Reviews

WORST ENDING EVER

After watching the 1st episode i thought they might abolish whole spheres and go military basement or something i thought may be some of them may die and i might cry after seeing those moments. actually don't feel a thing even after watching the whole class die .
After knowing that CSAT got cancelled the 1st person who got into my mind is yeong soo and after he gone crazy i thought I feel really ba- ,then this assault happened . I thought he may die because of this and their friends may remember him in good way and feel bad for him. but he f**king killed the whole class. I feel bad for those two who left alone .but they should have shown more fighting scenes and more adventurous things than emotional scenes because 90% of part 2 is all about emotions even though this is action drama.lol.I think if the radio didn't break they might've known that CSAT didn't cancelled because those science students already left there group so they didn't know what happened later . 😮‍💨 I shouldn't have given 10/10 for part 1.
And that ending credit scene 😮‍💨😮‍💨 why that song 😮‍💨 after that shit .

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" Some Feelings are bound to disappear and some Feelings are destined to be Long lasting. "

Hello 👋 Everyone. This is my first review, so first of all thank you for reading this. Shine On Me ✨️ was a cute, fluffy and slow burn drama which I liked so much. Song Weilong and Zhao Jinmai did their best in portraying Lin Yusen and Nie Xiguang 🎉. Personally I liked Nie Xiguang's positivity and her charmness. I also liked the warmth and gentleness of Lin Yusen.

Lin Yusen and Nie Xiguang :

They are the light of this drama which kept the drama engaging throughout. Lin Yusen was a top tier neurosurgeon who was unfortunate to mess up with his hands in a accident which kept him away from medicine for two years. He had that accident on the way to meet Xiguang ( it is a misinformation ). Due to this there was a misunderstanding between them for few eps then resolved later. His love was really pure ❤️ which was shown when he chose Nie Xiguang again eventhough he thought that she left him after his accident ( misunderstanding ). And of course, I have to tell for the viewers that he won't have much screentime at the first few eps due to FL's college story but after that we get to see him throughout the drama ☺️.

Nie Xiguang was a Business school student who had a crush on Zhuang Xu, a top student and was the tutor to her cousin. She eventually confessed and turned down but she didn't wanted to give up on him. Later due to a misunderstanding she moved on from him and met our ML. After graduation, she joined Shuangyuan Photovoltaic where she met Lin Yusen and gradually they fell in love. I have to tell that the period where Lin Yusen pursued Xiguang was especially sweet. I loved it.

Guangyu Photovoltaic Co. Ltd ( formerly known as Shuangyuan ):

This is a firm based on the production and distribution of solar panels. This part was so informative about the solar industry such as BAPV [ Building attached Photovoltaic ] and BIPV [ Building Integrated Photovoltaic ]. I really appreciate that they kept this drama realistic with the timeline when solar industry bloomed in China.
After meeting NXG, LYS realized his dreams of the medical field and moved towards it while NXG directed Guangyu towards development. Their personal growth in their fields was really worth watching.

Lin Yusen's Family :

Lin Yusen's mother was a nice character who was supportive with his decisions and his step father who gave space for him and his mother. I actually felt sad for LYS when I heard his father has passed away.

Nie Xiguang's Family :

First of all, when I hear the word NXG's family the first character comes to my mind is Jiang Rui ( Nie Xiguang's cousin ). I liked him very much. He was really supportive and protective of her as a brother. His mother portrayed a wonderful women entrepreneur in the business world and the ultimate shipper of our couple. Absolutely, I am obliged to tell about NXG's mother Jiang Yun who was a second favourite character in her family. After getting divorce from NXG's father Nie Chengyuan, she spent her life carefree but later her realization on the influence of others comments were wonderful. Especially, she was also supportive to our couple. Her bother and Jiang Rui's father was also a nice character. The only character what I disliked in the whole drama was NXG's father for his foolishness to go to the con artist friend ( Qian Fangping ). And the scene where she spoke heartbroken to her father for doubting her without second thought made me cry 😢.

OSTs :

The OSTs of this drama was beautiful 💕. My favourite ones were :
1. You Are The Sun In My Life - Lu Yuanyi
2. Coming For You - Zhang Hao

Conclusion :

This drama was a great drama for me. The only thing I disliked was the abrupt cuts from one scene to another. Overall this drama is a 10/10 for me 🤗. I want to conclude with one of my favourite lines in the drama :
" No, It’s not about choosing. I would always end up with him. "

I want to describe the drama as :
" The Delightful Journey of Sunlight ( Nie Xiguang ) and Forest ( Lin Yusen ). "

Once again Thank you for reading this review 💖.

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One of the Best Dramas I have Watched

The drama is an emotional rollercoaster. Every episode is a thrilling ride full of twists and turns which keeps you on the edge wanting more.
The romance is sweet and just enough given the setting.
It has a lot of interesting characters each having a story to tell and everyone's story arc is carved out with perfection.
This drama make you smile, cry, excited. It also talks about a lots of issues during that period.
It an amazing drama that you would definitely wanna rewatch.
There are no filler minutes forget filler episodes in the entire drama.
I feel every characters storyline is made meaningful.
The actors do a great job in making you fall in love with their characters.
The OST is good. I initially started the drama because of Lim Ji Yeon as I don't usually watch historical dramas but I am glad I did
100% Recommended

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I have a few unpopular opinions

For what I expected to be my favourite drama of the year, I've concluded it with lukewarm feelings. As much as I know a lot of people really loved this show, I have a lot of issues with it from morals to general plot progression and characterization. I don't think it was all bad and the premise really showed a lot of promise, but for me, it failed to reach the potential that I thought it deserved.

