Reviews

Um BL comfort!!

Quando iniciei esse BL eu não fazia ideia de qual seria o plot, e confesso que fui pega de surpresa pelo caminho que a história tomou. O primeiro episódio tem o casal como inimigos, a partir do segundo ep começa o plot de "ajudar a conquistar outra pessoa", e a partir do quinto a dinâmica entre o casal muda totalmente. A partir do episódio 8 era um plot diferente a cada episódio como se os escritores estivessem com dificuldade de preencher a história. Então, digo com facilidade que poderia sim ser uma série com, no máximo, 8-10 episódios.

Eu sempre avalio uma obra a partir de qual é o objetivo dela, e Hidden Agenda não foi feito pra ser um BL super díficil de entender, é um plot simples, com um casal principal fofo e um secundário que em minha opinião aparece pouco. Apenas queria que focassem um pouco mais nos debates, é algo bem diferente do que vemos em um BL universitário tailandês, e também queria mais da backstory da história de como o Joke se apaixonou e foi pedir ajuda ao Pat.

Sobre casais não tenho do que reclamar. Começando pelos nossos protagonistas, o Joke e o Zo são um casal com muita química e é impossivel não sorrir com as interações deles, mas o que eu mais gostava neles era que os dois sabiam que seus problemas tinham que ser resolvidos a partir do dialógo, claro que os dois já chegaram a errar mas ninguém é perfeito e tá tudo bem. Cabe dizer que é a primeira vez que vejo algo com os JoongDunk e a atuação deles é ok, apenas acho que o Dunk pode melhorar. As cenas de intimidade eu não tinha botado fé nenhuma, mas eles foram íncriveis.
Os secundários, Jeng e Pok também tem química, mesmo que me incomodou um pouco esse plot do Jeng conversar com uma menina mesmo sendo compromissado. Mereciam mais tempo de tela, mas os AouBoom foram muito bem.

Eu entendo perfeitamente quem deu uma nota baixa pra série, pois em alguns momentos eu até dormi porque estava um pouco tedioso. Mas se você não tem nada pra fazer e quer ver algo leve pra sorrir um pouco, é uma ótima indicação.

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A most compelling story on coming-of-age and overcoming-almost-insurmountable struggles...

This is just the third time that I got to fully finish a full-length Chinese TV Drama where I eagerly looked forward to watching the next episodes not only because of the generally well-written plot and storylines, but also because of the excellent acting and portrayal of characters by the main leads.

Xu Tan, angst and expectations-driven, initially evokes a cerebrally calculating but physically weak youth with a generous-to-a fault wholesome, almost naive, personality in the beginning, but then evolves into this emotionally strong, mentally focused, and physically tough athlete who emerges as a champion in his own right. Bai Jing Ting exceptionally and convincingly plays Xu Tan whose remarkable physical transformation and emotional maturity over the years was matched in real life by Bai Jing Ting's physique-change and character portrayal. Xu Tan withstands and emerges triumphant over multiple adversities that life hurls at him: struggles and challenges in his family life, love-life, career, and more importantly, in his relationship with his main rival/friend, Yu Ke Nan. (Bai Jing Ting, also excellently portrays the lead, Xing Ke Lei in "You Are My Hero")

Yu Ke Nan, sternly brought up by his Pingpong-crazed father through rigid training and selfless discipline is a naturally-gifted pingpong athlete whose initial persona is that of a self-assured, arrogant and selfish individual single-mindedly devoted to winning at any cost. Eventually, his personal friendship and professional relationship with the amiable and selfless Xu Tan transforms him. In a sense, while coming from the opposite ends of the personality spectrum that makes them clash often, the differences between the two, their almost parallel career tracks, and their apparent love and respect for each other are what will eventually forge their deep and lifelong friendship. Timmy Xu Wei Zhou perfectly captures the wide-range of emotions that run through the tough but broken and temperamental yet sensitive Yu Ke Nan. Of note, especially, is his charged performance in Episode 43 where he visits and reconciles with his estranged father. (Timmy Xu Wei Zhou was likewise outstanding when he portrayed the challenging role of the pensive and emotionally-conflicted Bai LuoYin in "Addicted").

