This review may contain spoilers
Round of applause
I am thouroughly impressed by this seemingly unrelevant webseries.The first meeting at the grocery store was memorable, both of them having peepees on their masks, not being able to take their eyes off of each other. Immediately after, they can't stop thinking about each other. I think that is the feeling one has when they meet their soulmate.
And from then on it just took off. Trying to meet in a pandemic, using lost medication as an excuse. Technical difficulties that almost caused heartbreak. And despite it all, still being able to meet, keep in contact through social media and text. The whole plot was done in a way that makes you keep watching.
I'm also glad they didn't take away the emotional toll this pandemic has had on everyone. From Key talking to a cardboard cutout, to Chen's sister having a serious breakdown. It shows how we all just felt the pent-up feelings, and with the added stress of this god forsaken lockdown, things exploded. And that is a good thing. Chen's relationship with his sister changed for the better. They grew.
This being said, the last episode, the explanation of this title, has got to be my absolute fave. The sudden sleepover, the fun challenges, the tension. The monologue, the kiss, the vibe in its entirety. It felt so complete.
This whole story just gives me a warm feeling inside. Despite the challenges, the love we have for each other and for ourselves will get us where we need to be.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
watch it for leads not for story but overall forgettable
After long i watched 8+ rated show with plot that made no sense from start to finishI see lot of people bothered about how ML fell in love with someone who has face of a sister. Thats not a major problem at all. He had not seen his sister after she grew up and he came across that face only after she was dead.
Major problem of this drama is how disconnected the PLOT is and how the characters are.
1. FL thinks ML loved her doppleganger initially but has no qualms to hug him kiss him within few days. Like what! people would think twice if ML really loves her or her face!
2. ML and his intention of getting FL to his house and when everything is revealed hardly anything changes. ML could have just solved everything without involving FL.
3. There is no proper character arc. FL is artist but is good at being CEO within a day. i wish i was that smart.
4. ML changes from cold ,abusive person to sweetest within seconds after FL declares she will protect him . lol
5. There is literally no emotional scenes between ML and FL before she falls in love. She doesnt know anything about him. It really looks like Stockholm syndrome not a love story.
This show has too many unbelievable things that it becomes a comedy . I guess it became quite famous because of ML and their steamy scenes & macho scenes but if there is no proper base for characters and their relationship it hardly effects long time . I would rather have a show with no physical affection but good relationship build than watch this uff!
ML is quite good in acting not just look wise so i hope he does good content shows not such trashy fan service ones.
Was this review helpful to you?
一将功成万骨枯 (Yī jiāng gōng chéng wàn gǔ kū)
“For every champion lie thousands withered bones.” Most of the times, we see only the glory of a champion – an Olympic swimmer, a World Champion gymnast and skater - but we rarely see the struggles, sacrifices, obstacles, pressures, emotional turmoil that each has to endure. This drama brings us behind the scenes and helps us appreciate how such successes come with the price these champions have paid and the sacrifices made.This is a story about setting goals, perseverance, and overcoming failures. It is unexpectedly funny and enjoyable to watch. For the last decades, China has been consistently producing world champions in every sports in particular in table tennis. This drama gives us a peek at how these champions are created. Having played table tennis growing up, I have an affinity for the game and hence have enjoyed watching the matches and prolonged sessions at the table. At the end of each episode, table tennis is being explained in details: the terminologies, techniques, rules, competitions, etc. and I find myself enthralled.
The story depicts two very different characters: Xu Tan (acted by Bai Jing Ting) is scrawny, wimpy and lack of confidence, but kind, humble and friendly; Yu Ke Nan (acted by Xu Wei Zhou aka Timmy Xu), with a powerful athletic physique, is overly confident, arrogant, rebellious, impulsive and hot headed. The story begins when both are 17 years old in 2007, and follows their journey to become champions of the world. This unlikely “ying yang” pair becomes best friends and root for each other especially in their most trying period. Countless times, both get punished but unknown to them, their punishment is actually a form of training that helps them grow, such as raising pigs in a farm and becoming a janitor in a boxing gym. Daily details of the years are well taken care of with changing of technology and apparel over the years, from nameless flip phones to Apple smart phones, from Butterfly sportswear to Nike and Adidas.
