Reviews

sensible, symbolism and real kisses ?

This was not on my radar, but good friends recommanded this series to me.

RANT: The worst part first: The subtitles. Who the fuck thought of this font and that they need to put pastel colored text on a pastel colored backgrond in the beginning of every episode? It's unreadable. Second the normal subtitles were a joke as well, it's 7pts and anyone, even with perfect eye-sight will have trouble to read such text if the person has a reasonable distance to the monitor/TV set. I needed to watch 50cm away from my 30" monitor which is annoying as hell! You can add normal subtitles on youtube easily and it would not have mattered. To hard encode subtitles is a crime as well. END OF RANT

Yeah, sorry I had to write the "real kisses" in the headline 🤣 This is a chinese production and I was expecting the censor-hammer coming down on them. In this case it didn't, which makes this a stand-out in itself. The good thing besides that, we get an actual story, with actual emotions. More or less a coming of age story but not from the gay lead but his soon to be boyfriend (soon means it's only 7 epsiodes 12-21 minutes long).

The cinematography was stunning, the symbolism worth noting and overall the actors did an excellent job. I won't spoil the story further, but it's sometimes painful (emotionally) to watch. Overall I can also only recommand to watch this, because it's an nice uplift compared to the crap thai companies are forcing on us (except two shows when I'm writing this review). I hope the extra episodes will be as good as this was.

Leia Mais

I enjoyed it too much >.<

I did not expect that I would love this drama. At first, I started watching this for fun, and did not have any high expectations, i expected it would be the same cliche drama. But, unexpectedly i enjoyed it too much. It was unbelievable that people are not hyping this drama up, and I would consider this drama as an underrated drama. I am so grateful that i have picked up this despite people reviewed this drama as an average drama. but, this drama is not an average drama for me. I forgot when the last time I enjoy such a drama.

First of all, the plot is very interesting, the main plot and all the side plot is very well-written. and the ml and fl was sooooo cute, it gave me a soft, warm feeling, although there is not that much heart-fluttering moments, despite that i think they are both very cute and innocent? something like that. The story itself is very interesting, i find the story of the liar hunter is very well written, and i loovee how it wrapped nicely for the ending, nowadays it's very hard to find a drama that is very well written in the beginning until the end. So, I really appreciate how the plot progress, it was progressing very neatly. the pacing of the story was not too fast nor too slow and there were almost no unnecessary scenes which I really appreciate. there were no fillers that are annoying nor dragging. if i were to minus some points, maybe the soundtrack is not really impactful nor it was that good. the songs in the drama were also meh, it was fine for me. (but, i reallly like hwang min hyun's ost tho)

Beside that, I really appreciate how well the action scenes were shot eventhough there were little. to be honest, i enjoyed this show too much than I did not even notice how well it was shot and edited. clearly, the cinematography was perfect since i could barely detect sloppy edited scene nor unnecesary shot. and clearly because I was so into this drama as it was really happening in front of me.

Lastly, as you can tell i really enjoyed this drama, maybe a little bit too much. so, give it a try, you might like it :)

*despite i gave to the soundtrack and rewatch value a 7, i would still give this 10/10 cuz well, as i said many times, i like it too much hahaha

Leia Mais

I just finished watching this drama and now I'm so upset that it has finished. This drama was different because it was more about life lessons and family rather than romance which I really liked. The trio was so good and i was even more excited when I found out they were family. It was such a sweet drama whilst also being funny at the same time. It teaches you how to deal with grudges and how to let go, a really mature perspective on things . And I loved seeing sung-jae especially since he is in the army now. I had never seen him as an actor but his acting skills were amazing , especially towards the end. I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who wants something comedy whilst having an amazing story.

Leia Mais

Everyone Loves Me - Not

The end was mawkish and crap.
The turtle bit was not even half checked with Google and veterinary advise: anyway, the stray dog "shelter" bit, too, was half baked stupid. What sort of audience was targeted there
The love and hate in first episodes was best part, before it went dragging.

