Reviews

light and entertaining

Past and present collide in this rom-com about a city lawyer with a mysterious ancient curse and a civil servant with whom he shares an "unseverable destiny". If you are undecided on whether to watch a modern or costume drama, this show will deliver both.

While there are all the usual ingredients of a rom-com, this show is more entertaining than average. There wasn't the usual shy, denial of feelings, but rather a full on "Sorry - Not Sorry!" head first dive into love. Shin Yu believes he is under a love spell cast by Hong Jo and struggles to fight it. "You're not pretty, but you are to me!" It's a funny internal battle between a newly awakened heart and a seasoned analytical brain. A few scenes were too slow but, before you get too bored, the story manages to move along with hints into previous lives, dark magic, murder and suspense. However, the draggy scenes were during the modern portion of the show and I felt more time could've been spent on the historical back story. Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah change pace smoothly and maintain their chemistry between the two settings.

The overall cast is very funny and work well with each other. However, it was almost uncomfortable seeing Park Kyung Hye being very over the top; she has had better roles. The comic timing between the 2 ML's as they compete against each other in 1 of 2 intersected triangles is spot on. It's also nice to see two decidedly unglamorous people in their own romantic story arc; it counters the expectation that only young and beautiful people can fall in love. Rowoon, noticeably freakishly tall (his height is mentioned several times), is good at comic scenes and his fans won't be disappointed. He is maturing into a decent dramatic actor as well.

If you're not looking for anything too profound, this show is light and entertaining to watch.

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The title is fiting - it's a very impactful series

Viewer (reader) discretion is advised. The series with some very triggering topics which I will also mention in my review. Some such topics are rape, bullying, homophobia, violence, suicide. It has some pretty graphic scenes and it’s not for everyone.

For only having three parts, this is a very impactful series. Going into it, I knew what the story was going to be about, but I didn’t expect them to be this transparent about it. This is not a love story, far from it. It’s a story about a man who is obsessed with another and will go to any lengths to have him. The series addresses a lot of important topics and they do it quite well.

I honestly didn’t expect the rape scene to be so graphic, so violent. Not that it is a good thing, but sexual assault and non-consent are very common things we see in BL series. But they tend to romanticize both, make them gentle and with a lot of persuading. The Effect didn’t go that route. They made it violent, hurtful, traumatic. And that really had a big impact. The dialogue that accompanied the scenes were heartbreaking, especially considering that rapists who rape those that are close to them do see this as an act of love. It is not. It’s an act of violence, of needed control, of showing their dominance. And they point that out too, which is really important.

The trauma Shin went through because of Keng was portrayed very well. Not just his physical trauma through the bruises he carried on his body, but also his mental trauma. Shin’s bruises were in a way symbolic. They were a symbol of his pain, but it seemed like as they started to fade, people around him started to forget how traumatized he is. There is a scene in which Keng begs for forgiveness and offer money, and the fact that Shin’s parents agreed to that, shows that they didn’t understand his pain. I am so glad that Shin had friends who were there for him, who supported him through everything and who protected him when needed.

Social media is toxic, by now we all know that. However, that doesn’t mean that we are not impacted by what happens on social media, by what others say and post about us, even by what we post ourselves. And that is something that this series really pointed out. People always take sides, and they usually take the side of the more popular person. Be it the right side or not. Be it the truth or not. And the worst part is that once it is over, people tend to forget about what happened on social media. They treat it like it’s not reality simply because it happened online. The effects it has on a person are often times not acknowledged.

Homophobia is something that not only followed Shin and Keng at school, but also something that was coming from Keng’s parents who wanted him to protect their reputation. That’s a sad reality that many LGBTQ+ youth still face today. They either cannot be who they are due to fear of what will happen to them or because they are forced to conform to the norm of “normal behavior” that are set by the society.

Both main actors were absolutely brilliant when it came to portraying the emotions, no matter how good or bad those were. I felt their pain. They were on point with their gestures, facial expressions, body movements, even tone of voice. It was so raw, yet amazing.

I do think the story was very rushed. I wish there would be more time to develop the characters and their storylines. And to address some things a bit more in depth. To give Shin a chance to heal before our eyes. And I wish for the ending to be cleared. I am still unsure what exactly happened.

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BL & Makjang

As I was skipping through the last episode, (actually FFW a drama for the very first time EVER!) while trying to avoid the ultimate cringe that episode is, I was just trying to comfort myself justifying watching this by its relative shortness. There were some good things about this drama and then there was the plot.

Good things: actors, cinematography.

