Reviews

An uninspiring shallow sport series that feels like the target audience was women.

This is a great reason why MDL demographic is a problem when rating series.

At the time of writing this review MDL boast an 8.3 so I decided to give this series a shot because I am a big fan of watching sport "media" in terms of anime, series, movies and what got me into this genre is The Mighty Ducks like I don't know a lick about Hockey but one thing remains common for all these great media that has surfaced over the decades which is pulling on the heartstrings of what men care about.

This series however I'm going to sound sexists saying this but it feels like the target audience is women.

The core concept of this series that brings all the characters together is football yet the entire series lacks depth into football. They don't bother diving into techniques which is how sport media shows growth in characters through techniques and learning about the game. You know what they show, them in a classroom and the coach putting the most generic "this is the strategy" like what?

The directing of the game is even worse and shows football as a third class citizen in this series. They practically start the game then Michael Bay was hired to shoot the scene so the camera goes every where then in the ending they decided to be inspired by Naruto with 100 flashbacks in the FINAL GAME and yet the entire game is just done because they literally TIME SKIPPED like what the hell did I just watch and I didn't think it could get worse.

At this point I was already on 3X speed trying to get through this garbage to see if there's a single redeeming quality.

Let me just say avoid this garbage if you are after something like Ao Ashi which is a great anime about football and season 2 I believe is releasing very soon an absolute watch for sport fans, sport growth, brotherhood, and really just something where the target audience is men and I teared up watching Ao Ashi but I am no fan of Blue Lock that is just incredibly obscene.

See I was expecting a series made from China like Hikaru No Go obviously that's an anime but the Chinese did a drama on it and it was so well executed unlike this garbage so watch that instead.

I'll break down the entire series with what it focuses on

1. I'm the teacher, I have past drama so I'm actually of greatness but I come to humble home town and I'm going to develop into a person that inspires a team with my dullness
2. I'm the coach, I'm entangled with your teacher and have past drama too, I need direction to grow and resolve my issues but once I resolve them I'm going into the romance arc and all the female viewers will fawn over lack luster romance
3. We're the players, we don't really know how to kick a ball so the camera pans around like Michael Bay came to China and we're going to CGI some things because it cost more for our time trying to kick the ball than it does actually acting. On top of that we're devoid from learning about football even though we're amateurs so you won't see technical growth but instead you're going to see a whole lot of dumb drama around our personal life like our teacher and coach.

Then the absolute dumb things this series engages in

1. I'm the teachers BEST friend coming into late in the series, I have no real purpose to be here but waste screen time and probably the director knew my dad or something so I got to be in this series. I add nothing to this series and my existence is completely pointless
2. I'm the antagonist of both the leads and somehow it all relates to me but I exist much much later in the series. I'm supposedly methodical and intelligent but I'll be a Power Rangers villain and just tell everyone I'm guilty to quickly resolve our issue and by the way although I was the male leads antagonist we're going to quickly forget about that so we can focus on the female lead getting horny over male lead
3. I'm one of the kids parents, I do no no things and teacher and coach gets involved. I show you parents can be very nasty to their kids aspiring dreams; is it not so relatable to you viewers. In the end I'll have a scene where I say something positive meaning all our familial troubles are resolved. Don't forget me parent #2 who does no no things and I don't show up anymore because I'm not supportive at all and by the way the entire series won't focus on my unsupportive ass and how a core player feels at the height of their moment in their final game of the season.
4. Not spoiling this one but we're a group hush hush that is very important to story development for the teacher because we exists to give the story a sense of mystery oooo people like mystery right...

Absolute garbage.

Thing is if you're a girl this might be up your alley if you want a chill series that isn't drama heavy. It's stupid though like you'll be like what the hell resolution is that at some points at the end and become baffled why they are injecting pointless characters into the series and not focusing on core personal drama.

As a guy if you want sports, you ain't getting it here and just avoid it.

I'd have LESS problems with this series if it was diving into players having ACTUAL problems surrounding the sports so they don't focus on growth on field but the problems around it which some movies I've watched do because it's like 90% things men go through which is why the target audience here is clearly not men.

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Their chemistry is everything because there are also plot-holes ?

