Reviews

After reading the manga and watching the anime I had some unrealistically high hopes for this drama. I was expecting it to do what the anime and manga had failed to do. I wanted to finish the story and finally get to the happily ever after. I wanted closure. When the drama first came out I tried to wait a little, because knew I would die if I had to wait for a new episode every week. But after a couple days I gave in. From the amazing theme song that is still in my head in the first episode to the unsatisfying ending in episode 15, everything was awesome. The story was almost the same as the manga and anime and yet at the same time it felt like a whole new drama. The actors were great. The main actress was hilarious, and at times I laughed so hard I had to pause it just to catch my breath.The acting was superb. And the fact that Choi Si Won was playing Ren just made it icing on the cake. I don’t think I can re-watch this right now because it would just remind me all over again about how much I cant wait for the rest of it. Watching this drama was an amazing experience; even the waiting. Every week the actors and the drama just go better and better. You knew what to expect and what was most likely going to happen yet you were still surprised.

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Prepare To Develop A Twitch From This Film, It Will Make Your Brain Hurt

What a fascinating twisty turny story this was about a serial killer chasing another serial killer! I had seen a clip of this film weeks ago and it immediately peaked my interest. That clip was the one of our main character Byung Soo rear ending a younger man Tae Joo with his car, then coming to find out Tae Joo has a bloody body in his trunk. That interaction was so well done and gripping I had to see the movie.

I'll start with the acting. It's great all the way around, but especially from Sol Kyung Gu (Byung Soo) and Kim Nam Gil (Tae Joo). Those two acted off of each other so well! The daughter's actor Kim Seol Hyun was good as well, but her peak didn't really happen until the revelation about her father much later on into the film. There's some really nice cinematography in this. A couple unique shots stood out to me and I loved, then some others were meh and could've been tweaked. Specifically shots within the bamboo forest. Some of those could've been so cool if done differently. Overall though, really well shot! The music score was also really gripping, especially with the use of hard drums. Definitely made the suspense cling to you.

So with that all aside, let's move onto the plot. Like I stated before, the overall plot is really interesting. A serial killer would know how to track down another serial killer! Just by the way he thinks and plans. The dementia and alzheimers definitely made for another interesting plot device to keep the story going and make it more difficult for out main character. Whom I believe could've taken down Tae Joo sooner if not for the illness weighing him down. Sometimes though, the mental aspect felt overused a tad and it made things unclear what was real for awhile. Which could be very confusing for casual viewers. However, I don't consider myself one of those so I thought the solid not knowing was a highlight of the film, because it keeps you guessing and questioning. There's a period of the film where it kind of backpedals a bit, but eventually gets you moving forward again and I quite liked that.

That last act of the film was really solid, including the revelation that Byung Soo wasn't wrong or guilty of the current crimes being committed. Which led to an amazingly choreographed fight scene in the house. Another scene that happens before this that I really liked was the friend cop lighting the cigarette only for its flame to show Tae Joo's face in the shadows. That was really cool, shocking and very horror-esque. Dude opened the pack too early, because I'm pretty sure those cigarettes were meant to be lit after capturing Byung Soo but I could be wrong?

I am aware that this film is based on a book, which now I want to read. As well as there being a directors cut with an alternate ending. I didn't like this alternate ending and think viewers should stick to the theatrical cut, since the other cut is too obvious for me and not gripping like this one. Definitely watch the film though and don't get it mixed up with Bong-Joon Ho film "Memories of Murder" completely different film! Both worth a watch though!

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There is a lot of hate in the comments so I thought i would write a short review.

First of all this webdrama is based on a webcomic and is not wrapped up at all. For people who are fans of the comic this might not be annoying at all, but if you are a person who likes cleanly finished stories this might not be your piece of cake.

Story: The story is focused on the main lead who is trying to survive school. And I must say he is absolutely hilarious and a huge dork as well. I found it really funny how he screws up every time he has an opportunity. There are also subplots, which a have their own charm. If you expect to see real romance tho, you will be disappointed, because the moment the drama-lovetriangle-heartthumping moments could have started the drama ended. If there were a few more episodes such a nice bromance could have blossomed as well... such a pitty.

