Reviews

Speed dating on crack - fun edition.

Honestly, I had a blast watching. All the contestants were extremely unique (or at least far more unique than the usual bunch we get in shows like that) with their own distinctive charms. As individuals I loved them, as for the relationships, I had some questions.

Seeing how many couples ended up actually dating after the show, I’d say it was a massive win. Do I understand how at least some are still together? No. But then I saw just a tiny part of their interactions in a short period of a week they lived together.

On a personal level I truly liked Siwon and Jihye. They both seemed really determined and direct - knowing what they liked and what they dislike, being honest with people they interact with.

On the entertainment side I loved Jungwon - what a fox he was. I was shocked by more than one of his decisions and actions.

Pairings one, I adored Siwon and Yujin - they were such an unexpected ship for me, but I loved how wholesome their dates were.

For the criticisms, , it’s the usual: wish the show was longer - not even necessarily more episodes, but they staying together longer. One week is a ridiculously short period of time, especially since if they pick each other at the end, they are called “couples”... when they are still in the process of getting to know each other.

Then I wish there was more variety of age gaps, but also for the smallest age gap being larger than here. The catfish this season was way too young.

Overall, I liked it more than season 1 for sure.

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So so so good!!!

(Sorry for my english + its my first review)
I watched many dramas and I think this one is one of the best I've watched. Characters that are very real, not some good or bad guys, relationship progress, nice shots, good music.

Not once i felt this tightness in my chest waching this. I laughed, I got agitated, I was moved and I think thats the most important think, that I felt many emotions watching this drama.

Two main characters are very good writen, they emotions, they dialogs, everything.

One little flaw is rushen ending in last epizodem. I think if this drama had at least 14 episodes there would be better ending

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A Parody not intended to be a Parody

My rating 7.5/10

Review

If you enjoy what I would call the modern, streaming-platform interpretation of a South Korean romance, then this might be for you. If you're a longtime K-drama fan looking for the qualities that made the genre so beloved, I think you'll find this pretty disappointing.

To me, Spring Fever feels like another casualty of the recent trend of international streaming platforms trying to recreate the K-drama formula without fully understanding what makes it work. It's as if someone studied the tropes, character archetypes, and story beats, checked every box, and still managed to get almost all of them just slightly wrong. The result feels less like a classic K-drama and more like an imitation of one.

I generally don't love shorter-format dramas, although they certainly can work. Here, though, the pacing felt off in the opposite direction. The story had essentially resolved the major developments, yet there were still several episodes left, making it feel like the drama had run out of meaningful things to say before it actually ended.

More importantly, it lacks the complexity that makes so many Korean romances engaging. The characters never develop enough depth to become genuinely compelling, the emotional moments rarely feel earned, and nearly every trope feels inserted because the script thinks it should be there rather than because the story naturally arrives there.

There were honestly times when I couldn't decide whether the writers were intentionally making a parody of K-drama tropes or simply executing them poorly. The dramatic catches, the prolonged staring contests, the perfectly timed romantic moments—they happened so often, and with so little subtlety, that I genuinely wondered if the drama was poking fun at the genre. I was several episodes in before I finally concluded that wasn't the intention. They were simply trying to play the tropes straight, and for me they just didn't land. That ultimately sums up how I felt about the entire drama. It felt like it understood the checklist of what goes into a K-drama but not why those elements became beloved in the first place. Instead of feeling heartfelt or charming, many of the familiar moments came across as awkward imitations of much better dramas.

I also continue to dislike the recent trend of writing female leads who are overly bossy, excessively independent to the point of pushing everyone away, and almost impossibly unforgiving. That's simply not an attractive personality to me, regardless of whether it's a male or female character. Likewise, the male lead spends too much of the early story acting so exaggerated and awkward that it takes far too long to become invested in him.

Even the romantic dynamics never really come together. The love triangle doesn't work because the second male lead is never presented as someone worth rooting for, so there is never even a hint of second lead syndrome. The second couple also falls flat because the female half of that pairing is so consistently rude and petty that it's difficult to invest in their relationship. Even the older romance struggles because the man spends so much time treating her poorly that her developing feelings for him never feel particularly convincing.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. There are simply too many genuinely great K-dramas available. I don't regret finishing it, but had I known beforehand how this drama approached its characters and storytelling, I would have skipped it entirely.

