Reviews

Another series completed. And it's a MAME series. Now I know that I have said this on numerous occasions- me and MAME have a love/hate relationship. I don't know why but I will always watch her series. And what can I say about this one? It had its moments between the two couples.

Story-7.5/10

Now I know that I am in the minority here but...I preferred Prapai and Sky's storyline over Phayu and Rain's. I said it before, Phayu and Rain's storyline for me basically ends at episode four. They are together- and that was the end goal for me. The other three episodes are just scenes of NC and a so called 'baddie ' ( who utterly sucks). That's what they were to me.

Npw, Prapai and Sky's storyline actually had substance that they were able to carry throughout in the six episodes. And that last episode made me so emotionally angry - and not due to the actors. But due to the emotions that Sky was going through/ went through in his story.

So, due to that, I give the first couple's storyline a 7 qhile the second one I will give an 8, making my total 7.5.

Acting/ Cast-8/10
I must say that I was impressed with everyone's acting, especially the actor who plays Sky. The emotions that he went through...literal chills. As such, I am giving an 8.

Music-9/10
I actually liked both the opening OSTs for this series for both couples.

Rewatch Valu-8/10
I give this an 8 on the rewatch spectrum because, as I have previously stated, the first couple's storyline felt a bit weak to me and they stretched this to seven episodes.

Overall-8/10
Overall, I give this series an 8 (like an actual 8 unlike another one of MAME series where I'm just to lazy to actually change it). I was entertained and also emotionally drained, especially in the last episode. I can see myself recommending this.

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"Mr. Honesty: A Heartwarming Tale of Love and Truth"

"Mr. Honesty," is a delightful journey through the intricacies of truth and love. Liang Jie's portrayal of Xie Yixing and Xing Zhaolin's performance as Han Che shine in this endearing tale. The show masterfully weaves a narrative that explores the challenges and rewards of embracing honesty in a world rife with deceit.

What sets "Mr. Honesty" apart is its ability to balance humor and emotion. The witty banter between the characters adds a touch of charm to the storyline, while poignant moments resonate deeply with the audience. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and their character development is a highlight, making the viewers genuinely invested in their journey.

The production values and cinematography enhance the viewing experience, with beautifully crafted scenes and sets. While the show may incorporate some familiar romantic tropes, it manages to infuse them with a fresh and endearing twist.

"Mr. Honesty" is a heartwarming and entertaining CDrama that not only celebrates the value of honesty but also delivers a satisfying dose of romance and comedy. It's a must-watch for fans of the genre and a testament to the enduring appeal of love and truth in storytelling.

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An intriguing and cute drama that leaves us wanting more.

THE GOOD. - Cool story.

What makes Color Rush stand out is the premise. The universe is unique and interesting. Opening with a brief overview of Mono and Probe dynamics, the viewer is strapped in for something that sets itself apart from slice of life dramas out there. You quickly learn how Monos function in the world and how the presence of a Probe affects them.

The story progresses fast (out of necessity, of course), and, thankfully, that time really isn't wasted. They do pack quite a bit in there, and I never felt like "ugh, this is such a waste of screentime" like I have with other shows. The characters are pretty straightforward and honest, too, which I find refreshing. Neither beats around the bush too much

The characters are few, and the side characters aren't seen often, but they're still loveable. What we do see of them establishes them each as unique with distinct quirks. The visuals of the cast are definitely a treat, too. It's easy to fall in love with forthright Yoohan right along with Yeonwoo.

There's no question that the production is great. In line with many Kdramas, even as a short web series on a budget, Color Rush looks pretty. I've seen different comments on the editing, but overall I found it easy to follow and pleasing aesthetically. The OST is nice; the songs that play set the tone pleasantly and appropriately. (Which sounds bare minimum but I'm sure lots of seasoned BL watchers know how common awkward music can be.)

THE BAD. - Its length.