I really love this show , this is like one of the top 5 ROM-COMs in kdrama this year for me but the only thing which is kind of bothering me are the plot-holes like there are 3 to 4 plot holes is this k drama which not everyone but a good number of people might notice

1. The first episode where it is shown that all of her fingers are burnt but do you think it really makes sense? Okay let's say that the guy was torturing her but you know what my mom said it still do not make sense because why we only burn the fingerprints - after thinking a bit I assume it was that because they did not want the body to be identified but you know they are there are always some other ways to identify the body

2. The scene where he finally sends her off on the boat with his friend Kaito and then kaito sent the message that we are have departed from the boat and then he throws the mobile into the sea but then after getting discharged from the hospital and coming back to his house he suddenly gets the phone back that he threw off , you might think that it's a different one but the messages which kaito sent were all the same which was shown earlier There's one more that I found but I'm not able to remember.

3. When Eun sae saw the childhood pictures of Tae-ha why couldn't she recognise him because when we look at childhood pictures of someone close to us or even celebrities we immediately recognize that it's them and here he was her lover ...

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It tried to be warm but became too boring.

It started okay. It's too much of a feel good that you can't possibly think this happens in real life. The real life problems are resolved quickly. The big deal studying abroad was not shown more when it happened. What did the FL learn? Did she evolved? Xu Ruohan is a bland actress. No emotion at all. How did FL got the attention of the ML? ML is such a green flag but no complexity. Many episodes should have been cut. More scenes should have had more screentime while some does not need to be that long. Maybe this is just for ZLH fans. As for XRH, I'm not keen on watching her other dramas.

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Excellent story telling and insight into those impacted by war

This drama deserves praise as the story was very well written and the Directors’ choice to use English dialogue in scenes where International teams would, in reality, work together was insightful and significant.

The story of war and conflict between the characters that participate is different to many other C. dramas. The White Olive Tree focuses on the lives of innocent victims, journalists, volunteers and peacekeeping forces who constantly struggle to keep it ‘real’ in such violent and unpredictable circumstances.

The drama has lots of war-action scenes for those who want it. However for me it’s the relationship between the characters and the two leads, as they deal with loss, friendship and the mental and physical wounds associated with conflict that I found most interesting. I also loved the soundtrack which was generally soothing. Cinematography was beautiful.

Despite being a genuinely good drama, it did fail on a number of occasions. In typical C Drama fashion, it was excruciatingly slow and drifted in so many episodes. I don’t understand why C Dramas continue to make dull episodes to fill in an episode quota- maybe it’s a money thing. There was not just repetitive scenes but long drawn out soliloquies and other scenes, while not the same, kept replaying the same themes, interactions and banter that was superfluous to the story or character development.

The Lead Characters’ (Zan and Ran) acting seemed to me a bit inconsistent. At times Chen Zhe Yuan and Liang Ji excelled at expressing the emotions, trauma and fear of conflict and PTSD. Chen in particular just got better with every scene. However, I didn’t find their romantic relationship convincing. I felt that Ran’s character continually felt shy, reserved and awkward around Zan and he was guarded and distant even when they were both talking marriage. Yes they went through the motions of being a couple but it felt he was at times indulging a little sister. I understand that C Dramas are conservative but I don’t think this couple (with their backgrounds) would have been that stiff with one another especially in such a highly charged environment as war.

In addition while we saw some real friendships and loyalties being formed between the characters (in particular Ben and Sasin’s friendship) which was enjoyable to watch. Many supporting actors (in particular non Chinese actors) seemed like comical, dramatic caricatures rather than realistic individuals in a war zone. This was a shame because the mix of ethnic actors added to the authenticity of the war zone itself and created a different culture for the fictional country.

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a great addition for those who want more (which is everyone)

I am not going to write a full review since the after story is only two short episodes, but I have absolutely no complaints. They gave me everything I wanted from a special episode (of course I wanted it to be longer lol but everyone did), and the kiss scene in the first episode - wow! One of my favorites in BL history. I actually didn't mind the second episode being a bit more relaxed. I think it is still too soon to do anything truly NC (I'm not sure if this kind of a show will ever include something like that), and I am happy with the sweet scene of each of them getting shy and the butterflies of experiencing the first sleep over. I liked it a lot!

