subtle chemistry but the music got me
When I first heard “You and Me” by Lee Dong Won, I immediately downloaded it and added it to my favorites without realizing it was part of this series. Three years later, I finally had the chance to watch Happy Merry Ending. The moment the song was performed at the first wedding, I was completely immersed. It is one of my favorite love songs, and because it has been part of my playlist for so long—even finding its way into my dreams—the experience felt deeply personal and almost surreal.The chemistry between the two leads is subtle, yet unmistakable. Their connection develops naturally, proving that sometimes a simple approach to storytelling is the most effective. The series has a charm reminiscent of older romantic films, relying on quiet moments rather than dramatic gestures.
The soundtrack plays a huge role in elevating the story, and the slow-burn progression of the relationship is enjoyable from beginning to end. The production feels clean and understated, and while some may find it a bit sterile, it never needs intimate scenes to create emotional depth. Instead, it succeeds through sincerity, music, and the believable growth of its characters.
And when Sung Tae sang “My Heart” while playing the piano, my heart completely melted.
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Perfume Boy
I sure would have love to see them hold a wedding, that wedding toast would have stole the show. Scent would be like, 'Remember when we first met, and I burned down your village and tried to steal your sweat for a profit?' and Gaysorn would go. 'Remember that one time your uncle and dad tortued my mother, and then they shoved my dad down the stairs and your uncle murdered my mother? hahhaha, good times'. Lol. Anyway, this drama was beautiful, but it was so painfully predicatable.I always wonder, at what point does love start not being enough? Because here, after everything Gaysorn ended up with Scent. How is that relationship going to survive? Sure, they didn't do any of the original hurt, that's karma between Scent's family and Gaysorn's parents. Still, are the two so in-love, they'd never talk about it? Would Scent say sorry whenever Gaysorn remember his parents, cuz, at some point, the elefant in the room would be mentioned.
Anyway, as said, this drama was predictable, beautiful, but predication. You'd think a murder plot would be interesting, but after the finale, I was like, oh, it's over. The whole time, I thought the dude was dead and dreaming in a sunflower field, but apparently he grew that much in those two camera panes so... But yeah, concept was interesting, but the whole thing felt underwhelming. Frankly, I was expecting more of a fantasy vibe from the concept instead of a murder case and Scent stealing sweat.
And I say it's beautiful, cuz that flower boy was perfectly cast, some scenes with the butterflies and flowers and scent were enchanting, and that perfume maker paired well with him as always. Nice concept, it's just, except for the boy smelling like the inside of a flower shop, everything else that happened wasn't new. Typical plot of boy starts off with ill intentions, falls in love, get's caught, regrets, cry for the camera a little bit, and then bam, love conquers all, and they are back together. Meh.
Take the murder plot. Like, oh no, who killed that woman who smells like perfume? It couldn't possible be the perfume company that had a perfume with her namesake, could it? It was? waaah what a surprise. Narrowing it down, who else but that creepy uncle pressuring Scent to steal his boyfriend's scent and told him about the secret Mudan people could have done it? So, so, painfully, predictable to the point of boring and stupid.
I wish it was deeper... more. The history of the Mudan people sounded so interesting, if only the story would have stayed on them, but instead, they burned their village and shoved us back into the city... which was as interesting as it sounds. Would have loved to see him stay there and see more customs like with the wedding.
As always PearlPeak were perfectly casted for this, though the story isn't anything new, they still managed to bring their characters to life. The side characters were okay, though, what was up with those two random dudes who pretended to kiss in the end? Literally what was the point of them? Sure, they helped him, but these people pretty much didn't add anything to the story as far as I could tell. Oh well.
The father and uncle deserved what happened to them. That uncle was so manipulative, he was this close to ending poor Gaysorn's bloodline. And to think Gaysorn made himself marry into that family. Good luck buddy. And are you telling me, if Scent could easily bland flowers and grass together to make Gaysorn's scent, his uncle and dad, two experts, couldn't smell their way to the scent they wanted like he did? Right. Okay.
Anyway, a nice watch for any bl lovers, give it a chance if you have time. Looking forward to more PearlPeak, hopefully with something far better, cuz I am still on a Love in the Moonlight high.
