Reviews

I can't believe this drama only has 1 review. I have been a big fan of thai dramas and when i found out that Sunny, Davikah, Sky and Thanaerng were in it, i just had to watch it! I did enjoy the drama and binge-watched it all in 2 days. It made me laugh and cry along with the characters. The OST was on point and I do like the core of the plot, which is even with magic, a relationship requires both parties to work hard on it in order to keep it going.

**Spoilers ahead**

Cast - The cast was visually pleasing and I was in constant awe of Davikah's beauty. As for acting, Sunny and Davikah were on point. The scene where Peng had a complete meltdown in the ambulance, begging for his power to return just so he can save Thantawan. My gosh, that really broke me. Bank was an interesting choice for a villain. I'll admit I could not get over his baby face but he did do a fantastic job. Sky on the other hand, though I loved him in Hormones, he needed to brush up with his acting skills. I know he is stiff and it kind of worked for Chalan, but at times when he really needed to deliver, he just fell flat.

Characters - I loved that all the characters had their share of flaws. It made them more relatable. Peng was always putting work first and came across as cold to the person he loves, Chalan being very naive but also very positive about things, and Bamee being very fiesty and hot tempered but extremely straightforward. I do however wish Tantawan had more of a personal growth. Her life , for me, was kind of sad, as it was always centred around the person she loves.

OST - Pretty good tbh. Found myself feeling most of the songs, especially "you are my everything".

Ending - I'm teamPENG so the ending was a disappointment. I do get why she picked Chalan though. He was attentive towards her and she could truly be herself around him. She could cry and share her emotions with him. Peng on the other hand, was cold towards her and kept taking her for granted. Despite her voicing her unhappiness, he often brushed it aside. Come on, the things that he said to her whenever she cried was just downright hurtful. It was only when he found out her feelings were starting to fade, that was when he started working on it. By then, it was too late. All it took was a small interaction between Chalan and Tantawan to change everything.

I do like how Tantawan recapped her feeling for Peng at the end. I know some found it confusing and that they did not like it. But i do get it. Tantawan will always love Peng . But she knew that with him, 1 of them had to morph into someone else for the other to be happy. She didn't want to do that to him as she knew first-hand what it was like when she had to do so in their 15 year relationship. To compromise is one thing, to completely change oneself is another. With Peng, their connection will always be there regardless, hence he will always be "her ambulance".

Overall, i am very very happy with this drama and will gladly rewatch it again.

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The inconsistencies & lack of continuity was intolerable for me

Review @ ep1-14
I actually do like this drama but I so wanted to love it for the sake of Zhou Ye, became a fan of hers after watching her in Word of Honor (I can’t rave enough about that series, special shoutout to the one and only Chief of the Ghost Valley, the philanthropist Wen Kexing) but I don’t love it so far. There are so many continuity fails but I will highlight two.
1). He had huge scars from Su Ying stabbing him in ep1 but all of a sudden the scars disappeared few episodes later
2). When he went to retrieve his sword the first time, the journey was so hard / tumultuous that’s why Yan Hui couldn’t go with him but when they went the second time, they just basically strolled into the place.
She keeps losing things just for the sake of furthering the plot which is out of character for someone who cherishes everything she has.
Also once again we have a female character Su Ying who is so obsessed with a man (the only difference this time is her obsession isn’t with the ML) she is extremely vile and vicious and willing to go to any and all length for him. This perpetual CDrama plot is getting so damn old. Especially the level at which they make this female characters reach. It’s beyond ridiculous and unrealistic. I personally don’t know any woman in my real life who behaves in those extreme ways.

