Reviews

Hidden hidden gem

I have watched many historical dramas before but this hits off completely different. There were so little viewers to the point that my expectations of the show were low, but I decided to give it a try since I love the main characters.

Let me start off with the characters,
PERFECT. The female lead’s new life has been entangled with 3 men who have different personalities yet all 3 of them are so likeable and charming (which is so rare considering how every drama have at least 1 annoying male side lead ). Infact, I wouldn’t mind if any 3 of them got her in the end, male lead or not. One of the man’s sister is a brad who tries to take constant revenge on the female lead (we all know we need someone like her to make the female lead seem superior). And the best part of it all is unlike the usual over dramatic phrase “I will not fall down now, I will rise”, the female lead acts extremely composure and elegant. She’s smart, emotional at THE RIGHT TIME, kind, and never makes use of any of the 3 man.

Story wised, every episode have something going on, I haven’t been bored even a minute. My favorite part is that the drama does not dwell too much on the female lead’s past (who she was before her current life), it took less than half a episode if I recall right.

Totally recommend this drama, it’s extreme underrated!

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SUN-OH and JOJO'S Fans Don't Watch Seriously Advised

Not Worthy Sequel Of Love Alarm. WHY??

1.)If you watch it then it totally destroys your expectations of waiting for 2 years.

2.)You will turn into anti-fan of Love Alarm and would hope that it would have better or the best to not watch season 2 as it break your all hopes being rooted for ideal happy ending in pieces.

3.) I hate second lead who has more scenes than main lead. In which drama the main lead is made to cry so much and not even given perfect match.

4.) The so-called happy ending is really not happy for any fan of this show. I really don't think it was really really necessary to follow the Manhua novel so seriously and to force everything according to that.

5.) If the writers really can't predict what the viewers want then they aren't even worthy to write something new in future.


Why I WATCHED IT??

1 .) Like everyone I am also fan of Sun-oh and Jojo from the arrival of love Alarm season 1. So was hoping them to meet at the end of season 2 and to have a good and happy ending.

2.) From Trailer like everyone I also hoped it as going according to our expectations but really felt disappointed by this cheap trick to get viewers.

3.) Only having Great cast but the plotline and story made it worse for all of them.

4.) Best character of the whole show is Park Gul Mi. You will know why?(only this worth watching)

SHOULD Watch Season 2 For what??
1 ) Just Ost is 👍.
2.) Plot of Gul mi and the love alarm 2.0 developer.
Expect this nothing is worth watching.

Last warning ⚠️:-
If plan to watch watch then should have 0 or negative expectations .

2.) Fans if not want to be very upset or left heartbroken then in my opinion skip the scenes of sun-oh crying and the forced chemistry of second lead and jojo.

Final Thoughts;- After watching i am feeling like an anti fan same as the ones that came and protested against love alarm app in season 1 last episode.

Feelings:- Heartbroken, Sad , And Angry on Writers of the season 2.

Wishing To Not have To be This Sad On Any Other Shows Sequel As it destroys the expectations, hopes, as we waited for almost 2 years to get a sequel but it was not even an average or 1/4 of love alarm season 1.

HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED AS A VIEWERS AND HEARTBROKEN AS FANS ❗❗❗.😭😭😭😭😭

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Contrary to all the dislikes and low ratings this drama got, it actually won my heart. What I love about are some wonderful messages ROY left for the youth of this generation. Although clichéd but among so many horrible things happening all around and when many youths are lost in negativities, many are struggling towards unknown journey, suffering from mental health issues, this sort of drama is really focusing and screaming at the youth in its top pitch to take everything easily. Truly the rough patches become smooth one day and you are the sole owner to take control over your emotions and the boom and trough of life.

The drama basically depicted the cluelessness and lost feelings during the twenties and gradually becoming more matured and composed while entering thirties. It is very practical, rational and logical. Nothing what was showed was unrealistic. Inevitably to exist in any sector is quite grappling more so in the entertainment industry. Our lead protagonists, facing various odds and adversities, tried to make their own names in the industry, making honesty, diligence, modesty, humanity and truthfulness their sole weapons. Pragmatically they tried to hold on to their dreams no matter what storms swept their steadfastness, persistence and self confidence. Realistically speaking that’s how it should be. Sometimes it is difficult to always remain hard-headed, afterall we all are human. The characters' vulnerability has been shown as well. At night, during their lone time, they bawled their eyes out when nothing seems their way. Nobody can deny we have never done it many a times.

Secondly Korean dramas are always one of the best to show some practical family issues. All the issues presented with each young person’s parents are undeniably genuine. I could relate to every single of the issues, either I face some or I have seen other people facing the same problems with their parents. Despite the fact they sometimes become the terrible judge of our lives or want everything to be perfect, at the end they are ones who by default stand by us and want the best for us. Every single aspect of the familial issues shown irrespective of rich, middle or poor class families are undoubtedly most credible.

