Reviews

This show started off pretty nicely but if it were not for my "Drama OCD" I would've never finished watching it though.

The story was pretty decent until about the mid-way point and then it just went completely off the rails into unbelievable land. As an avid drama watcher, I know that I go into a drama suspending belief because if you've been watching a long time, you know that's how it is. Most dramas have a lull about mid-way even the best dramas, but this... yikes. It just lost its way and never came back for me. The end was highly anti-climatic for me, it wasn't satisfying at all because I felt the characters' problems were really only due to their own stupidity rather than any real outside threat.

The acting didn't really help much. Aaron Yan is adorable, especially as Xiao Luo, but I feel that contrasted with Tia Li's stiff and rather emotionless face almost made it seem like he was overacting. As great as Aaron Yan is, it didn't save the drama or the couple for me. I actually was far more interested in the supporting couples than I ever was in the odd love triangle/square. In other circumstances where the character's actions make sense, the acting probably would've come off a lot better, but when characters begin to act like 2 year olds and common sense goes straight out the window, it's hard to feel anything other than annoyance. I try to not skip through episodes, but in all honesty I did it quite a lot and still was perfectly able to understand what was going on and save myself from the urge to cringe with not my palm to my face but the keyboard.

The music was pretty good, nothing stellar or what would have me running to iTunes, but it wasn't bad. Had some catchy upbeat music.

Having said all of that, I will not be re-watching this or even recommending it too anyone. I really hope that Aaron Yan's next drama doesn't involve the noble idiot trope and that Tia Li loosens up and shows some real emotion (crying profusely and looking blankly down or into the distance does not a good actor make) :P

Leia Mais

This is the most unfair idol show i have seen so far

from the first episode they were attacking C groupe by showing how over confidante they are and they create a big mess from the start.
In every episode not only they showed how C groupe are bad (which is totally wrong) but also they have showed how J groupe are not good at anything and how the Great K groupe are the best and always know what to do and how they help all of them -_-.
After that Mnet discover that C groupe has many fans and votes, so they can't accept it so they start to attack every time a C trainee specially Cai bing by showing evil editing so that they can manipulate our thoughts and they have succeed.
How this is a fair competition how? more than half of the debut team are K group! and surprisingly a sister of an idol became ranked 1 -_- and that didn't happened during all the previous ranking , how can votes change in a small amount of time!!
I really hate Mnet and Korean idol shows to be honest Chinese shows are way more better (they never showed us drama or bad attitude they always showed us how friendly and helpful everyone of them), i really feel sorry for C groupe :'(
This is just evil! i will not support the debut team at all!!!

Leia Mais

Love In The Air (aka a bodice ripper set in current times)

Overall/Note: This series is based on a novel by MAME (TharnType author) who writes "bodice rippers", i.e. a wealthy, handsome and aggressive pursuer goes after a naive and/or reluctant pursuee where non/dub con is involved and they end up happily ever after. This series has the very FICTIONAL 'mouth says no, but body says yes' idea. In real life, even if a person's body reacts to touch, it doesn't mean that they want it. Just one verbal or non verbal 'no' means to stop immediately in real life. In real life buying multiple burner phones/sim cards to contact someone who has blocked you isn't romantic it's stalking and creepy. In real life spanking someone when you haven't established a role play/boundaries/safe word is physical assault. I think/hope most people can tell the difference between fiction and real life. There are valid reasons for creating and enjoying non/dub con that I won't get into, however steer clear if this is not your thing. On iQIYI and YouTube (varies by country).

Content Warnings: manipulation, dub con touching and kissing, non con touching and kissing, manhandling, homophobic comment, kidnapping, violence, stalking, harassment, past sexual assault references/brief scenes, PTSD/trauma, gang rape

What I Liked
- really was hooked in the first few minutes
- clear time jump
- Ple said that being gay is not a bad thing*
- bisexual representation
- liked the street racing aspect
- the NSFW scenes were well done, most like Rain/Phayu's
- the sweet/caring moments
- that university students were actually busy with school assignments
- how Sky was sassy in the beginning

