Reviews

A complete mess

I rarely dislike a drama, but Dear X somehow managed to push every wrong button from beginning to end. I hated it with everything I have.

I see people calling the criticism of Ah-Jin “misogyny” because male characters in other dramas often get away with worse.

Honestly? I have no problem with a psychopath protagonist. If a character is written as evil, chaotic, and destructive, and the show clearly knows they are “bad people,” I can watch that. I can even enjoy that.

But that is not how Baek Ah-Jin is presented. She is framed as this empowered, victim turned queen going after what she wants, when in reality she is just causing destruction because she refuses to break out of her self-pity. My issue isn’t her gender, it’s the way the show wanted me to root for her despite that.

I felt bad for her for maybe two episodes. But the moment she made her boss take the fall for her dad’s murder, I was done. She hurts people who genuinely cared for her. She wants the world to suffer simply because her parents were awful. Escaping the victim mentality could have saved her life, but she chose to drag everyone down with her.

Baek Ah-Jin left a trail of victims wherever she went, but for me, Jae-Oh was the most tragic casualty. She manipulated him relentlessly, emotionally chaining him, molding him into whatever she needed, and keeping him under her control for years. In the end, he even died for her. Jae-Oh was completely shackled, and considering how difficult his life already was, her influence only dragged him further into misery.

Kim Yoo-jung is stunning and undeniably charismatic. She has that celebrity aura, and honestly this might be her best performance to date. She shines in her evil scenes but falls flat in almost everything else.

Kim Young-dae might have finally found his genre. He is too pretty to be that expressionless, but here the blankness works perfectly for his character. I think he gets too much criticism for his acting because he was paired with experienced actors like Shin Min-ah and Lee Sang-yi too early in his career. No Gain No Love was simply a mismatch. But here, surrounded by actors closer in age and experience, he manages to hold his own.

The show constantly suffers from a lack of logic. Every single character behaves exactly the way Ah-Jin predicts, as if they are puppets dancing on strings only she can pull.

The writing is another rollercoaster. Where is the consistency? Where is the character development or growth? Why does it feel like not a single writer is doing what they are supposed to do?

The saddest part is that the first two episodes were so damn interesting. Then everything went downhill so fast I got whiplash.

And don’t even get me started on the ending. Every genuinely good character met a tragic fate; even Jun-Seo, who sacrificed everything, died. Meanwhile, Ah-Jin’s character walked away without facing any real consequences for her actions, which made the ending feel narratively hollow.

Honestly, the most fitting conclusion would have been Jun-Seo and Jae-Oh choosing each other and leaving Ah-Jin behind, but of course the show denied us even that.

But I’ve got to give credit where it’s due. The penultimate episode was incredibly satisfying. Ah-Jin finally had to endure the same pain she spent the whole show inflicting on others. Watching everything she built crumble, and seeing her struggle now that she’s the one on the receiving end? She absolutely hates it, and I loved every second.

Dear X had potential, good-looking actors, and a promising setup. After episode 2, the show became a chaotic, illogical disaster held together only by an even more disastrous character. I regret watching this stupid show, but at least it gave me something to rant about.

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Fantastic couple, wasted on immature writing

This entire show can be summarized as the power of one woman's obsessive love and sacrifice.

Pros:
1. Fantastic chemistry. Really top-notch acting from both leads. they suit each other. especially Zhang Jingyi. I can feel her yearning, her boundless love, every time she looks at him. Their romantic moments seemed so visceral and raw, it almost felt voyeuristic.
2. Beautiful music and the editing really emphasizes it. The songs were placed with much thought and really heightened every scene.
3. Well-written villain (Gao Jianhong) for most of the show I heavily empathized with his feelings of insecurity, shame, anger and despair. He was indeed mistreated by the male lead and sometimes female lead too. Some of his actions are not justifiable but you can really understand why he became the way he did which I think is important in these revenge stories

Cons:

1. We, as the audience are aware who the main lead is but in this show all the characters also act like Li Xun is the male lead. It's like he has the protagonist halo. The supporting characters all behave as if they know they're just extras. It doesn't matter that Li Xun is rude, cruel and arrogant. He can yell at his friends. He can yell at his colleagues. He can humiliate them in public and they just sigh and say 'oh well thats Li Xun for you' 'hes smart and handsome so he can do and say whatever he wants'. It was so unrealistic. Nobody in real life is that passive or accepting of terrible behavior no matter how smart the other person is.

2. The way their relationship and ml and fl character arcs are written is so particularly infuriating. Straight-A student Zhu Yun who is perhaps tiring of her parents' controlling nature meets arrogant, brilliant, mysterious and carefree Li Xun as freshmen in University. She is somewhat fascinated by him but mostly they get on each other's nerves. But she acknowledges his genius and they fall in love as they work together. Ever since their partnership in the programming base, Zhu Yun is particularly loyal to Li Xun. She stands resolutely with him no matter how rude or cruel he is to her friends coz ultimately he is right and they are wrong, he is smarter and better than them so she and all their friends need to be accommodating of his cruel brilliance. She's probably the only one in the show to even try to confront him but rather than confrontation it's more of a compromise. She ends up agreeing with him anyway or justifying his actions. They begin a romantic relationship coz she chases him and swears she will forever be unrelentingly supportive and kind and submissive. Then he goes to prison. You'd think their characters or relationships would change after this huge shift but no. she's still blindly sacrificial and supportive and giving while he teases, insults, sneers and is at best detached. When they finally get together it's not a happy moment coz I didn't feel for one second that he loves her as much as she loves him. All the sacrifices, all the adjustments, and all the pain in this relationship have been borne by her. He gives nothing but he takes endlessly. The development to their reunion is shoddy at best. Once again they get together coz she pursues him. They don't even have one real conversation despite having gone through so many traumatic changes.. Everything is swept under the rug to tie the endgame up in a nice, pretty bow. The audience is still left with the feeling that they know as much about Li Xun as they did in the first episode and he still is that arrogant college freshman. You're left feeling something akin to pity for Zhu Yun coz you know for the rest of her life she alone will be bearing all the responsibilities and the emotional weight of their relationship.

Perhaps I am in the minority but alas I could not enjoy an unequal relationship where all the burden of the sacrifice and the fate of the relationship is solely on the female lead.

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A FAILED ATTEMPT AT A KOREAN REMAKE OF ELITE

***DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST MY OPINION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE AND I'M NOT HERE TO ARGUE WITH ANYONE.***

A/N: This is a long review so feel free to skip ahead to the “final thoughts” section.