The script was not good and I can't stand Zhou Ye's nods in many episodes. as if she wanted to imitate old fashioned bobble-head staring dog dolls glued on car dashboards Her pouting and eating like she can't put food into her mouth without half of it popping out, and then adding mewling sounds in lieu of answers to table companions (such as in ep6 22:02). Can't she shake out of those nasty habits, which mar much of her "romantic" acting parts?

Lin Yi was average here: must have grown tired by the repetitiousness and drag. His best looks : in black and leather in episode 9, and in the FPS combat gaming parts.
I think all "chemistry" was on him, not on Zhou Ye who did her parts as if they were a chore.

Kissing and sweet scenes : forget it! Even the silk nightgown moment was quickly "covered" and put away. When "Gu Xun" wanted to explain his mistake while cornering "Qianling" against a wall in the office -!!!- (same ep.9), she looked mildly puzzled (when she should have been reacting with a slap and a sharp lash of outspokenness). That scene was quickly toned down by "Jiang Junnan" dismissing it all with the technical Japanese term : "kabedon" (sighing) as if that was just goofy and acceptable behavior on the office floor...

Anyway this is a forgettable item; nothing to learn from it, except patience faced with lackluster script, subpar acting, and time loss.
7 from me, because I still like Lin Yi and thought Melody Tang was cute and playing well in character for her part, and I don't like to rate below 5.

Leia Mais

This was a beautiful drama. Zhang Bin Bin and Dilralba Dilmurat always doing a great job as always. The best actor here is Zhang Bin Bin, his chracter is beautiful, sad but strong at the same time. Dilralba's chracter was okay, her acting is exellent but the personality of ru ge was a little bit weak, and weird. The story is okay, theres some scenes that are boring but is okay, its a good drama overall but I was expecting more, also Dilraba and the main lead had no chemistry at all, even though his chracter was beautiful. The villian was amazing , his acting skills were great. But I have to admit it, I watch this drama mostly because of Zhang Bin Bin and his acting, its not a bad drama but its not so good either

Leia Mais

Slow Paced Romantic Drama, But Definitely Worth Watching

I really enjoyed this drama, and especially the Male Lead. It was sometime frustrating to watch how the Female Lead treated him. Maybe it’s just me and my attitude, but I would have told her to F*** off many times, and would have probably never seen her again. I definitely wouldn’t have given her a second chance after she left, and decided to just have a long distance relationship for five years, and it was OK with her. But, he really was deeply in love with her, and was willing to tolerate just about anything, never falling out of love with her. Their relationship had a great ending.

I especially liked the 3 other couples, and their side/love stories. Those rounded out the whole drama, and made it interesting. All of the relationships ended how they should have, to make the story complete. Sad for the Male Lead’s sister and her doctor husband, but even sadder for their daughter. I kind of wish they would have decided to stay together, but I understand why they couldn’t. The other sister of the Male Lead had a happy ending though. Then there was the third couple that were just never meant to be together in the first place. But their storyline was really good. In the end, the woman was stronger from the experience, and was more successful and independent than she would have been if they did end up getting married.

All in all, I though it was a great Drama definitely worth watching. It kind of left me feeling good about how it ended. What I really liked about the ending, was it didn’t leave anything just “hanging.” We’ve all watched those frustrating dramas that left us feeling.... “Why did the writers leave us wondering where the relationships went after the Drama was over?”... Then, you have to sit there and imagine how you think it should have ended. This one doesn’t do that, all relationships were ended and explained. No imagination needed... Good from beginning to end!

Leia Mais

Boring drama, bad plot

I watched every episode until #20, but the erratic mood swings of Wei Wei and Yi Du, made me feel restless and listless. I switched to watching every five episodes until I reached the end of the line.

Story:
A love story/amnesia/revenge plot!  Too much, too little, too boring! Wei Wei acted like a childish teenager, as she kept pursuing Yi Du, even though he treated her shabbily. Yi Du was so trusting of his friend, who was his mortal enemy, yet he distrusted Wei Wei frequently, that I wanted to slap his head.  Mo Fan pursued a distorted revenge plot. Huao Xiao, Wei Wei's best friend, became needy and manipulative.

