This review may contain spoilers
Nothing new.. but watchable.
This drama had been one of my most curious dramas of 2022 . The drama being a BL, I was really surprised that China let it happen. But, I didn't have much expectation, knowing well about the bans and censorships that China usually impose on its shows. I watched it out of pure curiosity.Honestly, I did like the first episode. But, the story didn't seem to keep a fixed pace. Some parts felt too fast, while some felt too slow to me. This is nothing new and I didn't seem to enjoy this as much as I would have watching a BL.
The acting was meh. I didn't feel it at all. Hu Shi Wen, who played Cheng Yi was alright but there is, of course, possibilities of improvement. Anyways, Hu Bo Wen seemed like a robot. The supporting too didn't do the job of making this interesting.
The music was good. This is the only thing in the whole drama that I wholeheartedly liked.
The editing was terrible. Sometimes, it makes the drama unwatchable. That is SOMETIMES. Overally, the drama is fairly watchable, in spite of some substandard elements.
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Crazy Satisfying
10/10. This was rom-com done right. It had all the elements I love--slapstick comedy, character development, heart-fluttering kisses, no draggy misunderstandings, a mystery that kept you on your toes, and a satisfying and unproblematic ending. Sure, the ending was more like a gift-wrapped up and tied with a nice, perfect bow, but hey after all the previous Kdrama endings we've been through (if you know, you know), I think we all deserve a satisfying one that leaves a smile on our faces. Hands down, this will be one of my favorites! Thank you Crazy Love Production and Cast!Was this review helpful to you?
This is what I call the Disney version of KWP! They took the core storyline and characters but repackaged it to satisfy a broader demographic. That's not a bad thing if you like cute romantic comedies with a hint of salaciousness and happy ending! The concept of KWP is unique in itself it's interesting and satisfying. However, if you are a fan of the original manga or original series you might be disappointed at the loss of the story's hard edges.
By softening the characters it actually made the relationship between Sumire and Takeshi "Momo" feel less passionate and dynamic. It also made their growth as individuals feel less dramatic. Without those rough and uncomfortable moments you lose much of the stories impact about intolerance from social/moral/gender expectations. That probably isn't a big deal to most but if you really enjoy those wtf elements (I call it rollercoaster euphoria) from the more mature storyline then you probably won't be fully satisfied with this latest adaptation!
The acting was fine. No one in this drama stood out to me as spectacular but they were adequate. If I had one gripe it would be Iriyama Noriko startled/deer-in-headlights look that I assume is supposed to represent nervous insecurity? I'll be nice though because it seems to work with this adaptations Sumire. But nitpicky me really wanted that composed and confident public facade in the original. The same with Takeshi "Momo" he was too adorable to the point of being childish vs Man-child. But again it feels appropriate for this version.
Nothing to add on music though the introduction was nice.
Overall rated good, but without the original uncomfortable mature situations it's nothing special. I might watch this again because I love the KWP storyline but I'm not emotionally attached to this version
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Idols With A Twist…
With a predominantly idol actor cast ( aside from actual actress Jung Ji So) and respectfully a lot of hyped fans of these idols watching the drama, it does objectively brand the question for a lot of drama-watchers ( especially those who aren’t interested or a part of idol fanbases), whether ‘ Imitation’ is actually worth watching as a storyline , or is a waste of time.
There is a balance of good things and more critical points when it comes to ‘ Imitation’. On a strong note ‘ Imitation’ has a prominent message about problems with the idol industry and does not shy away from tackling themes such as corruption, the media, toxicity present in idol fanbases , mental health and hardships . What resonated even further was undeniably having a predominantly idol-cast playing in those roles. However, the show often did fall short with how consistent it was trying to be with conveying these messages through writing and character writing also.
Let’s start with the main female lead Ma-Ha. Ji-So is a good actress, however, although initial introduction wasn’t terrible, it didn’t quite embody her role either. It had nothing to do with Ji-So not being an idol. After all she takes on roles in order to adapt herself to becoming someone else onscreen whilst the cameras are rolling. That’s her job. Instead, its rather the fact that Ma-Ha was always a character who you should’ve felt sorry for with her hardships, but often it was easy to grow detached from the FL with Ji-So’s lacking vitality invested with her given - performance. This isn’t entirely the actress’ fault, as this was also sparked by screenwriting problems also .
