Reviews

10/10 Igredients

10/10 Ingredients!!

This series completely stole my heart from the very first episode. Ingredients is a sweet, comforting, and beautifully crafted BL that combines romance, friendship, music, and food into something truly special. I found myself falling more in love with it with every episode, and by the end I was completely captivated.

Tops and Win are absolutely wonderful together. Their chemistry feels natural, warm, and effortless, making every interaction enjoyable to watch. Tops’ impressive cooking skills add a unique charm to the story, while Win’s mesmerizing vocals bring so much emotion and atmosphere to each scene. The combination of delicious food, heartfelt music, and a touching relationship creates an experience that is both relaxing and unforgettable.

The creative team deserves tremendous praise for delivering such a feel-good series. Every episode radiates warmth, positivity, and sincerity, leaving viewers with a smile on their faces. It’s the kind of show that feels like a warm hug after a long day. A charming and memorable BL that deserves all the love it receives. Absolutely a must-watch and an easy 10/10!

Leia Mais

Food, friends, and fun

This show was so funny! I'm not usually one to watch comedy's but I loved this! I watched it for Park Jihoon originally, but I really enjoyed it. The comedy was so good, and I loved all the nonsense they were doing in this! They had Park Jihoon as a grandma, in a seaweed dress, in different wigs, and not to mention what everyone else was doing like the musical number! I love it! I can't believe they even performed the song on mcountdown, so funny!! I've never seen something like that done before! The food all looked so delicious too! Sometimes I'd be eating while watching the show and it still made me hungry. The cast was incredible too! So many familiar faces in this which is always nice to see. The story was pretty good too. I loved that we got to see so many characters and relationships grow. I think this was great and I can understand why it got so popular. I loved getting to sit down for some lighthearted and fun comedy twice a week!

Leia Mais

My Favorite Actors switched bodies!

I’ve loved Haruka Ayase and Takahashi Issey in their separate dramas and now I see the two doing a soul swap which I found intriguing.

Mochizuki’s soul is trapped inside Hidaka’s body, and Takahashi does an amazing job basically acting as a woman, but not a stereotypical ditsy valley girl- a highly intelligent detective, but with an authenticity, innocence, and vulnerability about her- he captures it beautifully. She is struggling not only in a man’s body but one that is being investigated for serial murders, along with the identity of being a highly prized and strong leader as CEO of a company- Hidaka’s identity basically acts as Mochizuki’s shadow- shining with qualities that she struggles to embody in her original female body - the lone female body among a sea of male dominated entitled police detective characters. And Mochizuki is Hidaka’s shadow with her sense of justice and innocence and naïveté. After the switch, Takahashi brings out that sweet, innocent vulnerable soul so beautifully trapped within his own body. Seemingly a body that neither of them want..

On the other side, Hidaka’s self confident scheming soul is now in Mochizuki’s female body, and he’s enjoying adorning her body in makeup, jewelry, and nice clothes to play up her attractiveness, manipulating with calculated smiles and coyness playing the game to get what she what she wants out of her colleagues around her.

It’s seems that Hidaka is much more “successful” in Mochizuki’s body harboring the male narcissistic psychopathic archetype in a female body, than the other way around. It makes sense since it is a patriarchal world that basically rewards the Hidaka type of masculine soul regardless of the body, and deems Mochizuki’s feminine soul with her honesty, innocence, sense of justice and ideals as weak and naive. Therefore Mochizuki operating in Hidaka’s body struggles a lot more and wishes for the switch back (to the point where he has to explain it away as memory loss to his company employees), whereas Hidaka as Mochizuki’s body is fine where he is and is not particularly attached to his old body or life- he gets to “thrive” and play his Machiavellian game in any body he wants and get ahead while Mochizuki’s earnest soul struggles. A very interesting exploration of these archetypes.

