in this world, a far cry from the "evil by birth" he projects onto the demon clan.

At the heart of this conflict stands Lei Xiuyuan, the demon lord Ye Cha. He has every conceivable reason to become the monster the world insists he is. He is born under a curse that forces him to consume the very personification of life, Jianmu (Jiang Lifei), or suffer a soul-shredding death. He is hunted, blackmailed, and manipulated by a scoundrel like Zhen Yunzi, who uses his dying brother Lu Shanhua as a puppet. The world, including the woman he loves, is a constant crucible encouraging him to embrace his inherent darkness. His fight is not just against external enemies, but against his own cursed nature, which drives him to uncontrollably hunger for the very scent of Jiang Lifei’s life force.

And yet, his defining act is defiance. His greatest strength isn't his terrifying demonic power, but his unflinching choice to be good. His iconic line, "Xin zhi suo xiang cai shi xuan ze" (What the heart desires is the true choice), isn't just a slogan; it's his life's thesis. It’s the mantra he clings to when resisting the soul-corrupting magic, when refusing to harm Jiang Lifei even to save himself, and when ultimately sacrificing his life to shatter her chains and set her free. He is a character who embodies the drama’s soul: a person born to be a villain, given every justification for villainy, who instead uses his power to protect the world that despises him. His internal battle is far more compelling than any external sword fight.

Juxtaposed against him is Ji Tongzhou’s downfall, which is a perfect, tragic foil. Unlike Lei Xiuyuan, who resists his cursed bloodline, Ji Tongzhou is consumed by a self-created one: his obsessive love for Jiang Lifei. He starts as a loyal friend but spirals into a demon of his own making, cloaking his possessiveness and ambition in the language of protection. He doesn't need a curse to absorb Jianmu's power; he does it out of a chilling sense of entitlement. His moral decay is so complete that he murders his oldest friends, in a fit of rage after being confronted with his own hypocrisy. In the end, he’s a hollow figure, painting portraits of a woman who will never love him, having destroyed every genuine connection he ever had. His tragedy isn’t his love; it’s his choice to let that love fester into a tyrannical need to possess, turning him into the very monster he claimed to fight.

Jiang Lifei, too, evolves from a source of frustration to a pillar of strength. Her initial childishness is grating, but her journey is one of painful awakening. She learns that the world her master Qing Cheng wanted to protect is full of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Her most powerful moments are when she sheds her naivete, like when she mocks the assembled immortals at her public trial, brilliantly exposing Cui Xuan’s plot to enslave them all with her trap-like chains. Her decision to stand against the sea calamity at the end, not as a sacrifice to a cruel world but as a fulfilment of her master’s dream, completes her arc from a naive girl to a self-possessed woman who understands that true power is not in one's origin but in the sacrifice one is willing to make.

Sadly, this beautiful, thematically rich narrative is trapped in a flawed vessel. The acting is inconsistent, often failing to carry the heavy emotional weight of the plot. But the real villain of the production is the post-production work. The CGI and editing are, to put it bluntly, a hot mess. At times, the garish graphic effects were so blinding that I nearly dropped the drama. The editing gives the show a frantic, breathless pace, butchering scenes that should have been given time to breathe and resonate emotionally, leaving the viewer feeling pummeled rather than moved.

It’s a story that understands that the most profound monsters are not born in the netherworld but in the secret chambers of a hypocrite’s heart, and the truest hero is the one who conquers the monster within himself.

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Not too scary, political, but more than that, a love story.

Let's start with answering the question, "Can I watch these without watching the movie and playing the game?" - Definitely yes! It can stand on its own because the series had interspersed it with flashbacks (flashbacks that are part of the narrative which for me will not bore you to death).

What I don't like:
1. I started watching this one with the idea that I will be scared... I came out unscathed. But scary-ness is definitely based on individual's scaredy-cat (lol) level. So it might be different from your viewing experience.
2. Supporting characters acting is sometimes off.
3. The political theme made me read on Taiwan's White Terror. I did feel the need to know why they (the characters, specially the villains) acts that way.