The plot: BAD! Nonsensical and cringy. The story follows some mobsters who are ALL gay of course: from the Boss in a a happy 30 years old relationship with his secretary down to the minor players. What kind of mob is that? The criminals themselves were extremely unconvincing, unnatural! They just looked like a bunch of PC schoolkids putting on a show in which they imagine what real criminals might look like,behave and dress! Ridiculous!
The characters are not really explained: we do get to hear a kind of a back story but it does not explain their situation at the beginning of the series! Why does he have to work three jobs in order to put himself through high school? Why is the other guy a member of the mob? They all talk about killing people but look like they'd apologize and start crying if they accidentally crush an ant? Apart from the four main characters, everyone else either cannot act or they got unclear direction?
The second half plunges deep into a makjang with rich families, paying off the unsuitable lover, amnesia...classic!

It is still watchable under one serious condition: turn your brain off. Then you can enjoy the two love stories with decent skinship and a lot of cringe. Especially in the last episode. A lot!!!!!
All in all, this was bad. Barely watchable short drama: its saving grace being the short duration. LOL To watch only when there's nothing else!

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Mix of high drama, comedy thrown in and some sweet romance. A good mix of sweet, sour and bitter

While all the actors are quite good I think Jacquelin is the outstanding actor here. Every expression, nuanced or dramatic feel real,,along with trembling lips of anger. Am at episode 36 and wanted to write this regardless of ending. I may have forgotten to do it. If I do remember I might share my thoughts here of the ending. Switching male leads was discombobulating and still is. This new actor has big shoes to fill so please don’t blame him. I am sure he is trying to be the immature evil spoiled brat that the original male lead was, but it’s even more difficult because original male lead was loaded with facial expressions. I am not going to disrespect his efforts.

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so disappointing

This happen when you try to make forceful love triangle and then force them into settling it
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Learning life lesson - Remorse, love and growing up

Wow, I’m glad I decided to hang on and continue watching. Great acting by FL and ML. I got annoyed at first with how immature the FL was but then remembered she’s 16 yrs and learning lesson in life. Watching her grow up, learn true meaning of remorse and love.

Here’s my take of this series.

He Juiling (Ireine Song) is a spoiled 16 yrs old teenager who love to bully people because she can. She’s force to marry Rong Yu but thinks he’s weak because he’s fortunate teller that doesn’t know martial art. She thought she’s in love with her senior brother because the grew up together studying under same master. Actress that portrayed FL did a great job. I hate watching immature characters but Ireine did a great job portraying a spoiled 16 yrs old and shows how she grew up through life’s event that happens to her.

Rong Yu (Wang You Shuo) is a famous fortunate teller that can predict outcomes so accurately. He kind, gentle and always thinks of He Juiling wellbeing as priority. Knowing she put medicine that will wipe his memory of her in his drink, he still drinks it because it’s what she wanted. When he losses his memory and became handicap, he only remembers her. Great acting on Wang You Shuo, I was impressed.

Lessons: He Juiling regretted giving Rong Yu the medicine that made him loose his memory and became handicapped. She then did everything in her power to help him. She started growing up and taking in responsibility to try to right her wrong. Little did she know she started having feeling for Rong Yu. She realized how much her family protected her for seeing true evil that existed and how immature she was. They got separated but reunited in a way you didn’t expect. Marrying each other to keep her alive. Helping Rong Yu to get better and maturing.

Love: Rong Yu loved her from the beginning but because He Juiling was young and immature, she didn’t really know what true love was. Their relationship developed from her forced into marrying him to save her life while he was still mentally handicapped. She grows to appreciate and love him for she realizes true love is about sacrifices and being there for each other no matter what.

Misunderstandings: He thought she was still in love with her Senior Brother after he regained his memories and decided he would let her go so she can be happy, so he starts rejecting her love for him. He also rejected her because he found out it was his uncle who concluded with the Duke to have her family killed.

Ending: Make sure you watch the special episode as it helps ties things together at the end.

Like I said before, I almost dropped this because I thought it was going to be another FL that just going to pout and try to act cute but I’m glad I stuck with it. I would recommend this as you can connect with the characters because of good casting of FL and ML.

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What a waste of time and talent

Both Park Bo Young and Lee Jung Eun need new management if this is all that can be found for them. The plot is a complete mess, lurching from light comedy, to romance, to really dark and clichéd portrayals of various types of mental illness (nearly all rooted in self harm), topped off with the temerity to get preachy about it. Nevertheless, I stuck with it to the bitter end hoping they could salvage something, but no. The show really ends with episode 11, but they tacked on another episode with a bunch of random trite nonsense. While this might not be the absolute worst drama I've ever seen, it was certainly close. Again, what a waste of my time and the immense talent of the very good actors that got sucked into participating in this one. Skip!