As viewers there’s a lot we are supposed to like about Ma-Ha. She’s not only the female lead of the drama, but the “ underdog” archetype who takes a central position as a member of her girl group and desperately yearns for the group to become famous. These goals were easily likeable traits, but then when we actually exposed to her reasons for “ becoming an idol” as well as her “ will they, won’t they?” lacklustre onscreen chemistry with popular Shax boyband member Ryeok ( Jun from U-KISS), her character simply became uninteresting for the most part. This is because rather than depending Ma-Ha’s own sense of purpose outside of the group in early episodes , the female lead’s entire being was pretty much defined by romantic tropes, than actual character development.
Oh boy, this leads us onto the romance elements and setups of the show. Tackling this topic in a drama about idols evidently isn’t a crime. After all, a lot of idols have love lives and date in secret but the problem with “ Imitation”’s depiction of the turbulent love lives of idols was that it lacked a lot of depth. There were multiple opportunities for us as viewers to perk up and take note of what really happens in the lives of idols, when the spotlight and cameras aren’t rolling. However, instead “ Imitation” was focused nearly entirely upon bringing in pairings which were fairly dull.
This is even case and point with our main pairing between Ma-Ha and Ryeok. Jun is a really good actor alongside Ji-So but the tropes and cliches soon diminished a lot of onscreen chemistry between them. This was because similar to Ma-Ha, Ryeok’s original character was fairly interesting. He had clear goals and motives, as well as presenting an evident contrast to Ma-Ha due to being successful and suffering under a lot of emotional burdens. Yet rather than connecting these characters under their similarities and learning to symbiotically “ lean” upon one another gradually from their “ hate to love” relationship , the drama attempted to present too many cliche “ differences” between them, which often fell short due to questioning why on earth these characters should have been together if this was all their relationship equated to.
Similarly one of the most poorly-written couples in this drama was Hyun Ji ( Lim Nayoung )and Yoo Jun ( Hwiyoung). Hyun Ji was by herself an interesting character alongside fellow member of Teaparty Ri-A ( Minseo). However, her pairing with Yoo Jun? It was incredibly enforced to say the least. Hyun Ji’s feelings for Yoo Jun were fairly unrequited as Yoo Jun, rarely reciprocated them romantically. Their screen time interactions were minimal and when they were together, the topic was usually just about Ma-Ha. If the show had developed this couple more, or had just disregarded entirely and explored Hyun Ji’s relationship with her fellow members then it would have been a lot more coherent than the pairing we were presented with onscreen .
Aside from the romantic factor, the biggest flaw in this show was undeniably disregarding the seemingly “major” established storyline around Eunjo and Annie. Now this was an interesting part of the show, however, it was nonsensical and seriously bad writing to disregard these characters, bring them up for a few seconds when it was called for and then anticlimactically solve the case, without rhyme or reason .
Perhaps the one character who you surprisingly grow to love as a viewer is solo singer La Li Ma( Jiyeon from T-ara). Ji Yeon really gave a dynamic performance as the soloist, and her character takes some surprising turns away from the stereotypical “ catty second female lead” trope that she was presented within in the first few episodes. It was oddly refreshing and enjoyable to see this character grow.
So, is “ Imitation” worth watching? The drama presents some fairly hard-hitting issues about the idol industry, but sometimes struggled to convey these meanings due to the heavy investment of romance as well as disregarding major plot lines and character development also. The acting is a mixed-bag. There are times where the acting front is really good, and other scenes where it is questionable . The OST is okay also -a little generic, but certainly nothing wrong with it either. Overall, certainly not a bad show but dependent on what you’re looking for. If you’re watching for the idol cast and themes about music, idol and cutesy couple moments, then you’ll absolutely love this one. If you’re not a major fan of them and where enticed by the darker storyline topics, then you may be a little disappointed.
