Reviews

Interesting-funny storyline of introverted girl gets guy via a comic like secret tip self-help VHS. The actress was the focal point, detailing the self-exploration of what she wants & needs to connect humanely/lovingly with people, specifically MEN. The story background is in 70's color explosions & comical story boarding while weaving this tale about men - women and our relationships. For a more mature audience due to candid discussions of sex, love, ying/yang - basically foreplay of any relationship. Would I rewatch? Yes! One of those quirky films that keeps your attention, makes you laugh, and ponder relationships of your own...

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OMG this movie was amazing! It's OVER two hours and I still wanted more!! Btw, I've never read the manga so I have nothing to compare to...
The acting is great - Sato and Kamiki have amazing chemistry between them! It helps that I've seen them in loads of interviews together lately xD Of course Sometani and Kiritani and Yamada were perfect too! -, the comedy was so good, the cinematography was spot on - seriously this director has it going on! -, the CGI was amazing, the music - pretty sure the theme song is ONE OK ROCK or someone similar - and sound was great (the sound of the pens drawing made me shiver all the time!), I thoroughly enjoyed this!

The only reason it's lost one point is: I wanted more so MAYBE this would've been better as a dorama but damn, I wanna rewatch it right now and I've only just finished watching it!! xD

I think this is my second favourite movie of the year!

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Best BL of 2020 so far? I think so

This review is a personal opinion. It is not meant to sway or discourage anyone from watching this series.

What an amazing little Gem of BL that came out of the Philippines. Truly a great series to watch.

On to my review

Aptly named Gameboys the series, this new “BL” drama changed the game (no pun intended) in the way stories can be told with characters having little to no physical interactions. I put BL in quotation marks because I wouldn’t consider this a Boys Love Drama, but rather a true representation of LGBTQ+. The drama breaks a lot of ridiculous cliches while at the same time using other cliches properly.

The backdrop of the drama is centered around the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect world wide, particularly in the Philippines. The main characters find themselves on mandatory lockdown by the government and must spent majority of their times indoors. Cairo, a self-proclaimed gamer and a nerd, spends his day doing live broadcast, amassing a following that include the cheeky and always smiling Gavreel —who we later learned has been following Cairo’s live streams after the death of his grandmother and went into depression-and develops a crush on the gamer.

Through a series of “video meets” the two being to grow closer, despite Cairo’s reluctance to Gavreel’s advances. We later learned that Cairo has been struggling with his sexual orientation-and the consequences of that which centered around his father’s health.

This drama touched on a lot of things, but for me the most amazing part was the way that Mental health, guilt/blame, and forgiveness took center stage.

Acting: Elijah (Cairo) really stole a lot of the scenes for me. There were so many instances where I felt his pain. Though he masked that pain through “grouchiness/shade” the boy was aching for someone to listen to him. Which is why Gavreel’s existence in Cairo’s life came at the right time (maybe some would call it Fate)

It was refreshing to see a confident gay man in Gavreel—his confidence, cheekiness, fun loving nature truly made the drama memorable, but at the same time, the layers that kept being pulled away bit by bit revealed a young man who had gone through great loss and grief. He was depressed and found solace in Cairo’s live streams.

I loved Pearl! What a great friend who was in a way the “voice of reason” for these boys exploring their relationship. Supportive female characters like Pearl always make the series much better.

Ah the villain ex-boyfriend ended up being such a good character in the end. He acknowledged the mistakes his made and realized that he needed to FIX himself before he could love anyone else.

Overall, this was a very good drama series and I highly recommend it.

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I saw the trailer about a month before the release and liked the OST as well as the familiar faces we all have come to know from other GMMTV productions. I particularly like Mond and was excited to see him in a lead role as he usually portrays a side character. If nothing else Boy For Rent proved that he has the talent and charisma to play a male lead (still holding out for that Kluay and Aichi spin-off).
Pros: I think the cast was strong on all fronts from the core 4, to their friends, to the villains, and the extras.
While Fon's Smile did get a little annoying at times, she had a tenderness that you couldn't help but love her.
The chemistry between Mond and Fon was off the charts. I could do with them being a go-to couple.
Cons: The Boy For Rent concept could have been expanded on more. We know that Kyro is part owner so then why does he work and not just get profits? Also, Badz having to work there for his sister was a good plot but it was weakened by the quick explanation. Kyro and Liz had family issues related to the plot but they were much better executed.
Overall: Smile and Badz were the better couple but Liz and Kyro were the more fleshed out characters.

