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2Progressive Message: Quality of life increases with the degree of truthfulness (not scham&pretence)
"My Liberation Notes" is a ray of hope within South Korean series production.In short: The lives of young people in their prime (+/- 30) are at stake here. Considering their groaning under the pressure of the competition in the workplace, the dazzling promises of the modern lifestyle industry, and the claims of society and family traditions, this could all be pretty depressing. But amazingly, it's not. The protagonists manage to give their lives something like dignity - quietly, impressively and with gentle intensity. They walk the way that lies before them, spraying their personal touch, a little bit, but nicely, thus leaving color and warmth on their trail.
The KDrama presents itself as a Netflix co-production and is thus in a certain way 'pimped' for an international audience - you don't see anything of the typical and rather special elements like makjang, slapstick, glitter & glamor of Jaebeol, or traumatic childhood secrets. Just life, every day, like everywhere else. Without spectacular ups and downs. As if someone had blindly reached into a pot full of addresses from a random location on the outskirts of metropolitan Seoul and then simply turned the spotlight and camera on the family living there for a while. In principle, it could be any family living near the terminal stations of the Seoul subway network. This, however, identifies the KDrama as specifically South Korean. Finally, the story is high KDrama quality, when it comes to a carefully, multi-layered narrative with deliberately reduced pace and space for the sensitive moments in between.
----------------- SIDE NOTE: --- Provincial life in the metropolitan area around the capital Seoul ---
So the KDrama simply tells about the normal life of relatively normal people around 30. They don't live in the megacity of Seoul (while almost 10 million people do) or in Incheon (with almost 3 million inhabitants), but in the sprawling province of Gyeonggi-do, which makes up the majority of the metropolitan area around Seoul in terms of space. The provincial population makes up ca half of the population of the more than 25 million inhabitants of the entire agglomeration around the capital Seoul. (And this in fact is about half of the inhabitants of South Korea altogether). An insight into the living environment of those provincial residents thus also offers an insight into a good deal of current South Korean life issues.
The fictional 'Dangmi Station' is actually Line 1's 'Seonghwan Station'. Crucially, most people who work in Seoul (increasingly) cannot afford to live in the city. Every workday they commute about +/- 2 hours to do their job in the city. With the evening company dinners and collegial come-togethers, a day becomes very long. There isn't much time left for a life of your own outside of work. While it is convenient in many respects to remain in the family home until marriage, this further reduces the amount of free time you have at your disposal. Especially if the parents still do a bit of farming and the help of the 'children' is required here and there.
City and country clash, almost every day. Accordingly, different life plans collide, which either fit more into a fast-paced, hip city life or rather into a rural, decelerated provincial life. In reality, however, new hybrid variants are needed that function as a flexible joint between both realities that are equally relevant to everyday life - city and country.
You might want to think about the meaning of life. About goals that you would like to set for yourself. What is life? What does it offer me? What would I actually like to do? Or, wait a minute, is it better not to think at all? It is up to the young people of the recent and the following working generation, to grope, to stumble, to develop new, visionary as well as down to earth attitudes and inspiring blueprints to life in a South Korea from the 2020s onwards...
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"My Liberation Notes" sails in this field of tension. Other than that, tension is not on the agenda. "My Liberation Notes" is processing the wisdom, the questions and the insights that the protagonists come up with over the course of the story - sometimes quietly to themselves, sometimes in conversation with friends.
The focus is on 4 protagonists who practically all live together in the provincial suburb of Seoul. Three of them are siblings and work in Seoul, the fourth is a stranger who helps their father in the carpentry shop and in the fields, eats with the family and lives next door. (A fantastic Son Seok-ko as an inscrutable stranger, as well as Lee Min-ki, Kim Ji-won and Lee-El as very different siblings, are presenting the range of everyday emotional worlds in a wonderfully haunting way.) All four wrestle with life in their very own manner and question, what freedom and quality of life could mean to them under the given circumstances. Promotion? Money? Success? A car? A partner? Marriage? Family? Living in an apartment in Seoul? Where is life? Is this life?
Eventually the aspect of reverence also comes to the fore: To respect and be respected. To be worshipped. To be adored... Yet how to express mutual adoration and respect (in order for your own life to feel maybe a bit more valuable)? ... Maybe just give it more space. That would be great...
The episodes pass as does life itself. The days are the same, and yet each one is new and different from the one before. Happiness is accumulated by the minute. And in the end, life is beautiful after all. Worth living. Distinctive. The quality increases with the degree of truthfulness that they give to their lives. And that's indeed a progressive message (as far as a society like the South Korean with its highly valued tradition of scham and pretence is concerned.)
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DISENCHANTED
The moment it was revealed who the mysterious Enchante guy is, the show started going down the drain.Quick recap. Theo's granny died so he went back to Thailand to be with his family and continue his study. Hoeever, he found life is too boring, it is in fact too boring that while at the library, he decided to write on a French book in the hopes that someone will write him back because, why not? He is the star and people still go to the library nowadays, right? If you ask what are the chances that a Thai guy will read a French book in a library? It is very high, very high indeed. It was so high, that 4 most gorgeous campus guys took credit of writing him back as Enchante. The end.
Oh, wait.
The show started out ok, the first few episodes were engaging, and the connection between Akk and Theo is just full of goody cuteness. And then they had to go there - what was promoted as the selling point of the series was actually its weakest point. 3 of the 4 campus heartthrobs are shown as creepy stalkers, and were later revealed to be up-to-no-good delinquents and opportunists. Whats worse, in what the makers thought was the best twist of the series, they revealed that Enchante was in fact Theo himself! its as if, at that point, he isnt too self-absorbed enough. I could understand (a little bit) that he wanted Akk to be jealous, but to let the lie go on for that long is just downright egomaniac and borderline sociopath.
Ill be honest, by episode 4, i got tired of the story and even forget there are new episodes still to come. The Enchante reveal left a really bad taste in my mouth and unfortunately things got even worse after that.
I also dont understand how the show managed to lose what little chemistry Theo and Akk have at the beginning, and how almost all the characters become un-lovable by the end. Even the proposal scene at the finale was shot so poorly behind that too-obvious fake Paris background, and I just cannot feel anything from the actors by that point as any trace of their little chemistry is gone.
When the credits rolled i was just glad that its over, and hopefully the next Friday GMMTV series can live up to their better brothers.
Will i recommend? No. Was it worth the watch? Not really, it felt like a waste of time. The only consolation is Force, cause he reminds me so much of Tay Tawan, and i think he deserves to get another shot. And please, by the love of god, give Fluke Gawin a main role.
