Reviews

PRIMEIRA METADE AGRADÁVEL E SEGUNDA METADE TENEBROSA

Vamos lá.

Esse projeto é definido para mim como dois polos distintos que se uniram formando uma coisa só. O primeiro polo é a primeira metade e o segundo é a segunda metade. Ou seja, eu vejo como 2 coisas completamente diferentes, e o que difere é a qualidade.

Essa é uma história de romance de escritório entre chefe x funcionária e a linha escolhida para trabalhar foi a do realismo. E bom, no começo foi realmente bem feito, eu estava me divertindo bastante acompanhando o dia a dia do escritório e vendo as interações entre os protagonistas, mas quando chegamos na segunda metade as escolhas de roteiro se tornaram cada vez mais decepcionantes e frustrantes.

Kang Si U é um homem reservado, competente e divorciado (sim, ele ser divorciado é uma parte importante da história). Já Cha Ji Yun é uma mulher comum, frustrada com o trabalho, também competente e com um relacionamento passado fracassado. Juntos eles se tornam algo, mas esse algo precisava de mais atenção na hora de trabalhar para que pudéssemos sentir a química e sinceridade do casal.

A trama é cheia de embates que compõem a sociedade coreana. Temos o estigma contra pessoas divorciadas, o conservadorismo, o preconceito contra casais com diferença de idade, o abuso no local de trabalho e corrupção. Todas essas coisas criam uma temática interessante de se acompanhar, mas só funciona na mão de quem sabe trabalhar.

Como eu disse anteriormente e volto a repetir, a primeira metade foi muito agradável. Tudo foi muito calmo, leve e humano, você conseguia entender e torcer pelos personagens, afinal, cada um deles estava passando por suas próprias coisas e encontrando no outro aquilo que sempre procurou. Tivemos o leve embate inicial, o respeito e admiração mútuo, as dúvidas, as implicâncias e enfim o começo da relação, mas depois disso tudo foi só ladeira abaixo episódio após episódio.

Cha Ji Yun sempre soube que seu namorado é um homem divorciado, mas do mais absoluto nada e pelos motivos mais fúteis possíveis ela se torna uma mulher ciumenta e insegura num nível realmente irritante e fere propositalmente seu namorado diversas vezes. E do outro lado temos o Kang Si U que se acha inferior a Cha Ji Yun e cede em absolutamente tudo o tempo todo por ela, e isso não é positivo.

Tem uma frase que o Kang Si U diz em um momento que resume bem toda essa situação para mim, ele diz "eu a amo mais do que ela me ama" e isso não poderia estar mais certo (e não temos um real desenvolvimento e conclusão para essa questão ao longo da história). Ele constantemente pisa em ovos ao redor dela.

Ambos os protagonistas possuem ex, mas apenas ela se sente no direito de ter ciúmes e ainda se tornar amiga do seu. Ela questiona cada mínima coisa sobre o relacionamento mesmo não sendo uma adolescente inexperiente. Tudo bem você parar e ponderar aspectos do seu relacionamento, mas a frequência com que ela faz isso e pensa somente nela e não nele torna tudo maçante e cansativo, e quando somamos isso ao constante amor, apoio e compreensão que o Kang Si U da a ela percebemos que essa é uma relação desigual. Por exemplo, durante o tempo que ela pede para ele, apenas ele se importou em manter as coisas minimamente bem, ele até doente ficou nesse meio tempo, mas o orgulho fez com que ela não desse o braço a torcer. Foi realmente patético de acompanhar.

Cha Ji Yun passa esses últimos episódios tendo atitudes infantis, sendo egoísta e pensando em todo mundo (e nela mesma) antes do seu parceiro. Eu conseguia sentir até uma leve manipulação velada mesmo que não intencional. E no meio dessa trajetória Kang Si U perde peso e profundidade como personagem, passando assim a viver apenas para orbitar ao redor da protagonista e tornar sua vida mais fácil. O conflito final com eles tornando o relacionamento público e o Kang Si U desistindo do emprego por isso foi só a última pá de terra. A desculpa de que ele desistiu por estar refletindo sobre a carreira e não querer chegar ao topo foi a coisa mais deplorável que eu já ouvi. Isso não combina com ele e o público sabe disso, afinal, a audiência não é burra. Ele desistiu do emprego por ela e isso é triste e decepcionante.

