Reviews

Korean version of Stranger Things

"Some people are different. Others are late bloomers. Others prefer the quiet outskirts. But there is no such thing as a nobody."


The WONDERfools feels like a Korean version of Stranger Things — set in late 1999 in the small town of Haeseong, where secret laboratory experiments, children with superpowers, and four outcasts trying to save the town all come together.

At first, the title made me hesitate. I honestly expected some silly comedy, which is absolutely not my cup of tea. But I’m so glad I gave this drama a chance, because it turned out to be a real blast.

I was hooked from the very beginning. The comedy is hilarious, but still natural and grounded. The action and fight scenes are captivating and well choreographed, and the chemistry between the characters is fantastic. The drama finds the perfect balance between humor, action, and emotional depth.

I especially loved the female lead, Eun Chae Ni, played by Park Eun Bin. Her quirky, spontaneous, chaotic, brave, and authentic personality was such a joy to watch. I honestly wish I could be as free-spirited and true to myself as she is.

The WONDERfools is an incredible drama that keeps you hooked until the very end — absolute perfection from start to finish.

Now I’m waiting for season 2.

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Eine Geschichte über Freundschaft, den Plot Twist sah ich nicht kommen

Mir geht es so wie den Vorschreibern, die meisten Folgen sind mit Rückblenden voll und ich bin ehrlich manchmal konnte ich nicht unterscheiden, sind sie jetzt in der Gegenwart oder Vergangenheit. Da hätte man echt Frisurenwechsel oder so für die leichtere Unterscheidung machen können. Ich liebe Serien voller Freundschaft und auch die von der Schule bis Erwachsenenleben spielen und das war hier sehr schön zu sehen und ich hab es echt genossen. Auch die Leben der Einzelen zu sehen war interessant. Der Plot Twist ja, den hab ich nicht kommen sehen, ob es wirklich nötig war puh wäre es für mich jetzt auch nicht notwendig gewesen. Das war für micht dann aber auch zu "einfach" dann wieder alles abgehagt, sie erfährt davon tauert ein wenig und bye. Joah Junge, ihr Freund hat ihr 12!! Jahre lang Emails von dem Konto ihrer toten!! Freundin geschrieben, also nee ich wäre nicht so schnell damit wieder ok gewesen.

Im allen war es eine sehr schöne Serie, auch wenn ich so manche Backstory skippen musste und wie gesagt der Plot Twist es für mich echt nicht gebraucht hätte.

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The YinWar Effect!!!!!!!!!!

A 10/10 show. I genuinely didn't find a single flaw in this show. The story had me hooked from the very first episode, but the real MVP is War. His performance as Joker is easily one of the best I've seen in a BL. He brings so much emotion to the character, and those crying scenes? Absolutely devastating. Also, why is he such a pretty crier?

And the chemistry between Yin and War? Insane. Every look, every touch, every scene together felt effortless. They didn't just have chemistry—they had me giggling, kicking my feet, and forgetting I was supposed to be paying attention to the plot. Every episode left me wanting more, and by the end, I wasn't ready to let these characters go.

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Interesting Story, Rough Execution (Pacing and Script Issues)

I don’t know, folks. I’ve like the leads in other dramas, but I went back and forth on this one. The short runtime is definitely a plus, since it doesn’t require a huge time commitment and is largely why I could finish it out. The storyline itself is pretty interesting—but I struggled with the dialogue, which felt repetitive, and some of the tropes gave the male characters a forced aggressive exterior that frequently crossed the line for me.

I think the main reason I struggled with the execution is that the script just didn’t land for me. There were so many repeated misunderstandings that, if trimmed, the series could probably have been reduced to 10–15 episodes. It often felt like for every two steps forward, there were two steps back, with the story resetting the characters to where they were in episode one. That became frustrating over time. There’s a lot of potential here IMO, and I think the actors did the best with what they were given. But overall, this wasn't a win for me.

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Deux âmes blessées qui apprennent à revivre...

Avec "In Your Brilliant Season", on suit Song Ha Ran, une créatrice de mode qui semble avoir une vie parfaite en apparence… mais qui, en réalité, vit enfermée dans son propre hiver émotionnel 😔❄️. Entre la perte de ses parents puis celle de son petit ami, elle s’est peu à peu coupée du monde et des autres.

C’est là qu’entre en scène Sun Woo Chan 😭🫶🏻. Lui, c’est tout l’inverse, c'est quelqu’un de chaleureux, lumineux, presque solaire au premier regard ☀️. Mais derrière ce sourire se cachent aussi de profondes blessures liées à une mystérieuse explosion survenue à l’université de Boston, qui lui a laissé des séquelles et une perte partielle de mémoire.

En gros, elle représente le froid, le repli sur soi et les blessures qu’on refuse de laisser guérir... tandis que lui apporte la chaleur, la douceur et cette lumière capable de traverser les nuages ☀️💔. Et forcément, leur rencontre va doucement faire fondre les barrières qu’ils ont construites autour d’eux.

