Reviews

The warmer side of tepid

I was more partial to the main couple, but this is still a nice companion piece to the series it span off from, especially for people who wanted to see more of the second couple. It takes some some time and a lot of suspension of disbelief to see the actors as high school characters, but the characterization of the relationship is well drawn. Since this is a direct prequel there was only going to be one kind of ending, unless it was going to show parts from the series. If there was something that could have been shown a bit more is Dong Hee's relationship with the aunt which is a major reason he took himself out of the equation for as long as he did at the end. I really like the build up to the kiss with Ho Tae refusing to call Dong Hee hyung and how Dong Hee has offered to teach Ho Tae what ever he wanted, which leads to Ho Tae asking Dong Hee to teach him how to kiss leading to Dong Hee thinking caveating the teaching lesson with Ho Tae calling him hyung would stop him, but it only doubles down the tension when Ho Tae asks his hyung to teach him to kiss. Kudos to the writing.

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Sometimes you (and by you it might just mean me) are in mood for a drama that is calm and main plot is a straight forward romance. This is it, you cannot find a better drama than this. And as a bonus, there are real gems hidden here.

In the pretend relationship/contractual marriage genre, there are often almost sci-fi beginnings and silly reasons for the couple to form a quick attachment and proceed on with the plot and sheningans. Perfect and Casual is not an exception in this, however, it features a longer start and by the time we get to the wedding, there are some feelings developed and you are fully invested into the story.

That is mainly because of two factors - the actors playing the main couple have an incredible chemistry, they act around in each other naturally and the characters are very endearing. The other is that the writing, especially in the character of the grandfather, is done very well. He teaches his grandson to see Yun Shu's best qualities and her value, which Sinian realises and never compromises on. And it's just great to see how he holds her in equal regard as she holds him.

The plot overall is quite calm. The charm of this drama is in quiet conversations and every day life. The funny bits are not obnoxious, the other characters are entertaining and if you aren't interested in them that much, at least you get to scroll your phone guilt free. I also liked the way this drama was shot, especially the passages from the point of view of some characters/their imagination. It also has a nice tempo and the main couple is nicely balanced and switched on screen depending on which one of them is currently in higher need of attention. However, I had an issue with two characters that are introduced later on, as somewhat of a catalysts for the progress of the relationship of the main couple. I found their involvement in this scale somewhat unnecessary and repeated.

The music is nice but if you watch it on YouTube, one song is not used which results in muted parts of the drama. I also liked the wardrobe, especially Yun Shu's - which is repeated at first, since she has no money, and later on develops with her character. It was nice to see.

To be honest, Perfect and Casual blew me away, I enjoyed it so much that I stayed up for it until one in the morning during a workday (which I NEVER do - being a commuter that gets up at 5:20 - I learned my self-control the hard way and for this drama, I threw it away like a used napkin). I already rewatched my favourite parts and will probably come back to them often. This drama is worth your time.

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I decided to write a review because 8.2 is not high enough for this drama. I just think that many people don't seem to get it. This is not the kind of drama that would give you a satisfying conclusion, but rather a brutal depiction of reality. Some people might say that the show has no clear vision about what it was trying to convey. It might seem like that because the whole point of the show is about the meaning or actually meaninglessness of life. I was really surprised by the direction this drama takes, especially with Song Tae Ha's character development.

Try to take a look at history. When you live in an extremely corrupt society, the idea of changing the world usually ended up like what happened in this drama. The so called revolutionists are mostly like either Song Tae Ha, who was pretty much clueless about what to do, or who fell to the temptation of power.

In my opinion, Lee Dae Gil and Song Tae Ha represent the saddest members of the privilege middle class. They are two sides of the same coin. One was idealist when it comes to life meaning, but secretly feared that his life was actually meaningless. The other was a nihilist, but secretly still desired for life meaning. The reason why they hated each other was because of envy one another. It wasn't just because they shared the same love interest. Tae Ha envied Dae Gil for being able to accept the meaninglessness of life. To Tae Ha, Dae Gil was his worst nightmare. The one who exposed his biggest fear that all his struggle was meaningless, that he should just run away and live a peaceful simple life. A conversation with Dae Gil might lead to existential angst, which is why he hated this guy. On the other hand, Dae Gil envied Tae Ha that he could still see a meaning in his life, but he was mad at Tae Ha for not being able to abandon his quest for a meaningful life in exchange for a happy life with his family. Because Tae Ha had everything Dae Gil wished to have, but he kept choosing the other option.