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Disappointment
I would describe this show as a big disappointment; I did not have high expectations for this show. The bar was low, and somehow the show manages to go lower than that. As someone who watches a lot of Netflix shows, this is at the bottom of the list. Everything was flipped here; the way Netflix executed this show was horrible. In the first season, we all can agree that Sun Oh had a lot of screen time and Hye Young did not. However, here is the opposite I wouldn't even consider Sun Oh a main character when he had minimum screen time. I went from liking Jo Jo's character to hating her. The whole "spear" situation was just wrong. She goes from installing a shield to using the "spear" to ring Hye Young's love alarm.. and they want us to think that she is sincere and is a way to show Hye Young that she loves him? No, it was stupid and idiotic; why couldn't she be honest for once in her life. I was so happy when it came crumbling down when Hye Young found out. She deserves no one! They tried to make Sun Oh into a villain when we all know we all feel pity for him, at least give him a good ending him crying all the time is not going to give closure to his character. This was poorly developed and horrible written. The only reason why I kept watching it was for the developer's storyline and because Jo Jo's cousin, she was the only interesting character on the show besides the developer(s) and Hye young. Hye Young was a sweetheart, but he deserves better than Jo Jo. I want to say that I am neutral in the whole love triangle situation, but Netflix did a horrible job. First, they make a majority of the viewers in season one like Sun Oh, and with little information about Hye young, expected people to like his character be happy that Jo Jo ended up with him... NO. The ending was no better than season one's ending. Jo Jo was the villain in her own story; she created all the problems herself.Was this review helpful to you?
Marxism on acid.
Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” deserved more than Palme D’Or. After getting 8 minutes of a standing ovation in Cannes, this movie was just more than an award. But, I’m grateful to finally be able to watch this film and this is probably one of the best and insane movies in 2019. There is so much to talk about this movie, not just about Marxism, class consciousness, and social hierarchy, but more than a symbolism. The genius doesn’t prove we become bourgeois, but neither does the proletariat. There is a tradeoff between the two and in the satire comedy thriller drama, Joon-ho takes us into the depressing picture of a social class.Bong Joon-ho always pokes issues about social class and hierarchy like one in “Snowpiercer", about a ruler’s fight for prosperity. In “Parasite”, Joon-ho places his audience in a unique but unusual circumstance. We try to move and also struggle to “sneak” and “alight” in the fertile flower. A detailed sequence shows the plan of deception so that this poor family is able to control the rich family. However, there is no root in this movie. Instead, we laugh at the richness of a rich family with this poor family. “Parasite” makes a serious incident into a funny yet ridiculous situation.
“Parasite” is not just a home invasion film but there is a lot of symbolism and satire both in society and country. Like for example the life of Ki-taek’s family, no more than poor families but the world has never looked at them. They are only more concerned with status, social class, and wealth compared to poor communities. The film is terrorizing its genre in horror, not just about socialism yet about people. The ladder is a strong symbolism, where the Ki-taek family may temporarily enjoy rich family wealth. When they go down a ladder, it’s not separated from the fact they still remain as a poor family.
This movie is like a rollercoaster, you want to breathe but you can’t. This is a sad experience. Seeing the Ki-taek family and other families is a suspense of the main plot. In fact, back again to a stereotypical of the rich and the poor. Poor people can be geniuses but not rich people. Conversely, rich people can have all but not for the poor. The house is a temporary place where you want to look after and care for but makes you feel comfortable about the house.
Not on intelligence but on chance. There are up and down, good and bad. But, this movie combines all of these so it’s difficult to know which ones are worthy of pity. There are just unworthy characters, jumping up one flight of stairs to another, trying to find a way up but it’s so easy to fall. Business and work aren’t shortcuts but in order to be successful, live prosperously, and become rich, there is a process. And finally, the characters in this film fail to keep their “ladder” each. All of the characters are free, as well as actors and actresses, whether a dialogue is on their expression, we really stand and easy to understand.
The acting, the camera, the tone, the symbolism, the case for this movie is just everything and I still think about it when the end-credit appears. At first, you laugh but then, between feeling sorry and sad. Bong Joon-ho presents an idea that’s easy to understand. “Parasite” is fantastic in terms of criticism, messages, plot, tone, performance, score, etc., deserved more than anything. This is a “fun” movie.
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Had the potential to be the best BL of all time, but ended up a mess.
This series got off to a good start, but took a wrong turn around ep 10 and largely fell apart. The plot centers around Dr. Tin, who gets trapped in a time loop that he can only escape by saving Tol, an accident victim. He repeatedly fails, falls asleep, then begins the same day again, etc. Along the way he gradually uncovers more and more of the mystery of what happened, and draws closer and closer to Tol, the man he has to save.It's quite well written - until it's not. Close to the end the perspective shifts to Tol, which deflates all the dramatic tension built up to this point, and then suddenly people's personalities change, to the point it doesn't feel like we're dealing with the same characters anymore. The story also starts to take a lot of "cheats", where the "rules" of the setup are changed in fairly silly ways - like all of a sudden kisses restore memories of past time loops - even if non-consensual, even unwanted, so it's not Love or something, it's just lips touching that works. There's also a magical notebook which makes no sense, i.e. if you go back in time, what you wrote before shouldn't be there anymore, and the way it's given to someone else makes no sense.
The finale is so random that I stopped caring what happened, and the ending is flat and anticlimactic. It's happy-ish although it doesn't make sense so it's not really satisfying.
The acting is superb all-around. This is Tee's best performance - he was adorable in Miracle of Teddy Bear, but here he plays a darker and more complex character, and everything he does is so authentic. Tae is also wonderful in this - he has that impish smirk, but he can also play cute and vulnerable and then shift to on-fire sexy - but it's his subtle moments that are the most impressive. At the end of Ep 9 he's so powerful - both of them are. Their chemistry is so on point, and so natural, and their characters are so fully realized. But then that's all thrown out and they essentially become different people.
The music is way better than typical - there are no old-fashioned power-ballads, and the soundtrack effectively supports the story.
One warning - there is a huge amount of secondhand embarassment in this - Tin is a terrible liar and he screws everything up constantly, and it's painful to watch. It's very well done, but I had to take breaks sometimes.
I loved this series up to about Ep 10 - after that I more or less stopped caring. It was still overall a good experience, but the lazy writing in the last few episodes prevented this from being one of my favorites of all time, and I was sure it would be.
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1Identity Theft.
Here we go again - yet another ill-fated master disciple relationship! This starts predictably with a jinxed mortal Wei Zhi barely squeaking through into the prestigious Egret Academy. There her astounding lack of talent catches the attention and empathy of her master, Yan Yue. He is an immortal sent to discover and vanquish the remnant of the phoenix bloodline that is a threat to the Three Realms. You would never guess who the hidden phoenix is or that this cold faced inheritor of the realms falls in love with his enemy?!?Within a tired and tropey premise, the plot design of Beauty of Resilience is actually pretty good with some interesting and innovative takes. I found the Egret Academy's challenge arc to be very enjoyable in a way reminiscent of the Triwizard competition in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And I was intrigued by the mysterious Zihua Book Pavilion and its Shylock like master who extracts his pound of flesh. I also like that the Heavenly Empress is not just a decorative vase but has a rather important function as the mistress of time. Even the concept of Hua Rong is fresh and mysterious. Yet these ideas just don't quite come together in a good way in terms of plot and character progression.
