In a circle we run, away from a cheeky teenager.
If you are ready for a whole lot of frustration, running in a circle, kids being scary straightforward and adults acting like shy teenagers - this is a perfect watch for you.Here’s the thing - it was so exciting, fun and enjoyable at first. Being more or less the same age as Minato, I could easily understand his panic about starting to have feelings for a high schooler. Even the idea is scary. That said, I feel like they failed with Minato writing wise, since he just... existed and everything was happening around him. The guy did not try to process it at all and it left the viewers with repetitive scenes and plots, since nothing was changing character wise.
Shin was saving grace with his pro flirting, honesty and undying motivation to make Minato his. He was far more dynamic of a character, actually showing some change in his behavior depending on the situation and the circumstances.
There were also a few nice side characters like Sakurako and Asuka who added some wholesome platonic moments to this romance driven show.
Plot wise, we've got whole side plot of Sakuma Takayuki which was stretched so bad, taking too much screen time and becoming quite an annoying addition to the drama. The teacher might have been the sweetest dude ever, but that plot should have been resolved in 2 episodes max.
Performance wise I do not have any complaints. Kusakawa Takuya did his best with Akira - the character was just not it writing wise. Nishigaki Sho truly impressed me. He did quite well with some more subtle emotions and perfectly presented the angst related to the first big teenage love.
Production wise, it gave a high budget since of life webdrama vibes - which personally I truly love.
Overall, I am honestly not sure how I feel about it. On paper it works, but when I watched it, I was getting either frustrated or bored, and I was wishing for the show to finally end. I don’t regret watching, but I’m also not sure if I would recommend it for others to check out. I also crave second season or at least a special episode, because the payoff after all the running away was quite short-lived.
Was this review helpful to you?
All about second chances.
Even with my excitement for Lee Joon Gi's comeback, due to recent trend in dramas, I wasn't really expecting too much and came here to only check out, thanking at least an average drama will be resulted. However, by the interval of the show, I found myself captivated and occupied by the entire thing and the pace with which everything was going on. It was difficult to get bored in any single instance and I was constantly absorbed by the quality of the show.Created by 'Studio S' & 'Viu' and produced by 'Samhwa Networks' & 'Kross Pictures', "Again My Life (어게인 마이 라이프)" is the 16 episodes live-action adaptation of the Kakao web novel with the same title authored by Lee Hae Nal, which was also turned into a webtoon, as well. Both written and directed by 2 pool persons each, the show is 5% fantasy, 80% politico-legal and 15% action thriller, which was originally broadcasted on SBS.
Kim Hee Woo (Lee Joon Gi), a rightful & passionate prosecutor gets murdered for trying to bring down a popular yet corrupted assemblyman, Cho Tae Sub (Lee Kyung Young), who with the facade of being a stain-free personality, controls the entire nation. Miraculously, Hee Woo gets resurrected into his past life with a second chance to prepare himself well in order to showcase the power of truth and laws to those who abuse it for their gains. The story follows the journey of him strategizing a revenge for years, along with people who have come to believe him in the course of time.
I must inform you that the show is not an "one man army" plot-device, rather, a "together we can" spirit, that makes it unique. There are plenty of supporting characters, each given a fair share of emphasis in the story with perfect screen share. The other familiar faces in the drama playing major characters are Kim Ji Eun, Kim Jae Kyung Jung Sang Hoon, Choi Kwang Il, Hong Bi Ra, Kim Hyung Mook, Kim Jin Woo, Ji Chan, Cha Joo Young, etc. Lee Soon Jae, Jeon Gook Hwan, Yoo Dong Geun, Lee Kyung Min, Kim Chul Ki, Kim Young Jo, Hyun Bong Sik, Hyun Woo Sang, Joo Woo, Park Chul Min, Kim Hee Chul, etc.are more like guest characters but appeared frequently in the show.
Not like the first time Lee Joon Gi went for a legal thriller but what makes this particular drama stand out is better performance, the revenge plot, the execution and not to forget his action scenes and sense of humour.
