Reviews

Discount Thanos & the Debtors

Now, hear me out, and this might just be me, but if I had a super ring that basically made me Thanos with hair and less purple, I would not make it so that anyone who have the ring can immediately, without reason, become the most powerful person and drive me out of my house and country. Thank the eff the finale made some sort of sense of it. Also, for most of the drama, I was convinced these people were allergic to happiness, cuz the eff is up with all that hurt, heartbreak and tears? That boyfriend era lasted like 0.3 seconds and a cheek kiss.

Listen, this was me the moment I saw Jack's face for the first time.
ME: Ew, it’s Vee from Love Mechanics. I hate that dude.
*Jack walks in, slow motion, in a black suit.*
ME: I mean, sure Vee sucked to high heavens, hurt Mark and broke his heart, but like, did Mark die? Personally, I've always like Vee. Haha, nice suit man, I love you dude.

Pfttt. Don’t judge me, I am weak. Petition to burn all Yin’s cloths and leave the suits so he only wears suits, like, forever and ever? Cuz, dude was wearing those suit. HE WORE. Suits were made for Yin.

Oh, and, these people kept going 'Boss this, Boss that, Boss, Boss, Boss.' So much, I thought that punchable excuse for a bad guy's name was Boss, only to find out it was... and I kid you not... Alice. His name this whole time was Alice. No wonder he seemed so lost and confused and got played. Also, was the whole ring thing being some sort of game the rich were playing the best the writers could come up with? Like, I buy it, but I also don't. As reveals go, it felt like an ex-machina to save themselves after they realised that plot device made no sense whatsoever. Oh, well.

Anyway, Joke made crying and being heartbroken felt like an Oscar performance, and he was aiming for gold. Damn, son, leave some of the heartbreak for the rest of us. That thief owes me for emotional damages, cuz he made sadness looked so beautiful, my arse spent episode 10 and 11 crying with him. War deserves like all the awards for just his crying alone.

Listen, this show was a rollercoaster, and I liked most of it. From the silliness, to the heaviness, to that unholy episode 10 and 11. Sure, I wanted to boo at episode 11 for bringing back the curse episode 11 nightmare, but I was too busy crying with Joke, I let it slide. And the ending of episode 10 was so traumatizing, I legit forgot about the heavy breathing sexy scene from the beginning of the episode. Poor JackJoke, their boyfriend era lasted for like one bed scene and a swing playdate.

I knew shit was about to go down, cuz dafug you mean, ‘I love you’ right when you leaving for a mission against discount Thanos? This is how people die. The moment Joke said ‘I love you’ I went. Child, will you keep quiet? Don’t jinx it. Well, we all know how that ended.

Random sidenote: Did this people really think I’ll be crying while War was singing that I’m sorry song, when all I could picture in my head was him in that tank-top in the MV? LMAO, good luck with the tears I guess, ain't nobody crying here. But like how talented is War? What can't that man do?

PLOT:
I enjoyed the plot of this show. Some things I overlooked, like the Thanos ring thing, how those poor people kept making the most stupidest decisions, comedic timing and etc, but when all was said and done, it was interesting enough to hold my attention and bring me back every single week. I liked the intensity, the jokes, the emotions, and the overall cast. Story-wise this didn't really feel like something new, but the redemption arc with Joke added depth to it, how he was struggling to become a better person, personally I think he was always a better person, heart of gold. And also how the good guys, no matter how hard they tried, always made decisions that hurt others. Nothing was black and white here, which made the plot interesting and worth watching. There were some stale parts in the middle that not even the good actors could make interesting, but when everything was added up, the plot held its own well.

CHARACTERS
Joke stole the show for me. Every time he did another character I was so impressed by War's range as an actor. Him as a lady was so beautiful, my arse was this close to asking for beauty tips XD. Jack and Joke's journey was a wild ride, going from friends to enemies, then enemies to friends, friends to lovers. And in-between it all, we went through the high and lows with them. For a second there, I thought it was only going to be all lows, cuz damn, these people knew how to make us suffer. I enjoyed their journey, and as leads, Yin and War carried this show very well, bringing their characters to life. As always, their chemistry was chemistrying and that forehead touch might just be the best thing ever.

The secondary characters here also had their own thing going for them. Everyone seemed to have their own problems they were working through, which added to the overall plot, so that was good. I wanted more of Tattoo and Aran, cuz it seemed they were suppose to be a thing, then took an arrow to the knee somewhere along the way. I wanted to know more about Hoy as well, he seemed the only one who didn't have any sort of background.