After living as Hidaka San for a while, Mochizuki has develops empathy for Hidaka and his brother- the brother being the bad guy and all, where Hidaka covers up for him. Even after having several opportunities to arrest him, where her former self would have salivated at the opportunity, she hesitates multiple times and her sense of justice traverses a grey area. It shows that even in murder, when one walks in the shoes of another only then they can possibly understand what another goes through. When they switch back to their own bodies in the 8th or 9th episode, there is a new understanding between the two of them, and a new closeness and chemistry shows between them. Hidaka now back in his body feels a strong sense to protect Mochizuki and even tries to sacrifice himself to protect her by giving a false confession to the murders. The last couple of episodes explore the grey area and blurred lines between empathy, compassion, justice, and morality.

Regarding the music, why do they so freely use Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 as the title music? When it comes on at the beginning during the intro, it just gives Judge Judy vibes. Uh no… What on earth???

The last bit when they meet on the bridge after everything’s over and say their goodbyes, but turn around and Mochizuki asks about his job as the full moon is rising.. I wonder what that’s about…? Cliffhanger?

Leia Mais

vacation for the brain

vacation for the brain
Sun has to be the worst or rather unluckiest debt collector ever. When his boss gives him one last chance - to collect a huge debt from a man living on an island - Sun is determined to finally succeed. That is until he meets Athit, the man in question, who turns out a rather worthy opponent.
Let's face it - this series is the definition of a no-brainer. And that's exactly how you should watch it. Beautiful people in a beautiful setting, a rather questionable plot and a little romance. Of course you will have the most fun if you watch this one because of Boun and Prem. I rather enjoyed their bickering, and how, especially in the beginning, they gave each other the cold shoulder - must have been hella fun for both to play. Just lean back and indulge in the beautiful images and the lovely music.
Of course, some points of criticism are in order. The series should definitely have been longer, because everything felt rushed. Especially the love story between the secondary couple, whom I almost liked more than the main one. I really hope there will be a series with them as the main couple in the future, they were absolutely lovely together and their story had potential. But also the love story between Boun and Prem was rushed - one moment they are fighting, the next gazing lovingly at each other. And one last point: There was an absolutely unnessesary third couple with absolutely zero chemistry and some as equally unnessesary side characters. The series could perfectly work without them.
For everything else: 7 stars.

Leia Mais

It's about more than just anime style fighting

I love that this is in the same universe as Study Group! This show was incredible! I loved how crazy the fighting was and how sentimental some of the episodes were. I loved how much it touched on as well, from the students to parents to teachers. I think my favorite episodes were one, two, and five. I love the characters the most from two! I love how they were the only ones who didn't end up in jail or anything either! I liked when we got to see them later on and they talked about how the school was doing after the fact as well! I really enjoyed this show a lot and hope it gets picked up for another season!!

Characters:
Na Hwa Jin: Absolutely loved him! He was such a good main character! An absolute baddie!! Everything that happened with his fiancée was so tragic. I just loved him. I loved his relationship with the other main three characters too, especially with his father-in-law.

Choi Gan Seok: I love that he wanted to start this because of what happened to his daughter. He has gone through so much, not only with his daughter, but with so many people against this as well. I really liked him a lot. His relationship with Na Hwa Jin was so adorable.

Bong Geun Dae: He is so cute! I liked him a lot! He was so smart and I loved seeing what all he could he do with his computers. Him always trying to leave work was so funny too. His relationship was Han Rim was so sweet, and I hope it develops further if there's another season.

Im Han Rim: I loved her!! I love how crazy she was! She was insane and really embraced it and I loved that. She's really caring too. I loved her relationship with Na Hwa Jin a lot and seeing how close they were. I loved seeing her start to like Geun Dae too!

