A tribute to ink
This is richly produced if deeply flawed drama set during the Ming dynasty, highlighting the Huizhou ink industry. While there are moments of stirring tribute to the painstaking craftsmanship involved in the making of ink and moments of genuine human drama, this is overall a pretty meandering and lackluster drama that is far too long with 42 episodes. Think of every family drama trope you have seen in a period Chinese drama of a similar genre, and you will find it in this show. Most critically, there is little chemistry between the lead characters, who are only thinly constructed in writing and even more poorly executed on screen, especially the character of Luo Wenqian.Some real emotional weight is brought through several veteran actors - notably Tian Xiaojie as Li Zhen's grandfather, Li Hongliang as her uncle, and Cao Lei as Luo Wenqian's brother. Unfortunately for Yang Zi, this is not her best feature - she is far more effective and engaging in the recent Flourished Peony.
I could not help thinking of The Story of Minglan while watching this. That drama was perhaps the first of this kind of idol period drama. Although a very long drama there as well involving various family and political drama arcs, it built to a nice climax as it went along. Moreover, the characters were dimensional and grew as the story grew. Unfortunately in The Heir, things build to an awkward ending arc (against the Japanese?), and the lead characters for the most part remained the same throughout the show. Unless you are very interesting in exploring ink-making or a devoted fan of the cast, you probably could skip out on this one.
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NamtanFilm the power house
Film nailed "Bambi" character and I think all 6 main leads did good job.The acting is good, cinematography is doing good, each pairs have a great chemistry but the storyline need to be polish and heat up, it is a bit boring, luckily the casts carried it out.
Looking forward for NamtanFilm upcoming series and hope they will bring another fresh and great chemistry again!
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Watch if you just want fluffy coming of age romance
The main couple are cute and the acting is good but nothing original. There isn't much friction in this drama, just a few moments of miscommunication, mainly from the FL misunderstanding the situation:Misunderstanding 1: FL overhears a conversation and believes ML has her brother's heart donation.
Misunderstanding 2: FL overhears ML talking to a potential suitor, thinking ML hates her.
Misunderstanding 3: FL overhears ML talking to a senior sister he is helping and falsely thinks they are in a relationship.
See the pattern? This show wouldn't be this many episodes if FL stopped snooping and hearing half-conversations.
Chemistry between FL and 2ML is good, at times better than with ML. Only mistake he made was confessing too early, when they barely knew each other and confessing too late when she had already been in a relationship for a year with ML. Speaking of which, the writers put the worst 2nd confession timing ever. He planned an entire event where he would confess and put a gold medal around her neck. Did he think FL is the type of person who would just dump her boyfriend and be with him? Maybe he's right because FL answer was wishy washy, "thank you for liking me when I was 18 and giving me great memories that I will always keep." Then hugs him as if the confession was successful. All the while, the ML has plot armor level confidence so he just wanders off so 2ML can confess to his girlfriend.
There is also a 2nd couple that shows a toxic one-sided relationship; ML finally gets a clue and breaks up with the toxic FL. Then the ending is left open for you to interpret if they patch up or stay apart. 3rd couple was a thinly veiled BL story.
Overall, watch if you got time to kill but not a must watch list.
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That one comfort show with 0 comfort.
This has been on my watchlist for a long time and I was kinda talking myself out of it each time I was about to start it. I was afraid this genre isn't my type, since I usually get really confused watching hospital and police drama's, I was quite curious about MaxTul since I haven't seen anything with them together till this series. I only followed Tul a lot given his engagement with Mew. I liked how they explained medical terms. Like I mentioned, I was afraid I wouldn't understand but it was quite alright. Usually with Hollywood they make everything wayyyy too complicated. What I love about Thai drama's is how they're so easy to understand when it comes to topics like politics, police and business.It was fun to watch a new acting couple and genuinely not knowing exactly who Max was, so I didn't know who the love interest would be when I started this show. It was funny how I hated him at first as a character and I honestly thought Dr.Bun would end up with inspector M. After I finished it right now I'm laughing like crazy about me thinking this. I do rlly like inspector M though!!
I'm gonna be very honest, the only downgrade of this show was the editing. I'm usually not that focused on editing even if I'm a film student who mostly edits. But I noticed a few compositions I REALLY hate and kinda distracted me, I'm probably a bit too alert on it but I genuinely can't stand it. Especially with flashbacks. The way they move feels very unrealistic and then it should've.
Nobody listening to fucking Dr.Bun irritates me. He is clearly right but they are ignoring every single evidence. I already found a lot of the police suspicious but I can't believe I also thought Inspector M was suspicious. Also them trying to frame and erase everything just got me on guard. Genuinely one of the most stupid police I've ever seen in a series, I'm sorry M but this includes you...
