Reviews

i just love everything about this drama

at first i actually debating with myself whether to watch this or not, just because im not into too fantasy kinda drama,, but like i give it a try for the first and second ep!! IM HOOKED!! yall just pleaseee watch if u ever considering. to begin with the actin, it was top, i dont actually get it why people be saying esther yu’s acting was so annoying here, but like for me, honestly speaking she acted so well, her character completed the storyline so good like it blend well with the male lead. ughhh now i want to rewatch this again. okay moving to dylan wang ,, do i need to say more about him?? he just good, i cant even think about any male actor that can replace his role in this drama. both leads match eo that makes this drama so perfect

Leia Mais

NO REGRET WATCHING IT! You enjoy Dark Romance & Toxic Love? You will like this!

DISCLAIMER: The most overdo thing about this drama is the hate it received. If you're interested, watch it to make your own opinion. I usually also check reviews to see if I should watch a show or not, but I never saw a show receive this much hate by people who dropped it so they don't even know what's the story is about anymore.

REVIEW: It was one of the show I was anticipated the most this year and I'm so glad I watched it! Since last year, the story and the trailer promised toxic love and red flags leads then guess what? We got served toxic love and red flags lead! I'm very happy about that. Is the drama top notch? No, we can tell the editing is not all that. But not one second I regret watching it. The setting and the fashion are beautiful, we really feel in the republican era.
This drama type is nonsensical over the top dramatic soap opera-like. A bit too much when it comes to the story, like how they purposefully make the leads suffer but it's not that bad of a show. We get that it's just part of the story, lol. The story is a mess and somehow that's what makes you want to keep going, because you can't guess what's coming next. It's a very entertaining show with a cast that have great chemistry and embody their characters well.
The characters are complex and it seems some people can't handle when characters are not good or bad but actually both because of their own trauma. We see the leads hurting each other more than loving each other, while also knowing they really are in love with each other and would die/kill for the other. Despite their toxic love, they are really made for each other.

I don't think you missed anything if you have not watched it, like it's not a must watch, but I do not believe it's the worst drama of the year nor of Zhang Ling He and you will waste hours of your life watching it either.
To me, it felt like the closest show one could get if you enjoy mafia/dark romance and want that in a cdrama. It's very unique in its genre and I appreciated the time I spent enjoying this drama and wondering what was coming next. ^_^

Leia Mais

I taiwanesi ci dimostrano ancora una volta una particolare sensibilità nella realizzazione di serie boys love con Wishing Upon a Shooting Star, drama di 12 episodi disponibile su Viki con i sottotitoli in italiano.

Xian Yong, sopraffatto dalle difficoltà della vita e in crisi sul lavoro, torna nel suo paese natale. Qui esprime un desiderio a una stella cadente: che Xian Yong scompaia. E così accade.
Il giorno dopo nessuno si ricorda più di lui. È diventato uno sconosciuto agli occhi del mondo intero, fatta eccezione per il suo amico d’infanzia Wan Zhe che era presente quando esprimeva il desiderio. Anzi, lui stesso ne aveva espresso uno: vivere un amore.
Anche il suo desiderio sembra avverarsi e Wan Zhe dovrà capire se i sentimenti della persona che ha davanti siano autentici o frutto del miracolo di una stella cadente.
Per Xian Yong, dimenticato perfino dal padre e senza un posto dove andare, la situazione è ancora più difficile. La questione si complica ulteriormente quando Xian Yong rincontra Hao Wei, il ragazzo di cui è innamorato dai tempi della scuola, ma dal quale si è allontanato. Non solo è stato dimenticato dal mondo intero, ma si ritrova costantemente accanto alla persona di cui è innamorato, senza poter fare nulla, nemmeno rivelargli chi è realmente.
Eppure Hao Wei sembra inspiegabilmente attratto dalla nuova versione di Xian Yong.

Wishing Upon a Shooting Star non è un drama che parla soltanto di romanticismo, ma anche di crescita e accettazione di sé e dei propri errori. Come afferma lo stesso regista Ray Jiang (regista anche di We best Love e Unkwon) in un’intervista, può capitare a chiunque di fantasticare di essere qualcun altro, convinti che una vita diversa dalla nostra sarebbe in qualche modo migliore. Ma è davvero così? Una volta che ci siamo sbarazzati di ogni etichetta e di ogni costrutto sociale, cosa rimane di noi?
Per fortuna, anche se la memoria viene meno, i sentimenti e le emozioni continuano a esistere e forse Hao Wei potrebbe essere la chiave per risolvere la situazione. Xian Yong, d’altro canto, dovrà imparare ad accettare gli errori e le scelte fatte in passato, affrontandone le conseguenze.