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A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hills' Dream
2 people found this review helpful
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Slow-burn romance between polar opposites, set in the mountain-forests - really beautiful so far
I'm just loving the cute romancing over weibo chats.....and them doing everyday things together in the quiet and beautiful mountain forests...and then, their saucy back and forth, quiet intimate glances, restraint despite the obvious attraction, and all that tension...is so delish and refreshing!! The cinematography is stunning and I also love the end-credit songBL-Needle Score: 8.5. High BL-ness
I'm really liking how this is progressing and yet can not place my finger on where it is going exactly...I'm still a little lost with why Qinglang and Changyang are so familiar with each other, and why Qinglang would let Changyang take such liberties with touching, feeding, caring for him...it definitely doesn't look like what an 'usual' assistant would do ...are they childhood friends or something...but the synopsis says they have just met when Qinglang traveled to the mountains this time.
I'm glued so far. Also glad that iot has 16 episodes, which gives the story enough time to unfold
Verdict: Yes, Watch
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It was okay
I really liked the character from Yu Lei he was so cute and caring. A green Flag for real. But Chen Ke just made everything take longer that it would have needed. It was so obvious that they both had feelings for each other and Yu Lei also made it quite clear that he likes Chen ke so i just dont get why they only confessed there Feelings like 10 minutes befor the ending. Im so happy that they got there happy end but i also would have wished that would have had more time together as a Couple in the Series. I would have loved to see them lovey dovey as a Couple. And for the Atmosphere the Series was supposed to play in the 2000s but nothing in this Series gave us that kinda vibe. Yu Lei even wore a Jacket that was from a brand that was founded in 2014.... I know maybe they didnt had the biggest budget but i dont think that its that hard to not let them wear clothes that arent matching for the time. This series had so much potential it was okay.Was this review helpful to you?
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CALLING IT A MASTERPIECE WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT!!
how do i even start because this is truly a MASTERPIECE in every matter, the acting, the production, the direction, the writing, the screenplay, the music everything is so perfect. how can a show be this good?? DMD outdoes itself everytime, i have so much to express but i just don't know how to put it in words because it was that PERFECT..honestly if you are having second thoughts whether to start it or not or if you stopped watching after 2 episodes thinking it's slow or something, PLEASE DO CONTINUE IT BECAUSE IT IS THE BL OF 2026!! every episode is another level of perfection and they just raise the bar higher and higher every episode and the finale was so beautiful, it was everything i could ever ask for and also the way they explained everything was so good!!!
i always used to think nothing can top Khemjira for me because it was another level of masterpiece but now i am having second thoughts because i can't decide which is actually number 1 for me, episode 11 especially, left me speechless that what did i just witness?? the way it was shot and the way it was paced was another level of perfection.
ABOUT NETJJ, NEED I SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THEM?? they are so perfect for each other and their chemistry bleeds through the screen, not even a single dull moment, oh my goodness, the way i love them is unreal and the way i love this series is unreal, the way net acted as p'phop is perfection, the way net shows his yearning from his eyes is just too good and JJ was born to play klao/nakhun because nakhun is JJ in many waysss, i love how their story was paced and honestly i would expect nothing less from P'DEN, he is hands down THE BEST DIRECTOR for me, netjj has come to my top 3 bl pairs after this and as they should havee!!!
i love how they didn't ignore their second leads and gave them an actual good pacing and story throughout the series and i agree in some episodes their screentime was less but honestly it was for the good because they weren't that much related to the mystery and it was nicely paced till the endd!!
ALSO IF YOU ARE NOT WATCHING THIS BECAUSE YOU AREN'T A FAN OF PERIOD DRAMAS, TRUST ME IT'S DIFFERENT, it doesn't just focus on one thing, it's actually really well done and has majority of the scenes related to their story, NOT A SINGLE DULL MOMENT every scene has a purpose.
