Reviews

I don't think Song was ready and in the right headspace for a relationship quite yet due to the trauma of her sister's suicide and how that affected her. Her actions at some points were actually disgusting like kissing her friend to try throw Piang off, throwing the cupcakes in the trash and other actions. However, I did adore her relationship with her grandmother as they are close and generally love each other.

Piang. I do believe that she was abused by her grandmother. Her grandmother is extremely controlling of how she can represent and who she can be in a relationship with even talking to Song to not associate with Piang at all. I feel like she is more sensitive than she looks as conflicts really destroyed her but I never liked her.

I actually like the second couple but am still confused on why they broke up in EP7.

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Don't watch this when you're already hungry.

I recently watched He She It and normally I don't have the motivation to watch shorter series, which sound weird, but I want a series with good chemistry and not just fast crap. This story is extremely slow burn and fluffy, which you have to like. I do like it but sometimes it's just a bit... meh. After watching this I do not regret it at all.

So the first few episodes I was pretty critical on everything, with, what I think, good reasons. A lot of extreme overexposure and the colorgrading is horrible. But it was lowkey improving towards the ending. I was also really confused if they were dating already or not and it was kinda giving and they were roommates. But after like the 4th episode I figured they weren't dating yet and it started making more sense. I'm still a bit confused about the technical stuff, like it improves a lot during the episodes but then at the last one it goes down again. It's a bit sad I can't find anything about the directing on MDL or Letterboxd. I find it often important to know this especially if I might've seen the directors or any other crew before.

I guinely forgot about Corona... I WAS SO CONFUSED ABOUT THE WASHING HANDS UNTIL I REALISED. Yeah this was pretty stupid of me, I just like never thought about Corona recently. Honestly, I find it a bit hard to Imagen my life back when Corona was out there. It is funny to see the sense of fashion (and not the stereotypical alt style) there like the shirts etc. Also find it hilarious how they are wearing masks but like when guests come in they take them off? Pretty sure having guests over wasn't really good during Corona...

I think it's funny that Jeff's character is a musician while Gameplay played chef, exactly like their irl jobs. And I found out all recipes are also created by Gameplay which shocks me insanely. Like everything looked so good and I just can't believe it. For extra context Gameplay specifically makes deserts. Bro I lowkey wanna try making one of those it just looks so fucking good. Also, Jeff Satur's voice is one of the most uniquest voices I've ever heard, and I mean it. I was honestly shocked when those ppl of the auditions said his voice doesn't stand out?? HELLO? His voice is one of the most outstanding voices ever bro I got so rage baited.

Enough about stupid other shit let me continue with the relationship. Like I mentioned it is extreme slow burn, but with 21 episodes which are all around 8-10 minutes it's not that bad. There were clear feelings involved the first episode and you could just see it in both of their eyes. It was outstanding acting. Everything felt really natural and I'm not sure why but the romance had a lot of chemistry. The small cute moments might've added my love for Win and Tops but whatever. I also like how communication in this series is the key because even jealousy was seen and later on admitted to.

Anyhow, don't watch this when you're hungry. Because it's 2am here and my stomach is going crazy. I think this is a hidden jam under all the smaller/shorter series and I do really recommend it!!

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Faith versus Love and Duty

Though I am not Catholic, I am a Christian and consider myself a strong person of faith. I went into this drama a little skeptical about how it would represent having strong faith - specifically religion. It seems like so much media now puts down people and having faith in a God as being naive or bigoted. I have to say that they for the most part treated people that are religious and believe in God in a respectful manner. The acting was excellent, especially for this genre. Maybe it was because they took longer in producing and creating this drama. Maybe they had longer workshops to be able to really feel their characters. But when you compare it to some of the more recent dramas on right now (I’m looking at you “Knot”) it really impressed me how this could have been a movie that would’ve been an Oscar contender. I very much got lost in the characters and believed them as real people outside of a BL pairing.

The production and cinematography was also beautiful. And the intro song to the show was not only different than the usual generic Thai pop song, but very melodiously sung.

