Reviews

Touching & Heartbreaking ??

I personally loved it. I cried at the end when one of them got terminally sick. Because it hit close to home, while I'm not terminal (as far as I know right now), I am chronically ill. The character who got sick, his personality reminded me of my own in certain ways. Especially the part where he said something along the lines of "It's brave to feel everything. Instead of being afraid of getting hurt and becoming so numb."

Which I can relate to.

The fact that his lover, came back at the end and they traveled together. That he stayed despite him being ill. It was touching and I'd love to have a relationship like that someday.
I normally don't leave reviews but, this mini series really touched me.

Read More

Junho in a Suit Is a Public Safety Concern

📝 Review
(WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Any Emotional Damage)

This drama is very aware of what it is: a glossy, aesthetic, comfort romance wrapped in chaebol inheritance tension and hotel employee chaos.

The story follows Gu Won, an heir who despises fake smiles, and Sa Rang, a hotel employee whose entire job requires one. Naturally, they collide in the most predictable way possible: constant proximity and emotional friction.

The FL’s smile is a central theme—sometimes inspiring, sometimes bordering on exhausting, depending on your tolerance for “customer service voice turned romance lead.”

The ML, on the other hand, is exactly what you expect from a 2023 chaebol rom-com: emotionally repressed, visually expensive, and slowly melted by sincerity.

Their dynamic works best when it leans into contrast: sincerity vs cynicism, effort vs detachment, warmth vs corporate ice.

The supporting cast adds decent balance. Da Eul especially grounds the show in something more human, while the workplace friendships give the hotel setting more personality than the main plot sometimes manages.

Now, let’s be honest: the story itself is not groundbreaking. It’s familiar territory. You’ve seen this structure before. You know where it’s going. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel.

But it does sell the aesthetic.

And it sells the chemistry.

And it sells the comfort.

Also: yes, the OST is doing a concerning amount of heavy lifting. Some scenes feel emotionally engineered just to trigger the soundtrack, and honestly… it works.

By the end, I wasn’t stunned. I wasn’t devastated.

I was just… content.

And sometimes that’s exactly what a drama is supposed to do.

Read More

The kind of dramas that's best enjoy with your brain removed!

This drama was like a beautifully presented meal that fooled you with its appearance, but after a few forkful, realised that the quality and cooking don't match up. There was a strong focused on the aesthetics, but when style was prioritised over substance, the result was as hollow as my brain needed to be to keep enjoying it beyond the initial episodes.

The first quarter of the drama was enjoyable, but it got repetitive for the next 10 episodes, before the writing turned to shit during the last half. I don’t expected 100% realism, but, I do like a certain amount of care and thoughtfulness in writing and execution that help to maintain my suspension of disbelief. Something that was utterly missing here. It became so ridiculous that instead of being swept away, I just LOL far too many times during what was meant to be “whoa” moments. It took me right out of the story. There is suspension of disbelief, then there is “leave your brain on another continent”.

Unfortunately, this lack of care was an extension of the the uneven/poor writing including the sidelining of the male lead to glorified the female lead to an absurd extend. The result was a dud. Vibes, aesthetics, and pretty people doing things are not enough to sustain interest in a 40 episodes drama.

Read More

Interesting story with good acting and chemistry, but writing could have been better

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

Taiwan usually produces some pretty quality BLs, especially when the cast is experienced and not full of young idol newbies. With that, I was looking forward to watching “Love Upon a Shooting Start”, especially when I don’t know anything about the plot.

A few quick bullet points of what I like about the drama:

1. I am a fan of second-chance romance and I enjoy the flashbacks of the teenage years. I think the drama did a pretty good job in going back-and-forth with the two different timelines.

2. I adore the two teenagers and really enjoy their storylines. This is Chen Yen Hsv’s (young He Xiang Yong) first drama and I think he did admirably. But Max Kuo, being the more experienced of the two, really does shine here. Max is only 17 and has so much potential! He is very good-looking, and his ‘fake’ smile doesn’t look too fake and really does fit the personality of everyone’s favorite classmate.

3. The leads, Jed Chung and Chu Meng Hsuan, performed very well as well. They have great chemistry together as a couple, but I also enjoy their individual stories and hardships.

4. I love that the setting is on a rural island and not in the big city. The scenery and cinematography are nice. The shots of the sea and underwater really bring out the summer feel of this drama.

5. I love, love, love how tan all the boys are. After consuming so many white filters, white foundation and white smoothing of the skin, it’s refreshing to see a drama set in the summer with boys all dark and tanned. It would be super fake if they appear white while running around the island under the sun all day long.