Thirdly, the romance aspect between the leads is what can be normally seen in the entertainment industry. Often times the couples part their ways due to ridiculously overbearing work schedule; work comes first before romance. Deliriousness overpowers between choosing romance and work as both are imperative for existence. Also hackneyed topic but romance between people from completely different social strata is truly sort of impossible which is portrayed by another couple.

Moreover, another point is also worth mentioning which has gone a little unnoticed is the fact that age does not matter if anyone has the motivation and will power to commence something. The grandfather of this drama took initiative to do something for himself though much later but he never despair for his old age. This also gives an appropriate message to the elderly (in fact to all ages)- "better late than never", a person can do anything if they set their mind into it and should utilize their time in a best possible way before they die.

What should I say about the acting of the casts? They all made me cry, laugh, happy, sad and irritate all at the same time. One of the best ensemble casts selected who made their own individual character extremely convincing. Additionally, the main leads dialogues are full of eloquence, it has smooth texture which is unbeatable. Both of the protagonists have the best lines to say in any given situations resulting into breaking any sort of monotony one might develop while watching this drama. Admittedly, I have full admirations for such intelligently written dialogues. The soundtracks are also one of the best portraying the right kind of feel during many scenes.

This is overall an excellent drama to say the least I could relate to about youth, friendship, romance, familial chaos and unity, workplace scuffle and constant fight to better oneself. Yes it could have been better but I understand the writers did not want anything flashy to make it unrealistic. I thoroughly enjoyed more than sixteen hours of my wonderful journey.

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I believe 5 out of ten is a fair score for this series.

Let's start with the positives:

Episode 1 to 4 were perfect in my opinion. Episodes 5 to 7 were also good, episodes 8 to 10 were kind of hit and miss, but still had a few memorable scenes.

At the beginning, the chemistry between Wat and Tine was palpable. The longing stares, the shy looks, the secret smiles, even the head pats were successful in giving me so many feels. It seemed like a simple story, lighthearted, funny and romantic. The story was moving smoothly, didn't feel too rushed. It made me look forward to Fridays.

I also love the OST. Thanks to this series, I got to know Scrubb. I love their songs and I think they were used effectively in the series, especially in the beginning/middle part.

Initially the acting was also really good. Sarawat's aloofness and Tine's energy were portrayed very well. Win, especially seemed very natural despite this being his debut.


The negatives which quickly made me drop the rating from a 9 to a lowly 5:

Starting from episode 8, problems with the writing, direction, and editing became more obvious. it always felt like they were stuffing too much into each episode. Episode 11 to 13 were probably the worst episodes I've ever seen in a BL. They were disastrous.

The outline of the story is good enough. But the plot moved through every single cliche possible: Unnecessary drama from ex-gf, multiple jealousy tropes, stupid misunderstandings, possessive bf trope, 'fragile uke' who needs protection, etc etc.

The drama/conflict was dragged out till the very last episode, making the end feel very rushed and unsatisfactory, just hastily tying up all the loose ends. We never get to see our couple be happy in their relationship, they always had problems. I lost faith in their love after they got together. I was no longer invested in the characters.

The characterization was not uniform throughout. Both the main characters were behaving unlike themselves in the later episodes.

Secondary couples had very little development. Maybe with more attention they could've added more to the series. In the beginning when the main couple was great, they felt unnecessary. Towards the end when the main couple was bromancing instead of romancing, I wanted more from the other couples.

The leads had more chemistry during the 'falling in love' phase, with loving stares and shy looks giving the audience so much feels. But after they actually become a couple, the chemistry just vanished. Their hugs and headpats became awkward. They were more like bros,actually in the final episode they were more like strangers than even bros. Even after they reconcile in the end, it's hard to believe in their love because there was such a dearth of intimacy.

Though the acting was decent at many points, towards the end it became lazy, repetitive, and cringey. Bright especially looked like he was uncomfortable with his character.

This series has been such a disappointment. I feel so betrayed because I was so into it at the beginning, really rooting for the characters. Hence the ranty review.

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A filmmaker's review

First I'd want to comment on the technical stuff (cinematography, music, acting). As a filmmaker, I gave these ones a 10 because I'm not gonna lie, scenes were well executed and there was never a boring scene. A sign that production is good is when you actually watch everything instead of skipping parts just to watch the story (like what I usually do when watching series, my finger is just resting on top of the right arrow key ready to skip scenes lol)

Ok so now for the story, all I want to say is that they missed the opportunity to be one of the first dramas to end up with a second lead where more than 50% of viewers would actually be okay with. Like everything was setup so perfectly for that to happen, sadly the writers didn't grab that opportunity.