Un drama romantico, ricco di scene intense e baci emozionanti, con attori bravissimi e ambientato nell’immaginaria isola di Xingpu: in realtà, la serie è stata girata nella magnifica isola di Liuqiu, conosciuta anche come Xiaoliuqiu o isola Lamay. Se proprio vogliamo trovarne un difetto, possiamo affermare che la parte fantasy non è gestita nel migliore dei modi, non spiegando in maniera esaustiva le dinamiche che scaturiscono tutto ciò, ma ci si passa sopra per tutti i motivi elencati sopra.
Una storia che ci insegna che i miracoli non sono opera delle stelle, ma delle persone, della loro costanza e del loro amore.

Leia Mais

“Se Dio ci insegna ad amare, ma non ci è permesso amarci, allora che senso ha avere un Dio in questo mondo?”

Il regista e sceneggiatore "Aof" Noppharnach Chaiyahwimhon e lo sceneggiatore "Best" Kittisak Kongka, dopo Moonlight Chicken e Last Twilight, uniscono nuovamente le forze per dare vita a Ticket to Heaven.
Le loro opere non sono semplici boys’ love: oltre ad affrontare tematiche LGBTQ, raccontano problematiche importanti e attuali, e questo nuovo progetto non fa eccezione.
L’idea è nata quando il regista Aof, cattolico ed appartenente alla comunità LGBTQ, ha visitato la Basilica di San Pietro a Roma. Immerso nel suo splendore, gli sono tornati alla mente dubbi e interrogativi che si poneva da ragazzo, quando frequentava una scuola cattolica: alcuni amori, secondo la religione, vengono considerati sbagliati, eppure Dio ci insegna ad amarci gli uni con gli altri.
È bastata una telefonata al collega Best ed è nato Ticket to Heaven.

Thailandia, anno 1996. In una scuola cattolica che ospita studenti in vista di un possibile futuro come seminarista, si incontrano Tanrak e Barth. Quest’ultimo si trova nella Casa della Maddalena perché considerato un ragazzo problematico. È affidato a Tanrak, ragazzo orfano cresciuto nell’istituto e che sogna di diventare sacerdote e poter rincontrare i propri genitori in Paradiso. Barth finirà presto per rappresentare una tentazione per Tanrak, o meglio, gli farà scoprire nuove emozioni e sentimenti. Insieme a questi arriveranno anche dubbi e domande che metteranno in discussione le proprie certezze.

Il drama, ambientato negli anni ‘90, affronta tematiche ancora estremamente attuali; la serie non ha la pretesa di fornire delle risposte né di stabilire cosa sia giusto o sbagliato, ma espone i diversi punti di vista senza mai giudicare.

La regia è curata nei minimi dettagli e ogni scena è realizzata con estrema accuratezza. In ogni fotogramma si possono cogliere simboli religiosi e ogni oggetto ha un’estrema importanza; alcune inquadrature, invece, sono state girate dall’alto o attraverso una porta come a voler suggerire che Dio veglia sempre sui protagonisti.
Gemini e Fourth, nei ruoli di Barth e Tanrak, regalano un’interpretazione straordinaria: sono maturati ulteriormente rispetto alle loro ultime serie e qui riescono a trasmettere allo spettatore dubbi, conflitti interiori ed emozioni anche con un solo sguardo.

Ticket to Heaven è una serie composta da 6 episodi di circa un’ora ciascuno ed è disponibile su Viki con i sottotitoli in italiano; è un drama che riesce a intrattenere e a far riflettere, senza mai risultare pesante, nonostante le importanti tematiche affrontate.

Leia Mais

Agent from Above è un drama taiwanese composto da otto episodi di circa un’ora ciascuno che si può vedere su Netflix, sia con i sottotitoli in italiano sia doppiato in italiano.
La storia mescola con equilibro azione, mistero e fantasy grazie a un mix ben calibrato di elementi.
I due attori protagonisti, Kochen Tung e Jacop Wang, già visti in altri progetti, si confermano convincenti anche in questi ruoli, regalandoci interpretazioni coinvolgenti: soprattutto il secondo si è calato alla perfezione nel ruolo del Terzo Principe Ereditario, risultando sia impertinente che di gran cuore. Forse, proprio per la somiglianza con la sua storia passata, prende sotto la sua ala il giovane Han Chieh che diventerà il suo agente divino sottomesso, anche se in apparenza sembra voglia solo prenderlo in giro o punirlo.