Acting/cast: All the characters in this drama are quite exaggerated, which is the main comedy of it. Overall the actors managed to do their part staying funny and not becoming annoying, which can easily happen in these types of comedies. I found Park Geon's and the red haired bully's portrayal the best, I enjoyed each moment of their screentime.

Music: The music want exactly outstanding, but it complemented the story well. Unfortunately my playlist wont become longer.


Overall, I found this webdrama very enjoyable and I will without a doubt rewatch it when I dont have much time, but want to have a really good laugh. It is indeed not the story of the year, neither did it get the chance to live up to its real potential, but I belive it is still worth the time.

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This drama completely took over my life. This hasn't happened to me since... since Word of Honor, I guess? And as much as I adored WoH, not even that drama moved me so deeply.

I wouldn't be able to tell you why exactly ALP touched me so much. I guess it was the theme of self-sacrifice? Of duty and honor and love? And of friendship that lasts hundreds of thousands of years and isn't treated as something, well, less?

Because one of the things that fascinated me was the bond among the three True Gods: Zhi Yang, Tian Qi and Bai Jue. They have known each other for hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years, they protected the three realms together and they died and were reborn in their service to the gods, the immortals and the mortals, and they did it with grace and dignity - and not a little mischief. They bickered and poked fun at each other and sometimes they didn't see each other for thousands of years but the warmth they felt for each other never lessened. And that was simply beautiful.

The main draw for me was Xu Kai as Bai Jue/Bo Xuan/Qing Mu - and he did an absolutely incredible job playing these characters who were one and the same person and not at the same time and at no point had I trouble telling the three of them apart. Even when Qing Mu and Bai Jue stood side by side, I knew who was who. Xu Kai is a truly gifted actor and this drama let him showcase that.

Many, many times was I moved to tears. The last two eps I pretty much bawled through. I stayed up way past midnight to finish the drama and I cried so hard that my heart is still aching this morning and my eyes are all swollen. It was so beautiful.

What I must mention and praise is the CGI. The scenery, the fights, all of them looked so amazing and so real that at no point was I torn out of what was happening, thinking "Looks fake." Especially the fights looked truly epic, like fights between gods should.

Thinking back, there were several moments that truly stood out for me:

When Bai Jue was forced to kill Tian Qi
When the True Gods imprisoned Xuan Yi - and when they later on defeated Wu Huan with the same method
When Qing Mu received Bai Jue's spear
When Qing Mu received the 81 lighting strikes and elevated his position to a demi-god
When Bai Jue and Tian Qi battled together at Bai Jue's second wedding
When Gu Jun died for Hou Chi/Shang Gu
When Tian Qi learned about Bai Jue's plan - and then the moment before the battle with Wu Huan, when he realized that Bai Jue was going to die soon
When Bai Jue talked to his son about the meaning of death
When Bai Jue gave himself over to the Doom of Chaos, dying for Shang Gu with a smile on his face because he managed to save her, after all
When Shang Gu came to the Swamp of Netherill and realized what Bai Jue had done...
So many wonderful moments, and that's just off the top of my head.

Also, the score. LAP's songs not only had a beautiful melody, their text was downright heartbreaking, "when she turns to ash, he guards the three realms for her."

This drama was... it was everything I could've wanted and more. I don't think I've ever rated a drama so high but, yeah, it's a 10.

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A Tale of Thousand Stars

Where to begin? This drama has immediately joined my top 3 list. I don't want to do too much spoiling and spoil the drama for would be viewers. But for me, this drama is in the ranks of Until We Meet Again and He's Coming to Me.

