Reviews

Guilty Pleasure Watch

This was my first MXY drama and it's sort of a guilty pleasure now - I keep coming back. I'm a sucker for dramas where a hot younger guy is obsessed with an older girl and this one hits all the right spots. Story is meh, but chemistry is 100% and there's something about a big hunky dude all hung up on one woman that is just chef's kiss. ML is teetering on the psycho line, complete with forced kisses and crazy schemes, but he also has a sweet desperation to him and never actually forces the FL into anything. MXY is a total beefcake as always and fans will not be disappointed with his shirtless scenes. Is it an Oscar worthy drama? Oh boy, of course not - but do I keep re-watching? Yes indeed.

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cảm nhận

- về diễn xuất thì với bộ này, mình khá bất ngờ vì diễn xuất của Pond Phuwin ngày càng ok hơn, xem lại bộ Cá Trên Trời với bộ này phải thấy rõ cả 2 diễn rất khác nhau, bây giờ cả hai diễn đúng tự nhiên, không gồng, không đơ. Tạo hình bộ này sốc visual vcl luôn, nói chung t đánh giá khá cao đoá
- Còn về nội dung, chưa có gì đặc sắc và ấn tượng lắm nhưng về độ “ điên “ và độ tình thì phải tuỵt =))), đang stress stress xem phim này cười khùng từ tập 1 tới tập cuối. Phim nó ngược không nổi luôn :))), không có gian nan gì đỡ phải lo =))). Phim đúng điên tình, coi sốc thính theo. Nhưng độ dễ thương của phim t phảii chấm 10/10. Nó sến, nó cuti nhưng mà nó không bị lố, không bị sượng, nói chung đáng để xem khi chán coi mấy bộ quá kịch tính, mở lòng xem giải trí bộ này uci lắm nhen

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Forget About It

I started watching this because I like Wallace Chung - he is a very good actor and I like his acting style unfortunately this show is as preposterous. as it is boring!

Episode 1 limped along, honestly a snail could move at a quicker pace! But, I persevered, I really did. And so we come to Episode 2, After 22 minutes and 25 seconds, I gave up, why waste time on a badly plotted, irrelevant nonsense when there are so much better things to see?

I read through the spoilers and realised my summation was correct ~ it wasn’t going to get any better. You will have more enjoyment and entertainment contemplating the wonders of the universe!

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A Love Story About What People Fail to Say

I understand why this drama is divisive, but after finishing all episodes, I think many negative reviews are judging it through a lens that the drama was never trying to satisfy.

One of the most common criticisms is that the female lead receives far more help from the male lead than she gives back. While that observation is fair, I think it misses the point of the story. The drama is primarily centered on the female lead's struggles: growing up privileged, dealing with family expectations, public pressure, and emotional scars that money cannot solve. Naturally, the male lead becomes the person who supports her through those difficulties.

What makes the relationship compelling is not that both characters contribute in exactly the same way, but that they affect each other's lives differently. The male lead offers support, stability, and unwavering devotion. The female lead, despite her flaws, gives meaning to his life, inspires him, and becomes the person he cannot forget. Relationships are not always balanced on a spreadsheet.

Another criticism is that the couple should have simply communicated better. In real life, that sounds reasonable. But one of the drama's central themes is that people often fail to say the things that matter most to the people they love most. Pride, fear, insecurity, guilt, and timing can all prevent honest conversations. Many relationships fail not because the problems are impossible to solve, but because people struggle to express themselves. To me, that is one of the most realistic aspects of the drama.

As for the pacing, I personally disagree with claims that it is boring. It is definitely a slow-burn drama, but there is a difference between being slow and being empty. Many of the flashbacks and repeated moments are not there to fill time; they gradually add new context and emotional meaning to events we have already seen. If you connect with the characters, those scenes become rewarding rather than repetitive.

I also think some viewers interpret the male lead's love as obsession, while others see it as extraordinary devotion. The drama clearly leans toward the latter interpretation. He is not portrayed as someone whose entire life collapses without her. He continues working, living, and making his own choices. He simply never stops loving the same person.

This drama will probably not work for viewers looking for constant plot twists, fast pacing, or dramatic cliffhangers. However, if you enjoy character-driven stories, emotional development, meaningful flashbacks, and second-chance romance, there is a lot to appreciate here.

For me, the greatest strength of Surely Tomorrow is that it trusts emotions more than spectacle. It tells a quiet story about flawed people, missed opportunities, unresolved feelings, and the courage to love someone again despite the pain. It is not perfect, but it is far more thoughtful and emotionally rewarding than some reviews make it seem.