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an overwhelmingly positive review (i love school dramas)

Hideyoshi Kan you have my heart. key tags: school life, fluffy, light-hearted

Story 10/10: So cliché, so classic, so wonderful. Watching this genuinely I was kicking my feet like a little girl. This makes you feel like you're back in high school with a boy you have a crush on. Very reminiscent of boys over flowers or to all the boys i've loved before, follows the adorable Hioki and his sudden invitation with the four coolest, cutest, most popular boys in class and the coolest of them all, Watarai, has a sudden inexplicable interest in him. The pacing is great, the humor is there, the energy is high. The chemistry between Hioki and Watarai builds gradually, and I think the confession was timed well. The story feels cozy and full of youth mixed with a bit of drama to make it an incredibly easy, enjoyable watch.

Acting/Cast/Chemistry 10/10: I absolutely love this cast. Truly it is stacked with new comers on the BL scene that are all SO cute and great actors. Obviously our hard hitters Fujimoto Kodai (Hioki) and Kan Hideyoshi (Watarai) carry the show and do a wonderful job. I appreciate that they didn't make Hioki a total loser lol, sometimes with shows like this they make the main character a total nerd that has literally no friends and it feels a bit cringe. But Hioki just seems like a normal teenage boy, honestly, all of them do. Watarai doesn't feel overly mature and he stands out without him having to try too hard. You naturally gravitate towards him as a leader. The side cast are all great as well.

Music 10/10: Love the intro and the outro, and the background music is never off-putting or distracting.

Rewatch Value 10/10: Have already watched this multiple times, and season 2 coming out gave me an excuse to watch it again!

Overall Rating 10/10: I truly believe this show deserves the highest praise because there's literally nothing I would change! It's fantastic. 100% worth the watch and I would recommend it to anyone.

**Spice Meter 4/10: There's really not much to worry about here except the kiss I would classify as passionate and we DO see Watarai wearing very little clothing, but nothing that I would consider over PG-13.

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Absolutely Deserves Best Series of the Year Award

I wanna start off by saying I cried so much watching this series. I knew Ongsa had more in store after his first series and he is such an expressive actor and clearly has grown so much since The Cursed Love.
I think these two have amazing chemistry, the story of Phob and Tinn was everything I wanted from a series from this era.
The constant conflict and having to decide between royal duty and love is such a good trope in my opinion and this was, so painfully, well executed.
Pond as Chat gets me, I cannot express how talented that man is, I know a lot of us were eating his spoiled brat royalty up. I always say if an actor makes you hate their character due to that character's personality then they did a good job.
The last episode tore me to shreds tho.
I was hoping Phob would walk through when they were mourning him at the house and when it faded to his mother crying while looking at his photos I was sobbing.
I try to steer clear of sad endings and I was begging for it to not be true.
Poor Tinn and Phob's mother mourned for a whole month before he came back, and during the scene in that grassy area I was holding my breath hoping he wasnt having some kind of delusion due to his grief.
I think this series was so well done, the actors did so well and the story was everything.
I don't know how else to praise this series, it is well deserving of their Best Series of the Year award.
I hope this kickstarts more roles for Ongsa, and I would love for Inn and Ongsa to be an official pairing for future series.
Highly recommend, but definitely bring some tissues bc it's gonna kick you in the feels.

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Excellent acting by two newcomers as we follow along their journey of Forbidden Love

The bar was set high for all Historical Thai BLs as I have been searching for the next “I Feel You Linger in the Air”. You will hear me say that repeatedly for every single review I write of a historical Thai BL. 🤣 I am sure I am not the only one who got excited when we first saw the trailer of “The Edge of Horizon”. The reviews were great as well when it was airing. So, my expectations are very high.

So, how was it? It doesn’t have the same feel as IFYLITA, but I still like it. However, I was a little taken back by the first episode and needed to warm up to the main couple. The romance comes fast and furious, and not the slow-burn romance that I was expecting (like in IFYLITA). Are they cute? Definitely. I am not opposed to cute and fluffy, just somewhat unexpected.

After a little adjustment, I found my bearings and slowly learned to appreciate the story. The plot is not complicated to follow and not unique either: forbidden love, family disapproval, concerned and protective parents. Add in the changing political climate and the difference in beliefs and opinions, there’s plenty to cover during these 11 episodes.