Plot development was amazing. The pilot episode wasn't very impressive and felt like it'll be another politico-legal thriller with cliché elements. However the next few episodes turned out to ve good, as the writer attempts to incorporate base-level strategy making skilla into the character. The accumulation of power and will by Hee Woo was constantly alleviating to watch. His initial efforts to save things dear to him, followed by his endeavour to prepare himself bettee with a goal in mind, everything was awfully alleviating. As the real fight begins from the 2nd quarter of the show, it starts to become ingesting. Every time, the viewers feel like Hee Woo would go for his main target, he surprises by trying to weaken another angle of the villain, thus moving one step closer towards his quarry. It became even more compelling in the last 6 episodes as we knew what's coming soon. The last 2 episodes were the real game and the ending sequences was as enthralling, however, that's where they messed up. It definitely became rushed towards the ending of 15th episode and the entire 16th episode was on some other level, which was the biggest flaw. I must admit the very ending left us confused hinting the possibility of another season, but I guess we can assume the aftermath and let it go. Finally, I didn't like the sacrifice part bcs that's what I had correctly guess and I think that could have been easily avoided by the writer.
Lee Byung Hun jakkanim with the experience of working as both the director and screenwriter in both K movies and dramas is assisted by two debutant writers J & Kim Yool, for this drama. Focusing on the national politics, the show has been a constant reminder that, no matter how crazy the headlines might seem, things could always get worse, especially beyond the surface. The utilization of elements like, corruption, bribery, power struggle, etc. throughout was congenial and appealing. The base establishment, the furtherance, the unveiling of facts, the flashback to future (you know why 'future' 😂), the character arcs and most importantly the way of making strategy have been very well drawn.
Han Chul Jin PDnim with more than 2 decades experience and the number of contemporary hits works here the debutant Kim Young Min PDnim, and the both have been able to pull off such a stupendous urban thriller story with nonexistent flaws. The direction radiates the scope for several subplots and maintains the quality of the show throughout. The art of criticizing politics directly is overt in influence and the messages and takeaway notes are more palatable through the lens of entertainment. The screenplay management, scenario setup, screen-editing, choice of location, etc. have been well handled. With less utilization of vfx and editing, the modern urban vistas of Seoul are mostly eye-pleasing and maintains dark era for most of the parts.
Composed by Kim Jong Chun (Philstring), the drama has a total of 7 OSTs, but honestly, some are good and proved suitable for the show's essence, while others weren't. "What the Ggang?" By Yoon Do Hyun ia a impulsive hardcore track depicting open challenge to the evil. "Bring It On" is an adrenaline-inducing track reminding one of it's strength, fiercely sung by Sonnet and has an amazing chorus. "Burn" by Park Do Joon is a jolly track aspiring for a better day and a good life through self-determination. In the mesmerizing vocals of Yu Sang Eun, is "Till The End" which is a quest for truth. Other tracks were "Alone" by GB9, "Shadow" by Hanhae & Kissxs and "Tragedy" by Sondia; I didn't really like these.
What I liked...
# The plot development is beyond likable. The viewers receive intrigue, excitement, action and danger, all wrapped in, and intertwined with, a political plot, accompanied with legal components.
# Performance from all the casts, particularly from Joon Gi and Kyung Young-nim has been highly pleasing. KY-nim's dialogue delivery and way of phrasing sentences is always amazing but here we get to watch a more refined vocabs of him; his character was intriguing despite being the antagonist, ngl.
# Action scenes, mostly involving modern self-defense as well as professional ring techniques were quite agreeable, particular the ones when Hee Woo clashed with Doctor K.
# Even though the drama feels like an "one man army" show, it's a matter of time to realise that Hee Woo is always at the centre of everything, controlling, regulating and manipulating the scenarios, but he had to benefit from a number of people, whom he loved, cherished and cared for, and was the recieved the same from others as well.
# Pacing and progression of the show is worthy of your time as it doesn't really have a mysterious plotz rather goal towards bringing down a particular being, and elimination of their strength one by one in the due course. It's again isn't a head-to-head clash between the prota- and anta- gonist, rather a mind game. Personally, I wasn't able to skip or fast forward at all and was constantly engaged.
