Reviews

BADDEST HEART LINE

This is an exquisite drama that is the first and more realistic in it's context, it has got a very wonderfu and powerfull chemistry between the main leads that is Tian and his brother Yang as well as his better half Jiu however I must say that some characters might be shallow but the plot and the execution is remarkable much as I still find Zhang's reason for committing suicide in the first place absurd and stupid and there's the annoying fact that Yang has a mother who is totally ungifted and dense and she's pretty good at stirring trouble for everyone that she doesn't benefit from. But really the bromance beats me as the blood brothers Tian and Yang have that affection that just beats any other that I have known in any drama before it makes me jealously wish things were the same with my brother and Jiu is probably the best character that you'll admire for being quiet and a bit dumb when it comes to things like love, I respect Tian who understands the weight of that uneasy burden of being the first born and I appreciate that about him while his Mother Madam Li even if she can go overboard at times and is extreme, she portrays the very best struggles, pains, fears and strife of motherhood which is what made me on a whole scale refer to this drama as the most realistic youthful bl drama that I have ever seen. I can't also forget the remarkable length of the episodes that makes you explore the whole story in detail and I like the fact that the pacing is perfect to the point that the story doesn't feel rushed, compressed or summarised. All in all, To Sir with love makes me understand what the true picture of coming out is and doesn't portray it as a garden of butterflies and rainbows as most dramas do but rather it gives you the hardships, rejections, sacrifices, betrayals and regrets which form the most true composition of life, for 2022 having been the worst year of my life, To Sir, With Love has emerged as one of the good things that have given it a good close and is one of my best bl series I have watched for this whole year.

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My first cdrama and my introduction to Dylan Wang!

I found this on Netflix when I was bored over the holiday season. The picture and the trailer of Dylan Wang acting cold, brooding, and demanding along with his outfit and powers had me intrigued. It took only one episode and I was hooked.

As many people covered, this is a fairytale about sacrifice, redemption, and love. You meet our main character, Orchid, who is portrayed as a kind, naive fairy who takes care of fate leaves. Alone, she tends to her garden and thinks about her master who had been banished / punished for a crime she committed (falling in love with someone she shouldn't have). She has a secret of her own - she has fallen in love with a god of war who appears to not care much for her. The god of war is charged with the important task of re-sealing the prison to a mysterious demon king. He was sent into the prison 1,000 years earlier due to a war that left both armies - his and the gods - frozen in stasis. Orchid follows her crush and sacrifices herself in attempt to protect him from falling into the prison. There, she meets the demon king and awakens him with a kiss. ... which causes problems for them and begins the story of their hatred, to friendship, and finally love.

There is a reason why this show has rocketed up in popularity - it is so damn good! They spent 3 - 4 years making sure this project was perfect. It is also said that the FL's father backed this with his money as well. The costumes, CGI, down to the score shows that this is more than just a TV show - this is a phenomenon. The costumes are top notch - gorgeous - from the fantasy world, to the darkness of the Moon Kingdom, to the mortal world. The actors are perfectly cast - from the gods, to the friends, to the leads themselves. Dylan's ability to act with such coldness at first and his thawing due to the kindness shown by Orchid is what sold me on being fan of his, but also what made DFQC work. I think to this day no one else could play him like he did. Same with Esther as Orchid. She plays three different versions of herself - fairy, bodyswapped DFQC, and her final form in the last five episodes (which I won't spoil).

The music is also gorgeous - the opening song, the two various end songs used, and various other songs that pop up here and there through the show. The entire album has become a repeat, and I love finding the actors and the original artists singing the songs live here and there.

Overall, it has a mixture of everything - mystery, comedy, romance, action. Many people who don't finish the show complain because of the main character's voice. While her voice was shocking at first, you get used to it and find it perfectly suited for the character. The fact that Esther could transform her voice into three distinct styles is amazing and worth the pay off if you make it through the show to hear all three.

There is a happy ending, but prepare to shed some tears.