This will maybe be a bit of a weird comment, especially since I'm asexual. But the Nc scenes were SO good, the emotion and the acting. In my opinion it's one of the hardest things to make and they did this just.. so well. I feel like this is one of the best series I've watched when it comes to acting. Definitely planning on watching other series from both actors. I'm not a person that is tooo much into shipping culture + Tul is already engaged so I don't rlly feel the need to see MaxTul together. I am curious though about their other series.
I love how I used to find Tan suspicious but after like episode 10 he started being more and more trustable, the build up was amazing, I almost didn't notice my feeling about him shifting through the series. If I was Dr.Bun I wouldn't have trusted Tan enough to the point of eventually living with him.
They are like those comfort teachers but in a different job. Fathers keeping everyone safe. I love how basically every teen in this story trusted them and I kinda expected the end with them adopting one of them but I guess not. Well, you don't have to be family to feel the same relation as you do with family. This is also mainly why this is such a comfort series to me.
I'm watching Triangle after this and really excited what that exactly is about. Very good series.
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My Royal Nemesis: 10 Episodes In and I'm Already Doing the "Only Four Episodes Left" Math
🎬 Quick Take🔹 Only 10 of the 14 episodes have aired at the time of this review.
🔹 I started this because a Joseon villainess waking up in modern Seoul and immediately running into a so-called monster of capitalism sounded like exactly the kind of chaos I would eat up.
🔹 What I did not expect was how quickly this drama became part of my weekly watch.
🔹 Current rating: 9/10
🔹 If you're waiting for it to finish first, I respect your self-control.
🔹 Would I rewatch? Oh absolutely.
💚 Why You Might Like It
🔹 A female lead who keeps doing the exact opposite of what you think she will do.
🔹 A romance with enough push-pull tension to keep things fun.
🔹 Fantasy that adds flavor without taking over everything.
🔹 Leads whose chemistry slowly sneaks up on you until one day you realize you're completely invested.
📕 Overview
🔹 14 episodes, romance, comedy, fantasy.
🔹 Lim Ji Yeon plays Shin Seo Ri, an unknown actress whose life gets turned upside down when she becomes possessed by the spirit of a notorious Joseon villainess.
🔹 Heo Nam Jun plays Cha Se Gye, a chaebol executive known as a "monster of capitalism."
🔹 The story starts with a centuries-old villainess trying to survive modern Seoul. Honestly, that setup alone already had me seated.
🔹 I came for the chaos, stayed for the characters, and now I'm doing episode-count math like it is my job.
🌸 How It Felt Watching
🔹 Shin Seo Ri had me from the start.
🔹 I thought I was mainly here for the fantasy setup, but the characters completely took over.
🔹 Waiting for new episodes became part of my routine before I even realized it.
🔹 This is one of those dramas where the episode ends, and you're just sitting there like, "Excuse me, that's it?"
✨ Cast & Acting
🔹 Lim Ji Yeon completely owns this role. Every time she showed up on screen, the energy immediately went up.
🔹 Heo Nam Jun really snuck up on me. By this point, his scenes with Seo Ri are some of the ones I look forward to most.
🔹 Even the supporting cast started creeping onto my favorites list without asking permission.
🎵 OST
🔹 Anyway by Nam Jong
🔹 The Season That Returned by Young K
🔹 Losing My Heart by Gwyn Dorado
🎞️ Production Style
🔹 I genuinely enjoy spending time in this drama's world every week.
🔹 The Joseon-versus-modern contrast gives the story a lot of its charm.
🔹 Most episodes feel like they go by way too fast, which is both a compliment and a personal problem.
☕ Tea Notes
✨ What worked
🔹 Shin Seo Ri's chaotic energy.
🔹 The leads' chemistry.
🔹 The fantasy-romcom balance.
🔹 How the characters ended up becoming more important to me than the fantasy premise.
✨ What didn't
🔹 There were a few moments where I found myself thinking, "Wait, stay here a little longer."
🔹 Also, only four episodes left already feels rude.
☕ SpillTheDramaTea's Rating: 9/10
🌿 Tea-Scale: One More Episode Before Bed
✏️ For a drama that Netflix's algorithm suggested, this one ended up taking up a lot more space in my week than I expected. ⭐
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How did I never write a review for *Not Me* before?!?! I’m currently rewatching it for the third time with my friend, and there are a few things I really want to talk about.First of all, I was trying not to mention OffGun’s acting because we all already know that they are incredibly talented and experienced actors. Their performances are always top-notch. But seriously, Gun... how did you manage to portray two completely different characters with such depth and professionalism in the same series?!
Gun is truly gifted. Every time I think about the fact that Black and White were played by the same actor, I get chills. He completely convinced me that they were two different people. Their mannerisms, expressions, emotions, and even the energy they carried felt so distinct that it was easy to forget they were portrayed by the same person.