# I am so happy there was no romance, really. From the beginning, it felt like the ML will have to go through the push & pull among multiple girls and possible admirations were hinted off initially as well, but everything boiled down to friendship though there is an indication of coupling at the end, as the original work.
# There is no definite bromance either, but Hee was admired by many men in the show, from old to young, because of his kindness and deeds, which was also good to see.
# Finally, i must inform that there is no ML FL here, there are only main characters, supported by others, that's it.
What I didn't like...
Not just the writer, everyone in the team of makers are at equal fault. Even if there were no original novel, this show actually had to be of 20 episodes or at least 2 more episodes were a must. But for the sake of meeting the standard 16 episode quota, they messed up things a bit. So, for the drama writer, it would have been wise to develope plot in a way that the events from the beginning were a lil faster hence minimizing the rush that we saw in the last episode.
Final Remarks... What a show! What a show! What a show about legal battle between the righteous and the corrupted plus powerful. The show was able to give away insights about one's greed and it's impact on the powerless and common man.The show is highly entertaining, engaging and enjoyable which allows you to stick to it throughout the end. I am not able to find a particular flaw tbh. So my overall ratings are based on the levels of uniqueness, execution and the final experiences about the outcomes, which has led me to give it a fair 8.0. We all must realize it was not the best or something very mind-blowing, but very good per se with high production and entertainment value. Must recommended, please watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
1Remarkable drama
I can honestly say this is one of the most powerful, well written poignant dramas i have ever watched on Asian or british websites. I binge watched the complete series and it was the quickest 4 hours of my life.the young actors were just jaw-droppingly good, the music was perfection and for the first time ever watching an Asian drama i am going to read the webtoon this drama was based upon.I cannot praise this piece of work highly enough, the storyline fast fast paced, my attention didn’t waver for a single moment, i am just awestruck at the quality of the acting, the writing, the music, i just hope everyone “gets it” the way i did.
You have a rare treat in store my fellow viewers
Was this review helpful to you?
Missed the pocket by a mile
There are mild spoilers in this review, but nothing that will spoil the story.I promise, I gave up on watching romcoms. I really did. But this was a romance drama and I’ve seen some good ones of those. “Lighter and Princess” for instance wasn’t half bad (even though a friend of mine dubbed it lighter and ashtray— you know who you are…) but I’m afraid this one really didn’t make the cut. So if you are going to feel sensitive about a beloved actor, then this review will probably rile you up and is best passed over. Spend your day happily elsewhere. We all have different opinions and I’ve explained my serious reasons, albeit in a somewhat flippant tone.
I’m not a great fan of the standard tsundere type. “We can talk to each other any time if we have anything to say.” Actual quote from Ep 15, albeit in translation. I sort of hope that it lost something in the process there. To me, someone who can’t talk about what they feel is a bit of a red flag. And the way he stared at her at the start was really creepy stalker stuff. Later he makes life changing decisions which he doesn’t discusses with her and she’s the last to know. The character simply wasn’t my type. But putting that aside, Leo Wu did a good job with Lin Yi Yang, and the chemistry was visible in his face right from the start.
But out of what did all this romance spring? There was no witty dialogue going on, no flirtation to lighten the mood. Love seemed to conveniently blossom out of thin air. Followed by a lot on him chasing her, and her pushing him away whilst being pouty petulant. Did the writers actually know why they “fell in love”? It sort of didn’t seem like they did.
Ok, setting the why question aside, and to be fair, I’ve fallen in love for no reason I could explain to myself. To start off with, the romance was pretty cute. It ticked all the standard boxes, as well as all the cliché boxes and all the stating the obvious boxes and a whole bunch of the cringe boxes. It’s really the only reason to watch the drama at all, and you will just about get it in real time, inching inexorably forward, through every tiny nuance. But that’s Chinese romance drama so if I don’t like it, I should just stfu and not watch it! (There, said it for you.) There’s a lot of defensive play nestling up against the cushions and the occasional escaping from an impossible snooker, but they ping around the table and drop the 9-ball without going in off. After about eight episodes I’m kinda over it but I hung in there. Then they really start straying into a sort of toxic, sacrificial relationship dynamic where A (him) relentlessly does everything for B (her), and she takes it all and doesn’t seem to do anything much in return except sleep a lot and cry prettily. Romantic? More Red Flag waving as far as I was concerned.