At the beginning, Song Tae Ha appeared as a Gary Stu perfect gentleman, but he turned out to be the real embodiment of the uber-privilege upper middle class. While Dae Gil, too, represent the middle class. Their story are sad and fascinating, but their struggle was actually nothing compared to the slaves. Changing the world had to be about them, but the story of the group of revolutionary slaves are a mere subplot compares to the story of Dae Gil and Tae Ha. Tae Ha and the gang just kept talking about changing the world while nothing they had done actually changed anything. It was only right that these slaves who actually barely had any relation to the 2 leads to bring down the bad guy.

The more corrupt the society, the more you would find people like Dae Gil and Tae Ha. I had several friends who are just like Dae Gil. They told me exactly what Dae Gil had told Tae Ha about his silly idea of changing the world in the exact same manner that Dae Gil did. But even the slave, Eop Bok, chose what could be considered a stupid decision for the sake of giving meaning to his life and the life of his compatriots, never mind someone like Song Tae Ha who was told he was destined for great things. Perhaps running away to live w/ Jakgwi's group or abroad was really the best decision, but for Tae Ha, it was a humiliation, the last resort. Unfortunately, the way he said it I really really think he couldn't stand to live in Joseon any longer. He indeed said he despised the corrupt court too much.

The acting was great. Unfortunately, imo, Oh Ji Ho was simply overshadowed by Jang Hyuk. There are times when I think he had to be more intense. This made Dae Gil way more fascinating compared to Tae Ha, which, imo, not true. Tae Ha was actually an equally fascinating character if we don't include the Jang Hyuk factor into the equation. I actually can relate with Tae Ha better than Dae Gil.

Another complaint of mine is the show spend too much time with the side characters such as the jumos and the perverted painter. Those parts are boring which is why I don't give the story a perfect score.

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A robot in a love relationship? Is it even possible?

First and foremost, there are two kinds of a basic robot, one has the capacity to learn and grow (AI / Artifical Intelligent); the other operates on a pre-set and non-learning program. The former is the robot here.

Another first plot for a Taiwanese BL, they are really breaking grounds.

We have to understand that the basic of a robot-AI is that it is like a child starting to learn on top of the what was initially designed/uploaded into the system. Yes, there will be awkward acting because of this; but it is cuuuuuuute! Early on you can see who got into who first, but the question remains, can it be reciprocated, returned? Robots' based on the action and reaction on their programming and it learns from the action and reaction of the people it interacts with. It also learns from the situations and it experience it.

To a degree, this is a late coming of age story. LOL

As for the story itself, when a man who is used to be alone and doing stuffs by himself suddenly had a companion, an AI. For someone who is not used being taken care of, it is very easy for him to think of the AI more than its purpose. Be that as it may, the question now is, can the AI learn to feel anything? Is it even part of its programming? That is the allure of this series, the questions.

Visuals of the actors cannot be denied; couple with the aesthetic interior and architecture make things way easier to the eyes.

As this plot is something new, expect that this will not be perfect and will be opportunities to improve. But like I said earlier, this is another first for Taiwnese BL.

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You know when a drama is good when there is strong chemistry. Pinocchio had such strong chemistry among its characters. It was very genuine, but what hit me right in the feels was the brotherly chemistry between Ki Ha Myung and Ki Jae Myung. Their scenes are what this show is all about. The train of feels never stopped. Every scene they had together brought a tear to my eye.

The moral of the story was so powerful, something that exists in our everyday life. It shows you how bad reporting can influence lives and destroy them. This drama opened my eyes to things I didn’t realize before, and I started asking myself questions. Is everything on the television is true, who is behind all this, why this and why that… Pinocchio teaches you that truth should always come first no matter what might happen. It teaches you the true meaning of reporting and the definition of a good reporter.