Rose grew on me. I came to love how graceful she was in defeat. No, her heart was literally breaking from being rejected and I was out here laughing cuz she took it so well, although she wanted to cry. I was so happy she wasn't one of those delusional female characters who can't take no for an answer. Love her. In the finale, she seemed to have grown out of her rich girl naive phase and understood her circle of rich people were evil/jerks , so good for her. But like, rich power hungry people are just the worst!

As for the Boss, he was a typical bad guy with no redeeming qualities or even an interesting background. He came off as greedy, unlikable and just dreaming of becoming a bigger fish than he was. That whole Thanos ring thing seemed like a big deal, but then in the end Rose was like, give me back my ring, and he was like, well, I wasn't the one who stole it. And the whole time, I'm confused, cuz if it's that easy to ask for it back, why her family ran? And why Boss made it look like he basically owed Thailand cuz he put it on his finger? Yeah, that whole ring thing made no sense to me. And somehow, in the finale, knowing it was all a game, still does not sit right with me. Should have been a big plot twist but I can’t feel the payoff.

Joke's father was nothing but a sperm donor in the beginning. I didn't understand why he didn't see himself as being part of how Joke turned out. I mean he was constantly making him feel like he wasn't enough, while the little brother was like everything. And the only time he said anything good was about the Joker thief. I was happy for the father's growth, how he came to apologies as well, and they became family again. When their family was together in the end, I cheered a bit, Joke deserves that so much!

Look, I managed to forgive Tattoo, but for some reason, I can't get over Save's betrayal. Yes, he was also trying to get himself and his evil boyfriend out of debt, but he was directly and knowingly hurting everyone else, just to be free. And these were friends that he pretended to love. Yes, they all did stuff to be free, but I still can't forgive him. Man tried to poison and kill poor Grandma. Heck no.

Okay, I sort of forgave him after seeing the finale, but they up and made him the new Boss? The guy who knows how to hurt everyone where it hurts the most? The smart guy who was giving Boss all the evil ideas? Nah, these people don't want peace. Then again those 4 horsemen might know what they are doing putting such a person in charge. I did like him and Hope though. In the finale, seeing Hope being stupidly proud and in-love was cute, although I've still only forgiven them halfway.

Now, the Grandma was the real MVP of this show. Woman was legendary. Lol, Joke out there getting his arse whooped and she was holding her own by throwing food. Loved her!

FINALE:
Felt like, after trying to make a very good show, the finale lost the concept. Cuz this hour and half episode felt like the writers and director were trying to fill as many cliches as they could into the ending. From the cartoonish fights, some out of place comedy, last minutes saves, no real plans, dramatic over the top scenes, and unnecessary waiting times for the good guys to converse while the bad guy just wait, everything about most of the finale had me going... yaaay mediocre, where's the awesomeness from the beginning of the drama? Yes, having them play the game was interesting, built some tension, but many things had me throwing questions at my screen.

Even so, I was happy for the happy ending, cuz for a moment there, I thought we'd get a sad one and it would ruin my Christmas. That being said, that finale was so convoluted and also somehow long. Legit, most of the fighting scenes had me rolling my eyes, cuz there was so many ways to win over that Cardboard or Carpenter or whatever his name was but they kept just making stupid decisions. Arrrggg. Literally even when he was down, Jack and Joke decided to just not go for the tablet/control thing. Like, literally that was the whole point of the fight. Stupid. And as villains go, I legit did not care one bit for that Cardboard paper character... took me a while to even remember he was that one guy.

I hate basic villains who get so talkative and petty when they get the upper hand. Boss suddenly turned into this childish person with that over the top trying to do evil things. And then suddenly bam, it was all a game, everyone is safe, and instead of making room for Tattoo and Aran we had to watch Alice slow dance with his ghost wife. Yeah, no thanks. Though, seeing that he's probably out there suffering is good punishment.

HAHAHA that ‘Zorry’ scene. I admit, that was one of the best things about the finale. I paused to finish laughing before continuing, and then when he tried to explain himself, I lost it even more!!

Jack and Joke's engagement? I am calling it a proposal, cuz what else could it have been? I loved how simply and easy it felt. Jack offered the ring, and Joke just happily took it without question. Their happy ending was well deserved/earned. Wish I saw more of them with their daughter. Well, now that the father is back? would they still adopt her? Would Tattoo and Aran give it a go? Either way, I'm going to miss this drama and the cast.