Which leads me into Yin Guo’s character (Zhao Jin Mai). Take a pound of sugar, some marshmallows and a handful of pink and fluffy with a great big dollop of childish sulky, petulance and a large spoonful of wet weekend; stir constantly for 30 episodes and it should come out pretty much the same as it went in. Really, couldn’t they have written a little bit of an edge in there somewhere. She was supposed to be a competitive sportswoman with an ice queen attitude in her games. I’m afraid that was wishful thinking, ‘cause nowhere did I actually find any believable link between those two supposed sides of her. There’s an internal stillness and concentration that is present in any professional sportsperson, that is born of single-mindedness and dedication, and I just couldn’t see that in Zhao Jin Mai’s eyes or in her character. Leo Wu made a much more convincing job of lining himself up down the cue.
The thing that actually was pretty glacial was the pacing. If you remove the PP from each episode in Helsinki, you’re left with about 5 minutes of real action. I like slow paced dramas but you really have to plumb the character depth to make them work. Unfortunately, here, character exploration was limited to squirming, shyness and ludicrous amounts of hesitancy for at least the first eight episodes. They needed way more variations in dynamics in their relationship to make it interesting and engaging.
There were a lot of characters who just seemed to hang around like loose red balls after the break, getting in the way of a clear view of the black. Not at all enough plot to go round for sooooo many characters. They could have cut the acting budget by half with very little effort and no-one would have noticed. And what is that first rule of writing? — never introduce a character without a well defined and clear purpose. Take Meng Xiao Dong (Wang Xing Yue) for instance and his maybe/maybe-not relationship. It was hinted at and never really explored or resolved so why was it there at all? And it wasn’t like they were short of time.
The lack of any real plot or serious character development meant that the forward momentum was sadly lacking and it became tedious and boring, with each episode pretty much indistinguishable from the previous one.
My final beef is Lin Yi Yang crying poor and it turns out “all” he has is 55,000 US$ and ownership of a billiard hall. Give me strength, I’m lmao at this point. It’s like crying poor because you can’t afford your annual holiday in San Tropez. What planet are people on? Definitely not mine, I’m telling you that. It’s a complete misuse of the word and an absolute insult to a whole world of people who struggle to live their lives and support their families with three less noughts in their bank accounts.
If you enjoyed Road Home, then you will find this a slight step up. The production values in this one were actually reasonable. It was well lit and in focus!
Was this review helpful to you?
Everything stays in the family… kind of.
I’m not gonna sit here and pretend like both romances in the drama were not questionable, they were. I also have to give props to the director and writer for doing their best to deal with potential issues a story like that could present. Age gap, family relations, grooming, predatory behavior, lack of informed consent - all that could have been an issue, but somehow they managed to avoid shooting themselves in the foot - for most parts.What we’ve got, rather than just a romance, was a found family trope drama. The bond between Wei Qiao and Wei Zhi Yuan was deep and meaningful, slowly transforming into a partnership. They knew each other's shortcomings, they understood each other’s pain, they found home in each other’s presence.
Whenever the drama did a good job transforming the brotherly bond into a romantic one is a matter of opinion, personally I was quite fine with it. Being an overanalyzer, I appreciate how the show made me reflect on their relationship, examine how much of the connection was form on shared trauma and how much was driven by pure love. I’m glad the writer, with how the plot and characters were written, kept reassuring me that what they had was more than just codependency. Do I think both of them should go to therapy? Of course, but they are not the first, nor the last BL couple to never truly address or deal with the trauma.
