Reviews

I can KIND OF see the effort but..

I’m convinced there‘s is a good story buried somewhere inside this garbage mess but it’s barely visible. This series made very little sense.
It‘d be too long to go through every little and big thing in detail so I’m not gonna do it but to put it bluntly: nothing made much sense, including characters’ decisions and accusations. Even the first half of the show made barely any sense but the second half was complete idiocy. This show had several scriptwriters how did nobody catch the nonsense?

The first episode was actually quite good (good enough) but onward ep 2 it got exponentially worse until in culminated in full-on ludicrousness.
Absurdity of the plot aside, the show also struggled with extreme tonal inconsistencies. It didn’t know what it wanted to be, comedic or dark. It’s possible to carefully combine both genre elements but you have to know what you’re doing and the writers here were not up to the task. The whiplash I got from the clumsy, radical tonal shifts was insane. One minute it’s a serious scene and the next minute it’s suddenly turned into badly written gag comedy. Bizarre!
Some of the scenes were painfully overdramatic and were portrayed in a way that made them unintentionally hilarious. It felt like they wanted to make certain scenes look really cool but ended up making them look ridiculous instead. The direction felt incredibly amateurish and I know that the director isn’t an amateur but he obviously didn’t know jack about directing action scenes and it shows.
Now that we’re on the topic, this is not an action drama, it’s not a romance drama either, it’s an awkward and weirdly paced family drama with some clumsily sprinkled action and romance scenes in between. Oftentimes the dialogue was painful to listen to and most of the time it was on the nose with a lot of telling (AND sometimes showing). It genuinely felt like the dialogue was taken out of a bad shonen anime word for word.

Now onto the romance:
There was so little attempt at romance that I didn’t even care if Jack and Joker ended up together. The romantic chemistry and interactions were nurtured so little that I didn’t care to be invested in their supposed romantic attachment.
I don’t mean that we need to see them confess and/or make out with each other every other episode bc romantic chemistry and build up can be shown in a lot of different ways that don’t have to include sexual intimacy but you gotta have at least some build up, no?
Where are the stares, the slight flirtation? Sometimes it’s briefly there but then it abruptly stops, removing any possibility of a smooth romantic build up. It’s really awkward and at the end doesn’t amount to much. I’ve seen many types of bromances (Western and Asian) that have so much more romantic and sexual tension between characters where they barely even touch each other and this is supposed to be a BL but the romantic tension barely exists here. You can’t just haphazardly throw in a couple of romantic scenes in between all the plot and call it a romance. There’s an art to properly weaving romantic subplot into the main plot of a different genre. Talking about other BLs, Manner of Death did it right, Kinnporsche did it right, even Triage did it right and that one had barely any romance in it.

War is a good actor and Yin def. has improved but in this drama their acting felt slightly off kilter for a lot of the time. I might be wrong but it seems to me that the people heavily involved in this project, YinWar included, didn’t know what exactly they wanted it to be, weren’t sure enough in the direction of this story/plot/theme and that’s why almost everything felt wonky about it and the project itself felt unstable on its legs.

One last thing I want to mention about the plot is that it wanted to showcase how poor people were being taken advatage of by rich people but the poor people didn’t make the greatest decisions either. One example that really jumped out at me was the bit about Jack‘s parents.
They committed suicide bc they thought that their life insurance would be able to pay off their debt but bc they didn’t care to properly read the contract it didn’t work the way they expected it to (bc insurance doesn’t pay in cases of suicide, which was written in the contract!).
Why did they make Jack‘s parents seem foolish by making them not read the full contract? Why not make it a legal loop or make it some other type of refusal to pay out the insurance? Why not lean into the obvious unfairness and scam of the society that openly prefers and protects rich over poor? This was a missed opportunity and made Jack’s parents seem rather stupid instead.
Anyway, my criticism notwithstanding I do appreciate the idea and the grind. I see the effort behind the show and I respect the effort. I know that I’m in the minority in my dislike of the show and I think it’s a good thing that many other people liked it. I do wish for Yin and War to succeed in the entertainment business and I’m sure Jack and Joker will contribute to their future success, I just hope that their next project will be more to my liking.