Let's start from the beginning. My hype for Mouse was at its peak before I ever started watching it, back when the description was just a vague blurb about a world where psychopaths could be determined before birth and the societal response to that. That right there is interesting to me, extremely. Just that short, nondescript idea was enough to get me really invested in what this show would become. So I was already past the point of no return when I realized that the writer for this drama was the same writer as Black. For anyone who has actually watched Black, you may understand why this set off alarm bells for me. But whatever, I was already set on watching it. I was even more excited than I was for Beyond Evil, which has so far been my favourite mystery/thriller this year.

From the very first episode, something did not sit well with me, and that was the portrayal of psychopaths. You know, the entire focal point of the drama. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be realistic because of the introduction of the psychopath gene and the prenatal test for it. Okay, fine. But the drama heavily referenced psychopaths being serial killers. Actually, all of their arguments centred around the idea that every psychopath was a serial killer when, really, most aren't. And the fact that the show was demonizing unborn children? It bothered me. But well, that's what I signed up for! I knew going into it that it would do that, and my hopes were that the drama would challenge the biased opinions it set out at the beginning throughout the drama. And well... it didn't. Not even a little bit. It just reaffirmed them throughout. Hm. Well okay. Maybe I won't agree with the morals, but I can still enjoy the story, right? Well...

I found the start of the drama a little fun. The moments of suspense reminded me of a b-horror movie which could be both cringy and fun, so I was okay with that. But the further I watched, the more I realized that it wasn't very enjoyable. To be enjoyable, a drama doesn't necessarily need to be funny and charming. Dark, gritty shows that make you think can be entertaining, too. But as I watched, I realized I didn't like any of the characters. They were all characters who had been deeply scarred by past events and losses in their lives so I didn't expect them to be happy, good, fun people, but their flaws didn't seem to justify their actions and, honestly, they felt a bit like caricatures. Those singular events in their past defined who they were as people.

Take Moo Chi - he's an off-the-walls alcoholic detective with anger issues. Why is he that way? Well, his parents were murdered and beheaded by a serial killer and his brother was seriously injured in the same event and had to go through many operations just to keep his life. His brother never recovered. That night still lives with him and he can't escape it. Okay, makes sense. So, what does he like? Well... alcohol, I guess. His brother? His team, maybe? Half the time he's fighting with them, so I can't be sure. What are his interests? Hm. Drinking? Chasing criminals? Being depressed in his room? Depression makes a lot of sense for his character, especially after his brother's death, but he has no interests. There's nothing in his room that indicates that he's cared about anything but catching criminals his entire life and that just isn't a character. You can say that he's obsessed, but even people who are will have things they've picked up over the decades of their lives that they care about. And it isn't even like he's a good detective - he's very slow to piece things together. While watching Mouse, I never really cared for the moments he was on screen. And I don't think it's at all the actor's fault. He's doing his best with what he's been given. He's a good actor. But there wasn't much to work with there.

Okay. Bong Yi. Where to start? Well, she was a victim of sexual assault when she was younger and is scarred ever since. Same deal as with Moo Chi. She's traumatized and that's entirely valid. She loves her grandmother, but also somewhat blames her grandmother for what happened to her. That comes out when she's angry. She has a temper, like Moo Chi. She knows how to fight - I can assume maybe self-defence classes in her past. She... boxes? I guess? Great, a hobby! And she has a crush on Ba Reum. Okay, so she has interests! Right? Well... not really. The strange thing about this writer is that she's actually not great at writing women. You can see it in Black, too - the badly written female characters. She tries to follow the 'strong female character' trope that's become popular over the years but doesn't go far beyond the trope. The girl can fight, great, but whenever there comes a time where she actually needs to fight, she's useless. She'll almost catch a criminal here and there, but mostly her confrontations will end in her being a victim that needs to be saved. Throughout the series, she was just a magnet for every serial killer and rapist. They all gravitated to her house like there was a big red sign out front that read 'TARGET'. As for her crush on Ba Reum, that was her entire role. She was meant to be the love interest and victim of the serial killer in order to add more angst, drama and tragedy to the script.

Ba Reum. Well, personality-wise, he was a bit likeable. He was meant to be. In fact, his kind act was so caked on that most of the viewers realized in episode 2 that he was going to turn out to be the serial killer while the show was trying to act like it was some big twist to be revealed at the 3/4 mark. It was predictable. But what bothers me with that is that him being a genuinely nice guy who likes to take care of animals would have been the better twist. Everyone also figured out early on that he was the Head Hunter's biological son, too. It would have been a good chance for the show to challenge the earlier morals that it established but, well, it decided that no, psychopaths are determined at birth and they all need to be aborted because the only route they'll take in life is murder! I won't go into that rant. That aside, his character was... okay. He still didn't really have many interests, but they at least established more of his history through his friends. We got more info through the backstory of his family and their murders... but I really don't want to touch on what a mess the family history is in this show. 'Serial killer turned nice guy' was his entire personality and we can just leave him at that.

