Reviews

Compelling story with some missed opportunities

I started watching Ticket to Heaven with some trepidation. A BL with a religious theme? Seemed like it had the potential to be great or a complete disaster. Here are my pros and cons:

PROS

ACTING. After watching them in mostly light fare, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed at the range of both Gemini and Fourth. I also liked many of the other actors. There were some serious scenes that conveyed real emotion.

POSITIVE TRANS REPRESENTATION. I don't know the name of the actor who played the trans character in Ep. 6, but she did a phenomenal job of creating a sympathtic, positive role model.

RESPECT FOR THEME. I appreciated that the story maintained respect for the Catholic religion while exploring the difficulties of young gay men growing up in that environment.

LENGTH OF SERIES. Six episodes felt just right to me.

CONS

DEPTH. While I was fine with the length of the series, I would have liked it more if it had gone deeper into Tan's struggles, which could have been addressed in place of certain other scenes, which dragged on and didn't offer anything important to the plot.

TIME JUMP. I get it, the story dated from 1996. But when they jumped 20 years at the end, it wasn't believable at all, with the exception of the Father with his added face wrinkles (good job there, makeup crew!). There was a reference to Kongdech having some grey hair. They tried to age Barth with different glasses and clothes (didn't work), and Tan looked exactly the same. No way someone is going to look the same after 20 years. They should have used different actors at the end, to make it credible.

DISAPPEARING CHARACTERS. Barth's mom was great. It would have been nice to know what happened to her. And what happened to the guy who was bullying Barth in Ep. 1? It would have been satisfying to see him get his comeuppance, like seeing him tied to an anthill and covered with honey or something...

While I feel there were some missed opportunities for a more powerful presentation, overall it was a pleasant experience for me.

I'm giving it 7/10.

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Something nice to watch when you're bored

Was feeling bored and honestly didn't know what to do, decided to watch this movie since i came across it, it was definitely cute and funny.

The introduction for Kanna was definitely funny, can't imagine how many she has been rejecting, her fujoshing out at the rooftops was something, the brainrot filter is a hilarious name but I definitely see it HAHA.

Was expecting Mihara and Sorami to get together, but I definitely understood Mihara rejecting him during the moment, it was a pity but Sorami was definitely still confused and unsure to fully admit being Gay himself, Mihara has definitely went through that same struggle himself but found his way to accept himself, and with Kanna too.

Speaking of Kanna, her confessing she had liked Mihara was definitely surprise, but considering he was the only one that truly understood what Kanna truly is, it was bound to happen that she'd actually love him, she knew it was doomed at the start, but she was brave enough to honestly confess that all out to him, but i'm happy overall they still stuck around for each other.

Because who wouldn't it be but just them? definitely adored their friendship, thought it was weirdly funny she wanted Mihara and Sorami to have a bad ending? was questioning it throughout the movie, but it was funny it backfired when both confessed to each other at the aquarium.

But OMGG!!! I was definitely in for Mihara and the guy from the volleyball club, they were definitely a cute pair, like dude did you see the way Nishiyanagi hold Mihara's hand while giving back the glasses???? and the convenient can making Mihara slip into him checked it for me, I'd love to see a spin-off with them! It would be interesting......

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Great potential, but little time to develop it properly.

The first few episodes were great. I was totally hooked by the plot! There was so much being built up and happening that it was impossible not to get completely absorbed in the storyline.

But then, I felt that towards the home stretch, things started to feel too rushed; there were important scenes that simply seemed to have been cut. And despite the good cinematography, I believe *Ashes to Crown*'s biggest problem is the lack of time for development.

It was a really good plot, but there are loose ends. The characters and the storyline had potential, especially the female lead. She was intelligent and played the court game well, yet she also suffered and faced hardships, which made it easy to empathize with her. However, I think both she and the other characters could have been much better developed, explored, and fleshed out.