When I was watching the first episodes. I always told myself "This might be the first drama I watched where I can't really identify who the lead is" and that's what I actually liked. It's what got me hooked to watch until the end... But where it went wrong is they let Do San shine a little bit too late. By the half of the series, most people have already chosen their bet for Dal Mi and I assume it was Han Ji Pyeong.

So for the story, I'm rating this 7.5. I'm not giving it a very low rating because this series has been very inspiring for people like me who dreams of running a business too in the future. I learned so much especially the part where HJP compared business partnerships with wedding and divorce. It opened my eyes when considering my real life partners.

Thank you :)

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the luo yunxi juice is strong and the only reason this show is so popular

Ok this show... I dont even know where to begin. Not all of it was this god awful, most of the time it was entertaining and mid, but when it was bad, it was SHOCKINGLY TERRIBLE. And at its best, this show entered the Marvel cinematic hell zone, where everything thats happening is on such a massively large apocalyptic world ending stakes so high that it just ends up becoming boring and meaningless. Tantai Jin is basically a total saint by the end, just a victim of cruel fate and Susu is literally a god, none of the main characters feel like they are being lead by any sort of complexity or humanity, they are just wholeheartedly devoted to the cause of saving the world from evil. Tbh not once were we really shown why it’s worth fighting for, they just say it is because it’s the world and that’s enough for them and most viewers I guess… but like a good writer would really make me FEEL the urgency. I’m not saying that world ending massive epic high stakes will always be boring or unrelatable- all it takes is characters that are well written and the addition of themes that have something important or new to say, but this show absolutely doesn't have that. I'm not even really sure what the theme is other than a generic people can change for the better and you really can love a bad boy into being a good boy LOL.

Okay I will start w the only truly good thing I will say about the show. The costume design for the gods is actually the best I've seen in a xianxia, which isnt saying much because it's usually absolute shit. And while I wouldn't say the gods had Good costume design, it was at least Better than what I've seen. Like they ACTUALLY referenced Chinese Buddhist imagery of gods/flying apsaras/feitian which gives it a feeling of both historical reference, as well as a more retro vibe from older C-dramas and their depiction of gods and immortals. Truly a balm for the eyes in the sea of pale ass transparent gauzy layers of hanfu with drop earrings. I will NEVER forgive 3L3W for the shit costume design that has become the standard in xianxia!! Thank you cyjm for doing something different!!! Not even that good it's just different!!! HOWEVER other than the gods the styling was absolutely terrible.

Onto character + relationship writing... Tantai Jin is of course the beloved darling of the show, (and of the internet... and of my mom) who gets so much time and attention and yet his character makes so little impact for me. It's quite funny to me that he is supposed to be 'evil' and yet the writers are so precious w him he cannot be blamed or disliked for even a second. He truly does nothing that is actually morally contemptible and the writers have gone in circles and circles with ridiculous plot shit and other eviler evildoer characters to make sure that he is essentially completely blame free by the narrative. Even in the beginning, when he was at his most interesting and basically whatever the writer's flawed perception of a psychopath is, he literally only ever hurt his abusers and people who betrayed him. And while those people were sympathetic, it also meant that TTJ never does anything that would truly make the audience question their support of him or of what's right and wrong. He never hurts the truly innocent. There's no villain who you can't help but root for, just a bullied and abused man who also happens to look like a beautiful manhua character come to life who never does anything wrong!!! It's simply cowardly to only make characters that are perfectly likable and do not do anything genuinely morally reprehensible and then CLAIM that he is some morally ambiguous ML. And do not tell me this is the fault of censorship when there are plenty MLs in cdramaland who are pretty bad and do bad things. Even when he takes his place as ruler in Jing country he does it as peacefully as possible and treats all citizens as his own and provides aid to refugees and everyone loves and respects him LIKE??? COME ONNNN LMAOOOOO he is literally FAULTLESS.

He's at his most flawed in the grand disaster of his relationship w Ye Xiwu but even then his obsession and possessiveness remained firmly in the land of fantasy of beautiful powerful deranged man who is obsessed w u, and wasn't really pushed That far into gross and creepy. It gets closer after she dies, I was actually genuinely hopeful that he was going to learn when Ye Qingyu yells at him but the final note is still that TTJ loved her so much he wanted to die with her, fuck the country and everyone else! And when he couldn't die he suffered endless torment for 500 years for her! Isn't that romantic instead of absolutely INSANE. Again this is what I mean by Marvel factor, like the 500 years of suffering is SO meaningless to me and it's truly just some peak crazy dog blood cringe writing!!! Like hmm, how can we up the stakes and make it as clear as possible that this love is so powerful and extreme? LETS PICK A BIG INCOMPREHENSIBLE NUMBER YEARS OF TORTURE. This is a middle school idea of devotion, hardship and love. All the writing does is take shortcuts to make manipulative emotional impacts instead of actually writing a good character and relationship arc lmao. China has always been prone to these very annoyingly dramatic epic you die I die self sacrificing portrayals of love which I absolutely hate and cyjm is just a classic example of this that is possibly even worse than those that have come before it.

