Reviews

Wow, that was boring!

I might get a lot of hate for saying this, but the Thai version was so boring.

I have already watched the Japanese version of this series and I liked it very much. The reason why I believe that the Thai version is boring, is because they tried to adapt the whole series in a thai environment and honestly I don't think that it worked out.

In my personal opinion, when you have a ship like TayNew, casting them for this type of series is wrong. I don't know if I am too mean, but I just believe that these roles didn't match their BL aura. Give them something like Dark Blue Kiss. Hell yeah! That's something that they can, 100%, pull off. Casting them for roles that are too shy or quiet, it's just something that I am not a fan of.

I don't know how to further explain why I found it so boring. Maybe it's because I had higher expectations of a series that we would have again TayNew as the main leads, and it had to be this series. I personally believe, that there were other actors that could have been a better fit for this series, but here we are.

Well, that's it. Bye!

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Waste of an opportunity playing twins

Not even Jisung was able to save this disaster. Story, characterization, environment are all unbalanced in this drama. It's a skip with 0 rewatchable value. And the ending, forget about being satisfied. Just a waste of your time. I don't recommend watching this eyesore. There was no point in Jisung playing twins, what was the point? A different actor could've taken one of the twin's spot and the story would've still stayed the same. What a waste of talent. Hope Jisung plays better and more interesting projects after this flop. If this was a comedy, I would give it a 6, but it actually takes itself seriously, so It's a 3.5 from me.


Re-watchable value? Better dramas to indulge in.

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C̶o̶n̶f̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ , No! just stupid.

Created by Ace Factory & Arc Media,"GRID (그리드) [2022] is a Disney+ Korea Original drama and one of the first ventures of the investment made by the OTT giant in South Korea. Written by Lee Soo-Yeon, directed by Khan Lee and music composed by Kim Jun-seok, this is a Scifi thriller involving various fields of science.

The world collectively creates a shield namely GRID which is an artificially induced geo-magnetic field, to protect the human civilization from the suddenly erupted strong solar wind, otherwise the earth would face a rapid mass extinction event. The story keeps at centre, Kim Se Ha (Kang Seo Joon), an employee at Administration Bureau dedicated to the South Korean Grid Management Body and Jung Sae Byeok (Kim Ah Joong), a detective in the violent crimes department. While following a murder suspect involving a mysterious woman as the accomplice, they discover unforeseen events that remained as dark secrets behind the GRID for decades.

Others familiar and skillful actors playing main and supporting involve: Kim Sung Kyun, Jang So Yeon, Lee Si Young, Kim Mu Yeol, Heo Jun Seok, Lee Kyu Hoe, Jo Hee Bong, Kim Hyung Mook and Song Sang Eun. Many known faces are also in guest roles. The acting and performance are up to par, with all these good actors.

Plot development... If I were to express the development in percentage, I'd give it a fair 50/100, why? Bcs it was half good and half bad, very exactly. The pilot episode, the furtherance and the development in ep 1 to ep 5 is sooo amazing and it was even fine till the midway through 6th. And that's when everything starts falling apart. To make it look more confusing, the makers attempted to incorporate a number of thriller elements as well as subsume related concepts from different fields of science, expecting it would seem complicated to a particular set of audience. (note the sentence carefully, bcs it wasn't really confusing, rather the writer thought the audience would find it confusing)

Something that started with the physics of cosmic & solar science and geomagnetism, turned into time travel & 22nd century technology and finally ended up with molecular phylogeny, heredity, mutations and evolution. Intersecting science is not a new deal, but what you must possess is the most basic knowledge and even a vast knowledge, in order to retain the scientific goals. I feel, it was still okay till the 8th episode and from there they could have tried to wrap up things with a simple manner in last 2 episodes. But 9th was even messier, making it complicated to a level from which it can't be saved with one final episode. The amount of plotholes adding to the complicated inclusion of absurd and illogical concepts, led to a rushed and sloppy ending. Okay, let's speculate it like, the show will have another ending, for? In order to explain the things it has left; seema more likely and somewhat obvious, but again, for what and why exactly? I see no point of making a sequel of continuation, bcs it doesn't deserve one; no more penny should be spent and no more time should be wasted on a script that turned into nothingness. I am not watching it if this actually happens.