Grazie alla presenza degli spiriti, Agent from Above è una di quelle storie che riesce a celebrare la vita e soprattutto il ricordo dei cari che ci hanno lasciato trattando il tema della morte.
Tantissimi sono i rimandi alla mitologia cinese, in particolare alla leggenda di Nezha, il Terzo Principe Ereditario, che in Italia abbiamo imparato a conoscere grazie ai due film usciti nelle sale cinematografiche. Il drama è più godevole se riusciamo a individuare i rimandi alla tradizione cinese, ma la visione rimane comunque scorrevole per chi ne è digiuno o non ne ha familiarità.

Il doppiaggio italiano, ben azzeccato e gradevole, permette di seguire la storia senza distrazioni, potendosi concentrare sulle scene d’azione, sui bellissimi costumi e gli affascinanti effetti speciali.

Leia Mais

Me encantó, para mí es un 10/10 totalmente. Es una historia que se cocina a fuego lento pero es lindísima, me ha hecho reír y llorar mucho. Para empezar el primer capítulo te deja intrigado por saber qué pasó para llegar ahí, y cuando regresa al inicio de la historia descubres todo y por fin toma sentido. Me ha encantado cómo se han enamorado los protagonistas lentamente y como han luchado hasta lo incansable por su amor. Siendo honestos creo que la mayor parte de la carga emocional la lleva ella dado que nunca dejó de luchar a pesar de que él la ajejaba aunque estuviera enamorado. Pero igual te muestran el lado de él que sólo se desbloquea al lado de ella y como la ama tanto pero no quiere ser un obstáculo para ella al punto que prefiere hacerse a un lado. De todas maneras me encantó cómo la cronología de la historia está hecha y como se resuelven los problemas de un inicio, me gustó mucho que finalmente ambos estuvieran dispuestos a todo con tal de estar juntos por fin y pudieran ser felices luego de haber pasado por tanto. Y por último también me gustó que no dejaran de lado a las parejas secundarias, todo quedó dicho y casi no dejaron cabos sueltos al final, fue un cierre perfecto para todos los personajes, simplemente increíble

Leia Mais

Loved it!!!!

The show is great. I know it had a lot of controversy for not being true to the source material. I found a lot of those complaints disingenuous, especially the colorism one. The BL watch community is notorious for refusing to watch shows if the main lead isn't attractive. I'm not saying people with darker skin, like myself, are unattractive, but I've been a receiver of some of the BL community's harsh comments. If you want to laugh throughout and really enjoy a show, I would definitely recommend this one.

The last thing I don't get is people complaining about a fictional story not having enough fictional politics and fictional controversy. It's a fictional story.

Story: I actually found the story very entertaining. I enjoyed all of the characters, even the bad guy. I also liked that a lot of the cliffhangers weren't dragged out. A lot of the scenes and questions about who the traitor was weren't dragged out either. It was a great, easy story to watch.

Acting: Everyone was in their acting bag! Everyone's performance was spectacular. The villain's performance was spectacular. Of course, Wandori/Prince performance was spectacular. The star of the show was definitely Banjorn. I did not like the character, but the actor really brought him to life, and he made me laugh. I was literally crying tears laughing during the prison scene.

Music: Not going to lie, the music was trash. (3/10) I just didn't want it to screw the rating even lower.

Overall:This was a great show, and it really pulled me out of my BL drama slump! Don't take it too seriously, and you'll truly have a fun time!

Leia Mais

This is not best story. Its story of boy named best ?

I started The Best Story right after finishing Jack & Joker. At first, I thought the title meant it was going to be the best story. Then I realized it literally meant the story of a boy named Best. 😂

What I wasn't expecting was how heartbreaking it would be. It's only three episodes long, but it still managed to make me emotionally invested. Just when I was hoping to see them finally get together... it ended.

No happy ending, no relationship, just pain. 💔

It's a short drama, but it leaves a lasting impression. If you're looking for a sweet BL with a satisfying ending, this isn't it. But if you're okay with a bittersweet, emotional story, it's definitely worth watching.

Leia Mais

Payback did NOT do Payback well

To be honest, I'm confused how to rate this drama. There are parts that I enjoyed and several things that I didn't enjoy. For it's hype, I'm quite disappointed. 6.5 feels a bit too low yet 7 also feels a bit high. Maybe this is a 6.8 but I'll round up.