AND THE WEDDING IN THE LAST EPISODE WAS EVERYTHINGGGG, I WAS CRYINGGGG
coming to nc scenes, we know how beautifully dmd does nc scenes and they are so wholesome, all the nc in this series is so beautiful and doesn't look like that it's done just for the sake of doing it, like how do i put it, it feels so ethereal, their chemistry bleeds through the screen!!
i have yapped stuff randomly, but to conclude,
CALLING IT A MASTERPIECE IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT BECAUSE IT IS MORE THAN THAT!!
DMD HAS DONE IT AGAIN, THEY HAVE MADE ONE OF THE BEST BLS EVER... AND IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO TOP THIS!!
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At the core of this appreciation is the magnificent portrayal of affection and connection within the storyline. The narrative captures a rare, transcendent form of love that feels incredibly pure and genuine. For an individual who may never personally experience romance or intimate companionship in this lifetime, witnessing such a beautiful bond on screen offers a profound sense of vicarious fulfillment. It bridges the gap between reality and aspiration, providing a complete emotional experience through the journey of the characters.
Rather than generating a sense of longing or despair over the absence of personal romance, the series evokes a deep state of contentment. There is an unexpected peace in realizing that one does not need to possess something firsthand to appreciate its beauty or understand its power. The masterful storytelling allows the audience to feel the warmth, loyalty, and devotion inherent in true love, making the concept feel accessible and real.
Ultimately, this work stands as more than just a media production; it is a significant emotional gift. The creator succeeded in fashioning a universe where love transcends the screen and offers genuine solace to those navigating isolation or adversity. For the profound comfort, the joy, and the beautiful perspective on human connection that this series provided, the audience remains immensely grateful.
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The typical toxic chinese BL with a twist...
How to rate this? On one hand I despise the story, on the other hand it was done so perfectly. Of course I'm a bit sick of all the toxic chinese BLs because, do we really need that much toxicity? Is the world not toxic enough? As far as I can tell, the toxicity level was reduced compared to the first installment and the novels, on the other hand the scenes where Lu Feng is holding Yi Chen captive and abuses him are very painful to watch.And then Yi Chen is also sick - with Stockholm syndrom - and deciding to stay with Lu Feng in the end. But of course he decided against him first because he is the knight in shining armor to protect the love of his brother who also happens to be gay. Of course his family did not help. At least his shitty father had the decency to die in a rage outbreak, but his mother still insisted that he would marry. And because Yi Chen is Yi Chen he does what his mother wants, even when she also dies soon after. Why the woman who loved him, did marry him, knowing he is gay, is beyond me. So it seems she is also sacrifing herself. But at least they get a divorce and because they changed the script, they don't have a child, so there was no intimicy whatsoever.
It's a bit sad, that we have always such characters especially in BLs. Yi Chen sacrifices himself - for what? Lu Feng was driven mad and due his medical condition, it escalated. At least in the finale we get the medical reason why Lu Feng did all the shitty things he did, which is neither in the book nor in most other toxic BLs. His bipolar disorder - also formely known as manic depression - at least explains a lot. He was a maniac for sure. Xi Chen did the only reasonable thing and forced him to get the treatment he needed for more than ten years.
Production quality was of course top notch and the OST was excellent. Acting was also very good for me. So, as usual, everyone who has mental issues should definitively not watch this series. At least with Yi Chen brother and his lover we got the typical fluffy BL stuff many wish for but only in limited quantity. Watch at your own peril!
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A Promising Start
The impressions of the drama are rather mixed: it begins as a promising and lively rom-com, but in the second half it noticeably loses momentum, shedding its initial spark and slipping into a rather simple, at times dragging melodrama. The plot clearly lacks balance. Instead of keeping the audience in suspense, the writers brought the main leads together way too early. As a result, their romance turned into a predictable routine of hand-holding, kissing, and eating noodles together.The supporting storylines are rather weak as well: somewhat silly love triangles, a poorly handled redemption arc of a deranged secretary, unnecessary and chaotic appearances of No Gi Juns sisters, as well as a finale where a large-scale corporate conflict is resolved in just five minutes.
Nevertheless, the drama does have its strong sides that prevent it from being a bad project. Its main highlight is the charismatic cast and the convincingly portrayed emotions. The female lead is especially impressive: her resilience, sharp mind, ability to endure pressure, and to stand up to those who try to hurt her truly save the show. At the same time, her dominant role in the relationship creates mixed feelings. She is always the one making decisions and having the final word, which makes No Gi Jun appear like an inexperienced young man by comparison. Some people might like this kind of dynamic, but it made me uncomfortable.