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1This review may contain spoilers
awesome setting/styling, slightly confusing plot (watch suggestions)
Overall: while I loved the setting/styling, there were way too many characters/plot for 12 episodes and I was ambivalent about the romance aspect with the leads. Because of the collaboration, actual kisses & wide release, this got a bit of a rating boost. The series is based on a book but I reviewed the series on its own merits. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired 2 episodes per week on: YouTube, GagaOOLala, Viki, iQIYI, WeTV, Loklok & Heavenly (more info at the end of this review)Content Warnings: murders/deaths, rape?/non con turned consensual?, suicide, non con kissing, strangling, manhandling, fights/violence, blood, torture, manipulation, drugging, theft, kidnapping
Watch Suggestions (focuses on the leads, takes out love triangle, most violence/angst/pain)
- watch episodes 1-5 (beware episode 1 has non con/dub con)
- watch episode 6 at 31 minutes if you want a plot explainer
- skip episode 7 (angst and torture)
- episode 8 watch 5m30s-9 for a side couple, the rest is angst, pain, love triangle stuff
- episode 9 start at 29 minutes and watch to the end to get more plot developments
- episode 10 skip 7:30-20 or watch the whole episode
- episode 11 start at 11 min to 14:40, 18:30-20:20, 23:45-25
- episode 12 watch 7:45-18, 26:30-30, 34:10 to the end
What I Liked
- an opposites attract dynamic
- sweet moments
- setting/style
- really happy that a character convinced another character not to see/forgive a truly terrible character in episode 12
- got actual, shown kisses
- the production really made an effort to get this on as many platforms and to as many people as they could, they also wrote out the countries on their social media that had access to each platform
- collaborative effort between China, Taiwan and Thailand; hope this was successful and we see more collaborations
Room For Improvement
- exposition dump to start the series
- too many characters and plot given and I was confused until finally in episode 6 at 31 minutes they explained the plot more clearly, spent too much time on the leads apart
- wish they had modified the scenes in episode 1 and in episode 6
- how no one was concerned about the sister's fate
- wanted more relationship development shown of the side couple, it seemed that it mostly happened off screen
- Su Yin was infuriating and had way too much screen time
- the dubbing especially with 1 character (I guess he was speaking Thai and then they dubbed over it)
- odd camera angles
Thoughts on Grey Characters/Their Romantic Relationships
Sometimes these characters and their dynamic work for me and other times they don't. Here are the factors that I think about:
1. was there a realistic reason why the character/s acted the way they did in the past (Huai En was tortured/abused/manipulated his whole life but that doesn't forgive what he may have done in ep 6)
2. how bad was/is the treatment (because this is fade to black and based on reaction afterwards, I'm not sure if episode 6 was rape or turned consensual but it was still terrible, and in episode 9 he was choking the other lead)
3. were both characters grey or was one squeaky clean (Xiao Bao was pretty squeaky clean, he's very dense, Huai En was a cold blooded killer)
4. was there some kind of apology/amend making (I don't think Huai En apologized, he did save Xiao Bao and his family and risked his life to do so)
5. was there character growth (episode 9 and Huai En was still physically violent, in episode 11 he did have a revelation of the tighter he tried to hold on to Xiao Bao the more he slipped away)
6. do I believe that the characters will stay together in a happy romantic relationship (maybe)
final verdict: I'm nervous that the first time Xiao Bao looks at another attractive person Huai En will rape/kill him, but they did seem pretty happy at the end
Airing Platforms/Links/Countries (country info was from the production company)
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzvQsQu-ofvkwO5v1gax9jqOYNYvhWN4
Airing everywhere except: Thailand, Japan and South Korea
GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4541/meet-you-at-the-blossom-2024-e01
Airing everywhere except: Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong China, Vietnam, Philippines, Canada, Australia, India, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Brazil.
Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40650c-meet-you-at-the-blossom
Airing: Americas, Oceania, Middle East, Europe, India
iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/meet-you-at-the-blossom-2024-1689d4pr2sl
Airing: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Macau China, Brunei, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Brazil
WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/album/c5o1ffdwm6yhwy5
Airing: Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Macau China, United States, Canada, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal
Loklok - airing: Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, India, Mexico, Spain, Russia
Heavenly - airing in South Korea
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The plot... I too, as many others, love the first half of the story more up to like episode 11? but the later half isn't bad either. It just has less happening. Some people say it dragged on and maybe it did, but i didn't really pay attention since i was so in love with everything else in it.
The plot had wonderful details that really showed different sides of the characters. Like Eun Jo; She is basically the evil stepsister and if this story was from another point of view, she would be seen as a complete bitch but cause the plot allows you to understand Eun Jo and all the other characters, and it seems much more realistic. No human is perfect and everyone has a bad side and it depends on how you see it who is the villain and who is the hero/in. And i feel like this drama portrayed that pretty perfectly.
