Reviews

Unfortunately,despite the cast and the cool ending I read about (I enjoy dark/sad endings) I couldn't finish this.First of all,Ikuta's acting kind of spoiled the begining for me,since he does tend to overdo it whenever there's comedy envolved.As a result I his character was either acting like a clown or like a depressed murderer which I found strange and confusing in this particular story.Second and most important,the story was too boring with endless melo flashbacks of the same scene that I just felt like skipping all the time.Oguri on the other hand was a perfectly convicing member of the yakuza,so much so that I still have a hard time seeing him in other roles (it is more about the general look though and not just the acting).The shooting style was also the more natural type you'd expect from a jdrama,which is very refreshing coming from korean dramas but it wasn't enough to keep me on board.

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As a drama funded by Netflix I had high hopes. On Episode 10 and thus far the pacing is extra slow. It’s beautifully shot and well acted but for the most part pretty lackluster in excitement. I mean I wasn’t expecting car chases or gunfights but it’s really boring. The sub plots lack any sort of interesting payoff. Each of them, thus far, is pretty pedestrian. Sad to say as the idea for the drama is fairly good.

On the up side if you like scenic long shots of the countryside and pan overs of food you won’t be disappointed. Just hasn’t been enough for me.

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Enjoyable

I really enjoyed watching this variety show. There were a lot of laughs and the cast had great chemistry. It was fun watching them take on the challenges. Made me laugh a lot. I think the cast were great, they seemed to all get along very well. The only problem for me was Wang Kai. It was annoying to see him constantly paired or grouped with Lin Yun. I would have preferred if they grouped them with other people more instead of always together as it was boring to watch them constantly in a team. Everyone else seemed to get grouped with everyone else so they weren't with the same people. It was just Wang Kai who was constantly with Lin Yun so that was a let down. Wei Da Xun was a highlight for me. He is always enjoyable to watch. My score for the cast would have been higher if it wasn't for Wang Kai. Overall it is a good show, I am just picky I guess with certain elements. I would recommend watching it though.

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I really tried

I really, really tried to watch it. I love firstkhao and I wanted to watch the side couple's story too, but I just can't take this seriously. The school is supposedly very strict and has tons of rules, but the only rules we see in the six episodes are the rules about wearing uniforms and not using phones. We never see the very strict rules of the school, the kids have been protesting for just one of these two rules for six episodes and they just look funny. I studied at a boarding school in high school and it was truly one of the worst experiences of my life. It was a school with really stifling rules that interfered with every minute of our lives, there was also great academic pressure on us, and I was really depressed because of school. I guess those who wrote the script do not have such experience because I cannot take what is happening in this school seriously. Of course, maybe the problem is cultural difference, but there are examples of this type of schools from all over the world.

The most realistic scene of the series was the psychological violence inflicted on Ayan by the teachers. They handled it very superficially though. I know from my personal experience and from the news I have seen that although a very good series could have been created, it did not happen because they dealt with the subject too superficially. Don't people know that really terrible things can happen in schools? If the real events related to the subject being tried to be discussed here were investigated and reflected in the series, a really good work could be produced. I'm really sorry that this series could have been a masterpiece but it wasn't.

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disclaimer: I have watched 8/16 episodes
Radio romance is a story without worry; you can watch it without any worries, but you need ease and patience. It is passionate, slow, romantic, sometimes cute and heart-warming. Every layer that comes out is even lovelier. I don’t want to stop watching it. I don’t want it to finish. It is not a story with many events nor it is exciting, but it makes you expect and look forward to what to come all the time, and you have to patiently wait for it and enjoy the wait. It is like listening to the radio at night although I don’t know what that feels like; with smooth music just like the drama itself. even the OST sounds like beach waves, sunset and clouds with purple with a cool breeze in a car ride with a strong heartbeat.

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Identity theory

Everything is fine with lesbians or gays; it's natural and people are born with their own identity or develop one. However, when a character says, "I am neither a girl nor a boy, and it doesn't matter anyway," it borders on a fascist script for engineering consciousness. She could have said, "I don't feel sure about being a girl, I don't feel feminine, I don't like being feminine, and maybe I'm also attracted to women," but the end of her sentence, "I am neither this nor that, so it doesn't matter," already proves there is fascist intervention.