The episodes are short. Initially, you can see the groundwork for something really great being set out. You're introduced to Monos and Probes, see the tense dynamics between the two, and, on top of that, are handed a mystery regarding Yeonwoo's missing mother. Then come the characters. Even during their brief time on screen, you manage to get enough of an impression of the cast that you start to care. However, with a mere 8 episodes - most of which are 12-15 minutes - there's unfortunately very little time to unpack all of this.

Hence the part of my tagline: it leaves us wanting more. A lot of people feel a bit unsatisfied with the ending, and I think that's completely reasonable! The series just barely scratches the surface of the mysterious aspects of the plot. Heavier topics that come up later in the series are sort of resolved and tossed aside just as quickly as they arise.

The lead actors are young and new which shows at some times. While many scenes are delivered nicely, others feel robotic, forced, and awkward.

The plot and premise are cool, but certain points - like specifics of how Monos function and Mono/Probe dynamics - were touched on briefly. Though I didn't find it too hard to follow, from other comments I saw, a lot of people did. You might find yourself confused as well.

While I think they worked pretty well within their limits, those limits are still jarringly apparent.

THE UGLY.

I can't think of anything offensively ugly in this series except maybe how little time we were given. If your expectations of physical affection come from Thai or Taiwanese dramas (thank you HIStory), then this series will definitely remind you how conservative SK's culture is.

THE CONCLUSION.

In mere minutes, Color Rush sunk its claws into me. If you are on the fence about this series, I urge you: WATCH IT. The episodes are so short. You can even fit one or two in during your lunch at work! So, really, what've you got to lose?

Though short, I ultimately am happy with the little journey I took alongside our characters. It hits a lot of points: lighthearted moments, silliness, internal conflict, doubt, and even grief. I know I've said it a lot, but I'll say it again! This series suffers most from lack of time. If they had the ability to really protract and flesh out what they had going on, it would have felt so much better. Things would have made a lot more sense, and people wouldn't have been scrambling to wikis to understand the lore.

That being said, I still felt excited and happy to watch what they did accomplish. The lighthearted, lovey parts make your heart melt, while the heavier scenes tug your heart strings. The ending concluded the sort of contained storyline well enough that it's satisfying in its own rite.

I got sucked in and felt thoroughly entertained throughout the entire thing. Honestly, what more can you ask?

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Same

So as a BL fan it's pretty much a staple to have TharnType on your list. Unfortunately, this season fell a bit short. A good portion of the other reviews I saw all have the same reaction I do...not much has changed in 7 YEARS! Romance is a little cheesier/cuter but other than that their attitudes are still over dramatic, possessive and whiney. 7 years is a long time for anyone but not much growth went on in that time. This is yet again another drama I loved the side couples more lol The other "couples" went quite well throughout, each couple had different categories they fall in (won't spoil it more). Overall TharnType is incredibly popular so S1 is pretty much mandatory but I'm definitely not gonna say "OMG you gotta watch S2!" Apparently, there's another side story so...we have that lol
Enjoy...

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Definite improvement over SIMM, easy fun watch

If you are expecting HIGH drama and complicated layered plot, this is not the show for you. What it has going for it is the undeniable appeal and chemistry of Joong and Dunk. Joong is his typical endearing, thoughtful, besotted self. He has more nuance and more moods to convey here than he did in SIMM, where mostly I think his character was a confusing asshole. Not sure why everyone is picking on Dunk, as he was notably improved here. His character starts out clueless and hostile and gradually falls for Joke in a way that feels natural and understandable, especially when a little of his relationship backstory comes in to play. Dunk does his best work reacting opposite Joong and this as true for their conflict scenes as it is for their love scenes.
The side couple feel like an afterthought, and the plot and the twists lose steam after episode 9, not gonna lie, but Joong and Dunk are what sold the show and it was still very enjoyable to watch their scenes and their little shout out to SIMM.
It was fun for what it was, it would have been better if it was a shorter series or had a tighter ending but it didn't ruin anything for me.

