Reviews

Not A Comedy. BUT, one of the most beautiful shows I've ever watched

I cried every. single. episode. from start to finish.

Spoilers Ahead.

Honestly, I was hesitant to watch this show at first and almost didn't, but oh am I grateful I did. Firstly, I was fully expecting this to be a romantic comedy, I had full faith in Perth, Santa, and Dome that this was going to be a funny little show that had "light angst with a happy ending." Safe to say, I should've known better when I saw it was airing on a Saturday and not a Sunday. Conversely, I also didn't have much faith in GMMTV to pull of a show with a plot such as this one with the right attitude, and fully expected them absolutely bomb it. HOWEVER, I was so incredibly wrong. The show touches upon many different mental health issues and delves into some very deep topics such as anxiety, depression, childhood trauma, su!c!dal ideation, and emotionally immature parents. And as someone who relates to more than one of the aforementioned, the show became a comfort to watch and served as a mirror to my own life, but also as a hope for the future.

For me, the most special part of any show is seeing and analyzing the evolution of the characters, and frankly, Love You Teacher has some of the most nuanced and multi-dimensional characters I have ever seen in a Thai drama. Moreover, the acting was impeccable. I truly must commend Perth and Santa for pulling off such emotional scenes. Specifically, the scene in episode 6 where Pobmek breaks down in Solar's arms after rewatching a clip of him playing the guitar, Solar/Sun's panic attack in episode 8, and like literally every other scene was delivered such such raw emotion that transcended the screen. Every scene had a purpose, every line meant something, and every episode got me feeling every single emotion. I also adored the addition of the scenes from when they were in university, as I feel like it not only gave the audience an explanation for how the foundation of this beautiful relationship was built, but it also gave the characters a whole other level of nuance and depth.

Finally, I want to say that while this show means so much to me, it definitely is not for everyone. The heavy themes and topics can be sensitive to some, while others might not fully understand it. This show came at a very hard point in my life and genuinely gave me the light of hope in an otherwise dark and desolate place. But regardless, from the acting, the plot, the cinematography, costuming, set design, and writing, this show is one of the most beautiful pieces of media I have ever seen in y life.

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I don't get the hate

I honestly don’t get why some people HATE this drama when it’s genuinely one of the most enjoyable romcoms I’ve watched in a while. “Sold Out on You” quickly became one of my favorite ongoing kdramas, and I honestly think a lot of the criticism it gets is unfair — especially from people who only watched the first one or two episodes.

What I loved the most about this drama is how FUN it is to watch. For the first time in a while, a drama had me giggling, kicking my feet, and literally screaming from excitement after every episode. Out of all the ongoing kdramas I’m currently watching, this is the only one that keeps me wanting more immediately after an episode ends. It has that addictive charm that makes you emotionally attached without even realizing it.

The chemistry between the leads is also so good. I’m such a sucker for enemies-to-lovers tropes, and this drama delivered exactly the kind of tension and slow-burn moments I enjoy. On top of that, the comforting hometown vibe makes everything feel warm and cozy. Even the small scenes feel memorable because the drama knows how to balance comedy, romance, and emotional moments naturally.

And can we talk about Chae Won Bin? She did SUCH a great job. Her acting felt natural, expressive, and charming, and her smile is seriously one of the cutest things ever. She made her character feel lovable and fun to watch, which made me even more invested in the story.

A lot of people say the drama is “unrealistic,” but honestly… it’s literally a romcom. Since when did romcoms become known for being completely realistic? That’s part of what makes them enjoyable. Romcoms are supposed to be exaggerated, chaotic, fun, and entertaining. Not every single detail needs to make perfect sense for a drama to be good. Sometimes it’s more about the feeling it gives you while watching, and this drama absolutely delivers that.

I think some viewers are taking this drama way too seriously instead of simply enjoying the experience it offers. “Sold Out on You” knows exactly what kind of show it wants to be, and it executes that style really well. It’s funny, comforting, exciting, and genuinely charming.