Lee Soo Yeon jakkanim might have created only a handful number of dramas, but in terms of quality, she aced on her debut and proved her worth; so that was expected to be reflected in this drama as well, unfortunately which didn't happen. There was a definite amount of struggle which was visible through inconsistencies in plot, inconvenient elements, lack of proper knowledge and relevancy among fields of science; clearly she attempted something out of her league, without a thorough study. It could have been a good mystery thriller with only one basic concept otherwise; the situation can be justified saying it was an experimental approach from her side, which will help her but as audiences, It's fair to be disappointed.

Having not known the director before I can not write about Lee Khan PDnim, while I must point out the technicality of his work. So overally, it wasn't a exciting judgement bcs I had to think through a lot. The screenwriting was very good for the first half and became messy in the later but I doubt for direction, whether there was a consistent effort; what I mean to say is, I didn't particularly like it for any part of the show and the thing that kept me hooked was the unique concept for the time being. While cinematography and VFX works have been well handled, I can't say the same for screen and sound editing. The comprehensive execution isn't really likable.

What I disliked...

# I strongly believe in intersectionality in any case possible and for the modern world of science, it's the key to many more ventures and discoveries. The same using 2 or 3 branches is cool, but going beyond that and not being able to retain the factuality of either of them properly, is what you call inanity and indiscretion.

# One of the biggest drawbacks of this show is it's run time. Given that there are only 10 episodes with around 50 minutes duration each, it probably needed more to explain things in detail and good pacing, thereby allowing the viewers to understand it better. But again, I am relieved it didn't happen as I would have to endure more of this lunacy.

# Adding to the last point, the 1 ep per week tactics was a vacuous decision from the makers. It could have been okay with more than an hour runtime but still for a 10 eps short show with less duration, it should be either an one shot release or 2 eps per week.

# The exaggerated context wasn't personally bearable even with the introduction of numerous new revelations with each passing scene. Instead of exciting my curiosity, I was rather bored and sometimes even frustrated bcs of the irrational and laughable elements kicked off by the makers.

# The undergrade progression of the plot turned me off in thea 2nd half and the more I tried to think positively of it, the greater was it's irrationality with each coming scene.

# Rushed ending, it was obvious and expected, even by the ones who have been liking it, and all of us certainly wanted the show to at least not leave anything unanswered. It clearly didn't happen given the number of plotholes it has left.

Final Remarks... My feelings and excitement for the first half was that good that I thought I would end u0 recommending it to everyone but I was proved wrong in the latter half, for it quickly went downhill and messed everything up. For the 50% I would have been generous if only it was a 16eps drama with longer runtime but with the circumstances I would not recommend it to anyone. I would have rated it at 6.0 if not for the potential it possessed in the first half.

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DON'T BOTHER WITH THIS DRAMA, ITS NOT ABOUT ROMANCE...

PLEASE DONT BOTHER WITH THIS DRAMA, WHOEVER WROTE THE STORYLINE NEEDS TO GER FIRED THIS IS THE MOST DAMN CONFUSING DRAMA EVER LOL ! it starts off which some potential and sounds interesting... Like alien male lead is on a mission to bring back the stone from his planet and a fellow member from his planet. The female lead is a young, naive who interest is drawing manga. She initally believes the male lead came out from her manga... but the male lead is not from the manga but indeed an alien. Basically it talks about there encounter, but he kidnaps her first and totrures her.
The female lead is just loud and annoying.

The second male lead is the other member from the planet and he is evil ? I mean he tries to kill the female lead to get the stone of her. The only way that the stone can be taken is if she was killed. Then it somehow links to the past of the female lead. Her dad died in a fire a long time ago. I forgot to mention each alien has a distinct power. Male lead can control minds, the second male lead can form to any body. So basically the female lead loses her memory when she was young due to the male lead, saving her from the fire. Once he gets in touch with fire, he starts to lose his powers and starts to become transparent.

This drama DOES NOT do a good job in explaining whats happening and the motives. She finally understands the male lead is trying to protect her in like the 19 episodes.... The story unfolds weirdly. SO PLEASE DONT WASTE YOUR TIME.