Acting/Cast
The cast did a good acting job with the bad script.  Joe Chen and Wang Kai looked very attractive as Wei Wei and Yi Du respectively, but their characters were not endearing. Zhang Duo is handsome as the snake friend, Mo Fan. Derek Chang was my favorite cast member. His character, Leo, seemed the most rational, although he chased Tiffany like a puppy.

Music:
Music outpaced the drama.

Overall score:
At best, this drama should have been 24 episodes long. The plot would not have been so burdensome to the viewers and the actors.

Leia Mais

How can i find the words to describe my love for this drama? I just have no clue but will try to write down whatever on my mind. This was the much awaited remake of the Boys over Flowers Franchise. Its a classic story that involves so many tropes and fairy tales. Its so raw and beautiful and this version managed to shock me to the core with how well done it was.
Every character, scene and dialuge was carefully executed. I am blown away. I am so sad this drama have come to a end. I have followed its run for months now and it has been such a intense and fun journey. I love this tale so much i have no idea what to do with my life now. I mean, F4 Thailand has done something so special with this old tale. I am awed and i am in love and i am heartbroken by the beauty in this tale.

Tu Tontawan portrays our heroine, Gorya (her name means "weed") who tries to survive all the obstacles that come her way. We see her trying to mentally cope with the bullying that has been going on in the Elite School and the minute she gets a new friend trouble comes her way in the form of the notorious and very elite group F4- and she fight back against the F4 leader who is Thyme Paramantra...never thinking she would steal his heart in return.

Bright Vachirawit portrays the very iconic character who is the leader of F4, Thyme Paramantra. His flower represents his self which is the Black Rose which makes him the cursed King. To gain absolute power and control of his Kingdom (in this case the school) he sends a red card to whoever stands against F4 and lets the whole school bully and harass that victim however they want. Gorya is the first girl he ever gives a red card to and becomes evidently frustrated when she refuses to give in to him. She however tosses his world upside down when she kicks him (The Footprint of a Meteor) and gives him the sense of regret and disgust over what his bullying system has done to the school. He also falls madly in love with Gorya and in his journey of wooing her he along with her overcome obstacles that come within their class differences.

Dew Jirawat portrayed the free-spirited Ren Aira who is the first person to help Gorya when she got bullied by Thyme`s minions. His flower is the White Cutter which symbolizes charm and innocence. He is also Gorya`s first love and they come to have a strong bond with each other. Ren will always be there to help Gorya whenever Thyme is unable to. He is her Black and White Knight, he will be whatever she needs him to be.

Win Metawin portrays the biggest womanizer in F4, which is Kavin who uses a mask that hides his cold eyes. He is a skilled manipulator and uses charm and seduction to get what he wants. He finds his love-interest in Gorya`s friend Kaning. His flower is the Hydrangea that symbolizes grace, beauty and heartlessness. I love his song "Silhuette" so much!

Then we have Nani Hirunkit who portrays the heart of F4, which is MJ. He is the heir to a Mafia Empire but still stands the most steadfast, caring and wise amongst the F4. He loves his friends and he will do anything for the group to never separate. They mean the world to him. I love his energy and vibe of danger that he usually hides. His flower is Iris which symbolizes wisdom and bravery.

Gorya and Thyme as a couple is everything to me. The actors portraying them nailed everything! They made me fall in love even more. Their love-story is the central part in this show. I just love how they grow up through their challenges and how they become better. The chemistry is OFF THE SCREEN AMAZING! The way Thyme looks at Gorya absolutely made my stomach go crazy! So many bittersweet and beautiful moments with them! Aghhh, i feel like crying again!

