Reviews

unique story, great acting, best thai show 2024 (so far)

First I was intrigued to get a different story every episode or so I assumed. But after two stories, the stories get expanded. And when you watch ep 6 you know there is something different going on. That's a novel concept to watch many BLs in one BL :)

Both MLs are very good at their jobs conveying different characters with different mindsets and with many emotions.
Both are standing out from most other thai BL actors playing the same character over and over again. So this show stands out in creativity and execution. While not perfect it's exceptional in the year 2024, where we got so much trash. Without a doubt, it's the best thai BL series in 2024 so far. Update: Spare me Your Mercy was a notch better in my book, but still this was great.

I don't want to spoil the fun for you, but you should watch this. Yes you will cry, but you will also feel happy.

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Need a second season

The story is nothing extraordinary, but well executed. The actors have done a very good job. The male leads have really good chemistry that is shot through the roof in the last episodes.
The female leads/ supports have actual contribution in the story and not annoying characters who only bates their eyes and create nothing but trouble. They are kind of badasses too. There are hints of romance but nothing that derails the feel and flow of the story.
As the series progresses, it goes on becoming more interesting. There are scenes in a few episodes that I fast forwarded and missed nothing, but overall, it is engaging. Even with a cliche mystery, it actually have a good ending.
And the series actually gives hint of a following season at the end of the last episode and I hope they make it soon.

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A fantastic, really done well, hilarious drama.

Story: It's a story about office workers, their office as well as personal life. The story is presented in a very hilarious way that will make your stomach ace because of laughter.

Characters:
SS: The ML, he is very innocent, hardworking, really clumsy and will definately screw up any task given to him. But overall he is really nice guy who is loyal and likes to help others.
NR: The FL, she is the senior of the ML, she is strict to him and is really hilarious. She always gets in fight with SS because he screw ups. She is a hardworking, straightforward (most of the time), funny and beautiful woman.
MT: He is a son of chairman of rival company, he went to the current company to learn and make something of himself. He tries to learn and adapt to the "normal" way of living.
KM:A normal office worker who is really strong and can't hold her liquor. She and MT are a duo where she teaches him about what normal is for an average person in really hilarious ways.
Other office workers: They all are really hilarious and very likable people. Everything they do is funny, even a "serious moment" would turn into a funny one because of them.
Aziz: He is a South Asian guy who is SS's roommate and like to refer himself in third person. Is a really funny guy with really funny catch phrases.

Acting:
Every single actor here has done an amazing job, their timing of comedy is on point. They will make you laugh with their dialogues as well as with their physical acting. There are some serious moments too which are acted really well by these people.

Likes:
The bromance between SS and MT is really hilarious to watch.
SS and NR's enemies to lovers is really funny and beautiful. They are really good together and give viewers a lot of funny as well as romantic stuffs.
MT and KM, initially they are creditor and debtor who later became student and teacher. They are really funny, especially MT being a rich boy who always misinterprete what "normal is.
MT and KSN, KSN looking out for MT thinking that MT is a poor and delusional guy is really funny
WHB, a gamer who does funny things in his office four walls.
CWW,SHM and KMH, all three are funny where CWW and KMH express themselves too much and SHM rarely shows any expressions.
There are also many hilarious parody scenes or dialogues of many popular dramas and movies. They exaggerated so many things and is a really funny manner.

Dislikes: There are zero things to dislike.

Overall: If you want to laugh, then this is definately a drama for you.

Rating as a casual viewer: 10
Rating as Critique: 10

Note: First two episodes have some references which a person from South Korea can understand. But later and other things in those two episodes are understandable by anyone.

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As fleeting, sweet, and explosive as pop rocks

|Fleeting|
Hold on My Lady is the type of costume romcom drama that you get if you remove the filler episodes and the irritating villain scenes from most costume dramas. Most costume dramas now have 24 episodes at around 35mins runtime but HOML only has 12 eps 15mins or 4eps 50mins episodes which is just the perfect length. I hope more production crews follow this format so they’re not forced to lengthen the script with filler scenes.

|Sweet|
The relationship between the whole cast and the characters are so sweet. We have non-toxic supporting characters and they also have great chemistry and backstory.