Leia Mais

wonderful, wonderful, wondertul.

wonderful, wonderful, wondertul.
smoothhoney1265 2 de janeiro de 2023
You know, usually I complain that BLs tend to stretch a story into too many episodes, but Golden Blood was a BL that I really wanted to last longer. But the fact that so much happened in those 8 episodes, made it only more intense.
What can I say? Loved it! The script was awesome (you THINK you know what happens next but there is always a surprise), I loved the main couple (wonderful chemistry!),! loved the secondary couple (can they get their own series, please?) and it was just the right amount of cheesy. Also, without spoiling anything, but here we have probably the nicest mafia boss ever having bossed on screen.
A solid 8/10 from me. I subtracted two stars because of the sometimes ridiculous sound effects (thank God they became less the more the plot progressed), some blatant product placement (which, as I learned, has become the norm for Thai BLs) and some lengthy fight scenes (but l guess you cannot avoid that when a series is set in the mafia milieu).

Leia Mais

Colourless world of what ifs and regrets...

The movie explored the realistic and complex nature of long-term relationship between Jian Qing and Fang Xiao Xiao. It focused on their journey as a couple, their growth, how they became mature, and faced the challenges of life by staying together over time. Their story is not just a sweet or innocent romantic story but delves into the deeper, something different, difficult realities of love and commitment over the years together.

The acting in the movie is top-notch, especially the performances of the two leads. Their portrayal of them getting to know eachother, then being friends and later lovers felt realistically natural. They were lovely, silly but beautifully flawed together. Jing Boran, Zhou Dong Yu and the actor who played Jian Qing's father, Tian Zhuang Zhuang's superb acting that effectively portrayed their emotional transitions and growth of the characters throughout the film. The chemistry between the leads added the special, exclusive authenticity to their relationship which eventually made the story more engaging and relatable for me.

The narrative is described as lovely yet realistic, focusing on the ups and downs of a couple's life together. It touched on the themes of love, sacrifice, and the question of whether love can endure through life's hardships. The film's portrayal of these themes resonated with me very much. Because I truly appreciated their honest and mature approach to life. For me the FL who believed to do her without leaving in regrets has truly lived her life fullest. On the other side the ML who relied more on his self-sabotaging approach, had more regrets than he could imagine. The regrets piled up and hindered their happy life. Proved that sometimes love isn't enough to be together. Not everything in life our works out as we wanted it to be. Somethings are better left unfinished and unspoken. Their realistic soliloquy pierced through my heart many times that it made me cry a ton. I can't explain it enough how brilliantly the actors portrayed their emotions, that I could feel how they were hurting.
Also loved the mood and tone of the film. The soundtrack served its purpose without overshadowing the story or performances. It sewed their bittersweet journey in a melodious hidden love track.

Overall, this movie is a beautiful and heartfelt film that offered a sincere yet complex look at love and relationships. If you enjoy realistic approach to romance and life that goes the beyond clichés and explore the complexities of love, then I highly recommend this!

Leia Mais

My first Thai GL! Off to a good start

Queendom is my very first Thai GL that I finished and I'm glad it was a good one!

The story has a fun premise: enemies to lovers also they swap bodies!

The rest of the drama is fun and it's cute. So cute and adorable. What I love about the main pairing is that they share so much casual intimacy that you'd expect from a new couple that I feel like not all Thai shows show.

The acting is good, especially considering they don't have THAT much experience yet. They had great chemistry.

The side couple is cute, too.

What REALLY bugged me were the last 1.5 episodes though. The story line was suddenly completely rushed, one of the major problems was resolved just like that and it just wasn't good writing. Since the story line isn't too complex, it's not tooo bad but still not good.

Overall, a very good beginning into Thai GLs, I'm excited to watch more!

Leia Mais

My favourite KDrama as of now

Wow, this was amazing from start to finish.

I have only heard of this Kdrama because everyone was mentioning the Queen for Mother's Day and I got curious. I love me a good family drama and this hit differently.

The storyline is intriguing, full of backstabbing and madness but also gentleness and motherly love that isn't only watched but can also be felt.