Ce que j’ai beaucoup aimé, c’est que leur relation ne repose pas uniquement sur la romance. On est vraiment sur une histoire de guérison mutuelle 🥹. Deux personnes brisées qui avancent ensemble, apprennent à affronter leur passé et retrouvent petit à petit l’envie de vivre pleinement. C’est clairement un slow burn, mais honnêtement, vu ce que traversent les personnages, ça m’a semblé totalement cohérent 😌🫶🏻.

Et puis il n’y a pas que le couple principal qui fonctionne ❤️. J’ai eu un vrai coup de cœur pour le second couple formé par Yeon Tae Seok et Song Ha Young 😍. Leur dynamique apporte un peu de légèreté au milieu de toute cette charge émotionnelle et j’ai adoré. L’histoire de la petite sœur est également toute mignonne et rappelle les premiers émois amoureux 🥹. Même la romance de la grand-mère m’a fait sourire ☺️.

Au final, In Your Brilliant Season a été une très belle découverte 🫶🏻. Ce n’est peut-être pas le genre de drama qui va révolutionner le genre ou rester gravé dans ma mémoire pendant des années, mais il possède beaucoup de douceur, de sincérité et des personnages auxquels je me suis facilement attachée.

Et surtout... après tout ce que ces personnages traversent, ce happy ending fait vraiment du bien 🥹. C’est le genre de fin qui te laisse avec un sourire aux lèvres et cette impression réconfortante que chacun a enfin trouvé un peu de paix, de lumière et le bonheur qu’il méritait ❤️✌🏻

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chaotic cute couple with dreams

I enjoyed the K-drama so much. Every episode was entertaining and sweet.

I think it's so sweet that dongman was Always there for ae-ra and hugged her when she cried. I also got butterflies in my stomach when they cuddled, kissed, or were generally cute. I think the chemistry between the two is sooo good. I can only say positive things about both of them.

I have mixed opinions about the second couple. Whether Jooman cheated on her or not is a matter of opinion. But he should have told Seoulhee right away that the girl kissed him and he should have cleared things up immediately, rejected her and blocked her. It has been seen several times that he saw his girlfriend in her when she was helpless. I understand that he might not have wanted to hurt her, and you could tell he really loved Seoulhee, but still it's not okay. There were moments when they were really sweet, but she didn't deserve him.

about the story itself: At first it's more of a friends-to-lovers story, but towards the end it gets a bit deeper. Dongmann must choose between his dream and aera, ae-ra finds out what happened to her mother, etc.I can understand Aera's fear that he would get hurt again, but I think it's good that he chose both, or rather, ultimately chose her more. And the drama is supposed to be based on a true story, which of course makes it even better.

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Ticket to Heaven may become one of the most important Thai dramas of the year.

Just finished Episode 1 of *Ticket to Heaven*, and honestly, the 1 year and 6 months of waiting was worth it.

Even though this is only the first episode of a six-episode series, I already feel that this story has the power to raise awareness and start important conversations. Set in 1996, it reminds viewers of a time before broader LGBTQ+ acceptance in society. While some people found understanding and support, many others—whether gay, bisexual, pansexual, or simply struggling to express their identity—were treated as if they were sick, broken, or in need of fixing.

One of the most heartbreaking realities portrayed in the series is how some young people were sent to seminaries or religious institutions in the belief that their identities could be changed. Rejection is painful for anyone, but rejection because of who you are is a different kind of wound.

The atmosphere of the series perfectly matches its theme. The sadness, the isolation, and the weight carried by the characters are felt in every scene. It already has me emotional because the story reflects the experiences of countless people—Catholic or otherwise—who have faced similar struggles in real life.

The direction is excellent, which comes as no surprise. This is another remarkable work from Aof Noppharnach Chaiwimol, the director behind Bad Buddy, Last Twilight, A Tale of Thousand Stars, and Moonlight Chicken.

And with Gemini Norawit Titicharoenrak and Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul leading the cast, I have no doubt I'll be watching this series more than once.

If Episode 1 is any indication of what's to come, *Ticket to Heaven* may become one of the most important Thai dramas of the year.

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Que cdrama fantástico!!!?

A princípio eu fiquei meio receosa de começar a assistir e ser aqueles que a enrolação dos protagonistas supera o romance, porém esse aqui não tem papas na língua!! A todo momento eles deixam claro que são um do outro, mesmo com as brigas que eles tinham, não tinha aquele sofrimento de ser uma luta para se reconciliarem (o que no meu ponto de vista), foi um acerto muito forte.

Outro ponto, os vilões realmente foram bem construídos, todos com seus arcos de redenção e com suas dores profundas, mas que na série não foi romantizado, e sim mostrado que há consequências para quaisquer ação. Assim como foi a cena do Suiyuanqing, no final ele não demonstrou mudança, morreu sendo quem ele sempre foi, porém, a gente percebe que surgiu uma empatia repentina pela esposa dele, mostrando que bem no fundo ele tinha resquícios de humanidade com os outros, além do seu irmão postiço.