Sobre o casal secundário não tenho nada a dizer pois eu os achei neutros, não tenho nada contra e nada a favor. E quanto a equipe da força tarefa eu os achei realmente divertidos.

Resumindo, esse foi um projeto mediano porque perderam a mão no meio do caminho. E novamente voltando a algo que eu disse anteriormente, a química entre Kang Si U e Cha Ji Yun não parecia a melhor, afinal, as escolhas de roteiro e direção tornaram o relacionamento deles polido demais e o excesso não foi positivo.

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Good Premise Bad Execution

I enjoyed the premise of the show. I love opposite aesthetic opposite personality couples and I like fantasy and all of that. To me this just fell flat.

What I liked:
Costumes. The costumes for every character made sense but didnt feel too cliche and they didnt look super cheap.
Visuals. The visuals were quite beautiful. They were well done and felt very dreamesque.
Music. Music wasnt that special, but I liked it.
Side characters. The side characters were for the most part well written and while the most time wasnt spent on them, they werent boring or forgettable.

What I didnt like:
Plot. The plot was decent at first, but after about episode 20 where they go to the human realm it falls off. Shit about destiny and tribulations and an irritating amnesia arc with the female lead that leads her to hate the male lead. BORING YAWNING SLOPPY.
Worldbuilding. In theory the world sounded cool, but literally nothing was built up. Destiny books were never explained, the conflict between the Moon Tribe and Fairies was never explained all that well. A lot of stuff was never properly introduced and just felt like it was shoved in there to seem cool or for plot devices.
Main characters. I wanted to love them so bad, but the female lead is sooo whiny and annoying for most of the show. I love me a good badass female lead, and she was not one. The male lead was badass and an interesting character at first, but once he got his emotion tree fixed he became just as annoying as the female lead.
Ending. The ending was so rushed. Male lead gets mega killed and then mysteriously pops back up despite being "dead for good" come the fuck on. Dumb as hell.

TLDR: if you like cliches with a million plotholes, this is your shit. if not, i wouldnt bother.

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The Beauty of Growing Up

After watching the first six episodes of Genius Girlfriend, I can honestly say that this drama has quietly found its way into my heart.

The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. Every frame is bathed in soft, nostalgic light, capturing the bittersweet feeling of youth with remarkable tenderness. There is a dreamlike quality to the visuals, as though we are looking back on our own memories through the eyes of the characters.

What moved me most, however, was the emotional depth of the story. Genius Girlfriend doesn't rely on exaggerated drama to make an impact. Instead, it gently tugs at your heartstrings through moments that feel real. I found pieces of myself in so many of the characters. We have all experienced the pressure to succeed, the fear of not fitting in, the loneliness of feeling different, and the desire to be understood by the people around us.

Tian Xiwei's portrayal of Lin Zhixia is especially captivating. She perfectly captures the intelligence, innocence, vulnerability, and quiet resilience of a girl who stands out from everyone else while desperately wanting to belong. Her soothing line delivery sets the tone for the entire drama and makes every emotion feel sincere and natural.

The original soundtrack deserves special praise as well. Every song complements the story beautifully, adding another layer of warmth, nostalgia, melancholy, and hope. The ending theme, in particular, lingers long after each episode ends.

Six episodes in, Genius Girlfriend has already reminded me why stories about youth can resonate so deeply. Sometimes the most ordinary stories leave the most lasting impressions because, in one way or another, they tell our own stories as well.

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Absolutely Loved It except the last 2 episodes.

Great amazing chemistry between the 2 leads. To me, this is Yang Yang's top 3 (with You are my Glory & Love O2O). I love their banter; especially when FL calls him "Black Fox". His collaboration with Zhao Lusi is top notch; even better chemistry than Zheng Shuang (Love O2O) and Dilraba (Glory). They should have kept the war scenes simpler and shorter. The only 2 things I did not like are ML shortening his life to save FL and the little boy dying at the end. There is too much mishaps in this world to show a little boy's death. They should have finished the story in e38 after the wedding and just show what happened to the rest of the characters after 5 year ie. the lady general and the elder prince etc and have the main villain die by either the curse or by his own hands. Finally, here's hoping that ML & FL collaborate in more dramas.

