Intriguing, Sensual, Fascinating, Flawed: VERY Worth A Watch
The intensity of the chemistry between the leads is scorching. Kim Young Kwang as Seong Yun-O is scorching and whether he is alone on-screen or in a scene with someone else, his understated but forceful performance is shiver-inducing. Kang Hae Lim portrays one of the most complex characters we’ve had in kdrama for a while, and part of that complexity comes from the fact that she is sophisticated enough to present different sides of herself to different people, even though people assume she is too innocent and pure to be manipulative.This drama is definitely flawed. There are some plot holes that never get properly filled or explained. The worst flaw, in my opinion, is the clumsy over-reliance on the main character’s supposed Asperger’s diagnosis as a way of signaling different moral and cognitive dimensions of her thinking.
That said, when I was trying to think of how to rate and review this drama, I tried to consider how I experienced it ~overall~, not piecemeal. And overall, it was a fascinating experience that made me want to keep pursuing every drop, every moment, to the very end.
Kim Yong Ji as Im Mok Won and Kim Soo Yeon as Yeong Gi Eun also deserve special mention as Sum’s friends. KYJ’s performance is especially electric—her final scene with KYK (Yun-O) is blisteringly intense.
This is not a standard romance drama. Up to the very end, you may well be wondering what the leads really think and feel for and about each other. I suggest thinking of it instead as a thriller and not trying to view it as a romance.
As a thriller, you’re taken on a fairly wild ride, and one of my favorite kinds of ride: what happens when the dangerous killer gets a little too close to someone vulnerable, someone ill-equipped to fight back properly, and to her friends? What will he do to defend himself in that situation? It’s a really delicious scenario—for a thriller. Not so much for a romance. Or is it?? Only you can decide that for yourself.
I highly recommend this drama and I hope it gets all the attention it deserves, despite its serious flaws.
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This is the first time, I have seen the second leads get their show going and then the mains come in after the fact. interesting in a good way. The second leads are the life of the drama, crackling with good-natured energy and enthusiasm. The second lead male is like a boy who never grew up, you want to scold him but smile instead, in that way the actor fit the character to a T. The main leads are GORGEOUS to look at. WOW his smile! and she is very charming too. The supporting cast is well-built up too. The main parents and Aunt are hilarious, so many meta references to their real-life accomplishments was a sneaky humor. The Main's Dad was so lovable, Best Dad Ever!.
The reasons why some act as they do is all made obvious to the viewer. No screechy females, no over the top villains, no deathly melodrama either, which is good. The music sits well with the situations. Every thing was going sooooo well, then why did I suddenly began to skip......... for the simple reason it...began...to.....draaag. So many good points and then so many let downs. Oh my disappointment! But I still watched it to the end hoping for it to pick up tempo and thankfully it did, towards then end.Not a lot, but enough to make me feel my time wasn't all lost.
So watch it with a smile, my advice: when progress becomes slow, reach for the forward button but don't miss out on the ending.
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I almost didn’t watch it after reading bad reviews but I’m really glad I did
There are too many bad reviews for this series…Look, if you’re expecting a BL unlike anyone you’ve seen before then you’ll be disappointed. Although this is yet another story set at a university where the main character competes for the campus moon title - it’s still a super sweet drama with a more romantic and adorable love story than can be found in most BL’s.
A lot of the bad reviews I’ve read say they dislike the acting, I for one didn’t have an issue with it though but to each their own.
I enjoy watching BL’s that are like this one cause they’re quite simple and make me feel good.
If you’re looking for something simple but sweet to pass the time with then this is the perfect drama for you.
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1
1Lighthearted fun with a well-casted ML to cast a spell on you
First of all, I just have to say Matsumoto Leo is so well-casted as the male lead, Hikaru. He’s so beautiful with long hair and make up, and all the stylish outfits. Yet, also so handsome with his short and slightly gelled up hair. This drama would not be the same without him. He carries the show on his shoulders!It did take me a little bit to get used to Haruka as our female lead. This is totally a ‘me’ problem because I always have this problem with Japanese bubbly and innocent characters. But she grew on me and I like her more and more, especially when her overdramatic antics died down a little.