At the end of the day, this drama made me feel something that many recent kdramas failed to do: pure excitement. It gave me butterflies, made me laugh, and kept me looking forward to every new episode. While watching this drama, I already knew I was going to miss it once it ends — and honestly, that says a lot about how much I love it.

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Laughs Amid Hidden Wounds A Series That Portrays the Real Pain of Human Loneliness

This drama did an incredible job of portraying people’s social struggles and that hollow, empty feeling inside them.
The way people treated each other, the emotional distance between them, and the loneliness the characters carried all felt painfully real. What made it even better was how, right in the middle of all that pain, there were funny moments and little bits of humor that let you forget everything for a second, only for that heavy feeling to hit even harder afterward. That contrast between sadness and comedy was honestly one of the strongest parts of the series.
The acting from the main cast was amazing too, easily one of the show’s biggest strengths. They delivered the emotions so naturally that connecting with the characters felt effortless.
Overall, this wasn’t just some simple story. It beautifully captured loneliness, pain, and the struggle people go through just to keep living.

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Marshmallow Fluff

This is nothing but marshmallow fluff and an excuse to go to the beach and ride a boat. One unnecessarily loose end is tied up, leaving another in its wake. Lots of lovey talk and pseudo-psychology. i did wonder why the hotel that was supposed to have a Chinese/Thai cultural vibe had racing themes painted on the side of the building. This is a good time to refresh your popcorn and soda. Enjoy it if you like for the scenery and Fort's smile but it's not important.
Oh. Peat has solo song and they sing the OST.

P.S. Who played that cute little waiter in the bar?

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K-drama worth watching

Never forget your dreams, even if nobody believes in you. Don’t give up. It doesn't matter if you spend 20 years waiting—in the end, you will always make it.

​Something Hwang Dong Man’s brother said:
​"Every story is a cry that says 'I exist.' I exist in the midst of this pain, I exist in the midst of this sadness, I exist in the midst of this misery, I exist in the midst of this laughter. We will live for a hundred years, just a hundred years, and then we will be gone. Does that which is disappearing truly exist? To dispel those doubts, we frantically write stories. If you need to write new stories while you are alive, at least make them funny."

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Good drama at the start but not worth the time

The concept of a soulmate spell, time crossed lovers and time travel is a combination I have never come across before so I was very excited at first, but I soon became frustrated with the story.

I was genuinely excited to watch this drama but very disappointed at the execution and writing. I do not watch dramas that constantly have woman suffering to prop up the male lead and this one does exactly that. Female lead had no serious backing or support and was essentially on her own as the male lead was completely unreliable and just made empty threats. He sacrificed his ‘soulmates’ safety for the sake of family reputation but couldn’t hide her or distance himself for her safety.

Female lead is bubbly and has a fun personality but I feel like all the men around her do not care for what she wants. After the failed attempt to send her home on the full moon she wanted to get a job and wait for the year to end but male lead forces her back to his house knowing that she will be schemed against time and time again. Male leads servant is the hidden villain of this story, he brought her to their world knowing that the second female lead is crazy and evil, he did not care for her safety or life all he wanted was for his master to find his soulmate and not think of the repercussions. The male friend of the female lead from her time period found her interests boring he was controlling and simply wanted her to be complacent yet unique.

Male lead never solved a single thing as someone who is supposed to be powerful his entire role is to save the female lead and I dislike such tropes. He was the whole reason she was in danger 24/7. If he maybe kept some distance or at the very least did not keep her in his house I feel like they could have removed some of the scheming and added more romance.

Second leads are evil and faced no consequences for most of the show besides a few beatings and scoldings. In present day time the grandma and her family have a gaggle of thugs working for them and are completely insane. Selfishness must have been past down through the generations as the only reason grandma Bua’s granddaughter went against her is in hopes that a man would want her. The grandson in both timelines is a disgusting character and only thinks of himself to the point of r*pe.