I would say the only part of the storyline that I questioned a little bit is the fact that they focused on Tan’s struggle over being a Priest or not without really mentioning the bigger issue in the Catholic faith, which would be his (and Barth) being a homosexual. I’m pretty sure that that would have gotten them both kicked out of the school for that alone. But they made it sound like the bigger problem was whether or not Tan wanted to be ordained as a priest. As if his struggle was just deciding that alone, and not the reasons WHY he would not want to be a priest…which is that he was gay.

At first I thought six episodes wouldn’t be long enough, but I think that they did a really good job of telling the story in that amount of time without running out of quality episodes. I would highly recommend this to anyone who sometimes has questioned love over duty over God. It’s a very interesting take that they made here. I believe that you can have love and have God and serve him in many different ways. But it is a balancing act, and in the end, if you are a person of faith, you have to be honest and admit that God would, or should, be your number one priority. But as humans, sometimes we need to be reminded .

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more of an occult-psychological thriller than a supernatural whodunnit.

Because of the frequently noisy soundtrack, minimal dialogue and darkly organic visuals this is more of an occult thriller than a supernatural whodunnit. So, not my taste. 8 hours left me feeling rattled.

This is a decent watch if you like thrillers, the actors do a great job and the visuals are sometimes pretty and sometimes nightmarish, which I think was the point.

Because it is Kwak Dong Yeon, Roh Yoon Seo and Nam Joo Hyuk, the plot works emotionally but I think it couldnt have been done without them. I cant help feeling that this is a waste of that trio's talents, but given that I cant visualize what the masterpiece would be that would showcase them better, we just have to wait until somebody invents it.

Jang Young Nam is always great in supporting roles but this one was a really astonishing performance -- she plays an elderly woman who has some kind of a stroke while in the coils of a metaphorical snake, and then she plays the next few scenes with facial semi-paralysis that is startlingly convincing. All of her physical movement and expressions are spot-on. A minor delight.

ps. a random thought, but I adore the high tragedy of cdrama, the poison in every tea cup, the bodies piling up. This is not that, itskdrama, so it is much more claustrophobic, much more about dreams that almost dip into nightmares. On the cinematic level of psychological depiction this is quite a finely balanced piece.

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Typical used plot but in a freshly baked recipe.

By what I meant it’s the same old used plot is because I have seen plenty of mini jdramas similar to "sudden marriage" where female leads gets dumped/cheated by her boyfriend of years and ends up spending a night with a total stranger/somehow ends up marrying him too and the very next day she would find him as her new boss in her work place and this drama was no different from those stories however the execution is what made this drama impossibly endearing and fresh. They took the time and effort with the already used "many times" plot changing a huge chunk of it with the way every female characters were written before sudden marriage. She sure was like one of those typical timid, introvert, simple office going girl. BUT HOLD YOUR GEAR'S — she was shown very much self aware of being bound to someone in a marriage you just met is nonsensical and CRAZY. Just the thought of it made her cringe in chaos and I enjoyed watching it. She intended to alter the marriage like any sane person on earth would do untill the male lead started playing house with her with his sweet words lol (The male lead is the most nonchalantly goofy character written and I quickly found his silly tactics to make her fall for him adorable) they didn’t rushed with the leads falling in love either. They took good 6 episodes to It. Little by little she fall for him in a fast phased series by the way (HAHA I DON’T KNOW IF THAT MADE SENSE — usually in dramas like this one, the leads would instantly fall in love after the 3rd episode itself but it was different here CONSIDERING THE SERIES IS 30 MINUTES PER EPISODE they prioritised leads getting to know each-other first ) I loved the fact they kept female lead's pov about all the sudden changes in her life, how eventful it is for her to have a husband out of nowhere. The show had those same old clichés of boyfriend being a pain in the ass of the fml and female lead being blind eye to it just because she is his junior at workplace (the only thing which I dislike in those watched series — they be fine with the cheating ex and communicating with him everyday like he did nothing wrong to her in the past) (I wouldn’t let my cheating ex be a foot near me even if he's my colleague or boss after what he did to me) Despite it all I STRONGLY LIKED THE LEADS DOMESTIC LOVE FOR EACH-OTHER. Their height difference is a dream to many (I can tell) she looked soooo tinny in his embrace (it is one of the most gorgeous thing I have seen in a drama) the kisses were well done too the height difference made it extra beautiful and cute. If you like something light, soft and domestic instead of heavy melodrama I would happily recommend the series. I would definitely rewatch this show again because I FINALLY like real found a better drama of the same countless stories I have seen previously.
A GOOD 7.5 FOR ME.