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Thought-provoking environmental drama with slight realism issues

Based on the novel "Japan Sinks" by Sakyo Komatsu, Nihon Chinbotsu: Kibo no Hito is a heartfelt take on disasters caused by environmental issues.

The strongest point of this show are its main characters, precisely Amami played by Oguri Shun, Tokiwa played by Matsuyama Kenichi and Shiina played by Watanabe Anne. Amami is a compassionate, emphatic and idealistic character you can't help but root for, and this was probably one of my favorite Oguri Shun performances. He does a fantastic job at making this too good for this world character seem grounded and relatable. My favorite parts were his scenes with Matsuyama Kenichi. This duo just plays off of each other with ease, and it's fun to watch. Watanabe Anne is one of the most likable female leads I've seen in a while, and I loved her drive just as much as her big heart.

The characters and their relationships whether it was friendships, family bonds or even work related made this show a touching experience. While not all characters feel fully developed, I was still able to connect to quite a few of them, which gave this story more of a personal note. Overall though, this drama doesn't so much focus on the circumstances of individual characters but the bigger picture of disaster prevention, political and environmental issues as well as morality questions connected to these topics. More cynical souls might think this show relies a bit too much on pathos, but personally I thought they managed to balance the heavily emotional parts with the otherwise serious tone of the show. There is just something about good people fighting for humanity, and they managed to capture that beautifully.

Although I enjoyed how they portrayed corruption issues and the sheer amount of work behind a situation like this, some parts of the story  just seemed unrealistic and certain  plot points too convenient. If you studied anything related to geoscience you might struggle with the scientific facts presented to  you, since I didn't I blissfully  ignored those that sounded like a stretch. Apart from that, I had issues with overacting of certain characters, since it didn't fit the tone of the story at all. 

While I did criticize the flaws of this drama, I'm merely doing this to adjust the expectations of the potential viewer.  Personally,  I thoroughly enjoyed this one. After a bit of a slow start, this drama managed to capture my attention and kept moving me with its compelling characters and inspiring message. It may be a bit of an idealistic take on the topic, but it's called "People of Hope" after all, and I certainly enjoyed its optimistic approach.

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It was cute and sweet and easy to watch but other than Jung Kyung Ho completely stealing the show as always (he is, as my friend put it, a "national treasure") I was mostly unimpressed.

There were laugh-out-loud times and some stupid cute scenes but the love-triangle just didn't make any sense to me. The friendship between the girls and their individual story-lines were all great as well but just...nothing special. I don't know. It seemed a little immature in it's writing and in the end I was mostly bored or rolling my eyes.

Having said all that, I do still think it's worth a watch if you just need an easy rom-com and want to bask in Jung Kyung Ho's glory. God, I miss him already.

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The chemistry of the main leads couldn't save the stupid writing

The drama at first was really great to watch. Especially the bickering of Liang Yi and Qiu Yan. Actually their chemistry is the main attraction of the drama followed by the deep voice is Jeremy. (Oh! I love this guy's voice) I am glad that they didn't dub his voice.

The drama mainly focuses on how one can outsmart the other by wit. There isn't much of stunned work like flying in the sky type fight scenes. I am glad that they made the fight scenes quite realistic. Even when the ML gets hurt he actually takes some time to recuperate. Not like the typical unrealistic ML who becomes fine the next second after getting stabbed. For this I give one point to the drama.

But still....

This drama couldn't get satisfactory score from me.

I really loved the character of Noble consort and Liang Yi's mother. They were fun to watch. Not like typical mother-in-law or queen characters. But in the end they had to spoil these two characters. They spoiled it in such a way that you can't even hate them nor love them. There will be just one question! Why? Why writer why? Why do you have to make them like this?