OVERVIEW:

The drama opens with a scared boy running away from somone who seems to be chasing him. It flashes back to some memories of him shouting at someone saying "you're all crazy". Then when he finally runs outside he is hit over by a car and bleeds to death. The camera zooms in on his ID card from Jooshin focusing on the motto which says “noblesse oblige” This is from French meaning, “nobility obligates” which touches on the belief that the wealthy and privileged are obliged to help those less fortunate. The boy who was killed is In Han who we eventually find out is the protagonist, Kang Ha’s brother. He then enrolls at Jooshin to exact retribution on those guilty and obtain justice for his brother.


GENERAL COMMENTARY:

Hierarchy was, to put it mildly, disappointingly underwhelming.

First things first, the high schoolers racing around a track driving million dollar sports cars in episode 1? Come on, be for real. This show is such a joke. That added nothing to the plot and I think they blew the budget on unnecessary things.

The FL irritated me. Although ML was seemingly in love with her, she only has tunnel vision for Ri-An. Watching her be so resolute was upsetting, especially in the beginning when everyone thought Ri-An was involved in In-Han's murder. It was clear that initially Jae-i was using Kang Ha to get over Ri-An, and she shielded him out of guilt that he might be related to In-Han. I was so annoyed by her passion for Ri-An but it just goes to show that someone can do everything for you and you’ll still mean nothing to them. I didn’t understand why Kang Ha didn’t just let go of her. He tried protecting her when on the flipside she told him she didn’t care about protecting anyone except Ri-an. I had assumed that the writers would have written the story that she was in love with In-Han (similar to Elite) but apparently not. It was just your typical rich boy in love with a rich girl and both willing to go to any lengths to keep the other safe.

It’s so ironic to me how she almost had to abort their baby because she couldn’t face her father’s wrath and yet she was still in love with him? Make it make sense. She knew they could never truly be together and so she breaks up with him but at the same time she still loves him and would do anything to protect him even if she knew he had a hand in In-Han’s murder? I’m sorry but Kang Ha deserves better.

This drama just shows that the rich will always have eachothers backs and do whatever it takes to step on those beneath them.

Which brings me to the another point, I don’t understand why she was so shocked / stunned to speak when ML finally revealed the truth than In-Han was his brother. That much was so obvious and even she was shown to have had a slight suspicion that he was related to him in some way because he continued to provoke the rich and popular kids.

I believe Roh Jeong Eui tried to create visuals similar to Han So Hee and Bona. However, I believe she overdid her plastic surgery, which is why her emotions don't translate properly onscreen. She was expected to play a cold, unfeeling and disinterested character but character lacked flavor and she had same expression throughout the drama. During the scene where she and Ri-An were lamenting the loss of their baby together, she cried but did not show any emotion on her face. It was quite unpleasant to watch ngl. Ji Hye Won reminded me very lot of Song Ha Yoon from Marry My Husband. She did her role justice and her performance was superior to FLs if I’m being honest.

Some claim Jae-i had no chemistry with either of the boys. That is not entirely true, as there was steam between her and Kang-Ha in episodes 1 and 2. I disliked how they built up the kiss so nicely in episode 2 and then nothing because the headmaster, Ri An, and Woo Ji had to intervene. But, while I agree that the chemistry / spark faded after that, her “slight” fondness for Ri-An and her friends was still somewhat present in the flashbacks. She tried but it just wasn’t good enough.

The show felt so flat and the romance between Kang Ha and Jae-i was just unnecessary like how did he let a trivial crush hinder his ‘revenge’? I swear so many characters needed to STAND UP. I hate how both of the guys were just pathetic simps for Jae-i. I had to ask myself if I was He-Ra in this situation? Bc I could not stand her AT ALL. Lmao those boys needed to bffr!

I will never see the appeal of Ri-an (I don’t get why Jae-i was so taken with him) I honestly preferred Kim Jae Won’s performance in KTL more. He was arrogant and insufferable not to mention the main reason for the violence on the less fortunate scholarship kids at the school and I doubt he was actually sorry at the end, he was just sorry he got caught. Imo he was just a one dimensional pretentious bastard and it took him learning that his baby died for him to break down his walls and have a heart? Spare me with the lazy writing fr.

Additionally, I couldn’t understand why Ri-an liked Jae-i and why her love for him was unwavering. I didn’t feel any warmth or real emotional or even physical attraction pass between them in the 7 episodes. I wonder if it would have been different had Chae Min played Ri-an and played Kang Ha. Idk why but I kept on thinking this through the entirety of the drama. The casting directors made a certain choice and I’m not sure if it was the best one. Chae Min would have carried the drama and stood out either way and so I applaud him for giving this role his best. Usually the poor characters have that wide eyed bambi look much like Ri-An and Chae Min has that evil / gold spoon look in my opinion. I also don’t think 2MLs acting is that strong of an actor. He needs more training so he can improve. People were raving about his acting in episode 6 especially and to me it was just a mediocre performance that felt quite stony and flat.

I was not surprised that the teacher and Woo-Ji had a hand in In-Ha bring killed. From episode 2 they were the most suspicious to me not to mention the most taboo / disgusting couple. The moment I saw them sleeping together that right there was a 0/10 for me. 18 in korean age or not… (which is 17 in international age) IDC THAT’S A WHOLE ADULT AND A MINOR… EW!

The teacher was pathetic. She only cared about Woo-ji and then fakes empathy in front of the kids at school like she even gives a singular f*ck about In Ha dying… LIKE BITCH YOU WERE THE ONE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE.

I got so sick and tired of her patronizing attitude. She must feel so accomplished to be f*cking a student half her age and then trying to hit over the girl Woo-ji loves after she is forced to resign? Did she want to be charged for a second hit and run? Lmao. She was the definition of immature and unserious.

Jae-i’s back story of wanting to abort the baby then having a miscarriage is sad but the build up towards that took too long. Everyone knew or could infer that she aborted or lost the baby. I get that she was grieving and couldn’t face Ri-An, but if she just communicated imagine the difference that would have made. Idk the plot was just unnecessarily dragged out and she quite literally treated Ri-an like she hated him for more than half of the drama.

