Reviews

A Gripping and Thought Provoking Experience

The Island is a beautifully shot survival film that combines stunning cinematography with a compelling and well-rounded story. From the very beginning, the film establishes strong group dynamics, effectively showcasing the different personalities, motivations, and emotional responses of each character as they struggle to survive under increasingly tense circumstances.

One of the film’s greatest strengths is its visual presentation. The cinematography captures both the beauty and isolation of the island, creating an atmosphere that constantly shifts between calm and unease. Paired with a carefully utilized soundtrack, the emotional impact of many scenes is elevated significantly. The music never feels intrusive; instead, it enhances the tension, heartbreak, and occasional moments of hope throughout the film.

What makes the story especially engaging is the way it explores human behavior during desperate situations. The film does an excellent job portraying how, even in moments of crisis, certain individuals still cling to social status and power. It highlights how easily people’s vulnerabilities can be manipulated when survival is at stake, and how fear can drive others to blindly follow those who appear to offer security or leadership. At the same time, the movie balances this with the inevitable resistance from those unwilling to submit, leading to several satisfying and emotionally rewarding confrontations.

There is also an ironic layer to the story that works particularly well: the group is originally brought together for a team-building trip, yet they initially fail to function as a team when faced with real danger. The film subtly emphasizes that cooperation and unity were always the key to their survival, and had they worked together earlier, they may have found a way out much sooner. Watching the group gradually recognize this and begin to grow together serves as one of the movie’s strongest emotional payoffs.

Another standout aspect of the film is its portrayal of corruption and moral decline. As the situation worsens, the story effectively demonstrates how easily people can change for the worse when power, fear, and desperation take control. These transformations feel believable and naturally developed rather than forced for dramatic effect.

The standout character of the film is Xiao Xiang, whose character arc is handled exceptionally well. His development unfolds at a steady and believable pace, allowing viewers to witness the emotional trauma and gradual changes that shape him over time. The layered complexity added to his character makes his journey one of the most compelling elements of the movie. Lay Zhang delivers an excellent performance, bringing both vulnerability and emotional depth to the role.

Overall, The Island is an engaging and emotionally layered film that successfully blends survival drama with action, comedy, romance, and suspense. Rather than overwhelming the story, these elements are balanced seamlessly, resulting in a movie that remains entertaining, thought-provoking, and satisfying from beginning to end.

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WHY DID I TORTURE MYSELF WITH THIS

Ah, it's been a long time I've enjoyed GMMTV shows. Sorry to say but I managed to watch this because of Mix only. Mix as Dean was perfect. In fact, I loved Mix. He can act so well and he did a great job bringing this character to life.

First of all, I wouldn’t say I am a die-hard fan of season 1 but I loved that it had drama. It was messy for a reason. This season two made me laugh all through. And not in a good way.

It's like whoever directed this series struggled to come home with something dramatic and messy for this season. The storyline didn't make sense at all.

How can there be so much casting and not single chemistry with people they supposedly had crushes on and I am not talking about fixed pairings now? I want to rip my hair off anytime Jack and raffy come up on my screen. As much as I don't fancy season 1, it wouldn't have fucked things up like this. Everyone was missing everyone. I don't like too many NC scenes but why was everyone not kissing everyone? GMMTV and the curse of fixed pairings. So are you telling me, Mix and Joss couldn't share one kiss on stage? Like hello? Even if we don't get from other non-parings, Romeo and Romeo couldn't share one kiss? Fucking hell. Just say Mix and Joss don't want to kiss. I miss the former cast.

Thank God for Mix. I wouldn't have known I was watching Onlyfriends.


The only couple I loved was RomeRaffy. Let me not get started with JackDean. And there's Arnold and Tua who makes me wonder what they are doing in Only friends? So funny.

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Great performance by all four leads + better written FL made this version my favourite out of 3

I had watched 2 versions of this plot because I like the actors & actresses or curious about one of them: (1) Xue Zi Qi, Wang Nian Jiang Cheng (2) Han Jia Hui, Chen Zheng Yang & Duan Mei Yang. I wasn't planning to watch other versions but I was preparing a reddit post about the Xia Xuan Zi so decided to watch this drama. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this version. The best out of 3 versions that I've seen mostly because of their acting.