We witness a story of two people who were abandoned and who found peace and happiness with each other. They had to face a lot of setbacks, both external and internal, to finally admit to each other feelings and allow themselves to be loved and love the other. The journey was not easy, but with love stories like that, it shouldn’t be. For me to enjoy this type of romance I need to understand it first, I need to feel like the characters also understand their own feelings. That they thought about it, talked about it, that there is no misunderstanding. And Unknown managed to do just that.
What made it possible were obviously the performances. Chris Chiu made the confusion and the strong internal denial Wei Qian was facing so real and raw. The way we could see on his face what he wanted, and how it went against what he actually did. The constant regret and fear of the situation and the feelings he could not quite understand and accept. Then we have Kurt Huang as Wei Zhi Yuan - from a chaotic teen, to resigned young adult, to confident adult. We witnessed his growth, we saw his dedication and unwavering feelings. And it all seemed so real on the screen.
All that said, there was one aspect of the show I just simply could not comprehend. One directing and editing choice that ruined quite an important scene for me. And I just cannot understand who thought this was a good idea and how no one questioned that choice on all the steps of the production.
Overall, it was less about finding a lover, and more about finding home. A partner that can understand and support you. One that you can rely on. One that always has your back. A partnership. Sharing the burden, sharing the happiness. A drama about finding a family and then working hard to keep it, in whatever form it might be.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
MUST WATCH! LOVE THE LEADS ESPECIALLY ZHOU YU TONG!!
I don't usually watch c-drama (I'm a k-drama fans), but I'm so lucky to have found this drama, though the story is cliché but it was well written & executed.This drama spoiled us with such visual from the leads 😍😍😍 and throughout the series we were spoiled with so many lovey dovey scenes, their chemistry was off the charts. having watched their BTS scenes, they looked really comfortable with each other.
Zhou Yu Tong has became my fav c-actress, I found her playing LFN sooooo charming and I can't imagine any other actress to pull it off like her. While Simon Gong's visual is just so dreamy.
Hope they can reunite in other drama in the future or can we please get season 2
Was this review helpful to you?
i love the female lead. She's smart and determined without resorting to over the top "strong female lead" tropes.
the acting is pretty good but there are moments where Lin Liu Di shows he's not as good as his co-stars. it throws off the vibe but not much and not for long.
i love Chris Wu but here he feels a touch miscast, or maybe it's just the direction or his performance. the character seems to have wanted to be animated and lively, but Wu's portrayal is muted and occasionally joyless.
still a great drama though.
Was this review helpful to you?
Finally, a Japanese BL that skips the “do I like boys” crisis
If you’re a sucker for the “Golden Retriever x Black Cat” dynamic or the classic “Popular Guy x Nerdy Boy” trope, Contrast is going to hit some of the right notes. It takes those clichés yet strips away the tired “arrogant jock” or “bully” archetypes, replacing them with a much more grounded, lonely connection between two high schoolersStory
Honestly, I’m tired of the 5 episode self-discovery phase in BL where characters spend half the show wondering if they like guys. Contrast skips the filler and gives us a lead in Akira who is a relatable and believable closeted gay character. This allows the narrative to focus on his guarded nature and his genuine chemistry with Kanata, rather than just hitting the usual Japanese BL thing where characters only realized they are gay or queer after 10 episodes once they accept their love for each other
However, the final two episodes felt a bit weak and rushed. I was craving more tension and those “cheesy” cinematic lines like if you’re going to give me a cliché, I want it to be a great one. The series lacked that final punch of high-stakes romantic tension I usually look for. Also, as a side note on the subplot with Akira’s brother’s friend (Inoue Sora), that relationship felt pretty disturbing. Whether it was meant to be 18+ or just a boundary-crossing tutor relationship, it added a dark, uncomfortable layer to the show
Acting
To be blunt, the acting needs some work, particularly with the main leads during the heavy emotional scenes. While they are charming and have some chemistry, they aren’t always convincing. The acting is decent though, but they haven’t reached the level of acting performance seen in my personal Top 15 Japanese BLs, to be honest
Overall
I’m giving this a “bias 8 stars” because it is my favorite trope and Kanata is a cutie, lol. It might not enter my Top 15 Japanese BLs due to the acting hurdles and the slightly rushed ending, but for fans of atmospheric, trope-heavy high school dramas, it’s a must-watch and it’s easily the best Japanese BL of 2026 (so far), especially after the bland Countdown To Yes and also Cosmetic Playlover S2 like this season hasn’t been hitting for me, and I couldn’t take the unserious comedy of I’m Kishi Knight: Your Private Tutor, so Contrast definitely stands out at this point
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
underwhelming but better than s2
i start this review of by saying that i really hated subplots of season 2 so i sort of knew that i won't be enjoying this season completely. military centered story lines which started last season didn't peak my interest even back then. i continued watching for ah yi (who imo was the best addition from previous season), lee siblings and hyun soo.good things about this season:
- no struggles with story spacing (major issue in s2)
- hyun soo seems to have decent amount of screentime compared to last season
- top notch cinematography
- great acting
bad things about this season:
- last season, writers brought in a lot of new characters to k!ll off (as i mentioned before besides s1 characters, i only liked ah yi for her mysterious aura and park chan young for his friendly non stereotypical military characteristics) . when most of them ended up dying, i didn't really care.