The spell chanters from the modern day were also extremely frustrating. I understand that it was a task pasted down from their ancestors but I find it odd how the female leads opinion was completely irrelevant to them besides the one time when the granddaughter asked.

The highlight of this show were the gang of servants they were funny and entertaining to watch even the servant of the second female lead made me laugh. They were supportive and had good relationships with their masters, witty and strong characters loved them 9/10. Except for the male leads personal servant of course.

I did enjoy the cute moments between the two leads and their interactions with the male leads family and servants. He comes from a loving household it’s simply unfortunate that his father was saved by a man who birthed an evil creature.

The acting was good second female lead was so good in her role, she portrayed a spoiled, deranged and scheming woman perfectly and same goes for the second male lead. The evil characters were definitely well acted. The good characters were good aswell and female lead had he giggling everytime she slapped herself to see if it was a dream.

Overall I feel like this drama had so much wasted potential and unnecessary torture so I stopped watching as I don’t want my heart to give out from stress. So if you enjoy torture p*rn and useless leads go ahead and and enjoy the show.

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More lakorn than BL

If you're looking the FortPeat dynamic, it's not here. Fort plays his usual devoted heroic savior with his devastating smile. Peat is less hystrionic than usual but still hasn't overcome his tendency to act cute instead being cute. That being said it was kind of nice to see them in a straight drama. It would've been nice if they stepped out of their usual roles, and I was kind of hoping that would happen, but they reverted in the end.

This series reminded me much more of a lakorn than your usual BL/GL drama. It's a complicated story of feuding families, plots upon plots, backstabbing, betrayal and obsession.
The only thing BL/GL about it is the main relationship is M/M and the secondary couple is F/F. There are 1 or 2 token sensual scenes, but that was fine with me because I don't need overt sex to enjoy a drama. To quote another series, a little bit of kissing is fine.
The production value was good. The action sequences were well done. The background music was not as annoyingly inappropriate as usual.
Everything is mostly wrapped up in episode 10. The special episode is marshmallow fluff.

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Back To The Future--But More Heartwarming

I finally finished this with my sister and we LOVED it.

I had wondered if the high rating was deserving, and I think it is.

It is certainly unique as far as Kdramas go; the pacing and plot does not feel particularly tropey or cliche in the typical Kdrama way, with a really unique main character setup since the the ML and his dad (who I guess is technically the 2ML) are basically equal parts the ML. We see more of the internal world of Eun Gyeol (the ML), but it's Ha Lee Chan that this story revolves around, and he is ultimately the main focal point.

It was SUCH an endearing premise and so beautifully executed. My sister and I loved how the ML basically acted as the parent his parents never had, and his presence in their past (paired with the love he shows them) changes all of their futures in such cool ways.

By going to the past, Eun Gyeol helped his parents deepen their connection to those around them and build lasting community built on found family, compassion, thoughtfulness, self-sacrifice and love. He opened up a new world for both of them out of the fullness of love they had given him that he gave back to them when they needed it most.

I also love the theme of a child learning compassion and empathy for their parents' story (this is true for the ML and FL). After traveling to his parents' past, Eun Gyeol has such a different perspective of the imperfect parents he already loved to pieces, and I just loved how much he cried over them and their hardships, struggles, and pain. (It was refreshing to see the ML cry so often, and over things completely unrelated to romance. He now might be one of my favorite MLs of all time.) And, ironically, while Eun Gyeol parents his parents, haha, he also gets to have a second childhood, learning how to let go, let loose, have fun and do what he loves. For the first time, he also allows himself to play, fall in love and be a kid. (And he gets to do that with his very own dad while they are the same age. Eun Gyeol is a fussy mother hen, though, and he drives Lee Chan bonkers in the most adorable ways. I love that Lee Chan can also eventually see the place of deep care his over-protectiveness comes from; that was a lovely touch).