As for the message of the series, it moved me deeply. I believe it had the same impact on everyone who shares or understands the social realities that the characters were facing. *Not Me* wasn't just a BL series; it was a story about injustice, inequality, friendship, courage, and standing up for what you believe in. It made people think, question, and empathize.
Even after all this time, it remains one of the most powerful and meaningful series I have ever watched.
And I can't finish this review without talking about First's performance. York truly showed just how skilled First is as an actor.
The hospital scene completely broke me. I actually cried. Through nothing but his expressions, his eyes, and the way he cried, I could feel a mixture of grief, pain, heartbreak, and anger all at once. It was such a raw and powerful performance.
And then I remembered the truck scene in the final episode. The crying, the emotions, the acting—it all felt incredibly real. York's words about his mother hit me so hard, and the goodbye kiss between White and Sean was heartbreaking. Even now, I can't think about those scenes without feeling the same lump in my throat that I felt when I first watched them.
That's what makes a performance memorable when it stays with you long after the episode is over. First managed to make York feel like a real person, and every emotion he experienced felt genuine. His performance was one of the highlights of the entire series for me.
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May Lu Feng kind of love never find me
Oh boy where do I even begin?I knew that boy was trouble when he walked in
Like “Fan Xiao from Ti my shore ” kind of trouble
Did I mention this story it’s 80-% similar to the manhwa full circle ?
If you are faint of heart and easily triggered don’t watch this. This show doesn’t do anything unique
It’s the same tired trope of an obsessive abuser hell bent on destroying the mc’s life all in the name of love. Lu Feng is unapologetic in his narcissism. He thinks just because he loves Xiaocheng then Xiaocheng must love him and want to be with him no matter what. Guy lacks empathy, anyone can go to hell including his own family as long as he has Xiaocheng, who clearly can’t stand his psychotic narcissistic ass.
BIG SPOILER!!!!!!!
When Xiaocheng is in coma, Lu Feng literally says”this is good, you lying down here quietly, that way you can’t go anywhere, you can’t leave me, this way it feels like you belong to me completely”
That says a lot
This man is sick
May this kind of man and lover never find me
In case I forgot to mention it , there are multiple scenes of SA. Which are never addressed btw because how else will we know how much Lu Feng loves Xiao Cheng.
I tend to rate Chinese bls slightly higher because I love Mandarin, otherwise if this was a Thai Bl best believe I would have given it 2 stars,
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I'm really proud of every member of LYKN. Even though I'm not their fan, I've known them since their debut, but I never thought I would become interested in stanning them. After this, I think I'll definitely give Thai pop music a chance.
And Est's performance was absolutely outstanding. I honestly can't even describe how good he was. The directing, the plot, everything was perfect!!!!
However, I would have preferred it if they hadn't neglected Po's past. I wanted them to explore his relationship with his ex more deeply and give them a few conversations together. I think that would have added a really interesting layer to the story.
And I really want to mention how brilliant the acting was. They didn't exaggerate the emotions or make the characters feel artificially dramatic, but they also didn't underplay them to the point where it felt like they were just reading lines. Everything felt natural and balanced. Overall, everything was excellent.
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Trigger Warning/ Triggering
Y'all, Lu Feng needs to get popped in his mouth. Holy hell. I can not STAND him. 😭 He's a little psychotic demon. Atrocious. Why is he so damn aggressive??Oh and Cheng Yi Chen? He is SOOO aggressively spineless and is too comfortable being a doormat. Really wish he'd find his brain and get some standards.
The more Cheng Yi Chen 'tolerated' from Lu Feng, the angrier I got. Show had me so livid. How is he going to look like absolute crap and take a bully for the person responsible for the terrible state he's in.
"Why do you always want to leave me?" My guy, do somw self-reflecting. My word
Lu Feng treated his mom and brother like shit. What does Yi Chen do? He betrays them for said that man. Just to keep being treated like trash! Like hello, are you good?
They all need to learn how to stand tf up and walk away from toxic relationships.
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beautiful & cinematic high school love
When Oranges Fall feels like classic New Siwaj/Studio Wabi Sabi. This show has gorgeous Thai scenery (I’m not sure what coastal town it’s set in), heart-fluttering moments, and an easygoing plot. I love the soundtrack as well. WOF reminds me very much of My Only 12% (my first and ult Thai BL). perhaps young love in the 90s/00s is something New delivers so beautifully because he lived and experienced it as well. Every week I’m just dying to see what happens next! this is my first time watching a show with AlmondProgress, KenPaul, and JustinKeaton. They’re all great actors! I’ll definitely keep following them in the future.Was this review helpful to you?
love and life is for brave ones
i personally was able to relate very much to it. The show truly captures human emotions and insecurities really well. The series try to spread the message to never give up and be brave enough to face what comes one's way. Additionally, it also portrays the found family trope adorably. The series ignites the hope of living life, giving people second chances and holding them dear to the heart, when they are still around.Ryu is definitely a conventional human being whom i hold near to the heart and the actor playing it has done an incredible job. Plus, Johan speech in the last episode is worth applauding.(literal tears)
The music is melodious which goes very well with the scenes and vibe of the show.
