A Short yet Raw Portrayal of the LGBTQ+ Experience
‘Meet Me Outside’ is a short, honest, and sweet drama that has a runtime of a little over an hour about two broken souls who find solace in each other at resort. Juan Miguel Severo, the screenwriter behind the brilliant drama ‘Gaya sa Pelikula’, also wrote this so to say my expectations were high would be an understatement.While I didn’t love ‘Meet Me Outside’ as its predecessor I definitely enjoyed it. The plot was pretty straightforward and simple but the cast really made it their own. Both Genesis (Dale) and Kaloy (James) perfectly portrayed the characters. You could feel the chemistry between them right from the start and as the episodes progressed so did the chemistry. The main complaint I have with this drama is the length. I felt the sixty or so minutes we spent with Dale and James were not nearly enough time to flesh them out. But that’s less of a outright criticism and more of a personal preference.
The OST was not that memorable but it definitely helped immerse the audience into the story rather than pull them out of it. The cinematography was very pretty too despite the fact that the majority of the drama takes place in one place. I liked the way the director enhanced the characters feelings through the use of different camera angles.
One last thing I want to point out without giving away any spoilers is that ‘Meet Me Outside’ felt as if it’s truly meant to be a story for and by LGBTQ+ individuals. It was unafraid to dive into certain issues and certainly managed to capture the raw vulnerability of heartbreak.
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Following your fate blindly or having a bit of courage to challenge your fate, which do you prefer!?
What is it that you actually want to happen in life if you had the choice to choose from:1. Allow your life to unfold naturally; fall in love with the person who is entwined with you by a crimson thread of fate; and accept the outcome that fate has planned, happy or tragic.
Or,
2. Even if you are aware of your fate and the one that awaits you, muster some bravery and fight against it in order to have a happy ending and spend time with your loved one—not the one that is predestined.
Now, if I talk about this drama, what I actually enjoyed is:
1. The best female character written in kdrama history.
FL, Oh Baek Ryun knew from the get-go whom she liked, what she wanted from him,who was interested in her at the same time,how to make someone fall for you, how to handle third-party interest without playing with their emotions,how to sacrifice for your soulmate,how to fight against your destiny, and lastly, how to wait, praying for your one and only loved one.
I know it's super rare to find someone like her as your partner, but if you find one, you should thank your luck for meeting her.
2. ML, Chun Sang Hyuk. When I first started watching, it seemed like he was constantly falling for different ladies in different decades, all of which ended horribly. He was even warned against falling for any woman, but if he does, it'll end in tragedy. So I was actually worried about how the current timeline would end up. But after knowing that he had unknowingly fallen for the same soul in different decades,I had no choice but to admire his character wholeheartedly.
Although he was reluctant to openly date anyone after his first tragedy occurred, when he came to know that FL was actually the girl from back then, he let go of all other warnings, etc., and finally started to follow his heart to pursue his hidden feelings.
He also fought against his destiny, remained heartbroken for decades with a huge guilt in his heart, fought again against his destiny after learning the truth behind all of the tragedies,died as a fairy, and got reincarnated as a human to live the life he wanted with his loved one.
3. Chun Dong Chil, aka A Bad Day to Be a Dog. He practically carried most of the story as a major supporting character.
I'm not going to say much about him here; you should watch to find out more.
Now let's talk about what I actually hated:
1. Chun Dong Koo, aka the dumbest irritating fairy amongst the four. A man with a personality like his is a menace to society. His story is only here as a filler. If we can cut his subplot, I guess it'll easily be a super exciting 12-episode drama.
I just find it a shame that after spending so much time on him, the script writer wrote that horrendous ending for him, which makes no sense to me, like, WTF! Why spend so much screen time on him if you already have that shitty ending for him?
3. Seo Jae Hee, the most self-narcissistic delusional freak I've ever seen. He's the second-most pathetic SML I've seen in recent times! A man thinking of him makes my blood boil.
I never liked his character for my own specific reasons, which I shouldn't put here in words.
This feeling only cooled down almost at the end of the drama when he slowly started to let go of his obsession over FL after learning the truth from his past life, which can't completely wash away the fact that I was frustrated with him in the past episode, so kindly bear with me.
3. Chun Dong Pal, Lmao, he's a filler. That's it.
There are also other little but point-worthy things that I liked and disliked in this drama, but I can't include them in this list as it is most likely already very long.