Indifferent character blueprints, mis-cast roles and uninspired portrayals are this drama's weakest features. While Guo Junchen's portrayals of multiple roles is technically faultless, he is not given much to work with. Yan Yue is just a cardboard xianxia archetype. He only gets to shine briefly as the morally conflicted Chen Yan and in his darker personas but enough to impress as a diverse young actor. He and Ju Jingyi look fantastic together and they actually have decent chemistry. While her acting here is more nuanced, Ju Jingyi, once again delivers the same old vapid, completely indistinguishable portrayal that is her comfort zone. This is compounded by her default styling with atrocious Persian princess head gear and heavy handed and unflattering eye makeup that makes her look like she just waltzes from one set to another. She actually has excellent comedic timing which sadly this humourless script gives her no chance to showcase. Mu Nan is the only engaging and empathetic character but is sadly matched up with the most tedious and mis-cast role. And that is just the tip of the ice berg in terms of how shabbily the writers treat him.
The supporting roles are one dimensional and the cast lacks experience, chemistry and rapport. Everyone is obviously acting and their relationships and interactions are so forced I couldn't engage with or care for any of them. There were way too many identity thefts going on where even the lead actors in the swapped roles are unconvincing as the characters whose identities they stepped into. It was so bad at times it was kind of funny. The villains are quite obvious from the beginning and they weren't satisfactorily dealt with. One of them perished so quickly I literally blinked and missed it. I went episodes thinking they were lurking for the right moment to pop out again. My hope for a satisfyingly long, painful and drawn out demise was never met.
This drama's strongest arcs are the early ones that take place in the mortal realm. After that the drama loses momentum and gets more ridiculous as it progresses. The ending however is quite original and quite cool but was so rushed and poorly executed that it took awhile for what actually happened to sink in. I would say this is something that you could watch up until the wedding in the second arc, skip all the messy and time wasting latter arcs and you'd still end up in the same place. The early arcs were a watchable 7.0/7.5 for me but I'd at most rate the latter arcs 5.0 for an overall rating of 6.0. Watch at your own risk.
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Tomorrow seems to be a step behind
One can’t say that they didn’t try. In fact, they tried so so hard. Impressive visuals, from shot composition to visual effects, big, big emotions and genuinely good acting moments, relevant subject matters and an important message- Tomorrow went all out. And yet, I am feeling lukewarm about it.Let me tell you what I sincerely enjoyed about Tomorrow, and there is plenty because my heart is not made out of stone, believe it or not: This drama balances a thin line between goofy comedy and over-the-top tragedy, that I think, sort of worked a good amount of the time. The silly moments gave the viewer a much-needed break from all the heaviness on screen, without taking away from the seriousness of the topics. That can largely be attributed to the characterization of our leads, who all had great chemistry together. I genuinely loved all our four protagonists and the end had me shedding a few tears.
Episodes two and three had some visually very impressive moments, I am not just talking about the quality of the CGI, there were clearly also very creative ideas and strong aesthetic concepts present, and while I feel like the rest of the drama was not able to live up to the standard these episodes set, it was still appreciated and overall Tomorrow was a stylish show nonetheless.
Eventhough I was not always happy with the resolutions the narrative offered (I will go into more details soon), there were a few episodes, or at least moments, that tucked on my heartstrings. While undeniably cheesy most of the time, Tomorrow offered genuinely bittersweet moments that were bound to move the viewer, and at the end, I couldn’t help but feel at least slightly touched by the hopeful messages this show at least tried to convey.
But I can’t help but think that Tomorrow just fell short on more levels than I can ignore. Suicide is a touchy topic obviously, and it might be too complex and nuanced for this format. This doesn’t mean that you can’t try but you are bound to run into a few problems sooner or later. There are so many factors that can drive a person to end their life, and those don’t need to include those larger-than-life tragedies the drama relied on. I often feel like Korean cinema does too much when it comes to tragic backstories, they just pile tragedy on tragedy to the point where it almost feels comical. This becomes especially troubling in this format, where the concept is to introduce and resolve a complex issue in the same hour. And even when the narrative wasn’t centered around unnaturally huge disasters, the time constraints this drama set itself, weakened its genuine-ness. Sadly, recovery is not a straight line. The right words at the right time might put you on the right track, but the road to betterment will inevitably include a few steps back at points in your journey (wow have I run that metaphor into the ground yet?).
One of my favorite episodes featured a woman battling an eating disorder. The plot didn’t rely on over-the-top tragedy, the dialogue was at its most poignant and genuine and I feel like this episode was probably one of the more relatable, comforting and helpful ones. But by the end, I could not help but think that the problem had been grossly simplified. The character who had been determined to terminate her mental-illness-ridden existence like a week ago is seen smiling and eating again by the end of the episode. And I won’t say that I wasn’t moved by that moment, that it didn’t put a smile on my face, but to someone who has seen the effects of eating disorders firsthand, this conclusion came across as a bit weak. And I get it, the actual nuance of the topic might not have been a satisfying story. It might not have fit the hopeful message this show is so desperate to convey. You want to show the audience that the character is recovering because that is how illness is usually portrayed: as a challenge to be overcome or a war to be won. Illness is a story told in the past tense. But it’s never that simple or pretty. The actual story of illness might have been less feel-good. But it also might have been the more realistic, important story to tell.
Here is the problem of Tomorrow simply put: Depression doesn’t make good television. That sounds harsh but it’s true. Mental illness is not a three-arc story with a satisfying conclusion. It is a never-ending battle that you have to pick up every single day. And that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t get better, or better said, that you don’t get better at fighting, but it means that when your plotline is centered around suicide, you can’t provide your audience with a clean happy ending without coming across at least a bit ingenuine. No deeper issues or the roots of those were discussed. Every problem seemed to only exist at surface level and could be resolved with the right monologue. It felt like at points, Tomorrow was more concerned with giving its leads witty one-liners that save the day, instead of portraying the complexity of the present issues.
There are a few more problems with Tomorrow, the episode centered around a suicidal dog felt laughable, ridiculously out of place, and almost sort of insulting to me, considering the heaviness of other discussed topics. The episode around a veteran was so oozing with patriotism and propaganda, that it was almost difficult to stomach. The main conflict between Ryeon and Joong-gil could, in theory, have been resolved at any given point in the story, so it felt like a plot point dragged along for drama’s sake. The actual rules the suicide-prevention-team has to follow, are incredibly unclear and seem to only matter when the narrative relies on them, there were multiple moments where the cheesiness of this drama got unbearable for me et cetera et cetera. But compared to my main issue with the show, these criticisms seem minor.