All-in-all, YinWar made the last quarter of bls this year fun. The tl was alive every week with theories which made Mondays not suck so much, and I enjoyed it. The drama is not without flaws, but it's one of my favourites dramas this year. I recommend it to everyone who loves a good bl, watch it, you'd like it. Looking forward to more work from YinWar in the future. For now, I'mma go watch Yin in suits, and War create stuff with clay and grin at my screen. Bye bye.

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Story: (Rant)
I regret complaining about predictable dramas, this was so frustrating when I cared about the outcome but I stopped caring about halfway through and lost all interest, I completed watching it for closure.
Basically imagine being a blind person that follows sounds, and the writer keeps tossing pebbles around you, they toss one, you take one step there, and they toss one on the other direction, and it's not only 2 directions, but like 3 or 4.
Instead of just making it mysterious, they forcefully led you to the wrong direction over and over until the last 2 episodes where the ending is finally starting to clear.
It was so frustrating that some characters KNEW what happened wouldn't just fess-up when they aren't even awfully evil, they just DON'T want to talk, or empathize with the main leads.
The result of all of this is a rushed ending where suddenly all the evidences appear, and witnesses talk, to close the drama.

Cast:
They were okay, like other comments and reviews said, the chemistry and romance between the leads was awkward, also at this point, I think Eun Joo's teeth were glued together, unfortunate since I was looking forward to her performance.

Music: It's alright if you're into classicals, but if you're not I don't think you should watch this drama at all, since this is the best part of it compared to the rest.

Rewatch Value: Honestly, once you know the ending there is really nothing remaining in rewatching it unless you want to laugh at the pebbles the writer kept throwing left and right.

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excellent premise and actors let down by bad writing (minor spoilers in content warnings)

Overall: the trailer totally hooked me but the writing just wasn't there. This is basically a classic Thai BL romance with window dressing. Aired on YouTube.

Content Warnings: death, suicide, mental health struggles, grief, manipulation, non/dub con kiss (fake sleeping), non con touching (sleeping), punches, fight, homophobia, non con photo/video taking and posting, unwanted outings, blackmail

What I Liked
- acting and chemistry, especially First and Khaotung (hope to see them as leads again either together or separately)
- promising premise with mystery elements
- flirt and cute moments
- Akk's parents
- good OST and opening credits

Room For Improvement
- that a main drama was private school students being angry about wearing uniforms, this fell flat and would have been better if it focused on bullying/homophobia as many private school students everywhere have to wear uniforms
- too few plot twists and too late
- the writing was a let down, was Ayan even investigating most of the time? A teacher wearing louboutin shoes? Why weren't the 3 students just expelled? Random bonfire on a beach? Why on Ayan tell Akk that at the end of episode 10 at probably the worst possible time? I still don't really understand a character's motivation in episode 11
- Akk was reluctant and Ayan was aggressive for too long, Ayan consistently violated Akk's boundaries, he was being disrespectful not supportive
- two slow burns, would have been better with a fast burn and a slow burn
- what two characters did in episode 11 is close to unforgivable but they have no consequences and all of a sudden everything is totally fine
- hugging and thanking that character in episode 12 part 1 was bizarre
- very angry/sad about what Ayan told Akk's parents in episode 12 part 2, that's not his place to say especially without first discussing it beforehand with Akk

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Did i read the same manga that the screenwriter ??

First i'm totally aware what "adapted a writed material" means ! Chnage need to make for the viewers to clearly watch what was written beforehand

So here my title and question : Did the screenwriter had read the same manga as me ? Because except their job, the place and theirs names so many change had make that the story doesn't even respect the essence of the manga

Surely the manga wasn't full of angst and more a slowburning love story but here to create something they think was more attractable for the audience they add dramas : exes, stupids break up, intrusive coworker

At some point they make the exploit to bring down one of the main character to the point he had less screentime and interesing story than the created side character !!!

Because let me be clear here : Sakae ex lover doesn't appear in the manga, not even sure he was mentioned ! Same with Soga ex wife she is only mentioned to explain why Soga is low self-esteem (because she want kid and Soga is sterile)

I really don't understand how you read a manga with likeable character and you make the exploit to write a serie where none of them is likeable anymore ?

I understand the need to adapt sometimes the serie is even better that the book (Not me for example) but sadly not here

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I'll say it - Jayden should have been the lead

What constitutes a good revenge drama: suspense, an intriguing lead, and of course, great revenge.

Doctor Lawyer lacks in all these categories and only makes up for it with the acting of Shin Sung Rok aka Jayden Lee.