Overall, I believe I will remember this story for a very long time, which makes it well worth my time. If I consider the re-watchability of this drama, I believe once a year is sufficient to reminisce about the leads' fascinating chemistry.
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Its cute and fairly casual.
I really liked the storyline, if you are a fan of Ki Kwang then you will love this!
Nothing really dragged, but I think its partly because its really short!
It isn't a type of drama that you will get bored with, more like you want to watch it again.
There isn't much to dislike about this drama...
Oh yeah, its really funny! I watched this on a school night and I couldn't stop giggling. In the morning my parents were angry because I was giggling too much and apparently they couldn't go to sleep! XD
Anyways, overall it was very cute and sweet! The songs were nice and enjoyable.
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Too many gaps ...
The series promised to be interesting, not original but interesting. Unfortunately it had more and more gaps in the script with each episode. Later events contradicted logic and earlier events, e. g. {{"From the dialogues it appeared that water was multiplied by living blood. Upon the death of the host, water reproduction ceased. . . ok logical. . . Suddenly in the last episode we have an ocean of water. . . . From 4 dead bodies? Another example: a captain locked in a lock where he is flooded by water. Then, after being pressurized by the ever-increasing water level (no one knows from where), water flows out of the space station and automatically freezes. . . . Meanwhile, in the final scene, our captain. . . suddenly he's leaning against the moon rocks? How?}} So I'm deluded. . .Nevertheless, I liked the acting . :)
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When Male Leads Have Personalities of Two Wet Socks
I werent planning to write a review but once my casual comment on this drama reached some lenght, i decided to turn this into legit-ish review post.As a long-time fan of contract relationship stories, i am willing to let slide stupid plot set-up for the sake of my entetainment. Entering contract marriage for newlywed loan and revenge? Why not! Basic premise and set-up was okay. The problem is it took way too long - instead of some nice co-habitation/pretend scenes between female lead and fake-husband (which we got only at the end of the drama as flashbacks?!) we were given infinite amount of nice scenes of FL and ex-boyfriend. Which endcouple were we really supposed to root for? Literally no couple had enough chemistry to overpower the other. Also?? Was the /big reveal ™/ during art exhibition really surprise to someone? No, then why was FL so shocked? It could be much better if she realized it earlier once she knew who the artist was.
The acting, especially from both male leads, was atrocious. The female lead really tried her best and i enjoyed her for the most of the time (quite frankly, she carried the show), but the dudes showed literally no emotion whatsoever. You could use carboard cutout of these guys and we wouldnt even know (except for the scenes in rain. i suppose they would bend slightly). All the characters were criminally underwritten and honestly... most of them didnt even have one personality trait so i can imagine it was perhaps impossible to perform sufficiently.
The shaky camera during the dramatic scenes was so bad it gave me motion-sickness. Other visuals were pretty nice and OST was fitting.
Overall, this was... empty. Nice to look at but in the end there wasnt enough chemistry to carry the drama /somewhere/.
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Pledge of Allegiance vibes, but straightforward and no betrayals
(Note: I didn't use English subtitles for this short drama, as I understand Mandarin.）A wonderful little short drama to watch while eating or just on little breaks, or as a treat before bed.
The acting from the two male leads was surprisingly good, and really carried the whole show for me. It doesn't hurt that they're both very pretty to look at, which is always a plus - good acting and good to look at. I hadn't heard of either of them before or seen them in any other shows previously, but they're both actors I'll be on the lookout for or will click on a drama for just to check out if I see them in anything else. Simon Chen (Su Cheng Xi) stood out a little more for me acting-wise, and also seemed a little more natural besides, although this could also be chalked up to his character's more carefree personality than Li Pei Yang's character Sui Han Bai, who is a bit of an ice-cold face. Swen Xuan's Zhao Yin was also pretty good, as was Yin Rui's Zuo Han Qin. Zhou Wei's Yue Xiao Qiao was perhaps the stiffest among the cast, but overall, the acting was very good.
Story was pretty good considering the length of the episodes and overall, nothing to write home about but also nothing to sneeze at, and didn't feel dialed-in. The twist of who the masked man was at the end genuinely surprised me, although I'm not sure if that says more about me than it does the show... Nevertheless, despite its short length, it didn't feel rushed nor like it ended prematurely, although it was definitely streamlined and left out the finer details, that would likely have been more fleshed out in a longer format. The length also left no room for filler, which I appreciated; and the story always picks up where the last episode left off and gets right to the point. My only gripe was Miss Zuo's character seemed unfortunately left hanging somewhat and was never quite completely fleshed out as a character in her own right.