6. NC scenes and kisses. Well, be prepared when you watch ep 8. That was one of the most sensual and sexual intimate scenes I’ve seen. I just wish they tone down on the music and give me some more natural sounds of desire and passion.


What I have mixed feelings and don’t quite like:

1. I am not feeling the secondary romance. It’s supposed to contrast the more slow-burn and angsty main romance, yet I found it somewhat cheesy and over-the-top. The reasons for Hamaguchi’s obsession are too shallow and I don’t see why he’s so in love with Li Wan Zhe.

2. I was expecting a more serious or dramatic reason for the fallout between the main leads during their high school years. But then I found it, it wasn’t really that bad and a quick conversation would have resolved it. However, I do understand when you are teenagers, all problems are amplified and it would seem like a big deal to them.

3. He Xiang Yong’s artwork left a lot to be desired. I am not sure if it deserves the constant praise from Chen Hao Wei. LOL

4. I would have liked to see a few more happy couple scenes before the ‘consequence’ of the wish to start so soon.

5. The drama didn’t explain the what/how/why of the fantasy element very well. Why is XiXi special? In the end, I think I understand the moral of the story and the lesson that He Xiang Yong learned. But what about Li Wan Zhe? Why dragged him into this when his story got wrapped up so half-heartedly?

6. So what exactly did He Xiang Yong do wrong at work? What about Chen Hao Wei’s panic attacks and work problems? Did I doze off while watching and miss the closures of these few areas?


There are lots to like about this drama, even though I think the writing could have been better. I do enjoy the acting, chemistry of the leads (young and old), the rural setting and nice cinematography. This could be a refreshing change, compared to other BLs out there.

*edit* After giving it some more thought and chatting with my friend.... there are many plot holes and unfinished business. I still like the drama in general, but it could have been so much better with longer or more episodes to cover everyone's stories. The last episode might have given me kisses and cute scenes, but not the closure I was looking for.

Completed: 6/4/2026 Review #691

Read More

janhae vs comphet and they both lose

alternatively: janhae's steak is so juicy she's drowning in it

obviously it's pretty ridiculous that some corny, nepo loser who makes na/jan constantly feel like she has to put on a performance is somehow competitive with a smokeshow whole package like leemai/jingjing who na can be herself around. more herself than she's ever been allowed to be before in fact. but that's the point. she's caught between what she thought she wanted and what she never thought she'd want but really, really does. but it's all too much, too fast, and it culminates in a legendary crash out.

Read More

My Comfort Drama Has a Gaming Addiction

📝 Review
(WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Any Emotional Damage)

Going into this, I already knew I enjoyed e-sports dramas. What I didn't expect was how quickly this one would become one of my favorites.

The story follows Tong Yao as she becomes the first female player on a top professional team and quickly spirals into tournament pressure, online criticism, team drama, and romance.

The FL is skilled, determined, and easy to root for, while the ML balances cold professionalism with surprisingly sweet moments, creating one of the better romance dynamics in gaming dramas.

The supporting cast and side chaos carry a huge portion of the show's charm, adding humor, friendship, and found-family energy to the story.

These types of dramas tend to live or die based on team chemistry, and this one absolutely succeeds.

By the middle of the series, I was fully invested in every tournament, every rivalry, and every ridiculous team interaction.

The way they incorporate viewers into the gameplay sequences was surprisingly effective. Instead of simply watching matches, it often feels like you're inside the game alongside the players, which makes the competition much more engaging.

The romance progression is also paced well. It doesn't drag endlessly, but it doesn't rush either. The relationship develops naturally through trust, teamwork, and shared experiences.

That said, I do have two complaints.

First: Tong Yao's hairstyle.

For thirty-one episodes, somebody apparently declared war on variety. She's a professional woman in her twenties, and yet the styling often leaned heavily into the childlike aesthetic Chinese dramas love giving female leads.

Second: there isn't a Season 2.

My brain: wanted more tournaments.

My emotions: wanted more ZGDX.

My snacks: disappeared sometime around the championship matches.

In the end, I finished feeling completely satisfied and still wanting more.

And somehow… it worked.

Read More

The Gateway Drug to My Drama Addiction

📝 Review
(WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Any Emotional Damage)

This drama holds a special place for me because it was my very first Asian drama.

The gateway drug.

The beginning of the rabbit hole.

At the time, I watched it dubbed because subtitles and I weren't friends yet. Fast forward to now, and I can't even watch English-language shows without subtitles, which feels like a full-circle character arc.

The story follows Day as she enters a televised competition designed to pair women with some of the rarest men in society, but quickly evolves into something larger than simple romance.

The premise is undeniably goofy.

Men are treated like national treasures.

The dating competition is basically a national event.

The entire world operates on logic that makes you stop and go, "Wait... what?"

And yet somehow it works.