What I liked:
1. Acting - I must say that all 4 leads did very well in their roles. There was also good chemistry between the couples, the sisters, the brothers & the four of them.
2. Romance - There were good romantic scenes for both couples. In terms of pairing, I liked Su Qing & Fu Yang more because of jiejie-didi & alpha FL vibes. The main couple went through a hurdle and I liked that because it showed growth.
3. FL characterisation - Wow, this FL was better written compared to the other versions' Su Wan. She was girlish but not childish. She stood her ground when ML put unrealistic expectations on her.
4. SFL characterisation - She was career-focused and no-nonsense. I liked that she made effort in her relationship with SML.
5. SML characterisation - Young & slightly immature but I liked that he too tried his best in making his marriage work. I liked that nugget of wisdom he imparted to ML about marriage and expectations.
6. Styling - I really liked SFL's burgundy work attire. I also liked FL's quirky outfits. The pale yellow was good choice of colour. Gosh I was surprised to see Zhang Hao Yang in a mullet. He was handsome and toned.
7. Supporting characters - I liked Mrs Fu. Her screentime was short but impactful. I also liked the female colleagues who comforted Su Wan when she was feeling down.
8. Family - I liked the contrast between two families: old money vs new money, parents still alive vs parents passed away.

What I disliked:
1. ML's action - There wasn't any antagonist in this drama but ML was an arsehole for a moment. I disliked that he put high expectations on his wife then punished her for lack of progress.
2. Mr Fu - He was too focused on other people's expectations.

Favourite scene
When SML advised ML about marriage & expectations

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AN UNDERRATED MASTERPIECE

THE DRAMA OF 2026, there will be no competition. what truly elevates the series, is the extraordinary synergy between cast, directing, and writing. IU delivers a flawless performance, balancing vulnerability, restraint, and emotional intensity with precision. alongside her, Byeon Woo-seok proves once again why he has become one of the most compelling actors of his generation. yall can say whatever you want that he can’t act, but his performance even in simpler works carries a quiet emotional weight that gradually unfolds throughout the time, always creating some of the dramas’ most powerful moments.

the supporting cast is equally impressive. Steve Noh brings such a wonderful work with details and micro expressions that makes you lean to his side for a couple of seconds sometimes, while Gong Seung-yeon brings the Queen to life with such elegance and emotional nuance that enrich the story in a crazy way.

together, the ensemble creates exceptional chemistry that never feels forced. and about ROMANTIC chemistry, IU and Wooseok understand the assignment. they are already a force of nature by themselves, now together is just one of the best couples i’ve seen in any fictional story. whoever says they don’t have chemistry honestly just have a screw missing in their head.

directing deserves immense praise for its cinematic approach and emotional control. every frame feels carefully crafted, with breathtaking cinematography that turns even quiet scenes into visual storytelling, and each creative decision of Park Joon Hwa tells why he’s so different.

screenplay is equally strong. thoughtful, mature, and emotionally resonant without relying on unnecessary issues, like what do you mean characters don’t have miscommunication and silly melodrama that drags itself for 5 episodes? IS THAT A PARADISE?? everything Yoo Ji Won did in this script is masterful. the politic plot is beyond amazingly built, not to mention the GORGEOUS romance development and scenes that led to the final result on screen.

also a hauntingly BEAUTIFUL soundtrack that perfectly complements the tone of each scene. we all thought the OST wasn’t being special at the beginning but the show proved us wrong while the episodes moved forward. LIKE SERIOUSLY i am stuck to specific scenes for more than a week because all of that combined. whoever says this show “is a mess”, “have plot holes” or anything bad don’t deserve this level of quality. yall deserve dramas like Still Shining.

Perfect Crown is more than just a drama, it felt like a complete experience that i’ll never forget.

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The heir drama I'm enjoy your drama yang Zibso good 10%10⭐??