Leggi di Più

The gift which, unknowingly, keeps on giving!

Firstly, this is a love story spanning age, obstacles and standards set by some people. The story perfectly describes how “Li Wu” which may also mean gift became a special gift which unexpectedly became part of Cen Jin’s life. When she allowed him to be part of her life yes it was a mess but the little did she know that she had a gift placed into her life transforming it forever!

Ohh my Sniper butterfly, how can l even perfectly talk about you!? I first came across this drama months back while it was still upcoming, the poster caught my attention first before the synopsis had me hooked thought l thought twice on whether to watch it not as l had never been a fan of older woman younger man romances before. I clicked plan to watch and moved on with my life, come 28th November, l saw the official announcement of its release on 4th of December and l quickly took it as a final sign to watch it!

Once the first 4 episodes were released, l quickly hopped onto the ride which l do not regret embarking. Dear reader, if you are reading this wondering whether to watch Sniper butterfly or not, take this as a your final call to quickly watch the gem!!!!

I like how they made it clear that Li Wu’s love for Cen Jin was purely love not an entanglement of love and gratitude. Many a times, people may mistake gratitude for love or they may feel the need to love people they are indebted to but this drama made sure to show the clear line!

Though many people may have felt that the frequent flashbacks were unnecessary, l perceived that it was necessary for viewers to see how, why and when either of their feelings for each other grew and developed without getting facts mixed up! Ohh the innocence and cuteness Li Wu carried deserves to be applauded. Despite that, he still served some manliness, having that sense of responsibility as a boyfriend which made their love story admirable. How can l even fully describe the way that man felt whenever anything involved Cen Jin!?

Li Wu knew exactly what he wanted he definitely did not allow anything to stop him from standing by that regardless of age, people, distance or background!

Chun Chang & YI Yang’s story was a good one though the ups and downs were 🫠 considering how the main leads were already keeping us on our feet! However worry not, it’s just enough for you to turn a blind eye to or even enjoy as it’s not boring🤭

I like how the drama gave us a clear view of the type of woman Jin was which made it understandable for every step and decision she made! Despite their age gap being big, the drama managed to bring out a great love story without making Jin seem more of a mother than a girlfriend to Li Wu!

The drama had so many powerful characters! A father who always stood, loved and supported his daughter! He wasn’t the type of parent to try and force his beliefs on his child, but he sat down, let her talk, listened to her, let her express how she felt, gave honest advice yet leaving her with room to make her own final judgement and decision.

A friend like Cheng Rui!!🥹 I always knew he was THAT friend but when he said, “I told you we are friends, whatever happens, we handle it together. If the sky falls, l will hold it up even if l have to tiptoe.” my love and respect for him as Li Wu’s friend skyrocketed!!!

My girl Michelle had to wear wedged shoes most of the time to lessen the height difference! 😂🥹🤭 Despite their real life age gap, they still delivered the story in an amazing manner!

I did wish they gave us wedding but l will still gladly settle for the happy ending they gave us! It has its flaws but that won’t stop me from recommending anyone to watch it! Hope you enjoy it as much as l did!

Maybe just maybe after this l might consider going for a younger man now!😂😏 Dynamites do come in small packages after all!

Leggi di Più

" Queen : Love and War " had a nice start but the second half was so so.

The first part had an interesting story. Although the first episodes were a bit of a let down and probably could have pushed people away, the idea of the selection was entertaining and full of intrigues between the women (hence the girls war alternative title). The mean characters were plenty, and some of them were even playing friendly when they were in reality the worse. Some others had tragic endings, so the tragedy genre was plenty in this one. So, the girl's adventures and how she managed to survive the twists and traps that the other contestants set for her were entertaining and spiced up the story.

The chemistry of the couple was amazing, too, and they had a nice romance. Their romantic scenes were pretty intense and they had plenty of kissing scenes, which is often rare in historical dramas. Though, the love triangle they wanted to present was not as good and it was underdeveloped.

However, the second part was predictable. It was pretty much what happens to all historical dramas, the bad old aristocrats want power, the girl wants to protect the king, the king wants to protect her, and so on. The ending was okay, but boring.