Over-all, the plot is great, with the scriptwriters carefully establishing the pains, struggles, growth, and maturity of our main protagonists as they journey through their lives. The writer(s) carefully interwove the positive influence of the main supporting characters, especially the masterful approach with which they molded the sagacious, staunch & steady father-figure types of the personal coaches, Lei Cheng (Liu Zhi Bing) and Teng Biao (Wang Jian Xin), respectively for Xu Tan and Yu Ke Nan. Another notable figure is that of delightful romantic, Liu Shi (aptly played by Wan Guo Peng) , best friend / teammate / roommate of both Xu Tan and Yu Ke Nan. Of last important note is the antagonist character of Coach Zheng Hao (Gao Dong Ping) that superbly stitched and strikingly prototyped the seemingly hopeless and endless struggles of both Xu Tan and Yu Ke Nan. On the other hand, the storyline could have been tightened a little by doing away with some unnecessary sub-plots like the post-pingpong career and mischief of Jia Yu, or in tempering some of the overly-written romantic twists.

While primarily a sports drama, the storyline touches deeply to the core of human desires---sentimental reminders about our own hopes and dreams, of our failures and triumphs, of our loves--lost and found, of our disappointments and betrayals, but more importantly of our constant and unquenchable quest for meaning and self-actualization. The more than few superbly written phrases and one-liners about living a more meaningful life makes this series worthy of multiple re-runs.

For even non-sports enthusiasts, the brilliant demonstration of the beautiful game of Pingpong inspires awe, and the most exciting exchange of volleys in many tournament scenes warrant deep admiration for these exceptional table tennis athletes at the peak of their game. An added bonus are the enlightening technical narratives of the game, or mini-glossaries that follow at the end of every episode.

Cinematography is tastefully and greatly done especially showcasing the economic, scientific, and cultural achievements of Modern China as gleaned from depictions of ordinary Chinese life and of China's magnificent cities. Finally, the whole story fully succeeds in the triumphal portrayal of the Chinese Sports programs---the science & rigor involved, and the human & material resources allotted to their perfection, as exemplified by Pingpong, its national sport---particularly timely for the 70th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

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Lots of cute animation screen time - you either love it or hate it.

Completed - 6/15/2022 - 8.25

I hesitated to watch "Yumi's Cells" when this drama first aired in 2021, as I wasn't sure if I would like all the animation. After finished watching the drama, I can say that I found them cute, but they took up a lot of screen time. I do understand that this drama is called "Yumi's Cells" and not "Yumi", but still.....

I find the animation cute and I love all the cells. I like their different personalities and they bring a lot of laughter to this drama, e.g. Naughty cell, Housekeeping cell and Hunger cell. However, it took me a while to get used to the back-and-forth transitions and the large amount of screen time. The frequent transitions to the animation disrupts the flow of the story and slows down the pacing, especially in the last few episodes. I got a little bored when the plot is not moving along and we got stuck in the same situation.

The acting is great. It's a fun character for Kim Go Eun to play and she was able to display a variety of emotions as Yumi. Ahn Bo Hyun finally gets a main role where he gets the girl. I also like his portrayal of Gu Woong. The rest of the cast is fine. Park Jin Young has a small role in season 1 and I don't think I see him enough to say that he's done a great job. He's pretty to look at but Ahn Bo Hyun has a hot body! (LOL) Ruby is a controversial character for me. I find her SUPER annoying 90% of the time but when she was teaching Yumi how to do 'aegyo', that was hilarious. I wish to see her more in season 2 but in a less annoying fashion.

The romance between Yumi and Woong was really cute in the beginning. Their personalities match and they do silly and adorkable things. Woong cares about Yumi and shows his affections through actions instead of empty words. The birthday episode really did show his affections, thus, prompted Yumi to ask that question. However, pride and the lack of communication get in the way. The damage is already done when Woong priorities changed. As much as I like Woong in the beginning episodes, I am very annoyed with his repeated lack of communication. You can still communicate with someone you care about without hurting your pride.

Since season 2 is currently airing, most people already know by now who Yumi ends up or not end up with. I would be very disappointed if I didn't know season 2 is coming, because season 1 did not end with Yumi feeling empowered and strong. I wish for her to realize that she could be happy without being in a relationship. She does not need to work like a dog to fill her life, like after her previous breakup. As the manager of the bulletin board said, there is no male lead and we don't need one.

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I was SO wrong about this drama! Initially I was not interested in this. Although I kept hearing how good this was, it just didn't look good to me (I'll fully admit to judging a drama by its cover a lot...and being wrong a lot!). I finally decided that I was going to take the plunge and see what the big deal was all about.

If you enjoyed Fated to Love You or Master's Sun (2 of my favorite dramas), I think you will enjoy this show also. Dok Go Jin reminded me of both Lee Gun and Joo Joong Won - like he was a mashup of both these characters. He starts off as arrogant and self-centered and he can't imagine why he's having feelings for Gu Ae Jung who is not on his "level". And he can also be childish and petty. A character that I was not remotely interested in at ALL became a very beloved character to me throughout this show. And Ae Jung is a sympathetic character - the one who gives and gives.

