Reviews

A sequel with a personality of its own

The finale was great, maybe not completely flawless, but the wrap-up for every couple hit the right notes.

JackDean: Their reunion left me feeling conflicted, particularly regarding Jack’s reaction to Great, but that tension is exactly what made their ending stand out. You can interpret it in two different ways: either Jack has finally matured and will fiercely defend his relationship with Dean against any future threats, OR the two of them are tragically trapped in an endless, repetitive cycle of breaking up and making up.

ArnoldTua: A tiny part of me craved more drama from their storyline, but ultimately, I adored their gentle and mutually respectful dynamic. They were easily the most balanced pair of the bunch, despite the economic status differences. Even during their worst arguments, neither ever talked down to the other, something I can’t say for the other two couples.

RomeRaffy: This fiery duo started off with a bang but eventually fell into a push and pull routine. Their storyline was a mixed bag for me because I’m still not convinced Rome views Raffy as a true equal. Even after Raffy's personal growth, it feels like Rome’s judgment is always lingering over him. I really wanted to see Raffy fully step into his confidence by the end, but it never quite materialized the way I wished.

Ultimately, all three couples have their flaws, but they are incredibly endearing and easy to cheer for. Honestly, I found their dynamics much more grounded and relatable than the pairings we got in the first season. As for non-couple moments, I adored the friendship between Dean and Tua and I needed more.

Honorable Mentions: A massive shoutout to Timmy for surviving all the chaos. I also really appreciated the brief, beautifully bittersweet moment between Boston and Nick 🥲

Read More

I finally watched it

I have started this drama so many times. I just couldn't get into it. Chinese dramas are a breed unto there own and I have watched quite a few but this one took me forever and many false starts to get through. Maybe it was because of how much it was hyped up.

Don't get me wrong it wasn't awful, I just didn't get all the hype and to be honest I still don't.

There were some very parts, some very sad parts, some very mediocre parts, some very awful parts and some parts that were just there.

The music choices for some scenes were quite baffling and other choices were beautiful.

I'm not saying don't watch it because overall it was an enjoyable experience. Sometimes the writing though did make me want to throw my tablet across the room!

All in all I am proud I finally watching it after 4 years of trying!

Read More

Even knowing, it still hurts

I watched this mostly because of Cha Hakyeon, and honestly I’m glad I did. Although the movie has some flaws, it’s still such a sweet and simple love story. The chemistry between the characters feels natural and warm, which makes the emotional moments hit even harder. What stayed with me the most is the message underneath everything: even when life is unfair and painful, you still keep loving, dreaming, and moving forward without giving up. The music adds so much emotion to the story, and by the end I was completely destroyed. The ending is incredibly sad and emotional… and even when you know it’s coming, it still hurts.

Read More

Tears flow as i write this...

WHAT A DRAMA! I mean, WHAAAT A DRAAAMAAA!!!
It's been so long since I've felt so overwhelmed & happy & satisfied after watching a drama series. But it was so very totally totally TOTALLY worth it! T.T
As for context, I've never been a fan of Chinese historical dramas, so I was quite unsure about whether or not I should give it a go. Of course, good reviews led me there & now I just don't wanna let it go! It's the type of drama that lingers in your heart & your mind for a long, long time because of the astonishing charm it leaves on you. Everything else feels sour because you just finished watching one of the greatest dramas out there! T.T
To leave a review for this, I don't actually know how to express my feelings about it verbally, but I can at least try! For the story, the fact that plot makers portrayed a woman as a brave hero of that ancient time- truly so freaking amazing! The chemistry among the characters- *chef's kiss*! About the cast- OMGEEEEEEEEE, I WANNA EAT THE MALE LEAD SO BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can a person be SO FUCKING HOT & HANDSOME & BEAUTIFULLY IN CHARACTER at the same time?! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 The female lead is so cute as well, even the second and third lead couples- *chef's kiss*! It can be said without a doubt that this drama has one of the few BESTEST c-drama casts so far. For the music, so soothing, so heart-touching!!! *immediately changes ringtone to "I tread carefully with fate" T.T*
At this moment, idk how long it will take me to get over the lingering feeling this drama left on me, but I wanna keep going back again & again & again T.T T.T T.T !!! THANKS to everyone who made this drama possible. Forever grateful to you guys for this! T.T 💘

Read More

Everything I like but it’s not love

This drama has everything. Bisexual man in a uniform that protects a small tight knit village and a protagonist that loves to lie. I love it when the protagonist keeps a secret that causes drama later and this drama has drama with cliffhangers that kept me watching again and again. I love when the lead characters hate eachother at the beginning, I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers. My only issues is that scenes are played out of order (flashbacks give important context that should’ve been there at the start) and that the run time sometimes drags (especially with the 1h30 episode).