Finally, the main character was good, but she got annoying from time to time, especially in the end, even though she started as a strong, sassy character. The male lead was pretty swoon worthy and he was a nice romantic lead.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

Leggi di Più

A special BL that deserves your time

I think I've made it my mission to get everyone I know to watch this show lol. I absolutely LOVED this series. Music, acting, storyline, cinematography, EVERYTHING was done so well.

This is the first Thai BL that I actually followed as it aired and I was hooked from the beginning and I think what originally intrigued me, from the first trailer, was how different it is from other BLs (i.e. the setting to the professions of the main characters), but the differences in details are just the tip of what sets this apart from other BLs. For me, this show is much more mature than the other BLs I've seen in terms of the themes, social commentary, the way the characters conduct themselves emotionally. Maybe I'm just old (lol) but the fact this show, despite being only 10 episodes long, was a slow burn really made me appreciate the journey P'Aof, Eath, and Mix take us on.

EarthMix/PhuphaTian:
Earth and Mix really hit it out of the park. Their acting and chemistry was nothing short of phenomenal. They really put their heart into their characters and it definitely comes off on screen. They really did an amazing job making me feel what they felt—I laughed with them, I cried with them, I got annoyed and angry (here's looking at you Chief in episode 8), I felt giddy (Episode 3!!). I think there's a criticism about all the quiet staring between the two MCs, but for me, this was one of my favorite things about this show. You're watching two characters fall in love with each other, but they're so hesitant for their own reasons (Tian coming to terms with his sexuality and Phu being an awkward 30 year old who hasn't learned how to adequately convey his feelings lol (relatable)). Mix and Earth say so much with their eyes that I feel like you can't adequately express with words and for me, I loved watching them slowly get to the place where they're finally able to say the words out loud. For me, this made all the heartbreaking scenes even more heartbreaking and the ending that much more satisfying.

Story/Music:
Fantastic. There's no other word for it. I'm grateful for Bacteria for creating such amazing source material and words can't describe how much in awe I am of P'Aof and whoever else worked on translating the novel into the script/story. I haven't finished the book yet, but from what I understand there are some differences (as expected), but without knowing what those differences are I trust P'Aof did what he thought was best for the series. You can tell a lot of thought went into the story as just about no stone goes left unturned. Every detail is so meticulous. You can tell this was a labor of love and I, as a fan and a viewer, am so grateful.

The show, while taking on very classic drama tropes, I think does a great job in ramping up the intensity. The way the plot and characters are written allows you to be fully immersed. Specifically in the last few episodes when the drama is at its peak, was yelling at my tv through tears.

I can't talk about the story without talking about the music/scoring. PHENOMENAL. The opening OST is already iconic and now we have three versions (still waiting on GMMTV to give us the EarthMix version), and of course Earth's FIRST OST (proud of him) which is so sweet, but I also love the incorporation of previously released songs as well. The song used in the Karaoke scene in Ep. 3 is dreamy and of course, the most recent song used at the reception in Ep. 10? I cried and then immediately purchased the song on iTunes lol. Aside from the lyrical songs, the scores included in the series are just perfection. We have all the classic silly sounds used to elevate the mood of certain scenes, but for me, it's the romantic scores used throughout the series that just never fails to make my heart flutter. I applaud whoever worked on the score for the series.

Underrated favorite scene of ATOTS:
This is random, but I cry every time I watch this scene (I've seen it at least half a dozen times at this point) so I want to mention it lol. One of my absolute favorite scenes of the series is the campfire scene in Ep. 9. It's so heartbreaking and Earth and Mix did such a phenomenal job. This scene, from the dialogue, the acting, the cinematography was SUPERB.

I know a lot of us were upset with Chief in the last few episodes, as someone who's closer to his age in the show, I can't help but feel empathy for him when he tries to get Tian to go home. Specifically in this scene, when Phu tells Tian "It's impossible" for them to be together, my heart absolutely breaks. The way Earth delivers this line, you can just hear the tired and hurt in his voice. You absolutely know Phu wants nothing more than to be with Tian, but there are so many other factors. Tian is still so young. Not to discredit his feelings or experience, because he's lived so much life for someone who's only 21, but he does have so much else to live for. Tian has his parents, friends, school, a whole other life away from Pha Pun Dao and Chief knowing that Tian would give literally all of that up just to stay with him? I mean what an act of love on Tian's part. It's awe-inspiring (sorry if that's cheesy lol) but at the same time, I feel like 1) Phu is scared Tian will resent him one day after making such a huge sacrifice and 2) he doesn't want to put Tian in the same position his mother was in (flashback to the start of the EP when Phu is talking to Torfun on the cliff about why he doesn't make time for love).