When I look at Tomorrow, I see a drama that is desperate to make me feel better. I see a country, that has one of the highest suicide rates in the world and doesn’t seem to understand why. I see a team of people that genuinely tried. I see a story that failed to understand its own nuances.
You can call me bitter; you can look at my review and say that I simply didn’t get it. That the point all this time solely laid in the show’s hopeful conclusions. That it never tried or had to be gritty or complex. That there is no shame in a clean happy ending if it provides someone out there in the world comfort. And you would 100% be correct. If Tomorrow gave just a single person out there hope, it probably did its job. I don’t have to get something, for it to have worth. Maybe this drama simply wasn’t made for me. But all this doesn’t change how I feel. Tomorrow represents a big swing and a miss for me. But maybe I just need to be thankful that it attempted to swing big in the first place.
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It's boring!!!!
Just don't waste your time watching this.. 🤬It's so dry and meaningless... Worst plot twisted ending I've seen... It sucks... I wish somebody remakes it and lets Woori and Raphael end up.... Bullshitty ending 🤦♀️viewers will get frustrated after watching it... Also Kang Jae's character is super irritating... And you let Woori end up with Kang Jae!!??? 🙂ewww... Just ewww... It's a No-No...
Too Boring... Doesn't deserve even a half star... 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️also... It's like Woori gonna have 2 husbands... Wth.... Greedy???? Hmmhmm... No.... This is so not like a kdrama... This is so fake... So irritating for the viewers... Better make a season 2 and let Woori end up with Raphael.... If not.... Almost everyone is gonna hate it for the tasteless ending....
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Ending Unworthy of a Female Lead with such Fighting Spirit
From the first episode, Hee Do has won our hearts with her quirkiness, her conviction and her fighting spirit. She put everything into her passions, whether it’s her love of fencing or her admiration of the national champion Yu Rim, or her love of her manhwa comics. She never gave up, even when she experienced the painful tragedy of her dad’s passing, she continued on. Despite Yu Rim being such a bitch to her in the beginning, her adoration never wavered.
There are a lot of good things to admire about Hee Do and her bold and dorky characteristics. The friendship between her and Yu Rim is very sweet, it’s stronger than their competitiveness and adversary, and the gossips that try to take them down.
Such unshakable devotion to a friend tells me she’ll also love with the same conviction. Her love for Yi Jin would be just as passionate. She believed in him, she’s understanding and supportive. She wouldn’t give up just because they hit a bump in their relationship. Her competitive spirit wouldn’t let her give up so easily.
The ending was very rushed, all within an episode or two and everything changes. The build-up to the end was steady and we see how their relationship develop and grow. Something that grows on such solid foundation wouldn’t just topple so easily. Him moving to New York is a weak excuse for a break up. It made no sense for Yi Jin to move to New York. That they could grow older and grow apart, sure that’s believable but everything happened so quickly that it’s unbelievable.
Hee Do being who she is wouldn’t give up so easily. She’ll keep on fighting for the man she loves.
If the writer is trying to get across that time and youth is precious, for us to grasp it and take full advantage of it, then the long build-up of Hee Do and Yi Jin’s relationship was somewhat misplaced. Throughout the series, they kept the audience playing the game of Did They or Didn’t They end up together. They keep throwing hints that they didn’t, but we still wait with hope that they did. That kept us going, but the ending never delivered. In the end, it was a wishy washy ending for a strong female lead.
The ending feels forced, a device just to make the audience cry.
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As much as the plot was cliché, there are some things we need to point out about this show.
A lot of people think the plot is pretty cliché.Irrational, domineering boss ML and a starstruck ordinary girl FL. Contract Marriage. And Girl-Pretends-To-Be-A-Boy RP.
But I think some things need clarification.
1)The title is "Cute Programmer". I don't get why some people misunderstood the story to be about programming.
(=... =) when the title clearly hints that the story is about The Programmer. The CUTE PROGRAMMER, Lu Li, to be exact.
2)People called Luli, "the doormat FL". That's just so obvious that these viewers watched the show but never bothered to understand the plotline or the character settings.
This is a story about Luli who falls in love with a man. A man who lost his trust with anyone. A man who does not understand or refuse to understand social context more than he does 1s and 0s.
Imagine, if Lu Li could've just walked away when it was easier said and done. Then what about the years of affection she had cultivated for YiCheng? Was that a lie? A joke? A playtime series that took her entire youth?
Is it love if you could just walk away because everyone said you should?
3) Sure, Yi Cheng's character is annoying. And he treated Lu Li badly. But think about it.
His father never supported his dreams and his career. Constantly using his company and investment as a hostage and force YiCheng to what they want.
His first love and the only woman he allowed in his life,apart from codes, betrayed him, stole his work and sold it to the enemy.
It'll be weird if he didn't put up walls and kept angst at bay after all that, especially with his character setting.
But that wasn't the point, was it?
The point was how the "cute progammer" Lu Li's presence changed him and thawed the ice.
4) To be honest, this show is very lighthearted. Despite all the cliché drama obviously pitched into this show, it wasn't a heavy series to watch. They manage to pull your emotions up when it starts to get strained because of the main leads' conflicts.
5)The side couples are interesting and yet didn't hog the screen time meant for the main leads. But had enough exposure to cultivate their own romances.
6)I've seen a lot of Zhao Lin's other works. And honestly, this was not his first time playing the assholish, arrogant husband that only realized how he loved his martyr wife when she left him.
If you alao have, then you'd understand how good this was compared to his previous works. His previous works were dragging and prolonged the drama for aesthetics. And was truly stressing and emotionally draining. But "Cute Programmer", despite the drama, never dwelled in it. And character and plot development were pretty fast-paced but never rushed.
I gave the story a 9 because the story was really cute if not for the cliché parts.
The acting and actors are all chef's kisses. Especially because I'm a fan of Bambi and Zhao Lin's works.
Soundtrack wise, could've been better but definitely a 9.
Wouldn't say it's good enough to rewatch. But I think I can see myself rewatching one more time, but never more.
All in all this was a pretty good drama.
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I like its romance although it was slow. This couple never broke up; never heart breaking , ...
They loved each other truly and they supported each other till the end. Their chemistry was sweet.
The plot was very unpredictable. That's why I liked its story. Also the story was full of moral, humanity and most importantly, Blood is brimming with life philosophies. Add to this the other invaluable life lessons that may be culled from the drama. To name a few, faith in God during adversity, compassion or empathy for the sick and dying; fleeting nature of life and vain things like power and money; moral science or the upholding of the ethics and standards of one's profession.