Still, the strong cast, well-developed characters, psychological nuances of relationships, and charming leads make the drama worth watching, even if there is a lingering feeling that its potential was not fully realized.
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Double The Stress!!
No matter what universe the answer will still be no.No to Yi Chen's mother. Should have died sooner. Yes, I said it.
No to his brother. In fact, add a slap to that. Blocked his brother's happiness and then went on to have his happy life and felt he was in a position to criticize. One leg didn't seem appropriate.
No to the blame Lu Feng had to endure for his honesty and insinuating that he corrupted Yi Chen, when the brother was getting his rocks off on the down low. But let's all blame Lu Feng.
No to Lu Feng's sister and family. Another set of happy campers forcibly imposing their rules and exacerbating his mental illness while having a beautiful successful life. Again, another set of parents that lived too long.
No to shooting Yi Chen and blaming everything on Lu Feng. Yes she came to help but bring authorities not a gun. It is okay to kill Lu Feng but not the jellyfish.
No to Yi Chen taking so long to grow a spine that I thought he was a jelly fish. His escapism was just as ill as Lu Feng's bipolar behavior, just quieter. Had the audacity to show up for an interview and took of his glasses to get back in. Diabloical. He knew the power he held.
No to Yi Chen trying to protect his mother at the same time discarding Lu Feng.
No to Yi Chen not appreciating what Lu Feng did by severing his relationship with his family for him.
No to the pain and suffering Lu Feng put Yi Chen through, especially with the psychiatrist, when he knew he had a problem.
No to Lu Feng taking Yi Chen forcefully.
No to Lu Feng not accommodating Yi Chen's desire to top him. He had to assume the bottom role by default. Would once every 10 years be so bad? No. Relationship still not intune.
For 12 ep I was stressed out of my mind with these two.
Yes to the writers, production team and actors.
I would have preferred not seeing the brother in the last ep but hey, they didn’t ask me. The only good thing on seeing him is when Lang basically told him he could've sent him crazy too with his attitude. Yet he was so judgemental of Lu Feng. I hated Yi Chen's expression in the later eps. His mouth looked like a guppy when he was clueless. I loved the commitment they felt for each other. I loved when Yi Chen said "We'll go crazy together."
Overall, decent.
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Where do I find a Qin Lang
Stop comparing Lu Feng to Fan Xiao. One is a desperate black flag, the other is a menaceCan we please banish the TikTok and X timelines from comparing Lu Feng to Fan Xiao from *To My Shore*? It is literally apples to oranges.
Fan Xiao was an absolute menace to society a calculated, manipulative playboy who wrecked lives for sport and carried unadulterated, toxic, chaotic energy from Episode 1 to the finale.
Lu Feng on the other hand? Yeah, he’s a certified black flag, who needs serious therapy, but his toxicity comes from a place of desperate, unhinged trauma and total obsession. He isn't playing a game; he’s just completely lost his sanity over Xiao Chen. Lu Feng doesn’t even touch the baseline level of malice Fan Xiao possessed.
People in the comments are dragging Xiao Chen for being passive and making frustrating choices, but they are completely missing the plot. His external environment is literally a chokehold.
He didn’t just "choose" to walk away or enter a sham marriage; he was completely crushed by family expectations, societal judgment, and a mountain of guilt. The show does a phenomenal job of showing how a person’s spirit gets entirely dismantled by their circumstances. It feels brutally, heartbreakingly real. He isn't a red flag; he’s a victim of a system designed to break him.
Xiao Chen’s Mom Deserves Her Own Antagonist Arc
We need to talk about that episode. The sheer, unadulterated frustration I felt watching Xiao Chen’s mom weaponise her failing health to manipulate him was insane.
She didn't just guilt-trip him; she held a masterclass in emotional terrorism. Using your last dying breaths to lock your son in a heteronormative closet and make him feel responsible for your illness? Absolutely wild, toxic behaviour. She is the real villain of this story, period.