Update @ep21
I am struggling so hard to continue this drama. It’s not terribly bad but it’s not great either. The acting from the ML is actually so bad. He’s had exactly one expression so far. He’s acting range is very limited IMO but he’s handsome so I guess that covers up for lack of acting abilities to some people. Whatever floats anyone’s boat….
The comedic parts of this drama just feels out of place for me.
One more thing I don’t care how handsome or beautiful someone is, or whatever reason they had to stab and almost kill me, nobody is falling in love with someone who literally stabbed them and left them for dead. The lovers of this series can try to justify it any which ways they like, “he has to save the kids” “he was going to return the protective heart thingy to her so he knew she won’t die” etc but to look someone you claim to love in the eyes and stab them for the 3rd time I might add is just beyond unacceptable. He could have asked for it but nah, let’s stab her and then she literally fell so badly, he didn’t even try to break her fall, he just left her there, but wait, he’s really so sorry and because he’s so sorry she has to understand and not only forgive him but let it go and continue the relationship after he couldn’t take 2mins to ask for it and just had to take it in the most cruel way possible. I am sure eventually she’s going to forgive him and they will live happily ever after but that’s a relationship I can never get behind so that arc of the drama has already left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Update @completion.
The production team for this drama really dropped the ball big time especially the editing department and script writers. So many inconsistencies and lack of continuity. The errors in the details was just way too much for me to ignore and tolerate. Marks appear and disappear in the same scene. The characters powers and strengths (with the exception of the dark lord aura guy) where so inconsistent and felt like it was based on what each scene needed. I can go on and on but I have already spent days watching this drama and that is enough time I’m willing to give this drama.
The only thing that was good for me in this drama was the costumes., they looked beautiful and rich.
I am obviously never going to rewatch this drama.
Rewatch value 1/10
Overall value 6/10 (i am being super generous with this rating)
I highly do not recommend but that’s my opinion, you are free to make yours.

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One of the best Korean BLs for sure.

I'll start with negatives to end positively.

First of all, it's time for Korea to break the love scene barrier. To me, a BL doesn't always need one, and in some cases it would ruin it. It really depends on the characters, and for these, I don't think nothing happening is credible. Sang Woo's attraction to Jae Young had a strong sexual component, and Jae Young clearly isn't the type to hold back on getting physical. There didn't need to be a scene with candles and blaring ballad - something like the way Sang Woo throws Jae Young down on the couch in the final scene but going slightly further would have sufficed.

Also, we really need to retire the triple-take shot for whenever anything important happens - it's mildly ridiculous and drains all the emotion out of the scene. We also need to retire the extremely wide-eyed reaction by whomever is being kissed. In a manga it works because it's capturing surprise. In live action, it's weird and creepy, and sometimes makes the kiss feel non-consensual (although not in this case).

So for me, this is marred a bit by too much BL convention and avoidance of physical love.

But the chemistry between these two was amazing. They certainly did hugs right - full body contact instead of maintaining a foot between them, and the sheer joy they expressed when they did this. Both actors are very capable - I think the Sang Woo role is more difficult, but Jae Young could have come off as a stalkery with a lesser actor. It doesn't hurt that he looks like that, of course. And Park Seo Ham's boyfriendy affectionate kisses were lovely, and the enormous size differential between the two was adorable - the way Sang Woo had to stand on his tippy toes to kiss Jae Woo.

The odd-couple plot worked very well - and one thing that I think is superior about Korean BLs in general is that there is never a useless uke - Sang Woo is every bit as tough and capable (and moreso) than Jae Young.

The humor is really funny, like when Sang Woo is researching deviant desires and hormone imbalances because he doesn't understand why he's so hot for Jae Young.

While I think the series held back too much to put this in the highest category, it's still one of the best Korean BLs, and excellent by any standard. It's largely forgettable, but very pleasant and something you can go back to in the future when you need a pick-me-up.

Story: 9 - While not ground-breaking or original, it was coherent and directed, avoiding the silly manufactured drama and miscommunication that mars so many BLs.

Acting: 9 - Both leads were excellent, generated a lot of chemistry, and didn't shy away from physical affection. Both inhabited their characters and made them relatable and believable.

Music: 7 - Nothing special, but never distracting, which is a good thing in my book.

Rewatch Value: 8 - I would definitely rewatch this - in fact I'm fairly sure I will if it's put out in movie version.

Overall: 9 - While it didn't offer much new, it was superlative at being what it was - a fluffy romance with interesting and likeable characters.