This is my first time watching the leads. Ongsa (as Thin) is so handsome and sweet. He really embodies Thin’s softer yet strong personality. I was quite impressed with his acting, especially in the earlier episodes. Thin is such a green flag and a character that makes viewers want to protect at all costs. Inn on the other hand has that strong, chiseled facial features that makes him stand out as a captain of the army. He doesn’t have Ongsa’s more typical handsomeness, but once he’s in a suit and in an army uniform, his charisma shines bright. I found his acting as the young Phob not as good as in the later episodes. I really enjoy his acting after the time skip when he’s an adult. He managed Phob’s complicated feelings really well. The pair of them is so young and quite new to the industry. Yet, I am very impressed with their acting and look forward to more of their future projects individually, or as a ship. The chemistry is great. I enjoy the development of their romance from early sweet fluffiness, to the playful yet aggressive romantic approach from Phob, and the mature, somewhat defeated understanding of divided beliefs and realities. The kisses are good. They are so appropriate for each stage of their romance. There’s no eating-your-face with massive tongue action, nor reluctant fish kisses. The kisses make me feel what the characters are feeling at that moment. Oh, and I love their hugs equally. Thin hanging onto Phob’s neck, while Phob embraced him with his long arms and big, strong hands on his back.

The veterans are great either. I’ve seen Chai (Thin’s father) in many lakorns before and I love him SO much in “To the Moon and Back”. You just can’t hate on him because his character is not necessarily evil. In that era, what he believes in and how he acts are totally normal. Disapproval of the romance is understandable. Wanting to fight back after the government change, is also totally understandable. Another familiar lakorn veteran is Mam (Phob’s mom). I’ve seen her as the evil mother so many times that it’s so refreshing to see her in a different role. Again, totally understandable actions as a protective mother and a loyal servant. I’m just glad I finally don’t have to hate her.

On the other hand, I cannot say the same about Pond and his character, Chat (Thin’s brother). He’s so infuriating. I’ve seen Pond in different projects before and his acting can teeter on the edge of overacting. But matching this overacting with a character like Chat makes me want to strangle him. I don’t know if I can ever love Pond again after his performance here. Maybe that’s a kudos to his excellent acting and his character is supposed to be insufferable???

The ladies in this drama, for once, are all so lovely. From Grandma to Princess Siri and reporter Jan, they are women that we can root for. They are the supportive team that our leads need to help them through this forbidden journey. Also, did I sense some baited GL chemistry between Siri and Jan?

“The Edge of Horizon” is an easy binge. There’s nothing that hurts my heart too much, and nothing that I hate. I also can’t say I am totally in love with it either. There are a few cheesy shots, and a few cheap production and questionable shots. But as a whole, it’s a lakorn BL done right. You know it’s a lakorn BL when you see the amount of tears coming down our leads’ faces. You know, snot and all as well. I am also especially happy that there’s no over-the-top comedic moments in this drama. The twist in the end might not be too surprising, but I welcome it.

Overall, I had a good time watching “The Edge of Horizon” and will recommend it, even though it didn’t quite surpass my love for IFYLITA. Ongsa and Inn deliver great acting and chemistry. Their romantic journey is believable (just need to be more careful with their rendezvous!) and the drama did a good job in weaving this forbidden romance with so many complicated feelings within a politics-heavy plot.


Drama Completed: 8/29/2026 Review #717

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takara needs a bit more sparkle

Wasn't bad, but wasn't particularly impactful either. key tags: school life, senpai and kohai (senior and junior), stoic seme

Story 7.5/10: The story here was cute, but really felt it's strongest episodes 1-3, then the pacing started to drag. Taishin's character is very strong and we fall in love with him quickly, when the story revolves around him the show is at its best. Unfortunately, Takara never has that affect for me. He is so stoic and despondent that the show becomes very boring when we venture into his storyline. This makes enjoying their relationship rather difficult, as it feels kinda one-sided until the very end. Some scenes have a romantic feel to them, but it feels like Taishin likes Takara a LOT more than Takara likes Taishin. It would have been nice to see more mutual attraction, or some chasing on Takara's part. He never really takes the initiative. We don't get to see them being very intimate.

Acting/Cast/Chemistry 7.5/10: I'm rating this a bit higher than I should because I absolutely LOVE Taishin's actor, Konishi Eito. He is ADORABLE, and he plays the whole shy uke character very well without giving it the very cringey "erm..." vibe. Takara's actor isn't bad and he's very cute, but he really lacks depth. Their chemistry is meh. Though I am unsure if that is the fault of the script or the actors.

Music 7/10: Nothing really stuck out to me.

Rewatch Value 5/10: For me personally I don't have much desire to rewatch this.

Overall 7/10: It was okay! Not much else to say about that.