There was potential for TTJ but so much of the show is just griefporn and him being relentlessly abused and betrayed whether it's by the people around him or by some kind of inescapable fate. And its all so that Susu can save him over and over and he can fall deeper and deeper in love with the only person who cared for him, which is also just more of the tropey Chinese fantasy view of what the deepest form of love is- one that is formed when you only know abuse and pain and One person is nice to you. It's how they keep making desperate unhinged trauma bonding instead of love. Like, if you think about it it's not even that romantic because he didn't fall in love and choose Susu for her character, or her strengths, but because she was the only person who was good to him and she kept saving him over and over... which she only did because she didnt have a choice anyway and it was for the fate of humanity!! It's not like their relationship has nothing going for it, its just not convincing enough. I wish that LSS could've inspired care for others in him beyond that scene with the fireworks granny, and the show showed through actions how she has inspired him, instead of just telling us over and over that shes the reason he has feelings now when all I saw was one measly fireworks scene, and many fluffy meaningless cutesy acts of service and gift giving scenes on top of a random ass dream where they lived as totally different people so the writers could take another lazy shortcut and make him become a better person by experiencing SOMEONE ELSE's LIFE and LOVE instead of HIS OWN. There are things in his story that genuinely have potential, his relationship w Xiao Lin is interesting, he has Nian Baiyu and an entire clan of people who are devoted to him, he also has fun relationships w Pian Ran and Ye Qingyu with decent basis for further development. I really wanted these parts to be explored more and it doesnt take that much time honestly, like it literally just couldve been a few extra scenes (and it wouldnt hurt to throw in some scenes of him with the common people too and learning their struggle!!!) so it wouldnt feel like such a massive jump between the abused and amoral hostage prince TTJ and the Genuinely Good Ruler TTJ. I barely even want to touch on the massive leap between him being relentlessly tormented for 500 years, unhinged don’t care abt anything but YXW to becoming a good boy cultivator who then spends the rest of the show impossibly pure and morally just. It's ridiculous, and you cannot blame this on the story being cut when plenty of other shows have less time and make much better characters and usage of the time that they have. It actually makes ZERO sense, the writers just need his character to be at a different place so they force it to happen.

Li Susu is more or less a blank slate of a character who only exists to be the hero and antithesis to the devil god. She doesn’t have much of any internal logic or core, no depth, she just exists to be whatever the writers need her to be in that moment. She oscillates constantly between forgetting her duty and remembering depending on which will create the most conflict, and then spending the 2nd half the show knocked out unconscious, or running around LOST while TTJ is spitting blood getting the shit beaten out of him ahgjkakjkfjkd tbh u kno the writers are like we need to make Luo Yunxi spit out more blood dramatically and beautifully for all the freaky fans who want to see beautiful men in pain, so LSS will have ZERO SENSE OF DIRECTION…… EVEN THO THEY ARE IN THE SAME PLACE AND SHE CANT BE MORE THAN A BLOCK AWAY!!!

And despite supposedly being smart the writers decide to disrespect her character and make her lose all sense just so they can continue to protect their precious baby TTJ so he remains a Good Boy. It was so genuinely frustrating to watch all of the events that lead to Xiao Lin’s death and subsequently YXW's that basically absolved TTJ of any blame, put all of the blame on Ye Bingchang, who is just evil because misogyny, and made LSS believe stupid shit at the drop of a hat like that TTJ killed her grandma, who isn’t even really her grandma, based on ZERO EVIDENCE. The writing was truly SO FUCKING BADDDDD and for WHAT!!! You LAZY writers!! Just so that neither FL or ML are bad people??? So instead they just made them STUPID??? Was it THAT hard to write a genuine conflict between these two extremely morally opposed people?? They literally went out of their way making an annoying multi step plot with useless branches like grandma dying to AVOID creating complex characters! Imagine if the writers were capable of writing two characters who are both flawed and naturally have conflict AND still love each other!!