Without spoiling much, the reason why this drama resonated with me was the tension between Tian and Phu Pha. Both actors expertly conveyed that feeling of the tension when you fall in love with someone but you're shy to say it first because you don't want to be rejected by that person because you care so much about them. There is so much tension that goes back and forth, where you think one person will finally confess their love for the other, but they don't have the courage to do so. There's one scene at the end of Episode 8 that I have rewatched over 10 times. In this scene, Phu Pha and Tian are talking to one another, and indirectly Phu Pha is saying how he cares about Tian without ever saying those words. Tian keeps trying to push Phu Pha to come forth and confess, and even then Phu Pha can't bring himself to say it. But the lovingly way that Tian stares at Phu Pha was so relatable.

I think Mix is an extraordinary actor, and I'm surprised he doesn't pursue a career in acting. His acting is never exaggerated. It's subtle and nuanced, but when he stared into Earth's eyes in the drama, I believed he was in love with him. It never felt awkward or forced. If someone told me they were lovers I would have believed it. This is definitely hard to pull off because in the back of our heads we know that most BL actors are straight and not actually romantically involved. Therefore, sometimes we can pick up on the awkwardness they might have with each other when they act lovey-dovey scenes. Definitely not these two. It feels genuine, and it feels believable; that is this drama's forte: the ability to pull you into the story.

My only beef with the drama, and this is mostly for all Thai BL dramas: the advertising. I know that these companies are advertising your show. I get that there must be some sort of agreement between the company advertising their product. But if suddenly in a drama someone stops to say, "Oh this product is really delicious," or "This is a really good facial cleanser because it's not oily and it has a wonderful smell," it breaks the viewers from what is happening in the drama. You know, product placement in USA dramas and TV shows are rampant, but usually discreet. Like someone only drinking coke all the time. Or having coke bottles in the room without ever mentioning that they're drinking coke. Or how Transformers used General Motors for most of their cars. We can pick up which brand it is without having the cars stop and say, "Wow, you're a General Motors car, you must drive smoothly," etc. I think if Thai dramas find a better way to advertise, it will help dramas not lose focus of the story they are trying to tell.

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Before deciding to watch this show, I went across all the reviews of how people have mentioned this story to be bland, not good, not romantic, how the second leads and supporting cast have better story line than the main etc etc.

This depiction is not entirely true and I am glad I saw it and didn't go by what others said.

Although the other characters have a good story line going on, it in no way overpowers the main lead.

Some reviewers mentioned how the romance between the main characters was almost negligible and only developed in the end. This is true, but in no way is this damaging the show. Suho's character is a narcissistic person who is rude and doesn't care about others, so it's obvious that he will realize his feelings not in the 2nd episode, not in the 11th, but towards the end.

The love story between the two is pure love, one is trying to compensate for the love he lost a few years ago, one is still struggling to figure out what he feels because he knows what happened to him the last time he fell in love. They didn't fall in love instantly and spent the entire show trying to fight off people who are against their love like evil mom or power hungry dad. This love story was a little close to reality because we do sometimes realize our love a little too late.

I honestly think the negative comments are a little too much because the show isn't as bad as people are saying it to be.

As for the supporting cast, I loved how the show focused on the life struggles of Mi So and Do Jin. They not only looked cute together but this was among the few supporting story line that I did not want to skip.

As for Suho's acting that people seemed to be so disappointed with, the man is supposed to act like an emotionless robot who doesn't care for people around him and only thinks about himself. He is a human robot who feels nothing and I think he did it quite brilliantly.

I personally liked the entire show and I saw all the episodes to the end.

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Tropes: office romance, identity theft, cohabitation, messy gay

This is a complicated and engaging plot about professional ego, reputation, safety, and trust, but not much about romance. Or maybe it is but it’s a romance about an editor’s love for a writer’s work? Or for the writer himself? And is there a difference?

I think this would have worked better as a romance if the Writer had known the Editor in (at least) a friendly way in the past/at school as well - so there was more established dynamic to their instant affection and shacking up. Apart from my qualms around the romance thread, the plot is actually good. It’s very angsty and tense for something so simple, which suits this length of show.

As a BL it kinda isn’t (sorry to say) though, there’s no BL tropes dropped and no real romance beats. This is about dishonesty and pride and there is an elegance to the theme. Which is essentially the idea that possession is not love, and therefore, those who love the Writer have to prove their love by letting him go. Honestly, I’m not sure how to rate this show as a result. This is a blog about BL and this wasn’t that.