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Unexpectedly good, can’t wait to rewatch

I honestly started True Beauty just to pass time and didn’t expect to like it this much. It looks like a fluffy high school romcom at first but then it slowly talks about real topics like insecurity, bullying, loneliness and feeling like you’re never enough as you are. And it does all that without killing the fun. It still feels fun, silly and romantic

Jukyung is such an easy character to relate to. Her fear, awkwardness, overthinking it all feels very real. And Cha Eunwoo as Suho… I was surprised by how quiet and emotional his performance is. He doesn’t overdo anything, but you feel his grief, the guilt, the way he cares but doesn’t know how to show it. It’s very soft, very human. Seojun completely wrecked me too, because you can feel how genuine his love is even when you know how things will probably end.

The show made me laugh out loud in some scenes and then suddenly hit me with emotions when I least expected it. The pacing is great, the chemistry feels natural and the ost stays with you. It’s not a perfect drama and it doesn’t try to be deep in a heavy way but it feels sincere and warm

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This drama is well executed and projected.

At first, the drama seemed a little light-hearted. As we watched it continuously, it got deeper and deeper not only picking the interest but touching the hearts of many. Very great drama with exceptional execution of the fight scenes and heartfelt acting. The drama set the bar high to me and I can't find any drama with such astounding fight scenes. (I am very particular when it comes to fight scenes because I love watching martial arts).

I love how the story unfolded and I realized how difficult it is to be a hero, seeking righteous justice. The denouement broke my heart but it made me realize that no matter how painful the consequences are, if we're doing something for righteousness, we should accept the duty, responsibility and result. Too much for my soft heart but too good to be disregarded.

I love the osts here and hearing them from time to time pleases my ears.

This is the BEST drama I've ever watched despite its flaws. Congratulations to all who contributed to the success of this drama! Salute to you all!!!💙💙💙💙

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Superpowers, violence, and a star studded cast

A Korean superheroes drama? YES, PLEASE! The production value was awesome. You can tell a lot went into making the superpowers look believable. The regeneration, gunfights, action sequences and bloody gore were all high quality. The only disappointing aspect were the flying scenes. I think they may have ran out of money for that as it was very apparent that they were hanging on something as you can even see where the wire or hooks went into their clothes. As a viewer, that kind of sucked because I found it very distracting and awkward.

As for the acting, I really liked how there were a lot of high caliber stars in this drama. I mean, who wouldn't want to be part of a Disney superhero drama? Not many opportunities like this come to Korea so it's great to see a lot of great actors taking part. Even the young rookie cast was good. The only one who I did not care for is YDG. I know he only has a minor role, but I really don't understand how he keeps getting roles. He constantly overacts. I thought his acting was so bad in The Forbidden Marriage that I'm so surprised he was able to get cast in this drama.

Now for the pacing, I thought each episode was good, but the overall series was lacking as a whole story wise. Too much of the series was spent on the backstories and flashbacks of each main character that basically only the last 2 or 3 eps were dedicated to the present story. Don't get me wrong...I did enjoy each backstory, but it was building up momentum for the present story except the climax didn't really deliver sense wise. It felt a bit pointless on the villain side. For example, (SPOLIER AHEAD: Why go through all this fighting only to give up so easily at the end? The whole self sacrificing bit seemed out of place because it was rushed in without any build up to make sense of the change of heart).

However, seeing that they left a clip after the credits to allude to a season 2, it would then make more sense that S1 was just part 1 - the set up. If I look at it that way, then the ending is less disappointing. But if they don't have a S2, then I'd have to say the ending felt incomplete because there were so many things left unexplained and some things not quite adding up.

But all in all, I found this drama entertaining and was quite delighted that Disney greenlighted an Asian superhero drama that did not offend me with concepts of Asian stereotypes that we often see in Hollywood movies. It's been a slow journey to get to this point, but I'm glad things are starting to turn around. I hope we get to see more!