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First Impression: Be My Player Two (uncut version)

Overall: the humor was hit or miss, giving it the benefit of the doubt. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each. Episode 1 was 48 minutes. Airing on WeTV uncut https://wetv.vip/en/play/xi5rkwzl3ytaphi/s4102vq3tsf-EP01%3A_Be_My_Player_Two_(Uncut_ver.) and cut version https://wetv.vip/en/play/h744e3d4hzqgs3r/c4102dqtj4b-EP01%3A_Be_My_Player_Two (episode 1 cut version was about 5 minutes shorter than the uncut version)

Content Warning: in game violence

What I Liked
- visuals
- their dynamic/opposites attract
- I did laugh a few times

Room For Improvement
- not all of the humor/style worked for me, one character has a very exaggerated style

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No depth

TutorYim have excellent chemistry, and I've liked them as a pairing ever since Cutie Pie. I really think they deserve a series with a stronger storyline. Thankfully, their upcoming DMD projects already look much more interesting.

As for ChermChey, the story itself isn't something that completely pulls you in. It's mostly about In and Erng's domestic relationship, which is cute and heartwarming, though I found some moments a bit cringe. The cameos were fun and definitely added excitement, but they felt more like fan service than something that pushed the story forward.

I guess my expectations were just higher because ChermChey is set in the same circle as AiNhai and TonChon, both of which I genuinely enjoyed. In the end, it's a light and comforting watch, but I was hoping for a story with a little more depth.

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Wait hold on, they were kinda on to smth...

Ok so, not someone who usually leaves reviews also I'm very late to this but I felt like I should. No, heck I need to. You've probably read the reviews above and yes they are absolutely correct, this show is absolutely insane. Batsh*t crazy to be exact. Whoever wrote the script was defo either high, half asleep or both. Because in what drama do you find nearly every genre under the sun.

Lemme start from the beginning, -----

So the story is set on another Earth-like planet called **Planet Y**, where there's a virus called the **Affinity Virus**. Sounds like a normal sci-fi dark romance, right?

Wrong.

The virus mutates into a new strain called **Affinity B**, and people infected with it become known as **Rens**. They suffer from violent episodes and basically have the anger management skills of a lit stick of dynamite. Then there are people infected with the original strain, **Affinity A**, called **Yins**, who can form pacts with Rens to calm them down.

Already weird right?

Not even close.

The blood and tears of Yins make Rens go absolutely FERAL for them. It's literally a heterosexual Omegaverse. I sat there thinking, "There's no way they're actually doing this."

And then...

THEY PULL A WHOLE DRAGON OUT OF NOWHERE.

So now we're dealing with a Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Dark Romance, Heterosexual Omegaverse featuring Dragons , and somehow... some fvcking how, it works???

This drama is genuinely one of the most batsh*t insane things I've ever watched, but that's exactly why it's so entertaining. The trick is to stop trying to make sense of it and just enjoy the ride. Once you accept that absolutely anything can happen, it's ridiculously fun. Trust me, by Episode 5 you'll defo be completely.

I also have to give the cast their flowers because EVERYONE understood the assignment. The chemistry between the main couple is fantastic, but somehow the second couple completely stole the show for me. That's honestly a first for me with short C-dramas because I'm almost always more invested in the leads. The actors absolutely nailed their roles and made even the craziest moments feel weirdly natural.

And don't even get me started on the OST. I'm an absolute sucker for a drama with a good soundtrack, and **Affinity** delivered. One minute it's giving funky, upbeat tracks, the next it's hitting you with dark gothic vibes, and then suddenly you're listening to an emotional ballad. Having songs in both English and Mandarin made it even better.