On the opposite end, seeing Tian being so honest and adamant about how he feels for Chief was so amazing to see. Mix is seriously a force."Chief, one word from you and I'll stay." I think about this scene/ dialogue constantly. It was so well done.

Rewatch ability:
I've already rewatched each episode multiple times and I just started my entire series rewatch lol. Knowing what I know now, I'm looking for clues trying to figure out when Chief's duty transformed into love and honestly, I think Chief was smitten from the very beginning.

Leggi di Più

How beautiful the storyline of Immortal Samsara actually is

I'm one of the ppl who rarely watch xianxia dramas but Immortal Samsara changed my mind completely. At first I decided to start watching it because of Yang Zi & Cheng Yi. And I never regret abt it, the best decision I've ever made.

- The acting
The chemistry between Yang Zi & Cheng Yi so gold, rare and yet, no joke!! Their acting skills are on next level, Everytime I see them together, my heart flutter for them, can't help but smile like a fool all the time. Yang Zi is known for her amazing acting skills, she can express different types of emotion to show ppl what's inside her mind or heart, her face says it all. Cheng Yi never disappoints me as well, ofc when he cries, I feel so heartbroken for him too. His expression can show his true feelings and the way he portrays Ying Yuan & Tang Zhou differently is what surprise me the most. I can completely see the differences! Huge respect to Yang Zi & Cheng Yi, including every casts and crews of Immortal Samsara

- The storyline
Yan Dan may looks like she's weak but not only she's so powerful but also so intelligent and knows how to use her head!! Also, YD is one of the mature female lead characters who always thinks for other ppl's feeling and never act recklessly for once. Yan Dan also understands and let go of her feeling over Ying Yuan as she completely understand Ying Yuan's action on her and Three Realm. On the other hand, I love how Ying Yuan is not the typical male lead who think love is everything. He put the peace of Three Realm in front of his love for Yan Dan. Many ppl blame YY but without the peace of Three Realm, YD will also be in danger as well. He is the emperor of the Heaven, he still thinks abt his people even tho he truly loves Yan Dan so much, Ying Yuan's true love over Yan Dan is so pure!
By watching IS, you still can see both of them are ready to sacrifice for each other, both YD and YY sacrificed their lives to keep each other safe and sound. No matter if he/she loves her/him back, they will still save each other at the end of the day. But this also teaches us that love isn't everything as people's life and the peace of the world should be the first thing to put in front of love. As long as their love are still growing with pure and true love, YD and YY can store the peace of Three Realms with their love together.

I totally recommend everyone of you to try watching Immortal Samsara, the pure love between the main lead can totally flutter your heart, I promise! Even if you think this might not be a cup of tea for you, please just try to watch at least four or five episodes. When you start to develop interest in IS, it will never disappoint you! I finally found my home now, Immortal Samsara family including the casts and the fans of IS becomes my family!

- My opinion over the script
(However, I might have to complain a lil bit as the scriptwriters are more focusing on background character's story rather than focusing on YD & YY's love story. I feel so bitter abt it since the main reason why I watched IS is for YD and YY only!! For example, Xuan Ye & Ran Qing love story might be even more than the main lead's story! Also, everytime the sweet scenes came, they all turned out to be dreams, illusions or one of YD and YY is unconscious! WHAT THE HELL! The scriptwriters suck! Are they taking us as a joke or smth, having Yang Zi & Cheng Yi as a main lead couple so rare and gold but they made the script like this, like how!)

Leggi di Più

There is one word to describe this show: CRACKTASTIC.

This show is funny, but unlike many asian dramas it doesn't suffer from trying too hard to be funny. It knows where the joke is then ENDS it. The comedy in the show is paced really well with the drama, so you wont feel as if you're stagnating in the drama or comedy for too long.