“Cinderella Closet” is primarily about Haruka’s character development. With the help of Hikaru’s magic, Haruka learns to love herself more and build self-confidence. Of course, she also looks prettier and prettier as the drama goes. Despite this, I still feel that her change is jumpstarted by the desire to look good for a guy. First, it’s to go on a date with Kurotaki. Towards the end, it’s wanting to stand alongside Hikaru, to work as hard as he does, and not be left behind. There was a quick moment of finding her passion but that was only boiled down to a quick conversation with Kurotaki. Yes, Hikaru grew from a girl who has no friends and doesn’t look ‘pretty’, to someone who has become more confident and found love and friends. I just wish the journey relies on guys a little less.
Having said all that, this is a lovely drama with very sweet and supportive characters. The leads have great chemistry and I loved the scenes of them together especially in the early episodes. Hikaru is straightforward and honest with his comments. His honesty contrasts Hikaru’s nervous energy but nonetheless, she’s a very honest person herself. It was also interesting to see the contrast in how parents deal with Hikaru’s cross-dressing. I wish the drama had explored that a little bit more as well.
“Cinderella Closet” is a light-hearted and sweet drama of exploration and loving oneself. It’s also about accepting those who are different from you, and to look past what’s on the outside. I initially thought the cross-dressing bit might create a little more tension but this drama is way too positive to dive deep into that.
Completed: 10/4/2025 Review #631
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How could you not fall for a smart brave dog who sideline for a cupid?
Khun Pathavee's struggle for his feelings for Ood is done playfully.
Technically editing issues can be point out but all in all it is a good show.
having View, Bie and Toey is a plus factor the pulled me in the show
it may have many episodes but i can say it is worth watching you might even find yourself joining the cast in calling out "Hangtu..."
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It deserves to be full length drama
Firstly, I just love all the concepts of the production company that produced this, most of them are really unique. This is the second utopian themed web drama from them, and I truly enjoyed this. The plot and its message nicely executed. I really hope this gets a second season.The plot is really what makes this an amazing web drama, it is something I have never seen before, especially in a web drama scale. It is well developed, that it are compare to larger scale drama with longer episodes. The story isn't at all a stereotypical, all fluff high school concept, but you can still see the chemistry of the two main leads. They don't sacrifice the actors' good looks over good acting either.
The only thing that I think will make will this drama better is if it had longer and more episodes. The plot is quite complex in itself, with only 8 episodes, it isn't able expand on more aspects of the plot. Nonetheless, it is a great drama that is well produced and deserves to be watched.
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An effort not wasted
I debated on whether to write this review or not. Mostly because I've been going through some emotional rollercosters in the past few weeks. That aside, I realized that this little drama should have a review so others can understand why some of us liked it despite some flaws.The mini-drama is the brain-child of Rabbit & Wolf (a real life lesbian couple who also participated in this drama as extras/actors...and their name couple really shows their personalities)
Their play on words is apropos if the title of the drama is anything to go by "Dear URANUS...Dear YOUR ANUS" like what more can you ask for?!! LOL Already the tone is set by the name itself.
This mini is obviously a low-budget project, but that doesn't take away from the care that the crew and cast put into it. Seeing videos of their acting class or the different ways that each actor helped each other to convey the story is one of the reasons I overlooked a lot of the flaws and plotholes. It made the drama charming.
The lack of a coherent plot wasn't too much of an issue for me because I could see where they were trying to go with it, but given how short this is, it makes sense that a lot of the story/plot telling was left off. The ending with a cliffhanger may signal to a possible future project.
Erol is such a cool actress. I like the way she portrayed the main lead.
Script...Gosh I loved so many dialogues and actions here and there. My favorite would have to be when Erol's character put the pushy pursuing girl in her place. I don't want to give too much away, but if you decide to watch the drama, you'll like this. This trope that has been overly done in BLs and often romanticized is handled really really well here.
I find that this mini worked because the people behind it are part of the LGBTQAI+ community and understand a lot of the issues plagued by not just real life, but how the entertainment business can either exploit it or gloss over it. With more money I'm sure these ladies will be able to give us a better story in the future.
So in conclusion, give it a shot if you want to. It might just make you laugh with some of the tropes or it might make you appreciate the way it was told. Either way, I can't say no to more GL content. We are seriously lacking in that and if more GL dramas get more fans, then we might get more stories that are yet to be told.
End of my rant/review :)
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Who Am I?