Although Park Ji Sang was a vampire, he proved that he is more human than anyone around.
Its villain was the best one I have ever seen in K-Dramas. He was so bad, really bad and he was so mean and wicked. He kept getting on my nerve in whole drama! :D
Acting was very good too. Although Ahn Jae Hyun acted awkwardly in early episodes, he kept getting better and better episode by episode. And finally he nailed his character! :) It is obvious that he tried hard for this drama. :)
The best actor in this drama is definitely Ji Jin Hee. He acted awesomely and I really hate his character in this drama. :D I truly commend him for his great acting.
Goo Hye Sun was so good too. Her facial expression was very unique in this drama. I praise her for her good acting.
Dialogues in this drama was so meaningful. Like "A hero dies for the person who recognizes that he is a hero.
OSTs were good too. It is really worth to watch and re-watch it again and again.
Lesson: never judge a drama by watching a few episodes or by listening to others' opinion about it.
This is a very different K-Drama with different story. It has no love multi-angel. If you like hot romance with push and pull; if you like predictable story; if you don't like thrill, murder and sadness and tragedy in dramas, DO NOT WATCH THIS DRAMA AND PLEASE DO NOT BASH IT BECAUSE IT DIDN'T END AS YOU PLEASE!!!
Watching this drama needs high comprehending and being meticulous. Because it has lots of nuance.
Oh! seriously, this drama does not deserve to be judge so harsh.
Thanks for reading my review and please forgive me if I make you sad through my words.
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if it bores you give this drama a chance up to 4 episodes :)
Story:
it will make you smile like an idiot for an entire episode don't worry it's normal, it will give you butterflies in your stomach,it will make you cringe and giggle for the main couple, it will make you re-watch HIM. yes I'm talking about him, the main character Je SooHo. he is way tooooooooo adorable!
best thing about this drama? Is it will make you think that guys act like girls too when they're in love.
15 to 16 episodes felt like the first two episodes to me though I love how it ended it was beautiful. I would lie If I'd say this drama is perfect, it has it's bumpy road, This is a KOREAN DRAMA so expect it will be cliche. lol. Highly recommended if you're into romcom! recommending it to everyone I mean you are missing a lot of your korean drama journey if if you wouldn't meet the most adorable character/male lead in dramaland.
I cannot guarantee that you'll love this drama but one thing is for sure you will definitely fall in love with the main guy. In my case I simply love it the cast, story, music, everything! :)
Acting/cast:
RJY: At First look he isn't that handsome to me. but lol. there's something about him that as as you get to see more of him you'll get to fall even harder. He is very charming and a great actor, I don't think any actors could pulled off Je SuHoo's character beside him.
HJE: I don't understand why others didn't like her, I was like what is wrong with you people she is basically the main reason I started it!
dalnim and the bff of sooho: funny combination and look forward to seeing them they are both hilarious :)
amy and gary: kinda annoying :p at the end my annoyance towards them lessened. xD
Mother of SooHo is really nice and adorable *wink*
re-watched value: LMAO perfect 10. lol. I have no idea how many time I've watched the 4 to 9 episodes and I'm definitely gonna watch the entire episodes for sure. one time viewing isn't enough you know *wink*
Overall this drama is really good! WATCH IT LIKE RIGHT NOW :) Technically I would have rated it 8.5 to 9 but Je Sooho is way too perfect so I ended up giving it 10! someday you'll understand me. mouhahahah.
WARNING: Je SooHo is a one of kind character. you'll miss him for sure especially his pajama moments at night!
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This review may contain spoilers
refreshing and incredible.. until the later half
overall, this show was really really good. it was mostly light hearted with lots of mature dialogue, deep characters, beautiful cinematography, and more. for the first half, i was convinced this drama would be in my top three along with vincenzo and healer. up until episode 10, I think id give this show a 10/10. somewhere along the second half it seemed to have lost its spark, but none of the issues im going to discuss are reason enough to not watch this show. overall i recommend it.
as an overview, i love thinking about how much progression we saw over the course of 16 episodes. especially within the FL whom I feel was the main vessel of change, i can see a huge difference in her from the first to the last episode. same goes for the other characters, all of them had some kind of realization or moment at least once in the show, and i really appreciated how different people at different stages of life were all given a moment to have feelings and talk about their trauma, because thats real. There also arent any typical vicious drama villains: the second male lead is accepting, the teacher is actually just quietly in love with hwajeong, everyone feels real and not at all like a typical drama caricature. usually dramas forget everyone that isnt the main character, but not this one. i also really liked the vibe of the show itself, it promises and delivers a mature healing drama full of family and friendships and community and all that good stuff. The themes of second chances, the importance of emotional support, this was also so nice to see on screen. the writing was stellar, until the later episodes ( especially ep 15). The characters are all interesting, the cinematography is great, and even the ost is good, its an almost perfect drama if i ignore the later episodes.
im going to discuss stuff i didnt like because when a show is this good, the issues tend to stick out more than usual. Some of these things are very nitpicky, so dont take them as a reflection on the show as a whole.
full review below. SPOILERS
even though this drama covered many important topics such as the hardships women face (with the crazy pervert and the childbirth) and even included a lesbian (!!!), i felt that the way they addressed many of these topics was a little skewed and delivered the wrong message. as for childbirth, i was pleasantly surprised that they were depicting it on screen as well as reinforcing how hard it really is to be a woman. but it was ruined by FL saying how romantic it was when the husband promised to be by the wifes side even though the entire episode talked about how he was a horrible husband that didnt even change his kids diapers and didnt realize that childbirth was difficult. like what ?? and as for the teacher, she just comes and goes throughout the show and i wish she was on screen and talked about herself more (instead of showing up to give yeongguk a motivating speech about apologizing to hwajeong), since lgbtq are not often seen in kdramas. and then i enjoyed how they depicted change with the FL and trauma with ML, but the way his was only delved into in the last episode really sucked since i think that shouldve been a main focus along with FLs personality shift.
It feels like all of the issues I have with this show come down to an unbalance, or a right message gets skewed the wrong way, you’ll see what I mean.
as for the FL, i generally enjoyed her growth. i loved how obvious it was, how realistic it seemed. it was gradual, but there were also specific moments where you can SEE her changes. like in episode 10 where she walks in the rain even though its something she hates, just because she recalls ML saying that she should let herself just exist. i love how open she becomes, with the way she confesses her feelings so openly in ep 10 with no hesitation. when she first came to gongjin she was so artificial, pretending to listen to everyone, smiling and nodding absentmindedly. it was a complete 180 to see her be as genuine and open as she became.