I LOVED the acting. After watching this Moon Geun Yong became one of my favorite actresses of all time. The other actors were all great too, there's really nothing i complain about. And the acting really completed the plot and I got into the story with it. Every time Moon Geun Yong cried I cried with her. If im ever feeling sad and just wanna cry, I rewatch the sad scenes of CS and cry my heart out.
I really liked the music too, i love listening to the ost and remembering this drama. I felt that the music fit the scenes really well
The rewatch value.. hmmm... I feel like there are parts that are really worth rewatching, and then some parts are parts that were necessary the first time but now that you know the plot you don't really need them anymore, but since i dont usually rewatch dramas anyways i think me watching even some parts of this means its really good :) I've already rewatched some episodes like 5 times when i usually only watch them once or twice...
Oveall I gave it a 9 but i wanted to give a 10. It's really a favorite of mine and the first serious (and second ever) k-drama i watched. I think it's best suited for people who can focus on dramas well xD and for people who like sad dramas (you might need tissues!)
And also for people who can see the bigger picture and understand the characters... It made me kinda sad when i read comments that said "How can Eun Jo be so cold?" when all the time i had been thinking "Poor Eun Jo, no one understands you but Ki Hoon".
But still I recommend this drama for everyone to watch :) If it ever seems confusing i'm happy to help ;)
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A life drama full of great messages, but a romance it is not
The first and foremost thing viewers need to know when coming into this drama is that this is not a romance drama. It is a life drama with a few romance plots. It's slow. It's meandering. It's chock full of time skips. There's not a lot of focus on developing romance or chemistry.As a life drama, it's about our many main characters finding their way through life. From elementary to high school to university to working life. On their relationships between each other, their romantic partners, and their family. And how their respective character flaws need to be overtaken before they can get what they want. As viewer, we are taken on a ride to see how they come to terms with a change in future plans, grief, insecurities, trauma, distance from loved ones, and more.
We get to feel the nostalgia of watching how people communicate/d through the passage of time. How certain technologies made it easier, but were still subject to the same difficulties because of the people using them. But through it all, we were able to see a friendship that lasted through multiple decades, even as the people within it changed. And we got to take a look at several different family dynamics, and how they are still family regardless.
I loved this drama. It had a nostalgic and comfortable atmosphere that I enjoyed sitting in with each episode. I also enjoyed seeing how our mains grew as individuals and all possessed some trouble or another that I could relate to. There wasn't much focus on relationships, but I think that's okay. Because it wasn't the direction this drama was trying to take.
If you're coming in expecting your typical BL, you'll be sorely disappointed. The Life/Slice-of-life genre is not for everyone. So if that genre is not for you, I highly recommend skipping. Because it is actually a good story. But it's a good life story, not a romance.
However, I do wonder if the drama might have been too ambitious with the amount of main characters it was tackling. All of their stories were told completely, but I didn't get to emotionally connect with them as I usually would have liked, despite their performances being pretty solid. In my experience, most life dramas with such a big array of characters will choose an episodic format, which helps establish to viewers that they aren't meant to emotionally connect with the character too much. But by putting all of their storylines together into the same episodes, it made me feel like I was expected to connect deeper than what I actually did. Nonetheless though, it is a quality that is common with life dramas, so I can't really hold it against this production in particular too much.
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Acting/Cast: At first I was a bit worried when Zheng Shuan was cast in the role of Wei Wei. The novel described Wei Wei as a beautiful young woman with the perfect body and frankly speaking, Zheng Shuan's not the best around when it comes to having curves where curves should be. The movie version of this drama cast Angelababy as Wei Wei which was closer to the description of Wei Wei in the novel. So, having watched the movie first - I had to adjust to seeing a mediocre-looking Wei Wei in the drama but after a few episodes, it became a non-issue as the story took precedence. The shining star here is Yang Yang. His boyish charm shone through. He alone pulled through the chemistry with his leading lady when Zheng Shuan was a little stiff to start with. Watch out for those scenic and romantic scenes....and kisses! The dialogues were also excellent!
Music: Passable but it is not the music that attracts. It's the sweet love story.
Rewatch value: Highly re-watchable. Lots of sweet scenes.
Overall: Addictive. Sweet. Smile inducing. Makes me wanna re-live my younger days in Uni and fall in love again. Highly recommended.
