Reviews

opposites attract, enemies to lovers, battle of the geeks, sunshine/tsundere, teasing & pranks

Okay look, I said when I reviewed Light on Me, that Korea was giving us an honest to goodness high school set BL with some classic old school yaoi tropes almost as if they were doing a bit of a, “now that we’ve hit our stride, let’s perfect the vanilla sheet cake BL style.” It was great, of course, but very refined and elegant which some found off putting.

I feel like they did it again with Semantic Error. Only maybe even a little better? Okay maybe not better but DIFFERENT.

Everything that Korea always does right, they did right with this show.

* Spot on and pretty pretty casting of mature actors who can handle the content.
* High quality production values with beautiful filming and flawless sound quality.
* Great wardrobe, lighting, staging, editing, and everything else pre and post production being well chosen and executed.
* Great friendship group and support characters.
* Strategic use (but not overuse) of BL and romance tropes.

This was an absolutely pitch perfect university set BL, just very very Korean about it. It had all the hallmarks of old school traditional yaoi, linear filming and framing techniques combined with classic archetypes including a strong seme/uke dynamic. But it was so pleasingly pristine and tailored about its approach.

If Light On Me was a fluffy delicious vanilla sheet cake, Semantic Error is the perfectly baked moist and decadent red velvet cupcake.

A little richer, a little more depth, that creamy cheesy frosting. Maybe not the most innovative, maybe not as complex as we might like, but so well executed it was like classical french cooking... you can’t argue with perfection you can only gobble it down and then be sad you ate so fast.

Yes WATCHA, you have ALL the techniques. Yes, you have all the skills. And you know what, sometimes that’s all we really need in a BL.

We are so grateful.

What elevates Semantic Error is that Korea did things right with this one that they usually mess up.

They got the pacing spot on for the shorter length. It never felt rushed.
They managed a tight *complete* story with nothing confusing about intent, purpose, or character motivation.
And we got actual amazingly good chemistry and kisses.
They left us with a smile and a chuckle and a pair of the cutest boys ever to grace the screen.

This is probubly going to be my favorite BL of 2022. And yes, for all the reasons stated above but also THE CHARACTERS.

Jaeyoung + Sangwoo FOREVER
Emotional seme versus logical uke is a favorite of mine, plus it goes way back to some Gilgamesh shit of ego versus id. I also love “the only one who can bully him is me” trope. Also I adore it when an agro seme (bratty fucker) develops a big o’ crush, commences pining, and goes all over whipped for his boy. Jaeyoung pined like a master. Like Park Seo Ham took lessons from Sam Lin (We Best Love).
And it wasn’t just him, For those of us who waited patiently for Sangwoo to soften, boy did he ever. What a marshmallow moment! Poor baby went into deep crush and had NO IDEA what to do about it.
Moot pining, yes!

There were even moments that made me hoot with laughter (the lettuce incident).

This is it.

Semantic Error has put the sugar rose on top of Korea’s intent to dominate BL. After the flop ending of Kissable Lips and the lingering trauma of Peach of Time, we all thought we were back on shaky ground with KBL, but nope Korea’s taking the gold.

So yeah, maybe this is a little tame and calm of a review from me. But their ducks were all in a row on this one, and I kinda expected them to stick the landing. (Ooo, mixed metaphors. Now I’m imagining s duck doing gymnastics.) How do I really feel?

Shaken & stirred, thank you very much.

I love this show so hard. And it is going into hard rotation. Completely rewatchable from start to finish. We have been blessed. Thank you Korea.

Leia Mais

This drama got my attention because of Ikuta Toma. But in the end I get to love all the characters.
This drama is about Jotaro, who struggles in Tokyo because of job and unsteady life. He then decides to take a job in local revitalization team in Shimanto, small town in Kyushu. It really sounds boring. But the true is, that this drama is really nice, relaxing and somehow touching. It's not forced and the storyline is progressing in good pace. We can see the beautiful nature of Shimanto, the river and the bridge. We can see local elderly people and local problems. Somehow it is nearer to common people's hearts. It's not a flashy story about Tokyo, that's why I liked it a lot.
So we have Jotaro, who can't find his way of life. Kahori, the doctor who has another dream. The mysterious Morishita, nurse with a dark past. Hiroki, whose past is always chasing him. Junichi, who never stepped outsite of his beloved town and Sayori, who is not really living a happy married life. This drama is simple, but great. Not to mention the greatest opening song in the universe sung by main cast :)

Leia Mais

I was actually pleasantly surprised in the beginning that this show was almost like an episodic paranormal procedural. Every episode, they try to help a ghost and uncover a little bit of the overarching mystery, and I really enjoyed that. But then I guess they decided to blow it all to hell two thirds of the way, and the plot just became a convoluted mess.