What I like:
1. The series did not only focuses on the horror and political theme they touched on. It explored the main characters' struggle and showed how they triumph (and their reward/punishment) for the choices they had made. It is not often to see in horror series those elements.
2. I like the very intelligent use of flashback in this one.
3. This series made me buy and play (in chapter 2 right now) the game.

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“I wonder if the people watching will be happy with the drama” I was very miserable actually

Jfc where do I even start. First off I never watched Jane the virgin so you know this is from an unbiased viewer that doesn’t have the bias of having watched the original, with that out of the way:
My first problem rose in around the 6th (give or take) episode, the kiss was horrendous holy sh.. do you know how evidently bad a kiss has to be for a person that hasn’t kissed someone to not only know it’s cringey but to legitimately think the show is better off without kissing? The focus on the kisses made it wayyy worse like if your actors are awful kissers then show it from afar or something but nooooo it had to be in plain view, every kiss took down 5 years from my life span.
Second problem: unnecessary plot. They put too much focus on the crime plot like sir I DO NAWT CARE they failed to make it interesting and dragged it for too long
Third: Lack in reasoning behind characters actions. So many characters did things out of character and then on top of that their reasoning was sh-t
Overall By episode 9 I was full on skipping scenes, having it as background noise the last episode I skipped the entire episode and watched the last thing and I audibly cringed like cmon now.
The female lead was awful she cannot act wtf this is my first time actually saying this about someone because I never notice but this one was actually so obvious it gave me physical pain
The baby was the best actor you did great sweetie
Conclusion save yourself don’t bother

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Stop and consider for one moment: what is your most precious memory? Would it sustain you if all the others were completely washed away? Might it be enough even if you could never form another? In the haunting and emotional After Life (originally Wandafuru Life or “Wonderful Life,”) heaven and hell do not exist. There is but one choice. After dying, you must select one memory to “live” inside for all eternity—with nothing but the thoughts and feelings of that moment for just as long. Everything not contained in that memory returns to dust.

And so viewers join a group of counselors, long dead, as they work with the newly deceased to find their best memory. Each counselor is charged with several individuals, and they interview them one by one in order to root out what will make them most happy. As such, much of the film takes place in documentary-style interviews. We hear various stories from many individuals, diverse in ways from content to age range and era. However, there are a few unable to pin down anything anything at all. One man has never truly had a happy moment in his life, while another refuses to select anything despite ample material. Another young lady realizes times she thought were special were not quite as she remembered. What will happen to unfortunate people like these? There is also a mystery surrounding the counselors themselves… who are they and why were they chosen for this work?

Yet with such intense subject matter, After Life manages to be gentle and slyly humorous. It never reaches into your chest to tear out your heart, but delicately stirs that part of you which values sentimentality and fears death. What makes this film excellent is how carefully it explores these subjects: mortality and memory. It may induce laughter in you, perhaps it will leave a lump behind in your throat; but above all else, After Life will make you think long and hard. What would you choose?

Many familiar and veteran names grace the cast listing, such as Iura Arata, Terajima Susumu, and Iseya Yusuke. They stand out here as well, particularly the two counselors. However, the real stars are the memories and the people who share them. Many of the “interviews” were completely impromptu, and the people depicted are not actors, but real people reminiscing on film. Though it isn't clear which are scripted and which are authentic, they all leave great impact.

I always claim music is of paramount importance in both film and television. Despite this preference, it seems I've found an exception in After Life. This is a movie that does just fine without much of a soundtrack to recommend it. In fact, the silence lends realism, a solemn kind of respect and authenticity. There are no emotional cues for the audience, either…which is surprisingly nice for a change.

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Good intention

Before I start nagging about the many flaws of this series, let me say I liked it, for more than one reason. I'll keep this short, because I think everybody have to make up their mind about the show themselves. I only want to give you some clues.