Room For Improvement
- separating out the two couples didn't work for me, I was bored in the second half, felt like it went in circles
- not a fan of Phayu's "plan" or Rain's "plan"
- how Rain has a crush on a woman and says that he's not gay he just thinks one guy is hot seems to be setting up or is the gay for you trope, related to this
-* the whole conversation around 17 minutes in episode 1 was bad/odd, Rain said Ple's brother must be gay because he said something about another guy, it was good that Ple did call Rain out on it but the whole conversation was not needed
- scenes kind of jumped a bit a few times
- the second episode had too much recap from episode 1, this happened again in later episodes where they showed a lot of footage that we had already seen
- audio issues
- I disliked Pai at the beginning for the initial coercion and then the harassment/stalking but ended up being annoyed with Sky and his lack of communication with Pai and also making Pai do a bunch of chores to prove his love, then I went back to not liking Pai with the yelling in the final episode
- last episode felt rushed
- consequences not shown for those scum of the earth, only referenced verbally

Leia Mais

A Compelling Tale About Love That Transcends Beyond The Moon

"Moonlight Mystique" adapted from the novel titled 'Bai Shuo Shang Shen' which translates to "Chasing The Moon" is a xianxia drama that stands out because of its unique elements, leading for an unforgettable watch that certainly leaves a mark of its own. The drama delves not just into the main leads core but it weaves a series of stories together bringing out different degrees of emotions. While swirling on these emotions, the visually colorful cinematography, set design, and distinct character costumes accompanied by addictive OSTs formulates for an enthralling experience.

The heart of Moonlight Mystique lies in its tale about a love that transcends beyond the moon. It takes you to dive deep into a journey which highlights the unspeakable power of the intangible vastness of love in its variousness ; may it be friendship love, familial love, romantic love or self-love, no matter what shape or form, in the end it truly is love that conquers all.

STORYLINE₊ ⊹❀
The drama begins with an eye-catching animation to introduce the main characters which has never been done in a xianxia genre drama before. I found such creative presentation to be captivating that it drew me over instantly. The story takes its first step when a mortal named Bai Shuo who had spent her entire childhood seeking ways to become an immortal out of gratitude for her benefactor met the Demon King of the Bright Moon Palace, Fan Yue who is well-known for his viciousness and feared by many. The supposed simple interaction between the two unexpectedly turned into a complicated entanglement because of the sudden activation of the contemplation stone which later led to a tragic event that turned Bai Shuo's initial reason for seeking immortality into revenge.

The notable early setup of angst in the story left an impact for its great execution of emotions across the screen. The drama definitely made a strong start. As Bai Shuo and Fan Yue ventures out to different places in search for the remaining contemplations, the story flows more progressively leaving no room for dullness as every episode is packed with multiple events. The utilization of backstories for each character that both Bai Shuo and Fan Yue encounters speaks about the stark contrast between the colorful and vibrant visual presentation of each scene to how the narrative of the story actually leaps into a complete emotional roller coaster ride. At first it might seem underwhelming since these backstories are merely about the supporting characters, however they added depth into the story because of how they seamlessly tie into the main plot.

As the drama moves to the second half, the core essence of the story which lies in the contemplation stone unfolds its edge to be the love story between the main characters and their intertwined fate. I thought that the romantic development of Bai Shuo and Fan Yue's relationship was really well-written. I love the gradual transition of their relationship from not having trust and merely using each other into forming a tacit-understanding and strong affection for each other. What makes it even more interesting is how Bai Shuo and Fan Yue's relationship is depicted to be a healthy bond where they communicate and consistently trust one another, giving no opportunity for any misunderstandings - it greatly highlights the dramas uniqueness as a xianxia. Moreover, the execution of the main characters romantic and intimate scenes was done in an exceptionally beautiful way that they made for a memorable moment. The romance aspect between the main couple is definitely one of the dramas outstanding point. Opposite to the main couples dynamic is the toxic type of bond between the second leads, Fu Ling and Chong Zhao. Although I wasn't completely invested in their love story as I found the romantic development between them to be weak, they still are an entertaining pair.

The unexpected plot twist about the characters connection with each other and their cohesively written backstories for these connections allowed viewers to easily step into each of these characters point of views - the unlikable characters were no exception. They laid out this aspect of the drama properly that the initial judgement for a character can turn into empathy and sympathy once their past is revealed. It makes viewers connect with the characters they least expect to connect with. Apart from Bai Shuo and Fan Yue's growth throughout their journey after facing countless of challenges and setbacks together, the supporting characters, even the antagonist Fu Ling and Chen Ye were given evident character development too. The character development is flawless and satisfyingly done. As for the well built foundation for the redemption arc of the main characters siblings, it resulted into justifiable outcomes. No character death was left to be in vain as they were in time proven to serve their own purpose and meaning. These elements proved to be the dramas other strengths as well.