Yes, 90% of their problems could have been solved if they had sat down and used their words like functioning adults. Xiao Chen can’t communicate to save his life, and Lu Feng communicates so aggressively that he destroys everything in his path.
But honestly? What is the actual point of a drama without the drama? This is a Lan Lin adaptation (*A Round Trip to Love* universe)—if they had a healthy, mature conversation in Episode 3, the show would be a 20-minute short film. We signed up for the angsty, devastating, tragic trainwreck, and *Double Helix* delivers exactly that.
The Verdict:
The acting is top-tier (Ayden Sng and Lyu Sitong have insane chemistry), the pacing is a massive upgrade from the 2016 movies, and it seamlessly shifts from university romance to family horror.
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Slow burn to love ❤️
If you love the "hidden depths" and "colleagues-to-lovers" tropes, this series setup hits all the right notes, injecting a familiar corporate framework with emotional maturity and tension.Why It Works
The "Secretly Judgmental" Dynamic: Having Kaji be secretly judgmental adds a brilliant layer of internal conflict. His initial perception of Fukami is flawed, making the realization of his colleague's "unexpected charm" incredibly satisfying as his pride melts in real-time.
The Overnight Trip Catalyst: The classic forced proximity trope. Moving outside sterile office walls forces them to drop their corporate personas, making it the perfect high-stakes setting to transition from passive coworkers to active conspirators.
A "Casual Arrangement" with Weight: Basing their arrangement on shared views on love gives it immediate depth. It implies both men are guarded or pragmatic, making their eventual slide into genuine love feel earned rather than forced.
The Challenge
The pacing of the "casual to genuine" transition is everything. To truly shine, the story needs to let the blurred lines, and quiet, vulnerable moments do the heavy lifting so the tension doesn't evaporate too quickly.
I really enjoyed this BL
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Best Friends Forever Vibe, with a Race of Who Dies the Most Efficient between Lovers.
I don’t usually watch xuanhuan genre cuz I am usually too lazy to try understand different worlds with different power systems, but somehow I just had the urge to try on this one because I saw that the ML is going to be in the upcoming Ashes to Crown, which novel I liked, so i wanted to see his work beforehand. This is the first time that i saw him anyway.The story takes place in the middle part of Donghua’s Soul Land - the journey of Tang San, a soul master with dual martial soul, with his group of 6 other friends that he befriended in Shrek Academy. Upon graduation in the first episode, they parted ways with a promise to reunite 5 years later. The story tells about their power growth journey, about how they overcame various challenges as Martial Soul Hall sees them as a threat after defeating the Martial Soul Hall team in the Soul Arena, Especially for Tang San, whose beloved is 10,000yo Soul Beast, who had transformed into a human Xiao Wu, coveted by the Martial Soul Hall Supreme Chief Bibi Dong to advance in her cultivation in her attempt to rule the Duoluo Continent.
Honestly the plot is quite interesting with amazing powers that we could only dream of having. Tang San is the usual zero-to-hero focal point of the show, having to get the best of luck of encountering great treasures, personas and powers that helped him to advance in his cultivation. Despite being a soul master of the control branch, he is indeed the best fighter in the team surpassing Storm Attack branch Dai Mubai whom shouldve been the best of the best in fights, or the keen attack branch Zhu Zhuqing. Of course he is, he is the hero! Anyway, I love the CGI they did not look cheap at all. I’ve always loved Tang San’s spider claws in the Donghua and they really did it well here. They closely follow the donghua, some parts even have identical dialogues. I am impressed. Totally love all the action sequences, especially when it is Tang San doing the fighting.
The ML looks ordinary here, i sometimes confuse him with another character in the first few episodes. 🤣 i can’t bring myself to like Xiao Wu although I love the actress’ face. She’s so dang beautiful! I just couldnt like Xiao Wu cuz 1, she’s too whiny acting cutesy in donghua and in liveaction, 2, the character always try to look tough but usually gets injured the most in the Shrek 7’s soul fights in the donghua. Although in the liveaction the character actually execute some powerful fights after she became Tang San’s soul ring, the weakly and whiny act of the resurrected Xiao Wu just put me off each time she comes on. And 3, I can’t feel the chemistry between Tang San and Xiao Wu, in donghua and in the adaptation cuz i keep seeing them as brother and sister instead of a couple (that is how they started off in the donghua anyway) so I utilized the fastforward button each time their lovey dovey scenes came on. Too bad cuz I really liked the actress. You can say the only thing that keeps my interest on Soul Land is Tang San’s personal growth journey.