A human girl with clear, realistic boundaries, especially in conservative Japan, would never say or even think such a thing. There are quite a few Japanese films with identity issues; that's fine, but this trifle of identity theory and this obsession has nothing to do with conservative Japan that cherishes femininity and family values.

It's clear that this production is aimed primarily at the Western audience in the United States. Even the way they talk in the videos, as if speaking to themselves, feels forced. Instead of speaking to someone, a friend, a parent, or in front of a mirror, we watch a scene where characters are displayed like in a mobile, squeezed into a technological cube, as if they are broadcasting their feelings on TikTok. They lack personality and thoughts of their own, even a human space. What matters to the director or writers is to please the viewers, not to show a human perspective outside the box.

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Slow burn office story with a hint of romance

I give it 7/10 because I still have SOME hope for this series!

I was really excited to watch this show after seeing the trailer. I think that increased my hopes for this series. I feel they should have taken inspiration from MSP and given us a mediocre trailer/teaser so that all of us went in with less hopes and actually be impressed with the series.

All characters are poorly written. The only characters who gave me good vibes were Chot (our queen) and Jen (but they added the cheating plot :( ).

I feel story was well thought out but it's being poorly implemented. I feel if the cast wasn't all new comers and had some really experienced or atleast well trained, it would have taken the series to heights. Yes, Jeng (Man) is acting to his fullest but even at times it feels uninspired and Pat (Ben) has only learnt 3-4 expressions and uses only those to express whatever he feels.

I get that story was written to project how the work happens in an office with talented employees and a boss with ambition to do well and it requires for them to show how it works, but it is being too dragged out.

To sum it up..
Do I like the acting? No, for most of them
Do I like the story? 100% [atleast it's better than watching 12-14 episodes of engineering students preparing for Freshy competitions or try to "court" each other by stalking]
Should I have started without it being completed? I don't think so! [As a complete series I might have been more interested, all the while skipping few filler scenes]
Will I watch the remaining episodes? For sure!

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The early "jungle episodes" were practically unwatchable, with the stupid cgi lions running around, with the main girl having constantly stained face with something brown (they clearly did that for us to "marvel at her beauty" after she finally washes it off in the city), yelling like a boy (or trying to yell like a boy) and the main guy being... eh, Mai Warit. When a lakorn tries to be something else than romance (action/gunfight/crime/etc) I find it tiring, so I was bored with this in episode 2 already. I had to literally force myself to stick with this till it finally reaches the city part, then I was entitled to drop it if it STILL does not appeal to me.

Something that can at least be called enjoyable interactions between the main leads begins in episode 5. Btw. Jack Chaleumpol looks like he lost some weight. It's good, it was beginning to get dangerous, lol. On the other hand, the main girl meets her female rival in the city. Irony is, now she finally properly washed her face, she looks exactly like her, there's no real difference in between the two girls. Thai are obsessed with white skin and would never allow anyone one shade from ivory to actually appear onscreen. It's a mockery of people really living in jungle. Same with the city life: her friend, the "jungle boy", is taking selfies with his smartphone exactly two days later.

The "crime" plot is of course even more stupid, as traditional with thai lakorns... Everyone acts like a moron to keep some "drama" on for more number of episodes, but I cannot avoid the crept feeling of thai tv using these naive scripts to somehow justify the crime syndicates and corruption occuring in real Thailand. Would they do better to concentrate on the romance? Yes, they would.

But, when at least the crime situation, no matter how stupid it is, creates good romantic tension, it cannot be utilized as there is no kiss in the lakorn. So, second couple cannot kiss and as for the main couple, I realized I don't care whether they'll get to be together or not. He treats her like a little sister. I imagined she stops behaving like a little monkey for a second and he falls in love with her and passionatelly kisses her? Huh, we would not get to see that anyways. Either way, I was tired to watch this to the end... I did not finish the 8th episode.