The story of a good revenge drama depends on a fast paced and totally lead controlled narrative, but Han Yi Han, the lead here seems to depend upon the actions of others rather than his own to exact revenge. Even when the revenge is served, it feels like a let down when compared to other such dramas.

The acting doesn't help much either, with the other two leads delivering some of their scenes in the stoniest way possible.

The ending was no better, and I don't think the final arc of any character was satisfying enough. Just fell extremely flat.

Admittedly, this is not totally terrible, and has some absolutely brilliant moments too, but in retrospect, the drama could've been a tad better based off of the premise.

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This is my first time reviewing a drama and I think I picked the right one to begin with. I finally got to see the last few episodes and they were worth the wait. The drama is like nothing I have watched...I have watched both Korean and Japanese dramas and this drama completely captivated me from the very first episode. It got a ten all around from me because it exceeded my expectations and kept surprising me. Everything from the music to the cast was awesome. I will be buying the OST as soon as I am able to. The music was just beautiful and it fit the drama so well. The cast was just great and the ending was just too cute for words. I could go on and on how great everything was but I think I have said more than enough. It has become one of my top five dramas that are a must see.

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A very good chemistry between the actors

SPOILER ALERT

if it wasn't for the open ending, i would definitely rate this 10/10 (currently trying my best to recover from the heartbreak).

But overall, loving the plot, the chemistry was top tier, the couples were very mature and sweet, even the chemistry between main and support role can be seen. A very well done drama indeed. The plot was well-written too. Actually the ending wasn't that bad cause its totally make sense but its just i am a sucker for a cliche happy ending hahaha. But still i love it. Everyone really should give this a try!

Also i freakin love zhang jingyi she's so good, hopefully we could see both male and female lead in other drama in the future.

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Mature and emotional drama: More of a character study rather than romance

My rating of a drama really depends on how engaged it kept me, if the characters were compelling, and the story is unconventional. I kept coming back to The Interest of Love every single week. It’s a well-written show with great direction and well-developed characters. The last few four episodes especially the finale dragged out, but still not so much that I couldn’t watch it anymore. Although I admit that I came to the ending after a gap and that ways I was able to look at it from a fresh perspective. I wanted my rating to reflect my overall experience with the drama and not just the ending. I’ve watched so many k-dramas, where I’ve been really excited in the beginning but watch it fizzle out toward the end. I wanted to follow the story of IOL till its end and rate my experience throughout. It is a complex and mature love story, and unlike anything I’ve ever watched in the romance world of K-dramas. I feel that the drama is underrated on MDL, but that’s my opinion since I was completely hooked on to the show. The interesting part about this show is that it’s essentially a love story, but it also considers social class and hierarchy, and how that can affect personal and professional relationships. It also portrays the leads in a refreshing and nuanced manner. I’d a good time watching this show and if you’re in the mood for watching a serious romantic drama, give this one a shot! One drawback may be that there’s not much levity or comic relief, so at times the show can feel intense or emotionally heavy and draggy, but if you enjoy the angst and longing, you will probably like the show.

Comments on MDL have been hugely divisive around the lead characters, particularly the FL. Although, the characters were sometimes frustrating, I still found them mostly relatable and realistic…their emotions raw and messy making them very human. What I appreciated about the show is that none of the characters are good or bad, they are all flawed and vulnerable, who sometimes make terrible decisions. So, the FL is a diligent worker who’s really good at her work but has been overlooked for promotions due to her educational background. She’s kindhearted, loyal, and compassionate, yet she can also be stubborn and not communicate her feelings well, to the extent of being self-destructive. Then, there’s the SFL, who’s wealthy, manipulative, and slightly obsessive. Yet, she also takes pride in her work and wants to make it on her own professionally without her father’s support. So, these characters are very nuanced, and that’s what I loved and appreciated about the show. Just like in the director’s other show (Do you like Brahms?) the FL is complex, she’s quiet, fiercely independent and strong. I loved Ahn Soo Young, and Moon Ga Young plays the role like a queen. A quieter and more serious turn for her after her role in True Beauty. I admit that at times, I questioned Soo Young’s motivations and decisions, but the more I thought about it, the more I could see how her past influenced her romantic decisions. I think her fiercely independent and serious character didn’t go well with some audiences because the writers don’t justify who she is by using a mental health issue or a really traumatic history. Even though she’s had some trauma, I think the reasoning behind her actions is perhaps too simple and too real for audiences to grasp why a FL should be so unpredictable. Even if, not all of her decisions made sense to me, I still found her relatable in many ways. The relatability was in small things, such as her taking time off whenever she was struggling, or her looking for more space in her relationship when she was feeling low, to me these characteristics were very comforting. But again, that’s why I love about K-Dramas, good writers put a lot of thought into the characters. Ultimately, the show is about Soo Young’s growth and her finding what she truly loves to do ~ a path that is true to who is. More power to Ga Young and the writers of this show, I hope they continue to bring such female leads to life on the screen. The ML is also unconventional, in the sense that he’s cautious and not aggressive. This is different from other dramas, where the ML almost always takes charge and beats the SML and takes every chance to get close to the FL. The ML here is relatively quieter and lets go of the FL, and respects her decisions for the most part.