BARELY ANY ROMANCE

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Though I don't usually write reviews, I believe this drama deserves some recognition at least for the effort the actors put and their amazing chemistry.
The plot has the usual cliches , but the writers have managed to switch them in a fun way, so it's quite enjoyable to see the girl doing some things that usually the guy does. But the greatest thing about the plot is that all the problems are solved very fast and with no much drama. The leads are talking to each other and they resolve their issues by communicating. It's refreshing to see. So far, no noble idiocy, if there were misunderstandings, they were resolved by talking to each other, a lot of honesty between the leads. I love how they portray a normal relationship.
The best part of the drama though it's the chemistry between the actors. I think they portray their characters really well, and they have a lot of liberty to express themselves. You can tell by the way the subtle looks and movements that they give their best, I actually understand more about the characters feelings from their gaze alone.
So, if you want a good rom-com with great actors and chemistry (their kisses are among the best), I definitely recommend it. Even if you are not a fangirl and don't relate to that part of the drama, the plot is more than that so you won't get bored.

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Think twice

From the start, this show was lacking. Unfortunately, all the "strong" women are roles that don't do anything for the seasoned actors. The plot and script were poorly developed and executed. The only strong point to the show is don't take any kind of "medication" from strangers. I continue to watch and keep hoping the show will pick-up but it is just more of the same. I guess reviews have to be at least 500 words, but this would be one negative review. I'm not sure what more I can say about this show. I guess if you like a particular actor, then the show is worth watching. Just don't be too disappointed.

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I like this show so my review will of course be biased.

Notice: If you are put off by a female actress playing a male lead, move on! Don't waste your time. On the contrary if you find it refreshing give it a try.

I find JYY playing as Nezha was pretty convincing as a mischievous and hot headed young man. NZ and XLN bickering was fun and enjoyable to watch. The story of course can be executed better in certain areas but nothing is perfect. Overall though the characters interaction are great and fun to rewatch.

As romance go, there's nothing beyond a hug here and there (although I find their journey of getting there more romantic rather than hot passionate kisses). So if you're someone looking for those passionate kisses/embrace there will be none, so move on.

If I have to pick one thing that I dislike about the show; it's that there were some episodes where the villians pretty much took up the whole screen time.

Anyway if you're looking for something refreshing and funny, give this title a try. If any of the above point doesn't sit well with you just find another show. ^^ peace

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Disappointing historical BL

What you can expect from Spring of Crush is basically Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding, but with an expanded backstory + sideplots. I appreciate the effort into a wider backstory and plot involving other characters beyond the main couple, but it proved to be deeply uninteresting and hard to follow at some points.

There is a certain charm in arranged marriages and how 2 people can gradually come to love each other – a point that Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding made – but Spring of Crush’s characters just didn’t feel likeable or compelling enough. Frankly, I only got through most of the episodes by fast forwarding scenes whenever I got bored.

Geumsong was largely a bland character who didn’t have much personality, let alone memorable qualities. Hyeseong, while playful and feisty, came off as rather flaky (understandably so, since she’s fully aware of the nature of this sham marriage) and arrogant.

Similar to Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding, there’s a love triangle going on, but that plot is miserably weak as well, and takes a weird turn towards the end.

I don’t know about you, but I would love to see a BL involving 2 men, preferably martial artists, falling in love with each other. Please. No more of that wife-disguise bullsh*t, or portrayals of domestic life between a husband and ‘wife’ (who is really just a man pretending to be a woman).

Would I recommend you watch this? No, not at all.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/07/08/spring-of-crush-2022-review-bl/

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Despite the title of the Novel "Stalker", Toh is a "Collector" not a sociopath or a criminal

First of all let's see what a " Collector" is, according to psychologists.

For people who collect, the value of their collections are not monetary but emotional.
The collections allow people to relive their childhood, connect themselves to a period or to a time they feel strongly about. Their collections help them ease insecurity and anxiety about losing a part of themselves and to keep the past to continue to exist in the present.
Toh thinks he will never be worth of Nuea love. He thinks he does not have anything to offer, that he isn't something special, no good looking, shy, nerd.
So he watches him from afar. Collecting mementos of moments that are precious for him.