This goes for most of the other side characters, too. They're very one-dimensional and when you look back on it, it makes them hard to like. This isn't a Mouse exclusive problem and actually tends to be a big issue I have with a lot of thrillers, but the writing of the focal points matters a lot in whether these simple characters bother me or not. Unfortunately, the story wasn't enough to detract from that. What a mess. It bothers me that this drama isn't tagged as sci-fi because of the brain-transplant element later on in the show. And the psychopath test. Of course. The plot was really inconsistent from thereon. Looking back, it feels like the entire middle of the show could have been cut out and we would have still ended up in the same place. Ba Reum's amnesia only succeeded in dragging out the show. It could have been 16 hour-long episodes or less and I feel that the takeaway would have been the same. Actually, how interesting would it have been to have Ba Reum wake up remembering that he is a serial killer, but now also being able to feel the guilt that he never could have before? Following that character would have been very interesting. That's not the show we have, though.

There was too much going on at once I think. The story was vast, but it didn't amount to much. The OZ conspiracy was honestly unnecessary. The government being involved felt a bit silly. If this show had stayed solely about the serial killer and was shorter in accordance with that, I think it would have had more of an impact on me. That was the part that was interesting. That was what I hung onto. But by the time we reached the end, it felt like the spark just sort of... fizzled out. The last episode was focused on wrapping up loose ends but by the time Ba Reum was arrested, I realized I didn't care about what was happening to any of the characters. I didn't like Bong Yi, Hong Ju or Moo Chi. They, like I said, didn't feel like real characters. Then the law was passed to abort fetuses with the psychopath gene, and I was wondering whether that was supposed to be considered a victory or if it was supposed to be seen in a negative light. I wasn't sure how I felt. Especially after the show essentially showing Ba Reum's mother starting everything. She misinterpreted Ba Reum's intent to kill his brother and told his adoptive mother to kill him. Ba Reum's family was murdered before him, and his first murder was of the man who killed them. That was the trigger. It does make me wonder how he would have turned out had it not been for the actions of the people around him. I assume that was the writer's goal, so props for that.

There are some bright sides to this experience. In concept, it was interesting. I'm glad it went the route of Ba Reum being the original killer instead of Yo Han. And hey, the ending wasn't half as bad as Black's. But unfortunately, the whole journey felt a bit meaningless to me and that last episode especially left a lot to be desired. Episodes were focused on ending with big cliffhangers and shocking the audience rather than telling a well-written story and the characters were stereotypes that failed to break the mould. I can't say that I regret watching it though. It was nice to see Seunggi acting again and I had fun in some of the earlier episodes. There were moments I got excited, too. So I can't say it's not worth watching, but I also can't say that it is, either. I do get why so many people loved it, and I feel with some changes maybe I would have been one of them.

For me, Mouse will remain a terribly long journey and a cautionary tale not to get too excited by a drama's premise.

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Nothing Cute About It

I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this drama and having liked Zee's acting in Why R U?, I decided to give it a shot. It was, quite frankly, a hot mess. I honestly don't even know where to begin. There was so little good about it and so much bad. It all felt very forced and unnatural and much of the story made little to no sense.

I was not impressed by the overly preachy beginning and ending dialogue. Do not get me wrong, I think same sex marriage should be legalized in all countries. That being said it felt out of place and unnecessary. I feel like there were more subtle ways of getting the point across that would have been more tasteful and again, less preachy.

The story was a complete and total mess. More than a romance, I felt like it was a drama about toxic relationships and how not to communicate. It is very and I do mean very, kiss scene heavy. I think those scenes were put in the drama to try to draw attention away from all the problems both in the story and in the relationships. Both Hias are depicted as being very controlling and possessive, to the point of wanting to know what their SO is doing at all times. While they try to portray this as them just being worried and caring, it came across as extremely unhealthy to me. For example, Hia Yi sets a curfew of 9pm for Khondiao who has to leave his friends in order to make said curfew in one scene. Hia Lian has had someone monitoring Kuea for who knows how long and is fully aware of the secret life he is living. Both men also seem quite unconcerned about the fact the men they love are afraid of them. The level of control the Hias have is just disturbing especially considering their SOs are grown men. At least with Yi and Khondiao's relationship, there is a moment where Khondiao stands up to Yi and their relationship seems to achieve some level of balance though still very much skewed in Yi's favor. Lian and Kuea's relationship, however, is stagnant for the entirety of the drama. Though Kuea has a few moments of defiance, in the end he always gives in to Lian. After the scene at Lian's father's birthday party, I was really hopeful to see a change, but it was basically everything back to normal with no real growth or resolution. Overall there was such a complete lack of character development.

