Reviews

Busan Dream

Jung Woo is Jjang-gu. He is not merely acting the character — the character actually represents him and his real-life story. I didn’t know that before watching the movie.

Audition 109 starts like a classic Korean action comedy, so I was expecting action scenes to begin at any moment, but they never came. Instead, the movie turned out to be a slice-of-life drama with a good amount of comedy. It was enjoyable to watch, but it felt like the film didn’t have a clear direction. However, knowing that it is largely a biographical movie, made the story development feel much more understandable.

Jjang-gu continues attending auditions and failing every single one of them, while also trying to build a healthy social life with roughly the same level of success. Yet he stubbornly keeps pursuing his dream, showing truly commendable and inspiring resilience. The production quality is very good. There’s also a surprising number of guest actors I hadn’t seen in a long time. The movie features plenty of footage of Busan — its clubs, restaurants, and especially the delicious-looking plates of meals.

If you know who Jung Woo is, you should definitely watch this. After checking his filmography, it appears I’ve seen all of his movies, and it was really nice to get to know him better through this feature.

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FANTASTIC

I honestly don’t get the 7.9 rating but I’m glad when I saw reviews other are giving at least, did it the justice it deserves. I’ve seen less worthy drama with more rating, the ML killed it here, I was like where has this dude been literally never seen any drama of his until this one, so yea I was really stunned! The FL killed her role aside from the not so good BIRD used for me😅, they could do better than that and yea, the sect attire is really weird! Do really have to put such an ugly outfit? lol I mean. Yea I will recommend this 💯 and the rewatch value for me is 💯 too

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I’m Emotionally Attached to a Chaebol Again!!

*UPDATE AFTER FINALE AIRING*:-

Ok, I knew they will mess up the second half somehow, though I didn't know how! I paused watching after episode 8 so that the rest of the episodes will airing and then watch it all together. Now that I am done with this drama, I feel so irritated yet another part of me is content with how it ended. I guess the irritation and disappointment is because, they had so much scope with the storyline in the first half that they entirely ruined in the second.

Here are somethings that this drama ruined for me:

1. How come CSG accept the fact that SSR is from Joseon era so quickly? Like I mean if he had gotten all the memories or relived his past, of the ex-prince, then I get it, but no, she just says she is from different timeline and he is like ok... no big deal.

2. Whats with all the confusing time slips and time travel? I mean I am confused at even trying to make into words and jot it down here. So the present SSR time travelled to the Joseon Era as a kid while she was drowning and lived as Kang Dam shim? And then who was the girl/woman in the modern SSR, before the dethroned queen possessed her body? Did the OG young Kang Dam Shim take the modern SSR's young body? I mean!!!!! Arggghhh...

3. How many times did Shin Seo Ri fainted and was hospitalized? Like girl was fainted and in a hospital bed in every episode in the second half!

4. We only see Choi Mun Do ending up in prison. We don't see the court finding him guilty or his sentences. Neither any scene were he truly regrets his action or the way he ended up!

5. The Ex prince and modern day Shin Seo Ri/Kang Dam shim ending together... what was it? A dream? Alternate world? Or just their hope for their past selves?

6. ALSO, SSR has to go and break the prince's heart like that? Isn't he one and the same person? I thought they were and she knew, but then why was her confession to him, telling the prince that she loves and wants to save her man? I mean... WHAT?

7. How come the joseon queen become the king's wife from a mere court lady? If the prince was dead why did she even marry the king? Was she in love with him? The 1st episode made it look like they were... ahhhh

The only saving grace of this drama I find is HNJ's performance. I truly enjoyed his role and I guess if this was played by some other actor I would have long scrammed and not look back. The second half got me just because of him... I need to update my rating from 10 and bring it down to a 5 or 6! This drama could've had it all if not for the second half curse! Ah... when will kdrama land (especially the fantasy romcom's) ever get rid of that curse?

Rating while Airing: 10/10
Final Rating: 6/10

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This is an ongoing show, but man oh man… how has this drama completely won me over in just 6 episodes?

I went in blind as always, only planning to check out the first 2 eps, but I ended up absolutely loving this drama. I’ve been laughing, swooning and genuinely having such a good time with it.