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The biggest mistake of Best Mistake Season 2 is that it's centered around a mean and deceitful new character while at the same time trying to tease us with a love triangle where the conclusion is so foregone that you just feel sorry for the poor sap who you know is destined to be turned away by his crush before the last bell tolls.

What's also annoying is that the writers endow the mean and deceitful character with a seemingly superhuman ability to manipulate people, allowing her to get all of these close friends to distrust and turn on one another after what for some has been years of friendship. I hate it when a series is so lazy that it resorts to something like this. Unfortunately, it's all too often what a series will do in a second season because they can't think of anything else to be dramatic about.

The problem is, with Best Mistake Season 2 everybody watching knows that if these close friends were to have just one realistic conversation amongst themselves to compare notes, Ahra's lies would unravel and she'd be exposed within a couple of days. But instead we're supposed to believe that almost every one of these people has undergone a common-sense lobotomy that renders them incapable of anything but wide-eyed wonder over Ahra's beauty.

Also at issue during Season 2 is Hyunho's struggle over being misjudged by the education system, and in particular by a teacher who has a knack for popping up every now and then just to lower his self-esteem a little bit more. On a couple of occasions she takes a few shots at Yeondoo as well, telling her that she owes it to herself to break up with Hyunho because he's a loser who will just drag her down. Smart girl that she is, Yeondoo will have none of it, but alas poor Hyunhoo proves to be not as strong. Since the teacher is blind to his efforts to improve, cruelly dismissing him at every turn, he eventually starts to believe her BS and ultimately decides that he should, indeed, break up with Yeondoo, supposedly for her own good. The breakup is half-hearted at best but still manages to devastate Yeondoo.

This is where the love triangle comes in, and where Season 2 actually does something wonderful. No, it's not the love triangle itself, but rather the introduction of a new character who is complex and interesting. Seunghyun is an athlete who starts out as aloof and unapproachable. His standoffishness is what especially irks Hyunho, whose territorial instincts go haywire from the get-go. He becomes very wary over Seunghyun, and it is to his credit that it eventually turns out that in this regard he does, actually, have something to worry about.

Although many viewers (mainly out of loyalty to Hyunho, I suspect) are put off by the way Season 2 develops the friendship between Yeondoo and Seunghyun, I think the tentative way that Seunghyun builds up his trust in her is very sweet. Pretty quickly it develops into a one-sided crush on Seunghyun's part, and that's another thing that I believe is depicted realistically and with great insight. As Yeondoo slowly breaks down Seunghyun's somber exterior we start to see someone who is ethical, sincere, and probably more than a little bit lonely. Yeondoo has precisely the personality to pry open the feelings of someone like that, just by being herself, and through one kind-hearted interaction after another that's exactly what happens.

I think people can hate the love triangle itself (blame the writers for that) but they shouldn't take it out on Seunghyun, who turns out to be respectful of Hyunho and Yeondoo's relationship even during most of the time when they've supposedly already broken up. Seunghyun can sense that their breakup isn't really final, so in his insistance on always playing fair he waits until the moment when he finally gets word that they are definitely, positively over with before making his move. For this I think the guy deserves a lot of credit! It's got to be the first time he's ever approached a girl so there's so much potential for a rookie mistake, but he still navigates the situation in a way that avoids hurting anyone. In Seunghyun I think we have an amazing character, and Lee Jung Joon's performance in the part is nuanced and masterful. He gives us a Seunghyun who in some ways is even more compatible with Yeondoo that Hyunho is.

(Also, one thing we should always keep in mind is that Seunghyun is the one who finally manages to expose Ahra and eventually get Hyunho and Yeondoo back together again. So please stop hating on my boy!)

