Reviews

A reflection on misgendering and gender roles in queer relationships.

Despite the hanging threads and loose ends, this miniseries does a decent job of highlighting queer issues that aren't often discussed through a queer lens in dramas.

Ah Young discovering and coming into her sexuality is a tale as old as time, but through Yoon's thoughts we see another side of the story. Yoon presents as androgynous and is often misgendered as a result; even partners expect her to act "like a man" in their relationship. Although there is too little time to properly explore the topic through the course of these short episodes, we are shown the effect this has on someone who just wants to be seen and accepted for who she is.

Both characters are easy to sympathize with, but I couldn't help putting myself into Ah Young's shoes and being frustrated on her behalf. She is just trying to do her job and figure out why her manager is playing around with her all the time. The lack of effective communication that comes across as mind games really put a damper on my enjoyment of the story because the ending didn't provide satisfying closure.

If you're a fan of the "cool lead picks on the sweet lead to show their feelings" trope, you'll probably wind up liking this. Even through the lack of communication, they do have some very cute moments together by the end. It's definitely worth checking out!

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What can I say? I just really enjoyed it

Is this drama the greatest drama out there? No. But unironically I just really enjoyed it. I looked forward to thursdays because I had this silly (affectionate) little drama that made me happy once a week.

I went into it with no expectations, knowing not really much about it and when I saw Viki had picked it up I thought why not give it ago (especially since it's very rare for Japanese dramas to get picked up by a streaming service in my country) and I'm glad I did because I found this special little drama. It gave me a similar feeling I felt when I watched Prince of Legend but there was something about this drama that personally I liked just a little bit more.

I really love the message that appearance isn't everything. That kindness can be something that makes you "cool". Ryoma became a character I really came to love because of his kindness and the way he cared so much about those around him. I loved how each of the "traditionally attractive" cool boys all had different and interesting sides to them and we got to explore their stories outside of their appearance/being a cool boy. I loved the bonds that they had formed with each other by the end.

If you're looking for something fun to watch, something to pass the time, something that doesn't take itself seriously I totally recommend this drama!

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HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO MOVE ON? Li Xun and Zhu Yun will forever hold my heart. <3

I am not the best at writing reviews, so I rarely write them. But I’m going to do my best to tell you that this is probably one of the best Dramas out there.

Summary: Li Xun and Zhu Yun meet at university. Li Xun is cold, and withdrawn to everyone but strangely not to Zhu Yun. Zhu Yun and Li Xun have a friendly rivalry, and with time it’s obvious that Zhu Yun affects Li Xun unlike anyone else. From there on work together, they make plans, and dream big dreams and even fall for each other in the process. But just when everything was going great tragedy strikes. Because dramas just like real life are tumultuous affairs.

What did I love most about this drama?
- The Chemistry between Chen Fei Yu and Zhang Jingyi. They lit up the screen any time they were together.
Both the leads have done a fantastic job, there was never a dull moment with them. Chen Fei yu blew me away with his acting, every small micro expression told a story. He’s an actor I’d like to watch more of. Zhang Jingyi was amazing in her own right, she was Zhu Yun, I could feel the earnestness of her character, again I’m definitely going to watch more of her work.

I saw a lot of comments that said the first 20 or so episodes were boring, if you’re looking for drama, action, massive plot changes it’s not in the first 20 episodes. The first 20 episodes are uplifting, they are funny, they are adorable, they are the meat of the storyline. If you skip the first 20 episodes you will miss out on everything. You won’t get to see Zhu Yun and Li Xun fall in love, grow up together, make a bond that is unbreakable. And if you miss out on the first twenty episode you won’t get to correctly experience the raw pain, the angst that would follow those episodes.

All in all, I can only say that you will regret missing out on L&P. So give it a watch because you will not regret it.
But I warn you this show, it’s not one that’s easy to move on from. The show, the soundtrack, the characters they’ll stay in your head rent free for many years to come!

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Cut But Kinda Cringey Then It Become Dull...

Cute, but a bit cringey in its first half. Unfortunately, I was so bored and uninterested in its second half.