Sakra is an overly ambitious attempt to adapt Qiao Feng's arc from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (天龙八部), my favorite Jin Yong novel. This is a tall task and inevitably has resulted in an overly condensed adaptation that misses the spirit of the original works. It is carried by the fact that it is such a beloved story that most viewers can fill in the gaps.Qiao Feng, the magnetic chief of the Beggar Sect is accused of dastardly crimes and outed as being of Khitan descent at a time of conflict between Song and Liao (Khitan). He is evicted from his sect and the entire wulin (martial world) turns against him. As he seeks to clear his name, he encounters Ahzu, a minion in the powerful Murong household. He risks his life to save hers and discovers that like himself, she is also on a Who Am I? quest to figure out her origins. The narrative takes on too much between the rushed and unconvincing romance, solving murders and disentangling both their back stories. The ending is confusing with hurried character introductions to pave the way for a sequel that deals with the mastermind reveal and final arcs of Qiao Feng's story. This hurried rendition makes Qiao Feng little more than a one dimensional, lean mean fighting machine. It is a pity because Qiao Feng is Jin Yong's most powerful, complex and misunderstood male character.
Qiao Feng is the ultimate master of Jin Yong's epic 18 Dragons Subduing Palm martial arts technique, which employs inner energy and is used in most of Qiao Feng's fight scenes. The action scenes are almost ridiculously bombastic - Qiao Feng pulverising an entire horde of martial arts with his amazing energy blasts; gravity defying roof leaping and up close and lethal hand-to-hand combat or swordplay. Qiao Feng's showdown with the entire wulin is the most thrilling action sequence but it comes a bit too early in the movie. It is both incredulous and stupendous to see one man take on so many. I truly feared for Qiao Feng's life but what was more terrifying was the hypocrisy and cowardice of wulin. They basically cancelled a brother-in-arms who stared down death alongside them multiple times and ganged-up on him to try to kill him! I didn't enjoy the final fight scene as much - while splendidly choreographed and thrilling, it veered too far into the territory of wildly exaggerated almost superpower like flying leaps and from a distance qi energy strikes.
I watched the Cantonese dubbed version because to me, Qiao Feng will always be Kiu Fung and Jin Yong's famous lines always sound so diminished and lacking in vehemence and intensity in Mandarin. I think this is a great watch for the action scenes alone. I rate it 7/10.
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Will these words even be enough?
What collection of carefully-picked written words do I need to use to justify the profound soul-wrenching beauty of this film? Will words even be enough?A Sun is one of those films where a mere retell of its plot would simply not be enough to capture its profound and soul-wrenching story. It’s one of those films that you have to witness and experience to fully appreciate and understand the story it is trying to tell its audience.
There are only a few films that rendered me at a loss for words after watching them and this is certainly one of those films. Honestly, I’m afraid of writing a review for this film because I do know that this time my written words would not be able to give the justice this film certainly deserves.
In simple words, this film is an intimate story about a family in the aftermath of a tragedy after a previous misfortune. If you read that simple summary, you will probably think this is one of those ordinary tales about families and tragedies. In a way, you’re right-- it is indeed ordinary, but also in a number of other ways, you’re greatly mistaken to assume that this is just another ordinary tale of a family.
What is so remarkable about this film is its ability to tell a multitude of things in too little of everything. The relationship between the two brothers was shown in just two separate brief scenes, one of which is just a narrated story of the elder brother’s visit to the youngest. Yet despite their little interactions in this film, both scenes already provided enough to paint a picture in your head of what could have been the dynamics between the two brothers.
On the other hand, the relationship between the husband and wife was marked with only dialogues about their sons and very little of what could have hinted their relationship was like outside of being parents to their children. The gap between them created by the lack of any details about their personal relationship was remedied by the actors' stellar portrayal of their characters. It was their silent moments, the quiet comfort between them, and their distant yet intimate connection with each other that bridge this gap.
Overall, A Sun is a painful, yet beautiful and still hopeful story of an ordinary family with very complex characters that you would end up caring for as you go along with the film. All the actors nailed their respective roles. They were simply perfect. The original score is perfect too. It was deeply moving and impactful without being too overpowering. It was simply a great mix of everything.
Watch it, it’s totally worth your time. Your 2 and a half hours will surely not be put to waste.
[SPOILER AHEAD! Do not read after this if you don’t want to be spoiled. Take my word, if ever you plan to watch this movie, stop reading at this point because you will appreciate the story more without knowing what is written below.]
