Reviews

''The day you wasted today is the tomorrow that someone who died yesterday so badly wished for.''

Whether you'll like ''Chocolate'' or not, it pretty much depends on your mood. If you are looking for intense melodrama which focuses mainly on the romance, then ''Chocolate'' is not for you. But if you are looking for a well-written, soothing story with unqiue main and supporting characters, then you hit the jackpot!

I'm almost never in the mood for melos which is why I didn't believe that I'll enjoy this one. I've read different opinions from different reviewers and even though I quite agree with some of the negative things they said, I can't lie that ''Chocolate'' is totally my cup of tea and I loved it even with its flaws.

I think the premise of the drama is a bit misleading -- it looks as if it's a story which focuses on the romance the most, but it's not like that. Actually, you have to wait (quite) a lot to see some heart-warming moments between the two main leads. ''Chocolate'' is one of the dramas that focuses on the supporting characters a lot and yes, I know that in a lot of kdramas that is extremely annoying. BUT it's not the same case here. The supporting characters in this drama were so interesting and loveable and I loved every second of them on the screen. The story takes place in a hospice which means that you'll encounter a lot of dying patients so beware that you'll bawl your eyes out. I loved how they appreciated every patient, how they showed their story and left a message to the viewers. I loved every side story -- the ahjumma and the director of the hospital's story was so heartbreaking and painful, yet very touching and beautiful. The FL-s brother -- Taehyun, was sometimes so annoying to the point that I wanted to slap him hard, but he had his own charm and he brought a different light to the story. Plus some of his words were so strong. So I really appreciated his characters, even though he was flawed. I even liked the scenes with Jun's parents especially in the first half. Well, his grandma was a bit... unlikeable.

Now let's get into my absolute favourite character -- Lee Jun played by the charming Jang Seung Jo. He is for sure the character that developed the most. I really hated his younger version, but he progressed with each episode and I fell in love with him easily. Extremely interesting person, whose life was pretty much ruined by his toxic family -- but who still wanted to change himself and live better. I was so pround of my man! Jang Seung Jo was flawless and I believe he was born to play this character. The bromance between Jun and his brother Kang was something that made me smile the most and the development of their relationship was so beautiful.

The main leads were also very strong and intiguing characters. Lee Kang is, undoubtedly, one of the best male leads out there! I'm not gonna lie, I completely fell in love with Yoon Kye Sang and the way he portrayed his character. Moon Cha Young is an actual strong female lead which is not that often seen in kdramaland. I've never been a big fan of Ha Ji Won; I know she is a good actress, but she has that very specific way of acting which isn't my cup of tea. But I have to admit, she was brilliant here and she definitely managed to impress me. Her acting was so real, it was obvious that she acted with her heart. The romance between Cha Young and Kang was amazing, their chemistry was very natural and convincing.

Yeah, there are a lot of things happening in ''Chocolate'', but they were very well-balanced. All the different characters and their different stories brought different nuances to the overall plot which was nice. There are still a few things that I kind of dislike: the time skips in the first few episodes were not very well done? And kinda confusing; the first half was more interesting that the second and the final episode could have been better but I still loved it; I believe some things needed more explanation but yeah, anyways. I don't think I'll ever rewatch this, because it just won't be the same.

So overall, ''Chocolate'' is a very heart-warming and well-written drama which will heal your heart and soul. It has a very soothing atmosphere which will make you escape from your reality. If you've seen ''Uncontrollably Fond'' by the same writer, maybe you should expect something similar to it but with better story and characters. :D

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I started this drama for obvious reasons - Lee Seung Gi and Suzy. But this drama instantly gripped me with the parents' story. Before I knew it, I was gushing over Wol Ryung's cuteness and crying over his sad 'demise'. For me, Wol Ryung and Seo Hwa had a truly classic and epic love story. Coming to the other cast, Kang Chi is like my role model now. He's just so pure and righteous, without ever acting superior. And Yeo Wool was just the kind k-drama lead that I love. She never annoyed me and I just loved her kickass-ness. It was weird seeing Sung Joon in a supportive role after his amazing performance in Shut up! Flower Boy Band. But I loved him as Gon too :)

I think this drama had the right balance of suspense, comedy, fantasy and romance.