The best and most intense part of the story was saved for the last - the God Arc. This arc only took a few episodes to be told but it can be considered as a spotlight stealer for how impressively intriguing the romantic tale of Xing Yue and Jing Yuan was. This revelation nearing the end about their tragic past being the reason for their intertwined fate enhanced the love story between Bai Shuo and Fan Yue, it made their story more enriched and profound as it showed the limitless and unconditional love they have for each other that it transcended through lifetimes. The ending was wrapped up with no loose ends. When the present Bai Shuo and Fan Yue faced these tragic fate again, this time they were given a better ending for their story because of how great their love for each other is. I thought their love story perfectly answers the question: "what would you do for love?". The special episode provided made the conclusion of the ending of their story even more significant. I couldn't have asked for a better ending.

I had no problem with the colorful cinematography and CGI effect of the drama. It is aesthetically pleasing and further makes Moonlight Mystique stand out on its own. The well-detailed costumes and carefully coordinated color schemes that were tailored very distinctively to suit each character in the drama deserves praise for how gorgeous they turned out to be and fits all the casts visuals well. Certainly these elements had played a part in making the drama even more captivating.

CHARACTERS & ACTING₊ ⊹❀
Bai Lu as Bai Shuo | Xing Yue
Bai Shuo was initially a flawed character who was stubborn and lacks understanding of others because she grew up pampered by her father's love. Her formed beliefs and views about the world were limited as her experiences only came from the fictional books that she reads. She later learned the harsh realities and hard truth when great pain was implanted in her heart. After experiencing countless of tragedies and obstacles during her journey to seek revenge, she begins to grow into a very admirable character. She later became more mature and powerful as each collection of a new contemplation became an enlightenment for her. Her true strength lies in her unwavering determination, resilience and perseverance. No matter what situation came her way, she faced them bravely. Even if she knows there is no path for her to take, she doesn't back down but instead creates her own path. She is a strong and smart female lead.

Xing Yue on the other hand is the powerful goddess of the stars and moon, she wields the divine bow which is deemed to be the most powerful weapon in the entire divine realm. She served as its main protector and the reason why there was peace that existed during those times. Although she is immensely powerful, the expense for her strength is that she is devoid of all her emotions making her live a lifeless life with a cold and unapproachable exterior. Her greatest catastrophe was when she learned how to love and be loved. Xing Yue and Bai Shuo have their differences but their bravery and great love speaks for both their characters.

Bai Lu brilliantly shined in her acting performance for how magnificently she portrayed her character as Bai Shuo and Xing Yue. Her acting is very convincing and allows viewers to connect with her emotions as she effortlessly executed these emotions through her facial expressions and eyes. Furthermore, the fact that she had dubbed her own characters voice had totally enriched her delivery as these emotions are prominent even in her voice. She definitely acted the life out of her characters. More of her versatility as an actress was showcased in this drama through her different roles, from being A Wu, Xing Yue or even the body swap with Luan Zhu. Her talent and skills in acting is definitely worthy of recognition and praise.

Ao Rui Peng as Fan Yue | Jing Yuan
Fan Yue is a character with a tragic past who chose to create a facade of being vicious in order to protect himself. His strong determination to seek revenge resulted in his early success of becoming the Demon King of the Bright Moon Palace. He managed to achieve such a feat by cultivating a secret technique, however attaining its power came with a price which he paid for. In the beginning, Fan Yue seemed aloof who had no care for worldly affairs except for his own personal goals. It was through his constant interaction with Bai Shuo that showed more about his character. He had never hesitated in saving her whenever she is in trouble regardless if he was merely just using her. He showed outmost care for Bai Shuo and became someone who guided her along their journey. His character embodies cleverness, maturity, wise views and kindness although the trait that made him stand out more is his selfless acts and selfless love.

Jing Yuan is a powerful demon lord who ruled in the light of the purple moon, he disguised himself as a divine attendant in order to steal the divine bow. Upon his supposed quest, he fell in love with Xing Yue. He willingly spent 100 years together with Xing Yue. When a rift was formed between them, he never grew to actually hate Xing Yue. His love for her was very deep and pure that even after his own demise, he still found ways to search for her remaining pieces. Contrary to Fan Yue's seriousness, Jing Yuan is a much more playful character but both of them align when it comes to their selflessness, they would willingly do everything for the person they love even at the expense of their own life.

Ao Rui Peng's potrayal of Fan Yue and Jing Yuan had proven how he was made for this role. His acting ability is praise worthy. I found no problems with his acting performance as he delivered his characters well. What I loved most about his performance is his ability to form an evident distinct contrast between the two characters he played - it clearly felt like it was acted by different actors. He owns characters with playful traits but no doubt the ones with seriousness suits him a lot too. It has been a long time since I had last watched him act on screen, I am proud to see his growth and improvement as an actor through this drama.