The resolution was terrible. It's a massive eye roll that they always manage to have Ri-an look like the "cool guy". It was so cheap and performative of him to acknowledge his part in bullying at the last minute. Dramas like this constantly give the impression that problems are easily fixed. Someone literally died for God sakes! Furthermore, I don't think 2ML's acting is that good. While I thought his performance in ep 6 was merely passable, many were praising him.

I find it cliche that the writers always make it out that the rich are envious of the poor because they can do whatever they want and find joy in the simple things in life. I could have told you I saw that scene coming from a mile away.

The farewell scene between Jae-i and He-ra was unnecessary. Imo they spent almost the entirety of the drama being horrible to each other so I stopped caring about them & didn’t want to see them rekindle their fake friendship.

“Take care of yourself, my mean and beautiful friend." lmao, this was such a backhanded compliment that I side eyed. The FL had the opportunity to finally express her actual emotions in that scene, but she failed. Like she even finds it difficult to smile? Bffr.

The bike scene between Ri-an and Jae-i annoyed me because that was literally Kang Ha and Jae-i’s thing. Ugh is nothing sacred anymore? Honestly I couldn’t care less about Jae-i and Ri-an. But I suppose they suit each other in the way that they’re lowkey the same / have the same trashy morals. Imo their chemistry is nonexistent and it felt like the writers were trying to force their relationship down everyone’s throats. She didn't even appear to be enjoying the "toast" either — like girl not even you believe it’s good.

“Kang Ha once told me that I should find and protect whatever makes me happiest in life. So I thought about it and that’s you Ri-an.” they need to stop forcing this actress to be endearing because she can’t do it. Also I find it ironic how it took Kang-ha sharing his advice for her to realize it. Jae-i is pathetic if you ask me.

I hate that knowing each other since childhood trope that they use to show that two characters “belong” together or are “destined” to be together. I also dislike the fact that there’s no real reason that they like eachother other than that they are familiar and comfortable with each other. This is a case of the “just ‘cause” syndrome again. Like yes, give us absolutely NOTHING. I would have preferred they stayed broken up. It was annoying how much screen time they took up in the final episode, as that was where the drama became a complete drag.

The scene where Ri-an and Jae-i say farewell to their baby by allowing the ultrasound to float into the river was not moving (to me) at all. I believe both actors are inexperienced and have not dealt with a similar situation, hence it didn't translate properly on screen. I wanted them to delve into their grief and actually communicate. I needed Jae-i to open up him about how she felt about keeping the secret and how she felt when the baby eventually died etc. She mentioned it to Kang Ha, but we never saw her explain herself to Ri-an. A lot was missing and that scene seemed to lack a lot.

I said it once and I’m gonna say it again; dramas doing these sacrificial love arcs need to quit while they are ahead because it never hits especially with no real backstory or build up. I think 7 episodes hindered them from doing that but they could have cut out the unnecessary drama and tried to create more multidimensional characters. Even Kang-ha’s home life beyond his memories with his brother. We didn’t see his living situation with his uncle or what happened to his parents. I feel like the writers could’ve explored this more.

I hated the scene where Kang-ha pitifully asked Jae-i if there was ever a time she had real feelings for him and she just smiled and he figured she was lying. Enough with that bs! It’s sad especially when you realize she only felt guilt towards him and that’s because In-han was so good to her and she saw similarities between the two.

The scene between He-ra and Kang-ha came out of the blue but I believe the writers threw it in at the end because they wished they explored that dynamic / pairing more. It was cute but unnecessary imo.

Not Kang-ha running pathetically towards Jae-i when she’s about to leave and confessing / apologizing for the 100th time. She needs to put in the work and chase him. Mind you she should be the one apologizing to him! I think he needs to get over her. I didn’t care that she finally admitted she had feelings for him because it means nothing and if it came down to it she would still chose Ri-an. I hate how they wrote him to be a loser simp… like he really lost sight of his revenge all because of her?! BE SO SERIOUS.

To be honest, I don’t ship Kang-ha with any of those mean rich kids. He deserves so much more than to be a mere option / someone’s sloppy seconds!

I’m glad that Jae-i left on her own accord to find herself and ended up going to visit her mom but imo, the ending was just bathetic. I mean we don’t even get to see her mom’s face? Bye.

After the credits they showed another murder with Kang-ha smiling at his phone “appearing” to send a message to Ri-An which said “you look shaken up” was so dissatisfying. It’s obvious they’re teasing S2. I’m so over it. NEXT!

Throughout the entire drama I was thinking what if ML played Ri-An and vice versa. Usually the poor characters have that wide eyed bambi look like Ri-An and Chae Min has that gold spoon look. I can’t explain it but the casting directors certainly made a choice because at least if Chae Min was Ri-an we’d actually see some chemistry or sparks (like in that final hug)


LIKES:

The cinematography was good but I felt the color grading at times was a tad harsh on the eyes and made the FL appear like she belonged in the Addams Family. Her skin was super pale which emphasized her ghastly demeanor. She was emotionless and she looked like the FL of a horror film.

I liked the scene in which He-Ra viewed the video of Jae-i and Ri-An. Rather than using it as a weapon against them much like Jae-i's cruel brother, she scolded and then slapped him. I had mixed feelings while watching because I thought I'd hate He-ra forever for wanting Ri-an for herself and then trying so hard to get back at Jae-i for many episodes, but that scene alone showed me how much she still cared for her and was hurt knowing all that it was all she was dealing with. On the other hand, she has feelings for Ri-An as well, so imagine how she felt seeing them be happily in love. She had to put her feelings aside because she knew that the intimate moment between the two should never get out and should not have been recorded in the first place. He-ra is a complicated character, with some layers. She's not the textbook bitch I assumed she was.

The more experienced actors in this drama ate down. Lee Chae Min and Ji Hye Won never disappointed. They both carried the entire drama on their backs. Jae-i’s father (Choi Won Young) and Ri-an’s mother (Yoon Se Ah) nailed their roles. I was also impressed with the headmaster (Bae Hae Sun) and her son (Seo Bum June) I also liked Kim Min Chul's portrayal of In-ha and Kang-ha's friend Tae Ho (Yoon Seok Ho) The bullies also did a good job.

I loved the ending cameo of Oh Na Ra as the new principal of Jooshin.

I also enjoyed the OST, that for me was one of the best things about the drama.


FINAL THOUGHTS:

The concept of this drama and it's execution does not stand out to me. You may have seen similar scenes in movies and tv shows in western media.