I have read a number of people asking why the elder brother did what he did and how they could not simply understand his reasons. This questioning alone is a good example of how often signs and causes of depression are often missed by even the closest person to the one depressed. It tells how a person’s facade is not everything and how one carry oneself in front of the others can be very deceiving and is not in any way a good indicator of what lies beneath one’s exterior.
I was also very shocked with what happened to A-Hao. It was only after what he did that I was able to fully understand his story of the kids playing hide-and-seek.
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Trotting Me into Boredom (Major spoilers ahead!)
I. The UglyThis drama is all about Lin Ze Hui's sexy clavicles and nothing else. It successfully took a bunch of good-looking people, a plot with some potential, and an expensive set, and set the whole lot on fire and watched as it razed all my expectations to the ground. I was so bored, and my boredom was not alleviated despite the ridiculously good-looking men: Lin Ze Hui as the ML seventh prince, Zhu Min Xin as the villain crown prince, and Zhang Zhexu as the FL's younger brother. Despite being linguistically challenged, I could use my limited Chinese skills to fill in the comprehension gaps and follow 95% of the drama. That tells you how cliched the script was.
In episode 1, we find out that the FL was originally meant to marry the villain crown prince, but he kills her father and brother on their wedding, supposedly because they were treasonous. Episode 1 opens with the FL unsuccessful in assassinating the villain. She then holds the ML seventh prince hostage before her vampiric disease is triggered by the scent of musk incense and she latches onto his clavicle like a baby calf to a cow's teats. The FL then poisons the ML to threaten him into helping her to investigate the allegations against her father. Their investigation leads them into many cringeworthy situations between episodes 2 and 5 which somehow ignites the sparks of attraction between them, and by the end of episode 6, the FL gives the antidote to the ML as she realises the poison is no longer necessary to secure his assistance and the ML confesses he is in love with the FL. At the end of episode 9, the FL meets her (supposedly dead) brother's doppelgänger but he tries to assassinate the FL and ML at the end of episode 10, and the duo only survive because the FL activates her violent martial artist vampire side with a sniff of her portable musk incense (they've basically written her as a crack whore). In episode 11, they find out that the villain crown prince had colluded with ministers to counterfeit currency, and he had likely murdered the FL's father and brother because they had discovered his crimes. By episode 14, the villain is determined to murder his own brother, the ML.
Here comes the absolute clanker: The assassination attempt in episode 14 fails, but the ML has been poisoned. So in episode 15, the FL confronts the villain. After she feeds the antidote to the ML, the FL is knocked out by the villain's subordinate and fed a memory-altering substance. The FL forgets her own identity and her family's deaths, but remembers that she is to marry the crown prince in a few days. The ML desperately tries to shock her memory back in episode 16, by bringing her to her abandoned childhood home (the scene of her father's and brother's murders). This fails but lo' and behold, in episode 17, the FL's brother returns healthy and whole, only this time he has his memory but she does not have hers. She regains her memory by episode 18, but continues to feign memory loss. The end of episode 18 and beginning of episode 19 spotted random comedy, and we get to see two beautiful men and one beautiful woman all squeeze into one bed. As it turns out, the villain is aware that the FL has regained her memory and they were plotting to find evidence against him in his palace. They are finally able to present evidence of the villain's misdeeds to the emperor in episode 21, with the (random) assistance of the villain's subordinate. The villain makes a last ditch effort to escape, fatally injuring the FL in the process. Hua Chanjuan's sister, Hua Mengchu (both portrayed by Zhu Xinyuan) is able to save the FL, on the condition that the ML marries her, to which the ML agrees. The FL is saved and Hua Mengchu insists that the ML marries her, but in episode 23, while the ML is ranting about how much he loves the FL, he discovers that his bride is the FL. Finally, in episode 24, they are able to confront the villain who goes on a lunatic's spiel and the FL gives him a less than tight slap. They ultimately discover that the ML was in the running for the crown prince position and was originally meant to be the one the FL marries, and they live happily ever after.
I have just summarised all 240 minutes in these two paragraphs. You no longer need to watch the drama.
II. The Bad
This is not Xu Zhenzhen's first collaboration with Lin Ze Hui, and yet there was absolutely zero chemistry. It felt more like a jiějiě 姐姐 appeasing her dìdì 弟弟. XZZ's acting also left a lot to be desired here. It was like she was playing a watered-down version of her role in Palace Shadows: Between Two Princes.