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Flashback Soup

I just read some of the comments and reviews and I couldn't believe everybody is praising this series, so I feel like I have to remind you to care about quality and never lower your standards even for a BL.

STORY: The idea of the story is actually the best quality of this series. but unfortunately the writers obviously lack the knowledge and attention span to develop believable characters and flesh out the story by creating the necessary plot points to execute the original idea into a series. Therefore the final result feels more like an unfinished project that needs to be retouched much more to become a script that can be turned into a multi episode TV Series.

ACTING: The two leads are both fresh newbies, which would be perfectly OK if they could act. But none of the newbie actors in the series have the ability to deliver a decent performance. Since this is a very dramatic story with an intimate theme, most of the narrative development is based on the actors' ability to convey the deep and complicated feelings of each character through their facial expression and body language. Yet, Mr. Title as Nut can only present the audience with two emotions. This number is even lower for Mr. Man as Phob. He can only give us a bright eyed toothy smile, while in the sad scenes he has nothing to offer.

EDITING: While the review section on MDL ignores editing as one of the main qualities to be discussed on a review note, it is actually one of the more important characteristics of a drama. For The Yearbook, though, Editing is its weakest point. It seems like the director ordered the editing staff to create the perfect Soup for each episode, by taking all the material they have and mix it up as they please. The result is a bunch of consequential scenes scattered with nonconsequential flashbacks that seem to just play on repeat endlessly.
Another super annoying editing issue is the, again very much repetitive, songs that keep playing while the characters are looking at a distant scenery or taking forever to deliver their lines. This technique is nice for a special part in the drama, but over using it made me long for a moment of silence. At some point I was tempted to throw my earbuds out.

Directing: Don't get me wrong. I think Mr. Mean is a talented actor. I actually liked his performance in LBC 2. And there is nothing wrong with expanding his career if he likes directing. But, a TV series at this length is too much for someone who is at the initial stage of his career. I think it would have been a wiser decision if the producers found a more experienced director for this series, and let Mr. Mean and Mr. Benz work as co-directors. Personally, I think the best path for a young director is to start by testing his hand at making a few short films before going for larger productions.

OVERALL: For those who are considering to watch The Yearbook, I can't guarantee you won't drop it halfway. I have read in the comment section that the movie has less flashbacks so maybe you'd better watch that version.

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I Gave This a 10 Rating Even Though It Has Its Flaws

Just to reiterate, I absolutely love this series so far but it does have its drawbacks.

I won't go into details about what this show is about because there are already many reviews explaining that thoroughly.

I'm a huge fan of actress Park Eun Bin (main lead) and teen actor Moon Woo Jin, (who plays the young Ki-Ho). I'm also a fan of screenwriter Park Hye Ryun's works.

I could rave on and on about why I love this show but I'm only going to talk about some of the things that I wasn't too fond of.

Another review explained how young Ki-Ho was getting beaten in public and no one came to help. Then soon after, we had to watch Seo Mok-Ha (FL) get chased around the ferry and again, there was no help. While I agree that the lack of help seemed ridiculous, at the same time, when you think about how society is today, it actually may not be too far off the mark. While I personally would like to think the best of people, the "bystander effect" is real. Some people just do not want to get involved. Sad but true.

What bothered me the most so far, was the storyline regarding adults and domestic violence. I think this is where I feel the writers missed the mark when it comes to protecting children. Another person claimed that this wasn't an "advocacy show", that it is just a "drama". Of course it is, but IMO, writers can be powerful influencers. While they were able to write about the issue of domestic violence, there wasn't any real "ray of hope" so to speak. All was lost by the first episode. I found it especially disappointing when Seo Mok-ha goes back to the island and speaks to the two men who took over Mok-ha's father's shop. The men speak unkindly about Ki-Ho. Even though they knew that Ki-Ho reported his father for domestic abuse, they referred to him as being "insolent" and "the worst son ever" and of Ki-Ho breaking down mentally. The only saving grace from that scene was learning that Ki-Ho's father was fired from his job. But then the men go on to talk about how Ki-Ho's father still loves him and went to Seoul to look for him because "that's what parents do."

What a bunch of crockery. Lol! I say that only because there were a lot of ways that conversation could've gone differently without changing the storyline. Like maybe NOT taking the father's side and being understanding of Ki-Ho's situation and why he fled. Would've been nice if that one guy actually realized that he had caused problems for Ki-Ho and was regretful. That they tried to convince Ki-Ho's father not to leave and look for his son. That maybe perhaps they hoped Ki-ho wouldn't get discovered.