I don't think this idea is unique in Korea, which has had its fair share of aristocratic high school dramas (Bitch x Rich, Sky Castle, Heirs, BOF etc.) with affluent kids doing inconceivable things. But I still believe that younger audiences would appreciate this style of entertainment as that they now have a drama for their generation. Imo more recent dramas like Pyramid Game and The Glory do this type of plot far better.

Overall episodes 1-2 were the best, 3 was ok, 4-5 started dragging and had buildups that led nowhere / were resolved quickly, 6-7 were rushed, choppy and anticlimactic. I believe this drama is a waste of potential. The teaser seemed interesting, but the drama was a total letdown.

Imo the original Elite series is so much better than this, specifically seasons 1-3. I thought it would be a total copy of the plot but they changed things and put their own spin on it. For eg. I thought In Han was in a secret relationship with Jae-i and he was the father of her baby. This would've been more interesting and would explain how he got killed by Ri-an but it turns out they had other plans with the teacher being the culprit. That was predictable for me because when first came on the screen she looked very suspicious.

Hierarchy is not good by any means but not so atrocious that it’s completely unwatchable either. I think some persons can possibly relate where I couldn’t and find enjoyment in this series but sadly it was a miss for me. I’m not sure if this drama will be renewed for S2, if it is i’ll be very surprised.

In my opinion, this series is skippable. If you don't trust reviews then you'll just have to watch it for yourself and go in with little to no expectations. I say give it a try if you’re looking for something to binge quickly. This drama is primarily geared towards a younger audience, so beware if that is not your preferred genre. If it’s dragging for you then I suggest speed watching or watching something else entirely. Either way the choice is yours!

With that being said I give this drama a 4/10 and only because of effort from the more experienced / talented actors.

Thanks for reading and happy watching!

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚


__________________

SIDENOTE:

This is simply my point of view and I don’t intend to offend anyone who thinks differently.

‎ ‎ /) /)
( ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ )<(thank you!)
/ づ づ ~ ♡

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This Has Quickly Turned Into A Must-See Show

I love what has been put together in this series all the way through, and it has become an easy rewatch project for anytime.
These episodes have slowly built up to some incredible moments and great acting.
What first lured me to this show was Earth. . . that's all the reason I needed right there.
Then I saw that they had New behind the camera - another plus.

Then some of my favorite actors on board, namely Prem and Pineare among them.
They all made 'Until We Meet Again' required reading for all of us, so I can't wait to see what is coming up further in this story.

The acting from everyone is great, and it's all done convincingly, enough where I easily forget that Earth is actually several years older than Santa, and it all works well.
The characters are already developed very well, too, and I'm already very affected by the strong emotions coming out of these relationships (Yes, Earth. . . that would definitely be you. . .you do this too well).

I know that New is fully aware of how great an actor he has with Earth in front of the camera, so I am always aware that there are always a few hand-picked scenes for him where the direction is, "OK, Earth, your character is in agony right now. . . I want to see real tears".
"Earth. . .pretend that your heart is breaking and that your soul is leaving your body...."
And then he delivers spectacularly.

Ouch. . .I knew these scenes were coming but I was still not prepared for the meltdown I saw in Episode 4, or Episode 7.
We've all experienced this in our real lives at one point, and you can feel it all here in waves.
Add to that being 14 or 15 and separated from one of your best friends.

I think New also knows that Earth has the gift of doing a lot of his scenes carried only by his expressions and his eyes, so most of what you will see and experience in all of these episodes will happen with hardly any dialogue from him for some very powerful scenes.

To be continued. . .
If you're just starting to watch the series, enjoy.

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HIGHLY RECOMMEND WATCHING THIS MOVIE.
This movie is a masterpiece by the talented director Bong Joon-ho. The genre for this movie is a horror but this does not mean that it obeys every convention of a 'normal' horror movie.

Bong uses The Host to address the political relationship between America and South Korea. This movie is often seen as a very anti-America film BUT this is not what Bong intended. Bong does not paint the South Korean people featured within the film well either.

Bong addresses the issue of heroism in America; he addresses the Korean people's attachment to cellphones and technology; he addresses political relationships; family relationships; etc etc etc

This movie may NOT seem like a horror movie. It is but then it also is not. It is not a gruesome movie, it does not have much gore, and the moments of tension and anxiousness that the Host will inflict on the viewer is broken will moments of black humor. These inserts of humor is not to get 'cheap laughs' but to distance the viewer from what is being shown on screen. The humor that Bong uses makes the viewer remember that it is just a story, it is a movie and not real, then the viewer can watch and make a judgement on the relationships being shown on screen without leaving the theater jumpy and scared.

The monster within the Host was accidentally created by the American base dumping a toxic chemical into the Han River. This is very significant as a situation like this happened in reality. The American base's morgue dumped hundreds of liters of embalming fluid into the Han river in 2000. The Han river did become toxic because of this. (although some people claim that this is only a myth).
During the Host Bong addresses some of the political issues between South Korea and America that are present in reality.

This movie was so popular in South Korea that 20% of the total population of South Korea, even today, watched The Host at the cinema (this does not include people watching it more than one or home viewings). I highly recommend watching this movie as it is not only an enjoyable storyline but it gives insight into reality.

I live in New Zealand and in my University Cinema Studies course The Host was featured and analyzed. This movie is influential enough to have been recognized in such a small country as New Zealand. I high recommend watching this movie.
Also if you are put off by the genre Horror don't be, this is not a conventional horror movie, to the casual viewer it will seem more to be more like a Thriller than Horror. And if you are put off by my review please don't be. This movie is a great watch on the surface and very enjoyable to the casual viewer.

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oh sooooo boring....

While not really a bad show, man was it boring.
The writing was predictable, there were no real challenges and if you do food, why is the "super monster chef" just the jury verdicts?

At least one fresh face with Aungpao who did a good job but most were acting like highschool kids and not like grown up humans. I am also not a fan of the weird sounds used in Thai romcons, but at least they did not overdo it.

The kissing scenes with OffGun looked strange for me. I mean they kissed really well in other shows but here it feels shallow without the feeling of love or desire.

This show is a good downer if you have seen something like "Not Me", to calm you down and turn your brain off, because the story does nothing to challenge it.

The finale was an all around happy end, all the parents are soooo nice and so understanding especially Fire's mother. Of course grandma was always cool and always supportive but for the rest I would have wished a more rocky ending or more episodes to see them come to terms and less of the earlier meaningless stuff.

All in all this show was a disappointment.