I would have given this a perfect 10, but the story was really just a simple fluffy romance. But it was a romance story that warmed my heart anyway. It had some flaws in the story, but they did not take away from my enjoyment in any major way. Dok Go Jin's love for Gu Ae Jung was unstoppable. There were cute moments, funny moments, teary moments, frustrating moments...The Hong Sisters really know how to illicit emotion. It may not have been a groundbreaking story, but it was enjoyable and full of heart and I know that I will watch this again. I thought the chemistry between the leads was good, and I enjoyed the secondary characters for the most part. I especially loved "Ding Dong".

I may be over-rating this for some, but I truly enjoyed it despite its flaws. And ratings are entirely subjective. ;) I also loved the way the ending was done. I'm a fan of epilogue moments, and I feel like this story was wrapped up very well with a very satisfying ending.

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Short and Sweet BL Series

Overall: though I disliked both of their "plans", this was pretty well done for a high school setting BL. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warning: stalking, punches, manipulation, sexism, homophobia

What I Liked
- funny and cute moments
- great to see how Uncle Man was an actual character and not a stereotype
- supportive family and friend group
- good production value
- the self promotion with the location of the audition

Room For Improvement
- what stupid "plans"
- the interaction with Uncle Man and X was a bit odd in episode 3
- bored by the two side plots, with the short run time I think they should have had only 1 side plot
- ending was a bit abrupt and I wish we would have seen and not just heard the final line

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Story 6/10
PROs
I love Gao Xing. Her cheerful personality makes everyone smile. Her bluntness about her emotions is something enviable. She isn't afraid to tell everyone upfront how much she likes them. Qin Zhe Mo, Jiang Shang Wu's cousin, is also a beautifully woven character, initially Gao Xing's crush. Gao Xing and Qin Zhe Mo's friendship is honestly so cool. They tell each other about their love lives over dinner and they both know how much the other loves their significant other. Whenever Han Xiao misunderstands Gao Xing's and Qin Zhe Mo's relationship, Gao Xing would always meet up with Han Xiao to tell her that Qin Zhe Mo really loves her. I loved the ending of this drama, especially the trip Gao Xing and Jiang Shang Wu takes to find a certain type of coffee bean. The drama really describes, in much detail, how to make coffee.

CONs
Jiang Shang Wu's personality is terrible. He's yes and then he's no. They were in the boss and worker zone, then friend zone, then family zone. His sole reason for not being in a relationship with her is his dislike for her tomboy nature, which does not make sense because he keeps on thinking about her. In the Korean drama it made sense because Han Gyul had to reconsider his sexual identity, which is not a simple understanding. In this Chinese remake, Jiang Shang Wu clearly knows she's a woman, so he's not facing a sexual identity crisis like the show suggests. I disliked how Gao Xing had to apologize to Jiang Shang Wu all the time for hiding the fact that she's friends with his cousin, which is a ridiculous reason to break up with her.

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A Wuxia Rom-Com That Starts with a Bang and Ends with a Fizzle

This short C-drama was a surprisingly entertaining watch—at least for the first two-thirds. Blending wuxia, romantic comedy, and slapstick, it kicks off with a fresh and humorous tone. The female lead, a smart and sassy young princess (played by Bao Shang En), literally falls into a storybook world and crosses paths with the resident villain (played by Zhang Jun Ning), a brooding martial artist burdened with emotional baggage.

The FL’s modern way of thinking and casual speech contrast comically with the costume drama setting. She brings a self-aware tone to the show that keeps things light. The ML is more reserved, though his abs get more screentime than his inner world—which, to be fair, fits the drama's wink-wink approach to genre tropes.

While the chemistry between the leads is nothing to write home about, it doesn’t hurt the overall experience too much, since romance takes a backseat to comedy. There’s a constant stream of familiar tropes and occasionally predictable dialogue, but somehow it stays fun rather than stale. The supporting cast does a lot of heavy lifting here—especially Cui Shao Yang as Baili Xingchen, who steals scenes with a mix of hilarity and heart.

The production value is quite solid for what seems to be a low-budget drama. Costumes are sometimes a bit off but the cinematography is visually pleasing, and the BGM is excellent—alternating between traditional Chinese melodies and more modern, playful sounds. The OST matches the genre-blending tone, further elevating the experience.

For the first 14 episodes, I was mostly laughing and thoroughly enjoying myself. But then... the story lost its footing.