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Baek Ajin is an irredeemable monster.

I was going to wait for the entire thing to air, but I couldn't contain my excitement, so much so that I am barely 7 minutes into the first episode and I am already in love, the intro is perfect just as the webtoon.

This and Delusion are my most anticipated webtoon adaptations and I expect the highest level of quality out both, needless to say that my review will be biased, I don't think I can separate the adaptation from the source material even if I try.

I truly cannot care less about what changes are done to the story in order to make a coherent live adaptation, changes are required and expected otherwise what's the point, right? but what I will not stand for is any changes made to Baek Ajin's personality , she's a monster nothing more nothing less and that's what makes the story so good.

I know my current rating is ridiculous having watched 7 minutes of one episode, but it is what I feel for now. I will come back and adjust accordingly after I finish the 4 episodes that are available.

I said I'd come back and adjust rating when I had finished the first 4 episodes, now I'm 3 episodes in and have to take a break, but I'm standing by my 10/10, the series so far is excellent, the casting is impeccable, the acting superb, the minor tweaks done to the story are glorious and the pacing is perfect.

I had to add more after watching episode 4, it's the one with the most changes to the storyline so far, and it's for the better which I thought was impossible to do, it has made the plot more realistic and reassured just how awful Ajin is. I hope and pray that the upcoming 8 episodes keep up this level and if so I dare say this is the best K drama of the year.There's still plenty of time to screw it up though so I'm not going that far yet.

Edit for episodes 5-6.

I cannot put into words how amazingly well this adaptation is going! It's a story that I've read so many times that I know every beat, every character,every single plot point, twist and turn; Yet the way it's being told feels new, I am at the edge of my seat bitting my nails and wondering what is going to happen next.

Rena has been given a brain, has been made more vicious and a far better rival for Ajin, I love what they have done to her so much.

Of all the men in Ajin's life she doesn't deserve, Jaeo will always be my favorite, but Ingang is the one she deserves the least and hurts the most. Drama Ingang is also smarter, stronger, and might not be as easily fooled by her (Hwang Inyoup looks so good in this role!) I am excited and scared of how their relationship will develop and loving this drama more and more with each episode.

Edit for episodes 7-8

So far this review has been part praise for how well the adaptation is going and part a comparison between the source material and the adaptation.

This is where the comparison stops as for episode 7 entierly new plot threads have been added , to a story I foolishly thought was perfect to elevate it to levels I never thought possible, this while still keeping the core events intact and making an already montreous main character even more inhuman, she's not just irredeemably evil, no, she's the Devil.

Edit for episodes 9-10

I Know I said I'd stop my rambling and just wrap up when the series ended but, I'm a little miffed just a tinsy tiny little bit, I'm not going to go into detail what has disappointed me so far because I'm still hopeful that the ending will make up for it and because I got my wish.

I cannot explain how much I love adored that the Fiance character has been expanded, he's barely present in the webtoon but that one glimpse of him shows that he is Ajin's true match, so I've always wanted more of him and more of him we've got.

Major changes have been made to fit the live action's narrative and most of it for the better so I'm still hopeful I'm still satisfied but, it's no longer a 10/10 still pretty damn good. We'll see what happens next week, Will it keep up the good quality?or Will it crash and burn?

My conclusion.

Up until now I hve been mostly positive in my review, despite stating that I'd be biased and I am 100%, however, I adore the cast so much that I also let that bias my review, I have let tweaks that change Ajin's personality slide, even though I also stated that that was thr one thing I wouldn't allow. That being said, What in the world were those last 2 episodes??!! I get taking creative liberties or whatever, I wasn't expecting the ending to be exactly like the webtoon, but no, this is too much, no. It makes sense I guess, and it is fine but I much prefer the original ending.