On top of the toxicity of the relationships, there's the lack of explanation for why characters acted the way they did or why things are the way that they are. When and why did Kuea suddenly feel the need to act like a perfect person to suit Lian? When did Lian turn into the cold, emotionless jerk and why exactly did he tell Kuea he didn't love him? I felt like his reasoning and his initial behaviour was glossed over and dismissed far too easily for all the damage it did. Also, what was with the arranged marriage? Why was that in any way necessary? And how did their families even know each other since they were from such different backgrounds? The background was so completely lacking and nonsensical that there was no way anything else could make sense. On top of all that you have Yi and Khondiao's story which was incredibly vague and disjointed. I was actually semi-interested in it because of the mystery of what Yi did to Khondiao. The "mystery" was that Yi didn't actually do anything, it was an accident. And the flashback regarding that incident made it seem like they had a similar relationship to that of Lian and Kuea which was out of the blue as I never got that impression previously.

The plot positively drags. Scenes are drawn out that don't need to be drawn out or are just repeated multiple times. The couples keep lying to each other and failing to communicate. There's this constant theme of maybe telling the truth would be the best thing and then in the next scene they're lying to each other again. Its honestly so frustrating to watch because they never learn and even at the end, it doesn't feel like anything has really changed.

While the story was terrible, the acting was not. Zee and NuNew in particular had good chemistry and while there were a few moments where I felt like NuNew's acting was a bit forced or awkward, I thought he did really well for his first role. I also have to give a shout out to Poppy as Foie for bringing some much needed comedic relief. He was absolutely hilarious and I laughed every time he was onscreen.

The characterization, though, was lacking. I have rarely seen a drama with such stagnant characters. Very few had any real growth and most of them seemed to be in the same place at the end as they were at the beginning with nothing or very little learned from their experiences. That was very disappointing for me. I can generally forgive or at least mostly forgive a bad storyline/plot if the character development is good, but it just wasn't there.
-Kuea really does come across as a doll, maybe not an Annabelle doll, but a doll nonetheless. He acts the way he assumes others want him to and even when Lian tells him he loves him no matter what, he refuses to trust him. On the one hand, I can understand that lack of trust based on how Lian is at the beginning, but after a while it just seemed like an excuse. His roundabout way of trying to get information was also frustrating, adding to the whole lack of communication theme. His constant assumptions made things worse for himself and others. In the end, I didn't really feel like he had learned how to communicate to prevent the same issues from recurring.
-Lian's cold then hot attitude was confusing and, again, never clearly explained. It also felt overdone and too abrupt going from his cold boss persona to adoring partner. I feel like that could have been pulled back to make it somewhat more believable. Based on his personality, I have trouble imagining someone like him making out in public. And although his attitude changed to lovey-dovey, he still came across as controlling.
-Khondiao came across as more of a kid than an adult so taking his relationship with Yi seriously was a bit of a stretch. I did appreciate him standing up for himself though and I felt like he had more character development than others. He seemed more able to stand on his own and stand against Yi if necessary at the end.
-Yi seemed like a sadist who enjoyed the control he had over Khondiao and the fear he could incite. He supposedly feels guilty towards him for something that happened during their childhood, and so takes care of him, allowing him to live in his house. But, he does control much of his life, wanting to know where Khondiao is at all times and even setting a curfew for him. The communication between the two is just nonexistent. They get together without discussing any of their issues really and it just feels so forced. While he does soften, he doesn't ever seem to trust that Khondiao can take care of himself and remains overbearing.
-I can't say that I had much of an opinion about the other side characters. Foie was an amusing diversion when he was onscreen and added some much needed comedic relief. Kuea's university friends were also amusing. Of them, I did enjoy Nuer and Syn's love story. As a side couple, their story was not really elaborated on, but they made a cute couple and were by far the healthiest relationship.

There were two moments that I particularly appreciated, though one promptly got thrown out the window shortly thereafter. The first is just before Lian and Kuea have sex for the first time, Lian asks for Kuea's consent, making sure that he's not drunk and knows what he's doing. It was nice to see since most dramas just imply that both parties are consenting. To actually have it verbally given was refreshing. That was promptly thrown out the window multiple times afterward when Kuea clearly says no or to stop and Lian keeps kissing him. Apparently you only need to ask the first time and its fair game after that. The second moment was when Kuea is with his university friends and one of them asks the sole woman in their group if she's on her period because she's cranky. She gives him a proper verbal beatdown that was kind of awesome to see.

As a side note, I always have an issue with the way most pets are treated in Asian dramas and this one was no exception. Aside from the Golden Retriever who, unsurprisingly, seemed to be content being on set and getting pets, the Chihuahua really bothered me. The poor thing's body language screamed that he was stressed and did not want to be there. I felt so bad watching. And also, having Yi give him as a gift, just no. It is never a good idea to give an animal as a gift, there are too many things that could go wrong. And I will now step off my soapbox.

The music was overall good. I did like NuNew's voice and I think he's frankly a stronger singer than actor. I didn't love the song that Lian and Kuea sing to each other though so having to hear it twice was a bit painful. Actually both those scenes in general were just awkward to watch.

I will also comment that the whole engineering/university setting is massively overused and this was no exception. While the automotive engineering aspect was different and more interesting with the students working on their project, it still felt repetitive.

This is not a drama that I would ever recommend anyone to watch. It has no substance and instead promotes toxic relationships as being hot. It uses steamy scenes to make up for the fact it is lacking in anything remotely genuine. At times it felt like an infomercial about gender equality, but I couldn't take it seriously because none of the couples, aside from Nuer and Syn, portrayed anything resembling a healthy and normal relationship. I highly recommend NOT wasting your time with this one.