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To say I am disappointed is an understatement

I want to start this review by clarifying that I adore Suzy and Yang Se Jong is my beloved bias. I have anticipated the "comeback" of both actors with bated breath and when Doona! was pushed back, I started to worry.
Finally Netflix dropped all episodes and I didnt have to pace myself. Although I'm not a fan of idol storylines, the visuals of Suzy and YSJ alone made it a breath taking first few episodes.
I think Suzy did a good job playing the damaged character as best as she could, there seemed to be a lack of true backstory. If the writers were going for mysterious, they failed miserably as it just seemed disjointed and incomplete.
Yang Se Jong who is normally know for his ability to express his complex characters with such nuance, was pretty flat. I again do not blame him for this. The writers gave his character only a perfunctory role (almost zero backstory, lines, growth or function outside of her storyline).
Yes, they had a sizzling kiss scene or two, but there was not any true chemistry (written) between the two and that is heartbreaking.
To say I am disappointed is an understatement

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I think after the 4th episode everything goes to shit. I kept on watching and i don't regret it but i do think there was too much drama and "plot twists". Life is complicated for sure but damn... this was more like a dramatic novela. It's a good kdrama but failed to be one of my favorites after so many going back and forth. Perhaps if it was a little shorter it would have made a difference for me. I did loved the main actors though. Definitely excited to watch more projects with them. I cried on the last episode in some moments but somehow the story didn't exactly wraped up like i wanted. I mean it did in the way the characters ended up being, but i wished there was less dramatic scenes and more of a sense of closure to all.

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It Rained, It Poured & They Sent Emails

Yes, YES, cheating is wrong, but, I’ve never been this happy to see two people cheat. My arse was up at 5am refreshing the app, waiting. That being said, Hagiwara is genuinely a good person. Sei, whether consciously or not, built his own hell. Fujisawa, well, I can’t believe he was the sperm that won the race, and Kaori’, oh Kaori, that woman’s audacity needs to be studied.

OMG the way my heart dropped in the finale when the credits were rolling and Hagiwara deleted Sei's contact. Tears of anger were about to fall before I hovered the mouse and saw there was a bit more left. I would have accepted it, but also cried buckets. Thank you bl gods.

Listen, this drama was one of the most realistic, mature, honest portray of relationships and sex our side of the community ever got. It’s relationship in its rawest form. Unfiltered, and in some cases, very relatable. I started this cuz I liked the title and the poster. I’m glad I added it, cuz we’re only two months into the year and I can confidently say this is one of the best bls of the year.

Look, I know most of us cheered when that taxi stopped in the rain and those two booked a hotel room and did stuff like rabbits. But, let’s be honest, that cheating scene was no cheating scene, it was a love scene. Instead of hot and fast, we got a raw and slow moment that showed their venerability. Everything from Sei’s assurance to Hagiwara’s tears when he finally felt that connection with someone he so craved was done so beautifully. I was speechless of how real and emotional that whole scene was. It brought me way down from my ‘yaaay cheat, cheat, cheat’ chant. I understood the calmness of it, they both needed it after everything.

I love how they got to know each other through their emails. Here they’re finding their soulmates through emails, and me, I put every email I don't recognise in spam without reading. Sorry, soulmate, perhaps in our next life you’d learn to call or text. In the scene when they finally figured out they'd been talking to each other, I was stressed!!! Legit, I put the episode on pause cuz I was scared of their reactions. The air I let out when they acted matured about it and then continued to connect in real life. I love these two so much.

The finale made me hate being a rational person who can be objective. Before that conversation between Fujisawa and Sei, I hated Fujisawa with the burning passion of the sun, but then he started explaining, and I'm forced to understand him. Do I forgive him? hell no, but now I get why he did the things he did, and I'm vexed. Everything from his obsessions to his guilt made me understand his character and I hated it, cuz I wanted to leave the drama hating him 1000 percent, but now it's like 999. Cuz, his reasons doesn't excuse what he did. We will not rationalise abuse. And during that conversation I was glad Sei let him go, but him implying they'd have worked if Fujisawa ignored his morals was... well it is what is it, I suppose.

Anyway, I'm happy for the finale. Glad things were explained and we got to understand where everyone was coming from. Hagiwara reconnecting Sei with his friend while keeping away made me love him more. I’m happy our two leads took that time to sort out what they needed to, figured out their feelings, and then found each other in the rain. Happy tears y'all, happy tears. Such an amazing show, I'm sad it ended after just 7 episodes, I need a special.

PLOT:
This was good. Relationship comes in all forms with lots of problems and I'm glad we got to see this side of it. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, and sometimes we get stuck with people we care about but might not necessarily be the best for us. This was the something different I was waiting for. Emotions were high, and it made me think a lot, so I enjoyed each episode.

Anyway, below is my rant of the characters from episodes 1-6 with no knowledge of the last episode.

CHARACTERS REVIEW EPISODE 1-6

HAGIWARA KAZUAKI: This man was one of the good ones. No, I’m not excusing/forgetting what he did. No matter how you look at it, Hagiwara did cheat on his girlfriend. Still, he was a character deserving of happiness. Look at some of the facts:

Although Hagiwara wanted intimacy he never forced Kaori. He didn’t even get angry at her, and it was after Kaori’s pregnant friend snitched and he confirmed that Kaori didn’t want him that he turned to Sei. Even Kaori was surprised he didn’t trash-talk her in their emails.

Hagiwara is a gentleman. During that cheating… love making scene… when Sei asked him about his first time, that amazing specimen said he didn’t want to talk about the girl's privacy. But of course, there his girlfriend was, announcing his business to the world. The disrespect. Frankly, I’m shocked it took Hagiwara that long to cheat.

The reason I was happy to see Hagiwara cheat on Kaori was because, Hagiwara seemed like the kind who liked to feel an emotional connection with their partners, and Kaori was with him for a long time, so she knew, so for her to deny him that level of intimacy was just cruel, especially when she knew she was never gonna let him touch her again.

I wasn’t surprised he went all in when found that connection with Sei. In that scene when he was crying behind that glass door, asking if he was alone in his feelings, I was right there with him. And when he said, 'you’ve got your secret now,’ I sobbed with him. Glad he didn’t open the door cuz he wouldn’t have been able to let Sei go. My man loves too easily and opened and it hurt seeing him so broken.

NAKARAI SEI: Like Hagiwara said in that hotel room to Sei, “I don’t know if you are brave or cowardly.” Depending on the stand you take, Sei’s character was both. He had me feeling bad for him, and also wanting to slap him with a rubber chicken out of anger.