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Do not get hung up on the age gap, love is love is love

I Finished this masterpiece a couple of weeks ago, and I can’t stop thinking about it. The romance, the bromance, the comedy, the costumes, the jackets, the magic, the chemistry between the entire cast, the plot, the history, The memorable scenes, the beautiful kisses, And an ending that had me thinking about it for weeks. This is 100% worth the watch. Honestly if the music has been a bit better, this would’ve replaced my number one favorite. This is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, no matter the language and no matter the country. I can’t say enough good things about it. I know a lot of people get hung up on the age gap between the main female lead and main male lead, but She starts off the show as a naive, awkward 19 year old and ends the show as a strong, fierce 29-year-old woman....how can you not love a young woman coming into her own strength?! meanwhile he’s supposed to be 900 years mentally, 32 physically, but 18 romance wise. It evens out in my eyes. I say just Indulge in it and let yourself fall in love with them too. And don’t even Get me started on the secondary romance and how precious it is. But let’s be honest the real star of the show is the romance between the goblin and grim reaper. I hope these to do another show together someday.

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It was okayyyyyyyyy

I literally only watched this because minho was in it, so i didn't expect much. Supringly, i kinda liked it.

I mean, i found myself skipping every scene that the dad was in because he just pissed me off. I hated the fact that he left for 10+ years and expected to be welcomed back into the family. They literally thought he was dead too. The mum was pretty cool. Didn’t really care about her that much either.

I relate to the FL and how she grew up as the
"head of the household" so when she started tweaking, i crashed out ? Her character was refreshing. I loved her independence, strong will and how hardworking she is. I loved the ML as well and his relationship with the FL. it was so cute how they trusted each other and stayed together, despite the rumours and all. but the whole celibacy and her not wanting marriage and HIM ACCEPTING is CRAZY. like is that even a relationship ? wasted such a nice couple tbh.

I’m glad the brother voiced out his feelings bc I felt his frustration. I was a bit upset every time he was pushed to the side, and a little disappointed in FL for treating him like an immature teenager (even though he is one).

I loved the CEO dad. I loved that he chose to respect his son’s wishes to go back to taekwondo, respected his and FL’s relationship and was able to separate personal life from work. It was refreshing.

They had such a really good cast and the acting was executed well, considering they barely had anything to work with.

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Updated Review 2024:

I no longer know what year it was the first time I watched this drama. I only know that I was enamored with it the first time I watched it, and I am decidedly Not enamored with it anymore. In fact, this is the only drama I've rewatched so far that I've been really disappointed by. (Which does make me feel rather good about myself since I've mainly rewatched dramas I loved the first time, so it's nice to be reminded that I have good taste, lol.)

Contrary to what probably a lot of other drama viewers think of this female lead, I love everything about Go Dok Mi. I relate to her struggle of connecting with the outside world, I relate to the way she carries herself, I relate to the way she communicates, I relate to her intense anxiety in social situations and her desire to hide. There's nothing I dislike about her. Sadly, I think it was my deep connection to the female lead that blinded me to the drama's otherwise serious flaws in my first viewing.

Firstly, there is no romance between the leads. Unless you count the male lead pestering the female lead and repeatedly stepping over her boundaries and being generally annoying. Enrique is a hyperactive man-child, and it is not attractive. He acts like he's 7 years old, bulldozes his way over everyone, and that's literally his entire character. I understand what the writers were going for. They were trying to write a male lead who would push the female lead into getting back out there instead of hiding in fear. They just did not succeed. The romance is simply 'They like each other now.' No discernible story reason, just the writer said so.

It's decidedly unromantic.

This brings me to the second male lead, Jin Rak. Poor, sweet Jin Rak who would have been a Much better male lead. Yes, his method of helping the female lead is ineffective, and his way of connecting with her is misguided in some respects, but you can see his heart behind everything he does. The daily post it notes are incredibly lovely and romantic, and you just know he wants the best for her. His problem is he doesn't know how to help her, and that's probably because of his own insecurity.