The final stretch shifts from playful parody to melodramatic slog. The plot goes in circles, with the ML repeatedly deceiving and abandoning the FL, dragging us through long, overwrought monologues and emotional back-and-forths. Flashbacks take over. The once-sharp humor fades, and a weird ending wraps things up with little satisfaction.

In short: This drama starts with charm, creativity, and comedy—but stumbles hard near the end. Still, it’s worth a watch for the early episodes and supporting cast. Just don’t expect a strong emotional payoff.

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It was absolutely amazing! Tear jerking and thought inducing. CQL ended their series with a blast.

If you love the Nie Brothers or want a great take on the side characters of CQL, this film is for you! The conflict between the Nie brothers will give you a lot of feelings and how they will resolve it through loyalty, trust and outright love for one another is a tier of its own.

The production did an amazing job too. It really has the feel of the hardy QingheNie that they are. The actors did so well giving to life the characters that they played. Mad respect to Ji Li and Wang Yizhou. Their chemistry as siblings is very enjoyable. Plus, the disciples and that one new character? Must protect haha. Overall great film.

CQL pulled off everything for this last bow. 10/10!

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Makes you reflect about different sides of life before judging.

This drama might remind many j-dorama watchers of an older drama "Tiger and Dragon". The reason is, both are written by Kudo Kankuro, lead by Nagase Tomoya playing a character learning an old art from a character played by the legendary Nishida Toshiyuki. Both dramas use this opportunity to teach about Japanese culture and demonstrate how this art still has an influence on our modern society and should be preserved. Also, I have to say, the combination of those three is GOLD. Kudo-Sensei knows how to use all the potential of both actors, who have some of the best on-screen chemistry.

This story was very simple yet very elaborated. As I watch each episode, I find myself pondering about different topics. Even re-evaluating previous judgments. It's not really about the story, but how it presents day-to-day life. The moments AFTER the great gestures and talk of sacrifice, the moments after making the promise to change, take up a new responsibility, or give up something deemed a waste of time. Those moments are very real. Those are the moments we rarely see on screen. They lack the theatrical needed to emphasize certain actions or characters, yet they are the most real and hit much closer to home.

It's easy to say that children should take care of their elder parents, and hail the nurses that do the job instead of said children. But we forget that sometimes it's just not feasible. Nurses are paid to do that job, while the children need to earn a living WHILE taking care of their elders. This can be stressful and cause anxiety to all parties involved. However, that doesn't mean that children should just leave it to professionals. Just like there was a time their parents couldn't be replaceable, as adults, there are things only THEY can do for their parents.

Another thing related to this subject reflected in this drama is the complicated emotions that come with such responsibility. The family issues can be perceived as particular to this story, yet they are more of standard in our society today. We don't hold our parents at a height where we don't question their actions anymore, but we forget all the sacrifices our parents made and the difficulties they went through, just to give us a better life than they had. However, as outsiders looking in, it's easy to think "why are those children treating their elderly parents this way" without knowing the hardships said parents are presently causing, nor the traumas they inadvertently caused. Because they are all flawed humans.

Although touched upon lightly, the complications of marriage, the cause of divorce, and the consequences were beautifully portrayed. The road of a crush turning into a relationship, the relationship turning into the mundane everyday life, etc.

Those were just some of the topics explored masterfully in this drama.

The characters in this drama were both extraordinary and very ordinary. Depending on where you are in life, each character felt very authentic. Very early on I felt that Juichi is ME. At least, at my current stage in life. I haven't seen Nagase Tomoya in better shape (looks AND skills), he was lovely, annoying, cute, and dumb. His sister Mai is probably these in every household. She's the one most depended on yet most ignored. She's sensitive and very sensible to those around her. They couldn't have cast anyone better than Eguchi Noriko. In subtly manners, she made the character glow. The father/grandfather played by is probably the most present character in our lives. Annoys us, makes us laugh, roll our eyes, cry. No one other than Nishida Toshiyuki could have done it. The forever baby brother, the black sheep, the middle child, all are present. The relationship between each character and its growth felt very authentic. I loved how Juichi saw himself not in his son but in his nephew and went out of his way to stand by him in ways no one did in his time. That generational difference is palpable.

As far as storytelling goes, the drama uses foreshadowing with the use of Noh, as well well as hints in the narration. I didn't pay attention at first and got caught by a few surprises. However, couldn't fault the story as I recalled the foreshadowing. In this end, it's the type of story that you will accept love no matter the direction it takes. It'll make you laugh out loud, it'll make you cry, it'll make you frustrated, but mostly it'll entertain you.