Deng Yi, for example. He was an interesting character, but no other aspect of him was explored beyond what was explicitly stated. His relationship with his mother could have been explored and built upon to further his character development. I also have to admit I thought he would have a romance with Chu Zao's cousin. Perhaps I was simply mistaken? Not to mention I was confused when he suddenly switched to Chu Zao's side after having conspired with Xiao Xun. And yes, I know it was said he did it so the female lead would spare his mother, but... knowing the older woman was innocent, wouldn't she have spared her anyway? Deng Yi is a character with potential. He has a strong bond with his mother, his weak point, which humanizes him, unlike Xie Yan Fang. I believe that aspect should have been utilized for a narrative arc.

Xie Yan Fang and Xiao Xun are total villains; they don't seem to have empathy for anyone. In fact, they are ready to eliminate anyone who stands in their way. However, I also feel that these characters lacked depth and exploration.

Although—I must admit—it was interesting and intriguing to see these three, along with the female lead, navigating the court's political games, I felt that even this aspect, specifically after she returned from the border campaign—was rushed.

Finally, I also felt the absence of more characters. Even though the plot moved forward with the main cast, there were practically no subplots involving secondary characters.

Another thing that confused me was the storyline regarding the female lead's mother. She appeared and died just as quickly, sacrificing herself in a predictable manner. I found it unnecessary. If the drama didn't have the time to deepen and develop the relationship between her and her mother, it would have been better to leave that part out and focus on more important plot elements.

Xie Yan Lai was a good male lead. He was brave and protective of the female lead, yet not invincible, which was a positive point. Just as we were introduced to the female lead's past, we were also shown his history and his relationship with his brother, Xie Yan Fang. However, he simply disappears for a significant amount of time after becoming a border general. I got the impression that he underwent some character development, but it was barely explored because he was absent for so long.

Aside from all that, the performances by both the main and supporting casts were excellent! Chen Du Ling truly delivered a great performance, especially in scenes such as when she killed Xiao Xun, when she died for him before being reborn, and when she struck Xie Yan Fang with the poisoned knife. Personally, I have absolutely no complaints about her or anyone else in the main cast. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for future productions featuring these actors.

Both the vocal and instrumental soundtracks were excellent, as was the direction, which took us through stunning natural landscapes. I also assume the budget was limited, which explains the low episode count and the shortcomings in certain aspects of character design and set construction. It was evident that corners were being cut—particularly regarding the omission of scenes like battles—and I also got the impression that there was a lack of extras at times.

Overall, *Ashes to Crown* focuses heavily on court political intrigue but lacks the time for development and greater depth—both regarding its characters and aspects of the plot itself. Nevertheless, it is worth checking out for its positive qualities.


Now in my native language, Brazilian Portuguese:

Os primeiros episódios foram ótimos. Fiquei totalmente fisgada pela trama! Era tanta coisa sendo construída e acontecendo que ficava impossível não se sentir absorta em meio ao enredo.

Mas então, senti que lá pela reta final, as coisas começaram a ficar apressadas demais, havia cenas importantes que simplesmente pareciam ter sido cortadas. E, apesar de ter uma boa cinematografia, acredito que o maior problema de Ashes to Crown é a falta de tempo para o desenvolvimento.

Era uma trama muito boa, mas há pontas que parecem ter ficado soltas. Os personagens, bem como o enredo, tinham potencial, principalmente a protagonista feminina. Ela era inteligente e jogava bem o jogo da corte, mas também sofria e passava por dificuldades, o que gerava uma empatia por ela. Porém, eu acho que tanto ela, quanto os demais personagens poderiam ter sido tão bem melhor desenvolvidos, explorados e aprofundados.

Deng Yi, por exemplo. Ele era um personagem interessante, mas simplesmente não teve nenhum outro aspecto explorado além do que foi dito sobre ele. A relação dele com a mãe poderia ter sido explorada e construída para um desenvolvimento de personagem. Aliás, também confesso que pensei que ele teria um romance com a prima de Chu Zao. Talvez, eu tenha simplesmente me equivocado? Sem contar que também me senti confusa, quando ele de repente passou para o lado de Chu Zao, após ter conspirado com Xiao Xun. E sim, sei que foi dito que ele fez isso para que a protagonista feminina poupasse a mãe dele, mas...ela sabendo que a idosa é inocente, não a teria poupado de qualquer maneira? Deng Yi é um personagem com potencial. Ele tem uma forte relação com a mãe, o que é seu ponto fraco, é isso o humaniza, ao contrário de Xie Yan Fang. Acredito que tal coisa deveria ter sido usada para um arco narrativo.