RECOMMENDED (but not if BL is what you’re after)

P.S. For a change I like the OST, Leo is one of my favorite main singers among the honey-voices of Kpop. Speaking of, Leo is stupid pretty here.

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This military drama killed it, as did Yang Yang

Glory of Special Forces opens with a bang with a team of 7 elite soldiers mounting an assault on a drug lord’s stronghold. Bullets and grenades are flying fast and furious in all directions as the soldiers’ attack are met with fierce opposition. The scene cuts to protagonist Yan Po Yue [YPY] as he takes a hit and plummets into the water. The sequence ends; the next time we meet YPY again he is entering the military academy as a recruit. The bulk of the drama charts YPY’s journey as an arrogant, selfish man-child who transforms into a first-rate soldier through grit and determination.
From the onset, drama creates a military training setup that is expansive, realistic and gritty — the sense of being in a war zone and getting caught in cross-fire gave viewers those ‘oh-sh**’ moments. As for the training that the soldiers must undergo, there is no let-up in pacing as the soldiers are relentlessly challenged and tested. Only the best, in terms of physicality and aptitude are accepted; and of course, that includes not pissing off your commanding officer. And that’s where YPY finds himself, constantly at odds with his superiors.
About Yang Yang who plays YPY. In here, he’s shed his pretty boy image, and turned in a performance that’s committed, believable, even psychotic at one point. No easy task since this role appears to be more emotionally and physically demanding than his previous ones. Seeing him scaled walls, traversed hard terrains, and dodged bullets made viewers cheered him on. We wanted him to succeed however hard the tasks were, and however much he was side-lined by his superiors.
The world of YPY would have been one dimensional if the director had just trained the spotlight on Yang Yang. Accompanying him is a supporting cast that’s strong and effective in adding layers to the story and YPY’s character. The perfect foil for the stiff and stubborn YPY is platoon mate Wu Xiao Tian, played by actor Jiang Long. Previously seen in The King’s Avatar as funny motormouth Huang Shao Tian, Wu Xiao Tian is wonderfully irreverent, cowardly and in the end, a much-needed catalyst that transformed YPY. Actress Jiang Lu Xia’s turn as sharpshooter Guo Xiao Xiao is brilliant and her pain become ours as we watched her struggle to accept her friend’s death. Unfortunately, lead actress Li Yi Tong’s role as Captain Ai Qian Xue is less effective, and didn’t come across as being relevant to the plot. At best, she’s an attractive injection in a testosterone-filled military environment.
As with most military genre, jingoism as subtext is inevitable. But the director has deftly tempered it with powerful action sequences and tight storytelling. Its annoyance quotient is nothing compared to watching non-Chinese actors bombed at carrying out a simple English dialogue. Perhaps they've run out of budget to hire someone to edit those lines.
Overall, this is a rare instance where I didn’t fast-forward a 40-odd episode drama to catch the best moments. I stayed throughout to watch a protagonist’s simple quest to be the best, and the love of brotherhood that helped him achieve that quest. And yes, those ‘oh-sh**’ action sequences were one of the best hooks in TV-drama land.

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I dont even know why I started watching this show because I dont like sports. I mean the only person I knew from the cast is UEE but I didnt even like her character in Your Beautiful. But for some reason I wanted to see if her acting was any different...

Story- UNPREDICTABLE. The story starts off slow (not to the point of being bored) and is too focused on the character of Hae Ryung (not UEE's character)but by episode 10 things start to pick up and become super interesting because it focuses on UEE's character. The last episode made me want to rip my hair out. The ending kept in line with the unpredictable theme. Its probably the worst ending Ive ever seen in my life! Seriously if it werent for the first 23 eps having solid writing i would have rated the story lower just because of the sorry ending.

Acting- UEE can act her butt off! She changed my opinion of her (hated her in YB). The rest of the cast all made thier characters believable. I really despised the character of Hae Ryung though (very pathetic and no character development until the last ep.)