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FIRST EVER LAKORN FOR ME TO DROP! SO SAD

Hi good day! I hope you have a great day today. So before I start this review I would like to inform you that this is just my own opinion and I based on what I see/experience and expectation for this Lakorn.
>BEFORE WATCHING THE SERIES:
I was hoping that it is a really good drama. Like I mean the Female lead is one of the actresses that I admired for her craft. For the male lead I'm not familiar with him but I think I am anticipating a good act from him. I know this is 2012 drama so I already expect that the video quality is not what should I expect it should be. And also because of the plot I was convince to watch it. Hope that I will finish it. And hoping that they would not drag it to the extend that it gets annoying.
>AFTER WATCHING 9 EPISODES SKIP TO EP 20:
Well I was disappointed because I was hoping that it is a good drama with a nice plot and character. But as I was watching it on ep 5-6 I begin to get annoyed because of those hanging situation or misunderstanding that should be resolve in a simple way(WHY MAKE IT COMPLICATED WRITERS). And the main lead is kind of stubborn. I mean if you like her go ahead and tell her not just assume everything. The FL's character is stubborn and kind of annoying. The episodes begin to drag and misunderstanding is kind of annoying.
CONCLUSION:
I therefore say that this drama has a potential however due to poor scripting and character build up it is a mess. The more I stay the harder for me to stick around. In my opinion why make a situation so complicated when from the start it is easy to resolve. I mean I just wasted my time jkfhiuryr*_*. Sorry to say but this one is kind of flop. As I said the plot is promising but they did a poor execution of the story wherein the viewer will get annoyed and frustrated. (WHY WRITERS WHY??)
WATCH VALUE: NAH I WON'T WATCH IT AGAIN
PS: THE ACTORS AND ACTRESSES IN THIS DRAMA WAS GOOD INDIVUALLLY ON THERE OTHER WORKS BUT FOR THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR THE TALENT WAS WASTED BECAUSE OF THE POOR SCRIPTING.

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HEARTBREAKING

I just started watching this drama because I love Kim Soo Hyun's work. This drama is giving me such heartache that I have to stop and take a break from watching. It is heartbreaking to see what the character portrayed by Soo-Hyun is going thru. The heartbreak and emotions I feel while watching this drama is a testament to the spectacular performance of Soo-Hyun. Even though it is such a great performance I would rather see him smiling more than crying. I applaud him for his sensational performance. I will watch to the end and hope for a happy ending and seeing his beautiful smile.

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1st Impression: When I first heard it, the series had me going for a conservative guy in the church, having this defining and enabling moment to pursue a love that goes strongly against in what he believes in and what he's molded to be by his family. All the while this boyfriend of his would enable him to push further and create a place that they'll grow without prejudice.

Realization:
This series is more of a statement or pandering of messages than what you would normally consider a normal or typical BL Drama. The story it's trying to tell is meaningful and enabling for those who do capture it, but for some reason it gets lost in the scenes it should have the most impact in. I would've wished to see more of the main couple's struggles instead of having the side characters push the story for them. I'm learning and intrigued by them more rather than the main CP which is in every thumbnail or poster promoting it.

Characters:
Zach - He has the best portrayal of his character. He enables every situation that would help push him and his partner forward. He gives you this determined guy that would blindly put his reputation or life on the line to pursue his goals and that one defining moment of love. The dialogues for him though, I partly disagree because they could've used his character so much better than just a purveyor of being blindly in love with a guy.

Christian - I have never experienced a monotone actor before and if I had a list, he's up there. The emotion he's trying to put out is so out of place in scenes where you have an argument, nervous, excited, embarrassed or do I need to go on? At the start I was hoping for some conviction to his faith, a certain wall Zach as to get through but it just took a quarter of Episode 2 & 3 that has like no wall breaking moment to crumble the conservative structure for someone you expect to be so closely tied to a church. I'm still trying to root for him and the best moment I saw is when he was crying to say I love you.

Antagonist: Wolf - He portrays his jealousy really well and engages in arguments dramatically to the piint I believe his stance on the issue of love for Christian.

Side Characters - The foundation of the series and the constant push of how the story progresses in an episode.

Setting: It takes place in a Church institutionalized school that would have been to be expected more conservative and strict in policies that battles the LGBTQ+ (which in all honesty was the hope for me that this series is trying to battle)

Story: It skips parts of the story you would expect a character development for the main couple. The side characters have more depth and layers that would put viewers more interested in their story. They could have approached this way better because you're telling a serious topic about religion and sudden realizations without emphasis or basis on how they got there just puts a lot of wondering and people being left to their own interpretation on how they got there.

OST - Good soundtrack and well engaged in the scenes.

Overall, as I watch the series go further, I'm hopeful that they won't skip the progressions and developments. We need that emphasis on the message that you can't let anything push you in a box and stay there for the rest of your life. I really need them engage with some of the expectations of the viewers, because its just so frustrating to see the potential be snuffed out by bad acting, skipping plots, and unbased story progression or character development.

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