Xia Hao fell for Yu Xi a bit too fast in my opinion. His attraction was kinda out-of-nowhere too. One minute, he hated him. The next, he likes him, putting in so much effort to chase him. And his personality did like a complete 180, pass the point of believability. It's so awkward and cringey seeing him act all cute, love-dovey and over-the-top because he is 'in love' with Yu Xi. Sun Bo Xiang and Lu Zhi Gang's relationship was also too quick in my opinion and I didn't care for them. Both relationships quickly get dull and stale as there is no conflict or tension. Nothing to build towards.

And of course, there's the standard "I don't like guy. I just like _____" which is plentiful in BL series unfortunately.

Lu Zhi Gang has good intentions as he probably sees Yu Xi as a little brother, but what he did by telling Xia Hao off is selfish. Ultimately, it should be Yu Xi who decides whether or not he wants love in his life, not some outsider. And Yu Xi still studies hard and he will no doubt he able to continue to achieve high marks. Maybe with love in his life, he will feel even more motivated to do well in school. And he's happy. Happier than he was when he was alone. That must count for something.

It's so stupid for Xia Hao and Yu Xi to make out on the couch in the living room with the possibility of Xia's family coming in anytime. It's just so dumb and unrealistic.

I thought that being gay was legal in Taiwan. Why did Yu Xi get in trouble at school for going to a gay bar? And why didn't Xia Hao blame the person who the photo was from? Especially since that person is friends with his ex-girlfriend.

The infamous ending. I was initially expecting that Xia Hao wasn't going to get into a top 5 university to be honest, but when he did, I knew that one of the main characters probably died. To be honest, I enjoyed the ending. It was interesting and brought something new and different to the series, especially since I was quite bored during the second half. Not sure what the purpose of the inclusion of a Yu Xi doppelganger was though. And Xia Hao became straight with a possible female love interest. Ugh. And he reaffirmed that he didn't like guys, only Yu Xi. Ugh.

On a side note, Wayne Song (Xiang Hao Ting) is absolutely beautiful though! Probably the best-looking BL actor I've seen thus far! His hair! His cheekbones! His jawline! Stunning!

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Best BL

Perfect drama to watch. Best part is portraying true love without any vulgarity. We can feel all emotions along with leads without any words. First romantic drama in which drama leads doesn't said their feelings for each other through words but prove themself. Worth it to binge watching. I will definitely re-watch it.. Such a great story and casting. The story remains very unique from other usual BL. Each character in the drama made justice to thier role. This is my first time to write review so I don't know how to express about but am sure you won't be disappointed by watching this.. Hope this review will help some.. 🙂

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My review for each section of this series is based on the following criteria:
- Did it add anything to the original series
- Was there either an absence, advance, or regression of character/couple development
- Was the story concept interesting
- Script quality

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

This section was consistent with some of the positive and negative aspects of the main series. It was cute and mostly enjoyable. However, once again the script was poorly developed. It also felt like a story regression. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. It seemed that the two episodes were meant to be part of the main series but was edited out because they wanted, or needed, another couple for Our Skyys 2. Yes, it was very cute to watch but it didn’t add anything to the main storyline.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

The story concept for this section does not make sense. It would have if the script had written Gun’s management style in the main series similar to what was shown in this section. You briefly see it in the first episode but it quickly disappeared afterwards.

Why did we have to wait for this section to actually see Cher make one of his ASMR channel videos?

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Great movie but it lacks in some aspects