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A LIFE REALITY TURNED INTO COMEDY

behind the comedy of this show is the reality in love life nowadays, for the reason we dont know , we now have to think about stability when we date; we think about how will we able to support who we date and take care of them with the money and resources we have, it is now pressuring to date someone because both of your future is already handed on our shoulders ! if no resources and not stable, sad we better not date than to be a burdensome.
Inspite of that reality, this show reminds us that it above all of these things that needs to be considered in meeting someone and having someone in your life doesnt mean we stop loving; and to love means to fight for your love even when you have to start a business, even when you have to prove yourself, because sometimes when we are in those kind of situations, even when we do not like it; we have to prove ourselves in order to prove our love! And those things became more colorful with my Ultimate Bias TayNew; this guys have this unexplainable bubbly bond that even whatever genre they've put together, its was always like so so good together; justice was served althroughout this show with TayNew; proving no money no title can go against true love ♥
Some people were not pleased with this drama, and that is okay, but for me; in the situation of my life, this is all I've needed; the comedy was not too much, the Love scenes were wild but light in the heart; specially when To and Kanit role plays and the way the whisper talks ! You people will never understand why TayNew is my happy pill forever !
The Flow of the story is right on track all the way, The Second leads were just okay coz I did not pay too much attention to them coz To and Kanit is enough for me, but it was okay. I just wonder why of all the the days of their lives, emergency still happened on their wedding ceremony , but I realize as what they talked about at the end is that's what life is; we do not know when will emergency come that's why we always choose to be happy.
If I am to recommend something to make this show improve is that, I really hoped that the second lead's story were written better; it was just a bit awkward for me for the reason I don't know .. I am sorry that I cannot feel and see the chemistry of do they have that ? The Acting of TayNew it is already given ! bubbly mature roles , and can I commend Tawan because at some scenes, he looked like Karan and then turned into Toto again ! he is really a good actor ! I've noticed few awkward gestures to him anymore unlike before ! and of course Newwie .. He is a combination of Baby and Princess HAHAH
This drama will be added to my re watch lists one day and I'm gonna go back here! Thank you for reading and thank you for making this show ! 11/10 for me ♥

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Did they choose the wrong FL?

The drama should come with a health warning. It is draining on mental health and creates a negative & depressing emotions. In the age where political conflicts are happening all over the world, we do not need more angst & anxiety in our entertainment. I have nothing against the FL but like all her other dramas, FL can't act. She is stone faced and wooden in every expression except the crying and smirking. She spoils the show; just like she spoiled the "Fireworks of my Heart" with her bland & boring acting. The storyline is not bad if they had a better FL. Absolutely no chemistry between the two leads. Also, is it necessary to have so much makeup on! The eyeliners are so visible, especially in the ML, that they stood out more than the drama & the FL! Overdo? They should amend the title to Overdone (by eyeliners)!

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A união e o apoio de todos realmente faz diferença!!

Fiquei ansiosa para assistir a este dorama depois que vi o trailer, tanto pelo fato de ter atores incríveis participando quanto pela história da série (que te prende muito e faz com que você peça por mais e mais episódios, assistindo a um atrás do outro). É o tipo de dorama engraçado para assistir com toda a família, pois com certeza todos vão rir de verdade.
​No começo, me irritei com algumas atitudes da Chae-ni, mas ela estava passando por dificuldades. Saber que você tem poucos meses de vida não é fácil, e eu fiquei muito feliz que tudo se resolveu bem no final e não teve tragédia nenhuma. Pensei também que a 'criança da eternidade' na verdade era ela e que algo tinha acontecido antes, fazendo com que ela mudasse muito para não descobrirem quem era o portador do grande poder.
​Mesmo sendo totalmente atrapalhados, e depois de muita insistência para usarem os poderes do jeito certo, eles conseguem unir forças e salvar a cidade (pena que todos que viram isso acontecendo se esqueceram de tudo, porém, é bom que eles continuem fazendo isso sem ficarem saindo em tudo que é lugar).
​Gostei que, além da comédia em toda a série, ainda conseguiram encaixar um romance entre a Chae-ni e o Un-jeong que, mesmo sendo totalmente diferentes, combinam demais!!

*Menção honrosa para a trilha sonora magnífica que deixou tudo mais mágico!!!!