The cast did amazing, especially Kim Hyesoo's acting is outstanding. You did not doubt for a second that she would lay out her whole life to save the princes.

Sometimes, I didn't like some of the writing choices but I LOVED a lot of them. The love you were able to see between the characters made me cry regularly. The Queen shows strength when needed and shows vulnerability not as a weakness but as a part of her that makes her human. She truly is the epitome of kindness is strength. The people weren't lying when they said she was THE mother of all times.

It has now become my favorite Kdrama ever (besides Mr. Queen). I just rated the rewatch value low because I don't think I can handle crying this much again.

Leia Mais

NAILED IT

Mind you, when I first started this drama, I didn't know any of these actors or the webtoon itself. The only reason I gave it a chance was because I kept seeing it all over IG reels. But as I kept watching, I couldn't help but fall in love with all 4 of the main actors. They literally completed each other. Each character had a completely different personality, yet together they created the perfect chemistry XD

I honestly can't remember the last time a Kdrama got me this hooked. It made me feel every emotion possible: anger, sadness, happiness, frustration, and laughter. On top of that, the soundtrack is ridiculously addictive!

For those saying this drama is unrealistic... why watch a drama in the first place? Dramas and films are supposed to be a little unrealistic. If you only want realism, then just watch your own life unfold. What makes a drama satisfying is that it gives you the justice, revenge, and happy moments that don't always happen in real life, and this drama delivers exactly that!!

Leia Mais

Most boring chinese drama ever ?

This is definitely one of the most boring drama that i ever watched. It has nothing to offer.

1) first 4/5 epi was fine then went downhill to zero.
2) there is zero chemistry between leads they acted like siblings till almost 25 episodes and no romance at all till then and none around them felt anything more either...but suddenly aftr 5yrs they all acted like they liked each other blah blah
3) also we watch drama to cool off our life a little..get away from problems of life but instead this one had problems every epi one after another. Nothing but stress and palpitation
4) most episodes were just filler epis nothing was going on but just unnecessary yapping
5) their reunion was a big blahhh

There is somehow nothing, not even one i can say good about this drama....sorry not sorry

Leia Mais

Full of people leading others on the whole season

First off, I hated that we didn't pick up exactly where season one ended and just never touched on that again. So stupid. Season one I didn't mind too much, but season two was pretty damn bad. There was pretty little that I liked about this season. I'm glad it was shorter than the previous season because it was quite boring. The characters drove me crazy with all the stupid decisions they kept making. The plot lines they had this season were also just bad or just felt like a waste of time.

Everything with Brian felt really stupid in my opinion, especially since they were just going to bring Duk Goo back anyway. Bringing Duk Goo back also seemed so random, but I get why they did it. He's going to create so many world issues with the app ideas in his head. Just the lie/truth one is an awful idea.

The cousin and aunt still bothered me the whole time. Even when they became a bit better in the end, they still weren't good people, just had moments of kindness. I hated them,

Hye Young's whole thing with his dad was actually the most random thing ever. Why did it need to happen? It didn't. I don't get why he thought he was like his dad either...there was nothing that ever said or showed why he would think that way. He was the best character in season one, but this season made me not like him in moments too. Major props to him for sticking by Jo Jo all this time even when she couldn't ring his alarm, hug/kiss him or anything though. I was glad him and Jo Jo ended up together though because they were pretty cute.

Seon O was actually so useless and just straight up pointless in this season. He did nothing but cause problems and whine and treat his girlfriend like crap. I was really happy Jo Jo never gave him another chance because he just so annoying. Even at the end, he didn't love his girlfriend and still just kind of dragging her along. Girl needs to move on.

Jo Jo just annoyed me with how focused on her alarm she was rather than just trying to focus on her relationship with Hye Young. Girl just dragged him along for so long before showing any kind of love or even like towards him.

They should've just stopped at season one.

Leia Mais

A Feel-Good Feast from Start to Finish

Who knew that a drama about military cooking could end up being one of the most wholesome and comforting watches of the year?