- i never read the books, but would've one romantic scene between CHS and LEY killed the writers? they already changed things in season 2
- the ending feels underwhelming because of the non existent built up for it. also, viewers deserved to see core 3 happy for one whole episode (i really hate when we don't get filler episodes when we need them)
Was this review helpful to you?
The story is somewhat slow but everything is expertly tied together with great acting by the three leads & is worth watching for the stylish cinematography alone.
Warning: BL/Gay themes. Some nudity.
Was this review helpful to you?
Quite unique but seemed incomplete
I am damn sure that i watched all 16 episodes but it seems like i missed out on few episodes, they jump from one scene to the another during the end of each episode and give us a fuller version of it in the next episode but somehow for me , it was confusing , that probably led to this 7.5 . Had they maintained the same quality as the first half this would have been a 9 without a doubt.What i loved about this?
This is not one of those dramas that focuses on only the main couple, i loved how each charactee had their own importance and behind story. I was looking forward to knowing more about each of them and absolutely enjoyed every minute of it.
I loved how they were aware of their situation and dealt with it with dignity, in the end they embraced their insecurities and learnt how to be happy
I fell for Chang Hee, though he is often seen being frustrated and keeps venting out his anger but whatever he spoke , he stated Facts . I loved how he dint hold back when ever he was angry and upset and blurted eveything out loudly and very fast. I bet it would have still been difficult for me to understand his dialogues had i known korean. He became one of my favorite kdrama characters and i also am satisfied with how things ended with him.
The three sibling bond is well written, though we see them fighting and glaring at each other often, i could see through each of them , how they cared for each other and how strong their bond was.
They say it is "liberation notes" definetly i see liberation here but only 40%. Would have been great had they ended Mr Gu's character with more certainity . For me he was a mystery in the beggining and remained a mystery even in the end
Was this review helpful to you?
Beware of Diabetes
If you are looking for a light-hearted. sweet drama with cute couples, To Fly With You is the one for you!!To Fly With You main premise revolves around ice sports (figure skating, short track speed skating) and romance. But, it is indeed more to the romance and growing with each other. So, it is not a must for you to understand the ice sports industry, because while watching it, the drama itself also touch on it a little bit.
Produced by Linmon Pictures, I expect every production aspect of this drama to be amazing because Linmon Pictures had produced dramas with amazing production aspects, especially cinematography, such as Ancient Love Poetry, Nothing but Thirty, and more. But to my surprise, the whole production of To Fly With You from the cinematography, colour grading, sound effects differs from their usual style, and I am torn between of liking it or disliking it.