In my perfect drama world, Enrique would have floated down like a fairy godmother/matchmaker/cupid and worked his magic to gently but firmly guide Dok Mi and Jin Rak together, pushing Jin Rak to be a more active pursuer and coaxing Dok Mi out of her comfort zone so she could face her past and really live her life. What a lovely drama that would have made.

Tied with Enrique for the worst character of the drama is Do Hwi. Do Hwi is the epitome of the evil second female lead that so many Kdrama's of this era had, only she's one of the worst offenders of this trope (if not The worst). Her entire personality is 'I treat Dok Mi like dirt and chase Jin Rak around despite his obvious disinterest in me, because I just Can't. Let. Anything. Go.' The actress does an admirable job with what she's given, so you really can't hate her performance. It's just that the character itself should have either been thrown in the drama-writer trashcan, given some kind of real redemption or come-uppance arch, or turned into butt-of-the-joke comic relief. Those are the only ways to make this character not insufferable.

And the writers chose none of them.

One bright spot of this drama is the comedically adorable romance between the webtoon manager and Dong Hoon. I've been a Kim Seul Gi fan for ages (I think this is the project that put her on the map for me), and she's fabulous here. She's aggressive in the most hilarious way, and her machinations to ensnare Dong Hoon are amazing. I'm literally taking notes, lol.

Something interesting about rewatching Flower Boy Next Door is that I wrote down a lot of quotes (all by the female lead). I connected with the drama's themes of isolation, insecurity, anxiety, distrust. But the drama's execution was so incredibly disappointing, and that makes me sad. Dok Mi and Jin Rak deserved better.

(I'm trying to get my hands on the original webtoon, because I feel like I will really love it, but it's nigh impossible to find.)


Old Review:

Loved it immensely, despite its flaws. Felt a very deep connection with the female lead and her struggle to connect with the outside world. Even though she does not have a mental illness, this drama perfectly portrays the internal turmoil those with mental illness (including myself) deal with.

Was desperate for an Enrique of my own by the end.

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Great story about every part of our little group of friends. Brings back the same spark as the earlier seasons did in its own way.

Really well made, lovely acting and all around fun to watch. They pushed it a little with the length of each episode. Faster pace and some scene-cutting could have done wonders. Of course, I was in the wrong boat (Damn it junghwan!!) so in the end I felt a bit cheated personally. So close, yet so far... Damn you, second lead syndrome!

Watching this live really does you in. I wouldn't rewatch, but I'll always remember its magic.

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I think story lacked story wise, I think Ji Min and Hae In were amazing, but these adult dramas normally lack plot. They faced realistic issues together, but it seemed the drama wasn't really thought out completly and they wasted a lot of time on the same issues throught the drama. Therefore, it felt very repetitive throught and boring, until the final epsiodes that they actually solved them. I think if they put a little more thought into other plot lines it would've been more interesting. I also think that both actors lacked chemistry, they both seemed like bland characters, they could've worked a bit harder on their personalities to at least drive the story. Shame, because all the OSTs are fantastic, it was one of the best things that came out of it.

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This is my personal review. There might be people with different opinion, but i mean no hate. Because i actually really like 2gether the series.

For the overall story, it's quite good. However, some parts of the story feel wierd, some parts feel like it's going too fast, and some romantic scenes don't feel like bl couple romance, but more like bromance. They just don't go all the way (doesn't mean they have to do "hot" scenes). However, i know it must be really hard too make a series from a novel (they have to cut some stories and alter some parts so every episode can connected and has a good flow), so I really appreciate this whole series

The acting is really good. Big applause for Win, he is a natural actor. However, for me the way Bright act, somehow sometimes looks a little stiff. I could be wrong, maybe that's just how the way it is.

The music is nice. I love scrubb songs and the series ost too.

I'm actually not a rewatch series/movies type of guy. However, since this series is cute (especially Win Metawin, gosh I love him so much.. cuteness, acting skills, personality, he has it all), I probably would like to watch this series again in the future.