So if you have even the tiniest urge to watch something that feels like five writers locked themselves in a room and refused to say "no" to a single idea, PLEASE give **Affinity** a chance. You genuinely won't regret it. It's the kind of unhinged masterpiece that neither of us knew we needed until it existed. 😭

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Other than that I hated it

The ending was bad, but it wasn't supposed to be an ending, so you can almost forgive the writers for that. There was supposed to be a second season, but poor management of funds has ensured that isn't happening any time soon. Also, can we please stop casting Kokliang as a teenager when he is 30 years old? It's been long enough. His character needs to play with other adults now and leave the children alone. I'll be fair and say this isn't nearly as bad as some of the other recent series that have been pushed on us and labeled "art" in order to distract us from the over all bad scrips, bad acting, and bad directing. This one had potential, it just missed the mark. Still, if you need something on in the background while you cook or clean house or have a dental procedure, this one will work for that.

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Great acting!!! the Chef was too arrogant for my taste so I dropped

I watched ep 1, 2 and started 3 and watched 20 (the last ep) and QUIT. I could not watch the arrogant Chef yelling non stop and quit.
The little I watched, I watched bc the acting is great! I really loved watching the actors!!!! They are so HEALTHY looking!!!!! their complexion, hair, eyes, it all glows!!!! they are radiant!!!!

Unlike the modern actors who are super skinny, pale and tired.

And so the acting here is a lot more energetic and fun. So I watched, although I was not thrilled with the content.

The Chef is too much of a slave driver, and FL is too naive clutzy dumbish, and after a while I just could not take it and dropped out at the start of ep 3. I fast forwarded to ep 20 (the last ep) and fond that the Chef was still the arrogant slave driver. So I just dropped the drama. Sorry but

-------
ep 1 - it is NOT true that Chef fired all female staff - he fired all women but one, who quit, and he also fired 2 men....
and everyone fired was 10000% guilty - one harassed the guests, one was kissing with her boyfriend in the storage, and FL was stupid enough to walk around with ice cubes and cauldron of oil near the grumpy screaming Chef

it is true that Chef did not want women in his kitchen and would have found ways to fire them. But it was not bc he was sexist. It was bc he had a very unhappy breakup with another cook at his previous work..... So he didnt want female cooks in his kitchen. The fun thing was that THAT woman got him the chef job lmao
Also... female cooks were causing him trouble as they all tried hitting on him.

Chef was not necessarily sexist, but just an arrogant jerk overall, a slave driver to all his workers, a control freak.

FL was fired for being dumb. She ran into Chef just as he was firing a kissing man and woman and yeah Chef pushed her away but it is her fault that she was there .

FL IS DUMB NAIVE AND CANNOT READ THE ROOM. ALSO LACKS COMMON SENSE
so that is actually "the greatest"sexism of this drama

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After rewatching the drama
My review mainly arose while rewatching the drama, when you begin to notice new details in the actors' performances, and in this case, it will be dedicated to the transformations of actor Dylan Wang.
Dylan Wang's complete immersion into the character from the very first episode. He plays a tactical and calculating ruler who must quickly adapt to unexpected circumstances without losing his edge. One misstep could have turned Dongfang Qingcang into a cliched comedy villain, but Dylan maintains the perfect balance of restraint and subtle menace. While the first episodes may seem too fairytale-like, the underlying psychological tension between the main characters is incredibly mature and intense. Dylan's immersion is profound because he plays not rage, but cold calculation. Trapped in a body dependent on a weak fairy, he finds tactical solutions at every moment. Dylan Wang maintains balance in his interactions with the Orchid in the tower. A single degree of error and it would have turned into farce. But he uses subtle facial expressions—a barely perceptible squint, a heavy sigh, a rigid posture—that remind the viewer: this is a predator, not a guy from a romantic comedy. This underscores his dramatic talent at a professional level. In the world of drama, the trope of "hate to love" or "forced cooperation" is popular. But Dylan grasps this role so well that his character, even submitting to Orchid's whims (to avoid his own death), never loses his dignity and core. He doesn't stoop to the level of silly comedy; he wages his own internal war. Dongfang Qingcang awakens in an alien, changed world, deprived of his former absolute power, and now cursed to a fragile, weak fairy. He has no time for long deliberations—the cold, strategic mind of a ruler kicks in. Dylan's performance at this moment is astounding: there's no confusion in his eyes. Dylan plays a character who calculates his moves instantly, adapts to Orchid's whims, hides his true nature, and yet maintains the majesty of a king in exile. It's an incredibly deep dive into the character: showing strength through forced restraint and swift action. In "Orchid," especially in the early episodes, the balance was perfect. Dylan Wang maintained the focus with his composure, intelligence, and the iron will his character exerted to conquer any chaotic circumstance.