Some people might disagree, but I also had a serious case of Second Lead Syndrome all throughout.

*Main Lead:* Treating her like unwanted trash and always telling her to get lost, that she's not even attractive, and she should wash her hair
*Second Lead:* Tells her to call out for him if she gets scared and actually follows her around just so he can be ready if she does call out. When he says that she never did, that actually broke me.

I wonder if there are any dramas out there where the female lead subverts expectations and says, "You know what? I'm done taking crap. I'm going to go with the nice guy that looks like Seo In Guk and actually cares for me." This ain't it.

Leia Mais

First: this is a brilliant series and I wished I could give it a 10/10 because it was that good. But sadly not good enough. I would have given it a 10 until the 12th episode (or was it the 13th?). But then the drama lost a bit of its quality. Episode 13 to 16 I would rate between 8 and 9 and episode 17 would be a 10 again. I don't mean that episodes 13-16 are bad, but they aren't as good as the other ones. You could feel that something changed and this change wasn't much to my liking. Other people might have liked this change, but not me. I still enjoyed watching this drama, because it's just fabulous with great actors, good music and heart-warming scenes.

Master's sun was the first horror-drama I've watched and I thought that it was pretty cool (although the horror decreased in the further episodes a lot).

One of the most important things for me to like a drama are the supporting characters and I have to say that hey were really awesome in this drama. I mean, how could one dislike Secretary Kim or Kang Woo? Even Tae Yi-Ryung was adorable.

And about the main couple .. I honestly don't know what to say. I liked them big time! Gong Sil was such a cute person and it really surprised me that I liked her character. I tend to dislike such simple-minded characters, but there was no way I would dislike Gong Sil (thumbs up, Gong Hyo Jin!). And Joong Won, our little master was also a great character. I couldn't help but fall in love with him, despite his somehow rotten character. He made me laugh everytime he told Gong Sil to "get lost" with his epic characteristic gesticulation. Although it was really mean I couldn't help but laugh my ass off. Haha.

All in all it was a really great drama. With probably on of the best endings ever. You must know that I'm pretty much hooked on happy endings. And I say it was great. Although I hoped so much that Gong Sil and Joong Won would marry .. but I can't help it. Drama-makers apparently dislike marriages *shrug

Leia Mais

Power to women

This is the second drama I watched because of Cha Hak Yeon (I am a Starlight, what can I say?) and I became hooked. Actually, the main themes aren't that great or interesting, rich people, forbidden love stories, secrets etc. What made this drama a masterpiece is the characters and the plot. Strong but sensitive women with weaknesses and bad moments, real people, are trying to free themselves from a supressing and abusive enviroment like a marriage, the society etc. Everyone, Seo Hi Soo, Jung Seo Hyun, Lee Hye Jin, has their own way to do it and each one has to create their own path to archive their freedom. They are real women in a real world.

This drama actually works a lot with the prejudice that follows the women. For example, the patriarchal sterotype is, if a woman wants to be a leader, she must be strict, emotionless with a "proper" family. Or if she is sensitive and sweet, she is naive or weak. I really, really, really loved how Seo Hyun and Hi Soo broke these stereotypes and became what they wanted to be.

The only thing which was a bit off is the wealth. We speak about a crazy rich family who lives away and without the real problems of the majority of the society. I think it would better if we talked about everyday women. But, OK, I understand that is a drama in a major korean channel and cannot be everything...

Leia Mais

There are many overrated movies out there but there are even more underrated ones. I believe Project Makeover is one of the latters.

STORY: The story may be flawed (just tiny flaws but still you have to call a spade a spade), however it so bright and fresh that you cannot NOT be touched by it. The story is simple, I dare say even childish, but in the end it gives you this warm feeling that life is life, you can't change the past but it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the future. In short, the story is simple, full of life, a bit different from your lambda movie and with a sweet moral. I really think this movie has for goal to make people go forward in life and it kinda does.