Some didn't like the ending, as they say it was a cop out and gave the wrong message about what was important. I disagree. The way my sister and I saw it was that the changed future shows the results of the love and care Eun Gyeol gave his parents in the past that changed their stories and life trajectories (for the better). He helped catalyze their growth and launched them into a more secure, grounded, flourishing independence and confidence. Because of him, they had more tools, stronger relationships, and realizations that allowed them to grow into a more stable flourishing. A byproduct was that this allowed them to not NEED Eun Gyeol in the same unhealthy way they needed him before he went to the past, and which gave him the freedom and independence he always craved. By selflessly helping his parents, he helped himself.

Another thing I loved is that all the characters in the past learned some form of sign language to draw Cheong Ah into their world and help her belong. As a result, I think it ended up being a crucial part of the main characters' stories changing in the future. And while Eun Gyeol's relationship with his dad in the past is just adorable and hilarious, Eun Gyeol's relationship with his mom is precious--he gives her a voice, and fights for her to have the dignity of a human and the quality of life of a beloved daughter. His aggressive, unabashed protection of her was just brilliantly and beautifully showcased. Eun Gyeol displays a man at his best--when he's wielding his strength to fight for the dignity and flourishing of those unable to fight for themselves.

It's also nostalgic in a variety of ways because of when it takes place; the 90's setting gives it a slight flavor of Reply 1988 which had such a deeply aching, nostalgic quality to it (the last episode of that drama tore me into little pieces and left me in a puddle). Both dramas do such a great job capturing the lovely, fleeting beauty of youth, and the hope, dreams and joy that accompany it. Beautiful memories are forged in that time of life, and this is one of the dramas that capture some of the quality of what it might feel like to relive those memories.

I kind of wish Episode 16 wasn't so darn emotional (it packs a punch), but it's a beautiful ending, and I think they wrapped up everything very well. The way they filmed some of the last scenes reminded me of the way they retroactively brought Hayden Christensen to be Anakin Skywalker's ghost in Return of the Jedi instead of the old dude that originally played Darth Vader (and don't worry, I'm not saying anyone dies). You'll know what I mean when you see the end.

The cast was awesome, but Choi Hyun Wook was so darn stinkin' cute. He was hilarious, and fit the role to a T. He just steals your heart. This is also by far my favorite drama with Ryeoun, too. He acted his heart out, and I love his deep, soft, velvety voice. Neither ML stole the limelight, but together, they stole the screen. Cheong Ah was a close second in cuteness, and she did a fabulous job with just her expressions and eyes.

Such a heartfelt, poignant, powerful, and beautiful watch. Highly recommend!

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BATTLE ROYALE 2: REQUIEM FINALLY ANSWERS ONE HARD-HITTING QUESTION: what if movies were bad?

Obvious spoilers ahead. I tried to avoid anything major in regards to character deaths or plot beats. However, I do mention a specific scene and what happens in it, as well as what happens in the first ~20 minutes. Read at your own risk...? Is that how that saying goes?
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I first watched this movie roughly three months ago. I have not rewatched it a single time. Despite this, I find I have more to say about it than I did back then. The longer I think about this film, the longer my criticisms become. Because this film is just Remarkably bad. I really struggle to understand how this happened. This'll mostly just be a word vomit of criticism because I need to get this out.

At first glance, the plot doesn't seem that bad. In fact, it's almost compelling! A movie taking place after the first movie that has the protagonists of the last movie become terrorists that the government wants to hunt down could be interesting, but this film really fumbles it. I'm not usually one to judge logic in an unrealistic film (my favorite movies become incredibly stupid if you think about the logic for more than a few seconds) but Wow this was really stupid! Every character was really stupid and the plot was really stupid!! There's a rule they implement at the beginning that just... makes no sense. I imagine it's trying to say something about how governments needlessly kill their own people, including children, in war? But it's a sloppy way to deliver that message, and takes away any suspense or emotional weight that the character deaths could've otherwise had.