Ok onto plot… I’ve already touched on the Marvel vibe which is a definite issue… but also the plot writing is just SO nonsensical and absolutely purposeless at so many points. Like they have such limited time and they are just WASTING it… if something isn’t working just cut it entirely!! Just fill it w parts that actually do matter! And I really do have to talk about the spinning flaming wheel of a train wreck disaster that is the dream arc…. like bro….. BRO…….. WHAT THE FUCK….. because of this arc I actually STOPPED watching for a good month (and would’ve dropped it for good had real life not presented itself w so many stresses i had to escape by binge watching the most fast paced candy at 2x the speed). They wrote the worst love story I’ve seen since Hua Qiangu, with the flattest, most insipid characters with the stupidest motivations and expected not only the Actual Main characters of the show to feel something for them much less the audience who are living in reality. You expect me to believe TTJ and LSS LEARNED smth from this?? Had I gone through this it just would’ve jokerfied me immediately, I would’ve spit blood and qi deviated, not been like wow their love is so sad and beautiful. Sang Jiu and Ming Ye have even LESS basis for loving each other than the main couple, they make LSS and TTJ look like they have substance, my god. And then we have to spend not one or two episodes just to establish lore here, we spend like WELL OVER 8 if not TEN episodes… I’m not counting, that’s just how it FELT… like an ETERNITY!!!! Good lord TIAN HUAN….. I FELT LIKE I WAS LAUNCHED INTO 2001…. and then they had YBC be like I’m not her because she’s pathetic and she sucks LIKE??? So the writers know that she’s nothing but a pure misogynistic lazy and stupid writer’s trope?? Then why force your viewers to watch ten unBEARABLE episodes with her singlehandedly being the cause of everything wrong and bad in the story, including commit GENOCIDE so that Sang Jiu is jokerfied?? Why purposefully make BAD writing that you KNOW is bad and expect viewers to still enjoy it?? The miscommunications… the whole scene where Ming Ye divorces her…. I have never felt so insulted that I was expected to watch this and feel anything other than pure offense. This makes YBC indirectly causing XL’s death look like HIGH ART.

cw sexual assault

And THEN oh my god… something that NO ONE seems to want to talk about but HELLO??? The CONSENT ISSUES???? Did everyone’s morals FLY OUT THE WINDOW??? And I don’t just mean Sang Jiu and the writers I mean the AUDIENCE??? I don’t care if the narrative is saying it’s okay and it’s romantic actually because Ming Ye loves her and was into it… the point is that he could not consent in that state!! AND THEN…. they had the GALL to make SJ take care of him while he’s blind SECRETLY so that he doesn’t know it’s her, and she licherally says ‘he would never forgive me if he knew it was me’ ??!!!! So they KNOW that it’s wrong and they STILL WROTE IT?? Imagine if the genders were reversed and a woman’s rapist is taking the opportunity while she’s blind and injured to get close to her, lying and pretending to be Not her rapist ex husband…. it is literally just so emotionally violent, the grossest violation of a human being’s basic boundaries, respect and ability to make any kind of informed decision. Literally just imagine if she wasn’t a cute girl and picture the most cringe, pathetic incel stalker LMAOOOO. It doesn’t matter WHO it is when the action itself is the grossest violation!!! This show was always doomed to fail at portraying LSS and TTJ’s relationship in the first place since the entire core of their relationship is a struggle of good vs evil, but the writers have no concept or understanding of what that even means. They only know ‘bad people hurt people and by hurt we only know to mean cause physical pain or kill.’ Like I honest to god felt sick watching these episodes... Anyway even if the rest of the show was just mid-bad this arc puts it into atrocity territory, and it would’ve been SO easy to cut out because it was sooo inconsequential, out of character, RANDOM, and didn’t need to happen for any reason other than to set up some lore. They could’ve made TTJ and YBC change through CHARACTER WRITING…. this DID NOT need to happen.

Otherwise the plot is choppy, many pacing issues, general stupidity that is only good for un-critical mindless viewing. You just really can't take it seriously. Many people had issues w the ending and said it was terribly edited but I honestly didn't even really see much of a difference. I don't give a shit abt TTJ or LSS because they are poorly written and I'm not convinced by them or rooting for them, so I felt nothing by the end. The fact that TTJ dies and it's a BE after pretending to be evil to get LSS to kill him is simply just proof that the show is continuing its road of straightforward plot led thoughtless storytelling. They just followed their own rules and didn't try to do anything different, just the boring usual shit.

Anyway, that’s it for all my gripes. Sorry y’all like so much but it’s so stupid and mid/bad, only worth watching if you can put aside your brain fully (which I kind of needed since Real Life is Hard) for the pure entertainment of many dramatic things happening, and tbh the real reason people like it and TTJ so much is because of Luo Yunxi’s extremely expensive and unnatural face and they get off on him getting tortured to varying capacities. This show is just beautiful manhua man torture fetish hours, endless epic drama w no substance and the ppl who like it THIS much had their brains rotted by Luo Yunxi juice.

Ok that’s it, don’t @ me I don’t care.