Other reviewers also frequently pointed to the uneven pacing, inconsistent tonal shifts between comedy and romance, reliance on familiar tropes, and underdeveloped supporting characters. While some viewers enjoyed the lighthearted atmosphere more than I did, I found those problems overshadowed anything the drama did well.

Spoilers

I never connected with Yoon Bom (female lead) early on. Her gloomy, self-imposed isolation and the speech she gave herself about becoming withdrawn just didn't make much sense to me. I completely understood why she arrived at her new school not wanting to trust anyone. After all, none of the teachers or administrators at her previous school had supported her during the incident that upended her life, so it made perfect sense that she'd be guarded and reluctant to open up. The problem is that the writers took that understandable caution and pushed it into something much stranger. Instead of simply being quiet and withdrawn, they wrote her as oddly awkward and eccentric in ways that felt more forced than believable. I know they were aiming for comedy, but for me it just made her character feel weird rather than sympathetic.

Likewise, I struggled with Seon Jae-gyu (male lead) in the opening episodes. I understand the writers were aiming for comedy, but his exaggerated "superhero" moments simply weren't integrated well. One moment the drama would be relatively grounded, and the next he'd be flying through the air like Superman. Slapstick comedy absolutely can work, but it requires careful setup and consistency. Here, it mostly came across as cheesy rather than charming.

I understood why Bom initially assumed Jae-gyu was some kind of gangster because of his tattoos. Given South Korean cultural attitudes toward tattoos, that first impression made sense. What didn't make sense was the entire town continuing to believe that for years despite seeing him devote himself to raising Han-gyeol. Someone who sacrifices that much for a child would naturally earn a very different reputation over time.

More importantly, this contradicted how the townspeople themselves were written. One of the things I actually liked about the community was that, despite all the rumors surrounding Bom when she arrived, they got to know her for themselves instead of judging her based on gossip. They accepted her because of the person they actually met. That was part of what made the townspeople so charming. If they could extend that grace to a complete stranger, it made no sense that the very same people would spend years refusing to recognize the character of a man they had watched lovingly raise his nephew. I think the writers were trying to make Bom the one person who truly understood him, but in doing so they undermined the consistency of the entire town.

Choi Yi-joon (second male lead) never became a sympathetic rival for me. He often bordered on being more of a villain than a believable second lead, so the romantic tension never really worked. Rather than creating a compelling love triangle, he mostly came across as someone I simply wanted out of the story. One of the biggest disappointments was that there was never even the slightest hint of second lead syndrome. The writers completely undermined that aspect of the romance by making him so unlikeable from beginning to end.

Ironically, my favorite character was probably the dog. That's often true for me, but in this case the dog genuinely made several scenes more enjoyable. Whenever I found myself getting frustrated with the writing, the dog's presence usually managed to make those moments more watchable.

The storyline involving Bom's mother suddenly deciding to become protective of her daughter was one of several moments that made me think, "Oh, come on." She had never truly changed as a person and still cared more about avoiding controversy than acknowledging the abuse her daughter suffered. Because of that, her sudden possessiveness and stalking behavior felt completely unearned.

The secondary romance between Seon Han-gyeol (nephew) and Choi Se-jin (second female lead) never worked for me either. She was consistently rude and dismissive toward him, to the point where I genuinely felt sorry for him. Rather than coming across as playful banter or a tsundere personality, it simply felt emotionally abusive.

The sporting event storyline was another low point. I never fully understood why Bom became so determined to pressure Jae-gyu into helping her win. She claimed it was for the elderly woman who wanted a medal, but that motivation never felt convincing, and the drama hinted at deeper reasons without ever clearly explaining them. The end result was Jae-gyu breaking a promise to Han-gyeol in order to prioritize Bom, which didn't sit well with me.

Se-jin's entire conflict also frustrated me. Her resentment toward Han-gyeol boiled down to the fact that he performed slightly better than she did. She constantly pressured him, making him feel guilty for succeeding, and when he intentionally let her win, she became angry because she thought he pitied her. The writing seemed to be aiming for a tsundere dynamic, but instead she just came across as petty and mean-spirited. Other reviewers often described her as immature, but I thought the writing pushed her well beyond that into simply being unlikeable.