For the ML, his personality was always captivating, and he was an interesting character. here is where my first issue with the show comes in: they shouldve given chief hong more flaws. he doesnt seem to have any besides his trauma, which isnt really a “character flaw”, unlike FL that is judgmental, stubborn, unwilling to change sometimes, etc etc. especially in comparison to the FL, hong is TOO perfect. Plus you’d think someone with that much trauma would seemingly have more issues: maybe trust wise or be cold and angry, but he wasnt any of those things. Up until episode 10 (which I thought were 10 perfect episodes) FL grows as a person thanks to hong which is fantastic character growth and fantastic set up for their relationship, but hong doesn’t change at all. And why would he? He’s kind, helpful, can do everything. They should’ve given him a basic flaw like being stubborn or something so he could change thanks to hyejin as well. But he was the one always calling out her flaws and mistakes while he remained the same, and although he was often justified I was sometimes annoyed at how he wouldn’t mind his own business and tried to change her when it wasnt his place.
The reason I keep saying "up until episode 10" is because after that I feel like the show lost its spark. character wise, the shift between pre-relationship FL and relationship FL was so jarring. She felt like an entirely different person. And yes people are cuter with the person they like of whatever, but they should’ve incorporated some of this into her pre-personality so it wouldn’t come off as so strange when she suddenly started acting this way. I also felt like some of her character development was wiped off after episode 10. in fact, i occasionally felt that the FL was even more unreasonable and unlikeable than in the beginning. In episode 11, she hurt ML physically and emotionally, such as when she asked him to take care of the Second Male Lead, when she has unreasonable requests, when she takes him to see the sunrise at 4 am, when she makes him wear school uniforms to take pictures. especially when she drags him around the mall and he’s clearly saying no to doing things and she pressures him when he constantly says no. And to keep their relationship a secret hyejin hurts dusik throughout the entirety of ep 11. physical violence is never okay, especially not for comedic purposes. the fact that it was done multiple times made me less and less excited to finish that episode. and the fact that her go to reaction when she was surprised was to hurt him really made me dislike her, despite all of the progress that they made on her personality. this also really pushes the narrative that shes full of flaws and he isnt because hes forgiving and understanding.
Back to the ML, he was the one that carried this Big Secret Trauma for a majority of the show which like I said earlier was made out to be his only flaw. we didnt even know what it was until nearly the last two episodes, which I have a few issues with.
i dont appreciate how they approached his trauma as a flaw, because it isnt. everyone has trauma and issues, and not everyone reacts to it the same way. hyejin was hurt by her ex bfs words that caused her to be more materialistic, but she never shares that with ML. yet she expects him to share everything with her? she had a line where she said "im okay with showing you all of me, so why cant you do that for me?" which, just because hes seen you drunk and met your stepmom does not mean he needs to reveal more than hes comfortable with. she pushes him constantly to open up about his trauma (that was much more severe than her ex saying she dresses ugly) and i thought this whole situation and episode were so unreasonable. i understand that she expected more from him and their relationship, she was thinking of their future and he wasnt yet. i empathize, im sure its hard when your S/O isnt where you are and youre feeling anxious about where your relationship is going. but they had only been dating for what, a few weeks at that point? that combined with how much pressure she was putting on someone that was clearly hurting made it hard for me to feel for her.
plus, when SHE decided they need a break, she kept rubbing it in his face saying “we are on break- BUt why arent you saying anything to me? im giving you time- BUT why wont you tell me your secrets?!? we’re on break-BUT-here i am at your house even though i suggested the break!” and then she ends the break when she feels like it- even though initially it was supposed to be FOR him to heal. this was why, despite me being understanding of how hurt she was about ML not being open about his past, i just couldnt be on her side. This was one of the moments where again, I felt that her character development was setback.
the way this led to people blaming hong when he was trying to deal with TRAUMA was just so ?? disgusting to me. no one knows what hes dealing with, but they keep pushing him. It is never anyones place to push someone to speak about their trauma or disclose aspects of their personal life if they are not ready to do so.
And hwajeong tells FL that she should give it time, which had a nice sentiment, but then she told FL to be MLs rock. Again, taking a lovely scene with a good script and turning it into something that isnt necessarily a great message. If someone isn’t in the same place emotionally where you are then you dont need to wait for them. this is another reason i couldnt entirely be on FLs side, if hong isnt where she is and he doesnt want the future she wants, she cant just force him into it. even though i loved them as a couple, they shouldve just had them break up then instead of depicting their relationship how they did. you should never push someone when they arent ready, and you dont need to wait by that person either. if you want a future, and your partner just isnt sure, then you dont need to be with them. The result of this situation was as I mentioned, FL constantly pushing ML and reminding him that she is giving him the HONOR of her patience, while he struggles to deal with his internal conflicts. The way this whole episode was handled was a big no from me.
as for ML’s actual trauma, they dragged it on for SO long. and im not saying it wasnt worth the wait, but I was underwhelmed. Maybe the trauma they gave him would’ve panned out better had they disclosed it earlier and had him work on himself for the remaining episodes, but they chose to build suspense and shove it on us at the very end. Which, okay fine, but this didnt work for me. Despite the big suspense, he wasnt a murderer or anything, he blamed himself for a situation that was unfortunate but not at all his fault. Some people hypothesized that he was in a car accident with his wife and child which i think wouldve been better to fulfill the suspense than what actually happened, which was that he was there for the death of his best friend and dohas father became paralyzed (which had NOTHING to do with hong and was entirely the fault of the father who made a reckless decision). but the show treated him like a murderer which is pointless for several reasons. for one, when doha calls him a murderer, no one in gongjin actually thinks he is one so theres no outer conflict. we are never under the impression that he is either because he has proven over and over again that he is kind and good natured, so its more annoying than anything else that the show treats him this way. that leads into two, we are watching this pan out as an audience. we KNOW none of it is his fault, so watching this poor guy blame himself since childhood for his parents and grandfathers death, and then those related to the adult deaths blame him for those, it just sucked. its just not great to watch someone get beaten down over and over again, especially since this is a made up "healing" story and the writers can do whatever they want with it, and they chose to leave the actual healing for the very last minute. in real life, yeah there are probably people like hong. but this is a drama and watching his internal conflict pan out just doesnt make sense when its entirely in his mind and he didnt actually DO anything wrong. so its just annoying and unsatisfactory when for 15 episodes youve been like WHAT is this trauma and that answer is: another accidental death that has nothing to do with hong and everything to do with everyone else. i guess in a sense its realistic that he might get blamed by those that are hurting, but i just felt like i was watching this perfect guy who has lived a shitty life get blamed over and over again, and even now when he is supposed to be forgiving himself, the wife of his friend refused to apologize and doha tells him he shouldve taken better care of his father. what poor writing, there should be a balance between the tragedy and how much shit this poor guy gets and the healing (not to mention gamri dying in the same episode??). how many times do we need to see him apologize for things out of his control and get hurt? i think his healing shouldve been a main focus, maybe cutting into the time of all of the unnecessary misunderstandings and filler moments or even into FLs personality change. because although her arc was important, we watched her change throughout the entire show and he only got the last episode.