Xie Yan Fang e Xiao Xun são vilões completos, eles não parecem ter empatia por ninguém. Na verdade, estão prontos para eliminar quem ficar em seu caminho. No entanto, eu também acho que faltou profundidade e exploração nestes personagens.

Embora, devo dizer, tenha sido interessante e intrigante ver estes três, junto com o FL, no jogo politico da corte, eu senti que até mesmo isso, após ela voltar da campanha na fronteira, foi apressado.

Por fim, também senti falta de mais personagens. Mesmo que a trama se movimentasse com o elenco principal, não tinha nenhuma outra subtrama com personagens secundários, praticamente.

Outra coisa que me deixou confusa foi a história da mãe da protagonista feminina. Do mesmo modo que ela apareceu rápido, ela morreu rápido, se sacrificando previsivelmente. Achei desnecessário. Se o drama não tem tempo para aprofundar e desenvolver a relação dela com a mãe, então era melhor deixar de fora está parte para poder focar em coisas mais importantes na trama.

Xie Yan Lai, foi um bom protagonista masculino. Eles era corajoso e protegia a protagonista feminina. Mas não era invencível, é isso foi um ponto positivo. Do mesmo jeito que fomos apresentados ao passado da protagonista feminina, também como nos mostraram o passado dele e sua relação com seu irmão, Xie Yan Fang. Mas ele simplesmente some por um tempo muito significativo, após virar general da fronteira. Eu tive a impressão de que ele teve um certo desenvolvimento de personagem, mas foi muito pouco explorado, porque ele sumiu.

Fora todas estas coisas, a atuação do elenco principal e do elenco de apoio foi ótima! Chen Du Ling realmente entregou uma ótima performance, principalmente em cenas como quando ela matou Xiaoxun, quando ela morreu por ele, antes de renascer, e quando ela cortou Xie Yan Fang com a faca envenenada. Na verdade, particularmente, não tenho reclamação dela ou do de todos do elenco principal. Certamente ficarei atenta as próximas produções em que estes atores estiverem.

Tanto a trilha sonora cantada quando a trilha sonora instrumental foram excelentes, bem como a direção, que nos levou por cenários naturais belíssimos. Também presumo que o orçamento foi limitado, por isso foram feitos tão poucos episódios e faltaram algumas coisas em certos aspectos da caracterização e contrução de cenário. Dava para ver que de alguma maneira havia algo sendo economizado, principalmente devido ao corte de certas cenas, como as de batalha. Além disso, tive a impressão que as vezes faltava figurante.

No geral, Ashes to Crown foca bastante na intriga política da corte, mas carece de tempo para desenvolvimento e mais profundidade, tanto em seus personagens quanto em aspectos da própria trama. No entanto, vale a pena dar uma olhada pelos pontos positivos.

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Man, this one had so much potential! This is a sentence I have previously only used for Thai BLs, but here it is entirely deserved.

The drama had it all: Cute and talented actors, a tried-but-true premise of "opposites attract but have to put in effort to make it work", a solid technical crew -- but then the whole thing is watered down by an unnecessary rival and inconsistent characterizations.

The drama starts out strong -- we get a meet-cute between an outgoing Kansai dweller and a reserved man from Tokyo, a "love at first sight" trope and tasty-looking food. All of the cast give their characters life in just a few scenes.

The plot progression in the first few episodes, which focuses on the two men who slowly get closer and learn each other's likes and dislikes, and how to talk to each other, would be good too, if it wasn't for Soga's poor characterisation: He is a divorcé, so he should be able to recognize attraction and desire in himself, right? But he very much acts as if all of this is new to him, and he has never even thought of himself as someone who could be in a relationship -- and it's not that he is confused that it's a man; nor is he asexual (he very bluntly proposes sex in a later episode).