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The idea is better than the execution

This series is a hot mess, to be honest. I was looking forward to it for a while before it aired. I like the cast in other things and I really was excited to see a bit more frankness and reflection on the toxic aspects of the BL industry. I have been watching BL dramas intermittently for years and I really hate the romanticisation of assault and rape as well as toxic fan behaviour in response to fan service. I so wanted this to be an intelligent exploration of the importance of respecting boundaries and consent both on- and off-screen and how taking fan service seriously can really objectify the actors in a way that hurts. This series sort of gets a third of the way there I think.

The plot is a bit messy and fragmented at times. The focus is generally on the lead couple and their relationship. However, their relationship evolves at an odd pace. Nubsib being in love from the beginning was kind of annoying to me, I prefer a bit more evolution personally. Although the first scene with them both is genuinely well-performed. Gene seemed to be attracted but unsure and that never fully went away or evolved into something more secure. Consent was really well-explored with them and a constant communication in their relationship which is rare in BL and I really did like. But, to be very frank, there was often little else to their relationship. There was mutual attraction and respect, but minimal evolution and growth. Although the child actors performances were genuinely excellent, the history of the characters and their shared childhood is an overused trope and was executed poorly, in a very ‘info dump’ kind of way.

The acting was inconsistent and I think some of that is about the script itself. The script had minimal meaningful dialogue and the character development is poor. There were several times where Nubsib is asking Gene to listen to him and then proceeds to say nothing. It’s stupid and impossible to act properly. The dialogue was not character-driven and was often more about saying something about the industry which made it feel fake and preachy, rather than raw and relevant/human.

The villain of the story should have been the industry with toxic production staff being controlling and manipulative for money and fans crossing the line over and over, hurting their faves in the process. We do have some of that, particularly towards the end. However, there is also Aoey, who is clearly unwell and is extremely toxic. His character is necessary, his characterisation is not. It feels like cowardice to create a villain out of him because it means fans can see his character and call him the villain, rather than see the villainy of the fans in the series and reflect on themselves and their fandoms. There are too many villains. It dilutes the message of the toxicity in the industry and is a much weaker plot device that is overused throughout the story and makes it unnecessarily melodramatic.

The sound design and soundtrack was often irritating and distracting. There are times when sound effects and music are not only unnecessary but also damaging to the scene. If it adds nothing to the tone or mood, or if it distracts from the tone or mood intended, don’t use it. Loads of post-production sound and music does not make a bad story, script or scene better, it can only do that to a good scene, it can always make it worse.

This series really is variable. The final episode is really good. But a lot of it is unnecessary, draggy or distracting.

If you watch BLs it is definitely worth a watch, there are enjoyable parts and it is somewhat educational. You might skip or speed through parts, to be honest, but I still think it has some valuable stuff to say, even if it could have been said better from a storytelling point-of-view. However, if you don’t I think you could safely give this a miss.

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Yearning for Better Endings

The drama started off on a great note.. Their first meeting being chaotic again.. I thought this season would include some thriller elements but it didn't.. I dont remember why i even thought that..

This season started off with their reunion scene but it just didnt feel right.. FL clearly saw him when she kicked his ass in that room.. But she didn't recognise him?? She had to watch the cctv footage to finally realize who he was?? Just didn't make any sense to me..

Bae Hyeon Seong really surprised me with how good he was.. I am equally impressed by the scripts he chooses or are chosen for him.. Throughout this drama he was outstanding..

Another Flaw.. The Detective who was supposed to be following him only found him after the accident.. Where was she before that?? There was no way for her to find him so quickly if she was not already following him.. And she knew about the abandoned building as well.. That's another stupid mistake..
One more.. After escaping from the cops he went straight to his house.. I mean are the police stupid enough to ignore the house of an escaped suspect?? Seriously?? Shouldn't that be the first place they secured?? He was there for over an hour easily.. And then the detective.. She came alone?? To look for an escaped suspect?? And then all at once nobody cared about him and his connections to the assault and murder cases??
If I’m going to nitpick.. There were several flaws.. Compared to season 1, this season had a lot more mistakes..

In season 1 I felt she should have killed Kato instead of Ichiro.. If she had done that.. Maeda wouldnt have been able to build this empire or even be alive for that matter.. Well.. I suppose they wouldnt have had enough material for another season if that had happened..

" Do you know why hell is a dreadful place??
Because it never ends..
He and I couldn't be friends.. So I decided to become his hell instead.. "

Claudia Kim's back again.. Another powerful performance in her brief screentime.. She really was obsessed with the Jang Tae Sang.. And i dont know why her character is listed as Guest role in MDL.. She had support role.. More screen time and impact than typical guest role..

In Season 1, both Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee didnt outshine each other in terms of their performances.. They were equally good.. But season 2, Park Seo Joon truly outshines everyone..

" I don't remember when but everything started to fade away..
Why I'd been fighting, What I'd been fighting for, And even my rage..
I couldn't overcome a certain yearning..
I existed but I wasn't living.. I missed her.. All I wanted was to see her..
I wanted to embrace her and hold on to her..
Just once would be enough if it meant I could see you.. If it meant I could hold you "

Ep 5 was simply the best episode of the season.. The yearning.. The fighting.. The emotions.. Just incredible..