Leia Mais

I hate the male lead

The story is pretty cliche, this has similarities to goodbye my princess instead the female lead actually lives in the past way more than she should, I get it he was a wolf but she keeps saying wolf boy like more than 10 times every episode and also calls him wolf boy more than she should, the male lead is highly annoying, manipulative, cruel and cold. He also by his own words says " he will do whatever he wants" as in how he tried to rape her as an excuse to make her hate him... And the worst part is that she apologized?! Like... After that ep I knew I wouldn't take this drama seriously. Also I once read how they hated the aluminum foil gowns they keep dressing the male lead and after that I couldn't see it either way 😭 the female is highly clingy and I would accept it if the male lead was good to her but he isn't he is cold most of the time with her and he does have his reason but he repeatedly goes after her over and over and then rejects her and treat her badly.. Also the actress can't cry no matter how she tries all she does is the sound of crying but her eyes are always so dry so I can't feel the true emotion at all. Honestly I hate this drama and even now on episode 27 she knows the truth that he killed her family and she legit crying to him and their past 😪 idk it's hard for me to consider it a good cdrama till now.

I finished this drama and all I can say is I rather have a story of bao na and the general than the wolf and here is why.
Bao na even though spoiled she had a better back bone than female lead she Straigh up told the FL she would kill the wolf boy for her for being such an ass to her but then again FL refused
Bao na liked the general and she went for it like a queen and even became a soldier and honestly a princess pretending to be a soldier to simp on a general? That story for me is SOLD 10/10 would watch

Did my idea of the ml being an ass every changed? Nope it didn't, I found their love story quite boring and repetitive and the fact that the only wolf related scenes are the same ones which is episode 1 over and over again after that their are no wolf references, NOTHING. If you remove episode one it's just a normal historical drama and a girl calling a guy wolf repeatedly throughout the whole serie and that's it.

Leia Mais

Give Me A Second Season Right Now!

I never really intended to watch 'Sell Your Haunted House'. Being still relatively new to the K-world, I wasn't aware of either of the leads of the story or their works . It was just one fateful night when I really had nothing to watch, I accidentally stumbled upon it thinking it would be an okay-ish pass time for a while BUT one episode and I was just hooked. SYHH proved to be the best out of all the on going shows for me.

One important thing that needs to be noted is that this show might be 'horror' but it's not meant to scare you off. I agree the CGI/graphics were pretty solid but still, the story behind every one of those unrested spirits stirred up so many emotions in my heart that sometimes it was difficult to hold back the tears. The right amount of comedy was always there to mix the heavy emotional scenes with the lighter ones. The dynamic duo- Ji-Ah and In-Bum were fabulous with zero unnecessary misunderstandings and 100% pure faith and friendship. Plus, all of their exorcism scenes are so well-executed and their chemistry is worth rooting for.

This is that one show that that started with a bang and ended with one as well while maintaining its quality throughout. If you like a show with an actually strong/badass female lead, amazing partnerships, a sweet bromance, blood-boiling antagonists , emotional and action packed exorcisms and overall something that's worth f every minute of your time, this is the one for you.

I really hope there is a season 2.

Leia Mais

When "Youth C-drama" Director and Writer wake up and decide to do something differently good

CLOSE TO YOU (2025) | CN DRAMA
Cast: Liu Xiao Bei, Zhu Lin Yu
Rating: 8.5(Ignore the current 7.4 rating and make your own judgement)

Hear me out...

Yes, I know. I said very loudly and confidently that I wasn’t watching another high school drama again. I’ve seen enough of those rinse-and-repeat arcs, carbon copy characters, where the writers repeat after themselves “we are not trying to be Lighter and Princess (2022) but we low-key are” setup like Forever Love (2020) or When I fly Towards You(Yes I skipped WIFTY,the same way I skipped Lovely Runner) that’s a rant for another review.

Yet here I am. Again. Why? Because I belong to that very niche group of people who can commit to 24 episodes based on a single 1-minute clip floating on the cursed but irresistible streets of social media. I even left a comment on the post: “If this drama flops, I’ll be back kicking and screaming.” Spoiler: I did not kick or scream. In fact, I quietly binged the whole thing.

So what made Close to You different from every other coming-of-age drama we’ve seen?

For starters,it’s not set in high school. (Pause for applause.) The writers actually upped their game and placed the story in a private college. Now, I don't fully understand the Chinese education system,maybe this is the A-Levels equivalent? Who knows. All I know is: we left behind the tired old tracksuits and stressful university entrance exam trope that make you hate every parent in C-dramas and upgraded to blazers, sports festivals, swimming pools, and fancy tuition fees.