ACTING/CAST: The only actor I "knew" was the young version of Tae Hoon -Yu Geon played in Prosecutor Princess- and it was a nice surprise to see him play here (I'm shallow.Sue.Me). He played the nerdy character so well it was hard for me not to forget he was the hottie from PP, which means that his acting was pretty damn good.
I did see the adult version of Tae Hoon play in More Than Blue but honestly MTB was a joke, a blank one at that, so of course it's not surprising that he looks a hundred times more dashing here.
The woman who played Jeong Ju's mother stole my heart. I don't know if it was the way the actress played the mother or the actress's charisma but the character gave me a lot of feelings.
Overall the actors did a very good job with their characters and one should give credits to the people who held the casting since except maybe Tae Hoon, the actors playing the older versions really look like the older versions of the actors playing the younger ones (omg I don't know how to explain it well but I hope you managed to understand anyway).

MUSIC: The music was good, quite catchy in fact but nothing exceptional either.

REWATCH VALUE: It's the kind of movie that you should rewatch when you think your life is a disaster because you didn't make the "right choice" because it gives you hope and strengh to believe in yourself.

OVERALL: If it wasn't clear enough, I really like this movie. It is bound to brighten one's mood. Of course, if you are some kind of old man who hates happiness and hope, you shouldn't watch it...but if you're not you defintely should (watch this movie I mean, not go all grumpy).

Leia Mais

One Legendary C-drama

What a great funny and emotional drama. I am not really the type of person who watch palace dramas but this one broke the wall. Unlike many other palace dramas, there will be throne fighting, concubine fighting concubines, and etc BUT this drama...just dont have these things (which is great).

What I Like: Some things I like in this drama is the family bond between the royal family. And the king (Zhu Di's father) and its comrades/old friends. Everyone can jokes but still knowing their limitation, elder brother being the role model and leader taking care of its brothers, and empress personally making dishes in the kitchen are some things I quite like about it.

Storyline: The flow is great as its not draggy and its pretty straight to the point. Only minor problem I had is the age transition. Its like a few episodes in, suddenly everyone changes ( their age and appearance). Less on romance, more on history..so if you are here to see two birds kissing on tree...then well..thats not gonna happen.

Acting wise, everyone nails their role perfectly. Even the most minor character did great as who they are. FSF and CY as Zhudi did superb as the matured and young Zhudi.

Music? Man I Love it. There are 3 songs played throughout the whole series I believe but its the opening theme one I love the most.

Leia Mais

Cute Feel-Good Comedy

Shall I call this a comedy about four dysfunctional men in a cafe known for its desserts? One is afraid of desserts because of some traumatic childhood event One is afraid of women also because of some traumatic event. One has to start a new life because his boxing career is over thanks to a medical condition. One takes it upon himself to be a bodyguard to protect his "boss" except that he's not cut out to be a bodyguard. As you can expect, there will be plenty of funny situations.

But this is not a comedy that just makes you laugh. It can be a touching, if episodic and slight disjointed, story on the friendship between the four people and how the support the give one another help them cope with their personal crises.

There's a lot of cuteness in the story, and the more serious parts are not seamlessly worked in. Besides all the relatively trivial events, there is a series of kidnapping that goes in and out of focus in the storytelling. Children have been killed and the killings are not treated as jokes, but hey don't seem to be taken seriously enough. The scenes of dead children seem a little out of place. Perhaps there is a challenge when it comes to making a live-action adaptation of a manga. There is something cartoonish about the characters that enhances the humor but it may not go down well with everyone especially when it is juxtaposed with the scenes of child murders. (There is probably some unintentional social commentary: the police seem so thoroughly incompetent that they don't even think of what a journalist does: check the cafe's CCTV footage to try to find the kidnapper.)

Unlike previous drama adaptations, this one lets the gay character be all-out gay. He flirts openly with men and there is no attempt to downplay the character's sexual orientation, especially when his ex-boyfriend comes into the story. This is nice in itself, but perhaps we are too often teased with the prospects of a Punn/Weir romance. Since times have changed, why not make an adaptation with an actual BL subplot even if it is not between Punn and Weir. After all, if the adaptation 20 years ago could totally remove the character's sexual orientation, why can't an adaptation in 2021 add in a BL subplot?