The romance is good. The characters are believable, and their romance progresses naturally without the plot forcing them together too soon, or keeping them apart for too long.

The villans in the drama actually have reasons for being the way they are, and at points you can really feel for them. No one is wholly evil, so you get to see the good and the bad in people and their struggle of which side will win. The mustashe twirlers are at least funny, so even if you don't identify with them at least you get to laugh at them throughout.

I had to give this a 9 out of 10 because one major storyline is just never resolved, also because although the ending was nice, it didn't really go with the rest of what the drama was.

Leggi di Più

Background on the Ii Clan

A small clan based in Ii Valley, where Hamamatsu City is now. Hamamatsu is a city in Shizuoka prefecture, Kanto region. The Ii(s) are now based in Saga prefecture, where Ii Naomasa was relocated to when the Tokugawa Shogunate was established.

The Ii(s) as a samurai clan had a much longer traceable history than most of the major clans - the Takeda, Hojo, Matsudaira/Tokugawa etc - around them, with some estimates giving them a 1000 year old lineage. At the least, their ancestry could be traced back to the Kamakura era.

Two of the most famous Ii(s) included Ii Naomasa and Ii Naosuke.

Ii Naomasa was one of the Four Heavenly Generals under Tokugawa Ieyasu, and played a prominent role in the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the revival of the Ii clan.

Naosuke was one of the foremost conservative influence during the ending period of the Shogunate, and his assassination paved the way for the establishment of the Meiji era under a new modernist regime.

As an historical person, Ii Naotora was shrouded in mystery and many uncertainties. Some historians assert that she was actually a man, and that Naotora and Naomasa’s adoptive mother were not the same person.


The Story

If you are looking for battle scenes and samurai fighting, you will be sorely disappointed. As the synopsis stated, the story started at a point of crisis for the Ii clan. Their continued survival was highly questionable, and the story reflected the uncertainties and helplessness of a clan on the verge of collapse.

What this drama did very well, and unlike most other Taigas before it - with the exception of Sanadamaru before it - was the focus on the small scale struggles and daily survival efforts of peripheral clans and the people in them. Hence, there are more villagers with names here than you will ever see in many of the Taigas from the last decade. The intimate and humanistic aspects of the drama were what piqued my interest in the first place. While always interesting and grandiose, the focus on all those major personalities got tiring after a while.

Here, we are reminded that ideally, all those political and armed struggles were meant to be for a greater purpose, to bring about peace and stability, not for the sole purpose of personal aggrandizement and megalomaniac-ambition.

The dialogue and messages in this drama were well-written and most often thought-provoking, if somewhat idealized.

In turns comical and heartwarming, it was also mostly just tear-inducing.

A story full of love - in all its myriad representations - and of stubborn people (or if you prefer, persistent and determined).


Characters

If there is to be only one reason to watch this drama, it would be for the character of Ono-Tajimanokami-Masatsugu.

He was a character that encompassed many virtues and ideals in the form of a man, but above all, it was love and devotion. Love for a woman, the family, friends, the homeland, the clan, of honour, duty, sacrifice and peace.

(And if you are a shipper and have the tendency to have Second-Male Lead-Syndrome, Ono Masatsugu will be the ultimate candidate to break your heart and provide tonnes of angst and ache).

On reflection - since there have been many, many fantastic second male lead characters before - what truly made Ono Masatsugu stood out from the fray, besides some good - if spotty - writing, was the fact that in the hands of Takahashi Issei, he was elevated to a sublime level of intensely stoic devotion and loving magnanimity. An unsurpassed potent combination.

Besides Masatsugu, I would dare venture that there are many lovable and admirable characters in this show. Whether you agree with their motivations or not, no one failed to live up to their ideals or limitations, of which there were numerous. While a weird way to state, whether the goal was mediocrity or self-sacrifice, most everybody tried their best.


Cast/Acting

Generally, the casting and acting were solid and competent, befitting a Taiga. Personally, however, I did not find all acting equally appealing. I did not particularly enjoy Shibasaki or Suda’s acting, as I thought they overexpressed at some parts. Still, they did very well in their roles.