There wasn't much music to speak of, but the ending song felt very appropriate to the brotherhood and loyalty/action vibe of the show.
Finally, I'd say this is pretty rewatchable, as it's both short and again, no major flaws to be found at all, at least in my book. Whether it's for looking at pretty people solving crimes (kind of) and doing things or just to watch the relationship between the two male leads, I'd be happy to watch this again or have it on in the background while doing something else.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, so gave it an 8 - MDL suggested an 8.5 based on the overall subscores I suppose, so on account of how much I liked it and how easy it is to watch, upgraded per its recommendation.
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Worth Considering
I think it's very cool. There are layers, it's like being trapped inside your own head and beating yourself up... trying on different faces, different identities, different modes of artistic expression... but it's not a linear progression. Sometimes we beat ourselves up even while others congratulate us. But in the end, finding the confidence to embrace our self(s) lets us walk free, and continue on.Perhaps I missed the mark, but that's how I felt about it. It's an incisive psychological exploration.
Anyway, I enjoyed it. It's not the type of artsy thing I would usually watch, but anyone who has struggled with self-doubt, self-hate, self-esteem understands the battle of trying to get outside that... I think they might relate? I'm not artist, but I can't imagine having to create and put a very personal side of me out for the whole world to judge.
How do I rate this? It feels unfair, because it seems to fall outside the normal boundaries. It's not super polished or anything, but I think achives what it wants to be.
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Who says romance has to be all sweet and cuddly?
I was eagerly waiting for this drama to be subbed and when I finally got to watch it, I was not disappointed. I understand why this show was rated highly (4.5/5) on pantip.com, a popular Thai discussion forum and a 9.1 rating on imdb.com. Even on MDL, for a lakorn, its rating is pretty decent.The production and the special effects were not the best, and the dialogue and story were not as tight. However, for a lightweight lakorn that featured a supernatural element, I found it entertaining. One just has to suspend disbelief and watch the story unfold without taking it too seriously.
For the most part, the plot flowed pretty well, except for the last two episodes which got farcical particularly during the showdown between the good and evil guys. It was almost as though the writers just could not care less anymore or the show was running out of budget. That being said, the show did redeem itself with the loveliest ending for our main characters and the worst punishment for the villains so ultimately I was a satisfied viewer.
I enjoyed this show because it had a good mix of suspense, thriller, action, romance, and drama but what really got me hooked was the love story between the main leads, Prince Keerich and Nuannueakaew. It was a slower burn, tension-filled, sort of self-imposed forbidden love for which Sean Jindachot and Baifern Luevisadpaibul had the perfect chemistry.
One could be annoyed at Keerich’s stubbornness but I could not fault his rationale for putting his country above his own happiness. Neither could Nuan. At the same time, one had to admire Nuan for wanting to live her own life and not giving up her own goals. Keerich understood that.
Usually I would be put off by the noble idiocy trope but not for this show since the romance was developed nicely. Our main leads had to experience personal trials, physical dangers, and all manner of other terrors to earn their happily ever after and I wouldn't have it any other way. Even though our two leads had to stifle their yearning for each other, there were many endearing scenes which kept me smiling and rooting for them up to the end.
I loved how well Sean was able to pull off the emotional scenes. His expressions nailed the longing, the angst, the unhappiness as Keerich fought against his love and desire for Nuan, many times unsuccessfully as he cannot help but protect and care for her. He was also a heroic male lead, intelligent, skilled and rational. I have always thought Sean a good-looking actor with appealing eyes and lips, but in this show, in this role, he was particularly charismatic, especially in his princely traditional outfits. What really stole my heart was how prettily he cried, and who can resist a male lead that teared up during the right moments.
Likewise with Baifern who looked gorgeous throughout the whole show. As the female lead Nuan, who was a famous Thai fashion designer, Baifern’s outfits were fittingly stylish and not over the top which can often happen in lakorns. Her clothes were practical and appropriate when the scenes called for it, and even in the minimalist styles, Baifern still shone. However, her most incredible looks had got to be when she wore the traditional sprees and accessories. As Nuan, Baifern played a hot-headed but brave character who was also smart and independent. There were moments where I facepalmed on her behalf but that was also her appeal since she was not too polished, too stripped of any flaws, or in other words, a boring character. Baifern was also good during the sad scenes, the way her eyes watered and the way she sniffled made me think that she was really crying.