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This review may contain spoilers
Tortured Unrequited Love
I think if you are going through a breakup and keep thinking you might get back together, watch this drama. Otherwise don't torture yourself unless that's what you are after.In terms of romance this show tells us to not bother falling in love. If you get into a relationship make sure your exes and old crushes have been cut off. Otherwise they will be toxic clinger who will never let you go. Also the show seems to be telling us that one sided love is wrong, most people cannot stop their feelings. But the way it is shown makes it seem like you've committed some crime.
The main couple - are supposedly smart people. But despite their good grades they are the worse couple. I stopped shipping them by episode 24.
Luo Zhi has been madly in love with Sheng Huai Nan (SHN) since they were children, but he's never noticed her. Almost everyone else seems to know that she likes him, and the antagonists, namely his ex-girlfriend Ye Zhan Yan and her friend decide they want to scheme and manipulate it so that SHN can never really trust her.
There is also the other women who have crushes on SHN who also go out of their way to bad mouth Luo Zhi. But they eventually give up.
Sheng Huai Nan spends half of the series either unsure about his feelings or testing them on the poor girl. Honestly he's an idiot. He was treating Luo Zhi like she was his yoyo, pulling her close when he wanted her, and then pushing her away when he lost trust her in some way.
The last third of the the series spends most of the time focusing on SHN trying to persuade LZ to date him, only so that he can do something stupid in the next episode. Making her want to give up on her feelings.
I read a lot of comments of people blaming LZ for not forgiving him and I disagree. He was a jerk towards her. She was always helping him. At best he got her some cold medications and pancakes. Which he did in an underhanded way. Girls don't just fall for looks and money, underneath the shell is a vapid, insecure young man who can’t recognise sincerity or love if it smacked him on the face and kicked him in the balls.
Now let's talk about the pig Ge Bi and the very sad Bai Li. I hate Ge Bi. He is the worst boyfriend to all the girls. And even when confronted he doesn't care. He is selfish, stupid and frankly deserved worse than he got.
Bai Li is a great friend, and she really loved Ge Bi to a very toxic level. It was frustrating to watch and my heart hurt for her. She was really a foolish person, with so little self respect. It was tiresome to the very end.
There are many kinds of bad relationships, but the show made no effort to show us the positive sides of love. This team of producers and writers must have felt really bitter and angry when creating this production.
Really the only good relationships worth watching on this show were the friendships. Ming Rui was exceptional on this show. His character was the most likeable and sane.
The closeness of Bai Li and Luo Zhi was very sweet. Even Ye Zhan Yan and Ding Shui Jing loved and cared for one another.
If you have watched the 2019 version, you will not be able to stop yourself from comparing the two shows.
The 2019 is shorter and frankly less stressful to watch. The 2021 is very frustrating. There are so many examples of unrequited love on this show. So many ways in which characters seemly torture one another, mislead each other, and fail to trust each other. Once started I couldn't seem to stop, like many unrequited loves, I had such hope for it, and it was just an illusion that left me unfulfilled.
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This review may contain spoilers
Why do people like this drama so much?
This drama is highly talked about and recommended so I thought checked it out and wow...Beware of Rant.
Worst Romantic-Gaming drama I have ever seen:
1st - The FL is a stalker. Let's just put it out there. She is. She follows the ML around & sends him weird spam-like messages from a fake internet cafe account & follows him places. How he doesn't block, ghost her and file a restraining order I really don't know.
2nd - The FL is famous on her own but for some reason, she's still incredibly stalker-like & timid. She has her own fan base but has 0 confidence. I can't tell you how many times I was cringing at her behavior towards the ML.
3rd - The ML's reason for leaving his old team... I was waiting for this big reason why he left his old team. The captain must have done something pretty terrible for the ML to cry & whine so much about his old captain choosing to leave the team right? Wrong! Turns out the ML is crying & whining over the captain leaving FOR HIS CHILD!! The captain chose to take care of his child over the team. In what world does a grown man guilt someone else over taking care of their child??
4th - If you love dramas with gaming this is not the drama for you. The "gaming" is poorly portrayed. "Here's a black screen with boxes and code, & OH we won!" It's just poorly poorly done.
5th - The Chinese nationalism. Nationalism is fine but this was way overboard.
Honestly, I had such a hard time getting through it. The only saving grace is how absolutely handsome the ML & his cousin are. It does get better after episode 30 or so but I do not understand the hype of this drama. At times its absolutely painful to get through.
Would not recommend.
Would never re-watch.