For all the fans of South Korea vs North Korea movies, I’m sad to tell you that this is not the movie you are waiting for. Don’t get the wrong idea, the movie is pretty good but you would not see the NK vs SK fight you have seen on the first movie. In fact, this movie has nothing to do with the first one.
Here you will see a strange relationship between the leaders of NK, SK & USA which pull apart their differences for their common benefit. This means that the main theme of the movie is not the rivalry between the Koreas (although it takes an important part on the story), but the chase for supremacy on the East Sea (China & Japan get also involved).
The movie itself is good and entertaining, but let me tell you that the first hour and maybe a bit more is somehow boring. The first 30 minutes are only used to set the theme and the complicated relations between the rivals, which for my point of view, is something that can be done on a drama and not on a military / thriller movie. Nevertheless the movie gets really good at the final part which makes it worth to watch.
Actors, everyone played the role well, there is no discussion on that I would only talk about the characters they represent. The US president is used to bring some fun to the movie (old trick, many K-Movies have already used it and mocked the US). I would have preferred to have a more balanced character that let me laugh to some point but then play an important role in the movie.
DPRK “Chairmain”, it was well played, it was not shown as a jerk, but as a pragmatic leader that is able to construct bridges. The only critic is that he was a slim & fit guy (played by Yoo Yeon Seok), so c’mon! Make him at least slightly chubby! The leader was fat on the first, make him somehow similar on the second movie! (This is not against the actor, but agains the writer / director)
Finally the ROK president. Really good interpretation, the only thing is that he always appeared after the other two and I would have loved seeing him as someone that takes the lead from the first minute of the movie (this only happens in the end). Maybe the writer wanted to show something through the character, as a foreigner IDK.
Overall, if you are able to go through the first half without dropping, you will see that the effort is worth it. The movie will not disappoint you. If, again, you came here only looking for a sequel of the first movie, well, this is not for you.
Hope you all enjoy it!

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So not really your story following friends. Not even the traditional story of lovey dovey couples and happy, or even dramatic, endings. No.

What this series was was a non-traditional (for dramas of this class) look at life as affected by social media. SM played a crucial role in each and every life in this series, as it does today. How many of us are not affected by Twitter, InstaGram, Facebook, Line, YouTube and Tinder? How many of us do not live on these media and don't even know our next door neighbour?

A little dramatic at times, the characters are totally relatable in our modern context. The fact that they are University students and a little more mature than the other dramas being based in High School was quite a plus.

Again, I must hand it to the Thai's: they have product placement down. This time the adverts, ahm I mean product placements, were not quite as annoyingly placed as other drams which shall go unmentioned, but they are still quite noticeable. Good job though!

All in all a good drama to keep you busy in the downtime between Tweets, IMs, Lines and such. Well worth the watch!

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Enjoyable but not the best

Man oh man do I love me a good Park Min Young Drama. This is my 3rd one from her and each one that I watched I quite enjoyed.
The storyline was simple so it didn't take a lot of brain cells to enjoy. It's a good palette refresher in between more heavy dramas. One of the negative points would be (and I saw this mentioned in another review) that the show could've ended 2 to 3 episodes before the actual end. I think there were a lot of "pointless" things added at the end and the show would've been fine ending on episode 13. I also think that the storyline was a little too predictable that's why I think that it should've ended sooner.
The actors (in my opinion) all did an excellent job and I don't believe there was any miscast in this drama. Loved the chemistry between the two ML. I think that Kim Sun Young did a fantastic job in her role.
I don't see a rewatch value as this was pretty much a one-time watch for me, as is most romantic dramas.
Overall I still recommend this drama as you can still enjoy it.

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Gotta blame it on

What were we expecting. The title was nevertheless still I kept rooting that the obvious won't happen. How was it? Fine really, and while I say this I absolutely am not bothered by the theories out there. We have two great characters who seem to have this undeniable chemistry behind closed curtains. But guess what one is not interested or keen on making it exclusive. Relatable,yeah if you read many contemporary novels, it is. What I've figured in my short life is that we have no right to label love. The kind jae on bears for Na bi or any other kind. How is it realistic? Only in one way, that is the non committed part, the flaws within people, kind of messed up values and ideas we decide to live our lives with. Then why did I rate it 6.5? The poor depiction of the guy we call potato and is mainly there for the sake of Na bi. I also felt the plot was weak and not sincere enough to be gripping. It's hard to name it under an available genre except young adult.As a webnovel adaptation which have so many fans, how did it go wrong? No it didn't. It was always going to be end this way. They did the best they could. The hell bent idea of a perfect happy ending. They got together but was it a happy ending. No it wasn't. Their inner voices seem to tell it in the end. And just for the sake of prosecution which I felt was really necessary for Jae on, he hasn't changed. People rarely do. As for Na bi, she's not stupid or dumb but a girl who is just stuck upon a guy. So my suggestion is go all in without expectations, it's not going to fulfill your ideals but is sure to leave an impression even if you end up hating it.