Sei was brave enough to cheat with Fujisawa, and to looked Fujisawa in the eyes and admit it when he got caught. No, but that whole scene had me rolling, yelling, ‘yes, tell him!’

Fujisawa: “You got a call from your side-piece. He got caught. His girlfriend ran away with his phone.”
Sei: Ah, the cat is out of the bag, oh well.
Fujisawa: So you cheated on me? Slept with another guy?
Sei: Yep, I cheated. I did it, I super done did it. We did it like rabbits, all day and night.

Hahaha no filter whatsoever and he didn’t stutter once. I was so happy when Fujisawa was yelling and demanding answers he straight up said, "Yes, I would have sex with anyone, it could have been anyone, but not you, not today, not here." I clapped, because here’s a man who had wanted Fujisawa for so long but was saying no to him now.

I’ve been wondering if Sei knew he was in an emotionally abusive relationship, or he was too close to see it. In Fujisawa defence, he already made himself clear where he stood when it came to intimacy. Which means Sei stayed in that relationship because he'd hoped Fujisawa would change his mind. Which brings me to my statement of him being the cost of his own pain. Why stay with someone you know can never give you what you want?

Did Sei truly, really, ever loved Fujisawa or did he stay with him out of loyalty? I think Sei mistook appreciation for love. He was happy for the kindness Fujisawa showed him during his parents’ death, and mistook that kindness for love and let that mfker isolated him for selfish reasons.

I felt sad and anger on Sei’s behalf for what that mouth breather Fujisawa did to him, but also at Sei when he apologised the next day like he did something wrong, and was considering quitting his job and moving away with him. Like????

Was Sei afraid to leave because he believed he wouldn’t find better? Hagiwara already confessed to him so he knew there was someone out there who wanted him, so that couldn’t have been it. Or was he scared of losing the security and familiarity that Fujisawa provided? Scared of starting over? Scared of Fujisawa thinking he was ungrateful after what he did for him? Whatever it was, it made him apologize, even had him lying to Hagiwara and trying to hide his injury, which made me angry at him.

“If you cry later, blame it on me,” Hagiwara said while I was shaking my head in judgement at Sei, because dude what the hell? You know how Hagiwara feels about you, you’ve admitted to feeling the same, so what is keeping you? Loyalty, understanding? Blame?

I realised Sei apologised to Fujisawa because he felt he was to blame. That some of the faults was his for cheating, but I’m still so angry, because he did not deserve what happened to him, and he did not have to rationalize that whole event at all. But then again, sometimes we are so close to the problem we don’t see it ourselves, and as outsiders it’s very easy to blame the victim. Still, I wished I was inside the screen, so I could shake him until he came to his senses.

FUJISAWA KAZUAKI: Dude vexed me. This guy hated everything, literally when Sei kept listing things Fujisawa didn’t like, I was like, ‘honey, please, save your voice, tell us the things he does like.’ I felt so bad seeing Sei beg him again and again for intimacy.

Sure, on Fujisawa’s part, he already made his stand clear, so some of the fault was on Sei. I thought Fujisawa was asexual or like sex was just one of the things he hated cuz he’s personality was hating stuff, but it turned out he was just a psycho. I don’t even think he was jealous that Sei turned to Hagiwara for intimacy. It was more like he was angry someone took something he thought was his, which is why he hurt Sei the way he did.

That scene where Sei was begging Fujisawa, telling him to stop hurting him because they couldn’t return to what they were made me sad and angry at the same time. Because Fujisawa, that fker had the nerves to reply. “What did we have?”

Exactly, they had nothing, nothing at all. Then the next day, his arse out there talking about I’m sorry, and I didn’t mean to hurt you. Bish he begged you to stop sooooo many effing times! In hindsight we should have known he was a psycho when he pressed into Sei’s injured nail and made it worse. Plus, he hated everything, like dude, how about hating air, stopping to take it and letting us have some peace? huh?

The nerve of him to even be surprised that Sei cheated in the end. What did he think was gonna happen when he wouldn’t even let Sei take care of himself in his presence? Literally, their whole relationship came off as roommates who tolerated each other, nothing more.

MIZUTANI KAORI: Some people really have all the effing audacity and this girl could sell hers. Not only did she get into a relationship with someone knowing after a while she’d no longer want sex with them, but she also went around telling people about not giving her sweet boyfriend any.

Look, I’m all for the sisterhood protecting one another, and Kaori’s friend straight up telling Hagiwara that she knew they weren’t having sex cuz Kaori said she hated when he acted masculine… #Sidenote: dafug does that even mean? does she not want him to appear/look like a man?? Woman if you feel this way then get one of those silicons and put it back in the closet after you are done using it, cuz you clearly don’t want a man.

Anyway, the point is, I’m all for the sisterhood, but I'm glad that the friend snitched, cuz she was also going through similar problems with her husband and wanted to warn him to save himself.

During that breakup scene at the cafe, I was behind my TV thinking of all the ways I could throw that coffee on Kaori’s head. Talking about you were with a man so I can’t forgive you, it would be unbearable to touch you. Thank God Hagiwara clocked her like, ‘wasn’t it already unbearable for you?’ She wasn’t even touching him, and now she’s like I can’t do it. Do what? You were not doing anything to begin with.

Sure, after she explained herself, it’s obvious she have some problems with intimacy and perhaps her sexuality. What I don’t understand is why she got into a long-term relationship. Woman if repulsion and nausea are how you always feel after being with a man a couple of times, then honey you don’t need a live-in-boyfriend you need tinder, get in and get out, don’t go and give someone’s son blue balls cuz you physically can’t bring yourself to be intimate with them.

Then she went on and said, ‘did you get with the next man you saw cuz I didn’t allowed you?.’ Allowed?? Once again, good job on Hagiwara for putting her in place like, ‘woman, I'm not a pet, not your dog to be allowed stuff.’ At least she did one thing right, letting Hagiwara have the satisfaction of telling her he found someone else and they should break up. Sure, she walked away feeling like she won and was in the right, that she did nothing wrong and Hagiwara broke up with her after he cheated, but I’m still so very happy Hagiwara told her what she wanted to hear. It showed he no longer cared how she took the whole thing, he was free and that was all that mattered.