Dai Lu Wa as Fu Ling | Bai Xi
Fu Ling is one of the antagonist who loyally serves and follows Zhen Yu's orders. She is a vile villain who ruthlessly kills without a single hesitation as she finds enjoyment rather than remorse in killing. Her character has made countless of unjustifiable and viscous acts that it is understandable if viewers find her unlikable and irredeemable. Towards the end of the drama upon the revelation of her true identity and past life, it was only then that her character was able to show remorse.

Dai Lu Wa did a commendable job in her acting performance as Fu Ling. I thought she shined more in her role as a villain compared to a good role like Bai Xi. The fact alone that she was able to make viewers dislike her character shows how she convincingly played her role.

Chang Hua Sen as Chong Zhao | Mo Li
Chong Zhao is a righteous character who seeks justice without hesitation, one thing about him though is his selfishness and prejudice against other races. In his eyes, it is only the eternals that makes for the good while the rest can be nothing but evil. His views are often corrupt and his ways of saving a loved one can be seen to be rather for selfish motives as he can easily put aside the rest on the line - including Bai Shuo's father who raised him - for the sake of fulfilling his goals. His character came off as hypocritical in earlier episodes for how he constantly fails to understand Bai Shuo. Some can find his character to be annoying although eventually he did have a character development, his prejudice was dissolved and he was able to grasp a better view about the so-called eternals he thinks highly of.

Chang Hua Sen didn't disappoint with his acting and similarly, I thought that he shined more as Mo Li a villain compared to his character as Chong Zhao. I was able to see more of his facial expressions through his portrayal of Mo Li and it certainly left an impression.

Others
Liang Xue Feng portrayal of Chen Ye and Qi Feng had caught my attention. He did a wonderful job especially in his emotional scenes with Fan Yue. Quan Yi Lun as Rong Xian and Zuo Ye as A Qi didn't fall behind for their noticeable delivery of emotions too.

OSTs₊ ⊹❀
The songs were no doubt mesmerizing and emotionally evoking. The maximize usage of Sa Ding Ding's ost "Flowers Fall With No Trace" to every angsty, sad, or tragic scenes helped heightened the delivery of emotions in those scenes making it even more painful and heart wrenching to watch. Her vocals held so much power and feelings that I easily connected with her song. Zhou Shen's ost "Embrace and Never Let Go" left a lingering impact and surely carried out the main couples love for each other across the screen for how sweetly and prettily it was sang.

OVERALL IMPRESSION₊ ⊹❀
Moonlight Mystique is a xianxia drama like no other, the different elements it had brought out clearly left a new experience for this type of genre. The stunning tale about the unconditional and boundless love between Bai Shuo and Fan Yue - even Xing Yue and Jing Yuan, had left a great impact for how profound it was written. It is also refreshing to see this type of romantic relationship between the main characters in this genre, this drama proved that it can still tell a compelling story without the need for unnecessary misunderstandings.

The undeniable chemistry between Bai Lu and Ao Rui Peng is certainly impressive. All the actors and crew involved in this has done a splendid job, the efforts and hard work they put into creating this drama definitely did not go to waste. The whole journey has been absolutely worthwhile.

FAVE SCENES₊ ⊹❀
- Jing Yuan's majestic entrance when he descended down the purple moon
- Bai Shuo and Fan Yue's first meeting at the Unbridled Pavillion
- The story about Rong Xian and Ling Long inside the resentment arc
- Fan Yue's amnesia that turned him into the adorable 'Mu Mu'
- Every scene of Bai Shuo when a new contemplation is being collected
- Bai Shuo wearing a red hanfu fighting against Zhen Yu
- Bai Shuo and Bai Xi's reunion
- Qi Feng's fist bump on Fan Yue's chest during his last moment
- Entire romantic moment between Fan Yue and Bai Shuo
- The story of Xing Yue and Jing Yuan

˖ . ݁❀𝜗𝜚❀. ݁₊

"May I be like the stars and you like the moon. As long as the world remains, so shall we" — Bai Shuo

Leia Mais

This Drama is good :)