We’ve seen this trope a million times in dramaland, but somehow this drama makes it feel fresh, magical and hilarious all at once.

And the biggest reason? Cha Se Gye.

Another bratty chaebol who thinks he’s above everyone else but is secretly a soft-hearted loser who just needs love. We could spend all day listing his bratty predecessors in dramaland, but what makes him feel so unique and lovable is Heo Nam Jun’s performance. I LOVE IT!

Maybe I’ve just seen too many flat performances lately (you all know exactly who I mean… I mean there is so many lately), but seeing an actor with this much charm, nuance and expressive acting genuinely felt like lightning striking out of nowhere. He’s handsome, charismatic and every tiny facial expression lands perfectly. He somehow makes this cheesy chaebol trope feel worth watching again. I LOVE his performance. Ok, I need to stop proclaiming my love!

This drama deserves every bit of hype it’s getting now while airing. There are still 6 more episodes to go and I genuinely can’t wait to see where it goes.

I’m still a little skeptical about the Lim Ji Yeon’s performance… she is an amazing actress and I understand she’s supposed to be acting like a Joseon queen suddenly thrown into modern Seoul, but sometimes it feels a little too performative for me. I’m trying very hard to overlook it but honestly, most of the time I succeed, I do.. but occasionally it does get on my nerves.

But somehow… I forgive every tiny flaws in this drama. And that’s rare for me. Usually I’m way harsher. I swear there’s some kind of sorcery involved because this show has me completely wrapped around its finger.

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Chaotic and messy but intelligently written thriller!!!!

Man I honestly didn’t expect this show to get under my skin the way it did. 6 students, one teacher, messy relationships. Full of emotional damage. I mean in just 6 episodes they perfectly build up so many characters . Every character has so many layers--they showed both their loving + vulnerable parts . What I love most is that the show refuses to hand you a “good person” and a “bad person.” Every episode shifts your perspective a little more. Someone you sympathized with suddenly disappoints you. Someone you hated starts making painful sense. I mean you feel for everyone , you get sad when they get sad , you get happy when they are happy.

The writing deserves a lot of praise because the pacing could’ve easily collapsed with this many characters, but it never feels like that. The backstories are revealed at the right moments. The acting is also really really strong . Not just the emotional breakdown scenes, but the quieter moments too--the awkward pauses, the resentment, the jealousy, the tension when characters are clearly hiding things from each other. It feels natural instead of overdramatic.

And can we talk about the atmosphere? The directing and soundtrack give the series this heavy, uneasy feeling almost all the time, like something is constantly about to explode. The ost is very very enjoyyyable. When will they release the MV...i need to see it right noww lol. Girl Rules was meant to be like this. Chaotic and messy. But dont worry Shades beat it to us. This is probably one of the most emotionally messy and intelligently written Thai GL dramas I’ve watched in a long time.

Can’t wait for Part 2. I already know this show is going to ruin me emotionally.

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Simply Smashing!

Self-aware and kooky as all get-out! That's what Hometown Romance is!

It's a drama with real color! And not just in the outfit choices, but with the upbeat, animated intro, the cheesy music, the landscape, and even the energy of the leads. And the comedy? It gave Me and Thee vibes meets the setting of Meet Yourself, which tells you how positive I felt about it!

Klao and Si were each their own special brand of ridiculous that melded together into a delightful romantic duo that schmoozed each other so hard they repeatedly fell again and again until they just decided to succumb and become that couple who makes heart-eyes in public and flirts like there's no tomorrow and they're still in their honeymoon phase.

Not once did I feel like it dragged or that there was anything inserted just to pad the runtime. Every character and conflict was uniquely charming.

And I loved how full of life Klao's community was. Well-meaning neighbors showing up at your door at all hours to chat, who, once they quickly grow fond of you, are all too willing to throw a legendary dance party in your honor, complete with homemade alcohol.

If you're looking to be entertained with a show, look no further! This one will hook you from the jump!

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It‘s a show with potential, but something is missing.

