Reviews

Nobody's SuperStar

Be Mine SuperStar can be summed up in single word: disappointing. This was a drama that had a potentially cute story, good actors, gorgeous filming locations, and yet still managed to completely fail. The plot is all over the place, the characters were a combination of cringe, problematic, and charming, the comedy aspect was boring, and the supposed love between the characters ranged from almost nonexistent to only about sex. Getting through those last few episodes was almost physically painful. If anything, this drama gets the reward for most pretty crying scenes in the shortest amount of time.

The premise didn't sound ground breaking, but it doesn't need to be either to tell a good story and be fun. I mean, how many of us have dreamed of meeting our celebrity crush and them falling in love with us? It seemed like if nothing else, it would be relatable and an entertaining rom-com. It wasn't. Frankly, I don't even know where to start with this mess. The plot was a bit all over the place and very inconsistent. It was only towards the end that it became a bit more cohesive. The comedy aspect was forced and overdone. Very little of what was played for laughs was actually funny. There were a few amusing parts, but they were few and far between. The angsty drama, mostly centered around the managers, was excessive and unnecessary. It was, I think, supposed to be amusing. It wasn't. It got old very, very quickly and took far too long to get resolved. Some arcs felt a bit unfinished, particularly with Priew and Title. Priew was arrested and Wan released the video of Title threatening to hit her and then that was it, there was no real resolution as to what happened to them. There didn't need to be a huge deal made about it, but something along the lines of mentioning that Priew was being prosecuted or Title was thoroughly disgraced and no one wanted to work with him would have wrapped up their stories a little more cohesively. The love stories were both very lacking. The romantic chemistry between Achi and Punn was almost nonexistent. Achi was too passive and Punn seemed more obsessed with Achi than in love with him. It just wasn't well developed to make it believable that these were two people in love. Lack of communication is almost always the source of conflict in dramas and this one is no difference. Despite being advised to communicate with each other, we never see them communicate effectively. Throwing Title in as the villain to their love was cliche and boring. He was not an effective or interesting villain. Muang and Ning's story was both troubling and boring. Muang was a red flag multiple times during his pursuit of Ning. The way they actually entered a relationship was glazed over and rushed. One second Muang is clinging to his leg begging him and the next they're having a drink and talking. There was too much left in the air. And once they finally did get together, pretty much every scene they had together was a NSFW scene or they were talking about their friend's problems. Other than obviously being sexually compatible and physically attracted to each other, I have no idea why they even liked each other. In general, both relationships lacked substance and meaning. The pacing was inconsistent, it positively dragged toward the end and ended being mostly filler with a lot of pretty crying and staring wistfully into the distance. It was a very anticlimactic ending to an anticlimactic drama.