There are also some illogical things that just can't get away.
For example the actors they choose for the 6year younger version of Liang Yi and Qiu Yan was really young. Maybe they did that so that they won't recognize each other after 6years but still they could have shown that they met after 8 or 10 years, then the actors age could be believable.
Besides that, the culprit of the money counterfeit incident hold grudges against Liang Yi because he killed the culprit's father who was corrupted. This incident happened 3/4 years(I don't remember the year) before the money counterfeit incident. That time the culprit was a child. How come the culprit become an adult in just a few years?

Not to mention the unnecessary dragging!

The story of Qiu Yan's mother was not needed at all.
And the ending!!!
I mean why? Why did the writer had to add that unnecessary headache in the end?

The story went really well during the last few episodes. The political part was okay.
But still I hoped to see some fluffy romantic scene of Liang Yi and Qiu Yan.

At least their marriage! ?

But the writer had to add needless headache in the end just so they can drag the drama to 34 episodes.
If that was really necessary then you should have added their marriage scene, their sweet romance. I am sure no body would mind that. In fact I would love be to see that more.

If the story of both the MLs mothers could be erased then, at least 2 episodes could be easily minimized. And we viewers would have less headache.

In the end, I am not saying it's a bad drama. I definitely enjoyed watching it. It's just that it's not one of the best drama I have watched. If you are not a nitpicker about drama then you will love it too. Liang Yi and Qiu Yan are like a treat to watch together. But you can skip the last episode. Then everything will be fine.

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Itaewon Class is a drama that strives to stand out from the crowd by proposing a peculiar mix of characters, including a black boy and a transgender, in contrast to a plot based on the most typical clichés of Korean drama: the class struggle and the love triangle. Despite the contrast, on the whole, the series managed to blend well the typical elements of kdramas with innovative and peculiar components, offering us a fabulous set of characters, perhaps at times too eccentric, a compelling soundtrack and excellent acting, where Kim Da Min and Park Seo Joon stand out.
However, as it often happens with kdramas, it has failed to entertain me in the long run, the solidity of the plot begins to lose its charm towards episodes 7-8, when the story begins to forget more and more about the revenge that the protagonist initially aimed for, fitting him into a forced love triangle and in a power struggle inherent in Jangga Co.
At the same time, the characterization of some characters will begin to falter, first of all, the protagonist, from revengeful man to martyr, he didn’t do anything for his own pub, other people have worked hard to make his dream come true, while he was busy helping & supporting everyone, enemies included. This kind of character totally clashes with his initial revenge plan. Overall Itaewon Class deserves to be viewed because as a whole it stands out from the multitude of drama that comes out every month, offering excellent performance in various aspects but it fails in the most important, the screenplay and the ML characterization, due to the inconsistency of writing. The drama had the potential to do more, especially without the romance part.

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It was tough at the beginning because of Jo Anna and her irritating horrible personality but thanks to the nice, kind and so lovable Jang Chul Soo I didn't drop it and I'm glad to.

Jo Anna is the most hateful character you can ever meet but along the drama she soften but keep her straight and direct talk. She can appear like a cold person but she speaks the truth and even if it hurts she doesn't lie and I like it. Well maybe if she was smoother or nicer or less arrogant that would be even great. Oh ! And I so liked when she put in her place the second girl ! Na ! finally a girl who isn't shy to say out loud what we could never say ! ;)

I loved Kang Ja, the crazy high girl. Always make me smile with her pure and childish mind.
I loved the 3 children and how Jo Anna teach them life and how to survive ;) (hard way but at least they understand XD) And I loved their relationship. So kawaï.
Two characters made me laugh so hard because they reunite ALL the old clichés in Dramaland and oh god that was so funny because so obviously over act and totally a big joke from the writers.

And what can I say about Oh Ji Ho..... A must to see character. He's so kind, so nice, so altruistic, always ready to do everything (well in exchange of money but he has 3 children to raise, he need this money for them.), so lovable, so funny, so smiling, so caring, so.... well he's everything ! And those dimples.... *sigh* ;)

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At first, all I knew about this drama was that it was a mystery detective type. I thought that it was like the usual Japanese detective drama that had different case in each episode. But this one was different, it is a series of cases intertwined. Also, I didn't even know the meaning of the title until the ending of the last episode. In short, I didn't have any expectation in this drama.