Collecting may provide psychological security by filling a part of the self one feels is missing.
When one collects, one experiments with arranging, organizing, and presenting a part of the world which may serve to provide a safety zone, a place of refuge where fears are calmed and insecurity is managed.
In his room, Toh can openly fantasize about being loved back. He is bold and brave, he approaches Nuea.

Items in a collection are neatly organized, maintained, and presented or manipulated with ease.
(If a collector of 1000+ trains wishes to find a particular specimen from their collection, they can find it easily. )
Collections are often catalogued, sorted, and objectively maintained like books in a library.
Toh mementos are kept like treasures, handled with care and perfectly organized.

This is not a dangerous behaviour.
Although it still has its counterpart that is scary, creepy and dark. IT' S NOT THE CASE IN THE SERIES.
So judging Toh like he was a serial killer,( as someone did in their review) is really too much.
It's true he is a controversial character and his "obsession" might result uncomfortable but, please give him time to develop, grow and change.
Nuea seems to be aware and know a lot about Toh and his particular interest for him and never embarass him, or treat him harshly.

Please, don't just drop the series at the Synopsis or the 1st episode.

Cheewin Thanamin has directed a lot of other successful series : Why RU, YYY, Close Friends, Y destiny, You Never eat Alone.
He has a unique style, so you will surely get captivated by the characters, their stories and their growth throughout the episodes.

Idol Factory actors are mostly rookies but very talented and they all did a good job portraying the different characters who are part of this story.
They convey emotions, it's easy to connect with them, understand what they are going through and being emotionally involved in their struggles, joys and intimate feelings.
This series will make you laugh, cry and be all giggles.

Give it a chance.
It is really worth it!

It airs on Channel 3 Thailand every Friday at 23.00, watching live doesn't require a subscription but subs aren't provided on TV. Can be watched also on CH3 Plus App but without subs. ( no subscription, no VPN requiered)
There is an exclusive re-run on IDOL FACTORY official YouTube channel soon after the episode ends.( ENGLISH sub provided)
Other languages are added during the next days .

Thanks for reading

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Acting

The first thing I want to point out is , of course, their acting. Nothing to compared with any other BL actor, for me. They really set up the bar for BL actors, seriously.
Another thing I have to point out is their chemistry. Ohm and Nanon are already best friends before the series. That's one of the reasons why they are so comfortable around each other and not awkward at all. Every scene looks natural for me.
And the last one is PLOT. No unnecessary drama, no unnecessary plot twist, just acceptable problems between teenage friends and parents-children. There, you can also see how parenting works in Asia.
I still have a lot to say, but I will stop here because I want you to check out yourself.
You must check it out if you don't wanna regret.

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This is my first review ^_^
Everything will be solely based on my OWN taste and OWN standard of a drama pls.

Story:
I hav thot of a more suitable title for this drama : wo de ye man nan you (my barbaric boyfriend) :)

there is a plot but I do agree that some scenes are non-continuing and not everything was clearly explained, however if you are looking for a romance drama, this may be to your liking.
Note : its a bit draggy (abit only) and it would easily have stop at epi 26 or so) abit fast forwarding will help :)

Cast:
The Cast was ok... especially when I checked that the female lead was quite new and not many drama to date but I find her pretty :P

The male lead was barbaric that's why it make me thot of the title I made for this drama. however, u can quite enjoy or envy this kind of courtship if you are really into this guy.
the best friend was such a darling too. I would love to have such 'suitor turn friend' relationship too.

Music:
I don't really care about the OST ^.^ but of cos if a good OST comes along, I will rem it.
nothing special caught my ears ....

Rewatch Value:
maybe some scenes that you want to see the lovey dovey of the relationship. ^.^

Watch if you like :-

:- a difficult love-hate relationship (before getting together)
:- scheming spoiler (like Cinderella plot) make plans and schemes to breakup a relationship
:- family oriented environment

note: do u know that the 2 main (corrected) leads are true life partner....shhh..haha

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You Definitely Have to Watch!