Your writing looks really good already. I polished the flow a little to make it sound smoother and more natural in English.
Writing
After watching Episodes 1–4 of The Heir: Family Business, I can honestly say this drama is incredibly good so far.
The storyline keeps getting more interesting with every episode, and there hasn’t been a single scene that feels boring or skippable yet.
What impressed me the most is YZ’s acting.
Her performance feels so natural and perfectly balanced — never too much, never too little.
Even in quiet scenes, her expressions and emotions speak for themselves. She delivers every moment so smoothly that it feels completely real.
The family business atmosphere, cinematography, background music, and overall production quality are all beautifully done.
Everything feels polished and well-balanced.
For me, this drama truly deserves a 10/10 so far.
Yang Zi’s acting is one of the biggest reasons why the drama feels this powerful and engaging.
If the drama continues at this level, I honestly think it could become one of the most memorable dramas of 2026 🤍

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One of the most Frustrating Male Leads

As someone who really enjoys the fake marriage and co-habitation trope, I thought this was a solid entry in the genre — just not one of the best. There are definitely stronger series out there that handle these tropes with more impact or chemistry, but this one is still entertaining and worth watching if you already love this type of story. It has a very promising start and does a good job drawing you in early. While it never fully reached “must-watch” status for me, it stayed consistently enjoyable throughout. If you’re a die-hard fan of fake marriage stories, I would still recommend it. And if you’ve already watched a lot in this genre and are open to something that’s good rather than exceptional, this is still a worthwhile watch.

I can understand why some viewers rate it a 10/10, and I can also understand why others did not like it at all. But I think most fans of the trope will not be completely disappointed. Personally, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to rewatch it, but if it happened to be on, I’d likely keep watching because it was entertaining.

Spoilers

If you have seen "Good Morning Call" or "Playful Kiss" you will get the vibe if this male lead character and the couple's original dynamic. The hardest part of watching Only Just Married was honestly how cruel the male lead character, Shu Momose, could be to the main girl character, Akiha Okado, in the beginning. He constantly called her irritating, acted like choosing her was a mistake, and took his frustrations out on her in ways that felt unnecessary. It became difficult to watch her accept every tiny scrap of kindness he gave her and immediately fall deeper into one-sided love again.

What made it worse was the entire situation with his sister-in-law, Miharu Momose. I could not get past the fact that he seemed emotionally more invested in her than in his own brother, Asahi Momose. Whenever something happened involving that relationship, his concern always felt directed toward her first, not his brother. And honestly, the sister-in-law seemed aware of his feelings. Some of her behavior came across as flirtatious, almost like she enjoyed the emotional attention and unintentionally — or intentionally — led him on.

The fake marriage itself also felt uncomfortable at times because of his motivations. Using marriage as a cover story while emotionally hung up on someone else made him hard to root for early on. Ironically, one of the best characters in the drama ended up being the woman who rejected him outright and refused to participate in that arrangement. She became the snarky voice of reason for the main girl and honestly represented what many viewers were probably thinking.

One thing that frustrated me personally was watching the main girl continue tolerating behavior she didn’t deserve, especially when she had the means to walk away much earlier. It hurt my pride as a woman a little watching her repeatedly settle for crumbs emotionally instead of protecting herself.

My daughter, who was my drama-watching buddy for this one, rage quit halfway through. She quit watching after we looked at lower-rated reviews instead of the glowing 9/10 and 10/10 ones to understand why some people disliked it so much. And honestly, those reviews perfectly captured how we felt at the beginning: he was selfish, emotionally cruel, overly attached to his sister-in-law, and completely oblivious to how badly he was hurting the main girl. What those reviews failed to mention, though, is that the drama does eventually turn things around. She does stand up for herself. And he finally comes to his senses.

The big gest payoff for me was seeing the main girl finally develop a backbone and emotionally detach from him. She reaches a point where she is simply done. Done accepting scraps. Done waiting for him to choose her. Done excusing his behavior. That shift completely changed the dynamic of the show.

Ironically, he nearly loses her because he still cannot communicate clearly. He pushes for the divorce intending it as a way to reset and pursue her properly, but he never explains himself well enough, so she understandably believes the relationship is truly over. At that point, she has finally found her self-respect and is no longer willing to chase him emotionally.