Let me start with the with the very first hour long episode. Everything that the director wanted to make the viewers feel, think and see was there. The mystery and creepy psychological genre that the Japan drama/anime are good at were properly executed. There were foreshadowing which made you wonder and be curious. It was a brilliantly made. Just by watching the first episode you already know where the story is going. It was a really good introduction for us audiences. I was even surprised by the ending when they made the the "family suicide" beautiful.

Now let's tackle the plot line. As I have said before it was a long interconnected cases, a chain of family suicide cases. The drama was not particular in the critical way of detectives investigating the case. It was obvious that something was up but only few of the police department realized that something doesn't make sense. There were some clues that are obvious for detectives to be suspicious about. For example, the note of the child who are part of the "family suicide", it was obvious that all of the notes were written in illegibly. What I mean is that it was written in a way that the person is in a great tension. If someone wants to write a will before you die with a lovely note saying how you love life or your family, you would not write it with much tension. (This is just an opinion and observation) There were still other things I've observed but it would make this review very long.

My point is that the focus of this drama is not solving for criminal cases but to point out the psychological events that is happening in real life that society does not understand. The very core story of this drama was to show society how people are broken and how a family setting has to do with it. After all, our values are mostly decided, for most of us, on what occurs within our family. In which it was shown in the drama. Adding the detective, mystery and creepy techniques, it made the drama even more beautiful. The plot in general was properly and orderly well though. You can see how the events turned out and was going into a direction. The script writers surely know where they were going with the story. You can see how they slowly adjusted the suspect of the audience shifted from one person to another. They slowly revealed the real one from minimal foreshadowing until they explicitly revealed everything. I commend the script writers for the story.

Next to review are the actors. I was not convinced by the acting skills for most of the actors. Don't get it wrong. I'm not saying they were bad, I just was not convinced all throughout by the way they act. Although I think I know how the director/ producer or whoever choose these actors. They choose each of them because they looked and were naturally similar to their characters. To make you understand more I'll give you an example. Mamihara-san's character was a tough detective who is violent at times but very warm to kenji-san. The actor Endo Kenichi, without knowing him well in person you would already get that kind of vibes from him - a powerful tough guy who could be violent but is looks noble at the same time. It was similar to the other actors as well. To put it simply, the director choose these actors based on who is similar to the character not just the way they act but as who they are. It was not an accidental hiring of actors to whoever is good in crying or good is making psychological creepy expressions.


A mystery psychological drama without proper music will give you less thrill but this was not the case for kazukogari. The music production was great. 'nuff said about that. Anyone who watched this drama would realize it. I like their OST song especially when t was first played at the ending of the first episode. It really created the mood.

This drama has twists and turns and for you to fully analyze and understand it you'll surely enjoy watching it again. I can see myself in the future watching it and probably realizing new things that I didn't the first time I watched it. This drama always have underlying meaning and I want to fully grasp it. The only way is to watch it again. I think I would till enjoy it probably not as much thrill compared to the first but I have to say it is still re-watchable.

If you have persistently read this review of mine up until now. Congratulations! This is the first drama review I made. For some reason I was not lazy. I'll give you the heads up: NOT EVERYONE CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND PR COMPLETELY ENJOY THIS DRAMA. Those who are veteran in watching series and who loves psychological mystery dramas would surely enjoy this. I don't want you to expect much in this drama, you might get disappointed. Just watch and enjoy the thrill ride. I hope you would also appreciate some underlying meaning in this drama that are shown subtly. I love how you can see that even though those emotionally scarred or in despair people were harming others, it was because each and everyone of them cannot stand loneliness. Their hearts was searching and seeking for something that they couldn't find. I don't want to give an example or else I might give spoilers. I hope you enjoy kazokugari. It is a pyschological thriller that you do not want to miss!!!!