It’s a good show, although sometimes I wanted to smack the hell out of the writer. It had some weak moments, but overall it’s such a good drama with a great message.

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Dazed and confused.

This had two parts for me: the end and all the rest.
The first six episodes were so lovely, the definition of short and sweet. It's the tried and true trope of the rich boss not realising he loves his assistant. Like in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim... except you laugh more because - hey! of course he's clueless, he's a cat! I loved all his little Felin behaviours and the way his K9 friend was such a tail wagging dog even as a human. I loved the FL, she was so loving and cute.
The story was great, all the cats on set were adorable, the guys were all good looking and everything was moving nicely towards a happy ending... untill the last episode.
Suddenly out of nowhere there's a complication and I don't even know if it wasn't a happy ending, after all. It was a very confusing end, almost like they are wanting to make another season, but with no mention of one yet.
All in all, it was a very nice filler between longer dramas and I recommend it to anyone that can live without the Classic Holywood Happy Ever After. And to all cat lovers!

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Definitely worth your time!

One of my favourite dramas this year. Because of the pandemic, I've watched so many dramas this year, both Korean and Chinese. So many I couldn't get past the first 3 eps... This is a quality Chinese drama, apart from those childish lovey romance dramas that China has been producing so many recently. Story, script and characters are well-written. Very relatable and realistic. The mood and the direction of this drama is great, very classy yet heartwarming when needed. All 3 female leads acted very well. Especially loved the girl friendships between the 3 ladies. Definitely worth your time!

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Who does she pick?

I planned to watch the first two episodes and hours later I had finished all 15 of the available episodes in one sitting. It is binge worthy. I wasn't a fan of Yang Zi's dramas but this one is a standout drama for her. She doesn't act too immature and the role suits her well. Initially she is a man but her true form is of course all woman :). She is an orphan who is a brassy village physician who can be petty at times in a humorous way. Her true background is a princess who had a deep childhood connection with Cang Xuan, they become separated during childhood. She later encounters the MLs, one she nurses back to health from the torture he endured; the other is a nine tailed demon who drinks her blood to replenish his health, and the other childhood love is her frenemy.

Each ML has a different romantic relationship with her and has a compelling enough personality, you become invested in them . What I thought was unique about this is she doesn't become committed to her one true love. She acknowledges the complexities in attraction and bond to other love interests such as Xiang Liu who was pretty abusive towards her in the beginning but that is the draw of bad boys. At first, I wasn't really feeling it with Xiang Liu with the FL but it really develops later on. The boat scene between them where he poses as a woman so the FL could let her guard down makes your heart flutter a bit. I saw the trailers for future episodes of future interactions between them, Xiang Liu flirts and sucks her into his web.

Cang Xuan is really handsome and the actor does such a good job portraying the longing he had for her. Just looking at him in those scenes is enough to send butterflies everywhere. He is really good in his role with the complexity of his character, you never got the sense he was a straight up good guy but had a combination of self interest, darkness, and thirst for power. He probably isn't good for the FL either, his attraction for her really develops after she transitions back to her original gender and he sees her beauty when she is back to her true form. Why couldn't he love her in that way before? The other two MLs developed their love for her before they saw her true form.

It may of been intentional of the story, as a viewer I found myself drawn all over the place to the different relationships between the FL and the three MLs. You just couldn't commit to one, I guess its good to be a player!

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When i saw a movie recommendation on Youtube with the title "She's Dating the Gangster" i thought it would be another cheesy romantic comedy (since i have seen a lot of philippine youth movies) but darn it.It actually surprised me since it was MORE THAN THAT! It is such a lovely, beautiful, smart and heartbreaking love-story that makes you shed hundred of tears by the end. It was my first time watching Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo on-screen and wow what a GREAT chemistry they have! And both portrayed their characters perfectly! Their characters Athena and Kenji are to die for, i love how selfless they are and how Kenji becomes the man he was supposed to be by the end....but deep down he will always be Athena`s gangster. As we all young woman would wish for our own gangster someday.