I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything. I'm not going to drag this drama and say it's garbage because it isn't, it's good and up until that one scene in episode 8 I loved it! I'm sure that for the unbiased this is probably a great drama.

The acting was superb and the soundtrack is fire, the story was practically flawless episodes 1-8 except the last scene and then it went too far, the ending changed too much and it disappointed me a lot.

I do recommend to read the webtoon. It's free on the webtoon app, just 62 chapters a quick abd very entertaining read and it's different enough that it won't seem repetitive, Also if you haven't, read Delusion and join me in the wait for the upcoming drama.

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As a fan of the webtoon "Girls of the Wilds" I have always wished for a live action dram to be made from it. I was excited when I came across "Sweet Combat" shortly after it had started airing. However, this can only be described as a loose adaptation of the webtoon. Even though it's not an exact production of the original story, I do think that the main plot is there and the personalities of the all the main characters are also close to the original. It's obvious that around episode 15 the writers decided to veer away from the original story and just sprinkle things in here and there. But they did stay true to the main plot and the feelings of the main characters. The only thing that I'm really disappointed in is the fight scenes and the lack thereof compared to the original story. The intense fight scenes of the original story was one of the biggest draws I think. But, this is a Chinese idol drama and has to fit that mould as well as a budget that probably couldn't afford a Jackie Chan stunt team. All in all I think it is a decent drama to watch. And if you haven't read the original webtoon I would suggest checking it out, but maybe wait until after watching the drama.

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Another generic fantasy drama that is only good because of the secondary characters

Tale of the Nine-Tailed started with a very good plot and the first episode was incredible, however, over the course of the episodes the story went downhill. I expected a lot more from this story, I thought they were going to innovate, but in the end it ended up being one more generic fantasy drama with terrible special effects and a main couple that despite having chemistry in the kissing scenes, did not convince during the most emotional scenes .

The story also had several inconsistencies in the script and the plot of the main couple was often erased by the secondary characters who often steal the show during the episodes, so I connected with the secondary characters much more emotionally than with the main 2 .

For me the characters that stood out the most in this drama were Lee Rang, played by Kim Bum, and for the character Ki Yoo Ri, played by Kim Yong Ji, I found their story much more interesting than the maqin ones and I think that they had more chemistry than the main couple, and they didn't even have a romantic relationship.


Another point that I found very negative in the story was the ending and when I say this I am not referring to the fact that a certain character has sacrificed himself, as I already expected it, but rather because of the many holes and lack of explanation that this ending had .

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It's a keeper for me

I decided to write a review after a particular scene in episode 8 sparked a cherished memory. It reminded me of the classic film ‘Heaven Can Wait’ (1978, starring Warren Beatty), where a glance into his eyes reveals his true identity to her, despite being in another body. That moment always gives me tingles. Having watched the film countless times growing up, I find this drama evokes similar emotions. It’s a story that celebrates inner beauty and true love, transcending mere physical appearances. The series is not just about laughs—though it certainly has its funny moments—but also mystery, intrigue, and a compelling narrative. I was captivated from the first episode and eagerly anticipate each new one.

Liu Xue Yi is fantastic as always. He's a real star.

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When it's so bad, that it's good...

Over the top, filled with cringe comedy and ridiculousness; this drama somehow made me go from shaking my head at its antics to thoroughly enjoying it in an endeared manner

First of all let's talk about the elephant in the room. I am not going to deny that this show is problematic. Even if we skip the fact that this 'family drama' is derived from a very ethically questionable adult webtoon and is bound to direct attention towards the source material, there are still many other things to frown upon.

In the very first episode, the FL (a highschooler) kisses the ML (an adult and a stranger) without his permission, then goes on to be very handsy with him throughout the show despite knowing that he has a girlfriend, beats up people left and right and well, basically does a lot of what your typical drama 'bad boys' usually do. (It's inappropriate behavior regardless of the gender.)