Read More

Yumi Deserved a Happy Ending. Instead, She Became a Stereotype.

It absolutely destroys my heart to share this review, because the first two seasons of Yumi's Cells were some of the best K dramas I've ever seen. As a longtime fan of Sex and the City, and a writer myself, this show tugged at my heartstrings in all the ways. (It's basically Sex and the City, without the sex, both shows of which center around a female writer as their protagonists.) However, this season turned Yumi into a version of a woman that I struggled greatly to relate to.

In season three, we meet Yumi as a more mature woman, someone who's becoming more established in her career and is grateful to leave the ups and downs of emotional romances behind her. However, the love interest that the writers of the show positioned for Yumi is, not just another co-worker as with Yu Ba Bi, but a subordinate. He's someone she has power over, which is very important to remember. So, for the first six episodes, Yumi realizes she has a crush on Shin Soon Rok and continually puts him in situations where he has to be around her purely for her own desires to see if he catches on to her attraction to him. Unfortunately, he displays absolutely zero interest in Yumi. Even when he finally has his eyes opened in episode seven (too long to wait, especially for an eight-episode season!), none of it is believable. There were no subtle signs that he was struggling with his emotions, no small gestures, just a lot of younger male indifference. The danger with this is that it makes Yumi inadvertently appear as a predator, with the power to move him off her team if he doesn't behave warmly towards her (and she does!).

The love was entirely unbelievable, nor was I, as a viewer, rooting for it. I was not invested, and mostly turned off and saddened that this is what Yumi had been reduced to: a mature woman pining after a much younger man who is showing no interest in her and can't relate to her in the way a love interest should, regardless of age. And when he finally does come around, neither of them still can't communicate their affection clearly. They are literally from two different generations, and that's never more apparent than when they try share their feelings for each other. It's awkward, uncomfortable, and disappointing. They just don't behave in the way the other expects, and yet they still wind up together?

I'm so heartbrokenly disappointed with the direction the writers chose to take this season and how they chose to give Yumi her happily ever after. She, we, and her beloved cells, all deserved better.

Read More

A queer story for queer people

Do NOT let the people telling you that this is a bromance dissuade you from watching.
As a lot of people have stated before me, this series isn’t and will never be the bromance people depict it to be.
It is a raw story about realistic life experiences from a queer perspective.
To be clear, if you’re looking for your typical queer utopian bl where the romance is the focal point and they end up living happily ever after, this is not for you.
Because yes, god forbids we’re literally anything besides being gay and in love apparently.
It feels kind of surreal to me that some people on here were expecting them to just get together and be done with it when they’ve both struggled in life and with their identities.
“They could have made it more clear” but has anyone ever considered it wasn’t even clear to the characters themselves ???
They both went through traumatic experiences and somehow all people seem to think about is watching two men kiss.
Let me tell you in case you haven’t stepped foot outside in 10 years, this is not how relationships work.
Sometimes you have to lose someone to realize the real depth of your feelings, sometimes putting a label on a relationship is not a priority and it is all completely fine.
What matters is that they could rely on each other, trust each other and love each other in their own way.
Not every relationship looks the same, and this is a great reminder to everyone watching.
And if you still think this is queerbaiting somehow, yes they did confess their feelings to each other. No it wasn’t ambiguous. And yes you will remember this series for the rest of your life.

Read More

Overall it's a nice found-family drama..

Something I appreciate about japanese dramas like this one, is the focus on found family or just family themes.

I binged this drama in one night. The music is good and is fitting. The cast is good. Risa's brother was sleezy and looked lifeless at times, it would've been nice to have seen more of Risa's backstory, to explain their sibling relationship more. Her brother will annoy you whenever he's on screen, but I was also thinking that no matter what he is still her brother, I guess maybe she pitied him in the end.

The main focus of this story was on Maria (Kengo's sister). I liked her bittersweet youthful romance with Ryota.

Now, this drama does say it's a romance, so does it live up to it?

The actors playing Kengo and Risa have a good chemistry. I only wish they had had more sweet scenes together. Like the scene where he teaches her to ride a bike. Just more scenes to make me really believe that they are meant for each other. The show ended up focusing more on building their emotional intimacy. The ending is happy. (Their romance felt more realistic and so did this drama in general)

This drama left more to be desired in the romance aspect, but I'm glad we got some scenes of them together.

The doctor character is played by the actor who plays sojiro in hana yori dango, so I just called him sojiro in this drama too haha.

I saw a comment on mydramalist asking if it really matters what her job was, or if it was just a plot device?

The ending was a bit rushed with the one year time skip and all.. jdramas typically are shorter than kdramas with 45 min episodes, for this drama I wouldn't have minded seeing 10 one hour episodes though.