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This show had the potential to be so much more

I feel like the story was cute but it was honestly... kind of boring. Though, it was nice to see In-soo's and Sang-yi's relationship develop over time. A problem with the show is that it had the signature 10-minute-long episodes like all other Korean BL dramas (or at least high-production ones). It made the show feel too rushed. There wasn't enough time for the plot or proper development. I have to admit I feel like the episodes got a little worse over time and the ending was quite underwhelming.

The acting was okay for a short drama. I have to admit I kind of fell for Lee Sang's acting. He did an amazing role portraying Sang-yi and was great at expressing his emotions. Even though I don't know much about acting, I was touched by his ability to act like this, especially when it's his first main role. Admittedly though, the general acting level in the show was kind of subpar. Lee Sang did a better job acting than Kang In Soo (but, to be fair, it was his first acting role).

Music-wise, it's evident that music had a big impact on the storyline. The songs were good and I have all the songs from the OST on my playlist. But (as mentioned before) when the episodes are so short, the music just fills up too much of the story. At least 3 out of every 10-minute episode would be a song, which only gave time for 7 minutes of plot. And that honestly just isn't enough when there are only 8 episodes. As much as I love the song "Wish You" it also got overplayed a great deal.

Overall, the show was okay. I just wish it had been more... complete? If you are interested, go for it since it's so short. You could binge it all in one evening (or wait for the movie version to come out).

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Fuck I'm in love

I've watched so many bls that at this point they just don't give me butterflies anymore. But this sure did.
The cast was everything like Michi and Meguro stole my heart. And lets talk about Aida and Hashimoto. They were the cutest too
Such an unproblematic drama. No darkness Everything's just so pretty and peaceful.
I can see how everyone's so head over heels for Aoki.. I mean he's is a walking piece of drama. And his smile so freaking contagious.. Always too expressive. But not gonna lie he's also the epitome of second hand embarrassment. Like bro really made my anxious ass pause watching every now and then to get over the embarrassment he brings to himself lol.
But Ida ? please Ida's undoubtedly my favourite boy. He's the best boy and the nicest boyfie. Ughh someone get me one Ida please. The way he slowly fell for Aoki was so mesmerizing. So dense yet so understand. Not expressive yet always there for everyone. My precious little boy ☹️?
The second lead was really great too. But this time it was the first lead for me ngl. Everything was perfect.. Visuals, story, music, friendship, growth. Lets wait and hope for season 2

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ONE OF THE BEST BL SERIES TO EVER BE MADE!!

Okay so ive never written a review which will probably be pretty obvious once you read this.... So,
THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THIS DRAMA
*Enemies to lovers plot done right:- This is probably one of the very few dramas that has the enemies to lovers trope but has been executed so well. Theres no kind of toxic relationships here and every kind of relationship is done right
*LOVE:- One of the things that I really like about this drama is that they potray a very healthy way of all kinds of love and relationship; whether it may be romantic, platonic, friendship or relationship with parents
*ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY:- This drama is definitely not made for the straight cis girls who fetishize on gay relationships. From the earlier episodes its very clear that is bl is not like other ones where there's almost no plot and a lot of unnecessary NC scenes. Neither pat not pran identify as straight but only like the other person kind of thing
I mean what else can you expect when a queer person directs a story about queer people ;) This is why you should never let straight people write/direct stories about gay people
*CLICHÉS DONE RIGHT:- This is one of the best parts,
No evil ex girlfriend trying to win her boyfriend back trope
No unnecessary angst where the instead of communicating, they break up
A very healthy and cute gl couple
No fujoshi girls who keep screaming their throats out each time either of the MLs are next to each other
A very realistic representation of 2 people in love
No hetronormative shit about calling each other husband and wife or 'I'll make you my wife'
No ' im straight but you are the only guy i like'
Infact they even acknowledge gay bisexual and pansexuality as a thing
Communication is the key; pat and pran are the most healthiest BL couple (or any couple for that matter) I've ever seen

*ACTING:- There's absolutely no doubt that ohm and nanon are one of the best actors in gmmtv but seriously they have st the bars way too high for the future bl series. They sync together so well and have out of the world kind of chemistry. Even though its Nanon's first BL he still mansges to outshine himself especially in the emotional scenes.i think for me one of the best scenes from the drama is the bed scene from ep4 where pran acknowledges his unrequited love for pat and how the tears flow out of him... that was exceptionally done and ofcourse the rooftop scene from ep5. No doubt that scene will forever be iconic. Both ohm and Nanon are amazing. And obviously the director p'Aof, he's my favourite director since bad buddy. The way he directed this series to become one of the best BLs to ever be made is fascinating