Something I noticed in the first season is that the creatures were influenced from The Stranger Things but chose to ignore it because it wasnt too obvious.. But this season they made it too obvious and evident that it was heavily influenced..

I was really disappointed at the fact that they didnt show us how she ended up in that river with shenshin at the end of season 1?? They should have addressed it this season because it clearly doesn’t make any sense.. I am still curious..

I am not satisfied with the conclusion.. After 69 years of yearning.. They are separated again?? If there is another season.. I might change my rating for Season 2 to an 8.5.. But for now it just doesn’t feel right.. Kdrama writers continue to falter with their endings.. Season 1 was definitely better..

Overall Season 2 had its moments.. It ultimately fell short of expectations.. Particularly in its ending.. The follow up seasons of dramas are supposed to tie up the loose ends but this just leaves me with more questions than answers.. I Hope there is another season..

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A lot loved it, me, not so much

After all the hype, I thought I'd give this one a try. I'll be honest, I have difficulty watching shows about mental illness, but I especially have a hard time watching shows in which mental illness is not addressed. I felt that either the writers really dropped the ball on this, or just grabbed onto something that would further the storyline.

The cinematography was beautiful. I loved the different camera angles, looking up, looking down, etc. Costuming was lovely, especially for Seo Ye Ji (think IU in Hotel Del Luna).

Oh Jung Tae as Moon Sang Tae - his portrayal of autism was wonderful, even down to the smallest movements of his fingers. I don't follow Korean award shows, but he deserves an award for his performance.

Kim Soo Hyun as Moon Gang Tae - his performance was very understated and powerful. There were times that I could almost feel his exhaustion with his life. His love for his brother was lovely to watch. As an actor Kim Soo Hyun tends to always play parts where he doesn't have much facial expression, and this time it really worked for him. He was able to convey so much with just his eyes, and when he cries? My breaking heart!

Here's where my problem with the show came in: Seo Ye Ji as Ko Moon Young. They allude to antisocial personality disorder, but I didn't find anything redeeming about her character, and she wasn't able to bring anything to the table to make her likeable. She was displaying classic sociopathic tendencies ("I want that") that were very scary. I get that we are all broken in some way, but I didn't buy that he could love someone that messed up, especially with the all-consuming job of being responsible for his brother. When she got the haircut, I think that's when we were supposed to see a change in her, but by that point I wasn't able to get back from my dislike. What about counseling? What about medication?

The twist with the mom was interesting, but very implausible.

I did like the ending, and I liked how the autistic brother was able to bring so much to the table to build a family with the other two.

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had potential but was really rushed

This BL series had so much potential tbh. I have not seen the webtoon yet so this is like my first time watching this and didn't know what to expect. It started off strong but felt flat as it progress. The plot was really rushed. Like I didn't even know when did Lee Da Yeol felt that archery was exhausting to him and he wanted to quit it. It felt out of the blue when he said he wanted to quit it or when Jo Tae Hyun felt disgusted of Lee Da Yeol in one scene and in the next scene he is running to him making up the most bizzare excuse which I have ever heard. Like it was so ridiculous that I wanted to punch him for sprouting that nonsense. Also I didn't like how Lee Da Yeol forgave him so easily. Like the time said it was two years but it felt like 2 months. Like making the girl who was so irrelevant the bridge in their love again out of the blue and with the excuse of being drunk that Lee Da Yeol was crying for Jo Tae Hyun like that was so stupid. like it was two years. If it was two month I would understand and again he forgave him so easily, like after what he did begging,crying and pleading would have been the minimum what he could have done and finally toward the end, it was just lackluster. I don't even know what the point of that was. Idk if they have just started dating which I don't think they are but they were acting like 5 year old who were out in a first date. Too much being shy and being a tsundere and teasing. Finally the thing I fucking hate about every BL series is the teasing of a kiss. I am fine with not getting a kiss at all but teasing it is what really push my buttons and they gave us finally with an ear kiss lmao which I didn't even think the lips were even touching the ear lmao. Don't do this. If you are not going to give us a kiss then don't half-ass it. A tight hug while sleeping would have been 10 times better than this. Like I said the plot was really rushed. It didn't give time at all for us to be in dept with the characters. I feel like it could have been better with 10 episodes with 40 min each. The actors did well ig. There was chemistry and they did the characters justice and the ost was nice. Overall it was kinda disappointing but it was cute I guess.

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Short and sweet!

Aww it was such a pleasant and heartwarming story that there's a still on my face as I just finished it and here to write review so I can convey my emotions properly. It was short in time but not in content, in just 8 episodes of mare 16-20 minutes give you a lot pleasure it's short but properly executed, the cinematography, acting and the music is topnotch.

You explore a lot, in every episode you see a different story, different emotion and it's very interesting and fun too watch, I won't spoil you anything but I can definitely assure you that you'll enjoy every minute because of it's uniqueness . So it's great watch I had great time, you won't regret it watching....