The message
This series, unlike most other Thai BL-series, addresses the social and political situation in the country, like corruption, killings of non-corrupt politicians, or the threat of gang crime. The message behind it is to encourage people to not accept these circumstances, to stand together and fight against crime and injustice. In this sense, the series can be called patriotic, especially in the last episodes. Given the overall situation in Thailand, it seems brave to produce a show like this. So the intention is good.

The plot
I won't spoil any details here. A young man returns to his home village in the North of Thailand where a local gang blackmails and kills residents. He teams up with some other young men to fight the gangsters.

The script
Here's the first big problem. Many scenes are unintentionally comic with a high level of ridiculousness. You get a rough idea what the writer intended, but the execution is often unrealistic if not illogical. One example among many others is the acceptance of boys' love by the villagers, with parents encouraging their son to have sex with his boyfriend. And in real life it would be nothing short of suicide, if a bunch of inexperienced, if not naive young men stand up against gangsters who have killed average citizens as well as politicians. Fortunately, the gangsters are mere caricatures who don't recognize their enemies although they have seen them several times before. They even don't wonder why a guy they think they have killed is suddenly alive again.

The cast / acting
This is the second problem. I have given 8 stars, but this is a compromise: a 10 for the cast, but a 6 for acting at best. There are some very attractive young men, like Kawaii (Din) or Andew (the teacher). But: after some of the boys showed their amazing physique in bathing scenes in the first few episodes, this promise is not fulfilled, as they stay completely dressed in the later episodes which is a pity. More importantly, and unfortunately, most of them have no acting skills at all, making dramatic scenes unintentionally comic.

The setting / cinematography / soundtrack
The story is set in a rural surrounding in Northern Thailand. Cinematography and production are surprisingly good, and the ost is beautiful.

Product placement
I understand you need a lot of money to produce a series like this, and most Thai BLs have more or less product placement. It's nice to have the boys praise a brand of soap while they are taking a shower, but I wonder if it has to be a bleaching soap. When it's about painkillers or sauce, just regard it as a comic intermezzo, and it doesn't hurt too much.

Rewatch value
Whether you will want to rewatch the series or not obviously depends on how much you liked (or hated) it. As I liked it, and as the title song keeps hanging in my ear all the time, I may rewatch it some day, when there's no other BL series to watch. I also guess one may discover some hidden messages at a second glance only.

There have been better series than this, but it's definitely not the worst. All in all, despite the flaws mentioned before, in my opinion watching this series is no waste of time.

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Now, I haven't watched the American version of Suits so I can't speak in terms of comparison, but I did talk with a friend who decided to watching the US version while I watched the KR version and we compared storylines, and from what they said, it was pretty spot on minus some differences that can be accounted to writing/directing choice and cultural influences. I thoroughly enjoyed the drama from start to finish, and more than the storylines, I enjoyed the cast. The acting was spot on—having not seen Jang Dong Gun in such a long time, this was a perfect return to acting for him. He fit the character spot on and I enjoyed Kang Seok's interactions with Yeon Woo. Park Hyungsik also continues to do a good job in being one of the few actors who makes me cry when he cries on camera. Chae Jung An was a star! I so enjoyed when we got to see more of her as the drama went along, and I wish the drama had gone a little further with Secretary Hong's relationship with Kang Seok.

I do have smaller minor issues in terms of Yeon Woo's character and how he tends to flip flop rather than stay somewhere on a constant path, and the story to me dragged along towards the middle, but picked up closer to the end. The last few episodes were a little fast paced and could have been done earlier, but they still worked out pretty well.

In terms of romance or bromance, Kang Seok and Yeonwoo's friendship as well as Kang Seok and Chae Geun Sik's rivalry, and the relationship between Kang Seok and Partner Kang were all wonderful to watch. I felt so so on Yeonwoo and Jinah, but they were a minor cute edition that I didn't mind all too much, though I wish we could have seen a little more of Jinah's backstory.

Overall, I could watch this again from certain parts. It was a really chill watch (til the second half when I was screaming) that I could rebinge anytime. The ending was open ended so while the chances are sim to none for a second season, it could totally be done (and with the great ratings, who knows).