The wardrobe department needed some improvement in creativity though, some of the girls’ clothing are so tacky. The only one that had nice wardrobe was Qian Renxue. Although, as tacky as they looked, theyre definitely way better than the skimpy scraps the girl characters don in the donghua. And i can’t help but notice that some of the characters didnt do the donghua characters enough justice. Like Dean Flander, how did he become a scholar when he looks like a rouge soldier in the donghua? Honestly I think General Ge Long actually looks the closest to Donghua’s Flander with his big frame and face and I was imagining Vengo Gao as Yu Xiaogang. Anyway moving on, it is also very tiring to see how they had to display each of our seven leads’ reactions during each moment of shock or surprise. I mean, cant they share a frame instead of showing 7 reactions one frame for each character in each occasion? I roll my eyes each time they do this, cuz it took so long to finish all 7 reactions! Gosh! That little race between lovers trying to do their best to thoroughly die for their other half is touching in the first few times but becomes comical when they keep repeating the same thing over and over again. It’s like “so you think you can die for me? Hey look at this, I can die better than you, you’d go through hell on earth trying to resurrect me” kind of competition. Hilarious when you see it enough time on screen. But hey, that’s xuanhuan/xianxia for you, dying isnt the end of the story. 😆 though seeing this kind of trope every few episodes eventually tend to feel too over the top.
And I totally did not expect to see Liu Yuning making a guest appearance here!
The soundtrack is great though. It’s packed with catchy songs and bgm, some even stuck in my head i cant help but hum along.
I have seen better work, but this show isnt a waste of my time either. It’s an all right kind of show, not quite impressive but not too forgettable too.
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Double Disaster (AI used in transitions)
Trigger Warning - SA! Suicide attempt! Self-harm! I'll have to give some major spoilers to explain why I have given this drama a low rating but essentially it involves the triggers and how they were handled. It is an attack on one's sensibilities. Also, this drama uses AI for overhead city and street scenes. There is literally a car driving on the wrong side of the road in one part.Frankly the plot was interesting at first. Guy falls in love with his school mate. Being of the same gender, they face critcism not just from the school but also their parents who want them separated. Even after years pass, when they finally meet again, they again face problems due to their families. Up until this point, the plot is good. The struggle is valid.
The problems with the plot started when they first threw in non-consensual sex. This was when Lu Feng and Yi Chen become intimate for the very first time. Lu Feng refuses to stop when told no. It was disturbing but unfortunately there are too many BLs like this. Yi Chen walks out, Lu Feng apologises saying he'll never to do it again.
Years later, Lu Feng has only grown angrier as a person and his behaviour is more disturbing. He not only causes YiChen's mother to be hospitalised, his attack also injures YiChen's younger brother. He takes no responsibility for his actions. After the second separation, Lu Feng upon meeting YiChen again, drugs him, assaults him, keeps him hostage, assaults him again after YiChen attempts suicide. Again, he does nothing to make up for these and it is brushed aside by the drama.
The show tries their best to minimise everything by giving Lu Feng a psychiatric disorder. That doesn't do away with rape but we gotta have a happy ending so by drama logic, all's good!
Besides these major problems in how they dealt with the character's "short comings", there were many moments that were simply repetitive. They practically destroyed the chemistry between the two since one was abusive and the other was tolerating abuse and not even capable of speaking for himself. His masochistic tendencies made me dislike him adding to this disastrous storyline. I couldn't see them together anymore. It was torture. The last two episodes were a struggle. Also, sorry to say, Yi Chen's half open mouth expressions were meh. He has very blunted emotions most of the time as a character which make him quite boring.
