Reviews

The show started off really strong but became a tad ridiculous at the end; A lot of plot-points felt unnecessary or overly dramatic - especially in the latter half of the show - and the ending was pretty anticlimactic.
Also, the whole omegaverse aspect could have been entirely omitted and it would have had no bearing on the plot.

However, despite these criticisms, the show still managed to entertain me throughout.
The scenes between Pavel and Pooh were electric and their romance was worth following to the end.
Pavel was definitely the better actor of the two, but he nailed his role and some of his scenes were so moving I almost cried.

Overall I don't regret the time I spent watching the show.

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A mask we wear

This drama has taught me more in 10 episodes than I will ever learn in real life
Dramas have tried to integrate with social issues yet this one has hit the spot. Don't judge a book by its cover as they will be wearing a mask to try to thrive in a deadly environment where only a few can survive
We were shown what happens when you can't reach those expectations from key students from losing a friend to wanting to die as you think it is easy
Everyone needs to watch this masterpiece
A small stone won't do much damage but when it is multiple stones a significant impact can occur

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An extremely curious and engaging mix of Thai LGBT and Japanese Pinku Eiga

This show deserves a lot more credit than it is given and most of the criticism it receives are way out of proportion and generally coming from people who don't get what it is about and who expected something different and more tropey.

There are obvious and objectively justifiable flaws in its acting and script but they are by no means worse or more serious than in several other projects where much bigger faults are easily overlooked by the fandom.

This is a unique, interesting and generally intriguing yarn that covers loads of serious subjects from male prostitution and sexual kinks to social commentary on Thai society, hierarchy and judicial system with an interesting homage to the Japanese Pinku eiga genre in its way of mixing thriller elements and serious dramatics with satire and spoof as well as in its deliberately over-emphatic NC scenes and underground-style cinematography. Those who have been familiar with the genre are most likely to be less baffled by what they saw than the standard BL fans accustomed for ordinary Thai BL.

Strictly for open-minded adults and strictly not for fujoshis

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Lovely main couple. Enjoyed the progression of their relationship

