Reviews

Amazing Drama

This drama is incredibly captivating. Both lead actors portray their characters in a way that feels so real and true to life. The male lead is an exceptionally well-written character, and Bai Jingting brings him to life perfectly with his outstanding performance.
As for Zhang Ruonan, she never fails to amaze me. She portrays Wen Yifan's sadness with such depth and authenticity that I found myself crying through many episodes because of her emotional acting.
The two leads are a perfect match for this drama. Their on-screen chemistry is natural, heartfelt, and one of the biggest reasons the story is so enjoyable to watch.

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the best drama I've watched so far

The incredible plot and amazing actors and actresses. I just found out about this movie 2 years after the release, but I never though finding a gem. A very underrated movie I've watched so far. I could feel the tension and feeling from both Male Lead and Female Lead. The story are very funny aswell, not only about romance but there is a hint of comedy which was very interesting. I hope they could work together again in the future. Zhang Ruo Nan is a very excellet actress when never see show up in the movie, I always feel like watching her, her inner beauty shines. And in this drama Chen Xing Xu completed the drama even more, the chemistry between two of the sky rocket, I was giggling so hard watching this drama.

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it was good until it wasn’t…

writing this as I’m watching the last episode because it’s lost my interest but I’m almost done so.

the first 5 episodes were almost brilliant. depictions of very graphic abuse, the victims who suffer, the bystanders that permit it, and the impact it can have on those around the person. it handled such a difficult discussion really well.

seeing Eun-su do everything she can to help her friend, Hui-su, get out of the DV she was experiencing. inspite of what happened in her past, she was determined to help - and seeing that come about was masterful. how the both of them carried out the plan to free her was meticulous yet believable. it didn’t feel like an exaggeration even though it still is a “drama/thriller/mystery” esque show. everything felt very appropriate.

until it didn’t. spoilers: but making Jang Kang return was such a foolish move. it took the spotlight from a victim who would’ve finally have found a life for herself free from the violence that she once would experience everyday to a full fledged mystery drama. had the show chosen down its initial path, it really could’ve said something productive about the severity DV survivors may go to to escape their abuse all because of the world that ignores their suffering. there was sm that couldve been happened outside of the whole noh jin young covering everything for a promotion plot. honestly that second half was not even worth the time watching, it felt so messy and rushed just adding details to make it reach the 8 episode mark while still being “interesting” (which it could’ve been had they decided to focus on hui su instead of characters that were initially unimportant).

it’s unfortunate, it had great potential to be something really well done with such a stacked cast and great beginning plot. had it not tried to outdo itself with plot twists and suspense it could’ve prevailed in demonstrating meaningful commentary about abuse victims and the way they are silenced.

Lee you mi’s performance is absolutely commendable that’s fs. even playing a role like this must’ve been so mentally difficult and to do it as well as she did is just… wow. I cried so hard.

overall I think the first few episodes may be worth it but afterwards it falls off really hard. can’t say if it’s worth the watch because again the first few episodes are so raw and emotional but after that don’t be afraid to drop, it doesn’t get better than that.

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Sometimes its best to let go and move on.

I honestly absolutely loved 2521 and i thought it was a brilliant drama. It's impeccable scenes and the way they used flashback, flashforward, and many different more techniques are so impressive. I really do urge you to watch this as its really memorable and it teaches you so many different things in life. It opens your eyes to things that we miss alot in day to day life. It allows us to grow and understand the hardships people face, which soon will be us. This drama is so relatable, nostalgic and admirable. It really breaks your heart but you know deep down it was for the good. Sometimes its best to let go and move on, thats a part of love. And i love the way Na heedo and Baek yijin conveyed that. I am forever grateful for this drama as it will be my top ones. Its so realistic, which is just what we want that makes it better than others with similar plots. But i do still wish they could have been together at the end.

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People are being overly critical...