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Absolutely an Embarrassing Ending!

How could you end up destroying this show?
I love IU, I love Lee joon gi, they were great together, I was totally over the moon watching Hae soo and So together, The OSTs are masterpieces, but seriously, they messed up last two episodes. everything happend too fast and completely unreasonable. There were simply no excuses or answers for what soo was doing. She looked like a whiny little girl who couldn't understand logic. The way she left the palace was hilarious. She said She won't leave So and then in less than an Episode, she was begging to leave and Absolutely with no reasonable excuse. They didn't even give us a final Conversation and Farewell between our loving birds! Did anyone finally understand why Jung kept changing the covers of the letters???!
Absolutely Embarrassing Ending!

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The plot is kinda confusing, idk if I'm over thinking or if I've missed something. Of course since it's a movie the story and characters won't be as well developed as a drama. The climax wasn't that intense. Over all a light hearted romance movie. Story of lovers accepting each other despite a broken past.
I've noticed some floppy camera work here and there. For example there was a scene where Hyun Woo was talking to Jong Woo who was inside his car, when the camera was on Jong Woo it showed that the window was up, but then when the camera was on Hyun Woo the window was down, if that made sense. I thought movies would be seamless and have meaningful camera work, it's disappointing to see mistakes like this.

Acting is great. Both the main actors acted in top dramas.
Music is superb, it played a big part in the movie.
Re watch? Personally no, I'm not a fan of these kind of romance...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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The plot is one of the darkest, twisted yet fascinating as you would find psychological elements that would impact you as viewer. I say psychological because if you try to look into the mind of the characters, their action would just makes sense. I'm not trying to justify their actions because it's obvious these are your typical twisted characters in a movie. I also would like to point out there is no Forbidden love, younger man/older woman, student/teacher relationship and especially ROMANCE in this movie. Obsession & Lust is very different from love, just watch the scene on the beach where he tried to cut off his D**k, that was such a powerful scene. I see these tags are the reason why there are a lot of negative comments here. These are very misleading tags.

The movie shows the dark reality, the cycle of abuse which is very scary. I believe the girl was also abused by her dad, and it's also the reason for her sexual orientation. It's her dominating personality that later on lead to her abusing the child. One of the most realistic portrayal of rape and abuse in a movie, it shows how it will affect the victim later in life. I also refuse to believe being a pedophile is hereditary, nope, genes has nothing to do with it. Everyone's psychology/mindset is a result of the environment they grew up in.

The Acting here is very strong, which is very important in a movie that has bold storyline. You could tell the actress, Sugino Kiki is a very passionate one as she's also one of the producers of this movie, and it shows in her performance. It doesn't seem nudity bother her either. Imagine producing a movie, casting yourself in a movie which you'll do a nude scene later. At first I thought the casting of Taiga is terrible because it seems he's portraying a character much younger than his age, they even put a kid's voice on him, which is understandable because there is no way they could cast real kid without going jail. But eventually thanks to Taiga's acting I forgot to notice those things. There is one important scene in this movie where he was really impressive, that was when his character was being raped by the female lead, that look on his face shows agony in a very realistic manner, that alone deserves an acting award for him. Hard to believe this is Imai in Kyou Kara Ore Wa!!. Goes to show how versatile as hell and criminally underrated he is. Most of the Music is composed of music from Mozart. It's very important to note that it conveys the psyche of the character once you hear it in the background.

People ask why we need movies such as these that it doesn't make sense at all, and some even said they want to unsee it. I understand people have different taste when it comes to movies but saying it doesn't make sense makes no sense to me. Maybe they didn't try to look for meaning because even weed type art-house films have meanings. Now if you ask why these dark twisted types of movies exist? SIMPLE because it's CINEMA. The prime purpose of cinema is not to entertain but to tell a story, humanity is always fascinated by different stories, which is why cinema is considered as the 7th form of ART.

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

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