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A little weak compared to part 1

This was a big budget drama that borrowed a lot from Wuxia dramas and it's super obvious when you start watching. Personally I loved the effect and was immediately pulled into the story. The costumes, sets, effects and music were all on point and amazing. The amount of care and effort is so visible in every frame. This drama has a very typical underdog story that is also propped up by an underlying mystery which takes 30 episodes to fully unravel. I feel that the first season was fine for the most part and had a lot of satisfying “anime-like” moments that pulled you deeper and deeper into the world. The problems start becoming more apparent when you consider the romantic aspects of this show and it falls a little flat. The acting in this show is phenomenal from everyone involved when you set aside the romantic parts. In the first season I couldn’t help feel a distinct lack of chemistry from the leads… The secondary couples are not not even worth mentioning at all. The chemistry between the main couple does manage to improve in the second part due a major change in the depiction of the characters. Despite the fact that the romance manages to improve in the second part, the characters all get REALLY dumb. They also start saying and doing the dumbest stuff to move the plot along and some of the retcons (pertaining to reincarnation) were too much to be acceptable. All in all its a pretty good show but it wasn’t tied up well enough to be truly great, memorable or rewatchable.

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A healing experience

Let me just start by saying that I rarely write reviews (I think my last review was for Mystic Pop-up Bar last year lol) but this show, especially the three main characters, have won a very special place in my heart so I couldn't not write my thoughts on AADSIG.

I honestly started watching this show without properly reading the summary; I had only knew this was based on a webtoon and after I watched the teasers I decided to give it a shot and boy am I grateful I did.

This has got to be my personal favorite kdrama of 2021 so far (and I'm not sure another show could top it). Don't get me wrong, AADSIG is by no means perfect, but I can't help but love this show with all my heart even though there were some things I wish were changed or added.
What I loved the most about this drama was how realistic it was in showing the struggles common people go through every day. We see different characters, each with their personal story and each one carrying a burden that makes them feel suffocated and like they can't go on. The most beautiful thing for me was to see how all these broken characters came together and with time, patience, understanding, and love they were able to help each other realize they were not alone, that it was okay to rely on others and that even though life is hard, the sun always rises after a storm and people can overcome their difficulties.

I felt I could perfectly relate to these characters and to the struggles they went through. Watching this show was a healing experience for me because through the characters I was able to see parts of myself I don't want to think about many times. Especially with So Bin, I felt deeply connected to her because I'm also an extremely shy person who can't stand being in the spotlight. Particularly I could understand her when she struggled so much to get closer to Yeo Joon and she felt scared that maybe he didn't want her to get closer to him. I'm also an insecure person who many times thinks I'm bothering others (even though I "know" they love me), I find it difficult to get closer because I'm afraid I'm being a nuisance or I'm intruding or overstepping. And the fact that I could see myself in her was one of the reasons why I felt disappointed that the show didn't give So Bin more room to grow, they didn't develop her character in more depth. I wish they'd showed more about her past, more about how she dealt with her insecurities and overcame her anxiety and fears, and more of her and Joon simply being honest and open to each other (particularly him) and helping each other grow and overcome their wounds. Sadly, that's the main reason why I can't give 10 stars to the show.

Nevertheless, the depiction of friendship in this show has got to be the most beautiful I've ever seen in kdrama, especially between the two male leads. And I know there are many people who were hoping this would be a bl but I just need to say I'm glad it wasn't because I think not everything needs to be about romantic relationships (be it same or different sex). In the society I live in, men are raised learning that talking about feelings, being vulnerable in front of someone else and showing you emotions are things they shouldn't do because "these are things that women do", so many men just suppress their feeling and bottle everything up and they have a hard time confiding in their friends about emotional matters, in fact, it is not "well seen" if they do that. So seeing Joon and Soo Hyun listening to each other's problems and supporting each other emotionally just gives me so much happiness because I think that's what friends should do, that's what friendships should be like (and we know that between women this is common, but between men, it isn't). So I was pleased to see such a healthy and positive representation of male friendship, they really went and said f*ck toxic masculinity and I'm LIVING FOR IT.