Even the older romance failed to land for me. The older man spent so much of the series treating the older woman poorly that I never found myself believing her feelings developed naturally. The drama seemed to expect the audience to overlook his behavior because romance was the destination, but for me the emotional journey simply wasn't there.

I was relieved that the storyline involving Han-gyeol's biological mother didn't go the predictable route. I was worried the drama would have him immediately believe she had always wanted him while painting Jae-gyu as the villain who kept them apart. Thankfully, the truth came out. However, I really wish the drama had followed that revelation with a heartfelt conversation between Han-gyeol and Jae-gyu. After everything his uncle sacrificed—not just raising him, but raising him exceptionally well—he deserved genuine recognition and gratitude.

Then, of course, the drama included the obligatory separation trope. I never felt it was necessary. It seemed to exist solely so Bom could further establish herself as a teacher after clearing her name. While it gave her professional closure, I don't think the romance benefited from the separation at all.

The proposal scene was actually quite sweet until Bom opened the "when you miss me" gift and immediately became upset because it wasn't expensive jewelry. That reaction completely undercut the emotional meaning behind the gift. Most people would have recognized that he was giving her something deeply meaningful—something connected both to his scars and to how they first met. Instead, her reaction came across as surprisingly shallow. Perhaps the scene could have worked if Jae-gyu had intentionally anticipated her response as part of a joke, but the dialogue made it clear he sincerely chose the gift because of what it represented.

I also wish the fire involving Jae-gyu's father had been handled differently. I could absolutely understand him choosing to save Han-gyeol first if saving both people wasn't possible. However, the way the drama portrayed the scene made it seem as though he simply abandoned his father, and that felt completely out of character. Even considering how abusive his father had been, I don't believe that matched the compassionate person the series had established.

Finally, I never bought Yi-joon's obsession with Bom's mother as a longtime celebrity fan. It's certainly possible for younger people to admire older actors, but the way this relationship was written felt awkward and unnatural. Their dynamic never really made sense, and it added yet another subplot that felt disconnected from the rest of the story.

Overall, Spring Fever felt like a drama that understood the surface-level ingredients of a K-drama without understanding why those ingredients work. It checked off the expected tropes but rarely earned them. The characters lacked the warmth and complexity that make great K-dramas memorable, the romances never became emotionally compelling, and several of the storylines felt more frustrating than satisfying. I finished it, but I wouldn't recommend it when there are so many stronger dramas that execute these same ideas far better.

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The kingly version of Detective K and Detective Dee

In the spirit of Detective K, from start to finish, viewers are plunged into the comedic world of King Ye Jong as he fights back against those who want to usurp his throne and place the king's nephew there instead. While doing so, the comedic king delves into solving a prophecy about the coming end to his reign. Along with his faithful companion, a recorder, the king delves into human combustion, ghost fish, and just plain mutiny. For me, never has a Korean king been this funny or acted so "unkingly" in a kdrama or kmovie.

Even though the story is a run of the mill story done many times, it makes use of humor and modern inventions. Our king never takes himself too seriously and often does some really outrageous things that are both gross and funny. In addition, I loved the creative inventions the villains used to make the prophecy come true. This made want to keep watching to see what else they came up with. However, there are several problems with the story. First, viewers are left hanging about certain characters and their endings. In one instance, the king states that a rebellion will end with the killing of the main perpetrator, but we later see other heads hanging on the palace gates. Who were these people? Also, sometimes it is hard to tell that the king is a king. There are not enough serious moments of him as king to help establish that he is indeed the king. Was this intentional or an oversight?

The music, though forgettable, does enhance the emotions the viewer should have during the scene. This movie is the first time that I actually paid attention to the bgm and how it brought out the emotions of the scene. My only struggle with the music is that it is often loud and I found myself turning the volume up and down during the movie. Something I don't do often.

Lee Sun Kyun. as the king, embraces and embellishes his character, so much so that you eagerly want to join him on his adventures. I will be checking out some of his other works as his comedic timing is wonderful. The other actors did a wonderful job as well, but none of them really stood out to me.