Regarding Hyunho, I think one of the reasons Yeondoo chooses to take him back in the end is not only that they're the main couple for the whole series (duh) but given her nurturing personality she knows that Hyunho just needs her in his life much more than Seunghyun does. Hyunho's fragility in this regard is just one of the ways that I think Kang Yul does such a terrific job in playing the role. He gets it right when depicting how such a person is always struggling between bravado and vulnerability. It's this very duality that endeared Hyunho to viewers so much in Season 1, and Kang Yul keeps up the good work in Season 2.

Another great thing about Hyunho's character is that he's always skeptical about anything the evil Ahra says or does. (Big ups to Ryu Sul for also refusing to be taken in by Ahra. She's not only skeptical of her but downright combative about it. Hey, Ryu Sul, I didn't like you in Season 1 but in Season 2 you're killin' it.)

Meanwhile, Yuna proves that she is shallow, dumb and pathetic by wallowing in her ridiculous one-sided love for Seunghyun, and allowing Ahra to convince her that Yeondoo -- Yeondoo of all people! -- is a phony. I can only be grateful that the writers didn't toss her a bone in the end by actually pairing her up with Seungyun. Yuna, girl, you are a sad excuse for a best friend. If there's a Season 3 please do not show up.

Another new character who deserves a thumbs-up is Ah Hoon. He's a cool kid who just needs some big-brotherly guidance, and that's exactly what Seunghyun provides for him. It's not clear to me what purpose he really serves in the season other than to provide comic relief in what in many ways was a bleak season, but it must be said that Keum Dong Hyun does a fantastic job in his drama debut, and I enjoyed the bromance between him and Seunghyun immensely. Part of me hopes that there will be a Season 3 and that the reason for Ah Hoon's introduction in Season 2 is that he'll be the central character in it.

As a last complaint, I think another dishonest thing the writers do is to surgically remove Ji Sung's backbone when it comes to Ahra. She humiliates him to the core after her plot unravels and she's exposed as the snake that she is. She even tells him to his face that she could never really be attracted to someone like him. This is one cruel person, I'm telling you. After all of this treachery, what we see in the last episode is that Ji Sung has skipped the big reunion lunch with his friends and actually decided to SIT WITH AHRA in the cafeteria. Seriously? Here we have a series that has spent 15 episodes showing us what a total lowlife Ahra is, then in the finale they suddenly want us to feel compassion for her. Well, sorry, no sale. Seeing Ji Sung sit with her was just annoying af. I'd rather they just hadn't shown Ahra at all in that episode rather than extract the last modicum of self-respect from poor Ji Sung. I know we're supposed to view it as a teachable moment and think he was doing something noble by extending forgiveness, but people like Ahra need to feel the consequences of their actions or they will never stop.

So, while I could rewatch Season 1 over and over (and actually did during Season 2's airing), I don't think I'll be returning to Season 2 that often. If I do it will mainly be for the two characters, namely Seunghyun and Ah Hoon, who can't be found in Season 1. The franchise still has lots of life in it and I'd be super excited for a Season 3. Either center it around Ahoon or follow the gang to college. The characters are so vivid and lovable and I don't want to be missing them for too long.

Final word: It's funny how my review of Season 1 is really short but this one turned into a novel. I guess it's because I feel that a review that's mostly negative needs to do some explaining. If you got this far while reading it then I'm very flattered and thank you for your time!

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Better than the previous one

Okay don’t eat me up but I’m from Yama-pi era where everyone was knocked off by his good looks and monotonous acting. The reason I’m giving so many stars are due to the following reasons. (I’m comparing it with the previous one).

Hirano Sho has done a better job at portraying Kurosaki. From the surface you might feel he is less “serious and dark” compared to monotonous Yama-pi, but he has shown the deep emotions every where required. For a high schooler to go through so much pain and trauma, he is trying to move on and get revenge and get people in their right place. Act out fine in front of the world but he has the emotions bottled up somewhere.

The story was written well this time and flowed perfectly and honestly the casting was done way better than the previous one. Miura Tomokazu just did the best job. All the characters were more likeable this time. In 2006 only Horikita Maki was doing a good job trying to be the character and likeable at the same time. And the ending was definitely better than that from 2006. It has a proper closure in a way, that wasn’t there in 2006.