Finally, the acting of this show was simply BRILLIANT. Props to every single one of the cast members and especially the main trio. This was the second time I watched Bae In Hyuk acting and I completely fell in love with him. This was my first time watching Kang Min Ah and she did amazing, I think she's such an outstanding actress. As for Park Ji Hoon, I had seen only one other project of him but I hadn't realized the depth of his acting talent. This boy CAN act, he's incredible, definitely my favorite this time, I particularly enjoyed the emotion he conveyed during those scenes where we saw his trauma, especially that one scene in which the two bullies get into a fight with Soo Hyun because of the group project and Joon tries to stop them. His performance simply blew my mind. I'll definitely be waiting for these actors' next projects and I'll be rooting for them, there's already a spot reserved for their characters and them in my heart. 

Thank you to all the cast, production team, and staff who worked so hard in making this beautiful drama. I'm so grateful I found this show when I really needed it, now when I'm going through a hard time for not being sure of what future holds for me. Thank you to these precious characters for giving me so much comfort and making me feel safe and at peace with myself. Thank you for reminding me that not having all the answers to everything is okay, that I don't need to be in control of everything that happens in life, that it is okay to reach out for help, that I should treasure those who are close to me, and that no matter what, I can overcome whatever challenges and difficulties life throws at me, with the help of those who love and care for me.

I'm uploading this without really proofreading, so I apologize for any possible mistakes I may have made. Thank you for reading this far, and I hope that wherever you are, you never forget how precious and important you are in this world.

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Rockstar romance BL + second chances at love redemption arc

Given is based on a yaoi manga (that I didn’t much like) and an anime (that I never saw) but honestly I was happy to get any light BL from Japan in 2021.

Fortunately for me, GIVEN ended up being a stolid traditional live action yaoi of the kind that I’ve come to expect from Japan (when they don’t go dark). So we're talking in the arena of SEVEN DAYS. With the possible exception of the hair styles, this BL could have been made in 2015 and no one would be surprised.

GIVEN had a surprisingly happy and sweet final episode, my only issue was that this series was built on a “sing your feelings” chassis and this is one of my least favorite tropes. (But that’s my baggage, not theirs.)

It wasn’t ground breaking, but it didn’t disappoint either and I, for one, am super glad we got it when we did.

RECOMMENDED.

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Short review:
Mel Be's driving on the lost highway with Hippie riding shot gun and supplying the entertainment. We're the passengers in the backseat enjoying the ride. Every bloody minute of it.

If anything...The music wins all the points. Jesus, the best music I have ever heard. Hippie (Ken--lead actor wrote all the music, composed, and produced all the music himself for all of Hippie's music in U-Prince series).

Long Review:
Seriously, there should be a page just for the U-Prince's. Series reviews are weird to do. Out of ALL the U-Prince's this one is my FAVORITE.
Top 3:
1. CRAZY ARTIST
2. GENTLE VET
3. THE SINGLE LAWYER

I haven't watched all the U-Prince's. I am familiar with all the actors. I had put all the series on hold forever. I seemed to have watched the ones I hated, hence the reason I never stayed. *cough* geologist *cough*.

This story is a cool guy meets nerd girl and sparks fly and love is in the air. Most people are done and bored by it. I like it. I think for me, it's because I was a nerd in high school (all girls mind you). Yup, glasses and all. I was attracted to the bad boys. I had fantasies that I would be walking in my uniform and a guy in motorcycle would think I was hot and from there it would bam. Thinking back, it sounds creepy. But hey, I was 15. Anyway, this is the premise.

Again, for most it's a very boring trope. For me it's a safe trope. I love them. I was actually worried people would spew hate on it because of it being safe. However, as I was watching it...this was far from a safe trope. It was very powerful. Furthermore, what was interesting for me in the drama was also interesting for other people who might have found it boring.