The drama dwells deep into the various style of coaching by the national coaches and their relationship with their players. Xu Tan and his coach, Lei Cheng (Liu Zhi Bing), are like father and son. His coach inspires him, helps him discover himself and grow. Yu Ke Nan and his coach, Teng Biao (Wang Jian Xin), are like a pair of good old friends, continue kicking each other’s ass and calling each other names, at the same time, they love and trust each other. There is also a super strict coach who produces top ranking players but such players are also the most unhappy with high injury and burnout rates. Another coach has a soul mate relationship with his player, seeing their own shadows in each other. Every character has its flaws and faces personal obstacles. The development of the characters shows how they overcome their obstacles, grow and succeed.
Acting
Here in this drama, I discover Bai Jing Ting. He nails the role as the wimpy kid that grows to become the world champion. Bai Jing Ting has given us some amazing acting and he is so convincing as a world class table tennis player. Whether it’s his body double or not (I really can't tell), I feel Bai Jing Ting can play the game very well; he has the styles, his actions and shots are perfect. Xu Wei Zhou’s acting here is good too especially when he becomes the adult Yu Ke Nan. Like Bai Jing Ting, his playing of the game is immaculate and convincing, making Yu Ke Nan the most formidable table tennis player in the world. I really love watching them playing the game, and there’s a lot of such scenes to satisfy ping pong fans.
My Verdict
If you’re a sports fan and love table tennis in particular, you’d love this drama as it gives us many amazing real-life games with shots and fantastic camera work. Every smash, every torque, every curve is thrilled to watch and viewers can feel the excitement and satisfaction of the shots perfectly executed.
You’d see how China trains its youth, which is nothing like the western world. The greatest difference is, for the west, winning is for personal glory, whereas for the Chinese, it is for their national pride.
If you have watched “Hikaru No Go” and liked that drama, you may like “Ping Pong Life” too. To be honest, I like “Ping Pong Life” better because I find the character development better and more realistic, and it covers a wider range of three-dimensional characters. I love the part when the two leads begin to build their deeper understanding with each other, they really spend a lot of time, literally tied, together. They learn to feel and trust each other without words and the process in doing so is hilarious and adorable. This process is not captured enough in “Hikaru No Go”.
I really love this drama because it reminds me not to look at the glory of any success. We should not lament why we have not been as successful as others, whether in music, sports or anything else, but rather we should ask ourselves if we are willing to sacrifice everything to achieve success, and that’s the message in this drama.
A wonderful watch. Highly recommended!
Was this review helpful to you?
Inconsistant day to be a dog...
Is it really a good day to be a dog? I do not think so as this show teaches us that being a dog can be really scary, being a human by day dog by night can get you in to a whole lot of trouble... not to mention mess things up for a bunch of people...This drama has some good parts some cringe, some annoying elements, some fun, some more or less predictable twist or should I say side stories within the story with the side stories that are messed up... but at timed interestingly intwined...
The selling points of this drama are the eye candy and fluff!
Our male lead Cha Eun Woo is probably one of dreamlands sweetest, best looking and the over all most interesting personalities and whose use of lip gloss can only be beat by Park Hyung Sik in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Though there are parts that are a bit odd... He was a pleasure to watch thruout the show.
The female lead Park Gyu Young (and her sister) had a few to many moments of oh come on, oh the cringe, baby voice... Luckily they dd not last long enough to completely ruin the show but where enough to drag down the score by a bunch of points. To be honest she is actually 80% adorable, with great acting both as a dog and human however those 20% where so bad I almost dropped the show, and had it not been for Chae Eun Woos (well everything) I probably would have...
The villain and side characters also range between oh my please stop the cringe/annoying parts to great amazing, lovable, I want to adopt that kid... sometimes in the same person, same lifetime, different lifetimes.. As this is another one of those drams where the writers figured most of the childhood connections where already done and could not be beaten so they had to add the past life connection to show the depth of the connection between the cast.