Then, in a very ignorant fashion, for comedic purposes the drama introduces a supporting character (ML's best friend) that has angered the international community for culture appropriation and rightfully so. Korean dramas have never been known to handle sensitive topics 'sensitively' and should know to stay away from them which Backstreet Rookie clearly does not do. It helps that he has reduced screen-time as episodes progress and that the fast forward button comes in particularly handy for his scenes.

So if these things make you shy away from the drama then it's completely understandable and you should do you.

But now for those who were able to walk past the controversy: The thing is while being ignorant, the drama clearly is not malicious. It's pretty obvious that they are just trying way too hard to be funny and sometimes it strikes true and you're left in fits of laughter and other times it doesn't and the result is just embarrassing.

Soon we realize that the FL; a young girl who doesn't have it easy, who lost her father too early, who has been raising her sister alone is quite a lost child inside. She is aggressive at first in her persuit for the ML (who is the only one who seemed to give a shit about her) but soon she becomes more mature and thoughtful. She is strong, stands up for herself and those she cares for and loves fiercely. After you get through the first episodes, she becomes an increasingly likable heroine and you can't help but root for her.

This role doesn't do anything for Ji Chang Wook as an actor. His character is not the typical male lead and not very attractive. He is a pushover, a 30 year old man who lives with his parents, doesn't have a lot of self respect, let's people run over him and despite his good looks, he doesn't do much in the beginning. However, soon you see his strong sense of justice, his love for his own family and the fact that he is literally an actual good human being and so you warm up to him.

The acting is great across the board. The main couple looks so good together (the romance follows with both of them being legal adults) with great chemistry. The OST is stunning and the cringe comedic camera effects during action scenes also grow on you after a while.

The best thing about it, is that even though it's very obviously in your face slapstick, the drama comes with these surprisingly heart warming and emotional moments that sneak up on you and hit you in the feels.

Also, since it is by the same creators as The Fiery Priest, it has A LOT of drama references that are absolutely gold and leave you roaring with laughter.

Overall, it's a light hearted romantic comedy, that doesn't take itself seriously.

So I'd say if you tried the show and couldn't get past the objectionable material, that's perfectly fine but if you are one those who want to watch this show and are hesitating just because of the negativity surrounding it, I suggest you give it a try and let the drama make its case first.

Enjoy!

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The plot had so much potential with the reincarnation trope leading the story, but it was never really used. While I enjoyed the beginning episodes quite a lot, at some point I was questioning myself for watching it. It wanted to be deeper, more dramatic and moving, but used all wrong directing choices to achieve it, and in the end, it did not work for me.

CHARACTERS/COUPLES
Truth to be told, I was far more interested in all side/past couples than the main one. I didn’t feel that much chemistry between them. Don’t get me wrong, there were moments when I found them as cute as possible, but I always thought it was more about good directing and not their acting. The romance scenes were simply well written and shot. I still believe Pharm and Dean’s first kiss was filmed in a fantastic way.

I truly loved the fun and entertaining chemistry going on between Team and Win and I wish we could have seen more of them and how they developed feelings for each other. We kind of knew they would end up together… and then they did. Not much of that development was really shown.

Earth and Kao were really good in their roles and I truly did feel the pain and desperation watching their scenes. Wish we could have a prequel telling just their story in greater detail.

Sadly, I felt like Ohm had the same facial expression 90% of the drama, with Fluke showing a bit more diversity: happy grin, shocked grin, massive crying (+ the quite well acted total meltdown in the last episode). While at the beginning I did not mind, at some point I was just bored by their scenes and performance.

Character wise, both Dean and Pharm were nothing special. I mean… Did Dean even have a personality? I did enjoy their relationship though, because, they played off of each other's characteristics well - Pharm being on a shy note and Dean leading the interactions, but as separate characters… they had close to nothing going on.

THAT SAID, I have to applaud the drama for one specific scene. We got some good representation of setting boundaries. When Dean gets a bit too touchy with Pharm, but Pharm quickly puts him back in place, clearly says it was unwanted and it must never happen again. We don’t see scenes like that a lot in BLs.
Also, justice for Manow. Poor girl was literally forgotten at some point of the drama.