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Ok watch

Good acting, good attempt at trying to highlight an ongoing issue with waste management. But there were some huge holes in the script. Writers should consult real police to understand the LE operation. It would help make the show more realistic.
Spoiler: No detective allows a civilian to remain in a area where there may be possible evidence. There is now way when a suspect is being interviewed that a civilian is there as well. So many errors, in moving from night to day scenes. Seems as though the police force works around the clock and are always on duty when a crime occurs.

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this show DID IT!!!!!!

when i first heard of this show i was extremely skeptical- okay girlboss and a boss-employee relationship w a 12 year age gap ??? there's no fucking way they can make this work in a way that is also healthy, appropriate and doesn't cross boundaries, it's impossible................... and then i watched it....

it proved me wrong.... SOOOO wrong. to be fair i also was hot off the heels of watching 'use for my talent' which was basically just constant workplace sexual harassment and abuse and was unbearable. i have some level of just turning my brain off and being able to watch toxic stupid shit in dramas if some other factor is making me continue (shen yue is just tooooo cute) but it was truly impossible to watch after a certain point. so i just didn't believe that any c-drama could make it work....

BUT RATIONAL LIFE!!!! DID IT!!!!! their relationship really feels like it does and can work by the end, and they treat each other with such respect and care and learn together. the show honestly in general is just really lovely in tone- able to show real life issues and genuine conflicts without feeling like cheap dramatics or feeling too 'dark and gritty reality.' instead the tone is able to keep this lightness and positivity that's rooted in the reality of the show. serious issues are treated with severity, but it never drags you down, the slice of life aspect also never really gets boring, and is still engaging. Conflicts never feel senseless, like you understand where everyone is coming from, and how all people are affected by patriarchy and societal pressure, even when there is a right and wrong. the villains are treated sympathetically, but aren't forgiven and are rightfully punished. but there's no gleeful vengeance either and just feels a little sad, like the realities of life and the cost of their actions. it really feels like the writers really care about talking about these issues and creating a really positive impact.

i really loved the way they talk about modern issues, especially on what women face in the workplace. they have an extremely clear stance and message against misogyny and yet even though ruoxin is technically a girlboss, there's no lame over the top girl boss WINS!!! type of tasteless vibe that you often get in many other shows, especially US ones, which ends up just feeling like cheap pandering to be relevant. it's never shown as the greatest achievement, ruoxin isn't incredible because she's a boss and a girl, but because of her skills and abilities- we admire her the most when she's problem solving and getting herself out of sticky situations with so much finesse. she starts the show incredibly ambitious and seemingly cold and rational, fully fixated on work, but is also clearly depressed and lonely and living unhealthily. throughout the show her actions are based in surviving in the company, not mindlessly valuing career achievement. full dedication to work is shown as a clear flaw, and they do such a wonderful job showing us her learning slowly and naturally throughout the series. in the end she does attain the highest position at their branch, and obvi in universe it's her moving up in her career, but NArratively, the writers are rewarding her with a high position and career achievement not BECAUSE of her being hard working, but because she learned balance! how to appreciate her life fully and enjoy it outside of work!!!!!!! it's a reward that feels earned because she finally took the right steps to be happy!!!

and the relationship!!! is so good!! so sweet!! it's super super slow burn which is the only way to do a big age gap boss employee relationship imo. they spend most of the show as a very proper and healthy boss-employee relationship. she's a really good boss who never acts inappropriately towards him and respects him fully. while he gets a crush on her pretty early, their feelings develop and deepen slowly over time, from being together everyday, understanding each other, admiring each other, making it through all their obstacles together as a team, and just making each other happy!! while the very clear boss/employee, mentor/mentee dynamic is still in effect for most of the show, it's only at the very end that it develops to a point where the romance feels clear and real- the time this takes is necessary! it really comes in the form of qi xiao taking care of her, teaching her to take care of herself and about what really matters in life, which is so necessary in making the relationship feel like that amongst equals. and then as soon as they get together he resigns and they end their boss employee relationship to be partners.... i know the bar is low but thank GOD for this show. and then after they get together i really liked them working through their issues together too, there's not much time, maybe about 10 episodes of this? but it's still nice that the show was able to at least introduce some conflicts they would have based on their age gap, former power imbalance, and both their personalities, as well as how they would work through it together. truly it shows how far they've come when we see her taking a day off work to be his assistant at the end..... that got me so bad.....