It honestly takes him forever — and way too much pushing from the second male lead — to realize what should have been obvious much earlier: that he genuinely loves her. But once he finally understands that what he felt for his sister-in-law was not actually romantic love, his growth becomes much more satisfying.

The ending worked for me because the emotional balance finally shifts. Instead of her endlessly proving herself to him, he has to fight for her. He has to reflect on what he truly wants, pursue her honestly, and convince her to marry him again. After everything earlier in the series, that reversal felt earned and emotionally satisfying.

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What in the futuristic fever-dream is this?! lol

[Update: Btw, for what it's worth, this gave me a weird drama hangover. I had nightmares! I think it's because it was so fast paced and tended to be dark. So, while this IS great escapism, I don't recommend it if you're already in a bad head space. If you're in a dark place, watch something like the kdrama "Healer," or pop on "Love Between Lines."]

Switch your brain off, and be impressed by the creative storytelling, world building, and OST. It's like Fast and the Furious, Hunger Games, a space Western, a trashy romance novel, and a zombie apocalypse had a lovechild with a XianXia. It's wacky and wild lol. I keep telling people I think this could inspire a subgenre, it's that creative and interesting.

But for all the strength of the storytelling and soundtrack, it has to lose points for excessive reliance on makeout scenes, dragging in the last ten episodes, and less than stellar acting. I really think it punches above its weight though - it's worth watching if you are in a drama drought and just want to be entertained.

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Finished because of male lead

I ended up fast-forwarding through the vast majority of this drama. The only reason I actually pushed through to the final episode was my appreciation for the male lead's performance and charm.
​Overall, the storyline felt incredibly boring and struggled to hold my attention.
​The Main Romance: A major letdown for me was the lack of connection between the two main characters. The leads just didn't have the necessary chemistry to make the romance believable or engaging.
​While the main plot fell flat, the saving grace of the show came from the supporting cast. I actually really enjoyed:
​The Detective
​The Male Lead's Female Friend
​Their scenes brought some much-needed energy to an otherwise dull watch.

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“Love in the Desert” is giving slow-burn romance but with heat.
Like… the chemistry? Insane. The vibes? Immaculate. The setting? Aesthetic desert-core.

It’s two people stuck in the middle of nowhere, sand everywhere, sun melting their patience — and somehow they still find each other.
The way the story mixes survival + softness is actually wild. One moment they’re arguing, next moment they’re sharing water like it’s the most intimate thing ever.

The desert shots? Chef’s kiss.
The tension? You can feel it through the screen/pages.
The romance? Slow, warm, and hits right in the chest.

If you love:

• slow burn
• enemies to lovers energy
• aesthetic desert romance

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A cute romcom with an expensive cast

As I said in the title, we clearly see that they put a lot of money into this drama, for the cast or the clothes or even the locations, but to be honest budget isn't everything.
It started really good, I was obsessed with the series until ep 8 so it's not bad, but after that I felt like there were too many unpredictable events (not in a good sense) and useless as well. I feel like this is the kind of drama that is only interesting when you're watching this as you're procrastinating on any big task...
-> Mini spoil!
In my opinion the main characters do not have any chemistry, only that one kiss wasn't bad but it seemed more like fanservice than anything else. And the second leads being in love was SO unnecessary, they had ZERO chemistry even less that ML and FL, this felt way too forced and I almost skipped every "romantic" moment of them too.

As we were arriving to the end of the drama, it started feeling more and more cliché, more and more empty. Such a bummer given the enthusiasm I had around ep 5.
So I would not recommend it to anyone but I also wouldn't prevent anyone from watching it. Because the beginning is very good but the end....

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Extremely underrated

I don't often watch Kdrama's. Barely ever since the plot often bores me. But sometimes you just randomly decide to watch whatever comes across your Netflix page. This series has a special place in my heart. The clients coming over was sooo funny, adorable but also very emotional. I feel like I can relate to Sin I Rang quite much.

What I love about Sin I Rang is that he can understand the emotions of the ghost who come to his office extremely well. At first he was quite took back but after some time he showed real dedication in helping his ghost clients. Also I really loved it when he was around Yun Si Ho, Han So Hyeon and Kim Su-a. It was adorable to see the interactions he had with them.