Other perks with this show are the huge amount of fluffy, sweet, slightly mean, cute dogs, with or without transformation. So to sum it up, the drama is messy, inconsistent, annoying at times cute most of the time and extremely fluffy
So: Story as a whole 8,5 ⭐️
Male lead: 12 stars (out of 10) ⭐️
Deduction for annoying elements: -4 stars 👎
Fluff: 10 stars ⭐️
Was this review helpful to you?
So I decided to cautiously watch I Need Romance 3 solely for Sung Joon, and wasn't at all disappointed.
GOOD - (Eye Candy) Yep, Sung Joon is absolutely charming in this one. I mean... I almost became diabetic just watching him throw one sweetness after the other. Plus he's so good looking and tall. The second lead was pretty handsome too, and even Yoochun's brother Yoohwan was cute (depending on his hair style)...
GOOD - (Acting) The acting was pretty good. No awkward moments, or not any I can think of. The girly relationships are all pretty good too, and very believable for the most part.
WEIRD - (Personality Traits) You know when a drama depicts a character who's one diminutional. And sometimes stupid. And you want to scream at him/her "wake the f up! HELLOOOOOOOO duhhhhhh"... yeah this was the case for the lead female. Sometimes you wonder... are there really people like that in the world? (I bet the answer is yes... the world is a weird place) Anyway, it can get a bit annoying.
MEHHH - (Story Climaxes) Not gonna lie... some things are predictable. Very. But most OK dramas are, right?
CURVEBALL - (The kissing) As with the previous parts, the making out in this one is intense. So, swoon away.
OVERALL - Its worth watching if you're a fan of any of the actors (esp. Sung Joon) or if you haven't yet seen this gorgeous boy in action. Also if you like modern physical affection and language. Don't watch if you don't like romance, boys, or chick flicks.
Was this review helpful to you?
1This review may contain spoilers
fun little fantasy romance
I liked the chemistry between the two lead actors. I liked the fantasy aspect. I'm not one to deeply analyze a program. This to me has a feel good vibe and I'm liking it. Others have criticized this program for being shallow. Is it predictable where the story is going? yes but I'm fine with that and I'm enjoying it. Sometimes it is okay to turn off your mind and have a fun story to watch and this series is one of those.The thing about the port keys and dreams could have been better but I'm okay with it , I think it would be nice it they had some time clues on how long the main characters have been in the alternate universe . Not until episode 9 do you a definite time sense because in that episode they have a 1 yr anniversary party for Friend Credits.
I liked that they didn't make the first movie they made a success. it was be interesting to see where things went from there. There was a little foreshadowing in episode 5 with the gentleman that came back after 5 years to find his life destroyed. I liked how that played a part after Talay returns to the main universe. I liked it when Talay and Puen meet in the main universe again and there was a reference to a scene from episode 2. I liked how it had a happy ending and you also got to see what was happening in the other universe. I was satisfied with the ending. In episode 12 be sure to watch the "Anywhere with Lays" segment after the credits roll. Not to spoil anything but you'll want to watch it. It makes the ending a little more satisfying.
Overall I really liked the series and If you are not an analytical person I would recommend it .
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
dreadful and frustrating, but brilliant!
When many people say BLs are fiction, that is not entirely correct. The premise of the show of a sexless marriage is a common problem in Japan. The latest study in 2024 found that 48.3% of married couples are sexless, which is nearly double as many as in most other countires. If one of the partners "don't won't the hassle" and the other do need it, it puts a lot of strain on the mental health. This show depicts this reality brilliantly and I felt how dreadful that must be. I also felt heavy and frustrated as Hagiwara with his girlfriend. Kaori does not like to be intimate with him any more.On the other side we have another sexless gay couple which are a couple for the wrong reasons. I'm not happy with the finale explaining Fujisawa reasons for his behaviour - it does not explain the refusal to be intimate. Guilt is always a bad motivator to be in a relationsship. Of course Sei is not innocent in this too. He let Fujisawa isolate him, he did not force the issue much much earlier and wasted years with a love which could never fulfil him.
After a wrongly sent email Hagiwara & Sei kept in contact per mail and discuss their lives even in sexual matters. As it must happen, they did not know they were co-workers. For reasons they discover that by chance and have a laugh. After another refusal of Kaori Hagiwara felt so deep in a hole, he contacts Sei and they meet and they have one of the most sensual scenes in a BL. I don't mean the touching and kissing, I mean the feelings they convey... I felt how they urge for the touch, to be close, to be one.