But of course, it's a "drama". But this is my version of how I wished that scene had unfolded because we shouldn't gloss over abusers' actions. As a viewer, I can only hope that for young child or teenager, who may be suffering from domestic abuse, if they're watching this show, finds some hope and solace. That there are adults out there who will believe them, take their side, and help them. This is why I say writers can be powerful influencers. They can change the narrative and influence public opinion and offer hope, even if it is just a "drama".

Moving on, another thing I greatly disliked was Yan Ran Joo reliving her glory days when it was really Mok-ha was doing all the singing. The way Ran Joo is acting all happy about the raving articles about her and yet, she was lip-synching. Seriously? I would understand if she was happy because she hopes to sell some albums but it wasn't portrayed like that. Of course, I'm sure things are going to get better later on, and with Ran Joo's help, Mok-ha will be able to become a diva.

Despite all this, I really, really love this show. The actors are amazing. I've always been a fan of Park Eun Bin and especially, Moon Woo Jin. Woo Jin's earlier works were always so amazing especially in "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim". He's growing up to be just as good as Eun Bin. Rooting for this kid all the way. I also want to give a shout-out to Lee Re who plays the younger version of Moh-ka. She was so amazing too! Her acting chops are like a mini-version of Eun Bin! Even her big, beautiful smile was the same. These two teen actors hit it out of the park! I was so moved to tears with these two. I adore Park Eun Bin as always. and as for screenwriter Park Hye Ryun, I still love her works especially, "While You Were Sleeping"! One of my fave dramas!!

On Ep4 as of writing. May update later if necessary!

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Our Lovable Drama

Much has been written about this drama, detailing their insights, ideas, the "I liked it or "it should be . ."

As for me, who watched a drama to be entertained, I find this drama as an interesting show!
Watching this drama always gives me joy, smiles, tears, and sadness, as if I am journeying with the Characters on it.
This engaging drama keeps us captivated and fixes our attention to its storyline, its suspenseful plot, and to the actors and actresses playing their roles respectively.
Wang Youshou is the Perfect actor for his role as Rong Yu; so with Song Yiren for her role as He Jiuling. They delivered their roles to a perfect "T".
And I want also to credit the supporting cast and crew, who are all behind this drama. They played their roles well.

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A little different then what we expected but definitely not dissapointing

Honestly what threw me off was the sudden increase in maturity of the drama. Season 1 watchers loved the whole high school concept of victim standing up to bully with newly gained powers then having a whole secret life of fighting evil spirits while getting revenge for his parents.
Season 2 kinda felt like they tried to keep that high school innocence in him while showing these grown way more mature evil villains so i felt it didnt mix well. plus with the new member added i felt they didnt properly explore him as much. like i get he aint the main character but like we didnt get to truly bond with him and the way they tried to make him the dumb comedy relief felt forced.

Overall tho i really enjoyed it. The acting was amazing the characters still felt like them selves and the villains were honestly so good and fighting against them was so challenging for the counters and i prefer those more then simple minded vilains

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This is hit because?

I love this drama the pain that the main character went through and the other casts. But it doesn't only leave us with sadness but with enjoyment, cuteness, romance and comedies. I couldn't wait for all the episodes to come out because it was just too good to wait. The acting of the cast is the top tier you can feel the characters. This drama hits me hard as it shows the reality of a child who wants to be the perfect child for the parents. It shows no children are ever perfect they just hide it. It also shows the love of a child for their parents. I'm glad to say I could watch this drama over and again and I will never stop crying or laughing from watching. Although the acting is insane from the sadness to their chaotic sides this drama catches my heart. I always sympathise with every character. I would like another drama like this. The music scenes were great i replay the songs all the time. This drama has a lot of plot twists and one of the reasons i cannot let go of this drama.

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An Overindulgent Mess

This is the continuing story of CUTIE PIE which itself was an incoherent hot mess. Fortunately, this series was a bit better and less emotionally abusive in content. It also made an attempt to tell a story and did try to bring a certain level of maturity to the forefront. Unfortunately, it merely continued the overindulgent and pampered story of Kon Dio . and Yi. While certainly not deep and more like a soap opera, it had the potential for being a good BL series that just would not push itself to tell a love story. There are some deeply and profoundly moving and poignant moments to this series, however. And it also features in a supporting role one of the handsomest men I have ever seen.
You can read my full review of this series at BLBliss.com and find out who that is.

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