So, his character is already inconsistent (but somewhat in accordance with J-BL "rules"), but then it gets worse: Sakae's ex, who left him a while ago, is back and wants to restart the relationship. Much of the short runtime is wasted on this love rival side plot instead of further exploring how two people who have next to nothing in common could make a relationship work.
I think this as well as the inconsistent characterisation of Soga's is why other viewers feel that there's no "chemistry" between the leads.

And it's worth of note that as soon as this is resolved and our couple is again on the search for the middle-ground (quite literally!), their dynamics start to get interesting again. Unfortunately, that is the point where the runtime ends already.

This could have been a cute and light story about two people who are very different, who tend to pull back to make their partners happy and who learn that to make a partnership work you have to find compromise that fits both of you.

Was it good?
It has much potential to be one of the J-BLs with tight writing and interesting character dynamics which I so love. Unfortunately, it id not use this potential at all.

Did I like it?
I really want to. I liked the start and the end, but the middle dragged the whole thing down.

Would I recommend it?
Not really.

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Meu bl favorito

Essa série me pegou de um jeito que eu não sei explicar, a fotografia dela é linda, a história dela é linda, a introdução é linda, a vibe melancólica é linda, a música é linda, tudo nessa série é maravilhoso. Ela é delicada, trata assuntos delicados de uma forma incrível. Atuação impecável, a série é emocionante, todos os momentos e instantes desse bl é perfeito.
Apenas com a sinopse, você não dá muita coisa para ela, mas quando você assiste, você vê que não é apenas uma "série de dois adolescentes diferentes", não, essa série é perfeita, quando eu me toquei que o nome é "our youth", porque representa a juventude deles, eu me acabei de chorar. Vai fazer 4 meses que eu assiti essa série, meu sonho era reassistir como se fosse a primeira vez. Eu sempre me emociono e fico arrepiada quando eu ouço as músicas que tocam nela, (até as músicas que tocam nela são perfeitas, como é que pode isso?), sempre quando vejo um edit de our youth em minha fy, eu surto, tenho página de journal nessa série, só não tatuo pq ainda não posso. Essa série é a melhor série que eu já vi em minha vida, todos os momentos, cenas e episódios desse bl são impecáveis, tem momentos tristes, felizes, de tensão, tudo na medida. Meu Deus, eu amo essa série.

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hidden gem alert

i genuinely think the past couple of months have been one of the best kdrama eras we've had in a while because why is every drama suddenly so GOOD again?? and then there's reborn rookie, a drama i found completely by accident while doomscrolling. i clicked because the synopsis sounded fun, expecting nothing more than a silly body-swap comedy. little did i know i was about to find one of the biggest hidden gems of the year. this drama perfectly balances comedy with corporate politics, family drama, mystery, and just a tiny pinch of romance at the very end. every week i kept asking myself, "okay... but how are they gonna land this ending?" because body-swap stories can go downhill REAL fast. but nope. they actually pulled it off. i know it's adapted from a popular webtoon, but after hearing people's say about the original ending... yeah, i think the drama version is way better. the changes just make more sense and give everyone a much more satisfying conclusion.

the story follows kang young ho, the chairman of chaesong, who suddenly swaps bodies with young football player hwang jun hyeon after a car accident secretly caused by his own twin sons. and honestly? watching this old chairman casually speedrun rookie office life inside a young athlete's body was comedy gold. but underneath all the laughs, the drama slowly uncovers how terrifyingly greedy and cruel his own children have become, and that part hit harder than i expected. my biggest concern was definitely kang bang geul's crush on hwang jun hyeon because... WE knew that was technically her dad inside that body. i was stressing so bad wondering how the writers were gonna fix that without making it weird. thankfully, they cooked. after everyone returned to their original bodies, it turned out the real hwang jun hyeon had already fallen for bang geul while visiting kang young ho during his coma, so their relationship still worked naturally. and PLEASE... those last two minutes??? i was fully ready for the credits, then suddenly ITZY's Ryujin showed up out of nowhere and hwang jun hyeon ended up swapping bodies AGAIN. i actually laughed out loud. what an unserious way to end such a satisfying finale.

and can we PLEASE give lee jun young his flowers?? because wow. he wasn't just playing two characters—he was playing two completely different souls, and i could immediately tell who was who just from his expressions, body language, and the way he talked. that's insane. everyone else delivered too, from the main cast to the supporting characters, and even the villains were so good at making my blood boil. the writing stayed solid for all six weeks, the directing never lost its momentum, and every episode was just... FUN

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They Didn't Fail. They Just Didn't Succeed.