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I'm on an Allen Ren kick... What a fabulous actor! Ren playing the character of Xu Xuan was absolutely believable. My eyes stayed focused on his acting. I loved everything about him and he is now on my Top 10 list of Chinese Actors. I am going to watch everything he has done. Yang Zi is another beautiful and perky actress, I love her, she has been on my top ten Chinese actress list since her first drama Ashes of Love. This character Bai Yao Yao / Xiao Bai was perfect for her. Mao Zi Jun, I want to see more of him and I feel that I have. He did really well but it shocked me to see him bald. Li Man who played "Green Snake" Xiao Qing, I love her! This role was also perfect for her. I wished that the story kept her... shh not going to give it away.
Since this was in 2018 the technical visuals, at times you can see it was real, but that's okay because I just focused on the story. I loved the storyline. The martial arts, fantasy, visuals, the dragons, were all excellent. Thank you to everyone who participated in this drama.

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Here we go again...

Another one with a spineless no opinion girl who just keeps her head down and nods if someone ask something to her or from her. I wish the heroine had more self esteem and knew her worth rather than needing a knight in shining armor to come and make her see sense. We are long past that plot now in 2024. It may have worked a decade ago and my teenage self might have devoured those shenanigans but this plot and characters didn't work for me.

The ending epilogue was cute, I wouldn't deny that. The rest all of the movie was just meh... If anyone who likes a secret school romance with a popular guy and a mute wallflower (sort of) go for this movie. It would scratch your itch a bit.

Rating: 1/10

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Visually Stunning Drama That Leaves you Craving for More

I started watching this because I thought it'll be like another Love Between Fairy and Devil. But I was proved quite wrong.
Pros-
Bai Lu. She was a dream to watch. She was able to express the different nuances to her role so beautifully. And I was so glad that her character wasn't those over-the-top cutesy, loud and whiny female characters who are busier acting the kawai damsel in distress than actually doing something about her situation. This was one character who took charge at every incarnation she had, and I loved it.
Tantai Jin. His character arc was beautiful to watch. From being an evil Devil God to transforming into a "nicer" person to being a considerate Devil God, his narrative was very well executed.
Acting and Cast. Ye Bin Chang was this brilliantly flawed character, and the actress did a really good job at playing this delicate "flower of evil" kinda role. The other actors were also pretty good in their roles.
The worldbuilding. In one word, it was STUNNING. Generally Xianxia dramas pay a lot of attention to the graphics and everything, but the fantasy world was so real and believable, absolute feast for the eyes. The costumes, the set designs, the VFX, and even the fancy flying fight sequences and all, were quite well executed. This experience was made for a big screen, I feel. The OST was also quite good. It's still stuck in my head.

Cons-
Luo Yun Xi as the Male Lead. Honestly, I didn't like him in the first watch, but maybe a rewatch after sometime might change my opinion. In my opinion, he was TOO THIN. I get it that one aspect of his character demanded him to be sickly and thin, but for me, his stick figure thin body just stood out like a sore thumb. And his long, flowy costumes didn't work for him either, made him look thinner. I was SORELY missing Dylan Wang in this regard, because he looked like a BOMB as the Devil in LBFAD. Even his acting felt a bit wooden to me in parts, but maybe that's his character's demand. Again, hoping that a rewatch might change my opinions.
Editing. It was choppy in parts, sometimes the scenes would just transition from one to the next without any connection between the two. Quite irritating that was. Also, the additional villains were just stupid and unnecessary.
Ending. I do not like dramas that do not provide closure at the end. AND THIS WAS ONE SUCH DRAMA WITHOUT ANY CLOSURE. I legit went back to search if there are extra episodes after the 40th one, because THE ENDING WAS SO INCOMPLETE. I get it about sad endings and all that, but keeping it open ended without any explanations and so abrupt was just ANNOYING.
Overall, the lead couple's love story and their chemistry was what shone the best in this series. This made me watch Love is Sweet, because I was vouching for them so much. Although I didn't like the look of Lui Yun Xi in this drama, I loved his character. But Dylan Wang will still be my favorite Devil. Give it a watch, it is a decent one.

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