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Let me start about my saying I am a huge romantic. It doesn't take much for me to root for a couple and I almost always with very few exceptions root for the endgame OTP from the beginning until the end. I usually don't watch dramas that don't seem to promise much romance. However I started this one not expecting it to be a very romantic drama, it was not advertised like it would be. I started it because I'm a fan of Yoon Shi Yoon and because I was interested in the plot and the teasers looked very funny. I'm a huge Kpop fan with an interest in the history of Kpop and it's beginnings in the mid-to-late 1990's, so the drama being about both struggling modern day idol trainees and a 90's idol top star who travels to the future sounded right up my alley. I also was intrigued by the father-son connection and I'm a sucker for good heartwarming family drama especially of the "Surprise, You're a Daddy" variety. So I was expecting a drama about struggles of youth in music industry, friendship, family, comedy, and maybe just a dash of romance.

At first I really loved this drama, I was raving about it everywhere, convincing everyone I could to watch it. The thing that shined the most in the early episodes was the comedy, it was gold! The jokes were rapid fire, I still remember many of them and laugh. But even in all the other aspects I was not disappointed at all. I shipped Ji-hoon and Woo-seung, because I found his crush on her really cute and he was such a nice guy. Woo-seung was the only thing that was a little disappointing at first, I liked her character, but the acting was pretty bad imo and I usually don't complain about acting, but here it was sometimes distractingly bad. But even though I shipped them and thought the drama was maybe setting them up to be endgame, I was fine with them not ending up together and didn't expect the drama to focus much on this romance aspect. I did not see Hyun-jae and Woo-seung as a possibility at all, I found it a bit gross because of the Hyun-jae likely being Ji-hoon's biological dad, so he'd be ending up with his son's crush. I really truly did not think the writers would go there. Sure there were signs in the beginning like the kisses, but those were clearly jokes, so I didn't take them seriously. I wish I did.

It wasn't until episode 17-18 that I started to realize the drama was not going the way I wanted or expected it to go. Maybe I should have realized earlier, but when Hyun-jae cuts his hair to a modern hairstyle ditching the glorious 90's hair he had before, I finally understood that he was going to be the romantic lead and this was going to be a rom-com from that point onward, not the sit-com like feel it had before. He was no longer going to be an entertaining comedic character with many flaws but a huge heart, but just a bland male lead as bland as his modern hairstyle with no personality to speak of. Suddenly there was a love triangle between father and son over a girl. I normally am not fond of love triangles, but this one was uniquely horrible. And that girl once a competent independent woman was reduced to a helpless damsel in distress who acted completely illogically just so two boys could fight over "saving" her. For several episodes it was literally a competition between the two men over who could be their first to save her, with the episode ending on a cliffhanger of them both running to save. It made no sense, but Hyun-jae won the contest by saving her the most times so therefore they became a couple or something. I don't know, they had no chemistry and the story did nothing to make up for that. The leads having feelings for each other was just told to us, but never shown, so when they get together it's sudden. Oh and the cliches, oh the romance cliches. Early on the drama was poking fun at them (a spinning accidental kiss in a car where they pan out and show that the car is actually inexplicably spinning). But then it plays them painfully straight not an ounce of comedy left, I cringed so many times. I'm fine with these cliches sometimes, when there is chemistry and a believable build up, but this was a relationship built entirely on cliches, that was nothing but cliches, with no depth or true romance at all.

In the end it becomes a mediocre or even bad rom-com (and very light of the comedy for that matter), not the amazing sit-com/variety/family drama it was in the first half. All the other characters and plots are thrown to the wayside in favor of the lead's boring romance, a romance so bland that the blandness rubs onto everyone else including the leads who no longer feel like the actual characters but merely placeholders in an execise of how (not) to write kdrama romance. After episode 22 I finally dropped this drama, only to read recaps for the rest of the episodes and watch the last few episodes. I still foolishly held out hope that maybe it could recapture a bit of the magic it had in the beginning, but each recap just seemed worse and worse. When I picked it up again I did not feel like I missed anything, the time-travel mystery was obvious to me from the beginning, the father/son connection that had so much promise in the beginning (and was presented as the main plot initially) amounted to essentially nothing (utterly ruined by the love triangle), all the other side plots and side characters got peanuts in the end. Even Ji-hoon, arguably the protagonist in the first half, was reduced to side character in the second and therefore it no longer seemed necessary to give his character the proper development and story he deserved. From an ensemble cast with so much potential, to focusing exclusively on the main leads (and really only the male lead, since the female lead's development was abandoned and she became nothing more than his girlfriend in the end). Maybe it would've worked okay if the main leads were as interesting as they were in the beginning, but no, everything and I mean everything had to be sacrificed for the sake of the OTP. And since these two characters were utterly incompatible romantically in the beginning they had to become different, very boring people in the end to make it work.