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This is a movie that I can say it fits all tastes, preferences and ages. It was very delightful to watch and had exceeded my expectations as I thought it's just another sweet rom-com which it is but I didn't think I'd be laughing and smiling while watching it. I wasn't the only one laughing and smiling the whole cinema was :)

This is a story about 6 people (who are somehow connected to one another). No Jin-Woo (Yo Ah In) is a famous star in Korea who can't forget his "love at first sight" lady. Jo Kyeong-ah (Lee Mi Yeon) is a beautiful drama writer who is always about work and don't like things to get personal. Ham Joo-Ran (Choi Ji Woo) is a woman in her 40s flight attendant she is whinny but very naive and cute and she feels that her life is over because she is old since all her friends already got married and she is still alone but she's not pathetic and doesn't feel sorry for herself. Kim Ju Hyuk (Jung Sung-Chan) is my kind of a man, he is someone who can easily be your best friend before becoming your boy friend. He is sweet and very dependable what girl wouldn't fall for him?. Lee Soo-Ho (Kang Ha Neul) is a pianist who is an anti social for personal reasons, and has never fallen in love or opened up to someone other than the people he already know. Jang Na-Yeon (Lee Som) is a sweet girl who has some issues at work and finds comfort in Kim Ju Hyuk as a friend. 6 persons 3 couples, though the story is full of cliches I can't say it's unique and I can't say it's unpredictable BUT what I can say is that with all the cliches and predictable plot this is slice of life pretty much realistic story about people who found each other and fell in love with each other. I loved all the love stories here and I can't choose which couple I loved the most as I liked them all but I think I have one that left me with more smiles and special feelings among the 3.

Acting: I know why they keep giving YAI older actresses the man has an awesome chemistry with them! I can't believe this is the guy I'm watching in Six Flying Dragons, I had to remind myself over and over it's him because he was totally different. I know it's a given that he'd be different but still it doesn't mean I won't be impressed by this change. Only great actors can give you the feeling that they are different person every time they take on different role and YAI is a master in that. Lee Mi Yeon and Choi Ji Woo what can I say about these two wonderful actresses? I love both them and to have them both in one movie is a dream come true. If you have never seen dramas for these two lovely ladies I suggest you start now it's never too late. Kim Ju Hyuk I haven't seen anything for this guy but I will surf his profile and start adding his work because he has earned enough credits with me here. Kang Ha Neul I've seen him many times before but this is my first time actually appreciating his performance. Lee Som never seen her before but I would like to see her in more dramas.

I'm glad I decided to drag myself to the cinema in this cold winter with my bad mood and chose this movie to watch because it completely changed my mood within seconds. I was smiling and laughing as sweet as it was. If you are looking for light hearted, romantic, sweet, funny and touching movie with great cast, full of cliches but still enjoyable then I suggest you add this to your list. The movie's title "Like Me Please" we all want to be liked and loved don't we? ^^

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The Soap Opera Game

It wasn't cute when Jack and Rose did it in the Titanic, and it sure as hell wasn't cute when they did it here. First off, yes, there was plenty of room on that damn door, and here, I spent the whole finale going, 'there wasn't room in that car for him to get inside too?' Cuz, why the eff did Pheem stay behind? And no, no explanation would justify that nonsense. The Wicked Game took itself way too serious, and ended up falling into the predicable hole.

Listen, that brother Chet. What the hell was his problem? I felt like he personally hated me, cuz Mfker spent the entire series overreacting and throwing childish tantrums, instead of giving me what I wanted. The whole time, every time he was on screen saying whatever, and doing whatever the hell he was doing, I was busy staring from him to his bodyguard, you know that one dude who looked like the best regret. Like, whenever Chet opened his mouth, I kept going, 'Yeah, yeah, good for you, now kiss' Only for the mfker to up and die, and saying nonsense like, 'live your life and be happy, bodyguard.' Eff that happiness, what about me ,huh? Sure, bodyguard crooked two seconds later, still... they spent 10 episodes wasting all of that chemistry, and for what? This felt like a personal attack. Boooo!

Pheem and Than.
The drama wasn't called 'The Nice Game', so imma need all the people who keep being on Pheem's case to sit back down. Personally, I get him, he needed to be wicked to heal that child in him who was totally destroyed from how cruel the world treated him. Was he right in what he did to Than, hell no, but that ex-police officer knew Pheem was there for revenge and he still went all in with both eyes closed and heart wide open...only to immediately got shot, twice. LMAO, the eff he thought was gonna happening falling in love with a guy who hit him with a car on their first meeting?