If I talk about drawbacks. Although as individuals I love their characters, I didn't feel the chemistry between Nagase Tomoya and Toda Erika.

There is just too much to say about this drama, I don't know where to stop so I will stop here. Everyone should just go watch it. Believe me, you won't regret it. The biggest downside is that the drama eventually comes to an end while you still want to see more of the Miyama family. I miss them so much T_T

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a different subber used

This review is especially for 'Shadnasty' who dropped this drama after finding that the subber did a disasterous job in subtitling it to the english language. i have watched this drama from a different subber who least knows the language, heh heh... 😊 The subber is Fresh Drama. In Google, type Fresh Drama You Tube and it will take you to the site. Once you are in Fresh Drama on you tube, choose the drama name and all the episodes will be available to watch online. Unfortunately you don't have the option to download from 'Fresh Drama, but you can download using a you tube downloader. I used Ssyoutube Downloader.( Fresh Drama subtitles their own dramas of choice). Enjoy!! 💕

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Female Lead Was the Only Problem

So many people love this drama, but I feel like the same amount of people also complain about the age gap with the main couple. I don't have an issue with it as he is meant to be like 900 years old so it's whatever. The issue I had is that the female lead acted like a literal 12 year old for most of the movie.

Again, she's meant to be like 18 or whatever, which some people already had an issue with, but why did she act so child-like the whole movie? It was super annoying and gave me the creeps. Like, a little part of me hated on him for liking her when she's like that, but mostly it was just her behavior that gave me the creeps.

I honestly only finished this because Lee Dong Wook is my absolute favorite actor ever and the bromance between him and Gong Yoo's character was AMAZING. Female lead is the reason for the 9/10 above, and despite her being super cringey, I would totally re-watch this just to experience the bromance again.

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STORY: Takes place immediately after Season 1 and whatever beautiful magic the first season had did not continue into the Season 2. The first half of the second season was kinda uninteresting, and frankly boring. I also didn't quite care for Gus' new bf...he's rather bland too. The second half was much better as the writing seemed to pick up again.

ACTING/CAST: A fantastic cast all around and Golf is so good. Honestly, he became my most favorite character of this show because he's so over the top and hilariously funny.

MUSIC: I like the new theme song and this series did have some decent music sprinkled about.

REWATCH VALUE: Um, not sure. Maybe parts of it? Or maybe just the second half of the season? The first season is VERY rewatchable but not sure about this one.

OVERALL: Slow start but got better.

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Have you ever watched a movie that gave you goosebumps and at the same time made you cry? If you had, then watch this movie and relive the feeling and if you haven't, then you have a lot of reasons to try this one! An inspiring movie! Definitely worth watching!

The story was great... A heartwarming one... I would not elaborate too much, I don't want to spoil anything. Again, a very inspiring one! You'd realized a lot of things. Things and thoughts worth keeping. This is based on a real life story... that's why it amazed me much...

The cast were outstanding... They have done a great job in performing their roles. Music was good and definitely a movie worth a rewatch. Overall, this is one of the movies that has inspire me a lot. I've learned and realized many things...

This is worth it! Your 2 hours and 24 minutes would not be put into waste! (^-^)

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This movie was done so amazingly, it's beyond words. It's a roller coaster ride with many nerve wreaking peaks not knowing if it'll end safely. Cheating as we all know is wrong and comes with consequences and I think it's fair to say that everyone has probably cheated once in their life, whether big or small, but this movie takes cheating to a whole new level. It outsmarts cheating and only a genius could come up with such plan, hence why its called Bad Genius. This movie also exemplifies the definition of buying your friends. Pat and Grace are both wealthy but that doesn't mean their lives are perfect too, they have expectations to live up to which is what leads them to bad decisions. None of them truly cared about Lynn, they were selfish, they bought her with money knowing she's in need of it. Lynn's misfortune was meeting Grace and Pat, she would've had a bigger future without them. However, as the saying goes, cheating is a choice not a mistake. Lynn is a grown woman who knows what's right and what's not, she chose to help her fellow classmates in exchange for money while knowing the consequences if she got caught. On the other hand, Bank was heavily ruined by everyone else due to their selfishness. Bank is a smart righteous person who doesn't tolerate cheating or injustice. But his whole life falls down because of others and soon the Bank we knew was no longer there. He changed because he was used and cheated by them so why not cheat them back for more money. This movie deserves so much more attention and appreciation. It includes the perfect amount of thrill and suspense to keep the audience excited. It did an incredible job portraying the fear, anxiety, and thrill of test taking.

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