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An epic journey powered by mystery, emotion, and breathtaking visuals.

The East Palace is a visually stunning historical fantasy that keeps you engaged with its compelling story and well-timed twists.

Every episode is beautifully crafted, with grand cinematography and lavish production design that make every scene feel cinematic.

"Nam Joo-hyuk"delivers a charismatic and emotionally grounded performance, while "Roh Yoon-seo" brings warmth, strength, and elegance to her role.

Their chemistry feels natural and adds emotional depth to the narrative.

The drama balances mystery, thriller, and suspense without losing its momentum, making each episode consistently engaging.

Backed by excellent performances, gorgeous visuals, and satisfying storytelling, The East Palace is a rewarding watch for fans of high-quality historical dramas.

⭐ 9.5/10

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A must watch series in this lifetime.

I will be really really honest. I waited till it ended airing to watch it all together at once, was watching the first episode; at 03:48 min mark, I got so emotional and started to tear up. Her old self was just calling out to her mother in the sea. I closed it. Kid you not I could not watch it any further. IDK why, but somehow I just didn't. I knew it was a hit, very emotional, slice of life, family, romance type of drama. Even saw few scenes due to edit on my FYP.

This was released last year, I am home rn, due to semester break, a few days ago going through Netflix, pondering what to watch I saw the title,( Maybe because my mother was sitting in the hall with me) I said to her, "You should definitely watch this, it's very heart-touching." (Even tho i hadn't watched it yet, but I knew), then I suddenly said, "Let's watch it together na, it has an amazing narrative about mother-daughter relationship." We started it, and there was not a single episode where I didn't tear up or choke up. I even whimpered like a puppy many times. There were storylines my mum got emotional too . I am so grateful to have shared watching this beautiful drama with my mum. She never watches foreign series at all, esp Northeast Asian ones or whatever I watch or have interest in. If she does, she likes to watch in ENG dubbed because it easier to understand at once, English is not our first language. But she gave this a chance for me and watched it all in the native language so that we could watch together, get the full essence of it. When Life Gives You Tangerines somehow deepened our bond should I say? Core memory for lifetime. Even if you watch it alone, with friends, your other half... it is just as beautiful. It makes you wonder about life in every possible way: the good, the bad, the ups and down, life & death, the past, present, future, relationships with every single human being out there-parents, siblings, family, people around you, even a passing stranger.

The whole storyline was so so goddamn relatable. The in-laws, even on how your own extended family can be, what a mother goes through and fights for the best for their children. It taught us & showed us, how life is so damn unpredictable, but what matters is that you never give up. NEVER EVER GIVE UP, there is this thing called fate/destiny, sure. But you also have to work hard to actually get lucky. It reminded us once again to always be good, have good nature, cause there is Karma, whatever you do-your words, your actions, one day they'll come back right at ya.

OUR Yang Gwan-Sik: Oh, to find love like that. To have so much warmth, courage, strength to go on, be the pillar, a husband, a father, a MAN. It honestly has left me speechless. He was also a good son, in every way he could be. Cause let's be real in those times and days; where change was needed. A husband, a life partner who is on your side, who wants to give you the world, Provide you with all his might... I could go on n on, it won't do him justice. You need to see it or have seen this masterpiece- in order to understand this feeling. He was with Ae-sun from the age of 9 until his last breath, he never left her alone, practically raised her while growing up himself, just silently staying by her side until they both came together & became one.
Oh Ae-sun: the 10 year old girl who lost her mother to the 70 year old Teacher Ae-sun. I am still having goosebumps thinking about her, her story, the curveballs life threw at them from such a naive age. I genuinely cannot write thinking back about it. Too many scenes going through my head.

It was also angering & frustrating at times to watch their kids be ungrateful and yell at their parents, the in-laws being "IN-LAWS", so many character pissing me off left n right (meaning they were that good at their job, acting 10/10).

To make the viewers feel every emotion in human emotional range: joy, fear of loss, sadness, guilt or compassion, YOU FUCKING NAME IT.
Hats off to the the writer, producer, director, all the actors, the entire production crew.

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