Trigger warning - this drama depicts sexual assault, self-harm and rape which did make me uncomfortable so keep that in mind. These scenes didn't affect my ratings (with 1 exception). Details and several spoilers ahead.

The drama's main protagonist is Sun who has a violent past but since losing his mother and brother, he decides to change his life and works as a delivery man. While making deliveries, he meets a manager who would like to scout him as the next actor at their company. Soon after he finds out that his ex-boyfriend was actually the one that got his brother killed but he's now a big shot actor. So he swears to get revenge and decides to take up the acting offer. While at the company, he meets Jay who is narcissistic and they end up butting heads. Unbeknownst to Sun, Jay is actually the director at the company and he ends up needing his help at various stages in order to get his revenge.

So far the plot is great, the set up is great but nothing about Jay was worthy of liking. Not only does he behave horribly towards Sun for no reason, he even beats him up later. Eventually he progresses to kissing him forcefully and practically molesting him at one point. Considering the power dynamics, this is sexual harassment and assault and the reason why I did not like Jay. What frustrated me is that Sun is capable of fighting extremely well but he could never seem to overpower Jay. The drama failed to coherently explain why Jay even started liking Sun and likewise why Sun ended up liking Jay beyond needing his help at times. It was explained to me by people who read the novel but the drama was useless at relaying that important information. I'll add an additional spoiler related to this in the comments.

Sun and Jay's relationship mostly feels forced because of this power imbalance and Jay's actions. I actually felt uncomfortable even during their NC scenes. Especially since Sun seemed miserable. The actors were performing bottomless and I did question if that was really necessary. Also I wish they had highlighted safe sex practices. Another triggering scene was Jay forcefully making Sun cut Jay's wrist. Despite all this, Jay does have softer moments were I liked him. Just wish there was more of that at the end but it was quite rushed which was another disappointment. They were also joking about jumping off a building which was in poor taste.

There are like 3 good characters in the drama - the kind manager who scouts Sun, a trainee with trauma named Sky and a sweet director. I swear I shipped Sun and Sky at one point. I also thought a photographer and Sky might start dating but the vibes I was getting went nowhere. Majority of the show is filled with horrible characters which made me pity Sun a lot. There is one main man who is running a prostitution racket by supplying budding actors to other men. He also expects sexual favours for himself. All this was happening right under Jay's nose. He even mentions that he has recordings of everyone's conversations, yet till the end he never used those to destory that industry and everyone involved.

Jay also has his own reason for seeking revenge and the show ended up focusing more on Jay and how he manages to get what he wants. Meanwhile Sun's payback completely took a back seat. His desire to be the top actor just never happened. He didn't even really start his journey as a lead actor. His ex, Sunny, stayed unapologetic until the end and his end just felt cheap and unrealistic. The bad guys were toppled easily which seemed like it could have happened earlier and too many people were hurt for nothing. Nothing needed to wait till episode 10. Because all the wrap up happened in the final episode, it all felt rushed and lacked impact and satisfaction.

The main reason I could watch Payback is because the pacing of the show was fast and there was never a dull moment even if it got a bit predictable towards the end. The thing I liked is the use of humour to cut through several of the tense scenes. However it's not the kind that makes you laugh till your stomach hurts. It's the kind where you feel relieved that the thing you dread is not about to happen. All the actors did well. There were some actions scenes that were decent.

IMHO I don't think Payback is for everyone. I feel like there were plot holes because the novel probably wasn't adapted well enough which is a shame. If you do decide to watch it, you might like it more than I did.

Leia Mais

I Blame Tiktok!

Technically, I dropped this one midway through episode 12. However, MDL doesn't give you the option for that kind of thing. It doesn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things but I did want to preface this review with that minor correction.

First things first, time travel is one of my favorite tropes of all time. Hands down, bar none. If there's a drama where time travel is the central focus, or at least the beginning of the story, then count me in. However, the time travel wasn't enough to draw me in and keep me there, you know? The FL in this drama gave me Bai Lu vibes - essentially, I couldn't quite tell if she was romantically interested in the ML/her male counterpart or not. With Bai Lu, I can never tell if her characters even LIKE their male counterparts/love interests. It's the strangest phenomenon and ultimately the primary reason why I stopped watching her dramas but I digress.