We need a drama like this every once in a while to pull us out of a K-drama slump. No complicated twists, no exhausting angst just food, comedy, friendship, and a whole lot of heart. This drama turned out to be such an unexpected gem, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

What I loved most was the deeper message hidden beneath all the cooking and laughter: food creates bonds. It builds memories, brings people together, and offers comfort even in the toughest environments. Whether you're at home with family or serving in the military, sharing a meal has a way of connecting people. That idea is executed beautifully.

The over-the-top reactions while eating, heartfelt stories behind the dishes, camaraderie among the soldiers, and all the unexpected chaos completely won me over. Every episode managed to be both entertaining and surprisingly touching.

Some of the most emotional moments for me were watching the soldiers go from exhausted and gloomy to genuinely happy the moment they sat down to eat. Seeing Seong Jae quietly observe their reactions made those scenes even more meaningful. Sometimes, when life feels repetitive or difficult, the one thing you look forward to is a good meal and this drama captured that feeling perfectly.

I also appreciated that Seong Jae didn't rely entirely on the game's instructions. While the recipes may have come from the game, the sincerity, effort, and passion were entirely his own. He genuinely wanted to improve and learn, which made his journey much more rewarding to watch.

And can we talk about Dong Hyun? Watching him on screen was such a refreshing experience. He was absolutely hilarious. I loved how indifferent he initially was toward cooking, only to slowly start caring more and more. Now THAT is character development done right.

Of course, I can't forget Park Jae Yeong. He was another standout character who constantly had me laughing. Every scene with him was a delight, and I absolutely loved his presence throughout the drama.

This is exactly the kind of lighthearted, feel-good drama we need once in a while a reminder that sometimes all you need is good food.

Leia Mais

Simple Tale as Old as Time

Yin Qi was sent to guard the border, after falling into a trap his brother, the Crown Prince set for him. 3 years later he receives a letter, bringing him back to the capital, not knowing it was another trap by his scheming brother, leading to his, and everyone else's demise, including the hostage prince, and childhood sweetheart Pei Yanzi
He travels back in time, and tries to change his future.

I would have liked more information on the Wolf King's tooth, that seems to have the magical power to turn back time, or jump to another universe? But this is, I feel, very heavily influenced for it's 8 episode time limit. Even just to have seen it more, for such a big plot device, it kind of was forgotten about slightly.

The sets, and costumes are however fair, and everyones wig is in place. So wardrobe and make up did a good job. For smaller budget shows, I have seen much worse.

The inclusion of women was also nice but I didnt really get the need for the GL plots. I think there was enough happening between the leads.

The antagonist Crown Prince, very much stole the show. He was abusive and pushed to within an inch of his own sanity, and that we got the more graphic sex scenes with him, I applaud the team for going for it, considering these actors are still chinese.
I would have liked to have seen more of his dynamics with others, esp his parents but again, only 8 episodes so they had to brush over it just to give an idea.

The leads themselves were fine together. They felt comfortable with each other, but I dont know if it was them, did they have voice actors dubbing them, or the editing of their voice to their lips, something felt off, and I couldnt work out what it was. It was as though the expression in their voice did not match their face. Like a voice on top of their acting. Unfortunately, it was most noticable during the more emotional scenes. When you would expect, a bigger outburst, and the face was showing that, but the voice was restrained. Now, that could just be, their royalty and stiff upper lip trying to come across but it felt like a slip up to me, it broke the immersion for me sadly, because it the inflection of the voice didnt match the facial muscles.

I was expecting more action, which is only shown in ep 1, and then not needed anymore. Both leads are supposedly expert swordsmen and then they dont use it. Not even in the final battle with the Crown Prince.

Overall, its not a bad show. It's fun little story you could watch over the weekend, because that's what it felt like. A pretty little short story about two ancient chinese gays, fighting for their ever after.

Leia Mais