It's a trope that was carried by absolutely great acting. The actors here had great chemistry. I bought into their relationship. I felt it. When they asked "Rewatch Value" ---> I rewatched episodes as I waited for episodes to be subbed. That already tells you how much rewatch value it has. I rewatched over and over and over again. That's how much chemistry they had.

This actress can cry up a storm. Those tears are fat ass tears. I have no idea where they come from. They're like rain storm tears. Jesus, so much so, she had me crying. You feel Mel Be's pain. The lead character Mel Be is sweet and analytical, but carries a soft and fanciful side to her.

Hippie, the Crazy Artist is her perfect polar opposite but balances her analytical side and they meet on this plane of equality where they both find mutual likes for different reasons. You'll note the planetarium date. There is a mutual meeting of minds and sharing of interests that bonds these two. She inspires him and makes him more spontaneous and she joins him on the adventure she provides the direction for.

It's great fun.

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This was Cute!

Second Chance was honestly a cup of tea I didn't think I needed. It took me a while to get into this series for some reason, so I finished the first episode in about a week, but then after that, it only took me a day to finish the rest. second Chance has a bit of a confusing plot, but the use of great actors, decent music, and driven relationships helps to circle this series into a good one.

Let's Dive In.

We won't hang long in production, they were as good as most BLs will get. I did like the very little use of sound effects, which is sometimes my problem with other series. Also, it was a nice change i seeing their uniforms be fancy than the button downs and kakis (I mean it was really only a blazer and the occasional sweater vest, but still).

Onto the plot. It had me at times really jumbled up, especially because of the opening scene. From my understanding, the opening scene happened in the present, and then most of the series is shown in the past. Now, where that opening scene plays in, I have no clue, which is why I kept wondering what the freak was going on. Other than that, I loved the plot. I liked each relationship and how they ended. They were all different in dynamic and it felt refreshing to see that they all had a decent amount of screen time (obviously Tong Fah and Paper had a bit more). Character development was also on point, I liked seeing Jeno's change more than anything, but the other characters grew very nicely as well. This story could've been even better if they didn't add BL-obsessed women. They weren't too bad, but they still were pretty annoying.

Usually I fall in love with the side couple more than the main couple, but here, I was very much wrapped in their relationship. I liked how they handled their emotions and how you could clearly read on their faces how they were feeling. Their relationship was a bit confusing, I think the premise of the title "Second Chance" was coming from Paper after Tong Fah's accident when I had personally thought it was going to come from Tong Fah after his fall in the pool, but that part of the story was choppy, Paper confused me a bit just because he clearly had feelings for Tong Fah, so him freaking out after the kiss (aka the most sensual shit I've ever seen) feels out of place. Maybe he was dealing with internalized homophobia? Scared of losing Tong Fah as a friend? I'm not all too sure, that part of their conflict was so unnecessary. The ending was beautiful, the emotions that gave off were so strong that it made my own self get a bit choked up. Tong and Fluke's acting was magical, I never really paid attention to Tong in Tharntype (but I dropped it so...) but here, he really showed off his ability to act so I hope we see so much more of him. Friends to Lovers wins again!!

Moving onto the secondary couples. Jeno and Chris were a really nice touch to the series. Jeno was being heavily bullied by his ex-boyfriend, where he would get cornered and beaten up (let's not talk about the irony with all those "don't bully" poster; and the excessive amount of them) so Chris was is savor (but so was Paper..?) Anyways, their relationship was cute. Jeno kind of being stand offish to Chris was getting kind of annoying. He likes you, he's being nice to you, what's the problem? Let's go back to that character development. It's obvious with Jeno since he becomes a shy and cowardly person to a tough and confident guy (with the help of Chris of course). Even Arthur (that son of a bitch) had nice character development. I mean, he's still a piece of shit but at least he tried somewhat going easier on Jeno. Their ending was nice as well (and a perfect kiss) I feel satisfied enough with this couple. Onto Near and M. Now for a while, I was so confused on what was going on. At first I was like, "oh look! A love triangle!" but no, it took me two episodes to realize they were two different people. Near and M were nice, they probably had the least amount of screen time, but their relationship was pretty cute. I also liked Near and Tong Fah's friendship. It showed a healthy relationship between guys, and I loved how they were their for one another. Anyways, coffee shop love, where can you go wrong? The two brothers did a really good job and Nine was decent.