To Fly With You has the same exact cinematography as any other rom-com drama. But what probably makes To Fly With You stand out from other rom-com dramas is its comedic shots. The drama has some shots purposely intended for comedic elements, for instance, the shot where Shao Beisheng shoe was torn. In addition, the drama also adds other comedic elements such as witty lines and particularly sound effects. The sound effect used in the drama is.. difficult to comprehend. The sound effect does indeed go well with the whole drama and its comedic element but the sound effect alone is making me feel like I am watching a sitcom, particularly there's this one sound effect that sounds like a SpongeBob sound effect (not that I hate it).
Wang Anyu acted as Shao Beisheng, a talented and genius ice figure skater. Meanwhile, Song Zuer acted as Shen Zhengyi, a newbie to the world of professional short track speed skating. Both leads have an affable charm, cute and natural chemistry. If there's an award for the couple with the best chemistry this year, it would definitely go to Wang Anyu and Song Zuer. Their chemistry on and off-screen is just impeccable. You can just see the sparks they have in their eyes while looking at each other (please be together and get married).
What I especially love about the drama is that their chemistry and how their relationship progress, it is very realistic. The scriptwriter doesn't make Zhengyi fall in love with Beisheng right away just because he is a handsome guy. But there is a process in between them falling in love - both of them listens to each other, understand each other and gradually fall in love. In addition, the characters in the drama are also very realistic. Unlike other drama male lead, Shao Beisheng is a rather more realistic character to me. For instance, you can see how happy he is when he received his shoes and how sad he is when his shoes was torn.
Overall, To Fly With You may not be groundbreaking, but the drama will totally make you blush and gush and want for more.
P.s. do watch the drama's behind the scene, there are a lot more sugar on it!!
Was this review helpful to you?
On to the story. I gave this drama a higher score, because I like the premise. Genius teenage girl saves Mafia boss that falls in love with her. Besides the huge age difference of a grown man falling in love with a teenager, I thought that was cool. Even the main female lead character was annoying, because she was down on her looks and herself too much at times. The story has some great plot twists. The problem of the story line is that Stockholm syndrome is in abundance on this show. Another problem is that you have to get around the low budget scenes and the weak action scenes.
The acting is just...I don't know...over the top at times or stiff as a board. There is no natural ability that pulled me into a character. I felt like I was watching a drama rather than getting sucked in to the point that I forget it is a drama. The only person to write about is Mint Chalida as Ruthainark. She is really cute and her acting is good. I'm not even going to go into the other actors. None of them were good in this.
The music is fine.
I won't ever rewatch this.
I don't recommend this drama to anyone. I would have given the drama a 1, but I liked the story line and the girl.
Was this review helpful to you?
Im usually a fan of short series and to others, four episodes (er, actually more like three and a half) can be more than enough to tell a full narrative arc. However, this is clearly the show's weakness. There wasnt enough time for real character development and by the end of the series I wasnt really sure if the two leads are actually really inlove. Instead of getting to the point, the show is filled with too many useless fillers. After only 3 episodes they even have the audacity to show us that shi**y recap montage perfect with those rotating blue stars. Wait did i say shI**y? I meant shiny.
This is exactly how i felt when watching the director's "Make it Right" Series. He has a tendency of adding too many scenes and secondary characters that actually do nothing but waste our time.
Its such a shame because for the most part, they got a gem with their two lead cast - War and Yin are almost good and both are very HOT and charming.
Pacing could have been snappier but instead we got a collage of scenes that jump from one to another without letting us digest them. It felt like important details were left out. If only they used their time wiser, we couldve figured things out better. I think the makers forgot that not all viewers are readers of the book.
They intentionally diluted a strong sadistic affair and made it a forgettable tiny puppy love. I have to give them props for twisting and romanticizing an unsolicited sex predatorship and turning it to sunny yet full of rainbows love story. And for adding a girl character just to make her the villain, because yes, this is a BL and all girls are enemies. Yes, im being sarcastic.
Is it a good watch? Yes, if only for the eye candies. Dont put this in your priority though, just watch it when your flight is delayed for two and a half hours and youre stuck in the airport. They missed the opportunity of making this a meaningful watch.
Edit: A full blown series is coming our way soon, and i cant deny Im excited. They may finally be able to give justice to the story.
Was this review helpful to you?