Bottom line: If you are on the fence about watching it, give it a try.
With time travel, you have to suspend disbelief to begin with, but this show, for me, required more suspension of belief than other shows I’ve watched with the same subject matter. And let’s all admit it, in the past couple of years, there have been a LOT of time travel dramas. That said, there was a lot to like about this show.
ACTING/CHARACTERS:
Bae In Hyuk as Tae Ha. I love this actor. When I’ve seen him in other things, I’ve wished for a ML role. He was great. A lot of people said that they didn’t like his “coldness”, but I didn’t see him as the typical cold CEO, more as a lonely one, due to his circumstances. Dimples, cute little lisp, his smiles…oh, my. Add to that, he’s got some good comedic timing. I found his character to be very likeable. I thought the scenes where he was jealous were so cute.
Lee Se Young as Yun Woo. She is so gorgeous, and I felt she was perfect for this role. Wide-eyed surprise with entering a world that she knows nothing about. She was smart and I loved that she was able to work as a designer, melding the old with the new.
Joo Hyun Young as Sa Wol, Yun Woo’s lady’s maid. She was quite funny. And when you couple her with Jo Bok Rae as Mr. Hong, you have a crazy funny couple that is a treat to watch. I liked their romance, but I also liked their relationships with their employers.
Jin Kyung as Min Hye Sook (Tae Ha’s stepmother). She was a terrific evil character. Very controlled, but when she lost it, she completely lost it! I wouldn’t have wanted to go toe-to-toe with her! I also liked that she got a redemption arc.
Yoo Sun Ho as Tae Min. This character was interesting. I felt sure at the beginning that he was going to be evil, but his development surprised me. I would have liked to have seen more of him. I do have to say, in some of his close ups the makeup around his eyes looked very strange.
Kim Yeo Jin as Yun Woo’s mother/Lee Mi Dam. I have enjoyed this actress in everything I’ve seen her in. She’s got a sweet face and a wonderfully soft and warm voice.
The grandfather character was just all kinds of creepy, especially toward the end. In the last couple of episodes this coloring was off (I think they did this intentionally) with a blue tinge around his lips. It added to the creepiness.
STORYLINE:
For only being 12 episodes, unfortunately it did get really draggy at times and then, OF COURSE, the ending was rushed. The story is where my difficulties came in. Joseon Tae Ha is poisoned and dies. When she goes back to change things, she saved him from being poisoned, but he still died.
Why was it a problem that 1) Tae Ha was married, and 2) he had a heart condition? They were always trying to get rid of him for one reason or another. Then there’s the issue with his heart. They mentioned that he had a pacemaker over and over again, but he had a scar from open heart surgery – that’s not how they put pacemakers in. I may have fast forwarded when they mentioned if he had any other kind of open-heart surgery. And if he was having chest pains, the pacemaker obviously wasn’t working – just give him a new one!
Why is there always a random female that is willing to do anything to get the ML? This one could have totally been left out, there were enough other evil characters. Her character did turn around eventually, though.
I felt that Yun Woo adapted to the current time too easily. That could have made some more comedic moments.
Obligatory breakup – only lasted for half an episode, and the reasons for the breakup still existed, so why did they even break up?
I’ll say again, needlessly rushed ending.
I do have to say, I loved the time they spent together in Episode 11. When she was looking at that old couple, that was so touching, her knowing that she would soon be leaving Tae Ha.
COSTUMING:
I LOVED the clothing that she wore, and that Mi Dam wore. Beautiful fabrics, colors and designs. I would have liked to see Tae Ha in casual clothes a bit more, but he can wear a suit like nobody’s business. I loved the boxy suits they had Tae Min wear – it reminded me of a child wearing his parent’s clothes and it added to his youthfulness.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Beautifully filmed. My favorite was in episode 5 when she is hanging the sheets up and then the sprinklers come on. Slow motion, filtered lighting, close ups of the actors. I liked all the sites they used to film in as well. Toward the end, when she’s walking along that water in the middle of the city at night, the lighting was very good. They used slow motion quite effectively, especially when they filmed their hands coming together.
CHEMISTRY:
Oh, my! Their chemistry was off the charts, not only romantically, but when they were together just talking. Excellent kissing scenes. When he looked at her, he either looked totally enthralled or totally in love, either one was great. I also like how she kiddingly said, “Do you like me or something?” and he came out and said that he did and didn’t backtrack at all.
This is one of those shows that I might watch again, only for the main couple.

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A strange story

Sajo Hyun (Park Jihoon) suffers from his father's tyranny and due to this upbringing, he develops another personality, who goes by the name Ak Hee. Yeon Wol (Hong Ye Ji) comes from a supportive family and she’s trained to be a fighter since young. Sajo and Yeon Wol shortly-met when Sajo's father did something evil to Yeon Wol's family, which led Yeon Wol to run for her life. 10 years later, Yeon Wol returns and ready to take a revenge.
The first episodes were good. Until they grew up and these double personalities they developed even started to fight with each other, and the series lost credibility. The players became strange. I don't know who it is, the inexperience of the actress or the inexperience of the director. Wrong things. the male lead who cannot adapt to them. and a king who always laughs with his mouth open pretends to forget that it was the same from the beginning. It was very terrible. It didn't suit such an experienced player at all. Is this how an actor shows his every attitude? It is different. Or it could be the director's faulty instructions. Look, this may be due to the director's inability to reflect the series. It's a shame for the series. I did not like at all. It's like a conflict between two people, with no one knowing what they're doing, but it's the same person, the jokes are weird. So you are surprised while watching it. You say, what's going on? It's been a weird series. More precisely, it didn't happen. I do not like. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

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Seriously....

It's a good thing I ignored the Overall MDL rating of 7.7 for this drama as I typically rollover dramas rated less than 8.0. If it features an actor I particularly like, I'll swing down to 7.9, maybe 7.8.

Just finished binge watching this drama (as in zero sleep last night) and I'm so emotional now. I have a new addition to my Top 15 List.

Anyone who downgraded this drama soley based on reading the synopsis and/or didn't watch past the first or second episode did a disservice to the drama and denied yourself of an excellent production with a very fitting OST.

Love, revenge, redemption, personal growth, the sexiness of mathematics (and this is coming from a person who was incredibly awful at the various math disciplines), the main leads, the fabulous secondary characters.... this drama had it in spades!