Than is such a nice person it made him dumb. Like, come on officer, wake up a little. Dude got shot twice and spent 5mins looking real sad at the camera, and immediately went back and married the guy who literally dug a grave and shoved him in. Ain't no one that in love. May this level of in loveness-ness never locate me. Sure everyone think he's a dirty cop, but at least he got super rich, and has a not so dead husband, who loves running away, so, yaaay him.

Plot
The cartoonish shooting scenes. Literally, did they all aim at the air beside their targets or what? In the finale, I kept shaking my head, cuz what even are we doing at this point? Like all that shots and mfkers kept running around for like 10 more minutes, only for one to end up dead in a flashback... meh. The plot was also very predictable, cuz who among us believed for a second Than was dead, or that Pheem died? Both times I was like, stop wasting screen time and just show him already, I know his arse still alive, y'all won't even dare.

Characters.
The plot was okay, over the top in how it was directed and acted by some, but it did entertained me. Offroad's character was very interesting, and I liked him. I was actually rooting for Risa cuz the men were annoying. Please, I won't even start on the father, cuz that mfker doesn't even deserves me to waste pixels talking about his arsholeness-ness. I did like DaouOffroad, I always enjoy their work, so although this one wasn't the best they've done, I still enjoyed myself.

All-in-all, a watchable show, very soap opera-rly, so expect nonsense, over the top crap, cartoonish scenes. Apart from that, very decent, and I'll recommend it, especially for DaouOffroad fans. I look forward to their next work.

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Insufferably Decent

Only Friends follows an empty plot full of messes and unnecessary reconciliations between the most insufferable characters imaginable. An attempt to portray the different problems LGBTQ+ college students may face, its message remains unclear.
I enjoyed the first few episodes, but my enjoyment declined as it went on. I like to believe the shippers of these pairings ruined the show's initial direction.
These actors deserve more than to be recognized as part of a ship. Khaotung and Mark stole the show with their performances, and Neo proved his versatility as an actor.
A decent GMMTV series, I applaud it for its execution of mature content.

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Aka Tough as Iron, I just had the pleasure to go see, thanks to tickets from C&J Entertainment. It was an honor and privilege to see a wonderfully told story. Yoo Ah In, as usually with his handsome self was tremendous as Gang Chul. He projected his love and care for his alzheimer mother, played by Kim Hae Sook in such a way to totally touch your heart. When I watched, I couldn't imagine having the patients and ability to care for my mother in the same way; even though I love her dearly!.

Kim Jeong Tae as the gang boss, Sang Gon; as usually, he plays bad well but let me give HIGH praise to Kim Sung Oh who plays Whi Gon, Sang's brother and supposed bodyguard. As the stuttering and evil brother of Sang, I must tell you he excelled! When he was stuttering his words, I wonder how much he practiced for that because it was done so well, I just wanted to help him finish his sentences! Yes, it was perfect.

The other characters of Jong Soo, played by Lee Shi Un and Soo Ji played by Jung Yu Mi (my first experience seeing her), both served their purposes well. Jong Soo, the misguided and downright stupid friend, even though he made poor choices, he was heart was in it. The romance between Soo Ji and Gang Chul was really not explored because the real romance was between mother and son.

This really was a well written and cast movie and I look forward to looking at it again.

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Near perfect in its simplicity

After reading some of the reviews, I think the whole issue of "not taking no for an answer" doesn't apply as much within a typical BL context. People have become overly sensitive to the idea of workplace sexual harassment. That's not what this is.

One of the common tropes that this BL follows is for a cute guy, in this case, Jeong Ha Ram, to unabashedly pursue an emotionally shut-offed love interest, Seo Lee Joon, not letting their insecurities stop him from slowly but surely helping the other to overcome their insecurities. I didn't really get the impression Jeong overstepped his bounds with Seo. He understood how Seo had cut himself off from the world from the onset. Someone had to pierce Seo's bubble. Seo was going on three years of continuously having one-off meetups with guys, never once giving them a chance, as illustrated from the very opening scene.