The complexity of the characters in the show also extends to their relationships. Unlike most dramas, the second leads are just not there waiting for their chance, but they actually get a chance and then things happen…as it would in real life. All four characters’ situations are truly entangled, and they feel real and complex emotions. I think this drama is out of the norm in the way that the FL is truly conflicted in her feelings towards the male leads, which is refreshing. Most dramas I’ve watched are too scared to explore this, and the leads are typically oblivious to what the second leads feel for them. In that sense, this drama is mature and realistic. Although, the drama still plays it relatively safe and is not as bold as it may appear at first. I felt the makers couldn’t commit to what they were going for at first and spent a lot of time in the last few episodes trying to clean up the leads’ acts. As realistic as the show is, I felt that some characters were holding on to their relationships as if they were in a marriage, so that part to me was unconvincing. In real life, break-ups can be more brutal than how it was conveyed.

Of course, Moon Ga-Young and Yoo Yeon-seok sparkle in this show, but I also enjoyed Moon Tae Yoo as Kyung Pil and Seo Jung Yeon as Sang Soo’s mother. I also really liked the OST and just the overall vibe of the show. I would recommend this show if you’ve liked Something in the Rain or some other quieter shows. I personally, didn’t find the show to be as slow as some other shows like One Spring Night and My Liberation Notes, and to me those shows were really slow. The Interest of Love has decent pacing, except in the end, which for some reason happens to almost every other K-Drama, which is pretty annoying and disappointing. If you haven’t watched this drama, this is a great time to binge watch the show. The director does rely on cliff hangers to keep the audience hooked, so at least now you won’t have to wait for a week racking your brain as to wtf is going to happen next!! Also, I wish the makers would have promoted the show as slice of life drama or character sketch rather than romance, as I feel the viewers would have then appreciated the non-romantic aspects of it more and been more forgiving towards it.

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The Boss' Pawn Opera (Major spoilers ahead!)

I. The Good
It's a happy ending, albeit rushed. MXY plays his role as the yandere male lead (ML) with enough crazy in his eyes and ZCX is, as always, a beautiful, strong female lead (FL). I picked this up because I was lured by tantalising cuts on YouTube, each promising dog-blood melodrama and palpable sexual tension . Unlike Benny Benassi's song, this pushed me but did not touch me, and so I got no satisfaction.

II. The Bad
The drama teases an interesting premise, but fails in developing the story in any believable manner. The episodes require your mind to execute Simone Biles' level of gymnastics skills, because even dog-blood melodrama needs a slow burn and not an immediate Australian summer bush fire. The scenes are disjointed, and sometimes leave you to create stories in your mind to fill in the blanks.

We meet the ML, the son of a deceased mob boss, albeit the famiglia is no longer in the business. He is running from an ex-business associate when he sees the FL, a poor innocent nurse leaving work, and uses her as his cover. The ML promptly falls in love with the FL because of her nursing skills. We then find out that the FL's father is a policeman, and so was her deceased brother. So how can her family accept a shady son-of-mob-boss as a son-in-law, especially when he arrives at their modest residence with such cringey fanfare and arrogantly announces that he will be marrying the FL? To top it off, the FL is dating a puppy-dog childhood sweetheart, who agrees to expedite their marriage plans to thwart the ML's plans.

Not taking no for an answer, the ML proceeds to buy her time by donating large sums of money to the hospital employing the FL. He surprises the FL with a wall full of her social media photos, and tells her that he has plenty of resources to hunt her down if she runs away. Of course, the FL continues to reject him, telling him that he can't buy true love. Meanwhile, the ML's stepmother is trying to force him into an arranged marriage and the puppy-dog fiance's mother is aghast that her son plans to offend the ML by marrying the FL. The ML throws money at the FL, trying to make her fall in love with his deep pockets. Then he interrupts the childhood sweethearts' wedding and throws money at the fiance, to get him to walk away. The next day, the ML arrives at the FL's residence to throw money at her parents as bride price. He then finds out that the FL (somehow within the endless time of 72 hours) donated the money, resigned from her position at the hospital, and moved away. The ML tracks her father down at the police station he works at and having thrown money at the police chief, has the father arrested for corruption and bribery charges.