DIRECTING
Oh boy. All the long, slow scenes of them doing literally nothing, like… looking at their phone, or cooking but without interacting with each other. The dialogues with way too many pauses. They literally took breaks every 2 or 3 words. There were many scenes that just felt like fillers. Few seconds here, few seconds there… but no content to be found. It made the drama look more aesthetically pleasing, but at the same time, I could not move my finger away from the right arrow on my keyboard, because I was sure there will be more than one occasion I will want to skip the next 5 seconds of them doing nothing.

As I was watching and the story progressed more and more, I could not wait for it to end. It dragged so badly and it was so amazingly slow. Everything was slow. They talked slowly, the shots were slow, the background music was slow, how they moved and walked was slow. I was honestly getting sleepy and tired after watching. The fact that, by an accident, I was able to watch 2 parts of an episode set on 1.5x speed and did not notice says a lot about the directing.

The violin soundtrack started to drive me nuts at some point. It made it seem like every scene was so profound and important and had deeper meaning… most of them did not. The overuse of it made it not an asset, but an annoyance in my eyes (ears?).

WRITING/STORY
I feel like the planning just failed. With the minimum of Team and Win scenes, they should just cut them out completely and make a sequel showing their relationship from the beginning. Focus only on Dean and Pharm and the past story of In and Korn. Show us in more detail how they slowly connected all the dots and accepted their past and current selves.

What’s most important, introduce a conflict AND NOT IN A LAST EPISODE. With the reincarnation trope, there are so many ways to go about it. Giving me Pharm questioning his love for Dean, not being sure if it's real or it's just reminiscence of the relationship In had with Korn, it’s awesome. What’s the point of shoving it in our faces in the last episode? It could have been gradually introduced. The more Pharm knew about the past, the more he would start questioning his feelings for Dean. This way you would have two driving forces for their relationship clashing in an interesting way - them being drawn to each other by the past connection, but also driven away by the fear it’s not real. I guess this isn’t the drama’s fault, since it is based on the novel, but it does not change the fact that there weren’t really any stakes presented. They tried to introduce some struggle by the end, but since the set up was not strong enough, it failed to move me and make me care.

The mental breakdown Pharm had at the end was so ridiculous too. He knew the story, he had flashbacks showing exactly what happened. It’s not like finding the box in the previous episode gave him some new information. He knew it all… And sure, we can argue that the reality of it hit him the moment he saw the photos and the gun, but it still makes no sense pacing wise. Make it happen at least two or three episodes earlier so we can actually feel the pain of then splitting/taking a break. Give me that emotional journey not some cheap emotional thirty second roller coaster with some bullshit “three months later”.

Overall, I guess I was simply not convinced by Fluke and Ohm’s acting so the scenes that might have been sweet, emotional, sad… were, for me, boring. I was not connecting to their feelings so I could not bring myself to care. The moment I started to care, the pace slowed down so painfully, I was getting distracted by the fact nothing was happening. Sad conclusion to the drama I was so excited to watch.

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bodyguard, mafia, cohabitation, BDSM, he’s a monster but he’s my monster

Adapted from a Y-novel and with real rough beginnings in terms of switching production houses, funding, and distribution which showed in a shaky point of view, weak script, and poorly distributed of couple weight and pacing. By about 3 episodes in I just got pissed off at this show, it was largely inconsistent in all ways which I think is all production issues. It should have been better. It should at least have been as good as everyone else seemed to think.

However at 50% car porn 50% actual porn I was game. (That said I got no chemistry from KimChay - I think it was a BIG mistake to switch out Gameplay, and had real issues with several of KinnPorsche’s sex scenes.) The fight sequences were excellent and Kinn’s eyebrows are like seriously aggressive caterpillars - I was half afraid they’re going to strike out on their own, take up the rainbow flag and join the march in Not Me. There’s also a lot of Fighter-inspired shirts (Why R U?) in this show. I suppose mafia DOES have a long tradition of chest forward narrative.