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Zero !

Sincèrement, je mets une étoile parce que zéro n'existe pas.

Si la fin avait été différente, j'aurais, à la rigueur, pu pardonner le côté fouillis et les choix pourris que font les protagonistes tout du long de la série... mais franchement, l'on y comprend rien. Je pense qu'il manque des indications de temps... ce n’est pas possible autrement. On ne sait jamais s'ils sont dans une temporalité ou si l’on nous remontre une précédente... trop mal écrit !

Et, cette fin ! Aussi insipide que l'a été le reste du drama. ZÉRO !
Je ne sais pas comment je suis arrivée au 24e épisode en vrai.
Je n’ai vraiment rien à voir en ce moment.

Ça doit être le 2e ou tout au plus 3e drama que je note de la sorte, mais vraiment... triste pour les acteurs obligés de jouer dans des navets pareil parce qu'on ne leur propose pas mieux

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A Sharp, Addictive Start with a Softer Finish

Celebrity is one of those dramas that hooks you almost immediately. The opening episodes are fast-paced, suspenseful, and packed with twists that make it hard to stop watching. Its exploration of influencer culture, online fame, and the dark side of social media feels both timely and engaging, exposing how quickly admiration can turn into obsession and public opinion can be manipulated.

The drama maintains strong momentum for most of its run, balancing mystery with social commentary while keeping viewers guessing. However, the final stretch doesn’t quite match the intensity of the beginning. Some conflicts are resolved a little too conveniently, and the ending lacks the same level of tension that made the early episodes so compelling. Even so, the cast delivers convincing performances, the production is polished, and the series succeeds in delivering an entertaining thriller with a relevant message. Despite a slightly underwhelming finish, Celebrity is still an addictive binge-watch that’s well worth an 8.5/10.

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Charming Leads

Gorgeous Dream is one of those dramas that grabs your attention much more easily than it manages to keep it. The first half is genuinely entertaining, with brisk pacing, an intriguing setup, and enough twists to make you want to keep watching. Although the script isn’t flawless and there are several noticeable logical inconsistencies, they’re not distracting enough to ruin the experience early on. Unfortunately, the second half takes a completely different direction. The storytelling style changes significantly, the pacing becomes uneven, and many plot developments feel less compelling than what the drama initially promised, making it lose much of its original appeal.

The biggest reason this drama remains enjoyable is the lead couple. Both actors deliver expressive performances, and their chemistry feels natural and effortless. Their interactions are fun, emotional when needed, and engaging enough to carry even the weaker parts of the script. While the supporting cast also does a decent job, it’s the two leads who make the series worth finishing. Overall, Gorgeous Dream isn’t a drama with the strongest writing, but its charismatic leads and entertaining first half make it a worthwhile watch—as long as you don’t expect the ending to live up to the beginning.

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Excellent story-telling and character development.

I read True Education years ago, right when it got cancelled on (English) Webtoon due to a string of controversial storylines by the author, revolving around reverse racism and the like. Before that point, the manhwa was wonderful at crafting a unique spin on school violence. Instead of being an underdog student, it is a vengeful teacher as the main character, whose craziness and believable mastery of fighting make for a much more enthralling story.

The show naturally gravitates away from the webtoon when it comes to certain characters and plot points. Ten episodes is not enough time to adequately develop them all, but in the little time that is given to characters each episode, the storytelling provides a great characterisation. Moreover, given the wide variety of cases that the ERPB deal with, we will likely see a second season of the show that addresses more complex situations in detail.

Story:

I truly enjoyed the story. They provided us with a heartbreaking backstory for both Hwa-jin and Han-rim that fundamentally characterises them for the audience. The show tackles modern school violence, the use of social media, the corrupt education system, the lack of guidance for students and teachers, each providing a satisfying conclusion. My personal favourite are the four juvenile delinquents sent to prison as a taste of their possible future. It is this type of punishment that draws the audience to TYAL as it handles school violence outside of the realm of the classroom too.

The character Deputy Director Bong is a new character made for the show and as much as I enjoyed his theatrics, I did find the romance with Han-rim unnecessary. Han-rim's character should have been used to circumvent the criticism a male teacher might receive for their handling of female school violence, as well as discussing the backwards stereotypes over female teachers and soldiers. Bong is an outsider perspective, mirroring the audience, as we follow the main characters.

Additionally, the concept of a "final enemy" didn't really bode well for me at the end. I found Gyu Cheol's character interesting but not enough so to warrant so much screen time to him as some ominous final boss.