Of course their sexual affair did not get unnoticed from Kaori and both of them got in a chaotic situation. While Kaori did scrutinze Hagiwara's phone, Fujisawa went into a jealous rage, raping Sei which was not shown directly but he had the marks afterwards. Sei seems to think it was a deserved punishment which sounds insane for most viewers and left me speechless. While Kaori does not seem to be a bad person per se, she is not able to communicate her desires and problems with her partner. Kaori's talk with Hagiwara ended with the expected breakup because she is unable to comprehend what she has done and how Hagiwara felt. Sadly Sei also pushes Hagiwara away.
At least there is happy end and I'm not happy that we did not get another episode.
Cinematography, direction were on point, the cast acted their roles to perfection, making this drama very special. If you think, they all should have communicated better, don't forget, Japan is different from most countries. Feelings are kept hidden more, problems are often ignored especially in relationships and due to the work mentality - which is insane for every other country - they often don't have time to do so.
This is for sure a show to binge-watch and I can't tell you how highly I recommand you to do so!
Was this review helpful to you?
'that special one mark will always be saved for you'
Ok just going to start by saying I was really hung over after watching hidden love and then when i discovered this drama was from the same author, i dived inIn the end, i loved it more than hidden love
This was perfect. The friend group's dynamic, ml transformation from an insecure person to one so passionate, the second lead couple, fl so bubly and energetic and ofcourse their relationship with Grandma
the ml and fl's relationship was a perfect example of 'she fell first, he fell harder' and boy did he fall
He was soooo loyal,like really there was no one else for any of them. They never wavered.
The second leads relation was kinda ' enemies to friends to lovers' and i loved it too. GR was soo sweet
This drama had no misunderstandings that dragged on, no love triangles, just pure fluff
Like it was sweet but haf problems at the same time but you didn't really care because the leads ACTUALLY communicated with each other, yeah another reason why it was one of the best dramas like in ever
The fl was just soo wonderful.
She loved him and was pursuing him without seeming like a desperate, clingy damsel in distress.
It has all the tropes i loved and never knew i needed
Perfect 10 on 10
Please watch, u won't regret it
Was this review helpful to you?
please give us a season 2 of this fun romcom
Overall: what a fun comedy with a supernatural element. Need a season two with a bunch of fluff and to show us in detail their kinky side which was hinted at several times. 10 episodes total 20 minutes each. Watch the extra scene after the initial credits of episode 10. Aired on GagaOOLala & Viki.Content Warnings: stalking and mutual pranks, dub/non con kiss, non con picture taking/posting, vomiting
What I Liked
- funny moments (was the sustainable on their basketball jerseys on purpose or no lol, the fighting over the remote, potato chip eating, etc)
- sweet and caring moments
- their dynamic (mutual enemies to lovers) and eventual chemistry
- world building was understandable
- sibling dynamics (except she shouldn't have lied to her brother later)
- end of ep 1, I screamed
- how they have fights but communicate/make up relatively quickly
- cameo of Anti Reset couple
- ongoing physical affection, good kissing
- a favorite line in ep 9 "I am responsible for my own choices"
- that Jiang Chi doesn't want to do things with Bu Xia when he's drunk
- production value
Room For Improvement
- too long of an intro in ep 1
- the whole campus taking/posting their photos/shipping them was not for me
- the group chat of asking who is top and bottom in their relationship
- ep 9 was choppy at times, why not show us what happened in the shower?
- ep 9 gross kissing after what happened (brush teeth first please)
- the writers kind of threw everything but the kitchen sink in episode 10 including an overused cliche, however the chemistry survived
- Jiang Chi should have taken his own advice about the importance of communication (lying by omission is still lying)
- not clear if Jiang Chi actually did what the sister hinted at or not
Was this review helpful to you?
Also, what I like about this series is they make storyline in the original season to be put in only first 3 episodes in this series. It's super effective way to make a remake and not wasting your old viewer time. But then, for new viewer can also follow the story and not getting confused. I'm just so happy that I give this series a chance because now I can't wait for the next episodes<3
*edit
I have finished watching all episodes, can't wait for season 3 because the ending is such a CLIFFHANGER
Bruh i just hope they don't change the casts anymore, i really like the way they act as the roles :(
Was this review helpful to you?