Jeong mainly pursued Seo by teasing him and giving him small gifts, which is very typical in the BL genre. Also, the BL followed the standard arc of Jeong confessing to Seo, Seo reluctantly agreeing, then the inevitable third act break up, where Seo lets insecurities get the best of him, and Jeong gently reassuring, rather than pressuring, letting Seo come to the conclusion they are meant to be together and that he no longer needs to let his fears get the best of him. How can you not say that's a positive, love-affirming message?

I think too often on MyDramaList, people judge these BLs without taking into account how Korean and other Pacific Asian societal norms differ from Western ones, repeatedly applying misplaced Western "woke" values. Unless the BL conforms precisely to their expectations of the standard boy-girl love norms, these BLs are inevitably dinged, often unfairly, for violating Western sensibilities. Part of the charm of BLs is that they skip past a lot of the ho-humming you see in your typical straight K-drama romance, where the leads spend forever dancing around their mutual attraction.

In the case of Love Mate, in the short time it has, it follows a delightful romance between Seo and Jeong and their journey, keeping their bonding sweet and simple without getting lost in unnecessary plot elements. The two have remarkable, unforced chemistry where the lead actors use non-verbal expressions and body language to convey their feelings.

I give this BL a slightly higher score than it might deserve in response to all the unfair negative reviews. Honestly, if you let them dissuade you from enjoying this cute romance simply based on the misplaced argument that it is nonstop sexual harassment, which it isn't, you'll miss out on enjoyable two hours.

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Cut the last 2.5 episodes or so, and you have a satisfying show

Let me get the biggest spoiler over and done with: the main couple has a sad ending, though the side couple has a happy ending.

In a marked departure from the generally happy endings of the History series so far, Make Our Days Count, has a sad ending for the main couple, and it's sad in a way which involves a sudden death.

I have to admit that despite my own preference for a happy ending, it does not necessarily mean that a story with a sad ending isn't a good story. Unfortunately, the sad ending is rather discordant with the rest of the series, which is relatively lighthearted. Yes, it is perhaps meant to convey the idea of making our days count. Yes, perhaps the suddenness of the death conveys how unexpected things happen in life, but the series fails in its execution of the unhappy ending.

In essence, the character who dies has a really sad life. He is orphaned from a young age and brought up by his aunt. Not wanting to be a burden to his aunt, he works hard to maintain good grades just so that he can have scholarships to continue his studies. When he finds love, he faces the obstacle of his boyfriend's homophobic father. He manages to overcome this problem and enroll in undergraduate studies at the same time as his boyfriend and his boyfriend's family have started to accept their relationship. Yet his happiness is fleeting--just as things finally seem to be going well for this ill-fated person, he dies in an accident.

While the above summary of his life makes him seem like a consistently sad character whose sad ending shouldn't come as a surprise, I have to say that the saddening details of his life aren't really the focus of the series, which tends to deal with much more lighthearted material. (Even the homophobia in one of the side characters' family isn't explicitly shown, and the show largely focuses on teenage infatuation which blossoms into true love. The poor execution of the bad ending is apparent if we compare the series with Trapped (the first series of HIStory Season 3), in which the potential for a sad ending is plausible from the start, and even Trapped has a happy ending.

There may seem to be something "deep" about a bad ending like this, but I think it the writers are going the easy way out. It would be challenging but possibly more satisfying to make the series end in a moving way that also emphasizes how we need to treasure the moments with our loved ones ("make our days count") without resorting to a sudden bad ending. It is not as if the characters had not treasured their moments together or as if treasuring their time together more would have made the death any more bearable for the surviving person.

In short, the series hasn't really gained much with a sad ending. In fact, we are better off watching the series until perhaps halfway through Episode 18 and stopping at the happiest moments. With Trapped, there was something to keep me watching regardless of whether there is a happy ending, and it is easier to accept the story even if it has a sad ending that makes one cry. On the other hand, in Make Our Days Count, the sad ending seems like an unnecessary plot development even if it manages to wring tears out of the viewer.

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