The FL runs to the ML to have her father released, and he agrees on the condition she marries him. Out of nowhere, the ML's stepsister runs to the FL's home to cause trouble, which is summarily resolved by the FL (what was the point of this scene even?). The heretofore unknown bridal makeup artist also gives the FL grief for unknown reasons, before being dragged out and punished (cruelly, one assumes). On the way to the wedding venue, the bridal sedan is involved in an accident arranged by the ML's stepmother, and the ML fails to rescue the FL from the burning wreck when he arrives at the scene. The FL's parents discover that the ex-fiance had somehow saved the FL after the accident, and that she was alive and well. However, the ex-fiance's mother demands that she leaves her son as the FL will cause trouble for her son. The FL must be cursed by a red string, because as soon as she leaves, the ML finds her while driving down some random road. He drags her kicking and crying back to the wedding altar, and blackmails her by strapping a bomb to one of the wedding guests. The ML finally marries the FL and brings her home, where she tearfully strips. Instead of pawing at her like a wildebeest, he gently covers her up.

One assumes that the marriage is not consummated. In the next scene, the ML's stepmother and stepsister are complaining about the expensive jewellery he had bought for the FL. He informs them that the FL is now the mistress of the household and household funds. Going for gold, the ML does not take advantage when the FL is in the bath and the next day, the FL's colleagues are praising her philanthropic husband for his good deeds. These 6 minutes are sufficient to brainwash the FL, and she rejects her ex-fiance when he comes to 'rescue' the FL. Their meeting is of course seen by the ML, courtesy of the ML's stepsister, and in a fit of jealousy, he breaks the ex-fiance's arms so that he can never paint again. Still jealous, the ML is about to force himself on the FL when she scrapes her hand on broken glassware, and he rushes her to the hospital, where she has the opportunity to find out that the ML had crippled her ex-fiance's arms. They argue, and the FL goes on a hunger strike. When the ML attempts to coax the FL, she demands that he apologises to the ex-fiance. The ML grudgingly goes to the hospital to apologise, and allows the ex-fiance to smash him over the head. This scene is (of course!) seen by the FL's father, who just happened to be walking by. The FL's father is so impressed with this one scene, that he teaches the ML how to make his daughter's favourite soup and persuades his daughter to forgive the ML.

The FL softens and visits the ML at night. She grows lusty after seeing his wounded forehead, and we finally get to see the ML topless. The FL spends a hot and heavy night with the ML. The next morning, the ML's stepmother and stepsister somehow catches the ex-fiance trying to sneak into their residence, and promises to help him 'rescue' the FL. While the FL is rejecting the ex-fiance, the stepmother fabricates a story of how the FL hates the ML so much that she refuses to have his child and is about to elope with the ex-fiance. Of course, the ML has never heard of planned pregnancies and communication, and rushes off to beat the ex-fiance. The FL does not want to visit her husband in jail, and tries to stop him, which is (of course!) misinterpreted by the ML. After 4 minutes of threatening to kill herself and then kill him, the FL walks off. The stepsister then sends some heretofore unknown slut to seduce the ML, who is violently rejected when the ML realises he only ever wants to have children with the FL. After the ML sinks into alcoholism, the stepmother and stepsister must have been deafened and blinded by the amount of Chanel they were wearing, because they proceed to expose their own crimes while the ML is crouched behind the very sofa they are sitting on. The ML awakens from his drunken stupor and has them tortured before tossed into the sea like a proper mob boss.

In another part of the world, the FL's father is apologising to his deceased son for accepting the ML. He later sees the ex-fiance visiting the grave and overhears the ex-fiance confessing to being the cause of his son's death. The FL's father furiously beats up the ex-fiance, but is tricked into turning his back and letting the ex-fiance smash him over the head with a giant rock conveniently placed nearby. The FL discovers her father's death and the ex-fiance convinces her it's the ML who killed her father. Abruptly, in the next scene, the FL is tied up and gagged, and the ex-fiance demands the ML to appear alone at some abandoned building. The ML turns up, and is surprised that the FL is unbound and well, holding a gun to him. The ex-fiance eggs the FL on to kill the ML, while the ML swears he did not harm her father. The FL is unable to shoot the ML, so the ex-fiance takes a pole to beat the daylights out of the ML. The FL tries to stop the ex-fiance, because she is so deeply in love with the ML, and while vomiting blood the ML has the breath to repeat that he did not kill her father. For some reason, the ex-fiance takes this opportunity to confess that he was the one who murdered her father, leading to the FL trying to shoot him at close range because apparently a gun cannot work further than 1 meter. The FL promptly loses control of the gun, and the ex-fiance threatens the ML with her life. Just as he is about to shoot, the ML ambushes the ex-fiance and satisfyingly punches him 5 times. The ML stops short of killing the ex-fiance, just before the police arrive and arrest the ex-fiance. The ex-fiance somehow manages to slip from the police's grasp (they should really hold people tighter) and grabs one of their guns. A 'bang' is heard, but neither the FL nor the ML was shot. Another policeman had shot the ex-fiance from behind. The end.