Jiang Cai College is the setting of an elite private school where students are handpicked from upper-class families. There are music clubs, sports teams, and yes, a basketball squad that serves as the beating heart of the story. Our ML, Jiang Bo Han, is the team captain. Tall. Calm. Respected. Leadership unlocked.

Enter Yu Ming Xi, our FL. She’s not rich. She didn’t get in because of her bank account, but because of Plot Reasons and a mysterious backstory linked to the school. She’s backed by a bubbly and ride-or-die bestie Wang Chu Nian (SFL),who got plenty of spark but let’s be honest she's mostly in this school for one reason: the basketball boys. And I don’t blame her. At all.
Together, these two form a surprisingly balanced pair in a school full of pressure, privilege, and plot-relevant bullies. It’s like they live in their own little pocket universe inside Jiang Cai’s perfectly landscaped gates.

Our Leads' first meeting? No fireworks. No dreamy background music. Just a street brawl and one girl who refuses to mind her business. She jumps in to help, standing at maybe 5’5” and ready to throw hands. And folks..that’s how Jiang Bo Han met Yu Ming Xi. From that moment on, his world does a full 180 and begins to orbit around her.
He becomes her protector, not that she needs one, because sis can defend herself just fine but he fills in the cracks she can’t always seal up alone. Especially when a certain villain (yes, we have those, obviously) starts stirring the pot.

One thing I really appreciated about this drama: the leads broke out of the usual mold. Jiang Bo Han is not your average rich boy who folds every time his parents show up. No. This one argues back, stands firm, and will absolutely defy his mother for the girl he loves. And Yu Ming Xi? She’s no helpless kitten. She fights, speaks up, and works her tiny frame to the bone to stay afloat.
The side characters? Surprisingly useful. They actually did what they were meant to do: support the main storyline without hijacking it. Even the villains served a purpose and didn’t just exist for chaos points.

And don’t be fooled by the private school aesthetic and ¥1200 blazer(which is a story on its own)—these kids aren’t just walking Hedge Funds spoiled brats. They carry pain, trauma, and secrets. Each of them is fighting their own painful past and as they stand at the messy intersection between adolescence and adulthood, they’re forced to make choices that hurt more than they should.
If I could describe Close to You with one analogy, it’s an onion. The more layers you peel, the more it hits you in the feels. You’ll cry a little, not because it’s sad all the time, but because of how deeply some of their emotions are buried under all that schoolwork and basketball practice. (Also, none of these kids are visiting the school counselor, and it shows.)

OST:
Let me talk about the music. Whew. Someone in production got a blank check and used it wisely. The soundtrack? A banger. I haven’t made a playlist for a drama since… ever. And I’ve watched over a hundred. But this one? Had me in a chokehold. RIP my replay button. I’ll drop the link somewhere below. You’re welcome.

What could’ve been better?

– Each episode is just 18 minutes, which is cute until you realize some scenes were clearly cut short. Like we blink and suddenly we’re in a whole different vibe with zero transition.
– That twist near the end? Blame the writer for giving us a slap that we didn't see coming and also blame me for believing youth equals peace.
– The time skip... kinda flopped. Characters looked the same. Their future selves were just vaguely mentioned in passing. Not a single grown-up makeover or career montage in sight.
– The final 10 minutes? Unhinged. Old characters randomly reappeared for no reason, and the “ending” felt more like a deleted scene they threw in last minute.

Final Thoughts:
I went in expecting fluff, maybe a height difference and a few cute moments from two lesser-known leads. I came out emotionally invested, unexpectedly teary-eyed, and with a whole playlist. This was more than just another youth drama. Think Always Home, sprinkle in Hierarchy, and season with a dash of Weak Hero Class 2 energy.
Highly recommended if you’re stuck in a drama slump, craving something new, or just in the mood for an emotional but sweet ride through growing pains, love, and a whole lotta basketball.