So i see this drama get a lot of bad review. First of all, i watch a lot of K-Drama, C-Drama and fantasy is one of my favourite genre. I'm picky and dropped dramas before.
BUT this drama is good. To be honest, after watching like a hundred C-drama, if i see its gonna be long, i know exactly what to expect. Evil side leads, a love what can not come true, and hopefully a partially happy ending. I'm ready for all this, and i don't mind. Of course it would be better with 25-30 episode, but we all know that this is how c-dramas are. They are long. To be fair im so happy to see this 38-40 episode dramas, compare to the normal 56-60.
I think this years best was Love between Fairy and Devil, and its hard to do better, but i think they don't need to. :)

I think the first 15-20 episode is really strong, we have romance and fight, some conflict what actually compare to other dramas are solved pretty quick ( this was a good surprise), but then from 20-30 we have some boring parts what are obviously for more screen time, and maybe because this is also a drama thing :D
i enjoyed the last 10 episode, and cried a lot near to the end. This is a must by these dramas i guess.

There are characters who i loved like He Na, who was truly amazing, as a true friend, who is not selfish and always put the persons he love in front of him. It was heartbreaking and lovely to watch him . I also liked Liu Ning, and i think her story is really sad, but a must and adds a lot to the main storyline.

The 2 main leads are totally fine. I'm not amazed but i do think the way how they portrayed the characters, was loveable. I didn't read the original novel, but i do think they where a good choice to this.

I think the costumes where good, and so the CGI.
I think this drama is worth watching, but i will not rewatch it again. I think this a strong one to watch one time.
The music is heart catching and the songs went strait to my Spotify list.

Leia Mais

Disastrous

There's only so much you can stuff into a 6-ep series. Unfortunately, everything stuffed into this is awful.

The first question is, what genre is this? It was marketed as a BL, and most of the couples in this involve two boys, although only one is just two boys. The other two are everyone's favorite thing, love triangles.

Or is is a murder mystery? Maybe, except the dead body at the beginning is not the same body as turns out to be the case, nor at the same level of deceasedness. Which makes me wonder if Thai emergency services frequently transport live people in body bags. If so, I hope they remember to poke air holes in them.

Or is it about a rivalry between two bitchy girls? On the surface, no, that's not what it is, but that leads us to wonder why almost the entire runtime of this series is consumed by two almost supernaturally unpleasant people who I'm sure almost the entire audience wishes were not in the series at all.

The all-male love triangle involves a boy who's into BDSM, which is handled with the usual BL sensitivity, i.e. none at all, portraying it as deviant and possibly evil - certainly PTSD-inducing, and instead of his partner finding a way to accommodate his tastes, BDSM-boy is forced to give it up in the name of True Love, which can never include "deviant" behavior in BL. There's actually a scene where non-BDSM boy wants to break up because he realized that BDSM-boy has a slight preference for being a dom over a sub, and so he feels that he is horrendously depriving him of pleasure. Seriously, that's the conversation. Then he goes on to describe how flicking him with a toy whip makes him feel like he's inflicting violence on someone he loves. Sigh.

The love triangle with the girl involves a self-indentifed slut (who had sex with a grand total of one person, so what is the message here? ) and two step-brothers. Another favorite theme of BL audiences. Let's combine cheating, an evil female, and incest into one storyline - yay? I don't actually mind step-brother stories, but I know that a large part of the audience does mind, a larger part of the audience doesn't like cheating, and almost the entire audience doesn't like stories to be chewed up by evil girlfriends.

The only reasonably uncomplicated storyline is between Burger & King (get it?), and it is cute largely because the two boys are adorable. It's certainly not because of their acting ability or the amount of time spent on their story.

Which brings us to the topic of acting. I don't want to be too critical, because these are all beginners and they were clearly doing their best, but each of them only has one facial expression and it's not really enough. Maybe if they had two each it would have worked better. Non-BDSM-boy has kicked-puppy face, King has "did I live the iron on?" face, Evil Girl #2 has "what is that smell?", etc. There are one or two experienced actors in this (like Art, as beautiful as ever, but he has at most 60 seconds of screentime).

Worse, there is, again, an awful trans character who is loud, ridiculous, and an awful person, because Thail BL is unable to conceive of anything but "straight" people as being "good" and "normal". That's improved a decent amount in BL in general, but that progress hasn't reached this catastrophe of a series.

Perhaps worst of all, it doesn't end. None of the relationships get anywhere, and even though we know whodunnit, that story isn't resolved either. Couldn't they at least have left it as a mystery if they were going to end on a cliffhanger? What possible motivation do I have to continue watching this into the next season?