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amazing but the ending

This was a beautiful depiction of a star athlete losing most of his vision and how he needed to come to terms with that loss in order to move on. Along the way, Day fell in love with his caretaker, the man who brought him out into the sun. Some people might even say that Mohk was his sun.

The actors did an amazing job, I genuinely saw their anguish and joy in throughout the show. The music was pretty good but I wasn't particularly impressed or emotionally invested in the music.

My biggest complaint is that this show is Day dealing with his issues. It feels like Mohk is just there to be his support. The last episode highlights how Day will never help Mohk. It makes the relationship feel incredibly one sided and I want the best for Mohk since he is genuinely the best boyfriend.

The ending ruined the replay value for me despite my love for the show.

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Revenge with a side of industry realness

I wanna start off by saying, on behalf of all of us, thank you to Toptap for giving acting one last try, I can't imagine Jay played by anyone else.

This series was so well done in my opinion.
We all know these types of scenarios, and horrors, happen in the entertainment industry, and if you didn't then I hate to be the one to share that, but rarely do we see the real-life villains pay for their crimes. The ending was extremely satisfying in that regard.

Minlee and Toptap's chemistry was insane, the NC scenes were GIVING. The character development of Sun, and seeing him change throughout the series was a treat-- to finally see him give a real smile during that press conference was everything to me.

The reoccurring theme, with a handful of characters, of seeking revenge was a nice touch I am currently in the process of reading the novel as well.
Between Sky getting revenge in the form of overcoming the trauma he endured, The manager proving he had what it takes to make a star shine, Jay getting revenge on the whole panel at Dream in behalf of what happened to his mother and of course our main revenge arc from Sun against Sunny--it was so many different flavors of revenge imo.
Sunny's ending wasn't surprising at all, I took away from it that he was always a broken man, sleeping his way to the top was how he started and how he planned to start again.
The last scene at the hospital where he acknowledges revenge didn't really make him happy after all was the result we all expected. To see him lean on Jay for support so often in the final episodes showed the opposite of Sunny's ending, he started out a broken man and softened in the process of seeking revenge.

I can't praise this series enough, but I will stop here before I break down every part that impressed me.
I cannot wait to see them in something else together in the future, I wanna see what else Toptap can give us~

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A Dog and the Side Effects of Bad Writing.

In general, I have always most GMMTV shows to a be a hit or miss due to the production quality. Their shows usually rely on the script and the cast itself, which makes their shows watchable despite the obvious flaws in the sound quality. Every time I sit down to tune into another assumingely okay show on the GMMTV YouTube channel with okay expectations, those expectations are met. So, when I started Dog and A Plane, I held the show to the same standards that I usually do. The first couple of episodes had me laughing quite a bit and the chaotic mess of the characters really drew me in. BUT! That chaotic esc charm of the series became repetitive and almost felt as if that’s what the “plot” was relying on. So, in the end, this show has unfortunately deflated my expectations even more. The problem isn’t that it’s horrible or anything, it’s just annoyingly “meh”. Towards the end of its run time, watching each new episode every week started to feel like a chore rather than a treat.

DISCLAIMER!!!! I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST ANYONE INVOLVED IN THIS SHOW, ESPECIALLY THE ACTORS! THIS IS JUST CRITIC!

Let’s start with the main ingredient to any show—the plot. Or in this case, the lack thereof. It’s a classic meet cute romcom where they clash at first over some disagreement, somehow meet again, hash it out, and then all of a sudden get along due to some circumstances. Having one character doing a favor for the other to pay them back is personally one of my least favorite tropes, but I let it slide because I wanted to see Kanit’s trashy ex pilot boyfriend Lion get his well deserved karma. Their silly adventures trying to catch him cheating while still working was amusing to watch until it was that… every single… minute… of the beginning episodes… Though, I really enjoyed Toto and Kanit’s dynamic at the beginning, it was silly and just felt exactly what a main couple in a romcom bl should be like. It was clear that most of that dynamic was carried by TayNew’s chemistry and real life dynamic since the dialogue between both Toto and Kanit was just somewhat weird? Once they caught the trashy pilot in episode 4, I think the writers panicked and realized “wait, we still have to fill up a 10 episode quota” because the other 6 episodes were straight filler. Full of unnecessary side quests, forced angst, some funny moments, some unfunny moments, and worst of all… unnecessary conflict.