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During the first half of the series I was extremely excited. The story of the royals plotting, and scheming, was great. I loved following their rivalries, obsessions, and ruthless ambitions. I thought it was even more impressive considering the fact that most of the main cast was so young. The performances by the teen actors were really great. I think Kim Yoo Jung, and Yeo Jin Goo could rival any adult couple with their performances. l loved watching all the relationships develop, and the fact that there were such strong backstories for the characters. I loved some characters, and loved to hate others. I was instantly hooked, but then all the characters grew up...
Once the characters matured, the show lost some of it's spark for me. I'm not sure if it was because of the pacing, or the constantly depressing tone. It was clear from the first episode that this story would be tragic, but many times in the 2nd half I was bored watching characters cry & scream over the same things. It also seemed irrational for so many characters to be so determined to be with people who didn't love them, so it was harder for me to sympathize with them. The story always managed to pull me back in however with new revelations, or a great scene, but there were still long periods that felt repetitive. This made it much harder to stay excited.
I can't really blame the adult cast, because many of the adult cast members matched their younger counterparts well. I thought Kim Soo Hyun did well as the king, and he really seemed like an older Yeo Jin Goo. Jung Il Woo didn't really look much like his younger version, but I knew to expect a great performance from him. The Queen, Seol, and Jan Shil were all great casting matches. I think the most flawless transition between the young and older version of the character was Jin Ji Hee and Nam Bo Ra. I also think that Nam Bo Ra had one of the most moving scenes in the entire series. On the other hand, one character that was a disappointment was Song Jae Hee as the older Heo Yeom. He just seemed so much older than the rest of the cast, and It was distracting hearing him described as being so handsome when, no offense but... he's one of the least attractive men in the cast.
I think one of the biggest character issues I had was with Wol/older Yeon Woo. I thought she visually matched Kim Yoo Jung, and gave some good emotional performances in some scenes, but she lost all of her charm. She transformed from a young but wise independent thinker, into a willing doormat with a blank wide eyed stare. I really had a hard time believing that such a well read young girl would be so self sacrificing towards the king. I think it also effected their romantic moments together. I think Han Ga In meant for her performance to be melancholy, and altruistic, but instead she often looked bored to me.
Even though all of the main characters had at least one epic crying scene, i barely teared up while watching this. Nam Bo Ra, and Yeo Jin Goo came the closest to making me cry, but I did not have an emotional reaction to many of the sadder parts, which is crazy since the 2nd half is mostly sad parts. Even when characters died my eyes were dry, and I am often a crybaby. I enjoyed watching the relationship between wol, the king, the prince, and the queen, but it lacked enough chemistry to get me emotionally invested in their stories. You still may want to keep tissues nearby just in case, a lot of them.
Speaking of story... The plot itself was a good one, but the pacing of the episodes got worse and worse. There were too many repetitive scenes ( i said this already didn't i. irony...), which fueled much of my boredom. There was also too much reliance on flashbacks, including a flashback of a scene that happened seconds earlier. I didn't lose interest in the story, I just lost patience with how it was being told. The last episode is a perfect example of that. They rushed through endings for major characters, some pretty tragic endings, then filled the time with a silly story about learning to play an instrument. I was satisfied with the ending, but not moved by it.
I would recommend this drama to people who like tragedies (like 49 days, or Sorry I love you). Those looking for more romance (like in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, or Goong) may be disappointed. Those looking for comedy will find some funny moments, but not enough to balance all the crying, sulking, and screaming. Overall I liked the story, but thought the drama was inconsistent. I doubt i would watch this again, but maybe I'd like it more the 2nd time since I now know what to expect.
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A "Siren" Who Forgot to Sing
Why is she called a Siren when she refuses to use any of her abilities to charm her way into the world and push people away constantly? When I first started watching this drama, I thought it was incredibly underrated and had the potential to be one of the top shows of the year. However, as the episodes progressed, my attention and love for the series began to fade.First of all, there was no need for it to be twelve episodes long or released on a weekly schedule. This drama had the scope of an eight-episode binge-watch and nothing more. Returning weekly makes viewers want to drop it because the payoff doesn't feel worth the wait. Twelve episodes felt like too much for this specific plot, so the writers added unnecessary filler to bridge the gaps, only to wrap it all up with a predictable killer and anticlimactic ending
Given the title Siren's Kiss, I expected the female lead to be an enchanting, "siren-like" figure who used her wit and charm to make men succumb to her. Instead, she was portrayed as a traumatized victim whom men flocked to out of pity. It would have been a much better twist if she actually were the killer; sirens are supposed to be mystical, beautiful, and deadly, but we mostly watched her in a state of perpetual fear and anxiety for twelve episodes straight.