While the show may be low on the romance level(intimacy) but ryu and johan definitely are connected close through hearts and the similarities of how they have experienced life events and how they look up to each other in loneliness is what truly makes them SOULMATES. Eventually this does not let the queer elements of their story get downplayed. I can see myself returning to watch this series when i feel low or to just restore belief in human nature
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Lacks depth and character development
I understand this is only 8 ep and has a lot to say, but still the characters were very shallow and not interesting.Things i didn't like:
-The opening episode, the way they first introduced everyone, it's kinda weird that the main story is about the family focusing heavily on the 3 Brothers love lives yet we got to see them together for the first time in ep3
-the background of all the characters was either shown in later episodes or not shown at all, we have Silom, Nabneung, Nava and maybe dindin with proper background, while the rest had very few hints of their past, we don't know how the 3 got to be adopted and why.
-the whole nanneung sister thing is just annoying.
Things i liked:
-Chemistry was good, even with Us and Ta, who I've never pictured together tbh, Sky was also a pleasant surprise, he was the only one with interesting story , alas it didn't stay as interesting by the 5th ep or so.
-it was only 8ep, so if you find it boring you can still be able to finish it.
I wouldn't recommend it, it's not necessarily bad, but it could have been better~
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Okay Watch
I'm usually a sucker for these kinds of movies. It has the underdogs, the action and the bromance. However, none of those really hit that much, all aspects of it kind of feel "meh". The movie tried to present a lot of different characters, but none of them were developed, so no one felt "real". Which then made it impossible to connect to them. It comes to the point that I didn't care what would happen to anyone. The action scenes were literally all the same, he gets beat up over and over again, then gets up and suddenly takes over the fight. Throughout, I kept waiting for the moment the movie will hook me, only for the end to come.Was this review helpful to you?
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Should Have Dropped
This is actually the first time I've ever written a review for a drama, but after seeing all of the positive reviews, I felt that I had too. I was originally going to drop this drama on episode 11, but ended up continuing because the person I started it with wanted me to keep watching it with them. The drama had so many problems it's hard to even know where to start, but I'll try.1. The female lead's age is mentioned more times than I could've thought possible. Normally I wouldn't mind so much, but with the female lead clearly looking to be in her 40's (as was the actress in real life), the more I heard them mention her age of 33 and 34, it became harder and harder to believe. I have nothing against age gaps and a 12 year age gap would have felt doable had the actress actually looked her portrayed age. There were several times when they were together that she honestly looked like she could have been his mother. Again not a huge problem if 20 years was the portrayed age gap, but hearing them repeat 12 years a million times just made it feel ridiculous.
2. The dialogue in the drama was pretty bad. Again a lot of repetition with specific wording and there were several episodes where the exact same situation occurs. The female lead is disrespected, it looks like she's going to come out on top, she cries and eventually everything works itself out, but it get's old. It always seems like she's going to truly stand up for herself but instead she somehow manages to control the situation without ever really advocating or standing up for herself. It get's hard to root for a character when they are constantly put down and just take the mistreatment.
3. Misogyny was present everywhere. From the insane mother to most of the male characters it blows my mind that people viewed this drama as empowering for women when it was the exact opposite. Bringing awareness to misogyny and actually speaking out against it are two completely different things. I understand that a lot of it was due to cultural differences that maybe I can't understand, but the way the female lead was treated was absolutely insane, and most of the time she did not truly stand up for herself. The side couple were the worst offenders. The side female lead's husband was so misogynistic every word out of his mouth would have had me ready to sign divorce papers. It was not believable to me that they could work through these differences and stay together, when he didn't really seem like he had changed. There were rarely any times misogyny was mentioned truly in a negative light. Instead it was just presented to the female leads and left as is.
4. The male lead felt as though he changed when the main couple finally got together. There was even a scene where he attempted to get the female lead drunk so he could kiss her and who knows what else. Seeing the male lead attempt to take advantage of her and feel upset when she didn't want to move at the same pace as him, was frustrating. It didn't necessarily feel like the same character that had been presented in the drama so far.
Overall I wouldn't recommend this drama to anyone who supports women and women's rights, as it was incredibly frustrating to see the way the female characters were treated. If the creators meant to touch on the topics of misogyny and highlight how bad they are, they failed. For a drama so focused on the experiences of women and societal pressure, they completely missed the mark.
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