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Warms the heart while playing with the possibilities of fate

In a year where short-format K-BLs continue to dominate the scene, Always Meet Again arrives with the ambition of feeling like something more complete, more polished, more emotionally grounded, and at times more daring than its peers. Reuniting Jeong Shin and Myung Kim after A Breeze of Love, the series leans heavily into what made that pairing work in the first place: an effortless chemistry that doesn’t need grand declarations to resonate. There’s a quiet intimacy in the way they share the screen, where glances linger just long enough and emotions surface in restrained, almost delicate ways. It’s the kind of dynamic that feels lived-in, and it ends up carrying much of the series on its shoulders.

What initially presents itself as a familiar time-travel romance gradually reveals a more introspective core. Rather than focusing purely on mechanics or spectacle, the narrative is more interested in grief, regret, and the desperate human urge to rewrite what was lost. The direction supports this approach beautifully, contrasting the muted tones of the present with the softer, almost glowing warmth of the past. There’s a consistent sense of longing woven into the visuals, reinforced by a carefully chosen soundtrack that elevates even the quieter moments. As the story progresses, it finds a stronger emotional rhythm, with later episodes delivering a more cohesive and impactful payoff than the somewhat tentative beginning might suggest.

That said, not everything on this canvas is painted in vibrant colors (tsk). For all its emotional strengths, the writing often struggles to keep up with its own ambition. The time-travel logic is, at best, loosely defined, and at worst, frustratingly inconsistent, leaving key plot points feeling underexplained or even contradictory. The subplot involving color blindness is perhaps the clearest example of this: introduced as something significant, it never quite finds a meaningful resolution or clear purpose within the narrative. Similarly, certain conflicts, especially those built around the idea of “pushing someone away for their own good”, feel more like familiar genre obligations than fully justified character choices, occasionally breaking the story’s emotional immersion.

There are also moments where the series hints at deeper layers, whether through supporting characters or secondary tensions, only to resolve them too quickly or abandon them altogether. This creates a sense of narrative imbalance, as if the story is constantly choosing between being intimate and being complex, without fully committing to either. The short episode format doesn’t help in this regard, often making developments feel rushed or undercooked when they needed just a bit more space to breathe.

And yet, despite these flaws, Always Meet Again remains an undeniably engaging watch. There’s a sincerity at its core that makes it easy to forgive its rough edges. When the series leans into its emotional beats, when it allows its characters to simply exist together without the weight of convoluted plotting, it becomes genuinely affecting. The performances, especially from the central duo, bring a level of nuance that elevates even the weaker scenes, grounding the story in something that feels real even when the logic falters.

By the time it reaches its conclusion, the series feels less like a tightly constructed narrative and more like an emotional journey, one that doesn’t always make perfect sense, but still manages to leave a lasting impression. It’s not flawless, and it doesn’t fully realize all the ideas it introduces, but there’s enough heart, atmosphere, and chemistry here to make it worthwhile. In the end, Always Meet Again may not be the best one out there, but it reminds us why stories about love, loss, and second chances continue to resonate: not because they are perfect, but because, at their best, they feel honest.

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Took a day to finish the drama. It was pretty good, like if you had nothing to do for a day and want to watch something this is recommended. The drama is pretty cute and the same time serious. Couples in it were compatible and had chemistry.

Story: The story was definitely planned with details and had me interested every episode. I get why people say it’s similar to W but the story is more lighter and isn’t as melodramatic as it. Also the drama is geered towards friendship as well as romance.

Acting/Cast: The cast were all pretty good looking and the acting was decent. So not very perfect but definitely not cringey. The males in the cast were handsome and some looked even better with time. The main couple were very sweet but natural in their romance so there wasn’t any yucky feeling about it.

Music: It wasn’t annoying and was light/flowly. Basically a sweet voice singing a somewhat sad song is the best way I can describe it.

Rewatch Value: I would definitely rewatch as a light drama with some crying.

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I'm obsessed!!!