This series is a ripoff of the Spanish show Elite, which is far better. A central problem with Hit Bite Love is that it's set in high school (because that's a BL law or something) and it's themes are adult. Because of this, and because most of the actors are underage, the series is crippled by conservative Thai morality and so the story can never dig its teeth into any of its themes. This is so serious an issue that even when boys are at the swimming pool, if there's any romantic connection between them, their torsos are wrapped in big towels, as if having two boys who like each other shirtless is Crossing the Line.

Other than the cuteness factor of BurgerKing and Art being on my screen, the only positive quality is the background music, which is better than usual, and actually supports the story, such as it is. Although the theme song has so much autotune I assumed it was on purpose - although it does sound like a malfunctining robot and I'm not sure why you would want that.

I would skip this. If you had to decide between this and watching, say, Gen Y 2, then I would probably just kill myself. But Hit Bite Love is a lot shorter, so more of your brain might survive if you were to choose it.

Leia Mais

Bitter Sweet Journey

Production , cinematography, world/year events and scenery were all excellent. The music/OST also was very well done.

LIKES:
The acting of both ML and FL was very good. All the actresses and actors did phenomenal jobs in their roles; the supporting cast, the cast for sporting and news events, all the extras too. The Director did an amazing job for this drama. I felt that the ML and FL had amazing chemistry, but so did all the younger couples. The friendship, love and rivalry flowed nicely throughout the storyline and plot. All the sports competitions and training about Fencing, was the best from all similar dramas. It was as if you were at the competitions yourself as the viewer. The theme of growing up to handle hardship and happiness, while never giving up on hopes and dreams was mostly well delivered. I liked how most of the relationships were concluded. They showed plenty of growth for all the main leads. I enjoyed that the story was based on the diary being read by Na Hee Do's daughter. I didn't notice if there were any "FX". I liked how they concluded or tied in the book store from beginning to end.

DISLIKES:
Baek Yi-jin's mother was very annoying and I wanted her to just shut up. Maybe it was how the writers wanted that character.
Throughout the drama there were some moments that made me say WTF [See spoilers at the end of this review]. The ending felt a little rushed and should've been changed to 2 or 3 more episodes. I think time management became an issue in some of the episodes, especially noticeable in the last 2 episodes. The ending was a little too open, based on what the viewers were fed about the ML Yi Jin and FL Hee Do.

OVERALL: Everything up until the last two episodes was great, interesting and had me enraptured. I would recommend this drama and might re-watch it in the future.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[SPOILER ALERT ]
I liked that Baek Yi-jin's brother and Seung Wan reunited at the end, to give more depth to their characters.
I disliked that Hee Do didn't show as much growth as Yu Rim. Same with Baek Yi-jin, as a reporter he grew, but as an adult there wasn't much character growth. I was thoroughly annoyed that we don't find out who Hee Do married and had a daughter with. Having focused in the beginning on the fencing and going to the olympics for Hee Do, then at the end nothing of the stress and excitement of going to the olympics and winning gold was shown. In the end I hated that they didn't show Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee Do reuniting (even as friends) at the end and final episode. It made the adult Hee Do seem pointless. Also some of the flashbacks in the final episode, ran too long and they could've used the time better.

Leia Mais

players slayed and master of games.

(please note that this is my first time writing a review so it might not be very good! but i hope this provides you with an intel on the show!)

it was long awaited but worth it! you need to watch the first season for the opening, introductions of characters. the second season is a continuation of the first season.

the storyline is simple, you play a game and earn visas. without these visas, you will die and a high chance of you dying when you lose in a game. continuation of the first season, this season focuses on the jacks, queens and kings which are the highest or highest, that only means that the challenges are harder and harder.

the games might be simple, but there are a lot of thinking and thoughts needed to outplay the other players. let's be honest, despite knowing that the main characters will not die, i feel safe about it. however, the suspend, the intensity is still there. there are surprises here and there for you to unwrap as the show goes on. one thing i would love is where they would explore more of different games and have a longer duration! like come on, i want more than 8 episodes.

i know there are some people that don't like/prefer japanese's acting but i feel like it is rather realistic. after watching many japanese dramas, i often feel like it is an autumn acting. i don't know what's an autumn acting but it is something more of feeling the autumn vibes. just because it is not up to your preference, it does not mean that it is not good.

an example would be arisu (kento)'s acting in the first episode where he was running super fast. the facial expression might be foreign to some but it was realistic. as you're running in your fullest speed, you wouldn't be looking good or near perfect. if you're wondering on the mature scenes, other than the bloody deaths, niragi, and yamapi's butt cheeks, the rest are fine.

what do i like about the show?
- games
- how the players play the game
- interactions between the players
- their acting

what i dislike about the show?
- too short
- niragi (this asshole never changes)

all the games are amazing but one that blew my mind was the queen of hearts. yes, it is the hearts. the ending is good, but i would love to see the other characters get back the memory during the time here. i just wish for a 3rd season with longer duration or more episodes.