I love the progressive General Dad, the supportive sister-in-law, the ice cold turned loving brother-in-law, the protective man/lady-in-waiting, and the good natured merchant friends. I also liked the side plot for the sister and brother-in-law where they learned to be more vocal about their feelings which is kind of funny because the brothers are advising each other how to fix each others love life and the sister-in-laws are doing the same. The drama definitely gave a sweet family drama on the side specially with how the general dad is so nice to the fl and he doesn’t judge her and her origins.

And seriously this is the only drama where the dad of the conniving villainess is not deluded by his spoiled daughter and actually encouraged her to face the truth.

|Explosive|
You have the sweetness between the leads, which I think have perfect chemistry and they really complement each other look and character wise. Typically I prefer the pixie like actress like Seven Tan or Jung Jiyi but somehow the female lead worked well with the male lead and I actually felt shy and giddy in their romantic/kiss scenes.

I also like that even though their characters are written as polar opposites, when it came to love they are both as innocent so we get to enjoy how they discovered their feelings for each other.

Finally, the chemistry they provided in this web drama is even more than what other long format costume dramas have. **IACOHO I’m talking about you. XD

PS. We also have to commend the screenwriter Cai Bi Hong because it’s his original script and he did make a good short format costume drama.

So if you have the time, do watch this drama because it’s really worth your time. You can even watch it in 1.5x speed if the 4 eps is too long for you.

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Drama extensions are often cited as chancy. When planned for early and well, additional episodes hold the promise of potential. Time constraints are lessened and allow further opportunities to strengthen story and characters. Yet when mishandled (as they typically are), an extension might lead instead to the ruin of an otherwise pleasant watch. Which category does Love Around fall into then? The second, sad to say, though it isn't a total loss.

At first (and for most of its duration), Love Around is pleasant and simple. It never attempts to be more than a light-hearted romp centered on relationships. Some bubbles of conflict surface along the way; these are either dealt with swiftly or swept so far to the side as to be partially forgotten. Early episodes are relatively strong, with the warm dynamic between leads generating bright interest. How refreshing to see honest friendship predate romance, rather than the staple: bickering hatred! Though loveline development is slow, it is also remarkably sweet and natural. And the "comedy" paired with "romantic" in the genre tag? This aspect works well enough, with the usual stumbles here and there.

Major problems emerge around episode 15, coinciding with the first extension. Shift in tone swings so wildly toward melodrama as to be startling. Cliche suddenly invades in force, chomping away at most everything previously fun and original. Once the main conflict is remembered and brought to the forefront, it is milked dry quickly. Worst of all, passable pacing ultimately gives way to scenes as tiring as they are repetitive. These extra portions often center on unabashed filler plots and characters, some of which are wholly new. Once the second extension ends the series, one will find the conclusion rushed though rewarding. Admittedly, some of the sweetness comes from the entire experience finally ending.

The cast remains consistently likable despite late-game overcrowding. George Hu plays gentle melancholy beyond expectation, lending much-needed variety to a genre overpopulated by arrogant princes. His chemistry with Annie Chen is unquestionable; they complement each other just as well as everyone says. Her Xiao Shu stands rather sympathetic until the extension removes her spine and pluck, carried onward mostly by her innate affability. The second leads are a mixed bag, with Jack Lee depicting dull Gao Zhe Xuan without much flair of his own. Idol singer Elleya Tao fares much better, molding the spoiled brat archetype into lovable rather than annoying. Her scenes eventually became an unlooked for pleasure (and a bright spot in the extension doldrums).

Heard of singer Bii? If not, Love Around will introduce you. His songs are heavily promoted throughout the drama, from the catchy theme ("Come Back To Me") to inserts ("Nothing To Do With Happiness," "I'll Be By Your Side," a duet with Miu Chu). One of the only non-Bii tracks belongs to none other than Elleya Tao: "I Love You," an infectious upbeat number.

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This drama is a hard-watch. It's great at some aspects and terrible at others. The kind of drama you can't drop but you feel frustrated watching it. The writer had an idea. That idea was great. But she messed up when she involved the over dramatic love story especially with a really bad-written and acted female lead. The sub-plots were so interesting. But at the same time the troubles the characters went through were exaggerated much. The comic scenes were amusing and hilarious. But the supposed touching scenes were cheesy and superficial. The music, songs and performances were magic. Nothing I've seen before in a drama. The drama showed all the issues happening in the behind scenes of entertainment business. That was cool. But the way they were presented made me feel like I was watching a makjang rather than a musical drama.