The journey of the secondary couple, Chaithat, played by Kong Teptip and Ninlapat by Richy D.Caballes, was also lovely to watch as they had to overcome much difficulties to be together. I did wish that there was more skinship between them. The chemistry between Kong and Ricky was not bad and they are both very attractive. Richy’s acting got a little weak towards the end but it could be due to how the character was written.
Overall, the cast did well but the actors playing the villains fell a little flat. Still, Lily Pansirithanachote who played Savitree, the Nang-rai deserved credit for portraying well a malicious, poisonous and power-hungry woman who always looked beautiful as she carried out her evil schemes.
As for the OST, the songs were the finishing touches that enhanced the romance for me. There were only two songs but both memorable ones. They were fitting for the poignant moments, especially between our two leads and made me feel the mood even more intensely. For posterity, I have included the details below.
In general, I would recommend this lakorn as I think most will enjoy it. Just let the story unravel and entertain you.
Curse of Saree OST
Last Person Forever - Ae Jirakon Sompak
คนสุดท้ายตลอดกาล [เพลงจากละครสิเน่หาส่าหรี] - เอ๊ะ จิรากร
https://youtu.be/3oD9kP7nEbw
https://open.spotify.com/track/5PNQoxj4g0BBvqJxWzo5OK
Do You Love Me? - Clear
รักฉันรึเปล่า - KLEAR (OST.สิเน่หาส่าหรี)
https://youtu.be/HW7c4Zmc4pg
https://open.spotify.com/track/2tdUbnxszF3DVtyG0eTHsn
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How to sell unfolding love with Chae Soo Bin at her finest.
First, let me say that I don’t speak a word of Korean. When you rely on subtitles, the acting and facial expressions are even more critical. I’ve watched thousands of romantic based movies and TV shows because it’s a genre that fascinates me. Maybe I’m one of those eternal romantics. With that foundation, this is my review.The Strongest Deliveryman unfolds a unique storyline of two vastly different delivery people. Choi Kang-soo (Go Kyung Pyo) a strong-minded man who moves from place to place with a dream to become a CEO of a delivery company and Lee Dan-ah (Chae Soo Bin), whose only dream is to leave the country. These two characters drive the storyline and deliver one of the best shows I’ve watched in a while.
As you watch the interaction between these two, you begin to wonder how they will ever get together. But wait, how did I think these two would get together? Because of the facial expressions that changed as the story unfolded. Chae Soo-bin is one of the most compelling actresses I’ve ever watched. I don’t know if she has any MMA background, but she sold that part to me. Her portrayal of love emerging was mesmerizing. Her eyes seem to talk, and her smile lights up a room. I found myself watching her even when she was in the background. The acting was great all around, but she pulled it together with her very presence. The Strongest Deliveryman is a must-watch show that carries you through drama and love that will move your heart.
To give you an idea of how much I like Chae Soo-bin’s performance, I decided to watch some more of her work. So, I watched: I’m Not a Robot, Where Stars Land, A Piece of Your Mind, Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People, Love in the Moonlight, and If We Were a Season. That’s a total of 125 episodes I watched back-to-back. She didn’t disappoint me. Watch the Strongest Deliveryman and tell me if you see what I saw.
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I Didn't Expect a Filipino Film to be this Good
1. The movie was well-written, all elements on the film have their own part that contribute to the main story, no elements were used as fillers. At the start, you will have some questions like "who is the person who sent that thing?" and others. It will not feel at first that it will be answered later at the story. However, trust me. All your questions will be answered.2. I like how the film progresses, from time to time you will feel that the film is nearing its end because there are many scenes that are worthy to be the ending. However, you will find out that the movie still continues.
3. It was filled with unexpected surprises and twists that will shock viewers. Take note that the revelations were scattered at the different parts of the movie. That's why every time you will feel that the movie is nearing its end, but before you know it, there will be another unexpected surprise.
Overall, I like this movie on how well-written this is. I like also the foreshadowing of the writer. You will be shocked at the story, but I advise that you pay attention to all of the elements displayed because those are the clues of what might happen. I will support the writer of this film; I hope that they will write for a short TV series with the same formula as this movie.