Disclaimer: I cried SO MUCH watching this that I don’t even know why myself. Please keep in mind that I just finished the series, so I’m feeling a little emotional. With that in mind, let’s get started.

Kasuga Yuma (Ito Kentaro) and Hasegawa Itsuki (Sato Kanichiro) are a gay couple who recently went viral in an interview about co-parenting. With the popularity the couple achieved, a proposal came up to make a documentary about their dynamic as a couple. The problem? They had actually broken up a while ago.

My goodness, what an important series! At its core, it’s a slice-of-life show, filmed to some extent like a sitcom (like *The Office*), because it mimics a documentary, I personally thought that was a brilliant idea. Setting aside technical aspects and performances, which, by the way, were flawless, I have no negative criticism, not only for the protagonists Kentaro and Kanichiro, who made me rethink the nature of all the relationships around me, but also for Narumi Yui and Nomura Masumi, who played Shiho and Naomi, respectively. They didn’t just act; they did so with excellence, highlighting how patriarchy affects women in the workplace in a unique way.

IN SHORT

The protagonists’ relationship which, by the way, initially seemed to suggest they would indeed end up together proved to be something so complex and delicate in and of itself, culminating in a line Itsuki said in the final episode:
“The people who will shape the world are those who yearn to live in the light.”
And that alone defines the series; their dialogues when they’re alone lead us to understand that there’s no right or wrong in this story, they just didn’t work out. In the end, when they both talk about the relationship they had, and as shown in the scenes that unfolded there was indeed affection between them. Itsuki was built to live one day at a time, while Yuma lived several days ahead; he wanted his place in the sun as a “””””””””normal””””””””” person, so to speak; he wanted to get married and start a family. In the end, it becomes clear that Itsuki isn’t the kind of person who worries about what he’ll have for dinner the next day, but even so, he sacrificed a lot in terms of his lifestyle. Over the course of six episodes, we got to see what their relationship was like before all this happened; we could see the difference in their approaches to life. Everything became very clear, and I think that really impacted me, because it wasn’t the kind of thing I expected to see.

From what I’ve said, you can tell that I really liked Itsuki’s character, because as he himself said, Yuma is an ordinary person even if he doesn’t want to believe it. But Itsuki isn’t like that, he’s afraid of being forgotten, even if he hasn’t admitted it in those exact words; he lives one day at a time. And he doesn’t feel the need to fight for a collective; he just wants to live his little life, he’s minding his own business. Personally speaking, I appreciate people like that in real life and, eventually, the characters who represent them.

I think the line “We’d never work out. Because the things I want to throw away are the things he wants to carry” suggests that they tried, and in the end, it’s okay that it didn’t work out. The series almost seemed to convey the message that, just because we share the same letter in the LGBT acronym doesn’t mean we’ll work out. Shared suffering is also part of who we are.
10/10

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"It seems you've chosen death"

Shaw Brothers’ Mission Impossible was written and directed by the prolific Joseph Kuo. In many ways it was a typical SB film shot in Taiwan but this story had a nice twist thrown into it.

The 10,000-year-old Golden Dragon Sword has been stolen from the Imperial Palace. Chaos is sure to reign without its magical light. Soldiers, martial artists, bandits, the good, the bad, and the ugly are all desperately searching for a sword so sharp it can wound a person from five steps away. The legendary swordsman Huo Yun Shan wrested the sword from thieves and now has to entrust it to his daughter Huo Xiao Fen. Her mission is to deliver the Golden Dragon to the Prime Minister, protecting it from all evildoers, but especially the Jade Child Xia Zhao. The Jade Child is 130 years old and impervious to most weapons and poisons, he is not someone Huo should tangle with.