The characters were lacking...a lot. Very little background on most of them which was disappointing because having that background can make or break a character. In this case, that lack didn't allow viewers to get a better understanding of the characters and help them understand their actions and behaviours. I had initially gotten the impression that Punn's history with Achi was going to play a bigger role in their story, but it was pretty casually brushed aside and basically only served as the starting point of Punn's love for Achi. A lot more could have been done with that to enhance the story and characters and I was disappointed that didn't happen.
-Punn was a struggle for me. There was a part of me that kind of liked him, but mostly I just found him to be incredibly immature and his behaviour to be very cringy. I don't know what they were going for with his character, if he was maybe supposed to be socially awkward or neurodivergent, but it didn't work. One of the questions I feel like his character brought up is whether the love we feel for our celebrity crushes can be romantic love or just a form of hero worship. True, Punn met Achi before he became famous, but it's clear they never actually knew each other and Punn's love for Achi did seem more hero worship than romantic to me. He came across as obsessive at times and he also didn't seem to fully appreciate or understand the boundaries Achi set for when they were in public given that he broke them multiple times. He just didn't seem mature enough to really be in a relationship. And some of his actions made zero sense. For example, when Priew was blackmailing him, rather than going to Wan who he knew would be in his corner, instead he went to Muang who also didn't suggest going to Wan and told him to sign the contract. What exactly were they thinking? And then there was the absurdity of his reaction to Achi's notes which served as the catalyst for their fight that took up the last couple of episodes. I feel like it's fairly common knowledge that actors and artists in general infuse their emotions and real life experiences in their art. That's part of what makes it realistic. So Punn taking Achi's notes as a sign that Achi was using him seemed unreasonable. Also, Punn had proven himself to be gullible at times, but to so easily believe Title when he knew Title didn't like him and was in love with Achi just seemed unrealistic. I really wanted to see Punn grow in maturity and come into his own as the drama progressed, but that just never seemed to really happen.
-Achi was a bit of an enigma. I struggled with his character because he seemed too passive at times. His words and actions just didn't match up for me. He said he loved Punn, implied that he was the love of his life, but I didn't feel it and didn't really see it. He seemed to find Punn's hero worship of him alternately amusing and, at times, vaguely annoying. I can understand if his character wasn't meant to be overly demonstrative but there needed to be something to show that he truly loved Punn. The build up of his love for Punn was also lacking. You could see him coming to tolerate Punn more and developing a certain level of affection for him, but where that crossed over to love wasn't clear. Essentially, there was a clear physical compatibility between them, but not so much a mental or emotional one. His lack of setting up boundaries with Title became an issue and why he didn't communicate that he was off the market, even if he didn't specify who he was with, is beyond me. In general, he was just a bit too trusting and seemed almost naive at times which didn't quite track with someone who'd been in the entertainment industry for a while.
-Muang was the highlight of this drama for me and for the most part I really loved him. He was funny, loyal, selfless and generally just a gem. Except for one glaring fault which would be with Doctor Ning and their second encounter together. I get that Muang was head over heels for him, but the fact that he was willing to take advantage of him when he was inebriated was a huge red flag. And then it was pretty much brushed aside and never mentioned again. That didn't sit well with me and felt out of character. In general, Muang's behaviour regarding Dr. Ning prior to them getting together was not great. He essentially stalked the man and wore him down, but not in a healthy way. Their relationship in general didn't seem particularly healthy and I was not a fan of it. For all that Muang said something to the effect of their relationship was not just about sex, that's pretty much all we saw them do. So that aspect of his character, I didn't like. Muang as a friend though was great. I liked how he took Punn under his wings and really did in some ways become a father figure to him, helping him, guiding him and supporting him. He was also a good friend to Achi, serving as a sounding board at times and supporting him as well.
-Title was boring. I know he was supposed to be the big bad coming between Achi and Punn and causing issues between them, but he was such a cliche that I just found him to be pointless and ineffective. His whole spiel of if I can't have him nobody can was eye rolling. The thing is, I think he could have been more interesting if he was given more depth and purpose.

The actors did a decent job given the garbage they were working with. Both Ja and First are talented actors. I've watched almost every drama they've been in so I've seen that they have good chemistry and work well together. Here though, the story and the script just failed them and they seemed to struggle. I was excited to see First in a more serious, mature role and I think for the most part, he did a decent job except for when it came to the romance aspect. He was too stoic and, like I mentioned before, I struggled to tell if he truly had feelings for Punn or not. For Ja, again, I'm not sure what they were going for with his character, the level of second hand embarrassment he generated was extreme, but he was consistent with it. I wasn't overly fond of the character, but Ja did commit himself to the role. Their chemistry was lackluster, nothing like in previous dramas such as Don't Say No or Remember Me. Bosston did a good job as Muang. He generally lit up the screen when he was on and was the one overall bright spot in this drama. His physical chemistry with Jo was good, I just would have liked their characters to have more than that. Wayo worked well with what he had. His character was just lacking in addition to the script and I can't really blame him for not being able to save it. I hope he has better opportunities in the future.

The one production aspect of this drama that really shone was the costuming. The costumes, whether within the drama they were filming or their regular clothes, were so well done. The sets were also well done, particularly the filming ones. Beautifully designed and they were well used. The cinematography, particularly in Japan, was beautiful. They really made use of the snow and snowfall to create some really beautiful shots. Some of the shots on the drama set were well done too, I particularly liked the one of Achi and Punn looking at each other through the fan. It was creative and oddly beautiful.