On that topic, the pacing in this film is terrible. Honestly, it's difficult to talk about the pacing because I have never seen a film with pacing this terrible. I'm genuinely at a loss for words and I do not understand how you can mess up while directing THIS terribly. Nothing happens in the first 30 minutes, then there's a headache inducing action scene that should hold emotional weight but just doesn't. This continues to happen the entire movie, with long strings of really boring scenes that try to build characters (but fail) and then bursts of jarring, confusing and most importantly, meaningless action. Even when important things Are happening, it feels like nothing is happening.

While on the topic of characters, the characters are so poorly fleshed out that when they inevitably die, you feel nothing. This is especially upsetting when it comes to the one character that had potential, AKA the daughter of Kitano's character in the first movie. The beginning of the movie is spent focused on her and trying to build her up, but after that, they sideline her and focus on... some classmate of hers that has an incredibly boring backstory and motivation. Okay. They try to give her more weight later on but once again, it falls flat. Another character they squander is actually the protagonist of the original movie, Nanahara. I won't go into too much detail as to not spoil anything too hard, but Nanahara goes from a sweet and compelling character in the first movie to a washed-up failure of a revolutionary in the sequel. I've never seen a sequel ruin a character quite like this film does with him, he is completely unlikeable and as per usual for this movie, stupid.

Now, as much as I cannot stand this movie, I do appreciate the attempt at commentary. Note the use of the word "attempt", because while on the surface I agree with the messaging on the United States, imperialism, nuclear warfare and resistance, it is handled just as poorly as every other aspect of the film. The first Battle Royale's commentary is incredibly tactful and effective, whereas this one simply Tells you "THIS IS ABOUT THE UNITED STATES!!! DO YOU GET IT!!!!" while barely showing how. I will not give a terribly handled movie props for having a message I agree with. I would've given it its flowers had they handled it even marginally better, but they didn't.

Even my favorite part of the movie, that being Takeuchi Riki's insane performance, shouldn't have been part of it. It was incredibly entertaining and funny but that doesn't fit what the movie is trying to be at all. I'm glad he was part of it though, because its a glimmer of "so-bad-its-kino" comedy in an otherwise unbearably stupid and boring film.

The movie isn't all bad though! There's a scene where Takeshi Kitano asks his teenage daughter if he should kill himself that's probably supposed to be emotional but instead comes off incredibly humorous. It's also not relevant at all to the story! 10/10, no notes. it's beautiful.

If you want a movie like Battle Royale with compelling characters and good directing, don't watch this. If you like war movies and want hard-hitting anti-US government, imperialism and war commentary, still don't watch this! There are so many movies that handle these topics with more tact and grace that you could watch instead. there's no reason to watch this unless you're a Kinji Fukasaku completionist, and even then this shouldn't count because he only directed One scene in it before his death. It's sloppy, terribly paced and drawn out. Not worth your time in the slightest. Kenta Fukasaku got what he wished for with outrage for the sequel, but probably not for the reason he wanted. Instead of generating outrage for the messaging, he generated outrage for how boring it was! So maybe he should've been a little more specific with his wishes...

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Excellent balance of Romance + Thriller, and Amazing acting by the 2 Male Leads

Crime dramas are usually not my go-to, but when the cast includes Jin Bo Ran and Qin Jun Jie, I have got to check it out. And I am glad I did, because they are both simply amazing. If you are a fan, you need to watch “Sunsets Secrets Regrets”.

This drama is one of the rare crime dramas that balances romance and crime/thriller really well. Most of the time, romance is a side plot in this genre, but here, it is equally important. The plot is intriguing and I was kept on my seat throughout the drama. I personally don’t find Jin Bo Ran’s character, Jiang Han Sheng, too stalkerish. Well, I might be hypnotized by how hot Jing Bo Ran is in this drama, and I’ve never found him hot until now. The villain is equally amazing in his creepiness and a little over-the-topness. He’s charismatic and crazy, and has such a screen presence. However, it did take me some time to get used to the timeline changes in the early episodes. “Sunsets Secrets Regrets” does not shy away from violence, and there’s quite a bit. Some scenes are hard to watch, and as I was binge-watching, I had to take a little break and not watch too many episodes at once. It was that intense, especially when I saw what Jiang Han Sheng had gone through.