Ching Li is one of my favorite female leads in these old martial arts films. Not a martial artist, but could look properly fierce and also vulnerable when the occasion called for it. Chen Hung Lieh had an unbeatable resting bitch face and was nearly always cast as the villain. This role gave him a chance to expand past his trademark snively laugh and sinister smirks. There were plenty of minions with colorful makeup, weapons, and costumes for Huo to cross swords with, played by familiar Taiwanese actors such as Yi Yuan and Tsai Hung.

The swordfight choreography was fairly typical for 1971. Ching Li wore a veil for a few of the more rigorous and acrobatic battles to hide the stuntman underneath. That or she had very masculine hands. There was a lot of light body wire work and trampoline work. Due to Shaw Brothers producing the film, the sets and costumes were higher end and more polished than the usual Taiwanese martial arts fare. The fight scenes weren’t shot in dark forests or at night either. There was even an underwater scene including special effects fish!

Mission Impossible followed a fairly standard format about a lost sword and the desperate need to return it before it caused societal upheaval. And then it wasn’t. The final “fight” was pretty entertaining. As usual, I grade these old kung fu films on a generous scale and in comparison to other similar films.

5 July 2026

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Fofinhoo

Esse bl é muito fofo, entrega oque promete, é bom, é curtinho (infelizmente😭), e é isso. Uma coisa que eu amei nessa série, é que geralmente nos bls japoneses (não tou generalizando), sempre um que é ingênuo, infantilizado, mais frágil, confuso e "burro", forçadamente (não acho isso legal, além de criar estereótipos, fica ruim e forçado na série), mas nesse bl, eu não encontrei isso, achei que não e algo forçado, é algo da personalidade de cada um dos personagens. Os atores atuaram muito bem os personagens. Amei que eles não ficam naquela besteira, eles são bem decididos com os próprios sentimentos, são maduros e conscientes para a idade deles.
As únicas coisas que eu (amargurada), não achei tãooo ok, são que os looks do Amane(?) não são tão legais(não tem nada haver com a série, mas eu, idiota, achei sla) ,e que teve algumas cenas que eu fiquei morta de vergonha, principalmente as que o Amane falava algo duvidoso, mas, vai de pessoa pra pessoa. A série é boa, tem um roteiro mais parado, é fofa, é curta, eles são fofinhos e tem química bemm fofa, a interações com o casal na série, são fofas, naturais, saudáveis, e muito bonitinhasss, passo mal.

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A Ticket Well Spent

By the final episode, Ticket to Heaven doesn't so much wrap up as it settles — quietly, gently, like the last candle going out after evensong. Tanrak and Barth's journey from wary strangers to something far deeper never loses sight of what the series was really banging on about: that faith and love aren't natural enemies, whatever the seminary walls might suggest.
The ending doesn't dodge the hard stuff either. Both lads have paid a price to get here — Barth with his broken family, Tanrak with his crisis of conscience — and the show has the good sense not to paper over that with a tidy bow. Instead, it offers something a bit more honest: the sense that they've earned their peace, rather than simply been handed it.
For a six-episode run, it punches well above its weight. It's not perfect — a longer series might've let a few of the quieter moments breathe a touch more — but as a piece of storytelling about first love, faith, and finding your own version of heaven, it lands its ending with real conviction. A proper lump-in-the-throat finish, and no mistake.

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My first K Drama - - Loved it!

Not going to lie - this was a show that I almost gave up on after episode 1 of Part 1. SO glad I gave it another chance because it's going in my top five. The action in Ep 1 was super cool but they throw a LOT of history at you right at the beginning and it took awhile to get to the fun part. Do give it a chance though because it gets better.

It ticked all my drama boxes; cute MLs, fantasy/magic, good music, interesting story, fun characters - it made me LOL a lot (mid Part 1 and lots of Part 2) - - I was laugh barking so loud, I scared my cat.

Also - you can totally make a drinking game with this show! (Semi-spoilers ahead)
- Every time there's a montage
- One of the characters cries
-Slow motion walk
- The Prince sighs and looks thoughtfully "Hmm"
- Jung Uk MAKES AN ENTRANCE (Part 2)

I read somewhere that someone suggested to skip Part 2 - - - So glad I gave it a shot because I liked it more than the first part!

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