Themes like Brotherhood vs. Love, misunderstandings ruining lives, being human means making mistakes, mistrust, rivalry and suspicion were presented and again in a dramatic way. At moments -especially when they were singing or the supporting characters were on screen- I would gape at the screen mindblown. And at other moments I would be gritting my teeth fighting the urge to vomit.

For the music and the supporting actors, the drama is totally worth it. But at the same time there are the other issues. So..

I will and I am re-watching the songs and performances. I even wrote the titles of the songs down to keep them. As for the female lead, I'll try to avoid dramas she's in when I can.
I'll try to avoid the writer as well.

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I don't care what others say. This drama is one of the best fantasy romance drama I have ever watched. Time travelling dramas can sometimes be confusing and "unrealistic". However, this drama did not have miracles or coincidences, but purely and not hesitant to use "time traveling" as a tool to construct the story. Every tiny scenes are connected to each other, and greatly affected the closing episodes.

The story had some unique initial settings, like an accident, a rapid marriage, and taking advantage of time travelling. They distinguished present and non-present scenes by using separate screen sizes, and brought up stuff like "future" products and lottery ticket digits, which are things one would probably do when you have the ability. I was a bit surprised about the rapid-yet-they-broke-up-once-marriage, but thanks to that, I think the drama was able to fit in 16 episodes, which was a perfect fit.

Casts and characters were awesome. Personally I loved the character Ma Rin, for her strong, understanding, and honest yet clumsy character. Doing everything she can with her power, but sometimes being clingy towards So Joon was just cute to watch. I really wished So Joon and Doo Shik were a bit more honest towards others.

The music had a perfect match for every scene, from a sweet, loving scene to an intense, sweating scene.

I am planning to watch the drama again, cause I want to remember details in every scene (like the train accident scene), and was also relaxing to watch. I think people can discuss things like fate and future after watching it.

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Okay, I will write the first review, because I feel nobody wants to do it. Haha!
This is a mess and most likely a disappointment to many. Nothing was shown or explained clearly. It's only a "spinoff", 10 minutes long, that felt more like some kind of longer music video. I still hope s2 will answer all our questions. That said, this spinoff was beautifully filmed. The backgrounds, the colors, the places, the music were great. The acting was perfect too. Especially when there wasn't much story they had to act out. They just put some scenes together in such a random way that's hard to even form an opinion about the whole thing. Shu Yi's behavior felt out of character, which I'm not a fan of. But we don't know the whole background, so hopefully at the end of s2 all those puzzle pieces will come together and make sense.
EDIT: those puzzle pieces made not much sense. Very lazy writing.

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What has business got to do with it?

Let's talk about the positive side of drama. The male lead is excellent! As usual, he delivers the best and his adaptability to the mood of character is amazing, From slightly cocky, to a touch of humour and cold when they all need to be without overacting or reacting. As for Dilraba, this is the first series I have seen her in a modern drama, and I think she is very suited to play a modern sassy lass than an ancient period drama. Her acting is very convincing. This is a light romantic drama and both are great. The chemistry between them is great. . The costume styling in this drama is the best by far I have seen in any of the modern Chinese dramas and even better than the Koreans, well done!!

NOW the bad bit. The business side of the story, but that one is unbelievably bad! The way the story is told and unfold in drama, which half of the drama talks about is completely illogical and unbelievably bad. I shan't go into it as it will be a long list of gapping non-sensical scenarios. You need to tell yourself that this is just a load of bullshit drama, not meant to make any sense. The logic behind the romance does not make sense at all, there is a huge trust issue there. The writer obviously creating a drama based on nothing. To be honest, if Song Lin is really the maverick that he was in the beginning, he would have won the invasion of the wolf, and not even been involved with Zhao Feng in anyway. Basically the storylines on both, romance and business suck big time.

Then the second couple, the boy knows exactly what's the boss is like, and made no effort to clear the misunderstanding? And the meddling Qin Qing? A friend I can do without.... heart in the right places but lack of understanding and logic.

Who wrote the script? She or he should never write again!

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With all the opinions jumping right and left about this film, I had a hard time setting my expectations. When I finally came around this, I decided to just jump into it without prior judgment. At the end of the day, I came to like this Monkey King version.

Adapted from the mega huge Chinese novel “Journey to the West”, this film actually followed the original novel very closely. The novel is in fact one of the fewest Chinese novels I read many years back when I was watching few other adaptations of it. This version is absolutely the closest and the most accurate one.