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This turned out to be a big dissapointment. I have to say that I really love the idea of the Joalert. Before it was aired, when I read the plot I thought that it was indeed a cool idea and that it would be a great drama. I was thinking that the love alert would have many paths to take( you could make a romantic story or go from romantic to something really fucked up). Indeed, they do throw in some protests or mass suicide or a rapist but they were just a few seconds from a long time of basically nohing.
I see no sense in Jo Jo s family story and trauma. It s true that I haven t seen until now in a drama a kid that survived that kind of a thing but, again, it had almost no connection with the story. Scenes must mesh together but in Love Alarm they are like different stories put blindly together. The evil cousin and aunt, her difficulties and how the cousin kept saying that she killed her parents were ABSURD.
How Sun Oh stole, really stole his best friend s crush was a really bad move, it s hard to love him after he did that as a character. He s lucky that he is better looking so it makes you forget how childish and unacceptable his actions are. I understand a love triangle but that usually happens after each guy crushes on the girl but kinda not knowing about the other or they are enemies. In the end only they fight over her. Here? As soon as he hears about Hye Young s crush, Sun Oh goes immediately and kisses her because??? On what basis did he fall for her? He didn t for fuck s sake. It s something that leaves you stupid. Like what the hell did just happen?
What s the purpose of the scene where after the accident she couldn t contact him and went to his house and everything? I found it useless. Just time lost that could ve been replaced with some full of sense scenes. And after that the breakup. Why? Why?? Jesus.
I really liked Deok Goo though.
Another thing is the 8 episode release. Again. Why? Can t we have it the old kdrama way with 16/ 20 or whatever? I really hate the Netflix involvement here.
In conclusion this is bad. Really bad. I m not sure if I ll watch the sequel (if there will be one). God, I m so upset over it

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highly overrated

First, I don't like that every couple in a BL has to be BL couple... How stupid is that?
Second, the last two episodes are extremly rushed. While 8-parters are nice to binch-watch, they do nothing if the story does not fit.
I did not read the webtoon, so I can only review what I saw.
And the story is a mess and unbelievable. Only Ji Ho Geun and Kim Jung Ha made me believe in their characters. From bully to lover was unblievable as well in just one episode and to cast an idol for a main role was just a financial decision.
The last two episodes where rushed as f, for a better understanding at least four episodes have been needed,.

While the premise of the show started strong, the story falls of a cliff. The kisses shown were mostly just touching lips which is lame. "Song Joo Ha" could have kissed on the cheek to convey his feelings. A kiss on the lips would have not been needed, but maybe the director/writers thought the do need fan-service.. Also Han Tae Yi forcing himself was a stupid thing to do, especially when he does have feelings for Seo Do Yoon. While the first six episodes are ok, the last two are a total mess. Song Han Gyeom looks "gay" -(but which idol doesn't?), he does not fit his role at all. Sometimes you can feel he tries but his own personality is in stark contrast to his role and he does not manage to do it. With all the 10 ratings of several people I think they are fans of eyecandy but not thinking about the story which is maybe because our world gets more and more superficial. And to make all couples gay in a BL, is not what a good story needs. If they had only focused on only one couple the eight episodes might have fit. For me this series is disappointing especially because the first two episodes are the best and the last two are the worst.

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I stumbled across this show on Youtube and I have to say, it's scary how well Youtube knows me ...

I absolutely adore this show! In the beginning it felt very much like the stereotypical Asian young-love-drama (e.g. how the two protagonists meet), however, it's done in such an over-the-top way that it's ironic and funny again.

The story is very light-hearted with almost no drama, and definitely no melodrama. The characters are well designed and wonderfully flawed - all of them. Even the male lead (who often is portrayed as flawlessly perfect in dramas) has a number of weaknesses that are believable. Sure, some of those are a bit cliché (the anti-social science genius with an 187 IQ but no idea who the Four Heavenly Kings are; neither in mythology nor pop-culture), but it's still done in a fun and adorable way. A great part of the show is actually about Gu Weiyi trying to eradicate his weaknesses in secret in order to appear cooler and more appealing to Situ Mo. These are often shown in little extra scenes at the end of (almost) each episode and are absolutely fun to watch.

I had a few miniscule issues with the show though, the biggest one being the portrayal of the rigid and overall nasty "Haigui" (=Chin. slang for people who return to China after studying abroad). According to most C-dramas, Haiguis are usually arrogant and aloof. Since I've seen this so often I guess there must be an iota of truth behind this stereotype, though I believe if you're an arrogant Haigui you probably were arrogant before going abroad ... The level of rigidness the Haigui in this drama displays tops even the infamous German rigidness - take it from a GBC ;)

Oh, and lights ... I've seen way worse, but still: PLEASE TURN OFF THE LIGHTS WHEN YOU LEAVE A ROOM! And if you're working at a laptop, and all the overhead lights are on already, do you really need to turn on another desk lamp? #SaveTheEnviroment

Sorry, I got side-tracked ... Here are my top 3 reasons why I recommend this show:
3. All characters are well-crafted and have their individual flaws that they try to overcome, which makes them all the more loveable and relatable. And like in real-life, there are no cartoonish evil people.
2. Since I am horrible at detecting on-screen chemistries, I'll say this instead: the two lead actors work very well together and are visually a cute couple. What's also great is the way they used some of these actors' features like the immense difference in height between the two for comic relief.
1. It has one of the funniest love-confessions I've seen so far, although you'll have to wait till EP 11.