ok onto all the side plots!! i love how they dealt with ruoxin and xu zong's relationship a lot actually! it's so good to see them fully show us that her young and attractive boss pulling all the typical things in dramas (buying her fancy things, manipulating and lying to her to get her to go on dates, etc) was clearly inappropriate and wrong- when this is the norm and considered super romantic in other shows. and yet xu zong also wasn't shown to be some evil monster either, and could still be a good boss outside of those actions. i like seeing that a 'good' man who can respect ruoxin and values her first and foremost as his right hand, can still cross boundaries and be in the wrong. they end the show with a healthy boss-employee relationship and maintained really clear boundaries, which i really appreciate and enjoyed seeing.

i really loved ziyan and zou cheng's storyline too, it's rare to see a show give us such deep issues that feel fully unresolvable, as in they are different people who want different things in life, and yet still show us that they were both able to learn while they were separated, and come back together. ziyan's full journey was such a joy to see! i really enjoyed su yang's storyline too, especially since i'm also an illustrator and they got his struggles down SO accurately. i like what they used his character to say a lot, but i also found him unbearable at times because i hate his attitude and how much work you sijia had to constantly put into their relationship, when he rarely did anything at all for her! i truly could not understand why she would like him at all.... makes no sense.... my only real critique of the show is their relationship. i also don't love how things with ruoxin's mom are resolved in terms of ruoxin learning how much she sacrificed and then being willing to try more. i wish her mom was already a much better mom than how she was in the beginning at that point. tbh god bless qi xiao's mom basically single handedly making ruoxin's mom change for the better.

all in all, this is my perfect comfort show and i highly recommend it! engaging and real, yet still hopeful and positive, with so much love and kindness between the characters, and real care given by the writers. modern dramas aren't my thing and i've seen like, 10, but this is 10000% the best one that i've seen.

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Kinda similar to MOUSE in terms of thrilling and the dark of the story with a psychopath mind, yet blind gives us a whole different story with each characters and connection between them, especially the mastermind behind all of it.

Acting and casts are both super powerful and really support the whole story, though at first you might be confused on who is who and the relationship of them. Shout out to Taecyeon, Ha SeokJin and Eunji in playing and becoming one with the character really well, and to Park JiBin as well, you acting is definitely outstanding.

The music really support the suspense and thrilling moment of the drama, especially the opening and ending OST, you will realize since the opening OST that this drama will be one of a heavy drama to watch.

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Eh

I think someone said it already, but yes, the highlight of this series was the height difference, and yes, I am that shallow. I'm not going to harp on this series too much because it obviously didn't have a big budget, nor did it have credible actors. But for what it's worth, I think it actually wasn't that bad for the budget it was given.

Let's Dive In.

The premise of the show is decent. It's actually pretty well thought out and somewhat original. It takes itself off coarse many times due to the lack of a coherent script and actors who can dish it out. But again, for what it's worth, it's not that bad.

The romance is eh. Their height difference carried me to the end for sure. I did enjoy their little face-painting thing, and the interview at the end was cute. Outside of those moments, everything else was okay. Pete's acting is stale and Tonliew's is mediocre. They have zero connection, and only a pinch of chemistry at the end.

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - Okay. Good in some parts and bad in others.

Acting: 7/10 - Eh. They were new actors so I'll give them some leeway, but I've seen better. Tonliew was probably their strongest actor.

Music: 5/10 - I don't remember.

Rewatch Value: 2/10 - Maybe any time Putter is looming over Yoshi like a tower. Other than that, probably not.

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