Most of the secondary characters had very competent actors and actresses at the helm, and that had made for a marvelous watch.

Last but not least, another note on Takahashi Issei as Ono Masatsugu. His role here captured my imagination and made me a fan, so while biased, I have to once again comment on his amazing performance. He turned what was a run-of-the-mill-character into THE character to pay attention to. His presence made what was an average Taiga into one that engrossed the hearts and minds of fans. While not an especially popular Taiga (ratings were quite mediocre), Naotora might well turn into a cult-drama for the way it has engaged the emotions of fans, and Masatsugu had been one of the main reasons for this phenomena.


Music/Composition

A gorgeous soundtrack and background music accompanied this show and raised the level of emoting for the whole series. Simply breathtaking music.


Overall

While I have had problems with certain aspects of the development of the storyline and the relationships they portrayed, I could not complain that it was not already written into the story from the beginning (unlike some other stories/shows), though due to various factors, interpretations for the story deviated somewhat from the intentions of the scriptwriter. This is mostly an issue of personal expectations and subjective interpretation.

The story, however, devolved into semi-farcical comedy and ridiculousness at certain portions of the second half, and this detracted somewhat from the overall quality of the show.

While no-where-near-perfection, this series has been an interesting glimpse into a lesser known clan and world of the Sengoku era.

Leggi di Più

You'll Love this Couple

This drama was so amazing for the simple reason that the couple was all grown-up - no stupid misunderstandings because of miscommunication. I loved the build to the romance and all the shy embarrassed experiences they had before finally admitting their feelings. Kim Jae-uk and Park Min-young had such great chemistry together which means this is one of those rare couples that just melt your heart, plus their banter was just soooo cute.

These two were couple goals truly!

The fangirling was really well woven into the story. Other aspects weren't well incorporated and ended up being...well...boring. My complaint really is that the drama dragged towards the end.

But overall fabulous drama that I would recommend.

Leggi di Più

Almost exactly the same as the anime version.

This is good. I watched the anime again and again in the past, so it was a bit of a dull ride for me....or so that's what I thought at first. The story, plot and characters still capture me again just like the anime version. The drama version is good and I think the acting was not bad too, and spoiler ahead......

The drama followed the time period of the anime, which is like the year 2000s, so not everyone has a handphone or a computer, the drama skipped some parts of the side character's story and I was okay without it. The awesome internet sensation was a bit underwhelmed, maybe because they did not make it into a world sensation but just the country itself only. But that's okay too.

This time, though there are times when the main lead Xiao Guang treated Chu Ying a bit badly at times, it was not really the same as the anime. The drama showed Xiao Guang treating Chu Ying more kindly, more sincerely and appreciatively. And most importantly, the wonderful day they spent before he left forever. So in my opinion, this is better than the anime version as you won't feel so regretful for Chu Ying for the way Xiao Guang treated him like in the anime.

Leggi di Più

✨A Beautiful Love Story, Pure and Undistracted✨

⊹₊˚ଘ♡ଓ 𝒲𝒽𝓎 𝐼 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒲𝒶𝓉𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒟𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒶 ♡⋆｡˚

I clicked on this drama because of Ben Wang. There's something captivating about his aura, and I truly enjoy his acting. He has a screen presence that instantly pulls you in, so I was curious to see how he'd bring this character to life.

★·˚ ༘ 𝑀𝓎 𝐹𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝐼𝓂𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒾𝑜𝓃 ⋆˚₊

From the very first scene, it was clear that both characters were strong and carried a unique charm. Together, they created a powerful and captivating aura , charming, confident, and effortlessly attractive. It instantly felt like the beginning of a beautiful love story.

꒰ঌ 🌸 𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒜𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒟𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒶 🌸 ໒꒱

This drama gets everything right style, makeup, hairstyles, costumes, direction, screenplay, writing, and lighting. The scene setups and lighting perfectly complement each other, making every moment more vivid and aesthetically impactful.

I really liked how the male lead (ML) treats the female lead (FL) he cherishes her like a child, with care and gentleness. The FL is portrayed as a pampered, slightly spoiled, yet innocent character who knows exactly when to show attitude and how to use her charm. She carries herself with grace and confidence.