It is so funny to think this is the show that got me to finally get an account to write a review. I have been watching BLs for years now and never once felt the need to write one but this show definitely did something to me.

I want to first start off by saying I went into this because I kept getting mixed reviews on the show and had to finally see what the issue was. And I can say the first two episodes had me iffy. I was not a fan of the start, especially seeing how weird they made Toh, but once the 3rd episode came around and things started getting serious I fell in love.

This show may have its crazy embarrassing moments that cause me to pause or hide but I think it plays into the trope of these issues. I think we all have our weird quirky moments especially with a crushes that make us do things that others find odd. And they are obviously exaggerating it to make a joke on it. And I think it is needed. Sometimes we have to see others being just as odd to feel better about ourselves.

But what sold me was the actual plot of each characters insecurities. We get to see everyone have an emotional side. It isn't just about Toh and Nuea. Or even just Toh at that. They delve into Nuea emotionally too which is rarely seen in BLs. But every character has something that is stopping them from what they want in life. They delve into body dysphoria, sexuality, gender, friendship and it is honestly moments that we can all connect too. Yes it is goofy and weird but it knows when to cut that off and show us what being human means.

Then the acting is another thing. The level of professionalism and skill you need to have to play these odd, quirky roles is a lot and Toh and the others are doing well in making us uncomfortable watch them. Us wanting to pause, hide, and scream means they are doing their job. But they all have this level of chemistry that feels real, especially the way Nuea looks at Toh. I didn't feel like any couple was pushed or forced on us. They all complemented each other well. Even the friend groups. It made me miss the group of friends that I once had.

So in all it may not be everyone's cup of tea but it is a great show overall in its messages it tries to send to the viewers. I think everyone should give it a chance!

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The spy is strong but spy show is weak

The spy genre has some of the biggest franchises in the global entertainment biz: Bond. Bourne. Jack Ryan.

“The Veil” takes being part of the spy family seriously, unwaveringly seriously. Namgoong Min as Han Ji Hyuk, ace spy, has all the physical attributes. He looks like he could step in any pro level MMA ring and hold his own. The business suit attire scarcely conceals Ji Hyuk's prodigious musculature. But playing a hero is more than muscle and while Han Ji Hyuk checks a lot of boxes (amnesia, rule-breaking persona, tactical genius, piercing glare), something is missing. He’s such a cold-calculating assassin type, the character ends up so robotic that he’s difficult to cheer for. The speech is monotone. The face is expressionless. The clothing is black and white. Even when he fights, he's so brutally efficient at it that there's not much entertainment value there either.

The other significant issue of “The Veil” is one of the necessary elements of any good vs. evil story - someone to root against. A worthy villain is indispensable. So here, a very bad guy (a drug dealer) pops up quickly early on. But the focus then changes as it turns out someone else is behind him. Then there’s a rogue NIS agent. No wait, it’s a whole secret gang. Or no, it's a secret faction in the NIS. And North Koreans are involved somehow? Wait, no there is some other bad guy pulling the strings. Not that one. Another one. But maybe let’s humanize the character.

[sigh]

Without someone to coalesce some healthy dislike towards, it’s difficult to care whether our not-so-symphathetic hero succeeds or whether the entire cast simply sets sail into deep space to never be seen or heard from again.

Plenty of spy show cliches too. The car chases. The computer hacking. The agency turf battle. Oy.

It’s not entirely bad. Jang Young Nam brings her typical intensity but this time to a more rounded character. Jung Moon Sung is strong as the rogue NIS adversary of Han Ji Hyuk but he hardly establishes a presence in a too brief appearance. Kim Ji Eun’s Je Yi is a fairly nondescript character, but she infuses Je Yi with a spark of humanity and warmth. Park Ha Sun doesn’t have Jang Young Nam’s gravitas to really sell a spy role, but her hairstyle is killer. Grasping for straws here? Seems to be the case.

“The Veil” has some good elements. There’s some fine actors. There’s good action set pieces. There’s some above average production in the sound and photography. But the pieces don’t connect thanks to a collection of one dimensional characters, an unnecessarily convoluted plot and dialogue that could be cut-and-pasted from any number of other entries in the spy genre.

Not recommended.

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