Leia Mais

Overall I thought Doctor Stranger had a unique story line to it.I personally am interested in medical dramas and found this one to be very informative to the surgical aspect to it.This is a drama I don't recommend to people that don't like blood.

The overall story line was about the struggles of North Korea,which was amazing but it was too stretched out.Also the love story get very boring after awhile unless you enjoy romance a lot.
I rewatched this drama with my older sister and she also had a similar opinion but she said it was very boring at some points especially with the love story.

Acting was fantastic and the music matched the tension in the drama the majority of the time.I understand that they tried to use a commonly popular pop song to express how the information and freedom of creativity is limited but I found their choice of sound very random ,that's just a personal opinion though.

Personally If i had to rate this separately as medical drama i would give a 8-9 as for the love story i'd give a 4-5 to be honest i'm very bias.The only reason personally why i loved this drama was because the medical portion of it but if it wasn't a medical drama and just a love story, then i would have given a lower score.
If i do decide to rewatch it by myself I can honestly say i would just skip to the surgery scenes directly.

Leia Mais

unrealistic and frustrating

I tried giving this drama a chance to like it but finding it so disappointing and very frustrated with the story. It is very unrealistic for the female lead who had a crush on the male lead and following him around. Very unrealistic for a the male lead to allow a fan (stranger) to get into his circle. How can a stranger (female lead) who had a crush on a celebrity and be able to get through the security, mistaken as girl friend, allow to ride in the bus with the team and so forth. The way the female lead chasing and following the male lead (who doesn't really know her) around and able to get into his circle of friend and team is nauseating. The female lead is supposed to be intelligent and gifted but too stupid to follow her crush without thinking about her own safety makes me angry about the whole story.

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Hwayugi, a much-anticipated offering from The Hong Sisters, is an ambitious attempt at a prestige fantasy series with middling results. What begins as an intriguing—if fraught, production-wise—modern spin on the classic Journey to the West, ends as a jumbled mess with an identity crisis.

When a story lacks direction, it’s sure to suffer. What did this drama want to be? An idol drama with tons of romance? A monster-of-the-week romp, or an urban fantasy with cataclysmic consequences? The tone is erratic, especially in the beginning, whiplashing viewers between horror and comedy without prelude. In addition to the copious filler, the plot was pulled in so many directions that very little progress was actually made. Not even the romance between the leads received the attention it required to blossom satisfyingly—it just happens, for no rhyme or reason, and we’re expected to invest in it immediately. Overall, the story promises apocalyptic stakes yet delivers something haphazard and episodic, peppered with hollow romantic scenes (the exemplar of which is an early out-of-character, cat-themed aegyo from the female protagonist).

One of the main issues can be found in the massive cast, populated by multiple big names and actors of varying talent and skill. Despite a valiant effort by Lee Seung Gi as Son Oh Gong, the secondary cast steals the show. Lee Hong Ki (PK) and Lee Se Young (Bu Ja) are a delight in spite of frustrating plot developments, easily drawing focus away from the main storyline. The same goes for Lee El as the dog-demon assistant Ma Ji Yeong, Kim Sung Oh as hapless secretary Lee Han Joo, and Sang Hyuk as General Frost and his warm-hearted sister, with whom he shares a body. Cha Seung Won, however, is completely wasted in his role as Ma Wang, the demon king. The character gives him no room to stretch his dramatic legs, instead relying on the zany comedy he so excels at—but this gets old fast, and it’s frustrating to see him spin his wheels with such a flat character. This leads us to the weakest of the bunch—Oh Yeon Seo’s performance as Jin Sun Mi is uninspired, and I couldn’t tell you if her expression changed even once. Her scenes with Lee Seung Gi are sometimes almost uncomfortable to watch, given how dynamic he is in comparison.

That said, the OST is consistently good. Standouts include the absolute bop “Let Me Out” by NU’EST, the tender ballad “When I Saw You” by Bumkey, and the cheerful “I Will Be By Your Side” by MeloMance.

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Why do people like this drama so much?

This drama is highly talked about and recommended so I thought checked it out and wow...

Beware of Rant.