Agora, achei que ficou uma brecha aberta da personagem YuQianQian, como se ela tivesse um passado ou segredos sobre sua trajetória, mas foi algo que não atrapalhou a trama dela, isso que foi aceitável. O relacionamento dela com o Qi Min de fato foi um divisor de águas, onde a gente via que havia uma química, mas pelo bom senso, não era shippável. No final, dava para ver que ela nutria algo, lá no fundo, por ele, porém era entendível que para ela viver ele precisaria morrer.

O final do Xie Zheng e da Changyu foi muito lindo. No entanto, eu esperava mais sabe, por exemplo: Um casamento gigantesco, ele com o nome original dele e ambos com suas novas posições, e também por mais cenas deles juntos. Na cena em que os dois vão batalhar, Xie Zheng solta que a mesma tinha dois filhos, foi a única menção que tivemos que os dois eram pais, e eu senti a necessidade de ter visto a relação deles com os filhos, todos juntinhos, mostrando como seria eles com a família completa… e isso não ocorreu, foi o que faltou para ser, de fato, um final deslumbrante.

Finalizando, eu amei muito esse cdrama, realmente não tenho o que descrever. Me prendi a todos os episódios sempre ansiando por mais e mais, não é atoa que em três dias eu terminei ele KKKKKKKKK. Mas, real gente, assistam!! Tem muita coisa que optei por não resenhar sobre porque iria ficar gigantesco. Vou sentir muita muita muita saudade, sempre com aquela vontade de nunca ter assistido para poder assistir pela primeira vez. ♥️🪭✨

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A lovingly crafted tale, like a gentle, soothing balm for hearts going through 'me vs my faith'

This show turned out quite different from what I expected it to be, but I loved it anyway....it is crafted as a gentle, soothing, balm for all hearts that are in pain and intense guilt with the inner conflict of me vs my faith...it steers clear of all the difficult questions around homosexuality vs faith, but one - can I love god and me at the same time, even if I am not 'perfect' and am a sinner, as per the scriptures...it comes back with a resounding YES....and does that very beautifully, avoiding most of the underlying power struggles, dogma, and murk that one probably goes through to arrive at this conclusion, usually on their own. This journey, I believe, is going to help a lot of people who go through similar inner conflicts, guilt and hopelessness

But the best part about this show is Fourth as Tanrak - he just embodies the very spirit of this story, with every glance, every gesture, all that he spoke and all his silence - the inner conflict, desire, guilt and finally finding peace with his love, himself and everyone around him. He is plain STUNNING 💓

BL-Needle Score: 7.5 Reasonably high BL-ness

I have been waiting forever for this one. This is a subject very close to my heart because the theme of this show deals with an extremely important and relevant subject - that of homophobia from one's closest people, loved ones and family. The pain of rejection from one's own family and loved ones is THE most damaging thing to ever go through for young queer people. It has been pretty common, and unfortunately still is, in many parts of the world, to see parents sending off their queer children to be 'converted', 'cured of the sin' of homosexuality. And more often than not, religion plays a big role in perpetuating such harm, violence and damage. I have seen catholic gay men up close, going around in a loop of self-loathing, suffering and struggle, just to reconcile their selves to their faith, and in turn, fail miserably at any form of meaningful human connection. More importantly, their parents and immediate support systems, the people who should have loved and protected them, have pushed them towards a life of guilt, shame, and misery, all in the name of God. We need to have more conversations around this and we need parents and families of queer people to be a part of these conversations. Stories like these need to be told, seen, heard, and repeated, so that no one is ever made to go through shit just because of who they are, and who they love...God, if he exists, is not sitting with a magnifying glass to judge your 'sins', its just us humans playing the power games using God's name ...

This show, however, steered clear of most of the contentious questions and focused more on the characters personal journey with their faith and actually shows faith-based people who are kind, if not supportive. Even though I did find the characters to be a tad unrealistic given my experiences of knowing Christian queer people and their lived realities, it is also a welcome change from the stereotypes.

I also must mention that some of the specific moments seem so real that I am almost sure that it is taken from real life incidents - like the one where Aof plays the ticket guy and directs Tanrak and Barth to a love-motel, or where Tanrak hides his face with his own t-shirt, or when Tanrak leaves Barth and his mother at the prison so that they can talk one-to-one....or some of the scenes of how the bully at the school operates...maybe also the thing about flowers that Tanrak keeps getting from Barth and preserving them, only to burn them later....so many poignant moments. I hard that people are saying that it is based on Aof's own experiences, whether or not that is true, these moments were so beautiful and I am so grateful that the person shared those with all of us.

I am hoping this show will help people become at least a little more aware and kinder.....and that this absolutely stellar combination of actors, director, and storytellers will help this show be a narrative changing act.

Verdict: DO NOT MISS IT

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