Leia Mais

This drama was pretty good. At first, it was a bit boring. But with the mystery of the case and Jiu's random appearances, you just have to keep watching. I have some complaints though, the way it ended was just, I don't know, not likable? :/ And I'm pretty sure this drama would have been better if Jiu appeared more. I mean, the drama is named after him. -__-

The acting was absolutely outstanding. Kuroki Meisa portrayed Izaki's character perfectly, she actually ended up being my favorite character.

The music... er, I really didn't enjoy having Lady Gaga's 'On the Edge of Glory' being played every few seconds. They played it on the most dramatic moments. -.-

I'd recommend this drama to those who enjoy action and mystery. It's not super great but it's worth watching.

Sorry if this was a pretty bad review, this is my first review. xD

Leia Mais

Many reviews I've read say that this BL lacks depth and stuff like that. In my opinion, this BL is pretty much perfect. It's short enough that you can watch it in a day or two easily. There are only a few things that I can think of that go unresolved and unless you're wracking your brain about it like I am you may not even remember what I'm talking about. There isn't any homophobic drama, which I love because that gets so tiring. There is no bitchy girlfriend to worry about and make trouble for the couples. I do admit that the one girl in this is that 'bitchy' female character that everyone complains about but her character is essential for Junping and his lover getting together. I'm sure the producers could have done it differently and not made her character like that but I really don't think it's that terrible. I've seen much worse girls in BL being absolute bitches to even their boyfriends. I know people are tired of girls being misrepresented and all of us being 'bitchy' in bl but I've also seen plenty of adorable BL-lover/Yaoi fans and super supportive sisters/mothers too.

Anyway, back to my main point this BL is nice and short. It has just enough drama that you don't get tired of it. It's really cute, there isn't any graphic violence. All the couples wrap up together perfectly. I love this BL so much and all the comments about it lacking kinda hurt my fangirl heart. If you're reading reviews and wondering if you should still watch it if it lacks as much as people say, trust me it's good. Please watch it.

Leia Mais

The movie is based on a true story which intrigued me, it was original and had me laughing most of the way through it. the students who were from all across the world such as America, Mexico, Germany, England and other countries  came together to discover their family’s culture in South Korea in the mid 1980’s in a kind of school camp.
The Story was good but I did think that it was ever so slightly lacking something, The story really consisted of the build up of relationships with the characters but the way some of the characters were portrayed in the story I couldn’t really grow to like some of them.
Some of the actors/ cast I didn’t really like the characters they played I didn’t really like Grace in all honesty, but I feel like the actress did really well in portraying her, I also didn’t like the other female lead, Kris I feel as if the actress didn’t really fit the part for it (in my opinion), some of the minor characters acting was a bit iffy but despite that I felt that the other actors and actresses really fit the part.
The music had all the greatest hits in the 80’s which I absolutely loved
Overall 7.5

Leia Mais

The Best BOF Adaptation Ever

Super Highly recommended! Worth Watching!

This is my second Thai drama and first boys over flowers series I completely watched. I watched some of the other adaptations but I think this has the best.

This version have realistic portrayal of rich guy-poor girl theme. I felt great sympathy toward the main couple's character because I could really understand each others perspectives and the expression of emotions is so strong, they're making me overwhelmed and teary-eyed. Each character have a satisfying character development. Thyme has more character depth than the leads of other versions. He is so funny and cute too, while Gorya is a strong, relatable and realistic character. Gorya & Thyme's character and portrayal were so purely made. Thyme-Gorya & Kavin-Kaning's chemistry are on point, plus MJ-Aum too and not to forget Ren giving me second lead syndrome too like the other adaptations. Each character in the drama is so precious. I also love how they redevelop the whole story, they really did a good job there, tho I feel that 16 ep is short. They could have made it atleast 18 or 20. I was hoping for more Kavin-Kaning scenes in the last ep but they shown only a couple of seconds. I want more romance scenes for each couples 'cause the ending does not satisfy me that much. I hoped for more! But still it's a great drama. Everything in the drama is so good. I'm really loving the comedy & romance here. Definitely gonna rewatch, again hehe.

All of the OST's are so good. F4 members sing so well too. My fave is Who Am I 'cause it seriously gives me goosebumps and excitement whenever I hear it and In the Wind by Dew.

I watched this while ongoing and my heart can't handle 1 ep per week, it was a torture. I am used to 2 eps per week in kdramas.

Leia Mais