I didn't like Han Na Hyeon at first, she was to stern and I just don't like her personality. This show did a great job at turning my opinions because I slowly started to love Hyeon. Her character makes a lot of sense and all her actions are related to her backstory and I litterly fell in love with her I totally get you Shin.

I don't understand office language that well, but everything was explained so well. It wasn't very complicated to understand what was going on especially since the ghost clients weren't really there for lawsuits but rather finding out what happened to them and very physiologic.

What I always love is found family, for me the niece and brother in law really felt like found family. Also the priest was soo understanding and soft with his actions. I loved them all and they added a little more love for this series for me. The niece was so cute coupling Shin I rang and Han Na Hyeon together.

The actors are extremely fit for the role aswell, like it doesn't feel like they're just playing but it feels incredibly real. But maybe I consumed to much low quality Thai series.

However, just like other reviews I agree that it was really expecting what was gonna happen. Like it was sooo obvious Han Na was gonna meet her sister and as final Shin I rang his dad. I do reallyyy like the cute endinggg. As someone that doesn't often enjoy Kdrama I will be honest, this series is sooo good and I might wanna watch series like this in the future.

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one the best 8-episodes drama ive watched

i was hooked from the first episode to the last. it had a bit of every genre and managed to do all of them really well. i was honestly a little skeptical at first because 8-episode dramas can be really hit or miss when it comes to world building and character building, but this one definitely hit the mark for me.

i think what impressed me the most was how well-paced everything felt. despite only having 8 episodes, they still managed to give the characters enough backstory for you to genuinely root for them, while also introducing side characters, building the world properly, explaining the powers, and showing the character dynamics without making anything feel dragged out or rushed.

the acting was also really solid. i’m not the biggest fan of Cha Eun-woo’s acting, but i can tell he improved a lot. i’d actually love to see him do more action/thriller roles because i think this genre suits him way more. also loved the humor from Choi Dae-hoon’s character.

as for the negatives, i do think the villains’ side could’ve been explored more. i wanted more depth regarding the “father,” his motivations behind the experiments, and especially the mind control aspect because i feel like there were a few loopholes there. the three “children” honestly ended up being more interesting to me than the father himself, but their characters felt a little rushed towards the end. i also think the grandma’s involvement in the past experiments could’ve been explored more because it felt like there was still more to uncover there.

if i had to really nitpick one thing, it would probably be some of the scenes involving the old man wanting the heart. those parts dragged a little for me personally, but honestly that’s such a minor complaint compared to how much i enjoyed the overall drama.

overall, i enjoyed this drama, definitely hoping for a season 2.

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An amazing drama! I had a great time watching it — there wasn’t a single boring moment, and I watched every episode with genuine curiosity, waiting to see how the story would develop further.

I completely fell in love with the main couple dynamic — Hu Xiu & Xiao Zhi Yu. I loved them both as individual characters; they were written extremely well. He was cold, distant, highly intelligent, hardworking, but also teasing and cunning. What I especially liked was that he wasn’t the stereotypical cold CEO, which made the interactions within his company genuinely enjoyable to watch. He also had flaws, which she gradually helped him work through. She, on the other hand, was open, energetic, but also smart and hardworking. Equally teasing. And I loved them even more together. They had incredible on-screen chemistry (some of the kisses were absolutely incredible), and whenever they were together, they radiated happiness that practically poured out of the screen and affected me as well, because I spent most of the drama smiling. They also became better versions of themselves thanks to each other. They always stood by one another, even during relationship crises. On top of that, the drama included tropes I absolutely love — roommates and office romance.

I also really enjoyed the virtual game storyline and honestly think there could have been even more of it. I loved watching them compete against each other while she constantly tried to outsmart him. I especially enjoyed the way they sometimes resolved their smaller personal disagreements while staying in character inside the game. Although, at the same time, his decision to stop playing also makes perfect sense narratively, because in the end he no longer needs to hide his true self in the game anymore, and thanks to her, he’s finally at peace :D. I also liked the little final touch where she’s the one inviting him into the virtual world.