One of the best parts is how naturally the leads connect. Their bond develops in a very genuine, realistic way. The ML is a reserved, introverted person who doesn’t express much verbally, but his actions speak volumes. They both try to in relation , and the two have great communication. There are no misunderstandings between them, and they share a strong rapport.

Their dynamic gives the feeling that the ML is more mature almost like an elder figure and the FL is the younger one being lovingly pampered. It’s written in a way that shows a nurturing, affectionate relationship, which is a beautiful element to highlight.

Both characters have strong, grounded personalities. They are not swayed by emotions or situations they remain composed and true to themselves.

The family background in the story is also portrayed positively, which adds warmth. As for the villains, they hardly have any real impact. Their roles appear briefly at the beginning and end, and they’re so minimal that they don’t feel like actual antagonists more like background noise.

Another thing I appreciated is that around 90% of the screen time is focused on the ML and FL . This keeps the narrative tight and centered on their relationship without unnecessary subplots. For a viewer who just wants to enjoy a wholesome love story between two well-matched leads, this is definitely a plus.

⊹ ࣪ ˖ 🕊️ 𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒜𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝐼𝓉 🕊️ ˖ ࣪⭑

In some scenes the dress has been repeated which would distract the attention from the story because this would indicate that those scenes were probably shot on one day.

The editing was off at some places. Some scenes are cut or missing, so the scenes are jumped.

One scene which seemed off to me was the model who was accusing the dress of being spoilt, at least the production should have given a high quality dress to wear so that scene seemed genuine. The dress she was wearing was of low quality, which any extra character is wearing or the background people.

Does ML keep teleporting us which reaches nowhere, there is no explanation for this.

In some places, it felt like the voice was coming from a mic or a studio, and it sounded a bit off or unnatural.

I did not understand one explanation. ML says that he knows that FL loves him from before. But the explanation he gave is "that FL was drunk and in that state FL kissed him and told him the password of her bank account"" how will it be known from this that she loves him, that's weird. But here the director, writer and screen play made a mistake.

♡₊˚ 🪽 𝒪𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒯𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈 ˚₊♡

Despite a few minor flaws, this is a really good drama, and I chose to overlook those issues because the core of the story is so strong. It has no toxicity, no third-party interference, and the family dynamics are positive and supportive. The villains have no significant role they appear briefly and don’t impact the main storyline much.

This drama is entirely focused on the two leads and how they build, grow, and nurture their relationship. It’s a beautiful and wholesome love story, perfect for anyone who wants to watch a drama that revolves solely around the main couple, without unnecessary subplots getting in the way.

Leggi di Più

Nota 9,5

A história é cativante. O casal já está junto no inicio do dorama, o que já é agradável, pois não temos que esperar ficarem juntos como em boa parte dos doramas. Entretanto a luta deles é pra casar convencendo as famílias, mas aí começa o desenvolvimento da história em outros aspectos. A FL esconde sua dupla identidade e por isso começa o conflito entre eles. Quando finalmente tem uma resolução, não temos um casamento que era o que eles tanto queriam desde o início. Mas resumindo achei super fofa a história principalmente porque a FL é fofa e forte, característica que adoro nas personagens femininas.

Leggi di Più

To be honest, when I started watching these series, I didn't have much hope for them and watched only for the actors but after finishing it and patiently waiting every week for a new episode, I can officially say that these are THE BEST GMMTV series that I have ever seen! I used to not watch GMMTV series that were not BL and only gave this a chance due to the actors but this show has changed a lot of my opinions...

STORY: The story itself is really interesting and really enjoyable for everyone who is interested in supernatural stuff. I recommended it to my friend who is really into supernatural shows and she loved it a lot as well. Plus to the fact that the plot is interesting, it's pretty unique as well. If you succeed in portraying it in the right way then it's an amazing show.

ACTING/CAST: There are a lot of known actors from GMMTV and that's good cause it gets people interested in the show more, not just for the story but for the actors as well. There are also some that are not so known but then again they get as much spotlight as the others. The cast is something that's the most important to a good story. If the story and the script are great but you get some shitty actors, then the show is not gonna be great. For these series, in my opinion, the cast is one of the best choices.