Worst Romantic-Gaming drama I have ever seen:
1st - The FL is a stalker. Let's just put it out there. She is. She follows the ML around & sends him weird spam-like messages from a fake internet cafe account & follows him places. How he doesn't block, ghost her and file a restraining order I really don't know.

2nd - The FL is famous on her own but for some reason, she's still incredibly stalker-like & timid. She has her own fan base but has 0 confidence. I can't tell you how many times I was cringing at her behavior towards the ML.

3rd - The ML's reason for leaving his old team... I was waiting for this big reason why he left his old team. The captain must have done something pretty terrible for the ML to cry & whine so much about his old captain choosing to leave the team right? Wrong! Turns out the ML is crying & whining over the captain leaving FOR HIS CHILD!! The captain chose to take care of his child over the team. In what world does a grown man guilt someone else over taking care of their child??

4th - If you love dramas with gaming this is not the drama for you. The "gaming" is poorly portrayed. "Here's a black screen with boxes and code, & OH we won!" It's just poorly poorly done.

5th - The Chinese nationalism. Nationalism is fine but this was way overboard.

Honestly, I had such a hard time getting through it. The only saving grace is how absolutely handsome the ML & his cousin are. It does get better after episode 30 or so but I do not understand the hype of this drama. At times its absolutely painful to get through.

Would not recommend.
Would never re-watch.

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A "Siren" Who Forgot to Sing

Why is she called a Siren when she refuses to use any of her abilities to charm her way into the world and push people away constantly? When I first started watching this drama, I thought it was incredibly underrated and had the potential to be one of the top shows of the year. However, as the episodes progressed, my attention and love for the series began to fade.
First of all, there was no need for it to be twelve episodes long or released on a weekly schedule. This drama had the scope of an eight-episode binge-watch and nothing more. Returning weekly makes viewers want to drop it because the payoff doesn't feel worth the wait. Twelve episodes felt like too much for this specific plot, so the writers added unnecessary filler to bridge the gaps, only to wrap it all up with a predictable killer and anticlimactic ending
Given the title Siren's Kiss, I expected the female lead to be an enchanting, "siren-like" figure who used her wit and charm to make men succumb to her. Instead, she was portrayed as a traumatized victim whom men flocked to out of pity. It would have been a much better twist if she actually were the killer; sirens are supposed to be mystical, beautiful, and deadly, but we mostly watched her in a state of perpetual fear and anxiety for twelve episodes straight.
As for the main couple, their chemistry feels like a 50/50 split. In some scenes, the acting feels forced and lacks passion, while in others, they look great together—especially in the kissing scenes. It feels like the "chemistry" comes mostly from the fact that they are two very attractive people rather than a deep, natural connection.
The side characters were also quite frustrating. From the sister and the police officers to her coworkers, almost everyone except the leads felt like "rage-bait." Then there is the killer—who didn't clock that? From episode one, it was the most obvious person. Why choose them? The comment sections were full of people calling it early on. Making the female lead the villain would have provided the "gag" the show desperately needed. Instead, every "reveal" felt flat. Whenever the crimes pointed to her, it was only used as a cheap cliffhanger for the next episode, only to be resolved immediately with no real tension.
Overall, the drama has a decent storyline that is easy to follow and a good-looking cast, but the villains are average. It isn't special enough to go out of your way for, but it’s not a complete waste of time either. They could have done more, but in the end, they did an "okay" job. Not bad, not great—just okay.

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A Vivid Portrayal of Queer Struggles against Heteronormative Society

“With or without it, you’re still you.”

I should warn you now: this review may not make much sense. I’ve just finished Love in the Big City, and my thoughts and feelings are a bit scattered. But isn’t that what Love in the Big City is all about? It’s about thoughts, regrets, and emotions that seem all over the place, yet somehow come together in a relatable and bittersweet culmination of life’s chaotic realizations.

Adapted from Park Sang Young’s novel, Love in the Big City is less a love story and more a journey of finding peace and acceptance with yourself and your circumstances. It follows Ko Yeong (Nam Yoon Su), a gay man navigating multiple relationships, from his best friend Choi Mi Ae (Lee Soo Kyung) to his mother Eun Suk (Oh Hyun Kyung) to his lovers—Kim Nam Gyu (Kwon Hyuk), No Young-Soo (Na Hyun-Woo), and Gyu Ho (Jin Ho Eun)—all while coming to terms with his HIV diagnosis, which he refers to as “Kylie.”

It’s a story about failure, success, and facing the parts of yourself that’s been through both.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/10/23/love-in-the-big-city-series-review-ep-1-to-8/

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