All of this happens in the second half of the show, which like I said lost its spark. The scenes felt a little more childish, with more misunderstandings to brace us for the couples upcoming conflict, and more happy go lucky filler to brace us for the reveal of the Big Trauma. the trauma itself wasnt handled well either. honestly, i kind of lost interest and had a hard time sitting through the episodes, while before id open netflix the second the episode was up and watch it immediately. i still really appreciated the show, but it didnt give me the same feelings as before.
Also in the second half, we see less of the other characters and focus more on the main relationship. I thought this was a big mistake because initially the magic of the show was the family feel and the environment, but that dwindles away to give focus to how the main relationship develops and has misunderstandings. the other characters only seem to come in to give motivational speeches or to make minor commentary (like in ep 15 when hongs trauma is revealed and they sit there for two seconds and take turns saying they are worried about him) or to help add to the drama (like in ep 14 when doha punches hong, everyone in gongjin is there to add to the dramatic feel). I wish we focused more on everyones individual lives ad relationship at that point, instead of making way for silly misunderstandings or filler or the Big Trauma. like the scene with yijoon and his parents getting back together was so heartfelt, and i think we shouldve gotten more of that with each character.Like I said, a solution to this wouldve been disclosing the trauma earlier and gradually working on it, which wouldve given more time for hong to actually get over it (because I can’t believe that in the span of an episode his years long trauma disappears) and the other characters could’ve had more screen time.
i think the shows flaws come down to one thing: an unbalance. an unbalance within flaws, an unbalance with the pacing, an unbalance with the characters personality. There was even an unbalance of storytelling and mood: the whole drama was mature but then we have the childhood connection, really? That didnt even add anything to the story so why was it even in there? plus the way everyone was connected?? PD is related to the wife of hongs best friend and PDs editor is the son of he guy who worked at hongs company and PD went to school with hyejin and they all meet up in this one small town i mean ?? really ?? It felt unfitting for a show that was otherwise serious and realistic. And where was miseon, FLs best friend, for half of the show? In some episodes she just wasnt home, or she just isnt mentioned. She only starts showing up for relationship issues in the later half of the show. I loved their friendship, so I wouldve loved to see more of them. I also wouldve loved to see more interactions between the gongjin citizens and hyejin after her personality shift. these are just little things that could’ve been changed to greatly improve the show.
Of course I dont expect perfection, but some of these flaws were so avoidable. Just taking away the line about hyejin romanticizing the poor relationship between the market owner and the hardware owner or just leaving the line from hwajeong at “ wait for him to open up” instead of saying be his rock, all of this wouldve fixed what I think of as a flaw. Overall, I do think this show was really really good. But because I had such high expectations for it, how some of the scenes were handled really set it back.
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Gameboys (2020): The First Pinoy BL Series and the Best BL Series
“Gameboys” is the first Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series and the best BL series. While there have been a number of Pinoy gay-themed and lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer+ (LGBTQ+)-theme series (kindly check out my list of Pinoy gay-themed, LGBTQ+-themed, and BL series), “Gameboys” is the first Pinoy BL series since it’s closest to the traditional definition of BL series which is described as depicting homoerotic, romantic, and/or sexual relationships between two “male” characters, usually high school boys, university students or young professionals. It’s the best BL series not only because it showed excellence in plot/storyline, performance, and production, but also because it showcased innovation and promotion of social change in the BL genre. Indeed, “Gameboys” is a revolutionary BL series. It redefined traditional BL series typically written by female authors for female audience. Most Pinoy BL series are created by male and/or LGBTQ+ creators for a more general audience, including male and LGBTQ+ viewers. While Pinoy BL series were inspired by Thai wai/y series (and to a limited extent, Japanese yaoi series), Pinoy BL series trace their roots not only from the many Pinoy gay-themed and LGBTQ+-themed series since “My Husband’s Lover,” but also from the long history of Pinoy queer cinema (please see my list of Pinoy queer cinema) since “Jack and Jill.” Most of the creators of Pinoy BL series worked on independent (indie) Pinoy queer cinema prior to doing Pinoy BL series which account for Pinoy BL series’ often “woke” characteristics. The audience of Pinoy queer cinema are also audience of Pinoy BL series. “Gameboys” best exemplifies these “woke” characteristics of Pinoy BL series. It has no qualms in associating itself with the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. It discussed being outed and coming out, family acceptance, lack of marriage equality, etc. In addition to these, “Gameboys” also discarded hegemonic, heteronormative, and toxic tropes in the BL genre by rejecting LGBTQ+ stereotypes, representing gays and bisexuals, ditching the problematic representations of female characters, challenging hegemonic and toxic masculinity, normalizing male characters crying, promoting consent in relationships, dumping the heteronormative “husband and wife” in favour of “husband and husband,” doing away with dichotomic dominant (“seme” or top) and submissive (“uke” or bottom) roles, among others. On top of these, it tackled the COVID-19 pandemic and the various issues associated with it like inadequate government response, quarantine and lockdown, social distancing and safety protocols, long distance and online/virtual relationships, poor internet connectivity, mental health, and even death. All these were touched upon without losing track of its main plot/storyline -- at its core, “Gameboys” is still a story of two boys who are in love -- the perfect BL series.Unlike most BL series that treated the main characters’ homoerotic, romantic, and/or sexual relationships as the be-all and end-all of the series, as if they occur in social isolation, in a vacuum, the plot/storyline of “Gameboys” was very much contextualized in Pinoy culture and society (particularly in showcasing Pinoy gaming culture, highlighting the importance of family for the Pinoy, and even promoting Pinoy tourist attractions) and the country’s daily struggles during the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Being away from the Philippines, I really miss my country and my people. I’m also deeply frustrated with the Philippine government in its handling of my country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s great about “Gameboys” was its ability to seamlessly tie all these contextualizations with the things we absolutely love about a BL series. The finale, with its happy ending, with Cai and Gav loving and kissing each other and even living together was proof that "Gameboys" is still a BL series after all.
Screenplay throughout the series was consistently realistic and relatable. Art should not only make us think, it should also make us feel, and the script of “Gameboys” that banked on giving its audience emotional rollercoasters and cliffhangers each episode did just that. “Gameboys” made me excited and happy but at the same time it also made me mad and sad. With this series, I got excited, I laughed, I got annoyed, I cried. I’ve always been a sucker for series that make me feel something that’s why I love “Gameboys.” Aside from making me reflect on personal and societal issues, “Gameboys” made me emphatize with the characters. Plus, there were a lot of sexy and sweet lines that I thoroughly enjoyed. Of special note, the cute dialogues complemented the Kokoy and Elijah shirtless scenes that were hot and the kissing scenes of Episodes 10 and 13 that were both iconic.