I could tell from the very beginning that this was going to be a cheesy, lighthearted, and somewhat childish show. If that isn't your kind of drama, then I probably wouldn't recommend it.

Personally, I had a lot of fun watching it. It's a great choice if you're looking for something cute, easy to watch, and not meant to be taken too seriously. The acting definitely isn't the strongest, but I didn't find it bad enough to take away from the overall enjoyment.

I also tend to enjoy all kinds of dramas, but I'm especially a fan of series where the main couple gets together before the very end. I like being able to actually watch them grow as a couple for a few episodes instead of only becoming official in the finale. Since Your Sky does that, I'm probably a little biased.

Overall, I think people are being a bit too harsh on this show. it's simply a sweet, cheesy BL that's fun to watch if you go in with the right expectations.

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A Masterclass in Style, a Failure in Closure

The Devil Judge has amazing acting and an awesome soundtrack, but the cool story totally drops the ball at the very end. Kang Yo-han is fantastic as the main judge, but the finale completely robs you of the satisfying revenge you wait the whole show to see. Instead of being publicly shamed on their own live TV court show, the bad guys die too quickly and painlessly in a sudden courtroom explosion. Even worse, Sun-ah shoots herself before the bomb goes off, so we never get to see Kang Yo-han actually beat her or deliver the final blow. Because the ending feels so rushed and closed-door, it drags the whole experience down. This show was on the road to becoming a masterpiece, but sadly, it got ruined by too much dragging and poor writing in the end.

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Une série plein gaz, mais qui sent un peu.

Les remakes de films de super-héros sont devenus un genre à part entière au fil des ans. Reboot à grands renforts de CGI, parodie assumée ou hommage appuyé à l'œuvre originale, il existe aujourd'hui mille façons d'aborder ce qui n'est, au fond, qu'une gigantesque machine à cash. Plus personne ne s'attend réellement à voir émerger un chef-d'œuvre avec un énième Spider-Man ou Batman. Mais lorsque Netflix annonce une série inspirée de The Vaporman (Gasu Ningen Dai-Ichigō), film produit par la Toho en 1960, il y a forcément de quoi être intrigué.

Le film original surfait sur le succès de L'Homme invisible et de toute une vague de productions américaines mettant en scène une menace capable de se fondre dans la foule pour frapper anonymement. Une métaphore typique de la Guerre froide, du maccarthysme, de la peur de l'ennemi invisible, de la dénonciation du voisin et de l'espionnage permanent. Toute cette ambiance paranoïaque des années 50 et 60, alimentée par la menace nucléaire, avait déjà trouvé son exutoire au Japon avec Godzilla, autre immense parabole de cette époque.

L'ambiance est d'ailleurs immédiatement posée. Dès les premières minutes, la série adopte un ton volontairement rétro. La musique, omniprésente et grandiloquente, déborde de cordes dramatiques comme dans les bandes originales des Trente Glorieuses. Des héros sans peur, ou presque sans reproche, se jettent tête baissée dans le danger, avec une mention spéciale pour la journaliste incarnée par Aoi Yu qui affronte aussi bien les yakuza, sa rédaction, la police que le Gasu Ningen, (j'adore ce nom) .

Le "too much" devient la règle à chaque épisode, quitte à fatiguer le spectateur. Comme dans tout bon nanar, on retrouve des expérimentations sur des enfants dans un orphelinat tenu par des Naz... pardon, par des yakuza à la fin des années 60, heu non, 90. Une société secrète, évidemment. Un savant fou, évidemment. Et bien sûr, le duo comique C-3PO / R2-D2 des années 2020, incarné comme il se doit par deux influenceurs, ou plutôt deux YouTubers puisque nous sommes au Japon. Rien n'a été oublié pour cocher toutes les cases du parfait film de série B.