EDIT:
As promised,It took me a second to put the playlist together but here it is.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iKhX935lp2UYb9RNLIWJ1?si=bNC28tq7TMGvy8GjISdK4w&pi=qFbEFqnaTp-N2

Leia Mais

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." - That one Asian guy.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is as the title implies - a story about vengeance and making us sympathize with the motives behind said vengeance, and it does it very well.

It shows us that the world isn't black and white, and while we may not agree with how things turn out - we can understand why they ended up that way.

The emotion from the actors in this film is very raw, even to the point of being intoxicating - which is one of its main charms, I think.

The pacing was one of the weaker points of the film, as it took around an hour to really get things rolling. Sure the hour had a lot of build up, but it was really quite unnecessary at times.
It isn't a film you really want to re-watch straight away - more like you'll watch it once then maybe watch it again after a year or so.

Once it started, though... It was quite beautiful.

Anyway, delightful movie.

Leia Mais

Pleasantly surprised

So before watching this film I read some of the reviews on here as well as other websites and honestly they weren't that great. People complained about the bad acting and terrible writing, so with reason I was reluctant to give this a try, but I did. As I watched I kept waiting for the "bad acting" and "terrible writing" many reviewers claimed was an issue. In my opinion the writing was pretty solid and the acting was actually very good, lowkey better than some of the acting in the most popular BL's. Yes the acting is very over the top and exaggerated but that's how it's supposed to come across as this is apparently adapted from a Manga. Long story short I think this was a really cute BL. The story could've used a little more substance but it did fairly well. I think this is a prime example of how you should not allow reviews discourage you from giving a film or series a chance and experiencing it for yourself.

Leia Mais

Silly, cute & lighthearted rom-com

The drama tells the love story of a famous actress and a doctor who, despite initially refusing their arranged marriage, fall in love. The story is sweet, with minimal conflict, and the conflicts that arise are quickly resolved. There are no stupid love triangles, no exes coming back, no second male or female lead trying to break up the main couple. Aside from the romance that’s the main focus of the drama, we also get a lot of scenes about the entertainment industry. I don’t know how realistic it was but I could imagine the realness behind the scenes of filmmaking and variety shows and it was super fun to watch.

COUPLES:
- The main couple is sweet, kind of a slow burn romance. The female lead is doing lots of seduction and the male lead pretends he is not affected but he totally is. They are opposites in many ways but somehow work well together as they compliment each other's personalities. Her overly silliness at times balances out his overly reserved nature.
- The second couple is fun to watch, especially if you love the bickering type, love-you-but-you-annoy-me vibes.
- The third couple is a very unexpected and sweet story about a fan girl who's favourite artist falls for her.

CHARACTERS:
- Female lead at first glance can seem silly and childish when trying to seduce the male lead which could annoy some people but I personally found it really funny. Her actions are done more as a comedy relief than for plot purposes and should not be taken too seriously. In fact when dealing with her career and other characters, she is very mature and down to earth. Her best quality is definitely always uplifting women around her and her kindness to those that did bad things to her. Even though she is an actress in the drama, they really portray her as a girl simply living her life and that felt very real to me.

- Male lead at first glance seems cold and reserved but is in fact soft and caring. I started the drama mainly for the actor and I felt like he did great with what he was given (which wasn’t much). His character doesn’t stand out much and I blame the script. The actor’s micro expressions are always on point. In general his character is a sweet, smart, caring, protective, patient, gentlemen-like husband that all women would love. His only big flaw really is that he is reserved and has a hard time communicating his feelings or knowing what to do in a relationship but it's all redeemable.

- Third female lead is the male lead’s younger sister. I’m specifically writing this because she is one of those rare characters that annoyed me like hell at first but I ended up really liking her by the end. She is a graduate student but at first acted like a 12 year old spoiled brat. She was clearly placed to create unnecessary conflict between the main leads. Her character got super fun to watch when she got a love interest and her focus shifted on her love story.

OVERALL:
I absolutely loved this silly, fun rom-com drama and I highly recommend it for those that want something light-hearted and silly to watch to relax and smile after a long day of work.

Leia Mais