To me, the best part of the drama is seeing how amazing Jing Bo Ran and Qin June Jie are. Their characters are polar opposites, and their acting are as well. It was amazing to watch how Jin Bo Ran changes so swiftly from being intense and feral, and then looking lovingly at his wife. The subtle facial expressions and then the explosive intense burst of emotions are quite a sight to behold. In contrast to that, Qin Jun Jie who exudes this playboy sexiness. He’s loud and expressive, fun and carefree. Both suffer greatly in this drama and their cries pierce through my hearts. On the other hand, it took me a while to get into Elvira Cai’s acting. I love her in “Fake it Till You Make It” but I am not sure if she fits this role. It could also be her character that is making it difficult to like her. But towards the end, I warm up to her and especially like some of the more emotional scenes. Unfortunately, she couldn’t quite match up to her two male co-stars, who are just too excellent.

One other thing that bugs me is the makeup in this drama. Both Elvira Cai and Jing Bo Ran have thick white foundations. I just can’t help but stare at their gorgeous faces and shake my head. At times, music is quite loud and I couldn’t quite hear what they said. I do appreciate that the voices are not dubbed (at least I don’t think they are) as it would be a disservice to so many veterans here.

I almost forgot to mention this… I LOVE the bond between Jiang Han Sheng and Teacher Wang. They are so fun together and veteran actor, Du Yuan, cracks me up big time. It’s lovely to see a different side of Jiang Han Sheng when he’s with his teacher. Teacher Wang is more than a teacher at work, but also a love and relationship guru! Jiang Han Sheng still has a lot to learn from him.

I had a great (but stressful) time watching “Sunsets Secrets Regrets”. I recommend this to fans of the two male leads, and romance lovers who hesitate to watch crime dramas because most have lackluster romance. The love triangle here is well-written (and I love both guys). If you hesitate to watch because of the romance, don’t worry. It’s not a cheesy romance, but a mature and supportive one that works well with the greater plot. There are still elements that bug me, thus I am not giving this a super high rating.



Completed: 5/24/2026 Review #689

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Story: quick, patchy, disappointing
Acting/Cast: neither appealing nor unappealing
Music: neither added nor detracted from the show
Rewatch value: none
Overall: works as a time killer while waiting for an appointment

This is another one of those stories where the ML decides he "loves" the FL because he discovers that she was his 30 second crush as a child. So it's a no for me. Even putting that aside, there is no reason for the relationship, no substance, no point. The story just sort of skipped from scene to scene as if checking the boxes from a 12-year-old's "magical romance must-haves" list. The only thing that stood out to me during the last 80ish minutes was the production design. It was incredibly bright and colorful and seemed quite out of place when all other aspects of the show matched what I would expect from a quick, low-budget flick. I think that if that aspect had matched the blandness of the rest of the production, I wouldn't have made it past 5 minutes.

*edit- 4 days later and I can't remember a thing about this one anymore*

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Above average, but still just OK

This is a watchable drama, but definitely nothing new. I’ve seen C dramas similar to this. There was some fun moments, but also some frustrating moments that made me question why I was watching it.

The good

The acting is the best part of the story. Everyone did a pretty good job and fit the role they were given pretty well. The webtoon story was interesting though not necessarily original since there are a lot of Webtoon themed kdramas out there that are quite similar. Of course, very attractive men as usual.

The bad

There were a lot of draggy parts and a lot of parts that made me question why I was watching this. The main female lead was very delusional in a lot of ways and her not wanting to live in the real world when it comes to dating almost got a little ridiculous towards the end. They dragged the main romance piece out far too long. It became pretty typical a lot of the other K dramas. I typically lean more towards watching C drama romances than K drama romances. The K dramas tend to do better at fantasy, sci-fi, and horror for me.

If this is your kind of drama though, cheesy romance then you may like this one. It was an easy watch and pass the time for me. I’d recommend watching it for yourself to make your own judgment on it.

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