So, this FL gave me those same types of vibes and I don't like that. Sure, the romance won't always be the central focus of these types of dramas but I expected a LOT more than I got. From social media and various edits scattered across different platforms of this couple, I expected to be knocked OUT by their romance and the fiery chemistry. Alas, that didn't happen. Where was all this fiery passion and magnetic chemistry I was promised? Because it wasn't here and I actually want my money back. I was bamboozled! I want a refund. The first episode will lead you to believe there will be MORE between these characters and it just never happens. It's definitely in the overrated and overhyped pile.

Granted, I understand that they won't automatically fall for each other because of the very valid mistrust between them. It's normal and par for the course. However, the ML started getting softer and softer (in my opinion) as the drama progressed while the FL simply didn't. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a drama where He falls first and falls harder BUT I still need to see some reciprocity from the FL. The ML can't be the only one doing all the heavy lifting with the romance and I have a very kneejerk reaction when it does happen. Then again, I try my best to stay far, far, far away from dramas if I get a whiff of that being a thing because that's not my personal taste. To each their own, of course.

The acting from the leads was fine. It wasn't horrible but I will say that I found myself way more intrigued by the ML than the FL, which is another thing that I'm not too fond of. If I'm watching a drama and the ML is drawing my eye meanwhile we're spending most of our time with the FL, there's an issue there. A big one. My mind shouldn't be drifting towards the ML when we're with the FL and I find that happening a LOT. The guy who played Song Mo is pretty decent; I definitely see great things for his future. The woman who played the FL is fine but I do wonder what she would do with a character who is meant to be more open and playful and less guarded and stone-faced. If I'm not mistaken, she also played one of the side characters in The Untamed (which I dropped) but I don't remember there being a big difference between that character and this one. The characters seemed to be quite similar to me.

I really wanted to swoon over the illustrious Song Mo as that's what all the girls were screaming about, but the drama didn't give me any real reason to do so and that's the biggest misstep of them all. So much wasted potential!

Would I recommend it? Honestly, no. Unless you're in the mood for a drama with very little romance and heavy on literally everything else, then sure. I'm here for the romance and I'm not sitting through a drama where the romance is an afterthought. Would I rewatch it? Also no. I couldn't get through it the first time and I doubt I'll get through it a second or third. In fact, this drama actually made me go back to rewatch Si Jin.

Leia Mais

So excited to watch this drama and I so wanted to like it. But by episode 26… it was just a miss for me. I’m not sure what the director was trying to do… a soccer drama but with very little soccer and actual coaching. We were given passive coaches that stood silently on the sidelines as the camera panned and captured their intense gazes and reflective moments about life. The FL who was so filled with energy and passion for these players never cheered for them during a game. How does that make sense? I would think she would be going crazy, cheering and yelling, especially when one of her “babies” got hurt on the field. But instead we got FL and ML standing next to each other in silence, with their “intense” looks of worry as the boys got beat up out there.

Too many parts of the drama was under developed that it made the drama seem very contrived and surface level. Before I start on the FL and how unnatural it felt watching her snack when clearly it was to make snacking look cute instead of her actually being hungry … I’ll stop. I don’t want to get too negative and I know actors can only do their best with what they are given.

Leia Mais

I liked this, despite its faults. It was entertaining and well-paced.

Actors ... Very good.
Characters ... Lovely.
OST ... Was nice, not overpowering, which fits this type of show.
Storyline/plot ... It was different and different is good.
Re-watchable ... Maybe.

All the actors seemed very professional and fit their characters. The characters themselves were relatable and fit their perspective roles. The side characters' backgrounds were deep enough to give them real substance although there was very little about the main leads, which was very annoying and a little strange.

The premise was pretty good; there were some occasions that I got frustrated due to a lack of reasoning skills and intensity from the FL and ML. There were occasions where the leads let their emotions take over and it caused a lot of unnecessary delays.

I pretty much knew who and what from the very first/second episode, so for me it was more about how and why. This show made you put yourself into their shoes to try and come up with solutions and that made me want to keep watching. That is pretty rare these days.

Leia Mais

Refreshing personalities!!

It is so nice to see a male lead that’s not completely full of himself, who’s not thinking bout putting on an act 24/7. I love the main couple’s dynamic. Friendly despite being on bad terms. This is exactly what I want when I look for friends to lovers, or enemies to lovers shows. Let there be beef but beef with friendliness and charm. And the female lead is so understandable. Like, I get her. It’s a show about two people who reached for the same dreams but only one of them achieved it. I’m giving it a low rewatch rating solely because I don’t like to rewatch a lot of shows

Leia Mais