The few good things about this drama besides the initial real life homophobia depictions were the healthy relationship between little YiChen (both brothers have the same name) and his green flag boyfriend, Qin Lang. To be honest, the only actor that I found attractive among these 4 leads is Fa Xuan Ge. I wish he had a longer role. Respectful, caring, giving, sensible, you name it. And frankly this second couple makes the first look even more like a train wreck. The contrast between how Lu Feng and Qin Lang handle situations are stark! The younger brother, YiChen - though his character is not very remarkable but at least his concern for his brother came through as genuine.
The BEST thing about this show though is the music. Forget the Double Headache of a drama, just listen to the OST and call it a day!
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A well arounded achievement that will dwell in your heart
LOVE UPON A TIME - ReviewYesterday I finally watched episde 12, the finale, and what a finale it was; one of those, if you went along the dangers, the love, the challanges, the sadness is like a great triumphant ending of a symphony, one of the kind of ending that sticks for you long thereafter.
Since it is the premise that is know Natkun is send back to the time 400 years ago into the Ayutthaya period of Thailand with a task that he needs to bring completion and justice. Net and JJ are the ship as Phop and captain of the guard and Natkun/Khlao, who lives Phob's family household due to previous tragedy.
Personally I admit, I didn't understand why JJ playing so overreating and partially comedic felt so out of place. A GenZ kid suddently in a 400 years before place, I didn't find this overreaction misplaced and giving a bit a fun into an otherwise non-comedy series wasn't even noticed by me until others mentioned it as strange.
Anyway, even if the first or the first two episodes put you off, I am not overstating when I say, LOVE UPON A TIME is one of a few really great BL's, it achieves to be more than even some other great series: it creates a place you feel like you live in it alongside with all the others. Like a not connected invisible person being THERE. And it is especially that achievement that will make a great impact on my rating, since even other great series like Me and Thee or Khemjira, I felt to be great, but only in LOVE UPON A TIME I felt like I AM THERE.
The series managed to balance perfectly between a love story, a crime story and a period drama, where none of the parts loses or overextends at the expense of the other, they are more than balanced, they perfectly intertwine over time. There are many reveals, many very special moments of BL, crime and drama, a wonderful scenic place and cinematography, and good and not intrustive music and each character, from the MC to the Second Couple and the "background" characters, every single one was doing great in their role and place.
I will take this series in my heart as a place I have been, not merely a series I have watched. I know nothing of the actors previously, and I prefer it that way. Sure, there are things of preference when it comes to acting, but I felt all the right buttons pushed and all characters plausible. And that finale of finales! I assume some may have seen it spoiled but I shall do none of the like. If Net and JJ had the stardom level of Pond and Phuwin or Fourth and Gemini, the series would have been even more recognized, but Net and JJ didn't show being any less good in these role, if you ask me.
This with my heart still being somewhat in old Thailand, I comfortably give this a deserved
10/10
Must have seen.
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2 literally crazy people in love
I think this drama was just wayy too toxic for me. I came here after "To My Shore" which also had a black flag but with a really good redemption arc. This one was just pure torture for me. There was just 1 episode where everyone was happy i.e. the trip episode and the rest of the series is filled with toxicity and homophobia.I absolutely despise Lu Feng and I still don't feel he actually truely loves Yi Cheng but is just obsessed over him. The entire series he just keeps raping him over and over again with no explanation. Ends up ragebaiting all their homophobic parents to the grave and keeps hurting Yi Cheng since ep 1. I'm not sure why people don't see that and just are like oh no Yi Cheng is the bad guy.
But 1 thing I liked was that they didn't normalize it but they showed that Lu Feng was actually mentally ill the whole time.
Coming to the acting it was just 🤌🤌🤌. Especially the scene where Yi Cheng's ex comes to save Yi Cheng from Lu Feng. The hug mixed with fear, anger and confusion and the fact that the audience could see all 3 like damn.
I absolutely loved the 2nd couple. Both He Jia Shu and Fa Xuan Ge❤️❤️❤️❤️ they're adorable. I know the brother kinda messes up in the middle but for me that wasn't exactly a big deal cz that issue was resolved n Lu feng messed up again🙄.
Overall it's good. But 1 time is all i can watch this
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