Had I reviewed this drama when I first watched in while it was still airing, I probably would've given it one star because I was so frustrated and disappointed with how it turned out. Now with a lot of time passed since I watched it I feel a rating right in the middle is perfect. The first half was maybe the best thing ever, the second half was close to the worst thing ever. It was a classic bait-and-switch. The writers knew what they were doing. Maybe they did it because of audience feedback (lots of knetz complaining about the lack of romance and YSY no getting "enough" screentime) or maybe they intended it from the start. I don't really care either way. I felt cheated and betrayed. Some people will be okay with the bait-and-switch, some will probably even enjoy the second half more. I do not understand those people. If you just really wanted to watch a rom-com, watch a good one, not the pathetic attempt at one this drama has. So in the end, all I can recommend is maybe the first half of this drama if you are okay with leaving things hanging and just want to laugh. Other than that I cannot recommend it.

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I've had this drama in my plan to watch list for quite some time, and I'm now wondering why I didn't pick it up before. It managed to draw me out of an annoying drama slump, which is in itself an achievement.
No doubt it's the best music related drama I've seen. It is so in terms of execution, direction, acting and, last but not least, music. I'm writing this review while listening to "Wake up" full volume.

What makes Shut up flower boy band stand out in the forest of decent to mediocre music dramas, is the incredibly heart-warming portrayal of friendship.
The story is not built upon a particularly eventful plot and I'd go as far as to say that the plot is irrelevant. It is so because what truly captured me as a viewer isn't the storyline, but the collection of unforgettable moments among friends, so perfectly caught by the cameras. There is an alchemy among these young people that is palpable and powerful, sweet and touching, unique and memorable. This is a love story through and through: love for music and romantic love too, but most of all love for friends.
It's also a glimpse on how the music business works, and the picture isn't pretty. Emblematic of its inconsistencies, is the fact that the moment the members of eye candy are given a new, more polished look, is the same moment the seeds of their division are planted. Make rock conform to the business rules and you destroy its intrinsic nature.

Much credit goes to direction and acting. The first is… daring. I appreciated the lack of gloss very much: this is a story about 6 eye candies - in name and fact - however the direction does little to make them look so, focusing on the picture of them as one "body", moving swiftly from one to the other and standing still on tiny details. The result is surprising, as it makes the viewer truly feel for them, instead of being simply captivated by their looks.

The acting is admirable: artless and believable. The last time I've watched such a display of genuine friendship and chemistry among a group of people was in Coffee Prince.
Let me add how adorable the female heroine is. Soo Ah is brave, sweet and honest, without becoming the saint victim I've learned to dislike in so many dramas. She adds a touch of feminine delicacy the drama would otherwise lack.

The music? Brilliant. After so much pop, of which I am no fan, hearing a rock ost was a breath of fresh air. Incredibly well chosen, perfectly executed and just as well used throughout the show.

Highly recommended.

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First of all, I watched this on youtube and this is my first time watching drama that still on airing, because I always hate it to wait every week for another episode. But this drama really attract me! It is very light and entertaining drama.
Since the first episode, I know this is will be another fav drama for me.

The main lead is very handsome, charming and his acting is good too! At first, i think that this drama will be like the other CEO stories, but nooo.. this drama is so fun! And not to forget the female lead! I've watched her previous drama, which is my true friend, but her acting skills really get better in this drama. She is cute and pretty too!

I really love the stories between Ye Fei Mo and Wen Xiao Nuan, they are so cute together. And not only the main couple, but the story of their friends Jia Yi and Gu Yun Zhou also pretty interesting. Oh yes, and I really like Fei Mo mom. She is the best, because she isn't like the typical rich mom that we usually see in the other drama.

Definitely worth watching! And hope they will make the season two too!

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Deserves Horny Jail

I have to admit, I got my hopes up a bit in the beginning with this one. At the very least, it seemed much more promising than other Thai/Korean crossovers. No magic translating earbuds or conveniences in sight! Sangmin understood a fair amount of Thai and Dinneaw undertood a tiny bit of Korean. It worked!

But, God, did this oh-so-quickly give me major tonal whiplash. One moment it was super sweet and the next it was uncharacteristically crass and, to put it plainly, SO horny.

To paint a picture for you: one moment two side characters are finally addressing their feelings, the next they're in nothing but their underwear and the camera is too comfy.

Also, tell me why so much time is spent on side characters we barely know at all uncomfortably smashing over and over again. Why? What happened to the plot or the leads? Does anyone care?!

*sigh*

Why did I put myself through this?

Just skip it and save yourself. Even if you're looking for a "spicy watch," trust me, this is not what you're looking for, darling.