As you can see, a story is told in 96 minutes but what it delivers feels more like a series of disconnected scenes. It’s as if the director handed you a jigsaw puzzle full of favourite dog-blood scenes, but left out the mundane story-building pieces, forcing you to fill in the blanks with nothing but your imagination and a lot of wishful thinking.

III. The Ugly
Trigger warnings for: Violence and attempted sexual assault.

IV. The Verdict
Disappointing. I'm not even sure I can recommend this for a one-time watch.

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Total waste of time

This may win the award for worst Korean BL. I'll start with the positives:

...

...

Well, one of the guys takes a shower and he has a nice body. There's that at least.

On to the negatives.

The main characters have zero chemistry. Actually, it's below zero. It's a black hole of chemistry. They're so uncomfortable even hugging that it looks like they're sexually harassing each other. Their kisses are the worst I've ever seen.

The plot is cliched and nonsensical. Again, one guy has been in love with the other for most of his life, blah, blah. I don't even need to say the rest because you can predict everything from there. The story is based entirely on totally implausible miscommunication, lack of communication, and downright taking the opposite meaning of what someone says, jumping to conclusions with zero evidence and 100% the opposite of what is totally obvious or explicitly stated.

One can say directly to the other "I like you and want to be with you", and the other's voiceover says "He's obviously in a relationship with his female editor who he can't possibly be dating because I'm with him 24/7".

Speaking of voiceovers, whoever adapted this forgot it was live-action and not a manwha and so EVERYTHING is voiceover. I suppose it has to be because the acting is so bad.

This feels like it was a porn story that was stripped of sex and is left with something as meaningful as the dialog with the pizza delivery boy before the sex.

I wouldn't waste any time on this - it's just frustrating and boring to watch.

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The prisoner of beauty - explosive chemistry and the best love story

Moony💕✨
Yet another drama in my plan to watch lists that I wasn't anticipating at all. I added this drama solely for fun without being aware of the plot. Later Liu Yuning's drama TSOPG aired and I really enjoyed his acting there. This was the main reason I gave The prisoner of beauty a try and didn't regret it at all. It was way beyond my expectations.
The story starts with the alliance between the Qiao and Wei clan that turned into hatred. To get revenge for the old grudges, the ruler of the Wei clan - Wei Shao decides to take down the Qiao family. Helpless, Qiaos seek peace through a marriage alliance. Can this marriage resolve the 14 years of hatred and bring a lasting peace?
When I first started the drama, I had no high expectations but, from the first episodes, I already knew it was a promising one. The story follows a love story more than a political story which made it way easier for me to follow with the storyline. The story includes tropes like enemies to lovers and arranged marriage. I enjoy both of these tropes so you can already guess that I was hooked. The tension and chemistry between the lead couple was insane. From their first meeting, you could see that spark- the chemistry! But, it’s not solely romance, it’s also the characters and the plot that moved me. This drama avoids common clichés and misunderstandings that often can be seen in other dramas with similar plotline. Characters are intelligent, calculative, emotionally strong and also receive massive character development.
I want to start off the base of review from the development of romance. As I latterly said, I like the fact that it’s more about a love story because, besides being easy to catch up with the plot, I think it made a strong base for the drama as well. At first, the couple didn’t trust each other. They had hidden motives and were very calculative towards each other. In my opinion, following with how they developed trust and started believing each other eliminated future threats. You could see a clear, step- by-step growths in their relationship. As they got closer, they started understanding each other more and more which helped them to overcome any misunderstandings.
The first contributor of the relationship was Qiao Man. She is a pretty smart and lovable character. Even though she was spoiled on her own home, she endured all the hardships for her family and country. Manman is a really caring person and a true beauty! She is patient and is really thoughtful. This is the reason why Wei Shao loves her so much and is willing to open his heart and show his vulnerable moments only to her. Even though Wei Shao is hard to understand, Manman didn’t walk away and changed him a lot. As a wife, she is thoughtful about her husband, but, as a woman, she had to the fate of two clans in her hands. She is brave, even with little troops, she supported him during the war by chasing the enemy away.
Wei Shao on the other hand is cold on the outside and kind on the inside type of character. Once he starts to care about someone, he fully accepts and protects them at all costs. He is not good with words but tries his best to express it through actions. His love language is acts of service for sure. Because of Manman, he started opening up and improved his relationship with his mother. His character arc was also really noticeable. His target was to obtain Yanzhou and start a war which could have harmed the lives of innocent people. After the change, he was willing to get rid of past grudges and seek peace.
I also want to mention our shippers also known as cupids. They added so much fun to the drama. I always enjoyed the scenes with them. Especially, when they give advice to Wei Shao about how to communicate with his wife. Those scenes never made me fail to laugh. They added a hint of comedy and laughter to the drama