VegasPete were in one drama; KimChay were in another; KinnPorsche were in each of those randomly but then sometimes in their own extremely slapstick cheese-fest alt-reality + Tankhun. There were clearly 2 directors with 2 distinct and conflicting points of view, who apparently never had a single conversation with each other. Was this show good? Nope. Was it absorbing as fuck? Sure. Was it well acted, absolutely. Were the sex scenes great? Yes. We the fight scenes awesome? Actually yeah (special props to Jeff for the hand-to-hand stuff). Did I enjoy the kinky bits? Certainly. But all that said: the VegasPete universe of KP was the only universe I really enjoyed and would like to revisit, and I only got that 1/5 of the time. Mathematics is working against this one, for me personally. So I guess I, at least, am still waiting for the perfect mafia BL. I think it might be up to Japan at this juncture. As a result of fan fervor meets my own hearty indifference, I don’t really know how to judge this show but I have to go with my heart, and KP didn’t win it. No full review, enough people have weighed in on this one, you don’t need my thoughts too.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

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Have a drink... or two

After first couple episodes (which were very slow) I thought this is going to be drama revolving around struggles (over)sensitive people have living in such loud world. And, since it was male lead who was sensitive, not typically FL, I was more interested to see how drama will explore his world and how he will "adapt" once he falls for FL. Unfortunately, they shifted focus on FL, her struggles and it became just one more drama with "ML is there for FL" and "wow, he is such a sweet guy".
Do I regret watching it? No, I don't. Would I watch it if I knew half way writers will forget about his sensitivity and turn it into simple plot device? No, I wouldn't.
It is sweet drama about family and friendship and people should try it, with or without FF button.

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Ashes of annoyance(if you ask me)

This story is your epic example of greed and revenge. Its a story entirely based on the actions of a self serving emperor and an evil calculating woman who was not loved by her husband.
Up until now i am still wondeing why most people kept on referring and comparing this story to ten miles of peach blossoms. The plots are completely unrelated and so different. The only minute similarity is both stories are fantasy stories and have a handful of realms only.
Now if you are looking for something thought provoking, refreshing and a bit different from the usual stories and typical drama logic then you might enjoy this.
I am however compelled to mention one downside to this drama. THE FEMALE LEAD was super annoying. Yes her character was pathetic throughout the drama but it does not end with the character alone. The female lead's acting leaves a lot to be desired. Her character was poorly written and developed through out the whole drama. Yes in the beginning i thought that is how it was meant to be but after major transformation i expectected her character to change and have a bit more depth but it remained shallow and underdeveloped. So if you can move past this hurdle then you might enjoy this drama indeed. To me she was a constant bother till i decided to focus entirely on the two brothers.

It is everything about her that made me give this drama a low rating. No matter how good the plot is or the acting of the rest of the cast is if one of the leads is a doofus be it character wise or the acting itself then it will bring the entire project down. This is how it was for me. If you can move past her then good for you you will enjoy the drama more.

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Normalizing toxic relationships 101

This show is the worst thing I've watched in a while...
Why is it normalized that Diao and Kuea are literally SCARED of the people that should love them?
How are Kuea and Lian supposed to be close
childhood friends even though they can't have a conversation about anything else than their relationship? Don't they have any common interests?

The characters of this show are puppets, flatly written to somehow drive the barely existent "plot" to some fan service, (there are so many unnecessary kiss scenes!) and then slip into the next recycled filler material about how they betray and gaslight eachother. These relationships are so unhealthy!
I was also just disgusted by the way that Hia Yi and Hia Lian treat Kuea and Diao like they are their dogs, it was infuriating! Two of the few things they did right in the show were letting Kon Diao stand up for himself and having Kuea be determined to call off the engagement (Only at first unfortunately). The glaring problems in their relationships were rather ignored instead of actually solved.