Présentée comme une sombre histoire de super-héros, la série recycle pourtant un scénario vu un millier de fois, et ce ne sont pas les scénaristes coréens embauché pour l'occasion qui parviennent réellement à lui insuffler une véritable personnalité. Les deux premiers épisodes sont particulièrement poussifs, avec une apparition triomphale du Gazu Ningen dans les cinq dernières minutes, histoire de justifier les millions investis par Netflix dans des effets spéciaux et des cascades, plutôt réussis, d'ailleurs.

La quasi-disparition du personnage dans les épisodes suivants apporte finalement une véritable bouffée d'air frais à une intrigue qui semblait s'engager sur une voie particulièrement nauséabonde. Entre le traditionnel savant fou finalement repenti et des yakuza plus caricaturaux que jamais, difficile de trouver de quoi s'enthousiasmer. Le troisième épisode, réduit à une petite demi-heure, merci Netflix pour ces formats toujours aussi frustrants, m'a même donné envie d'abandonner la série, malgré la promesse de retrouver Hirose Suzu, aperçue à peine trente secondes dans le premier épisode.

Et pourtant...
Je lance le quatrième épisode sans la moindre attente... et là, tout explose.
Je ne sais pas si les scénaristes n'ont été embauchés qu'à partir de celui-ci, mais en mettant presque totalement de côté le journaliste et le policier pour enfin se concentrer sur nos deux influenceurs, la série livre cinquante minutes d'anthologie complètement "What the Fuck".

Les références à la pop culture japonaise s'enchaînent avec une irrévérence jubilatoire et un troisième degré permanent. Entre un réalisateur complètement barré, un groupe d'idoles, les Dream Succub, encore plus Phantom Siita que l'originale, des bars à hôtes improbables, des maquillages volontairement excessifs et une galerie de personnages toujours plus absurdes, tout est objectivement mauvais... mais tout frôle paradoxalement le génie.

Mention spéciale à Hayashi Kento, qui connaît manifestement très bien l'univers des idols et pour cause, et qui, dirigé par un réalisateur assumant pleinement son amour de la série B, livre probablement l'une de ses prestations les plus déjantées. Quant à Hirose Suzu, elle retrouve enfin un souffle de fraîcheur dans son jeu, une fantaisie qu'on ne lui avait plus vraiment vue depuis longtemps. Impossible également de ne pas sourire devant cette référence évidente à Elephant Man, dont le maquillage donne finalement au personnage un air plus attendrissant que véritablement monstrueux.

La Toho a toujours assumé pleinement ses productions. De Godzilla à Ultraman, en passant par toute la galaxie des tokusatsu qu'elle a produits, le studio n'a jamais cherché à occidentaliser ses œuvres pour les rendre plus digestes auprès du public étranger, et ce malgré le succès mondial des Power Rangers.

Cette adaptation prouve qu'à l'heure où Netflix finance de plus en plus de productions japonaises destinées à un public international, il est encore possible de préserver une véritable identité culturelle. Derrière ses effets spéciaux, son humour absurde et son héros qui produit bien trop de... gaz, la série reste profondément japonaise. Elle ne cherche jamais à renier ses racines, préférant célébrer avec beaucoup d'autodérision cet héritage si particulier du cinéma populaire nippon.
Et finalement, c'est peut-être là sa plus grande réussite.

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beau drama sur les traumas!

un très beau drama sur comment les trama de l enfance jouent un rôle dans nos relations amoureuse et sur notre vie tout court. on aime l idée de départ un documentaire sur la 1ere de la classe et le dernier ou l alchimie des deux acteurs y est remarquable. on aime l évolution des personnages quand ils comprennent leur traumas et essaient d avancer ensemble ! on aime les persos secondaires bien présents mais pas trop. en bref un très très beau bon drama. la fille a un trauma d infériorité et ne veut rien devoir à personne froide rigide elle lâche prise enfin à la fin ouf et lui trauma d abandon donc il accepte tout d'elle jus qu à le réaliser, enlever aussi dans ces dessins qui n évoluent pas et enfin il réalise qu il a du potentiel et peut faire autre chose bravo.