Acting:

This show has some BRILLIANT acting. In fact, I am writing this review rather late, but I still think about Gyeom Ma's actor in Episode 6. The infamous "Bully Killer" when they describe him in a flashback, showing the actor, tormented by his decision, wrapping a pen into his hand and then charging into the classroom. We don't see the violence but we hear it. Visceral. The blood pools and spills outside of the classroom door. The bodies fall onto desk. And Gyeom is screaming. The blood is all over his face. And we, as the audience, can truly feel the despair he must have felt to take the lives of his bullies. Similarly, Jin Ki Joo's performance as a teenage Ha-rim being beaten bloody and teary-eyed before receiving help from Hwa-jin is a moving scene, that does well to help situate Ha-rim in the audience's mind as a great character. The actor for Gyu Cheol has a distinct, porcelain face. His down-turned eyes always give the impression he is never giving the person his full attention, like he is innately above them, and I love it, it magnifies his arrogance for the audience to see.

The fight scenes were punchy and classic. Overall, I enjoyed this show plenty, and it acts as a redemption to alienate itself from the source material's original controversy, yet remains consistent and familiar through the characters and the cases that the EPRB investigate.

Hoping for a second season, based on all the reception, we will likely see one, and I am interested in the direction they will choose to take, as I want the show to examine Korea's education system rather than singling out certain individuals.

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Not as good as only friends, but still worth watching

Only Friends was a fantastic series and somewhat spoiled me for this second series. Although good, Dream On did not have the same level of intensity or chaos. I think part of this shortfall was its known pairings so if you are a fan of GMMTV’s other works you will know who will end up with who eventually.

The story is set at university and centres round the play Romeo and Juliet that Jack, the director, rewrites to include two male leads and renames to Romeo and Romeo. It’s a given that his boyfriend, Dean, will play one of the Romeos but what soon becomes apparent is that he must reluctantly split this part across two actors - not only his boyfriend but another student, Raffy, who makes no bones about the fact that he also wants Jack. Added complications arise when the second Romeo, played by Arnold, is caught on camera in what looks like a compromising position with Dean the fallout of which is felt across the whole department with Dean and another student Tua becoming the main casualties. Added to the mix and also collateral damage are Rome, Pete and Boston (from the original series).

There are also cameos from First & Khaotung and Book & Force and Mark resurrecting their roles from the first series, namely Sand & Ray, Mew & Top and Nick which is sweet and a very GMMTV thing to do.

There is much to love from this latest offering from GMMTV - production values, plot line etc are all top notch but I struggled with Jack, played by Earth Pirapat who wrestled unbelievably uncomfortably with pretending to smoke and adjusting his glasses but many of his facial expressions and body postures were rather stilted as well. He may have a gorgeous physique but I felt Dean, played by Mix, outshone him completely and perhaps this was why Earth’s performance appeared so lacking - the actors were poles apart in their level of delivery.

I loved Aou and Boom’s portrayal of Raffy and Rome (a pairing who I’d met before in Perfect 10 Liners where they played polar opposite characters to this story) and Joss and Gawin who played Arnold and Tua who’s own storylines were complex yet believable. Boston was more grown up, mature and oddly slightly sad when we first meet him but when he encounters Nick you get to understand why.

If you watch this as a separate story to Only Friends season 1 it’s ok, but not a patch on it.

Would I watch it again? No

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Interesting concept, cliche execution. Waste of time.

The concept of banning romance at school is a long-overused trope for the sake of 'forbidden romance', but Chastity High twists it by mirroring authoritarian mechanics and surveillance control. We have seen this before in the Nuremberg Trials and in Orwell's 1984, yet CH's ten-episode story fails to develop any meaningful conclusion. Frankly, this could have been a movie and would have been the same because it is boring to see the plot go in the same direction it usually does. The trailer for the show pointed to the horror of a surveillance state in education, but in reality, multiple weeks go by in the school where no one is truly punished for their actions. The rabbit-hunters are a joke as it is only their existence which exerts fear not their actions.