Overall it was pretty good. I just watched it today so I'll let my feelings towards it marinate more.

Read More

Its cute and easy watch

This was an easy watch, centered around healing, moving on, and slowly learning how to let go of the past. The tone stays gentle throughout, never really rushing or forcing emotions, which makes it feel calm and comforting rather than heavy or dramatic.
The scenery is genuinely one of the highlight soft, peaceful, and often carrying more emotional weight than some of the dialogue, It really gives the story space to breathe, especially during the quieter moments. The overall atmosphere makes it feel like a slow reset for the characters as well as for the viewer.
The story itself is simple but effective,nothing overly complicated, just small moments that gradually build up the emotional journey
Anna and Deok Hyeon’s relationship is one of the strongest parts of it,the way they slowly support each other through shared meals, diving, swimming, and everyday routines makes their bond feel natural and grounded,It’s not about big declarations, but about quiet presence and consistency.
The lil girl friend character can be a bit annoying at times, especially in certain scenes where she feels a bit too loud or disruptive compared to the calm tone of the story but it’s not enough to really ruin the experience. The ex irked me gladly he got beaten.
Overall, it’s the kind of show you watch when you want something soft, healing, and visually soothing, without too much stress or emotional intensity.

Read More

A sweet little bedtime fairy tale for red-flag lovers

To J-drama, or not to J-drama... that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of silly plot lines and questionable style choices, or to take arms against a sea of crappy cop-out endings and, by opposing, end them. To perish... to watch no more.

Sigh

So okay, we all know that a j-drama is a j-drama is a j-drama, and only rarely does one reach escape velocity and break through into something with crossover international appeal. Is this one of them? Probably not. Yet I still think that if you are a red-flag lover, this is worth at least one watch and possibly a rewatch or two or three.

Why. Well, for starters, this whole drama is a vehicle - a very sexy vehicle - for an up and coming ML actor, Noa. Noa's professional bread-and-butter is singing, and he comes from an idol music background. Which is why it surprised me that his ML debut was such a solid performance. The role itself doesn't really have much range or complexity, it's a good beginner role. But he is very convincing in it. And very very HOT. Plus his stylist did him right, his hair, clothes, makeup all totally on point. Which is such a relief in a j-drama where normally the style note is noticeably off-key. Not this time. In fact, everyone looks fairly good and no serious couture faux-pas were committed. (Although just as a side note, I cannot WAIT for japan to get over it's fixation with those weird triangle-cut bangs on girls that are skimpy and limp and cut directly on the eye-line so that when they blink, their bangs rustle around. Gawd.)

And in fact did you know, that the OST song 'Say Yes' which is a total banger, was performed by none other than the ML himself. It's really good, and it matches the show perfectly.

Cinematography was very good. Of course it was, this is a j-drama. They are masters of cinematography. Was this a masterful work, no. But it was good. Clean, creative, gorgeous.

But what makes this really super-watchable, aside from the HOTTT ML, is the hint of yandere that runs through it. I wouldn't call this story a true yandere. But as the show progresses, you can see the red-flag behaviors coming up over and over again, and sweet bunny-rabbit FL can't see it coming that she's slowly becoming immersed in a red-flag relationship, but we can. Like ML after they've only known eachother a short while, just casually asking to see her phone (which she just gives him!) and installing a location tracker app on it so he can always see where she is. She's like "oh how convenient!"

And so as the show progresses you can feel the possessive ML claustrophobia creep in bit by bit. For people who hate this toxic crap, it's gonna make them uncomfortable. But if you like that dynamic, it's tasty.

Another strength of this show is the very good grasp of human psychology that the writer employs as they weave the plot and dialogue together. We get to see how all the elements come together of low self-esteem, parental upbringing, maladaptive coping mechanisms, the search for acceptance, rejection, stockholming, protectiveness.... that meld together to create believable characters doing believable things, couched in a fairy tale of improbable plot.

The pacing is fabulous. J-dramas often cut straight to the chase, and are very low on 'filler'. This is one of those. So much development is crammed into it that each 30 min ep feels like an hour. Yet your attention span is not challenged by things moving too fast to follow.

Overall this was a very lovely amuse-bouche that makes you want seconds. But just don't expect any *overt* yandere, and don't hold out any hope that the ending will be satisfactory or indeed even make any sense. And you might really like it. Just a delicious sense of claustrophobia that slowly rises and takes over as the ML's possessiveness/obsessiveness becomes more and more intense. Good lord, he is almost inhumanly FINE. Admittedly he needs more acting practice under his belt, but this role suited his strengths so well, and he did a great job. Can't wait to see what Noa does next with his acting career.

Wasn't the greatest thing I've ever watched, but passes the bar for "rewatchable", which for me is anything 8 or above, so...

8/10

Read More