Another storyline I found really interesting was his investigation into what happened to his father. Even though it became relatively obvious quite quickly who was behind everything, it was still very engaging to watch, especially waiting for the moment and the way the truth would finally come out. In the end, though, I was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t a bigger confrontation. I was hoping for a scene where the police arrested him, followed by a court trial, but instead we never really found out what consequences he faced — although I assume he never left prison again. The situation with Huang Yi De was handled even worse, because in his case we learned absolutely nothing. On the positive side, I liked that he rebuilt his relationship with his mother in the end, although I do wish we had gotten at least one more scene with them in the United States.

Still staying on the topic of his family, I have very mixed feelings about his “brother” — Pei Zhen. On one hand, we know that old bastard completely destroyed their relationship, and Zhen himself wasn’t inherently evil and was going through hell too. The problem is that even though I sympathized with him, I still couldn’t stand him. There wasn’t a single trait about him that made him genuinely likable, and his attempts to get closer to the female lead — which often ended up hurting someone — only strengthened my dislike toward him.

As for her family, I also have mixed feelings about them, because on one hand it was obvious that they truly loved their daughter, and in the end things turned out well — the chess scene was funny. BUT personally, I really disliked the fact that they were pushing for their breakup (even if not directly), and also pushing her to quit her job. Earlier on, her father also didn’t accept the fact that she wanted to become an architect. Even assuming his father had made a mistake back then, he as a child was not responsible for it.

Lastly, I want to talk about the second couple(?). When it comes to the marriage-divorce storyline between Zhao Xiao Rou & Wang Guang Ming, I had mixed feelings for a moment because he really did reject that other girl. However, those mixed feelings disappeared very quickly once he himself failed to admit it and even planned a dinner for the three of them. On top of that, he lied to her about no longer being in contact with that girl. So personally, I very quickly started strongly rooting for her and Gong Huai Cong. They had a really great dynamic together, and in the end I’m disappointed that we never got to see their relationship become official — although it was heavily implied that they would eventually get together, so I’m only slightly disappointed, because I would’ve loved to see more of them already being together while filming/in a relationship.

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Very different than cutie pie

Did I rewatch cutie pie and cutie pie 2 you purely for Naughty babe?? Definitely. I watched cutie pie when it was airing and after it was finished I had seen the show 4 times, having to rewatch everything for Naughty babe. I kept forgetting to watch naughty babe and just rewatched cutie pie over and over again (yes stupid).

After watching cutie pie 1 and 2 I was kinda confused about the relationship between Khondiao and Yi. Like they had subtle foreshadowing like Khondiao losing his memory etc but I just couln't help but be confused. Why were they married and what was exactly going on between them? Maye I wasn't really well focused on certain details but I also kinda forgot what Khondiao studied.

Anyways in my opinion this series is wayyyy more funnier than cutie pie, although I'm not sure whether or not I should compare it. I loved this series extremely and if I can be honest... more than cutie pie. Season 1 feels veryyy serious and Khondiao and Kuea are both portrayed as the 'innocent' boyfriends. However both of them had changed in this series. Kuea seems to be wayyy less 'cute boy' ish, probably because he's able to be who he wanted to be. And Khondiao is explained so much better and not just from a 'therapist friend' kinda way.

I loved the clear friendship between Kuea and Khondiao anddd between Yi and Kilen. Kuea showed this season how he also returns the advice he got from Khondiao. What I miss is the friend group from Kuea but I also realised that Khondiao is not really involved with them. It was nice to also get introduced to Khondiao's friends ESPECIALLY when Winner came up (Kong). Also surprised to see Est play his first bodyguard role hahahha. I only know Est from his iconic Mok and not On. Never expected he did a side character who was also a bodyguard.

Kinda confused at one point because they keep leaving out the part about Kuea's aka Kirin's singing career. Like it's kinda disappointing they kept it such a low topic since I'm a huge fan of Nunew's singing career. And his song ไอ้คนน่ารัก.

Extremely cute how they formed a family at the end and I was to be honest kinda expecting the dad of Chun to push Khondiao to adopt Chun or like get between Phayak and Khondiao. Thank godd that didn't happen.

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