I started to watch this show only for Teeteepor because I saw Duang with you and fell in love with their chemistry. So I wanted to watch more of them. I saw friendship, and I liked Thomaskong as a pair. But if I think about this show, there is something I miss: what would get me hooked like other shows do? I think I wouldn't have finished it if Teeteepor wasn‘t in there. The main story didn‘t catch me, and sadly sometimes the acting wasn‘t great as well. I think ThomasKong has potential, and this is only their first show, so I'm still curious about more.

The writing was sometimes just weird or didn‘t make sense. But for me, the weirdest dynamic was hia and real. I didn‘t get why they were acting like they do. That said, I like AuauSave a lot, but like ThomasKong in this show, sadly they didn‘t work all the time. The same thing with PunLee and Glaijai. They had so little plot, and I loved to see them, but story-wise, the pacing was strange.

All in all, it was okay. Maybe I will rewatch the scenes of TeeteePor, but other than that, sadly not. But that doesn‘t mean that I'm not still super excited to see all the couples in new shows.

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Touches upon important issues but doesn't see it through?

There are many positive aspects about this show. It is pleasantly sensual, maybe not as spicy as many other shows, but it does not take away from the chemistry and intimacy. The writing is good, most of the dialogues and interactions seems realistic (but maybe I am too used to bad writing in Thailand lol). The soundtrack is great for the mood, although you can clearly see the taste of the person, who picked the songs. I seem to like the same music as this person, but if it were not the case, then the soundtrack may seem too homogenous in terms of genres.
I agree with previous reviews I read here. Even though, it is refreshing to see a bl lakorn be deeper on its themes and topics, it didn't quite hit the target with them... Maybe there is some censorship involved? GMMTV is still a large company, it is possible that they have their own agenda guiding the content.
What I mean is that the conflict between Jira and Koh is supposed to symbolize the conflict between artists and AI. Why does it end this way then? They make up without any compromises or talking, it just happens because of their chemistry? It did not make sense to me, because it undermines the message. Maybe they did not want their criticism to seems radical, I don't know, I'm still kind of confused about that.
One more thing I notice in a lot of Thai shows, the sound engineering and editing is just... nonexistent. Do they not teach sound directors in Thailand? I don't get why I need to hear static and the surroundings, when the characters aren't saying anything. Just cut it out? The quality of sound overall was honestly lacking and often distracted me from immersing into the series.

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I am on episode 20 rn and Good Lord I have stuff to say!

First I didn't notice the leap at all!! It's like one moment she is crying over the dress and the gu family plotting and bamp!! We have the leap. I found it so weird that suddenly it is 3 yrs as everyone started mentioning the year. In fact I watched the episode twice to finally see where the leap scenes was

Another thing that confused me was ML confessed and "gave" her time to think (she rejected him lol). But that time to think streched to 3 yrs??? Isn't that a lot?? Like what?? Did they interact for these years?? Or did I mistake the leap moment? I am still confused.

Now comes Gu Lan. At first I thought she had a brain and could obviously see through nanny Zhou. But it was quickly revealed that though she is intelligent the restrictions and gap between di and shu is something she is still afraid of. In fact it was more of greed. Greed to take everything. And ofcourse for Ye Xian. She started antagonising everything FL did. It changed her character to a brainless half sister so quick. But still understandable since she is spoiled and wants everything for herself. And sharing for her is being wronged. She is just ungrateful.

But after the whole thing will her mom and FL's mother. Her sudden 180 gave me whiplash like what?? One moment I am seeing her still defending her mother and still not realising her mistake and next scene we see her kneeling and apologising infront of FL. At first I thought she was just acting this way to save herself. She wasn't really apologetic. But FL mentions how Gu Lan isn't lying about her apology . And after the leap Gu Lan turns into this bullied white lotus . Though well yes she is being bullied but I would have liked to see the progression of her realising her mistake. Because it was very abrupt. We don't see any remorse at all. She is just suddenly good. And FL starts being cordinal to her and all.

Infact in the whole concubine scheme it was her idea mostly. Her mother was just following her. Sure she didn't expect it would cause a death or that the maid was lying. It is true that her intentions were malicious. But instead her mother ends up getting punished while she left just like that??


Anyways I really likeML and FL's chemistry. Love them.

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