**Spice Meter 2/10: You could watch this with your mom lol, there's nothing here to be shy about. There is a few on screen kisses! But they're pretty flat and closed mouth. Honestly the sexiest peak of this show was when Takara caressed Taishin's ankle lol.

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IM SAT!

if I could rate this higher than a 10 I would. only the first episode and I’m already blow away. from the acting to the visuals to the story everything about this is top tier. The opening scene having the actors with up coming series was perfect and a great way of showing off the cast. The Chemistry from AUAUSAVE is exceptional PATRYU are literally adorable and I’m so HAPPY to see James back on screen. The audition scene and bathroom scene between THIRD and WAN was perfect and the dog food at the end was like the icing on the cake.

DOMUNDI HAS TRULY OUTDONE THEMSELVES ONCE AGAIN.I’m screaming its sooooo good. I’m super excited form the rest of the episode and so glad this is on Saturdays so I can truly enjoy it.

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AUAUSAVE!!! Their Chemistry is already here. MUST WATCH

Finally Fanboy is here!!!!! I have been waiting for this for months and it did not disappoint.

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The beginning of this storyline is soooooo exciting and interesting. It follows a fanboy, Wan (Save), who accidentally and unintentionally gets labeled a sasaeng (tho he isn’t one, just very big fan) of Nine (James) , a popular rising actor starring in a new series paired with the best supporting actor Third (Auau). Wan learns of his family financial problems and though not at first, agrees to audition to be an actor for the same series.

First impressions of the characters. Wan is absolutely adorable. He is so cute and playful and honestly doesn’t mean any harm in being a fanboy ( side note: in no way shape or form do I condone sasaengs, but Wan isn’t one ). Third seems like a cold, hard focused and disciplined rising actor who feels pressure from his mother to succeed. Nine, from the few scenes we have seen, seems like a cocky sort of arrogant and self-centered actor who gives the audience what they want, a little disingenuously though.

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So far, this series is extremely interesting and it does show some sides of the industry that may not be good: forcing a promotional pairing for a series popularity, managers fighting for and / or causing problems for their actors (i.e. managers fighting each other)

The CHEMISTRY between AuauSave is already here and it is amazing. They complement each other so well and their acting has definitely grown. Can’t wait to see where this series goes

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Side Note: OMG!!! I loved the camoes, TeeTeePor, ThomasKong, and their upcoming series. They all looked gorgeous.And of course from DEXX. Chitty Chitty Clang Clang.

(I will be updating this review as the series progresses.

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Up to Ep 3 Thoughts / Review (mainly my thoughts hehe):

I really did enjoy EP 2, it showed the beginning of Wan’s journey in the entertainment industry and the many things he has yet to learn. Also to Wan’s manager, I sort of feel bad for her. She has to juggle both managing Wan and Renji, which only leads to some issues like Wan being late and unprepared for the workshop. This show has done well to show some struggles in the real industry.
The end of EP 2, amazing, We got Third looking at Wan with more heart and emotion, but NINE, he really is a two faced actor.

EP 3 was absolutely amazing. I LOVED IT SO MUCH
This EP gave us so many ThirdWan moments that I literally couldn’t stop screaming from their cuteness and excitement. The running scene (THEY HELD HANDS!!!!!! Third grabbed WAN”S HAND Just ahhhhhhhhh ), the inhaler scene was just too cute. And the swimming pool, THE SWIMMING POOL SCENE. They are just so perfect for each other that I can’t stop watching them.
Side thought: every time I see the manager of Third and Nine with the mushroom on their head, I can’t help but laugh Ahahshehehe

The scene with Wan learning the photo poses was just sooooooo cute. Save you are doing a phenomenal job!!!!

TO the production team of ‘The Deep Between Us’ series, why did you think that casting the main pairing in the show with two actors who don’t like each other nor have visible chemistry with each other was a good idea. Also to everyone in the team who isn’t the director, you all chose Wan knowing he was a COMPLETE ROOKIE with no experience, you knew that and yet you still complained that he was unprepared and wasn’t a great actor at the very start. HUH?????? (***This is only my thoughts towards this part of the show, I have no complaints about including or writing any of this into the series, I love it****)

AND NINE, you evil, two faced, lying, and APPARENTLY ATTEMPTING MURDERING SOB. HOW DARE YOU TOUCH WAN, he is literally the cutest most innocent human on the planet.

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