MUSIC: Loved the theme song at the end and the dramatical music was just the right. I usually don't like when there's a lot of dramatic music involved cause in most cases it makes the whole thing seem cringey but since the shots were great, thanks to the director, the music didn't take away the feel but added it to the extreme.

REWATCH VALUE: The thing is...this is a show that is really fun to binge watch or patiently wait for a new episode every week but, at least for me, I wouldn't be able to rewatch it many times and still love it as much as I do after the first time. I still gave this a 10 cause it is really enjoyable and interesting and I will 100% rewatch it at some point.

OVERALL: All I wanna say is that this show is for sure something that you could recommend to your friends even if they are not interested in Asian drama series. The story is really worth it and it's enjoyable to watch. For sure the best series I have seen this year and the best series that GMMTV has produced in a long time.

Leggi di Più

When Love and Revenge Intertwine.........

Damn! How can I move on from one series to another? This one is also impossible to ignore. :(

I’m starting to get familiar with this theme now. I thought Ming (from My Stand-In) was already the most evil partner in BL history, but the things Fan Xiao did to You Shu Lang are on a level of evilness I couldn't even imagine coming from someone who supposedly loves you.

Remember my review for My Stand-In? I said, "Even if I loved someone deeply, I could never forgive them for doing that, not even if I came back to life a hundred times"

I don't even know what to say about this series. You Shu Lang is so much stronger than Joe, even though there are a million ways he could have taken revenge on Fan Xiao, the way he played his part in this toxic relationship is exactly what made me fall in love with the show.

Another thing I loved about this series was the way they wrapped up the entire season. It was so simple, that I didn't even want an after-story or another season to see their relationship continue.

Leggi di Più

This is nothing I expected from the synopsis. It wasn't a "Memento" ripoff and didn't rely too heavily on "Groundhog's day" or "50 first dates" jokes. Still, this is a basic romcom complete with "meant to be" encounters, misunderstandings, and great chemistry. When it works it's really cute, even touching, but when it doesn't work it's super corny and at times too repetitive. If you're in the mood for a romance, with a small bit of mystery, this one is far from perfect, but I still enjoyed it much more than I didn't.

Choi Jin Hyuk and Song Ha Yoon have amazing chemistry, whether their circumstances are ridiculously silly, or more serious. I admit that Song Ha Yoon as Joo Ki Beum had to grow on me, but Choi Jin Hyuk as Gong Ma Sung is super sexy from the start. It's not just his obvious physical appeal, which is more than enough, but everything from his mischievous smile to his more heartbreaking scenes pretty much solidified any crush I already had on him. Together they made this hot mess of a story HOT, and work much better than it should have.

I think the story tried to be too many things with too many conflicting genre elements (comedy, tragedy, mystery, rivalries...). Amnesia is probably one of the most cliché drama plots already, but this one overcomplicates the story with a cheesy but shocking first episode that reeled me in, but not enough substance in the plot to keep the story interesting for 16 episodes.

I don't think it was the casts' fault at all. The villains were extra villainy, I liked the whole supporting cast (especially cute bromance with Hoya, Joy's poetic alcoholic dad, Ma Sung's sarcastic assistant, and Jun Soo Kyung who was pretty epic in her 2-dimensional evil ajumma role), also Ma Sung is sufficiently shirtless... but about halfway through, the extreme silliness and heartbreaking moments felt too repetitive to hold my attention. It was only my curiosity about how it would end, and my addiction to the main couples chemistry, that kept me watching. The story could have easily been told in 10 episodes or less so there's A LOT of filler. I would have given it a higher rating if it were shorter.

Would I watch this again? Only if I could skip through most of it. Seeing Choi Jin Hyuk is definitely a good motivator to at least revisit certain scenes, but even his self-assured smirk and shower scenes aren't always enough.

I did think the ending was cute, so I am happy I didn't drop it, although I didn't appreciate some of the filler tropes in the final episodes.

Overall, like the cheesy "Goodbye" song in the OST I couldn't help singing along to, I know this show is more of a guilty pleasure than a great drama. There was still enough about it that I liked to say you might like it too. Many romcom fans would probably be willing to sacrifice logic for a romance that makes them smile, and that's definitely what it takes to be a fan of "Devilish Joy".

Leggi di Più