Music- Nice enough music that was memorable but nothing that i would be obsessed with.

Rewatch- If it werent for the ending Id probably would have rewatched it in 2 yrs or so but i have no wish to rewatch this drama, although it is at least rewatchable.

Overall this drama had huge potential but the lack of a believable romance and the nonsensical ending really ruined the good feelings i had about this show throughout its run. I'd still recommend this drama though because the writing is good and the acting is very good.

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Quick, satisfying and easy to watch

Have you been watching historical/wuxia/xianxia dramas and been disappointed in how they finish off the villains? Perhaps they don't show them being punished, perhaps the punishment is too light or perhaps, and I hate this the most, they give them a redemption arc and a happy-esque ending?

Well worry not because this 21 episode mini-series has handled all the villains perfectly. Short on time they could not really show long torture sessions but they did the next best thing <3

The writing was good, they did stumble once in the end but then again as a mini-series they did not have much time to continue blundering so that saved it. The acting was good enough. The FMC has the chops for long series heavy screentime characters. The MMC however needs either more acting lessons or a different character- his expressions were too smiley (?) for this role. The side characters were good too.

All in all, for a short drama, this is worth your time and I would definitely recommend it

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I have been thinking of watching 'Her Private Life' again! This is probably one of the best romantic K-dramas I have watched. The fact that the show has not got lost in my fogged memory of the countless K dramas I have watched is a sign that it is a drama I can come back to. I watched 'Her Private Life' during a stressful period of my life and remember it helping me feel good afterwards. Of course, the highlight of this show is the amazing chemistry between its leads. Park Min-Young is lovely in this drama. This was the reason I was looking forward to watch her in the recent drama 'When the weather is fine' which unfortunately was not as engaging for me for some reason. I love the positive and perky character she plays in 'Her Private Life'. Both her and Kim Jae-Wook are great actors and switch between emotions effortlessly. It is their dynamic that made the show watchable even when some of the episodes towards the end were dragging. As others have pointed out, I did not find the childhood plot very convincing. I also thought that the stories revolving around some of the side characters could have been developed more but it didn't bother me much. I enjoyed the friendship between the characters of Park Min-Young and Park Jin-Joo and wish to have friends like that :).
Overall, I recommend this drama if you are looking for something light and romantic to watch. The show has compelling leads who elevate the show from being just fluff. I enjoyed watching the show and I am sure that you will too :)

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But know that when it comes to love, I know nothing.

The chemistry between JoongDunk is through the roof! Before we even get a few minutes into the first episode, the two of them are giving each other love eyes. I think they both did an amazing job portraying their characters’ emotions. Even though Kluen (Joong’s character) does appear a bit cold at times, he shows a lot through his eyes.

Their friends are probably the most supportive and patient group of people ever. Kluen and Dao keep going around in circles when it comes to their feelings and relationship. I can’t even imagine the amount of times the rest of the boys got to hear them moaning about their emotions. And yet they never ignore them. They are full of suggestions, some more helpful than others, but they never discourage Kluen and Dao. And the fact that Dao’s brother and Kluen’s mother probably know everything about the two is adorable!

Kluen & Dao: I am a sucker for second chance romances. As well as the right person at the wrong time plots. I feel like the story of Kluen and Dao is both of those and I was definitely here for that. Kluen is aware that he absolutely sucks at talking about his emotions, so hearing him tell that to Dao was really nice. I don’t think Kluen is cold or arrogant, but I do think he is more of an introvert. He has one close friend, Noel, and he is not one who really enjoys participating in events or meeting new people. This also might tie into the fact that he finds it hard to express his emotions to others. Dao is a bit more of a social butterfly. He can be shy, don’t get me wrong, but I think he finds it easier to make friends and there is something about him that makes people comfortable around him. I really think that the two are a good match for each other.