Story : 9.0 - like i said it was a bit rushed, many people said that it was a bad ending, but in all honesty it made sense to me, the romance was exciting and I longed for more romance scenes, and that's what I got, If you're into LGBTQ movies this is definately the movie for you.
Acting/cast 9.5 - what can I say the cast was spectacular, the romance they portrayed was beautiful, no doubt! Also the support characters did a wonderful job.
Music 10 - Oh Wow! The music was beautiful I always love violin in movies and this is perfect for the atmosphere, truly no fault in any of the pieces of music.
Rewatch Value - It's a quick movie to watch again, so I'm definately going to be watching this again in my spare time.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Expectations unfortunately not met
Dance is neither about technique nor stamina. Love is what makes it whole🕺🏻OK. Let's start with the good🕺🏻
The acting - The guys killed it. I have seen Keita before in Cherry Magic & Alice in Borderland and was excited to see him back in the BL realm. I knew he was good and my man; he did not disappoint. No notes
Ryoma is a new face to me, but he was amazing too. He expresses emotions so freaking well. It just grabs you. I could feel how much he hated Sugiki in the beginning, when he started wanting him; I was there with him—in that desire, denial, and confusion. And when Sugiki broke his heart, I felt that too. When he cried, when he made the choice to go back to competing after the heartbreak, when he struggled to walk away from Sugiki's honor dance, when he finally faced him on that floor. I felt it all. Hat's off to the man
The chemistry - My God!! It was palpable. Everyone has mentioned it, but that scene in the train... *fans self*. And the kiss scene towards the end. Also, I was mesmerised every time they danced together
Their type of dance matched their personalities beautifully - Sugiki does ballroom. Idk much about dance, but from what I saw in this, it's a very controlled type of dancing. Beautiful to look at, but rigid in its execution.
On the other hand, Suzuki is a free spirit. He also walks, breaths, moves like sex, and so is his dance style. It's fun and sexy, while Suguki's is very restrained.
Suzuki wants to have fun in his life, but Sugiki is very controlled and by the book. He knows what he wants, sees the goal, and will stick by it, everything else be damned.
How they dance spills into their personalities. Or is it vice versa?
The cinematography and the grandeur of it all - Are we surprised though? It's a Netflix production. You know the production budget be budgeting
🕺🏻What I didn't like🕺🏻
The title says it all. The movie did not match the expectations set by the trailer
When you watch the trailer, you expect the movie to be very sensual, very sexy. You expect their relationship to be very emotionally charged. A love that stems from hate, passion (for dance and Suzuki's hatred for Sugiki), desire, and an unwitting respect for each other's craft. I was at the edge of my seat waiting for such a story
Unfortunately, when you get to the story, this all kinda... fades away? A lot of the story is told in silence (?). There are a lot of looks to the other person, facial expressions, but very little in the way of actual communication. As the audience, you kinda have to connect the dots and guess what they are feeling and thinking. That removes the 'punch' of what this story could be
Their romance — if you could even call it that — doesn't progress much, and so by the end, everything feels unfinished. They kissed on the train. I thought things would get steamier, but they went their separate ways. Only to meet 2(?) months later in the UK with Suzuki thinking about how he wants Sugiki's eyes on him.... And then they break up
Girl... What?? What happened in the 2 months??? I have read some comments by the Manga readers that allude to what happened after the train, leading up to the breakup, and after, but if you're going to make a movie, shouldn't you include what happens in the source material in the show? I feel like cutting out major details does a disservice not only to the viewers who may not have checked out the book, but also to the readers who may want a better portrayal of a story they love
The ending was also very.... Ugh. It's open-ended. Not a fan of those. I hear it's because the manga isn't complete. Perhaps the manga shall end n we'll get a sequel. Hopefully, a better installation than this one
Was this review helpful to you?
Ep 1 to 20 was just so good. You watch effortlessly seeing the sparks fly between Jia Yang and Qiao Fei. The ingenuous ways he come up to make her life miserable and try to make her quit as trainee in the field of French interpreter. They clash and butt heads but Fei was resilent and refuse to give up her dream.