Overall, this was a nice watch. It was super easy too and episodes went by like nothing. Maybe they'll make a second season, if they do, I want to see more of Near and M more than anything, just because I think that their relationship has so many more places it can go. I do recommend this series, it was a bit sad a times, but for the most part it was pretty fluffy and simplistic.

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A sad story camouflaged with vibrant colours and humour.

The first 20 minutes of the movie may seem comedic or light-hearted but it takes a drastic turn from the next 20 minutes. The movie highlights degrees of abuse in marriage and more.

Key Themes in the Movie:

Your happiness is dependent on yourself and what you like. - The movie highlights on how happiness comes from ourselves and not others even if the other person could be our husband or family. Yeo-rae and Bumsoo were both chasing happiness that came from others expectations, had they trusted themselves and found what they wanted to do they would of been more dependent on themselves in terms for their happiness.

Narcissistic husband on another level. - The mustache, the long hair and the shirt without collars. To top it up the portraits that resemble ancient Greek gods. Just a narcissist that has a god-complex, its not that he is competitive its just that he views himself so higher than others that he would rather die than lose. Yeo-rae being emotionally and physically in different ways by her narcissistic husband Jonathan. How he is controlling of everything she does to the extent that he knows what she says to herself on her own, when most likely no one could have heard her e.g. with the ostrich and how he then got her bags made out of ostrich leather.

Gas lighting and Control - A huge part of the movie, the Susans and Bob, just every part of Yeo-rae's life was controlled. If you think about it so was Bumsoo's with his families obsession and control to get into Seoul University,

Loneliness in materialism - Even the most rich are lonely and unhappy. Maybe Jonathan obsessed over Yeo-rae over the feeling of being lonely than betrayal? Yeo-rae being lonely even around all of the materialistic things that people would want but she was still alone and sad. It proves that even if you have everything under your feet, if you don't receive love you will be unhappy.

No matter the background everyone has their struggle - Look at Yeo-rae she was married rich but she was lonely and look at Bumsoo he came from a family that all got into Seoul University but him.

Indecisiveness and regret. - JUST MAKE A DECISION AND DON'T LINGER ON IT! Lingering is worse than regret, with regret you learn but with lingering onto something you don't learn or improve you just remain fixated.

Billionnaires and destroying nature - Nature will get its revenge lmao anyways it just another part of real life that is highlighted, illegally destroying nature for capital.

False representation of reality - Yeo-rae being happily married to a billionaire or the Jonathan world that was scene in the last scene compared to the reality.

Jonathan's Magic? - Even the most powerful and rich can disappear in the most absurd way, like Jonathan and the ostrich, that is just how life is. This could even be seen in real life events like recently with the millionaires stuck in the submarine that passed away.

Overall the movie highlighting real problems in the world in a vibrant and musical way, its very representative of the world. We all know that people are out there struggling, destroying the world and each other but just like the movie we ignore it and cover it with music and vibrancy to paint the total opposite of the reality. I personally thought this was an good movie, but I don't think I would watch it again the story-line is a bit too deep and dark if you think about it. Also with such a great cast I was expecting it would be something else like a light-hearted comedy similar to Extreme Job given that Lee Hanee and Gong Myoung are in it but I wasn't disappointed. Also Lee Sungkyun and Lee Hanne need to do more musicals if they aren't already!! Oh and just to add I liked the inclusion of old kpop songs, wonder if Rain really sang Yeo-raeism? XD.

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