I really love OffGun's chemistry and was excited to see their new project together. I was pleasantly surprised when I was coming back every week to watch it for the excitement of the story and not just for their chemistry (which was still absolutely amazing btw defo the cherry on top). The second couple DanYok, which I haven't seen these actors together before (don't know if they were in another drama together) their chemistry was off the roof. I really loved how their story was real, mistakes were made, feelings were hurt but isn't that with all relationships? I loved their development.
Anyways onto SeanWhite (OffGun). The story of White going undercover in his identical twins life, Black to discover who put him in a coma really kept me on my toes. To me it was quite obvious who beat Black up but it was still portrayed in a really good way. This was definitely a slow burn/ enemies to lovers (I LOVE THAT) as Sean and Black do not get along, so White acting as Black made both of them butt heads at the start but alas they get their happy ending.
This covered some really heavy topics as well, not just your fluff action you get in other BL's, this portrayed fighting for rights of those who get discriminated against and holding those high in power accountable for breaking the rules. Sean, Gram, Yok, Tod and Black (well White) are apart of a 'rebel' group which try to expose these people by doing various stunts to gain social awareness and to put a stop to their illegal businesses. All the people in the group have good story for why they are doing this so it really brings the watcher more joy when they succeed in their little adventures.
Overall, amazing show, really eye-opening and the romance was absolutely amazing, not too much where is dilutes the action of the story but enough to be screaming internally when watching the cute moments (and trust me there is a lot)

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Obsession and Possession

Enthralling. Intriguing. Mind-blowing

It is probably the perfect three words to describe this drama.

The whole drama narrates the story of Lou Qianyi and Hou Youze's relationship after an avalanche that renders Qianyi amnesic and how Qianyi tries to figure out her identity.

Initially, the plot of this drama is not straightforward and kinda complicated, which may leave your mind and train of thought all over the place. However, as the plot progresses, you will be able to gradually grasp the background and motivations of the various characters and understand the past incidents that shape current events.

The show is not draggy, you might get hooked unconsciously after watching a few episodes!! If I'm not mistaken, this drama was initially planned to have 40 episodes, and I am glad that they cut it down to 29 episodes. 29 episodes are the right number, it is not draggy and it is well-paced too. The pacing is well-paced and the drama also transitions seamlessly between suspense, tragedy and thriller with a few twists and reveals mixed in.

What makes this show spectacular is of course the male lead's acting. Ou Hao acted as Hou Youze, an obsessive yet pitiful person. His acting is spectacular!! He managed to bring Hou Youze role to life through his gaze and nuanced micro-expressions. I can't help but feel a bit scared while watching his acting. I watched a few of Ou Hao's dramas before, and he is really versatile, a quality which hopefully garners him more varied roles in his future projects!! Victoria Song's acting has also improved much!! She managed to play 2 different roles so well, she is getting better and better in each drama she stares in.

The background music and sound of this drama fits in perfectly with the whole ambience. The background music makes you feel the suspense and your adrenaline rushing. Though I feel like the background music was excessively used in some parts to the point that the background music is dictating you what you should feel. As for this scene, suspensive background music is used, therefore, you should feel suspense. But regardless of it, they still managed to make me feel the suspense and be on the edge of my seat while watching the drama.

As for the flaws, there are some scenes where it lacks logic and coherence. For instance, how can someone who just suffers a heavy accident and need to go through cosmetic surgery look so normal in just a month?! But if you don't really care about all the small details, you will love the drama!!

Another flaw is the CGI used during the avalanche, the CG looked so fake that I can't help but laugh a little, the cuts and CG used in the avalanche scene does not do justice to the quality of the storyline. But it is only a small part of it so don't mind too much!!

You might like or hate the ending. But for me personally, I think that ending is a perfect ending for this drama!!

Lover or Stranger is probably one of my favourite dramas of 2021!! It is rare to see a Chinese drama that takes on this genre, and in the future, I hope to see more kinds of Chinese dramas with this genre!! Give it a try, you might love it!!