Despite the weird premise of the show I was genuinely hoping that the main couples were going to develop a meaningful connection over time, but there was barely any development. In fact for example, instead of showing his rebellious side more as the show went on, it felt like Kuea adopted a part of the "Annabelle " mindset more and more as his real personality. Just saying yes, smiling, shallow sweet talk and ditching the last bit of depth his Character had, until his breakdown when Lian proposed to him (The only emotional moment, I could actually get invested in). But afterwards he quickly paddeled back into mindlessly
obeying Lian.

Onto the next problem: Yi and Lian seem always keen on making Diao and Kuea as dependent on them as possible, taking their autonomy and controlling them, which is being portrayed as cute and caring, but it is plain toxic.

The "friendship" between Yi and Lian was also very lackluster, when they were meeting up they always just seemed annoyed and were missing, like pretty much any relationship in the show, any real common interests apart from being business partners.
Fortunately at least Kon Diao and Kuea's friendship was overall supportive and one of the few positive parts in the series.

Side note: I do appreciate the effort the actors put into portraying the characters well, but even good actors can't save a badly written show.

The only romantic relationship that wasn't absurdly unhealthy was the one of Syn and Nuer, they seemed to actually be on one wave length and even though their relationship was also lacking depth, it was still very cute and worth watching.

I truly believe that this show was made for a kind of thirsty viewers who don't really care about the plot as long as there are plenty kissing scenes between two hot actors (even if the kisses don't really feel romantic), as this is the only way I can explain why this show isn't as widely called out for what it is:

(also tldr) A substance lacking excuse for kissing scenes with a plotline almost exclusively consisting of normalizing unhealthy relationships, a few good songs and 10 minutes of preachy dialogue in the beginning and end, that can't be taken seriously, because nothing said is actually reflected in the show.
They should have called this series "normalizing toxic relationships 101"

I'm very disappointed, what a waste of time!

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Story: Watching the movie without reading the description in the summary is like going on a trip to the jungle without a road map, and even then, the potential to get lost is great. Which is what happened to me when watching this movie.
Only in the end did I realize that there was actually a love triangle between Lin, Josh and Sean, but it was really hard to tell among the constant revolving door of almost naked men in their cheap-looking underwear that look like they've been worn since they were teenagers.

Honestly, I did not realize that there's actually a story in this mess. My take-away from this movie is that gays do drugs, bad disco and sleep around with whomever and whatever is available. But I know this is not the case. There is even a line in the movie, that for gay men, what is important is not the clothes you wear, but the body underneath it. Basically, if you're fat, you're fucked. Or rather, not fucked. Unless you are some guy with connections or money, you're pretty much hopeless.

But to give you a quick brief, so to spare you from wasting almost two hours of your life. This is basically what happened, if I understood it correctly.

Spoilers ahead:

Main Line:

Josh has been in love with Lin , who is still hung up about the death of his boyfriend.
Josh sleeps around with everyone except Lin.
Lin has AIDS and Lin dies by suicide similar to what his boyfriend did.
Sean did something about a video, probably driving LIn to his death not sure.
Sean did the above to get Josh.
Sean also has AIDS.
The description says that Josh and Lin are boyfriends but it doesn't look like it in the movie, they may like each other but nothing that shows they were together, except that Josh frequents Lin's flower shop a lot.

Side Lines:

Miss Rose is the manager of the Red House.
Lang is Miss Rose BF who sells/supplies drugs in his apartment. Another hang-out.
Lang also sleeps around. No surprise there, as almost everyone is.
Miss Rose also provides sexual services to keep her business afloat.
The Red House burns to the ground mysteriously during or after or before a police raid.

Acting: They are all convincingly gay.

Music: The only good part about the movie.

Re-watch value: Watching one time is more than enough.

There are so many loopholes, gaps, questions about this movie that is so choppy at best, and laziness at worst.
The only reason I am giving this a 3 star even though it is a bad movie, is because I have seen worse if you can believe it. I'm looking at you, Graupel Poetry, Innate Differences, Alternative Love, In Between Seasons, A Touch of Fever, and the list goes on and on.

Unless you are a masochist, be forewarned. No matter how you like Sky Li or Aric Chen, they will not save this movie. Nobody can.

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