And what in the dramatic arse thing was that, running away with his phone, and then shipping it to him via mail. Lol.
##End of rant##

Anyway, Hagiwara and Sei were going through it with their partners and I’m glad they found happiness together. They were each other’s missing pieces. I knew they would not be able to walk after their one night. Loved that last scene in the rain in the finale.

This series was one of the best bls I've watched in a long while, and I'd highly recommend it to everyone. I wish to see more work from the two leads, they were amazing in their roles. Hagiwara and Sei are going to stay with me for a long time.

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3 Guys, 3 Rings, 3 Sizes but only 1 Specially Chosen

Korean BLs surprise me again with a dark BL in “Secret Relationships”. I heard nothing about this drama until Feeds posts started popping up. I thought this was a typical reverse-harem type drama with a few red flags MLs. Little did I know it was in for a crazy ride in these short 8 episodes.

I am very surprised that the four main leads are pretty new to acting and they all did a pretty well. For his first acting gig, Kim Jun Seo did a pretty good job as the really good-looking center of all the attention. Aside from the very last scene of the drama which the acting of two of the leads seem very uncomfortable and fake, I really could not have asked for a better first drama for all of them as the main leads.

The unveiling of the secret relationships and hidden secrets for the first 5 episodes of the drama is done really well. You thought you knew exactly what’s going on in the first couple episodes, and then the drama surprises you with new plot twists here and there. Unfortunately, I found ep 6-8 dipped into makjang territory and things got a little out-of-hand. The excellent writing of these secrets and manipulation gave way to over-the-top craziness.

Nevertheless, I enjoy learning about the four main characters. Our guy-magnet ML is sweet and gentle. He attracted ML#2, who appears caring, but turned out to be manipulative and psycho. Then we have ML#3, the obvious Mr. Red Flag of the bunch, who is violent and obsessive. Adding to the harem is ML#4, Mr. Green Flag, to mellow out the bunch with his puppy adorableness with a dash of clinginess and persistence.

I wish the writing of the last few episodes were better because the acting is so good. I would bump my rating to 8.75 or 9. But I had a good time watching “Secret Relationships”. I am really happy about the recent KBLs, e.g. “Gray Shelter”, “Love for Love’s Sake” and “Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo”. I think Korea found its niche in BL dramas. The aforementioned dramas, including “Secret Relationships” are well-made, well-acted and very interesting. I recommend “Secret Relationships” if you the other KBLs I listed and are in the mood for something darker and psychological.


Completed: 3/20/2025 - Review #557

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A stress-free story with the theme of sincerity.

Whether it's romance, family, or career; the series shows us that if do things with sincerity, it will not go unnoticed. Not everyone will be moved by it, but there will always be people who will see and feel it. The story is simple, nothing ambitious or unique. However, the chemistry, the heartfelt moments, and honest interactions between characters made this series very memorable for me.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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[ --LIKES-- ]

✔ Very likable leads and a mature relationship. Loved the chemistry. A very capable female character and a very green-flag and sincere male lead.

✔ Good communications between the lead. Very drama-free relationship

✔ Lots of cute moments


[ --DISLIKES-- ]

✖ While I loved Ro Woon with Pyung Hwa, his inclusion in the Sibling Six or whatever they called themselves felt rushed. Would've loved to see more development and him building relationship with the others.

✖ The resolution for both Pyung Hwa's and Da Eul's felt too easy given the time we spent seeing their struggle.

✖ Sa Rang's exile to the tourist hotel seemed pointless to me since she was easily brought back to King The Land. Just felt like a nice vacation to me.


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● IN-DEPTH REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

The story around the workplace politic and the power struggle between the brother and sister wasn't something I was super interested in. I can't even say that it was the journey of their love that kept me interested as they got together relatively quick. What truly captivated me about the series were the characters themselves and the sincere interactions between them, whether it be cute, funny, heart fluttering, or just pure honesty.

Gu Won is our main male lead. Initially, he was just some chaebol who hated pretentious smiles and could not care less about his family's hotel business. However, he became more interested in the hotel when he meets Sa Rang, whom he falls for. What I absolutely loved about his pursuit of her is was his sincerity and willingness to learn how to be in a relationship. He got to know her bestest friends and her grandma, and they all had advice for him. The core advice was honesty and clarity. Showing how we feel with actions is great, but saying how we feel and what we're thinking helps avoid drama and miscommunication. It's also very romantic to me. Consent is also very sexy. Loved that he asked permission before kissing her during their date. Also, Gu Won's dad was a very likable parent for me. He never really forced his son (mostly since he knew he couldn't) and there were lots of nice father-son moments where he was understanding. The only thing I disliked was when he sent Sa Rang to the tourist hotel. I don't even know what the point was since Won easily just brought her back.

Sa Rang is our beautiful female lead. She is a very capable and hard working girl. She doesn't needs much saving for the most part and was able to take care of herself. The employees of King The Land did not like her at first but her sincere attitude won them over eventually. Sa Rang's growth in this series has less to do with her character development, but more a realization on what she truly wanted to do as her dream career. I wished we had spent more time earlier in the series to build up to the idea of Sa Rang wanting to start her own hotel. Maybe they did sprinkle the idea that she was not happy doing what she was doing subtly and I missed it, but it felt sudden to me. I'm happy though that she found what she wanted to do at the end. I also absolutely loved Sa Rang's grandma. Most memorable for me with her was where she was helping Won set up a savings account, it really touched me.

They pair was great at talking to each other. There was a lot of honesty between the characters and I'm thinking that's what I like so much. Even the interaction between the villain and her brother was for the most part very honest. And the characterizations of the characters were honest in that we knew who to root for and who not to.


[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

I can't lie, 2PM was the first KPOP ground that I really got to know so the members hold a special place in my heart, even if they aren't my favorite group. With that said, I think this the first series with Junho that I was interested in seeing. I might go watch some of his previous stuff later but they're not super high priority. Watching King The Land, however, did leave a good impression on me with his acting. And I loved his chemistry with Im Yoon Ah. She's so pretty. I need to dive deeper in Girls' Generations. I think everyone did a group job, I felt the feels when I needed to feel them. Special shoutout to Kim Sun Young who play Won's sister. Great antagonist!