Overall this was an enjoyable watch from start to finish. If you like Detective K movies, this movie is for you.

Happy movie watching!

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A SWEET COMING-TO-AGE SERIES

I'm so glad I decided to watch this series. Honestly, I just intended to watch the first episode due to curiosity towards AlmondProgress and the whole series. Fortunately, I was hooked and got interested to follow the whole series. I never regretted doing so.
It's a sweet coming-to-age series. It tackled young queer love set in the late 90's era, without complicating the storyline by adding homophobia. It's like young kids being afraid to ruin their friendship through confessing their romantic feelings. It also tackled identity crisis in terms of career path, which is relatable to most high school students about to enter college life.
Watching the gang or the characters made me reminisce my high school life and made me want to go back with the intention of changing the past in terms of falling in love as a queer individual. It made me miss my high school friends, too. I just miss my childhood.
The young actors portrayed their character well. AlmondProgress had good chemistry and had acted so well. KenPaul did so well, too. I hope they are truly having fun being in this industry and not feeling pressured to do kissing scenes with their pairings.
Overall, the series delivered well. Hoping to see the young actors in future projects soon. They have a bright future.

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IT'S A SPECIAL, NOT A NEW SEASON

I would like to commend the acting of all the cast. Splendid cast, by the way. It's a rare sight to see four popular couples of GMMTV in one series, with one GL pairing added in this special (four pairing in total). All of the main casts has shown their mastery in their craft. They portray their characters so well. It's not them actors while they're acting but they are really the characters of the series.
I love how this special started how Me And Thee started, like a callback or reference. Peach (Phuwin) is now not alone doing the things he usually do, because he's now married with Thee (Pond). I also love how the special remained consistent in referencing old lakorn just as how Me And Thee was referencing them before. I loved how they retained Thee's absurdity and while making him a bit more sane and mature. I really love the first part when Thee surprisingly considered letting Peach go back to work and keeping his promise long before they were married. He's saying like "I don't want you to lose yourself while choosing to love me." He's a man of his words. I also love that they remained as comedic as possible but still with a bit of seriousness or drama.
It just feels so short for me. Four episodes (four weeks) just feel so short for me. They could add more scenes with their chosen children and more scenes of them as a family. Overall, it's a funny, romantic, and a bit serious drama. It's all-in-one series.

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It's okay but nothing more

Well, i'm a big fan of Dilbara and her roles in this period like with Eternal Love and others like that so i started this one too and its "meh". It's not really bad, i dont regret watching it but their plenty of problems. The good news its the drama have de "2017 vibes" in term of acting and realisation, but their a big proble : the ML. Sériously in 48 épisodes épisodes i'have seen only one face/type of emotion from him.

The story was okay but the execution is terrible, Dilbara is okay, i mean she doing the same job as her previous drama from this period but the others actors damn it's very not a high level.

Watch it if you like Dilbara acting from this periode and the vibes of 2017-2020 dramas, otherwise its not a big deal if you skip it.

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To cope after Taxi Driver

I remember reading the manhwa but this was really good, I think it’s one of the best releases of 2026.

This drama was very fun(satisfying revenge), handling heavy themes but also having some comedy and engaging stories. The ending was particularly bittersweet.

People say it’s for people who like weak hero and study group, though it does have action aspects I think the true meaning strays outside of that. For people who like dramas about a group of struggling people banding together for justice. I think it’s for people who liked dramas like Vincenzo or Taxi Driver.

And it does deeply remind me of our Taxi Driver crew, Taxi driver if it had more glimmer and sparkles. But excited for season 2 (Maybe to cope with the ending of Taxi Driver another banger).

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ANIMALISTIC DISASTER

The first 2 episodes nothing more than NCs with pretty visuals. But eventually it gets better in episode 3 and you can see a potential plot in all of this mess.

They finally discovered the ability of communication and not only sniffing each other like dogs. Yes, I do get that this is omegaverse, but still this kind of intimate acts could be performed with much more gentleness and grace. I can't stand to watch these scenes at all. All of them look clumsy and unnecessary. If you skip them all nothing much changes..