The satire underneath the comedy gives the story more substance than I expected, and the conspiracy elements help keep things moving whenever the romance slows down.

The cast does a solid job balancing the show's quirky tone. Nobody takes the material too seriously, which is exactly the right approach for a concept like this.

What surprised me most was how entertaining it remained throughout its short run. Six episodes feels just right. The story doesn't overstay its welcome and moves at a brisk pace.

Looking back now, after watching countless dramas from Thailand, South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan, I can see some of the show's flaws more clearly.

The acting isn't groundbreaking.

The soundtrack didn't leave much of an impression.

The world-building occasionally asks you to just roll with it.

But as a first drama?

It was a fantastic introduction.

It opened the door to an entire genre of storytelling I probably would've ignored otherwise.

And for that alone, it'll always earn a little extra affection from me.

Read More

The drama is good but nothing out of the ordinary

First of all, I have to say this. I began watching this drama because of the actors, and I think they did a good job with the material they had. I'm not criticizing the actors or the needless things they've been criticized for in this drama. My criticism is purely from a story perspective.
Honestly, this drama was really good until the wedding. But after the wedding, it was so predictable. Like, I knew the prime minister was going to go bad, typical 2nd lead syndrome (ugh). Also, it has to be my 4th or 5th drama where they get rid of the monarchy. It’s become so predictable. And it was so damn stupid why it was abolished. Like, if you are going to abolish the monarchy, give a good reason, like in ‘The Last Empress.' You make us hate the monarchy. I knew how this was going to end since ep 9, and it went exactly as I predicted. Plus, what's up with the main leads? You had us teasing till ep 8 and then no proper romance. So rushed, and the ending was so mellowed out. This drama kind of let me down.
I can see why people are complaining about the actors' acting, but I think they did a good job. The characters were like that in the script, so they had to behave like that. No comments in the acting dept. Set and costumes were well done.
All in all, this is a drama you can watch while doing something and not paying much attention. Believe me, you don’t want to invest that much time and attention in this drama.

Read More

True Love Amidst Societal Pressure

I saw this one in the span of two days. It is bingable and only has 10 episodes. In this BL, Ji Hyeon and Jae Won fall in love at different stages and ages at college. Ji Hyeon is a country-bumpkin freshman, and Jae Won is a senior who has finished military service. Despite societal expectation and pressures, and Jae Won's past trauma, they become each other's true love. The name of the show is relevant to the story in that there is this sense that goes beyond the 5 senses that tells us who and what to choose in life. This sense is instinctual. Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons!

Pros:
-The pacing and unconventional way they framed certain scenes shows regard for the production, it wasn’t haphazard
-The acting was stellar, by everyone, including the side characters.
-The intimacy scenes were well-done. They looked like they were actually falling in love and kissing.
-The lighting felt romantic at times and the tone of the drama is sentimental, which I liked.
-The music matched the scenes and I really liked when they used the Conan Gray song.

Cons:
-In the 2nd half Jae Won still felt like he hadn't found his peace. Adding more scenes could have helped with this. Or him being honest with his therapist could have also helped.
-While I love angst the tone could feel depressing after a while. Again, more scenes with a tonal shift could have helped with this.
-They redeemed two antagonists that I did not feel deserved redemption, after the gravity of what they did.

Overall, I loved the show and wish there were a 2nd season so that Ji Hyeon and Jae Won's relationship could be delved into deeper.

Read More

um clichê que funciona muito bem

Um romance clichê bem executado nunca é demais, ainda mais quando falamos sobre relações lgbt. Esse bl japonês, mesmo que tenha um enredo simples, consegue uma boa pontuação em todos os seus aspectos. A atuação é muito boa, os atores cumprem suas funções e mantém o estilo japonês de forma que não fica cansativo nem vergonhoso de se assistir, a fotografia é bonita e alterna muito bem nas cenas que são necessários os tons frios ou quentes e a história é um básico que funciona muito bem, um romance adolescente entre dois colegas que se gostam genuinamente e optam por se conhecerem melhor. Obra muito boa, pretendo rever!

Read More

história muito criativa que te deixa querendo ver cada vez mais

sou uma pessoa que dificilmente consegue ficar presa em episódios de séries sem se entediar. além disso, quando começo um drama novo, involuntariamente, foco muito na parte do romance, pelo menos quando se trata de bls. mas esse aqui conseguiu me prender de forma que eu tinha que ver um capítulo após o outro e o enredo romântico acabou totalmente ofuscado pela criatividade do roteiro, a história é muito cativante e as atuações somam muito na boa experiência. me surpreendi bastante com o conjunto total da obra e como ela aborda a cultura tailandesa de forma tão interessante.

Read More