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

"Yellow Light" from Gaho and "Confess To You" from Kim Ye Yim both stood out to me as my favorites, but all the OST were great! Need to relisten to some of them and see which ones I need for my playlists, but they're all great songs. Not much else to say in that regard.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

I can't say I will watch this in its entirety but there were so many cute, romantic, and funny scenes that I adored. So I wouldn't watch it again for the plot, but I would rewatch clips just to feel the butterflies.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

So my overall impressions was that this was a very light, fluffy cute series where I didn't need to stress about the villain, overthink anything, or even get overly frustrated by anyone. Very stress-free watch for me. It was funny and it was romantic. Checks both the boxes for a romcom for me. Also, lots of scenic scenes. Loved Thailand. Loved the forest vibe of the tourist hotel. Loved the cityscape shots. Yeah, this was an easy watch and very enjoyable watch. I've watch so much kdramas so one would think it would be boring and stale for me, but it wasn't. This series has a lot of charm due the characters and I definitely recommend watching it at least once.

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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A Badminton Drama, Which Needs More Training…

Sports-related K-dramas are few and far between, and the delivered results of these dramas can often be hard to truly take seriously. ‘ Racket Boys’ is no exception. The drama has arisen to a lot of criticism respectfully for certain racial stereotyping, badminton stances and the exact depiction of the drama’s messages. However, it is wrong to entirely point out that “ Racket Boys” does keep the ball rolling with certain elements of the sport and screenwriting either.

Before delving into reasons behind more mixed-criticism for the drama, let’s start on a positive note with what kept viewers entertained . The drama is pretty lighthearted. Whilst it does delve a little beyond the surface into darker territory with Hae Kang's father Yoo Hyeon Jong (Kim Sang Kyung)’s struggles and his mountain of dept as well as more heartfelt moments , the comedy was pretty silly for the most part , the friendship factor for Hae Kang ( Tang Joon-sang) with captain Bang Yoon Dam (Son Sang Yeon), hipster wannabe Na Woo Chan (Choi Hyun Wook) and maknae Lee Yong Tae (Kim Kang Hoon) the good performances by the cast, the romantic elements of the storyline and even the occasional cameo appearances by actors ( such as Park Ho San, Park Hae Soo, Kim Sung Chul, Kang Seung Yoon and Lee Kyu Hyung) from screenwriter Jung Bo Hoon’s previously commercial and critically-acclaimed work ‘ Prison Playbook’ (2017) were surprisingly endearing touches.

Another thing which seemed pretty enticing for viewers was that director Jo Young Gwang had done some evident homework into Badminton terminology such as '4U' (to indicate racket weight) and even mentioning the ideal string tension for beginners to badminton of 26 pounds. Adding to this was the depiction of female players of the sport, with a girl’s team at the middle school, whose coach, Ra Yeong-ja (Oh Na-ra) is renowned for her fierce teaching methods shared some more diverse lighting on the game.

Less impressive was the drama being its own worst enemy at times. The camera work could often be dull when actually depicting the game being played, and the usage of badminton shot positions by Hae Kang's father Yoo Hyeon Jong (even as a disgraced player) was badly depicted at the best of times . Adding to this pile of problems was the episode lengths. Averaging around 90 mins, there’s a lot to cram into these episodes and the skip button can often look more appealing than actually watching the drama at times. The stereotypical cliches here also drag on when Yeong-Ja and her two players are forced to move in with the Yoons and the rest of the boys’ team as the “ will they?, Won’t they?” chemistry lingers between evident romantic setups here. Oh, boy. Then there’s the controversy with racial stereotyping here also with depictions of “ foreigners” being presented as flaky or fickle, such as the cameo appearance of Black exchange student Johnathan( himself) , the obvious “K-pop fan “ ( who disappears and is never mentioned again pretty much because he is no longer relevant to the plot), and then the questionable depiction of the Indonesian team also.

Controversy aside the comedy factor is dependent on personal taste, rather than being universal. It is silly, rather than cleverly written but some may enjoy the running gag of Oh Mae (Cha Mi-kyung), the village “grandma” and her antics, whilst others may view at as distasteful and a poor screenwriting excuse for Hae Kang to learn the value of the “ unique” personalities personalities of the countryfolk living there,and nothing else. Yet in between these more questionable screenwriting, the drama does have surprisingly heartfelt moments here also, like when Hae-kang realizes that neither Oh Mae or her husband are literate , and so he helps her with the remote to her TV and sets up a way she can video call her grandson.

Overall, “ Racket Boys” isn’t a bad show per say. The acting is pretty solid, the sport depiction isn’t bad and the lighthearted moments are fairly sweet but it is very much dependent on what you are looking for. The comedy really isn’t everyone’s taste with its goofy gags ,often stealing away from the more profound moments of the drama and the tropes can grow tiresome and predictable.There were times where it felt as though ‘ Racket Boys’ struggled with balancing out the comedy and drama factors due to episode lengths, and would’ve flourished more as two separate shows rather than as a K-dramedy . However if you’re just here for some laughs and a couple of “ aww” moments during a binge-watching session ( rather than the central storyline) in order to disengage your brain from more serious and complex storylines, then you’ll likely enjoy it.

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This was a weird one. Japan produces plenty of great BL/yaoi anime and manga, but their few live-action offerings are never quite right. There were some funny and cute moments, and I understand that the tone was meant to be lighthearted and over-the-top rather than subtle and realistic, but some things about it bothered me.

Warning, spoilers below...




Ossan's Love employs the strange tactic of having a not-very-likeable lead character. Haruta is not a bad person, but he behaves more like a teenager than an adult man. His mannerisms are bizarre, he shouts a lot, he's always rolling around drunk, and he doesn't seem to have any self-awareness. I guess it's his good looks that draw people to him...?

More importantly, however, I didn't get the impression that Haruta had ever - at any point in his life - considered himself to be bi or gay, but when he found himself with two male suitors he gave both of them hope (by going with the flow and not giving any clear rejection) while simultaneously recoiling from any physical contact and seemingly just wanting to be friends. This kind of confused response might make sense in someone much younger, but it doesn't sit right coming from a 33-year-old man. Just what was he trying to do? What was he thinking? I'm still not sure. Even by the end of the show I wasn't convinced that Haruta genuinely had romantic feelings for anyone, which made the ending somehow unsatisfying. I would have liked it more if I had seen and believed in a real transformation in his feelings.

This show kept me watching to the end, mainly to see if Haruta would ever make a clear decision with conviction. On a positive note, the side-characters were kind of interesting and fun, especially Choko, even if her reaction to the situation was unrealistic.

In short, this show wasn't terrible, but there are much better BL offerings out there that have more emotional punch, more chemistry, and frankly...make more sense.

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