*One thing that i wish could've been a lil bit more better is INKPA, dont get me wrong, my sapphic heart loves them and im really happy to finally get a gl storyline in a BL series but I feel like they could have been explored more... Even then I'm absolutely living for them

*Another thing that i liked was waikorn. I like how in the they were not a couple(though many people might think otherwise) Because that could have been a not so healthy relation considering their dynamic during the earlier episodes, so its really nice to see them evolve as characters to a point that they become best friends and colleagues even and start a bar togther but not to a point that they become romantically involved and that even though they have their respective girlfriends they still love each other platonically. Personally i think it was beautifully done

*THE PARENTS: I agree that most of patpran's relationship issues were their parents and it was definitely not fair for the parents to make their kids suffer because of their mistakes. But i like how in the end even if their issues were not completely solved they still kind of came in terms with it. It wasnt like just because its the last episode, the parents were all happy suddenly and that all issues were resolved. I know that the was a 4 year gap but their issues have existed for more than a decade of two, its not something that can be resolved in the blink of an eye. But after four years both the parents have learned to chose love for their sons over hate for each other and thats beautiful. When pran's mother gave him the guitar at the last episode, it was her way of letting him know that she cant control him anymore and that she trying and learn to be happy with his choices and the person he chooses to be with. Similarly when pat's father kept those letters in their mailbox, he was taking a step towards easing their issues and understood that their sons have taken a decision; they can either choose to be angry and hateful and eventually lose them or be happy for them. Although either of them are not yet the happy go kind of parents yet, they're still trying to come in terms with it and thats betterthan nothing right? I thing thats beautiful and very realistic portrayal



Tl;dr ---> In a nutshel this drama is perfect and everything you'd want to expect from a BL series, its a fluffy and cute BL with lots of emotion, fun and chemistry
If youre still planning of whether or not to watch it, I'd say go for it, its definitely one hell of a ride!
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A true work of art

This series took me completely by surprise. I enjoy watching BL's and I understand they come with this 'label' that involves many clichés we have grown used to and even look forward to, but ITSAY went above and beyond. It does not need or deserve simplistic labels, it is a work of art. The story is beautiful and senstive and follos a perfect pace.

I am in love with the OST and cannot stop listening to it.

A massive production where actors has to learn so much beyond acting the emotion. I am in love with Billkin and PP and their acting. PP is so expressive, they have such an amazing dynamic and it is really sweet to know they are close in real life, because I love knowing sets had a good vibe instead of those sad stories where you find out your favorite due hated one another despite amazing chemistry.

I truly hope season 2 does this justice.

As an actress myself I was very interested in the documentary (and recommend it to all fans of the show) and felt so nostalgy of workshops and movie sets (during the pandemic here in Brazil it is nearly impossible to work on lo budget or independent productions safely). I was so moved by the attention to detail...the way the coaches directed the actors in the very first workshop, to how amazingly sentitive the directly is in his director...I am blown away and breathless. I wish I could work ith Boss one day and have that experience, omg. Every direction he gave was alays caring and attention, he never lost his temper, he was alays on point, directing even movements that made the longing between the two characters all the more palpable, choosing scenes to reshoot that gained so much from his observations. I have no words.

I wish to see more and more from them and amazing careers because they deserve it.

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I watched this drama because of Park Shin-yang..but I also gained Ryu Soo-young.. *giggling*

This is a light black-satire drama for me. Talking about how injustice has infiltrate the justice system. Talking about establishing the justice and defending the righteousness.

Simple idea converted into a great performance. The cast's acting are great, the cases are interesting too. It turns out that some of them are really happening in reality. A great drama with minimum love-story. I have mistaken couple times in guessing the story line.

One little minus point perhaps about cast plot that haven't been considered well. Kim Dong Jung role and character. His role is kind of useless and there are no progress on his character too.

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