I wasn’t really interested in the side couple’s story despite my interest in MondRyu just because I couldn’t get over how everyone forgave Veha’s behavior in the beginning of the show. In what world would someone in a 3 year relationship who was cheated on forgive the home wrecker who knew what was going on and was sassy about it? With no explanation either? Just a “everyone deserves a second chance”… okay then. The other problem I had with Akki and Veha’s relationship was how underutilized it was. I hate the trope of “I used to like you but you didn’t recognize/realize it because I was ugly but now you like me”. Akki was a fun character but I do wish they explored the whole lookism part of their relationship. Overall their relationship felt sloppy and like the writers just couldn’t care less about them and just threw some words together on a piece of paper, slipped it over to MondRyu (who are amazing actors of course, they did what they could) and said “act monkey, act!”

Toto and Kanit are probably my least favorite Tay and New characters of all time. I do enjoy how they had a mature aspect to them but like any GMMTV show, everyone has to act like a teenager even if they’re in their 30s. Toto’s character felt underutilized. They could’ve explored his family life better, his struggles with raising his sister alone, his struggles with making ends meet, etc., etc. Instead, they just tried to wrap it all up in the last episode like a quick resolution for all the problems they only made halfway through the show to make some sort of story. The potty humor they gave him got annoying. The poop jokes with a fart sound effect every episode just made me want to close my laptop and never open it ever again. Kanit was bratty. If he wasn’t played by New, I don’t think I would’ve liked him. He saved the show for me. I have to say, New took that brattiness, and made it hot. Other than that, Kanit was spoiled and his interest in Toto felt out of nowhere in my opinion after he spent their entire cheating catching time thinking and even expressing that Toto was disgusting (joke or not). Their sudden relationship felt out of place in my opinion due to the circumstances of Kanit being recently heartbroken which Toto did acknowledge at first, but then threw that aside since he was already flirting with him while he was technically still in a relationship. Their first kiss, although steamy, just made me feel off. (Don’t get me wrong, TayNew can deliver a kiss scene though and the ones in this show were definitely some of their best). These characters are just in no way compatible on paper and the only reason they are on screen is because of TayNew themselves. Kanit made no effort to understand Toto’s financial situation or just life situation in general and was annoyed with him working 24/7 to impress his dad even though he was the one making Toto fake being a rich pilot?!?! Make it make sense!! It’s your fault boy! Then suddenly Toto has a successful business? I don’t know everything was just all over the place.

Don’t even get me started on the random plane crash that came out of nowhere for no reason at all that nobody was even traumatized from…????

Overall:

You could do without watching this. Looking back, I wish I could tell myself 10 weeks ago to not waste my time on this. It was GMMTV’s need to give TayNew their annual series which led them to handing TayNew this mediocre script. Like I said in the beginning, the cast and acting of this show made it somewhat watchable. The rescue group ensemble was not phenomenal either and it’s not even their fault, they were given nothing. It’s a shame that MondRyu’s potential as a new couple was thrown into this horrible blender of midness, mehness, and boringness. I hope to see them get a better script and better direction in the future. Oh, and how can I forget! Ms. Kapook was a delight as always.

Congratulations GMMTV on this achievement of making yet another waste of a time, money grab, promotional watch!

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A Heartwarming Reunion That Hits All the Right Notes

Even though each episode is only around 15 minutes, it never feels like one of those low budget Korean BLs you usually find on YouTube. The pacing is surprisingly smooth, and every episode makes good use of its runtime.

The story follows Jung Yihyun and Kang Jaewon, who first met in high school but drifted apart because of a misunderstanding. Years later, life has taken them down very different paths. Yihyun steps away from his successful acting career after the heartbreaking loss of his mother, while Jaewon is forced to put his own acting dream on hold as he struggles financially and juggles multiple part time jobs. Fate brings them back together, giving them another chance to reconnect.

I really liked the flashbacks to their high school days because they helped build the emotional connection and made it easier to understand their past. The background music also fits the mood well, and both lead actors are incredibly handsome with great chemistry.

They're just so cute and adorable together.

This isn't the most groundbreaking BL out there, but it's a light, comforting watch that I genuinely enjoyed. The first four episodes pulled me in, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes. You can watch this on iQIYI.

If you enjoy misunderstandings, high school first love, reunion romances, characters who keep crossing paths, and short series that are easy to binge, I highly recommend giving this one a try.

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