Let’s talk about Typhoon. I really hope he gets his happy ending at some point (Our sky 2, I am looking at you). He is a genuinely good person who wishes happiness for the ones he cares about, even if it means he is not the source of their happiness. He had his moments, I admit that, but he is still a character I really enjoyed watching. The fact he didn’t get into a relationship right away also speaks volumes about his character. He is not looking for a rebound, he is looking for his perfect match. Which is a very mature thing to do. And the right one too.

The locations are beautiful. The OST has this soft sound to it that I really enjoyed as well.

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"The Table" basically consists of four different conversation scenes unfolded on a table. During  each scene, we find two characters, and then we listen to their  conversation observing the mood and the nuances that surround them. Although  this is a fairly simple premise, the film constantly engages us thanks  to its sensitive writing as well as solid performances, and each scene  serves us beautiful moments, passing fleetingly, one by one, during its  time. The film's only background is a small coffee shop located in a small urban alley. In other words, limited cinematography. The  conversations become a bit strange but it's wonderful how maintaining  the cool and meaningless attitude of your character is also effective as  your homologous narrative.

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Gaya Sa Pelikula (2020): A Romantic Pinoy BL Series Par Excellence

I consider “Gaya Sa Pelikula” a romantic Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series par excellence that paid homage not only to Pinoy dramatic and romantic comedy (romcom) movies and our most popular love teams but also to Thai BL series. Posters and scenes were adapted from Pinoy dramatic and romcom movies such as “All of You,” “A Very Special Love,” “Don’t Give Up on Us,” “Filipinas,” “Got 2 Believe,” “Hintayan ng Langit,” “LSS,” “One More Chance,” “Sana Maulit Muli,” “She’s Dating the Gangster,” etc. There were also appropriations of Thai BL series “Theory of Love” movie poster series as well as acknowledgements of OffGun and TayNew on the “Gaya Sa Pelikula” post-credits. Some say that there were too many dramatic and romcom clichés and BL tropes (like the fake/pretend relationship trope), but hey, who cares, they really worked on this series!

Even with all the clichés and tropes, “Gaya Sa Pelikula” still managed to look fresh because of the well-developed multi-dimensional characters it created. Even with their conflicting views on genders, sexualities, and relationships, both Karl and Vlad were relatable. While Karl's not ready to come out yet, Vlad’s out and proud. I’ve known a lot of Karls and Vlads in my life so I really found them realistic. Ate (Older Sister) Judit, Anna, and Tito (Uncle) Santi were not simply intervening side characters (who definitely meddled out of love, whether we agree with them or not) but relevant players with depth. Being generally a slow burn, “Gaya Sa Pelikula” felt dragging at times but because of strong characterizations, episodes always ended strong.

There were corny dialogues and monologues here and there but they were negligible given the mostly excellent screenwriting. I can understand why others think some lines were preachy but they were powerful messages nevertheless. Screenplay, with its English and Taglish sentences, was generally natural -- at least for middle to upper class Pinoys. Overall, I think the script was largely impeccable.

The strong screenplay actually aided the acting of the lead actors, Ian and Paolo. While there’s always room for improvement (Ian needs to enunciate better and Paolo needs to avoid exaggerated movements), for newbie actors, they did pretty well. For sure, both Ian and Paolo were far better than the newbie actors of other Pinoy BL series! They have outstanding chemistry together and both are very good-looking! As for the supporting cast members of “Gaya Sa Pelikula,” Adrienne and Yesh were great while Franco was ok.

Minus some dark lighting and grainy camera shots, audio-visuals were quite satisfactory with very clear intentions. Every graphic, every item, every shot, etc. seemed to have clear purpose. The soundtracks, while mostly not originally made for the series, were nonetheless perfect for the scenes. The original soundtrack, “Kilometro Zero” by Juan Miguel and performed by Ian, was of course, my favorite among the soundtracks.

In summary, I would definitely recommend rewatching “Gaya Sa Pelikula,” a romantic Pinoy BL series par excellence. Even if you’re not satisfied with its finale, you should rewatch it because it’s a terrific set-up for the second season. Given Juan Miguel’s wonderful Wattpad story about Karl and Vlad, which was said to be the basis for the sequel, Season 2 promises to be even better than Season 1.

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