Villains like Lady Yu lou and Liu Yan were pretty relatable characters. Both have suffered a lot growing up. One was only special because of a fake birthmark on the forehead and the other one was solely an option to be crowned but never the choice. As much as I pity them, I can't forgive their evildoings. Having struggled in life doesn't mean you need to do foolish and brutal things. Lady Yu Lou has always wanted to be loved but in her mind she wasn't. She was loved and cared for all the time but it was herself who caused the death of the people who cared for her. When she realized it all, it was too late.
The ending, in my opinion was really satisfactory. Unfortunately, we lost our favorite character - Wei Liang on the way. Despite that, I was happy that they were still spiritually together. Our main couple got the sweetest ending possible. The special moments they had with their daughter, Feifei melt my heart because of how adorable they were. At the last minute of the drama I loved what Manman said "He is willing to be my prisoner and I'm willing to be his". It showed that after so much they went through they became closer and stayed truthful and loyal to one another. Most importantly, people of the Central plains were finally in peace, no more wars or famine. It was such a beautiful journey that will never be forgotten!!
Finally, I want to talk about the acting and cinematography in this drama. I have previously watched one of the recent dramas of Song Zuer. I was once again impressed by her acting. You could read the emotions from her eyes. This was the same for Liu Yu Ning. Perhaps, this is the reason why they had so much chemistry together.
The scenes were taken from really good angles making it a really pleasing experience. The editing was not the best but it didn't ruin the drama for me. I was obsessed with the song in the intro, so I made sure to not skip it and enjoy the masterpiece. Overall, this drama was driven by a quite nice plot, acting and music. It's infinite out of ten for me. Sadly, I'll have to say goodbye to this drama and end this review here...

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I HAVE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS MASTERPIECE

I just finished watching this drama and I can finally say that everything was PERFECT.
This story goes far beyond a simple love story.
Here we talk about love, friendship, loyalty, respect, the courage to not giving up and knowing how to wait!
The relationship between Eiw and Cake is BEYOND! Beyond everything and everyone!

- About Eiw, I loved the way he was able to wait, he never gave up despite being convinced that there was no chance and that it was just friendship between them. I liked his way of being sweet and understanding.

- About Cake, I really liked the fact that he always put Eiw first and foremost,."His half" (as he defined him even before he felt in love). I loved the way he reacted when he realized he was in love of his best friend. He didn't fight against his feelings, on the contrary he accepted them and took what he wanted! And do we want to talk about his jealousy? Stupendous!

Then we want to talk about hugs in this drama? Too sweet!!!!!!!!!
Their characters are amazing, I enjoyed seeing their evolution from the first to the last episode. I loved the fact that despite the time, the choices and their different lives, they still found a way not to go away, but to always be together.
Also I would really like to underline the skill of the cast, the genuineness and spontaneity with which each of them has interpreted their characters. I have to say that Earth and Santa were really good, great acting and they were super suited to their roles. I think a story like this deserved to be played by two gorgeous actors like them and, moreover, this love story needed THE CHEMISTRY that they have showed.
Just everything was perfect, from the set design, to the story, the songs, the actors and characters.

*SPOILER* The only thing I would have changed is the choice to have Eiw's mother die in the last two episodes and thus give this series a beautiful, but at the same time bitter ending.

But anyway, despite that, I loved this bl and think it is a MASTERPIECE.
I could only give 10 and, believe me, I am hardly satisfied and I rarely give such high votes, but this drama really deserves it!
I absolutely recommend you to watch it.

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