I was excited for this drama and the seemingly fun, romantic story it was going to tell. I was excited to see Ja and First again since their last drama, Remember Me, wasn't particularly good. And I was excited for the beautiful scenery the trailer showed and all of it's possibilities. The only aspect that didn't disappoint was the scenery. The rest was a bust. I kept hoping that things would get better, but they never did. It got to the point where I was looking forward to the next episode just because it was one step closer to the end and I wanted to be done with it. This isn't a drama that I recommend. It's got a few good parts, but overall, it's just not worth it.

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Curious concept and cute fantasy costumes are the only good thing here

To be honest most of my rating went down because of the ending, had they dealt with that differently this would have been a passable 5 surprisingly. It would have been one of those bad movies that are still surprisingly entertaining with its many flaws.

I went with very low expectations and only started watching it to kill some time, only by the preview I already thought it was going to be cringy and bad, and I was generally not wrong, but surprisingly I did find it more entertaining than expected because of the plot.
The whole vibe this was giving me was school play, flashy costumes, everything clean and staged, exaggerated acting or amateur acting and so on, even the premise is kind of weird since it's mostly Cinderella but Red Riding Hood is there just because. It's fine, I could get at some points not even themselves were taking it too seriously, especially towards the beginning. They didn't seem to have high expectations and nor did I have them, so I just chilled and watched.

Plot became interesting with the crime and the changes to the different characters compared with the most known story version of Cinderella but then they just went with a classic detective Conan move of revealing everything at the end instead of taking us with them for the ride. I enjoyed Conan when I was a kid but it would get repetitive and boring after a while because he would only solve everything in the last two minutes bringing evidence that no one, not even the spectator, knew about. This was very similar in that respect and I could still have given it a general pass if it wasn't for that victim blaming right there.
Sure, Cinderella shouldn't have done what she did (especially with her sister), BUT the guy was assaulting her plus everyone else knew that guy had been doing it for a while to other women as well... sure, he was powerful but considering he was not in good terms with the prince either you would think that power would be deminished by that single fact and she would get a sentence based on the nuance of the situation. Either way, I'm going here on details when the movie didn't care much for them at all, what makes that ending as bad as it is. Moral of the story is don't defend yourself when a guy is physically assaulting you I guess.
Although moral of the story is don't judge people by their physical appearance according to them, but they all had thick makeup on (maybe just me but especially the prince, wow, it was not subtle at all), hair with a tone of hairspray and pristine clothing, including Red Riding Hood eventhough she wasn't even a local. I guess at the end we got the message that we shouldn't discriminate against people with face scars and freckles, what is already an achievement considering many people in Japan think freckles are ugly.

I'm only giving it a two because the concept wasn't that bad even with the whole cringe fest of everything, but that ending and its morality deserves a zero.

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"The Starry Love" is an absolute masterpiece of a drama that will leave you completely captivated. From the characters to the plot, everything is top tier and will have you hooked from the very first episode. After watching it, I found myself unable to move on and constantly searching for clips on YouTube, TikTok, and Google. The OST is also incredible and I find myself listening to it on repeat. This drama truly has it all and it's hard to imagine watching anything else after experiencing it.

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If you're in the mood for a good laugh, then this rom-com series is definitely worth checking out. From start to finish, the show had me in stitches thanks to the impeccable delivery of the actors' punchlines.

The story itself is hyper-focused on the love between Princess Qi Pa and Kui Mu Lang / Li Xiong. While the historical setting, theme, and internal war conflict are present, they're really just there to build a story around the couple. This show isn't for those looking for elaborate political tactics, government affairs, character's historical background, plot twists, or ulterior motives. It's a lighthearted romp that's sure to leave you with a smile on your face.

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It was a wonderful, purposeful drama that holds a lot of meaning for me (except for the hockey teenagers, who are really some of the worst characters I have ever seen. It is clear that they are very, very secondary characters, but the focus is on them too much and their actions incite anger?). Well, I like the drama, but if it weren’t for the presence of these two, I swear it would have been It would be a perfect drama. All the other characters were great, meaningful, and very realistic. Anyway, I'll ignore everything and say thank you Xiao Zhan and Bai Bai He , you made a very wonderful couple. I wish I had seen more of your scenes together?♥️♥️

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The only reason I managed to finish this drama was because of the incredible chemistry between the main leads, Bai Lu and Xu Kai. Their acting was on point and their love for each other was palpable. Xu Kai's portrayal of Li Chen Lan, a cold and strict sect leader with a kind heart, was spot on. His facial expressions were on point and he was able to convey the character's gentle and warming nature towards Zhao Yao. Bai Lu was equally impressive as the fierce demoness in the beginning, although her character weakened as the story progressed. Despite this, she still delivered a great performance.