Ichika is described in Netflix's synopsis as uninterested in relationships, or something along those lines, as I can't quite find the wording for it, yet she quickly falls for the school's misunderstood heartthrob. Their team-up is obvious, but also painfully done in the sense that we could have had much more depth to Ichika's character, and much more of a slow-burn! 10 episodes is far too short to develop these characters, hence why the plot panned out the way it did. The show could have gone deeper to address issues such as grooming, sexual assault, and a lack of sex education + peer pressure amongst students, but in reality, it all leads back to the headteacher's unresolved trauma stemming from her best friend's death. Ayami as a character could have been used to detail this, instead a lack of insight into her character makes her seem like the girl who falls in love easily with whoever is nearest. She doesn't even report the inappropriate relationship with Haruto and isn't encouraged to either. Moreover, the stakes didn't quite resonate with the actions. Ryogo gets off scot-free thanks to nepotism, even if he resents it, but the show doesn't do the impact of expulsion/loss of virginity justice. Moving onto to Atsushi, his entire character is an archetype, and just so flat. His initial portrayal comes off yandere-ish and yet he doesn't really do anything? The show just wanted to put in different examples of how love can ruin families without actually formalising the implications.

Finally, the fact that they spent a whole episode doing a trial? The trial itself was improper and more of a stage act, a final hurrah/battle to overcome. Ichika never blackmailed anyone and they had obvious receipts to prove it. The trial was just a way to make it all feel more "real" and terrify a teenager. At the very end of the show, the school holds a vote about whether to abolish the no-romance rule, and surprise, surprise, people still want it in action. The show is skewed towards the bias of people who believe in love, and preach about freedom and privacy and all that, but doesn't adequately explore the other side of the argument, the students who probably wanted to keep their heads down and focus on studying.

Overall, the show had decent acting, and a somewhat coherent plot to follow, but the ending does not pair well with the initial concept whatsoever. Even though this show is based on a true story, the dramatisation took away the enjoyment for me. Also, the music completely took me out. Why choose so many flamboyant Western songs that don't really pair well with the theme of the show? To appeal to a Western audience?

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Two less lonely people and it's gonna be fine

the story was unexpected, i mean for me cos what do you mean you will connect to this boy at school because of his stepmother being your biological mother and you wanted to ruin your mother's life? (I EAT THAT SH--) and cliche as it sounds, like how the FL and ML grown close all because of revenge but their feelings are genuine and you know what? I AM SEATED FOR THAT.

i loved the novel to be honest and i don't plan to watch the adaptation but when articles were released that my girl bao shangen is playing as zhou wan? SIGN ME UP!!! fangirling aside, the cast did great on their characters and i always laugh when ping ge and jiang fan shows up huhuhu dumb and dumber at its finest 😭😭😭 and the role of the mom/stepmom? girl, i am seethed in anger because the nerve of her calling herself a mom? AHHHH tho i love the grandma (aren't we all love good grannies in dramas like this)

MUSIC? I LOVE THE INTRO AND OUTRO!!! it's giving a healing drama vibe!!! like i don't have anything to say cos it's beautiful!

this review is solely subjective so, don't come at me hehe (will probably edit this review also in the middle and after the drama aired)

PS. as a reader of the novel, i really loved how well written and complex the characters are. it's a bummer that the high school scenes are just for 4 episodes (or maybe not) because it's the cherry on top of the novel, how lonely the two are and how they bonded over it (without discussing it definitely) but they had this certain connection that no one can describe. their unexpected arcade meetings and lu xixao always bothering her like, i wish they made the high school scenes longer so they can expound the tension between them and how did lu xixao grovel before zhou wan and zhou wan blinded by her revenge? gosh, i loved it.

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An original drama with court intrigue, a return to life, and a romance with a tiger-like ruler.

I started watching it by accident, thanks to Jerome Deng, and was immediately drawn in. Even the initial episodes, usually controversial, were engaging.

The plot concerns Shen Zhinian, who returns to life after a tragic death, much like her sister. Shen Zhinian decides to escape her own destiny and forces Zhinian to take her place in the imperial palace. Zhinian must demonstrate extraordinary intelligence, cunning, and cunning to survive court intrigues and betrayals. To survive, she decides to gain the favor of the tyrannical emperor, which, of course, turns into a complicated romance.
And it's one of the most interesting romances I've seen recently.

This drama has many elements I really like – the cast is excellent – ​​watching the main couple feels like we're watching an exciting duel that starts off aggressively but gradually evolves into a beautiful dance. The chemistry is incredible. The supporting characters are also lively and captivating. The entire story doesn't insult the viewer's intelligence and is written in an engaging and coherent manner. There's a fair amount of cruelty in this drama, so if you're sensitive, be warned, but the ending is positive.

My only reservations are about the ending, as everything was crammed into two episodes when it could easily have been four. Perhaps there was a lack of funding, as it's not a large production with a huge budget.
We have beautiful cinematography, good direction, and a solid script. Maybe they could have hired a better hairdresser for Jerome Deng.

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