Is acting in the room with us????
Ok, joking, everything's not really that bad.

~ I really love how Oat (Phasta) portrays emotions maybe not flawless but still better than half of the cast .

~ Boat ( Nakhun) seems a little bit stiff sometimes while performing, but still doing good job. He remindes me of Lee Do (from kpop group oneus) sometimes.
I don't like the stylist's job here. He has nice constitution but why do they hide them in all this feminine clothing? Even if the novel requires it still this could be done much better then curling his hair and wearing a blouse.

All of the supporting characters feel so blank to me. I don't know if the development gets better.

Overall, it is obvious that production is cheap, but they've done everything that was possible I guess. It has plenty of rooms for improving. But it is bad as it is now...

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Smile After Tears — Beautiful Ideas, Missing Emotions

Taiwan has produced some of my favorite BLs over the years. Whether it's We Best Love, See Your Love, Plus & Minus, Be Loved in House: I Do, or The On1y One, Taiwanese productions have a unique way of making emotions feel genuine. That's exactly why I was looking forward to Smile After Tears. The premise had everything I enjoy: first love, music, fantasy, grief, and a director, Chiang Ping Chen, whose previous BLs I have loved. Unfortunately, this is one of those rare Taiwanese BLs that left me emotionally disconnected. The story itself was never the problem. A romance interrupted by death, with one character trying to help the person he loves move on from the afterlife, is a beautiful concept. It's also a theme we've seen in several BLs before. Whether through reincarnation, ghosts, or unfinished goodbyes, many series have explored the idea that love can continue after death. Smile After Tears doesn't reinvent that formula, but it didn't need to. What mattered was making me feel the loss.

Sadly, that's where the series struggled the most. Death should completely change the emotional atmosphere of a story. Here, it almost feels like another plot point. The characters cry very little, the grief comes and goes incredibly quickly, and before I had time to process what happened, the story had already moved on to the next scene. Instead of allowing silence, sadness and absence to settle, the editing constantly pushes the narrative forward. As a result, I never truly felt the weight of losing one of the main characters.

Brian Cheng's character also made that emotional journey more difficult for me. I understand why he exists in the story. Loving someone since childhood while knowing that person loves someone else could have added another layer to the grief. Instead, I often found his presence frustrating. Rather than helping me experience Jun Jia's loss, his storyline repeatedly pulled my attention away from the emotion I was supposed to be feeling. That also affected Chang Junjia's performance. At first, I wondered if he simply wasn't expressive enough. But the more I watched, the more I realised I don't think the acting was the real issue. I actually believe the problem came from the directing and especially the editing.

There are moments where Chang Junjia clearly shows pain. He cries, he breaks down, and you can see the emotion is there. The problem is that those moments rarely last. The series cuts away so quickly that the audience never has time to stay with his grief. A few minutes later, he's smiling again, continuing his daily life, and the emotional impact almost disappears. Because of that, the title itself started to lose its meaning for me. A smile after tears should feel earned. It should represent healing after a long journey through grief. Here, the smile often arrived before I believed the tears had even ended. Instead of seeing someone slowly learning to live again, I sometimes felt as if Jun Jia simply accepted everything far too easily. He kept telling us how much he missed Yan Kai, but I rarely felt that longing through the way the story was edited.

Ironically, that's what disappointed me the most. This wasn't a script problem. The ideas were all there. The fantasy element works, the relationship between the leads is sweet, and the music naturally connects the different stages of their story. Even the production remains beautiful from beginning to end, something I've come to expect from Chiang Ping Chen's work. Considering he previously directed series such as Be Loved in House: I Do, Plus & Minus, See Your Love and Secret Lover, I honestly expected the emotional pacing to be much stronger.

Final Thought

Smile After Tears isn't a bad BL. In fact, I actually liked it. It has a touching premise, a lovable cast, beautiful cinematography and several genuinely heartfelt moments. But when a story is built around love, loss and learning to smile again, the audience needs time to grieve alongside the characters. Unfortunately, the series never allowed me to stay in those emotions long enough. Instead of making me cry with its characters, it simply showed me that they were sad before quickly asking me to move on. That's why, despite enjoying the story overall, I never connected with it as deeply as I hoped I would.

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