As for the main couple, their chemistry feels like a 50/50 split. In some scenes, the acting feels forced and lacks passion, while in others, they look great together—especially in the kissing scenes. It feels like the "chemistry" comes mostly from the fact that they are two very attractive people rather than a deep, natural connection.
The side characters were also quite frustrating. From the sister and the police officers to her coworkers, almost everyone except the leads felt like "rage-bait." Then there is the killer—who didn't clock that? From episode one, it was the most obvious person. Why choose them? The comment sections were full of people calling it early on. Making the female lead the villain would have provided the "gag" the show desperately needed. Instead, every "reveal" felt flat. Whenever the crimes pointed to her, it was only used as a cheap cliffhanger for the next episode, only to be resolved immediately with no real tension.
Overall, the drama has a decent storyline that is easy to follow and a good-looking cast, but the villains are average. It isn't special enough to go out of your way for, but it’s not a complete waste of time either. They could have done more, but in the end, they did an "okay" job. Not bad, not great—just okay.
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One of the cutest BLs I have ever seen!
Definitely you can't expect and Oscar-worthy series from this one but one thing for sure, I am a very easy-going person, some silly comedies would make me laugh so hard and each episode of this drama did not fail to make me laugh hence, this review is totally personal and you might have different opinion than the one I write below.When I first saw the trailer, I did not have a high expectation on this one as it will be the same university life BL stories but I trusted that this would be an okay-ish story as it was based on JittiRain novel (author of Theory of Love and 2gether). Also, I am a diehard shipper of NeoPhuwin and when I saw Neo and Phuwin will not be a couple in this drama, my interest dropped. But, after the first episode, I got hooked, impressed and immediately had a good feeling about this one and each episode was getting better, waiting for Fridays was the most torture thing for me for the past weeks.
So what makes me like this series so much (it will be endless but I make it short):
1) The directing. What makes this series so good is the ability of the director to make the comedy part "laughable". If you think the series is just a silly BL story for teenagers, it is not. It is full with good messages and were conveyed in a fun and comedic way. The directing managed to set the tone of the series so well, also they tried to make Duean and Meen story as separated story and it did not feel weird to me.
2) The acting. There are some experienced and new actors, but their acting was good and they don't really look like they just get out from the acting class.
3) OST and background music were awesome, so perfectly placed in the series and both Louis and Mix songs had been on my playlist and on repeat for many weeks already.
4) The small little effort to make Pi's and Duean's room to look like a real living person room, not just for the sake of the series! (LOL, I know).
What are the things that I wish it could be improved:
1) I would love to see more interactions and dynamics of Pi and Duean family. I love every moment of the parents, and the three brothers. They had an interesting chemistry and characters, I wish to see they explore more into the stories of the family, their reactions to accept the couple of Pi, Duean and Wan (by the way in Thai Pi means year, Duean means month and Wan means day, LOL) and also the closeness of three brothers. The family adds flavour to this series.
2) I wish Bam (Janhae) character was a male. Look, don't get me wrong, I love Janhae, she's a great actress especially in Who Are You (LOL!) and I know love is genderless. But I get tired to see a female character to make someone else jealous in BL series. Mork loves Pi and tried so hard to win Pi's heart, we know Mork has interest in men (arguable, yes) so it would make a perfect sense if Mork has a male friend or ex boyfriend to make Pi jealous. I also don't want to see another "I don't like men, I only like you" so if Bam character was a male, then my heart will be at peace, at least.
This series has all the cliché things you have seen in other BL series but as Gun Attaphan said in Theory of Love, "it is not cliché, it is called classic". The clichés, "stupidity", illogical and craziness of the stories what made this series so cute and good in so many ways. You can see the Genres and Tags of this series in the descriptions and if you can't handle those then it might not be your cup of tea. "Comedy" is the first genre listed, well you can argue a good and bad comedy, not everyone will laugh at the comedy part of this series but this is the first BL comedy for me that really did not fail me from the get-go.
In conclusion, if you're still thinking to watch or not, give it a try, it is worth it. If this series was aired last year during worldwide lockdown, I'm sure it will become a hit just like 2gether. So yeah, that was a cue for you to start watching this golden series. Enjoy!
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