Wow, I wrote way more than I intended ... if you made it this far, THANK YOU very much for reading! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get a Roomba and name it Yuanyuan (find out in EP 7).

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A Strange Love Story?

What a morose show of human frailties in relationships. This show started and was promoted, as the story of Ji Ho and Se Hee. The beginning was interesting, and I looked forward to watching how they would break through the walls and become a real couple. The contract marriage concept is not new, but I’ve never seen it before with two completely dysfunctional people.

I really liked this show, but the storyline drove me crazy. The Bok Nam scenario was a disaster, just embarrassing and maybe even sickening. It takes up half the show and means nothing. Ji Ho, a college graduate at the top of her class falls into the trap of an obviously creepy younger guy? She tells him about her marriage arrangement and doesn’t even think twice about it. She has little self-control, except with her fake husband. Even though she has already given thought to something being strange about Bok Nam, she sits there on a park bench and drinks beer with him. She marvels over his ability to woo the girls with his cheesy lines. It makes me think she would fall for any guy that has a good line. She’s impulsive and reckless but strong of character? It just doesn’t work that way. They have made her look easy and that’s not attractive on her. It was just as easy to see where this was headed. But, then came the fake husband to the rescue. So, what does this normal sane woman do? She goes back to work at the same place. Sits on the couch with her husband in a conciliatory position and listens to Bok Nam’s dribble. Bok Nam even goes through his stalking and manipulative thoughts, but still, they sit there and listen to him calling them names. But suddenly, Bok Nam is a nice guy again and Ji Ho is apologizing to him. Really? YOLO? Demeans her husband, calls her stupid for being with him, and stalks her, and he is a nice guy again? Wait, he is even giving her love advice? Why in the world would she care what Bok Nam thinks? It makes her look even more clueless and less attractive. Bok Nam spends all his time hitting on Ji Ho and telling her how much he likes her. She knows it, her husband knows it, but she still goes back to work with him on a one-on-one basis. This says all you need to know about Ji Ho’s character. To say a 30-year-old top college graduate can’t find any other job is just not workable. It’s not a matter of whether she has any love for her husband or what he thinks about her seeing Bok Nam, it’s a matter of pride and self-worth. Just come back and let him talk smack to her non-stop? No wait, bring the contract to Bok Nam for him to review. This really makes sense. Everything Bok Nam says she thinks about like it was wisdom from the Dalai Lama. If this wisdom were coming from one of her girlfriends it would have made more sense. But 24-year-old Bok Nam has a special spot in her life? He seems to be wealthy, why not just stay with him and void the marriage contract? Just go the whole way into the abyss. I take so much time talking about the Bok Nam issue because it is a springboard into what follows. All the Bok Nam scenario means is she has no redeeming values.

She meets the female CEO of a new production company (Se Hee’s Ex but we aren’t supposed to know it yet) and spills all her thoughts and dreams on the first night of drinking soju. Jumping around drunk and having a good time was a little strange with somebody you were expecting to work for. Without even being told we know who the female CEO is. Ji Ho is strangely happy just being around this woman. Acting happier than she ever has before. Gay? Straight? Who knows, but it doesn’t make her look more appealing.

I tried so hard to like the female lead character Ji Ho, but she doesn’t feel like a genuine person to me. She develops a head-down mumbling approach to Se Hee that drives me crazy. By episode 14 I can already tell how this will turn out, not well. Their relationship will just keep getting worse, slowly makes the story fall apart. The story started with these two and the story was even promoted with these two. They have no chemistry, and she seems miserable. What’s the point if it just falls apart? She liked Bok Nam well enough until he moved on, which by the way, she seemed disappointed.

Episodes 14 through 16 are just grueling. Watching her stare at the walls in her Room #19 mumbling to herself like the world is against her. She seems to expect something from him that she can’t give herself, unable to tell him she likes him while he sits in Room #19 unable to even comprehend the world much less express his feelings. With every minute I watch the show becomes less appealing. She asks Se Hee’s ex to go on a date with her. Now that’s not too strange, is it? Is it the subtitles making it appear this way? Did she really ask this woman on a date? She is never happy. I’ll be honest I don’t even understand all her mumblings. Ji Ho told everybody else except Se Hee that she loved her husband. I’m beginning to believe there is something wrong with the subtitles. She talks about how deep her love was for Se Hee to her father-in-law and her mother-in-law. Ji Ho never told Se Hee she liked him or loved him. She decided to sleep with him one night then fell asleep on him. The next time he asked, she rejected him. Granted he was a strange individual, but all she did for him was mess with his head, and leave when he started to have feelings for her.

As you would expect, the ending was just as weird. After a year or so in a hospice, or whatever that place was, she goes to his old place to make her move with a day one cake. Has she run out of girls and guys to woo her? She only looks halfway disappointed that he no longer lives there. But finally, the nicest part of the show. A chance meeting at the house on the roof. The chance meeting is nice, and she tells him she loves him, but he’s asleep. Couldn’t they even make him awake for that? Run Se Hee, she could change her mind tomorrow.

Subtitles: I hate to beat a dead horse, but I really think the translation may be off on this one. I think this was one of those shows that were difficult to translate. Nothing she mumbled made any sense.

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