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i wasnt going to write a review- simple/short spoiler free
i watched the 5 ep ones before i watched this and i have to say they did a great jobyinwar acting got so much better compared to the older one despite everything that happens in the eps i really did enjoy both vee and mark character even though there were times i wanted to kill vee.
music was a lot better the comedy aspect of the series was actually funny and not forced. the plots still good it gets a bit repetitive but honestly the chemistry is so good that i didnt really care they started the series strong and ended strong i look forward to more dramas they will do either together or alone.
very re-watchable give me like a month until its out of my system id come back to watch it again
im sad that i didnt get into this earlier( started at 8 eps) i highly regret it and will miss it very much.
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Watch this at your own expense
STORY :
1 / THE QING Dynasty era:
This part of the drama has the most horrible and outrageous plotline I have seen in a while. It will present you with:
- a man who kills his godson and is never troubled because of it
- a man who uses the corpse of his victim like an accessory to frame other people
- a man who schemes plenty of plans to harm his brother but he gets away with it because he just misunderstood the situation
- a man who pays a thug to break someone's arm and he is never troubled about it even by his godson who knows the truth
- a man who knows all the crimes his godfather did against his brother but he would not do anything to help the brother out of jealousy but still call him his brother.
- a princess who is forced to marry at gunpoint on the head of her father but the husband does not sleep with her because she is not his "kind of woman". Of course. Like a pig would not eat jam.
....
Plenty of cranky farfetched unrealistic situations with iffy morals and messages like "I caused you to die but sorry for the misunderstanding and justice is not necessary as we are family".
Is this supposed to be entertaining? It is not. It is BS.
2/ THE REPUBLICAN era:
The drama becomes a lot better.
- The FL disappears as the plot is only centered on the ML
- The ML discover a new city (Shanghai), new people, new challenges. He starts to build his career and success.
- The Republican era is a time of change so the drama is richer of ideas and events
- The directing is better with nice slow mo
- The plotline is crafted with a good twist
- Then back to Beijing , back to family dumb misunderstandings
- FL appears again. Her story is quite sad.
3 / FIGHT VS JAPANESE
The usual great patriotic courageous Chinese brothers vs. the evil monstrous Japanese who kill innocent people just to bully and coerce and achieve their goal. Grotesque ending to give the bad guy his redemption when we have barely a glimpse at the main leads happy ending.
CHARACTER :
- Kang Ning : beautiful and smart and courageous, the writing of her character turned ludicrous and made her a props for 2/3rd of the drama
- Lu Yuan Zhi : idiot guy who improved himself as a great tailor but his personality is bland always trying to save his love and help his brother who constantly creates troubles for him.
- Jiang Mo Sheng : Terrible brother insecure and jealous. Does plenty of mistakes but accuses the others.
- Zhao Li Jun: Fun endearing and a fighter. I liked her.
- Su Pei Yao : Spoiled daughter
- Bai He Nian : Guy should have died sooner for the sake of his family.
- Guo Fei Yu : started a fool but had a good character development. Good guy.
OST:
Nothing special
REWATCH:
No. Packed with outrageous schemes. Nothing really enjoyable.
OVERALL : This drama is well produced with great costumes, places, props, many characters... It is too bad it drowned itself in family schemes and misunderstanding to promote usual family values and forgiveness and redemption blabla. The story is also amoral : the person who kills his Godson is never accountable but lives free. Also the endings of the master of Si He house and the bad brother are quite ridiculous.
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An incredible depiction of the real struggles that average, mundane, normal, people have to go through in their everyday lives. Yet, the story itself is nothing but mundane. We get to look at the turmoil that goes on in an office setting and in within the people themselves. It's hard to believe that an office drama, of all types, can get your heart racing, keep your eyes glued, and feed your anticipation for the next scene. As someone who frequently cries over dead characters in fantasy/historical dramas, I found myself crying over simple decisions made by these characters that had such great impact on their colleagues.
Acting was superb! Super impressed by Bai Jingting who was able to shed his outer "idol image" and give us such a pure Sun Yiqiu. Loved how all the other actors portrayed their characters in a way that was so believable. I especially loved the portrayal of the "villain" characters, as they did such an amazing job making the characters look like people that we really could picture to appear in our lives.
I'm disappointed that there doesn't seem to be available Eng subs for a wider audience, but I hope that gets done in the future.
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