The film was full of several eye-catching characters, events and costumes. I know, I know; the CGI is what bothered many people about this film. Well, as long as you’re not here to watch “The Lord of the Ring” then it should be alright. It’s true that the special effects were overdone with many misses here and there but having watched several Wuxia films with immense use of CGI in my cinema watching, this doesn’t bother me at all. Actually, I considered it a cool experience with that enormous amount of CGI and wires inserted everywhere. For a normal viewer who’s not familiar with the Chinese/Hong Kong way of using CGI in their productions, it may cause a problem but as long as you’re willing to keep your mind open and accept unfamiliar styles then everything will be satisfactory after a while.

The plot wasn’t very smooth just like it wasn’t heavy either. This is a fantasy so there weren’t any traditional plot elements to follow; it was catching and involving at many phases just like other parts didn’t feel right, rushed or very slow. I am still thankful that they followed Wu Cheng En's classic very closely or I would’ve went very harsh on this Monkey King adaptation.

The acting department was full of huge names in HKC cinema. I have a little confession to make; I was actually reluctant about Donnie’s portrayal of the monkey king. When they first announced the film; I was confident that Jet Li will get to play the Monkey king again since he did a wonderful job with it before but he didn’t get the role. Donnie was casted instead and I was a bit worried. I love Donnie and I consider him one of the better HKC stars but I felt like Sun Wukong’s character doesn’t suit his acting style. Needless to say, I was proved wrong through this film. He did an amazing job with the character to make it feel very believable.
On his side were the marvelous Chow Yun Fat and the cool Aaaron Kwok in main roles. They were pretty much convincing and entertaining to watch. The remaining cast did a cool job including Peter Ho, Kelly Chen and few others. Some characters felt all over the place but it wasn’t unforgivable.

There’s isn’t much scenery to talk about since CGI were the film’s heart and soul. I don’t necessarily consider it a bad thing even though I am the type of person who heavily concentrates on cinematography while watching films. The musical note was pretty much forgettable, I don’t recall anything after finishing the film so yeah, and there you have it.

Watch if:
-You like HKC Wuxia productions.
-You like the classic novels of the Journey to the West because this is the closest adaptation.
-You like Donnie because he does a cool job with the Monkey King’s character here.

Do not watch if:
-You’re expecting a CGI level like in Hollywood film.
-You’re looking for something serious.
-You’re looking for something impressive.

The Monkey King took four long years of production to be finally brought to life this year. That alone deserves giving this film a go. Just try to open your horizons and think of this as an entertaining journey, because that’s the only way to appreciate this film.

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Give it a try

Mostly all reviews praise this show, with a lot of comparisons with Hometown Cha Cha Cha (and rightfully so). There was a lot to like about it, but there were numerous things that really bothered me, hence my lower score.

What I liked:
-The acting by all was very good, but I did find Shin Hye Sun's constant pursed lip/pout talking very irritating after a while. I have loved her in other things she's done and never noticed her doing it before. I loved the friends, the families, the townspeople, and Samdal-Ri's little niece was just precious.
-Jeju. The cinematography was just stunning, and if this doesn't increase tourism, I don't know what will.
-I really like the idea of friends that have known each other for years, supportive of one another when apart, and then coming back together like no times has passed.
-2ML. I may have seen this actor in another role at some point in time, but I really liked him here. He had that almost palpable sadness surrounding him. Though it's not really realistic for someone to have one-sided love for that many years, the romantic in me just loved it. I also like how he was at odds with himself as to whether he should tell her or not. On top of that, he was just such a good friend to both the ML and FL.
-The sisters' storylines were well-developed and didn't feel wasted.
-Happy, though lackluster, ending.
-The friendship between the ML and FL. Which brings me to...

What I didn't like:
-For me, there was no chemistry between the leads. I loved them as friends but didn't buy them as a couple at all. Add to that that he thought she broke up with him, she thought he broke up with her, and all I could think was "how hard is it to just talk to each other?"
-So much drinking
-Drunk confessions
-The way the FL was written was problematic for me. She was portrayed as this strong, independent woman, but yet she slinks quietly away when the woman made up lies about her? She doesn't stand up for herself. She attended a long pity party for herself. I realize that the lie was pretty much the whole premise for the show, but it could have been written much better.
-Working with your ex? Nah.
-There needed to be a more satisfactory ending for the evil girl, she just kind of went away. I'm not a big revenge person but come on!
-After the 8-year (I think that was the amount of time it was supposed to be) time skip, we get another two-year time skip at the end. And that one made no sense. Suddenly he's going away to "realize his dream". Throughout the first part of the show, I really got the feeling that he NEVER wanted to leave Jeju.
-The ML's father's story line. It was immature and went on too long. If he was that troubled by Samdal-Ri's family, I'd think he would have moved away or something.