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yeasss beat the bullies up

i really enjoyed this drama and every single episode. it was so entertaining to watch and def really satisfying.

the plot is pretty simple lol. there's a bully at the school, the team shows up to "teach [them] a lesson", bully gets punished, victim gets justice, end of episode. but each ep has a new root problem to the bullying and its never repetitive- which makes this drama so entertaining.

obviously, this is supposed to be fiction lol but seeing kids/teachers/etc get bullied and actually getting justice in a satisfying way is pure entertainment. realistically, as we all know, this wouldn't work out. but like seeing it in a drama and something like this coming into fruition was really entertaining lol

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Interesting as a thought exercise, weird as a drama

First and foremost, we've really got to stop categorizing things as BL just because two hot men stand next to each other lol....this is NOT even slightly BL so turn back now if that's what you're hoping for.

I'm not really sure what to make of this drama because, on one hand, I think it ultimately fails in telling a coherent story. There's basically no background or development for the characters, the game is not really all that exciting, and the ending is pretty random and abrupt. The egregious use of genAI imagery throughout is also reasonable grounds to write off this drama completely.

However, given all that, I was surprised that it actually appeared to have underlying commentary about how dissemination of information and messaging can influence public opinion and shape politics. Maybe I'm giving the drama more credit than it deserves, but it did get me thinking about my own views and values on war and peace and the responsibility of governments by watching the characters debate those very topics. The drama also seemingly acknowledges creative opposition to AI in a way that made me wonder if it's expressing some sneaky anti-AI sentiment. And perhaps it's because the producers expected this drama to have no traction, but I was amused that they risked even potentially evoking a certain real-life geopolitical conflict between Japan and Korea with the hypothetical conflict that is the basis of the propaganda game being played...not sure if it was gutsy or just plain dumb lol.

Overall, I would maybe recommend if you've ever wanted to observe a Model UN meeting that is unusually full of pretty people, but don't come expecting any semblance of a plot.

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From Tragic BL to Toxic Danmei: Are We Repeating the Same Mistake?

The Wrong Stories Keep Getting Adapted

One thing that genuinely frustrates me about recent danmei adaptations is that they often seem to favour the most controversial or toxic stories, while many of the genre's best-written novels with healthy relationships, emotional maturity, and meaningful character development are left untouched. Chinese danmei has an incredible range of stories. There are novels where couples grow together through trust, mutual respect, and communication rather than manipulation or abuse.

Yet, when I look at the adaptation lineup, many of the projects gaining attention lean heavily into obsessive love interests, sexual abuse, coercive dynamics, emotional manipulation, or relationships where one partner holds overwhelming power over the other. Those themes can absolutely be explored in fiction, and many readers enjoy them as fictional drama. The issue isn't that these stories exist; it's that they often seem to overshadow the wide variety of healthier, equally engaging danmei that rarely receive the same opportunity for adaptation. It reminds me of an earlier period in BL media when tragic endings were everywhere. Back then, many BL films and dramas ended with death, separation, or heartbreak, partly because creators were reluctant or unable to portray same-sex relationships as happy or lasting. The repeated use of tragic endings created the impression that queer love stories were destined to end in suffering. Now, the trend feels different but similarly limiting. Instead of tragedy being the defining feature, it's increasingly toxic relationship dynamics that dominate adaptations. When viewers who are unfamiliar with danmei only see these kinds of stories, they may assume the entire genre revolves around abusive or unhealthy romances. In reality, danmei is far more diverse. It includes slow-burn romances, found-family stories, historical epics, mysteries, slice-of-life narratives, and countless relationships built on equality, trust, and mutual growth.
I just wish adaptation studios would showcase that broader diversity. There are so many exceptional danmei novels with rich plots and genuinely healthy couples that deserve the spotlight just as much as the darker, more controversial titles.

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