“Gameboys” had the two best actors in a BL series. By a mile, Elijah and Kokoy’s acting was the best performance by a duo in a BL series. I felt their excitement, their happiness, their anger, their pain. You don’t really see such range in acting from both lead actors in a BL series. In the 100 or so BL series (Thai, Taiwanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean BL series) that I've seen, oftentimes, one of the actors was really good but the other was just so-so. And there were even times when both actors were just easy on the eyes. But with Elijah as Cai and Kokoy as Gav, we got two exceptional actors who are also very good-looking. They are both very skilled actors (with or without masks, those eyes speak!). And both are quite handsome. Elijah has this cute charm about him while Kokoy is very sexy. They have great chemistry together. It’s also remarkable that both actors are socially conscious. Without a doubt, Elijah and Kokoy are the perfect actors for “Gameboys.” Some of the funniest scenes of this series were those with Adrianna’s (“Queen”) Pearl. Adrianna is such a fine actress. It’s commendable that her character wasn’t made into the antagonist which is a welcome departure from the usual female as villainess trope in a BL series. I’m excited for “Pearl Next Door”! Sue, who portrayed Cai’s mother Leila proved that you don’t need to be overdramatic to show great acting. The way Leila showed quiet grief in dealing with her husband’s death and clear conviction in accepting and comforting her son was simply astonishing. One of the biggest advantage of “Gameboys” over other BL series is its high-caliber cast. Elijah, Kokoy, Adrianna, and Sue are all fantastic actors while the rest of the cast members including Kyle, Miggy, Jerom, Angeli Nicole, and Rommel are all good actors. There were a few cheesy scenes here and there but because the cast members are amazing thespians, in the end, the corny scenes were negligible.
While production during quarantine has been done before (for example, check out one of my favorites, “Quarantine Stories”), the quality has been quite uneven until “Gameboys” came along. The innovations in production design, cinematography, computer graphics, sound engineering, musical scoring, and editing on “Gameboys” are now considered standards in Pinoy filmmaking. It’s not surprising studying “Gameboys” is now part of university courses on literature and mass media in the Philippines. Frankly, I have yet to see a better production (of BL and non-BL series) that employed split-screen techniques. Also, unlike other series which have lots of money that enabled them to acquire permission to use actual names of e-mail, social media, and social networking services, “Gameboys” had to invent their own versions of Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, Zoom, etc. to avoid infringing on the trademarks of these companies which I found really creative. Product placements (TM Tambayan, Silverworks, Bench, etc.) weren't subtle but because I understand the need to have sponsors for a production company like The IdeaFirst Company, I really can’t complain. And hey, SB19 was featured on the product placements, so that’s great! All the soundtracks including “Isang Laro” (A Game) by Nasser, “Panalo Ka” (You Win) by Dex Yu, “Angel of Peace” by Elijah, “Pag-asa” (Hope) by Elijah, “Hiling” (Request) by Joshua Ronett, “Ngayon” (Now) by Dex, and “Ako at Ikaw” (Me and You) by Joshua were perfectly incorporated on the different episodes of “Gameboys.”
Beyond all these, “Gameboys” ushered in the creation of an engaged Pinoy BL community composed of not only the cast and crew members of the different Pinoy BL series but also of fans, reactors, and reviewers from all over the world.
To sum up this long series review (my longest review yet, lol), I highly recommend rewatching “Gameboys” (especially in preparation for “Gameboys The Movie” and “Gameboys Season 2”). It’s the first Pinoy BL series. It’s the best BL series. And it’s now THE STANDARD for the BL genre.
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SHIAA , My Heart's Gonna Burst OUT ... Narakk Makk , Not the best But still GOOD
Duang is so damn cutee whyyy , I couldn't say anything but smile and say narak makkkk inside . Duang is optimistic and cheerful boyy and the way he blushes aww looks even moreee cuter , I know that sticker was stolen by Qin hahaha .. Qin doesn't feel uncomfortable for what duang is doing aiigooo .... Cast i love them , it's their first time as main rolee , I didn't imagine this series to be this much cute at first , but as expected I decided to try it and now I am waiting for the next Saturday . And I just don't know from when I am so interested in this type to series....... Wow isn't it funny for Qin , from strangers to lovers , Qin was impulsive in a cute way ha I don't what I'm saying , but look at cutiee Duang he just forgot what to say and instead said “ My buddy likes you ” 5555 . I literally thought there's something goin' on between Duang's buddy and Qin's buddy , in the fair ep 1 ,,,, I want them to catch feelings..... I also ship themmmI freaking love that QIN is very bold now , he literally lowered his walls a lot now , and so narak when jealous and possessive . Duang is doing a great job , he is such a great supporter of Qin . Awww the last KISS I loved it , bro Qin was sooo seductive the way he said COME ON gave me shirl , now I want to know who's the TOP and who's BOTTOM . Brooo what a passionate kiss . Next ep seems like Qin's ex crush is coming , am so excited wahhhhhh ....
Damn I highly recommend thisss it's freaking narak and authentic...
Bro I don't understand whyyyyyy , Episode 7 at the starting was something else and later on something so damn disappointing , i just wanted to cryy out , look at my duang I can't see him like this whattt is this guy tiww we don't need him .. Duang such a cheerful , funny , determined and clingy guy first time looked this much miserable, insecure and spineless . Looks like he's now scared about Qin's decision , he literally looked depressed , idk i feel damn but and now look at the teaser of ep 8 , what is that wristband parttt what the heck does that tiww want , I myself can feel Duang's despairing feelings . Omggg I just want Qin to choose Duang with such a pure heart and soul , I can't see duang like this at all anymore
The misunderstandings the way they healed each other , specially duang being the best supporter boyfriend he tried his best to heal Qin's childhood trauma he promised to become Qin's safe place , and I got so much emotionally connected with it , l could relate a lot of things and this drama will always stay like good memory in my mind .
It's an art that not everyone can develop or act , all those scenes were super realistic that made me cry out for real . Actually I never wanted it to end cuz it became my safe place for a while too it's my happiness every saturday , the days I passed waiting for it everything was worth it , and I love my decision to watch it
This series is overall perfect the ost “ Not the best but still GOOD , It had to be YOUU , Someday say , YES . " The ost is all good , the story line is just too freaking good they didn't rush anything , tried to get eachother and the consistency thats what made me feel so better..
Teeteepor 's biggest project , I didn't expected that I will get attached to it like this when I first saw the teaser but the trailer made me more excited for saturdays
I'm so emotionally attached to this drama .
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