If you are still reading, I'd say give it a try, you might love it. I'm definitely in the minority.

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Defining HARD WORK & NEVER GIVING UP once again by a 90s story

STORY
I appreciate how the tag Friendship was expressed here through Xiao Chuang and Pei Qing hua… I enjoyed watching all their conversations and seeing their bond develop throughout the show.

The beginning of each episode will keep reminding you that you're watching a 90s story, all the retro vibes, the trains, the small TVs, using telephone, letters… I love how enjoyable first half of this drama was.

What this drama taught me from the very beginning is about hard work. If you are motivated enough and consistently focused for your goal. You can definitely achieve it. No matter what the circumstances and troubles you face, be tough and go past it.
Something worth mentioning here is the script writing cause the dialogues were really well written. I appreciate every sentence they said as it was needed for the situation and accurately said.


This is the kind of show that will probably get mixed reviews by different viewers. Some may find it little boring whenever Business matter is involved. For those who found this too bland or long. They could just skip through some scenes or there's usually an option for 1.5x or 2x speed ;)


CHARACTERS / ACTING / CASTING –
Wu Lei(Xiao Chuang) — he just stole the show. His way to portray this character was the charm. The scenes when he was still in 'Foshan' were crazy. Every Xiao Chuang moment felt real. No one else could have done this role better.

Neo Hou(Pei Qing Hua) — Not bad. He was playing a nerd or simple obedient man kind of character once again. Some of the emotional scenes were done well by him. No offense, but I cannot convince myself to say that he was irreplaceable here. Maybe someone else could do this role better too…

Mao Xiao Hui(Xie Hang) — She did very well till the end especially all those crying scenes. It's my first time watching her on screen but she's really a good actress. Impressed me already.

Julia Xiang(Tan Yuan) — I think I saw her last in Forever Love. Her acting has improved. Her expressions are much better now & She's still so young (19). This girl has a long way to go…

…Other actors who gathered my attention by their good acting… •Leewei (Lydia) — She has a strong aura and that tall height and gaze makes it even more real.
•Fang Wen Qiang (Man Huan Sheng)
•Molly Wang (Ms Shu) — I am not sure if it was her character demand or what but like she kept chewing something in every scene and her mouth kept moving. I cannot ignore that at all lol.


[ OST time ]
♪ Howling Wind — Neo Hou
♪ Without Holding back — Yu Jia Yun
♪ Merry Go Round — Meng Jie
♪ A Light — Wang Yue Xin
♪ The Burning Era — Yuan Ye ♡♡

I think they were trying to provide that 90s feeling with the music too. So, the music behind songs was like some classical instrument. I don't have much knowledge about music but I liked hearing ♪the Burning Era♪ by Yuan Ye. It sounded youthful.

✿ My favorite character — Tan Yuan ✿

REWATCH VALUE — Not gonna rewatch it ever haha…

CONCLUSION
The kind of drama for 90s and business theme lovers. Business Genre is visible and could be draggy/boring for some people (not for me though).Could be considered a romance drama too. Pretty long but an engaging watch… More of a Youth and Life drama…
And Yes! There's a Season 2 as the drama itself states "That's it for this season". So, there's more to the story…

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Not for everyone but it hit me hard

This drama series is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, the story is a bit slow in sense where there's nothing major happening. But there's this beautiful tranquillity in it. It shows you characters who are real, each have his or her own struggles and how we often try to pretend we're doing fine.

The chemistry between the main leads were out of this world, super adorable with their little smiles to one another. Only reason why I rated this 9.5 instead of 10 is because I need more scenes of them together. I couldn't get enough!

Also, if you look up the list of OST in this series you would be gobsmacked. All the queens and kings of OST are in here. Tears of happiness when each of them were release for me.

Please give this series a go if you want something sweet but not overly melodramatic. I don't know what about it but I had to see each episode as it came out rather than what I usually do, which is to wait till the whole series is complete because this girl here cannot handle cliff-hangers.

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