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Best drama of the year and one of the best ever made

Just finished watching ep 10 on TBS stream (watched it with Japanese sub, the Viki English sub should be released some time next week, usually on Tuesdays) and I can confidently say Jaa, anta tsukutte miro yo ("Then, you try making it" on Viki) is my best drama of the year.

At the core of drama, the message is, everyone can change. The degree to which one can change is dependent on a variety of factor, but I love the encouraging message that no matter how old you are, or how rigid you were previously, change is possible if you put in the effort, and with the help of friends and family.

Jaa, anta is not a rom com, it's only labeled as such. I'd call it more a true slice of life. It is so much more than a rom com (nothing against rom com, and it's rather hilarious, especially ep 1-8). Rather than focusing on the initial fluttery, exciting part of dating, it entirely focuses on the relationship building part after the initial excitement has worn off. Even if Katsuo's changes are rather quick and probably unrealistic in real life, many issues the drama mentions are real life issues, be it gender roles (Katsuo's family and Ayumi's preconceived notion of what a woman should do), workplace dynamics, or (in)compatibility in a relationship. And it brings up these issues in such a lighthearted manner, not once does it feel preachy. Katsuo's family members appear briefly but each has an episode dedicated to themselves, it doesn't feel like they just appear to "make a point".

After breaking up, Katsuo and Ayumi have to learn to be alone, and I think this is such an important concept. Sure, it's exciting to guess who they "end up with", but that entirely defeats the purpose of the drama - which is learning about yourselves and those around you, your family, building friendships, not just romantic relationships, and being ok with just yourself/not settling with a partner just because it's convenient.

Highly recommend this drama to anyone. In fact, for me it's a quintessentially Japanese drama. It is comforting yet bittersweet and realistic. It is ordinary yet daring. It does not need fanservice via physical affection to make us fall in love with the characters and their relationship (though sometimes I do crave it, haha). It does not need plot twists, dramatic moments and reconciliations, hot people showing their hot bodies (save that for Ryoma's other works lmao). Japan did it again, ever so well. For those who keep yapping about how "over-acting" Japanese actors/actresses are, I challenge you to find one instance of over-acting in this drama. Kaho and Takeuchi Ryoma are both very established actors so we know they're capable, but even amongst the supporting cast, there's no overacting here.

This has been a good year for Jdramas for myself, with Hot Spot, Tokyo Salad Bowl, A calm sea and beautiful days with you being my top contenders for the top spot. Even so, Jaa, anta ga tsukutte miro yo, a Tuesday TBS drama not in a "hot" time slot with not a ton of promotion has taken everyone by surprise, myself included. It shows that you DO NOT need a big budget and an all star-studded cast, all you need is a good story. And that is why Jdramas will always have my heart, as long as they prioritize a good story.

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Well, I just finished this drama and there are good things and bad things about it

1) the idea is good: I mean the story itself is really good and in the first episode it began really strong and with that mystery that hooked me up since the beginning, but since episode 2 and so on, it became a little weak, and not that well executed to me... it somehow lacked the mystery of the 1st episode and the story lost emotion... That's why I think that it is a good idea, it's a good story, but how they told the story wasn't that awesome.

2) Photography was Daebak!: That's what I loved the most about this drama, it was extremely well executed in that aspect, the camera work, the colors, the feeling that the visual aspect gives, was great.

3)Acting: Well I must say that Changmin did a really good job and to me was almost flawless, but Ga Young didn't do such a great acting, I mean it wasn't a bad one, but it wasn't that good. It just felt a little fake sometimes. But in general her and everybody else's acting was good.

4) Music: I loved the music used in this drama, each song fit so well with the entire feeling of the drama in general.

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In all honesty, I am not a fan of teacher-student relationships. Something about this common storyline always turns me off. However, this is also a fairly common plot in Japanese movies and after watching Kinkyori Renai (which was AMAZING), I have decided to give more of them a chance.

My Teacher was interesting in that it did not just have the common plotline but also addressed some of the issues associated with student-teacher relationships. Especially in that case that someone witnesses it, and how that can spiral out of control from rumors, losing one’s job, and everything in between. I liked theses realistic aspects added in, and I felt it gave a more complete view on the topic.

In addition, the acting was great! There was definitely chemistry between the leads, despite the age gap. Also, I enjoyed all the side characters and subplots. The cinematography was also wonderful, which is a rare find in the youth romance genre! To its core it was a movie the demonstrated how love comes in many forms, and how these forms change you and those around you. Additionally, the soundtrack was fitting, but was not a standout, in and of itself.
Overall good movie that is worth watching if you want a youth, school, romance. Although, in this genre, I found Kinkyori Renai MORE enjoyable.

Happy Drama Watching!! :)

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