Then all that mess from the brother being the old flame and has a obessive nature when it comes to Fei. To the second female lead who was a tad pathethic in her love for Jia Ming but then retracted to wanting to be with Jia Yang.. mess and more mess
Then comes the mother who does extreme things like ruining her own son just to break up Jia Yang and Fei. Who does that? And to such extreme. It felt like this drama plot purposefully over inflate itself to generate angst, to fill in episodes? To drag it to pass 40episodes?
I felt like a masochist sticking with this drama to the end. Ep 28 to 36 was so hard to watch. Like 45mins of episode and only 10minutes or less worth watching.
I tell myself i need to see off Jia Yang and Fei's ending so i stuck with it til the ending . but oh boy instead of being awarded with my patience (which really is painful and teeth grinding). The last episode (heads up) isnt satisfying. It was rushed, cramped and jumbled. Didnt flow well and they try to make it dramatic but not believable. Its hard to believe the ending episode is rushed when the last 15or so episodes were so draggy. I still believ the first half that was good was written by another team of writers. If there are the same people then someone must have zap out commonsense from their heads. Like they run out of ideas what to do with the second half of the drama.
If you are wandering to watch or not. I recommend no for several reasons.
The last 1/3 compeltely deviates from the original story of being interpreters
The cliche part of being sick and the high noble road of sparing your loved ones from grief was not written well. Yes alot of dramas commit the same mistake but the way Fei did it just felt wrong. I felt it create needless grief for Jia Yang. Personally i think its selfish when you run away from your loved ones without sharing the truth and deliberately lets him misunderstand you. Her love didnt respect Jia Yang and made that decision for both of them without his knowledge.
Jia Yang's character actually went backwards in terms of growth. Yes it was nice to see him being less demonic and so loving to Fei. But then he became unprofessional when it comes to his work and career. And it was also annoying that he kept saying their love can survive it but i didnt see real actions to solve the problems. Your girlfriend keeps saying there's a big gap between them and that he didnt understand her difficulties.but he carries on as is and with regards to xiao hua and her dad. Although yes his words that their love can withstand it all, there was no action ... It was like him allowing the realtionship to fail eventually.
Jia ming, xiao hua and the guy he married. All characters i dont care for.
Qiao Fei bestfriend was ok but her love line was also not properly developed. Theres too much childish behaviour and they left it too late to the end to show changes.
If you do want to give this a try because the truth is Huang Xuan was really good and engaging as Jia Yang and sparks do fly when he sparrs with Yang Mi's Qiao Fei. Then i recommend you watch the front half of the drama up until he confess and they start dating. The second half will only make you scratch and then bang your head in frustation. So please dont suffer as i did..
Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet and Fluffy Romance
Honestly, I don’t understand the other ratings cause everyone seems to have a problem with the plot although it was pretty clear what it was. Me personally, I’m a fan of these kind of clichés where the ML falls first and FL realises later. If you don’t like this kind of plot then watch something else rather than expecting something different. Then again, it’s just 1 ep so we don’t know how things might change. So far the main leads have really good chemistry and they’re some of my favourite actors so I’m not disappointed. Also, it was nice to see the guy from My Lovely Liar here as the second lead lmao😭iykykLooking forward to the rest of the episodes 👍
Okay, so I finished watching so I can give the full review. Honestly, for me it was good. If you’re looking for a sort of laid back drama with cute scenes then yeah watch it. To be honest, some scenes were a bit dragged and some stuff were going really slow but it’s fine considering it was 8 episodes. Cause normally most rom coms lose the plot after the first half so it’s good they kept it short.
Might not be for everyone but give it a try.
Was this review helpful to you?
Addicted Remake Done Right
Acting is really good from these two young actors 10/10. plot is pretty much the same as addicted but feels a bit more stretched out and we see the backstories of the characters a lot more. The pacing tbh seems much better this time around. it's getting better with every episode... wow the nostalgia.. Addicted was my first BL ever and I feel like I'm finally getting an updated complete story with lots more clean camera work and dialogue. whether this is BL or bromance I love the story and I'll keep watching.Was this review helpful to you?