There were multiple inconsistencies and unexplained plot points. For example, in some scenes, the ML is quite skilled in fighting, but in other scenes, he requires the FL to rescue him. Another example, why would the villain want to force the FL to forget his misdeeds and try to marry her again, when the marriage would not benefit him anymore (her father being dead and all) and he was not in love with her? Also, why does the villain's subordinate have a sudden change of heart?
III. The Good
LZH is a beautiful man who also makes a beautiful woman in episode 7. The only reason I continued watching the drama was because he is truly good-looking and not a bad actor. You get to appreciate some sexy clavicles throughout this drama, sexy abs in episode 7, and some man-on-man action in episode 19.
IV. Verdict
Painfully boring. Skip unless you have nothing else to watch.
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Thank you, this is the worst series I've ever watched
I will be extremely honest (And I will try my best not to give spoilers, I promise):To begin with, this series presents us with 2 different stories. This series is actually a story that is being told by a man in the square. From episode 1 to 16 it is a story about a spy who is the princess's look-alike and switches places with her to spy on the palace.
For some reason in episode 17, the people who are listening to the story get angry, and say that the story "didn't end well!", so the man who is telling the story decides to start all over again, and tell a new story TOTALLY changing the story. origin and personality of the characters. It's no joke, LITERALLY THIS happens.
They completely ignore the story of episodes 1 to 16. There were people who died, there were moments when we felt distressed, but they simply said "That didn't happen, forget it, let's start over" and excluded these characters. In the new story they only kept about 4 characters (along with the protagonists), and the rest they threw away and changed the cast.
Now let’s get to the specific points:
* The main couple is only a couple out of pure convenience, as there is practically no romantic development for them.
*All the other couples in the series are better than the protagonists! It's no joke, any other romantic story within the series is better. Actress Bai Lu plays 2 characters with 2 romantic stories, and the 2 romances are better than the main romance. Actress Zhao Lu Si's romance story is also better, and the emperor's lover's romance story is also better... Anyway, even the TRAGIC romantic stories that happen in the series are more beautiful than the main couple's romance.
*The female protagonist is only intelligent when it suits her, she is completely stupid for most of the series, acting like a child, then when something goes wrong she becomes the reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes.
*Everyone in the series hates her and wants her to die or go back to her palace, even the protagonist acts as if "it doesn't matter" to him.
* The secondary plots are attractive, but the main plot is this nonsense from the protagonists and it's very boring. If the story were about General Feifang's story, I believe it would be incredible, but it's not. I only felt relieved when these other characters appeared on the scene. I might have been angry with them (since some of them were bad), but at least I felt something.
*GOOD SIDE OF WATCHING Untouchable Lovers:
- I managed to watch Zhao Lu Si playing the villain;
- Now I have a series to put on the podium as "Worst series I've ever watched". So, whenever I watch something bad, I can say: "This show may be bad, but nothing beats the HORROR that was Untouchable Lovers."
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My stages of watching Gameboys 2020
*grin like an idiot**ugly cry*
*shake my head because I still can't believe how realistic this BL is*
*smile till it hurts my cheeks*
*squeal like a 16 years old girl*
*cry and somehow laugh at the same time*
*nod vigorously because I relate so much*
*hold my chest because heart is shattering*
*cry all the tears of my body*
*blush from all the cuteness*
*pinch myself to make sure this drama really does exist*
*grin like an idiot*
... and repeat for thirteen episodes straight.
Here is my review for Gameboys 2020. Thank you for reading.
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Good watch but pace slows down and doesn't pick up
Story: great beginning with a funny scenes thrown in. The struggles of being a detective, and a police officer at that are well portrayed. There's a good fast pace as they rush to save the death row convict's life. Then things trickle down when they fail too. I think they reveal all the cards too early in the drama and where they aren't, it is too easy to guess 'who-done-it' which kills the suspense. Feel like Ji-Hyeok's childhood trauma wasn't brought out as well as it could have been which made it hard to really empathise with him.Acting: commendable acting all round, can't really fault it. Do-Chang and Ji-Hyeok make a great time . Seo-Kyung did a great job with her role, didn't feel cringey as is common with many FLs in K-dramas. Jong-Tae is not the cliché psycho killer common in many drams which is refreshing . The Violent Crimes team two is also good fun to watch, especially Dong-Wook's baseball scene.
Summary: enjoy the first nine episodes or so to follow the story. It makes for good lazy Sunday afternoon watch after that.
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