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Good Action, Yearning Romance, Amazing Acting

I actually didn't expect much from this movie, no hype about it or anything like that, yet it turned out to be one of my favorite watches of 2026 so far.
The story itself isn't what keeps you engaged, but rather the raw action scenes and the characters who were extremely interesting (actors are amazing omg). The Politics and other topics are not so hard to follow, but it felt like the movie was lacking more advanced plot in some areas.
Cinematography was great, I loved the whole ambience of it.
The glimpse of romance and yearning was the best part in my opinion, and it's been a while since I've watched this type of love on screen.

NOTE!!!!!! Humint is very brutal and heavy watch (I love action, thriller and crime kdramas and movies, though this one was rough, violence targeted mainly towards women)
Overall, 9/10 or even 9.5/10 for HUMINTTTT MUST WATCH

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I wanted this to feel electric and full of chemistry and sweetness, but it just felt hollow. Most of the scenes of the main couple were... sweet, but they were missing something. I don't know if it was the script, direction or actors themselves, but I kept looking for some kind of real rawness and never got it. Felt overwritten and overdramatic without the heart or realism to ground it in a meaningful way. If I had encountered this when I was new to dramas I think I would like it a lot more, but I've seen too many at this point to be impressed by this.

Greatest Weakness: the romance that just never clicked
Greatest Strength: the female lead

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A Clueless Shifu with an Unlikable Pouty Face FL

The Journey of Chong Zi is a romance story of a shifu (master) and his beloved student, and the challenges they face. However the female lead character is being so poorly written, interpreted and acted that it renders the drama unimpressive. Plot holes everywhere and are simply being brushed over with bad logic and poor screen play. The immortal sects are gullible with little intelligence, believing in any gossips, and the demon sect is a confusing sorry lot. This is one of those series that can make the viewers vomit blood, and yet I completed watching it, and aged 10 years.

The storyline is nothing new as teacher/pupil romance is rather typical and tropey in xianxia stories. We’ve seen it in The Journey of Flower and in various others. The story is basically about the venerable immortal, Luo Yinfan (Xu Zhengxi aka Jeremy Tsui), falling in love with his disciple, Chong Zi (Yang Chaoyue), and their journey of romance, retribution, death, reincarnation, and their eventual confusingly bizarre ending.

Chong Zi is pure and kind despite her birth. Apart from her shifu who is Chong Zi’s true love, Chu Bufu (Gao Han), Qin Ke (Deng Wei), Zhuo Hao (Asher Ma), Mu Yu (Li Daikun) all love her unconditionally and are willing to die for her. Even some female characters such as Yan Zhenzhu (Zhang Keai) and Yin Shuixian (Yang Xinying) love Chong Zi in their own ways. From here, we can deduce that Chong Zi is a very lovable girl. Unfortunately, this message hasn’t come through.

Yang Chaoyue is simply not lovable at all and couldn’t give the viewers an authentic Chong Zi. The actor has a constant pouting face, making her look angry all the time. Even when she’s supposed to be playful and mischievous, she is not funny nor lovable. Yang Chaoyue really has to go back to acting school. The writing of the Chong Zi character is bad enough, made worse by Yang Chaoyue’s unconvincing portrayal. Despite Chong Zi is loved by many in the story, she is not loved by the viewers.

The drama tries hard to portray all the injustices Chong Zi faces that leads to her capitulation into the Ultimate Demon. But all her encounters do not seem dire enough to lead her down that path; she has been misunderstood for most parts as the immortal elders believe in fake stories of her. She’s being blamed for things she doesn’t do, for trivial things she may have done unwittingly, for being loved by her shifu and by most other men who know her. It is really frustrating to watch how such misunderstandings have not been clarified sooner and the perpetrators manage to get away scot-free, again and again.

The reason for her final transformation into the Ultimate Demon is totally unconvincing. After having some blissful days with the man she loves hidden away, she decides to become the Ultimate Demon to protect herself because her man is away for some chores and cannot protect her. That is simply a glaring hole for me.

My Verdict
I pressed on with this series for the sake of Jeremy Tsui though the character he played wasn’t that impressive (what a dumb shifu he was). I give this drama a rating of 7.5/10 to reward myself in completing the story.

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