Personally, I would have loved to see a really good lip-lock at least once but that would not have been in keeping with the tone of the drama.

I could go on waxing poetic over this drama but suffice it to say, Lee Do Hyun is now on my drama-watching radar screen. He has a darn impress filmography for his age and experience.

If I could up-star this drama more than once, I would do it until it was in the 9s.

So, quit reading comments and go watch it.

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I've given an inordinate amount of thought to this drama, the overall MDL rating, and comments from people about the student/teacher relationship.

So I'm coming back to add.... the synopsis/description of this drama does it no favors either. Those triggered by the word "sexual, student/teacher", would automatically blast past and not give it a chance.

Maybe if the wording would have been... "Student infatuated with brilliant math teacher...." the drama would be given a more fighting chance at being viewed.

Think back to when you were in school. Were you lucky enough to have a good-looking teacher? Did your thoughts stray from purely academic thoughts? If you did, no throwing stones by you!

If "sexual attraction" can be a purely mental construct, then yeah, this drama has it. But in the beginning, it's more like infatuation... on a brainiac level. There is ZERO skinship in this drama. Even the only "kiss" (a henpeck) ... at the very, very end of the drama, is filmed from a distance ... it almost doesn't count.

By my calculations, the ML character was in his early 30s when this first "contact" happened. He sequestered himself for at least six years writing his various theses and proofs, after attending university. So yeah, not an underage teenager being taken advantage of by a person of authority and older.

On the teacher's part .... who wouldn't be thrilled beyond belief and "be in love" with the possibility of mentoring the next Ramanujan.

[If you don't know who Ramanujan is, use the computer you're holding to read up on him. He contributed to the creation of this marvel of technology you are holding or that is sitting on your desk.]

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What a RIDE!! I'm so thankful

I actually feel sorry for people who dropped Playboyy in early episodes because early episodes are kinda confusing I can't lie.. Everyone is just randomly having sex with other characters out of nowhere.. But that's the things that makes Playboyy so unique and amazing. You can't understand what's going on but you get addicted anyway. Like for real I rewatched it every episode at least 3 times and everytime I noticed new things!!

Actors are so bold, sincere and comfortable so it makes everything better because even in cringey scenes I enjoyed it so much! In some bl's they don't even let different ships actors interact with each other but in Playboyy nearly every character has at least 3 different ships like poor/lucky Dech literally made out with half of the cast because he played 2 characters...

Choice of music were amazing as well. I listen the opening credits everyday :)

Other thing that made Playboyy so special was the comment section. Everyone was so unhinged, funny and polite at the same time and I enjoyed coming to this amazing comment section every week. Let's reunite in season 2 comment section!!! <3

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A rather rare drama that exceeded my expectations when I least expected it to be

I was already settled for less for this drama but it gave me a big surprise as I started watching and finally completing it.

First, Esther Yu, whom I was accustomed to seeing in a delicate and dainty role more often, won me with her unusual character as someone fierce and armed with bravery. The way she played her role showcased her acting flexibilities and it was a success shifting from her comfort roles given this right material.

Second, I was not a fan of the ML but with how well the story and his character were orchestrated which was a commanding factor thus, his acting abilities surfaced. While he was often cast for supporting roles, it was evident here he could carry a lead role and deserves more spots for that in the future.

Third, never have I seen such graceful fighting scenes like in this drama, those glides and moves were winning combinations. I am giving my big applause to those involved in creating and choreographing those significantly artistic scenes. I was in a state as if I was seeing dancing performances rather than fighting scenes.

Finally, the story, the execution, and the choice of casts even the songs used made this drama by far unexpectedly likable to watch. I particularly enjoyed the character of the eldest Young Miss ZiShang who brought sunshine in this drama with her humor and naughtiness. Unlike other supporting roles that can be omitted and still the drama would make sense, here, without her supplementary role, the story will likely suffer. Further, it was noticeable that the majority of the acting parts were focused on the facial and vocal features of every character, a smart approach suitable for this drama that created a ground for its strong storytelling.

It was a different wuxia for me and patrons of this genre will give their approval of this drama. However, it ended up hanging though it was not announced yet, I believe a second part is right on the boil.

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