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A Familiar Yet Enjoyable Mystery Special

Having previously watched a few Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo series and finding them to be mildly intriguing mystery shows, I decided to give this special a chance, and it certainly didn't disappoint. As is often the case with Kindaichi mysteries, the plot is not overly complex, making it possible for viewers to deduce the identity of the real killer along the way. However, even with this predictability, the special manages to be an engaging watch, thanks to the steady stream of clues and developments.

The story centers around Hajime Kindaichi, the grandson of a renowned detective, who possesses a talent for solving mysteries. While attending school, he enrolls in a program aimed at improving his grades, which requires him to take classes in a remote location. Joining him on this journey are his love interest Seiko and his friend Saki, along with a diverse cast of other characters. As the classes commence, students start falling victim to a mysterious killer, and Kindaichi finds himself tasked with unraveling the murders and putting an end to the deadly spree.

Every good mystery series includes subtle hints that engage viewers in solving the crime alongside the detective while also introducing red herrings to keep them on their toes. This special follows this classic formula. Although the mystery may be solvable for most viewers, the performances of the cast keep you invested in the storyline. Yamada Ryosuke's portrayal of a youthful and frightened student with a talent for solving mysteries is commendable. The supporting cast members also deliver exceptional performances. The special could have benefited from more impactful visuals and background music to intensify the sense of dread and urgency.

In conclusion, if you're a fan of the Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo series or simply enjoy murder mysteries, "Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo: Gokumon Juku Satsujin Jiken" is worth a watch. You can step into the role of a detective alongside the main character and try your hand at solving the mystery. It's a familiar yet enjoyable addition to the Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo collection.

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Oml this show

ML and FL are insufferable, and I was raging at the 2nd ML the whole time. The first few episodes are build on misunderstandings, which was very hard to watch the second time around, as I rewatched it recently. The dialoge is also pretty questionable at times. However, I loved the family dynamic the siblings have, and was more invested in the brothers' story lines than the main couple. Loved the lgbt representation in this, Cha in ha did amazing (rip), and I also liked that they focused on other characters which quite literally saved this show.

Overall, I think it's worth watching even if it's sort of weird.

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Will I ever move on from this masterpiece? No, I won't EVER!!

Finally a story that got my heart racing to watch the next episode, ranting to my family members(bless them), pausing out of frustration due to some characters, and smiling foolishly to some scenes And that's how I know I have found a gem. Living and being entranced so wholly into a plot, a scene, a character and their life.

Words cannot express how good this drama is. Just watch it and see. The plot, the acting, the osts, everything was at peak perfection. Characters that had my full support (I was ready to die for Jing), others that had my sympathy (the nine headed demon) and some who I understood their choices but just couldn't get myself to love them.

Not to add the endless pieces of advice got. Living a life only you have control over. Is it worth it, betting your hope of happiness in someone else's hands? If you live life with no expectations, you won't get disappointed. But won't that steal the joy of those little moments in life that we experience due to hope etc.

AND Seriously if you are a sucker for enduring love, love that you only see once in a lifetime, the we'll live and die together type of love(I'm among those who live for such stories), this is a gem for you. Plus there is more for those who love a mix, political intrigue, high stakes on line, loyalty, weighing the gains etc.

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Must Watch

As someone who almost can accurately predict everything I’ve ever watched. This one had my predictions proved false. Definitely one you’d really have to sit down to digest every episode or you’d miss an important detail to piece together the plot. Casting for this series chef’s kiss, they played their parts so well, and the chemistry was definitely there.
From first to last episode, I was hoooooked. I ended up binge watching the entire series in one day. All the emotions this drama puts you through…
Make sure you watch the post credit scenes in the first two episodes, it’s nothing grand but definitely watch them they help you understand the character so much more from their prospective

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Me decepcionei

Comecei a assistir devido a ter gostado muito do Vai, Cara de Lula 1, até pensei que seria uma continuação da história, desta vez desenvolvendo a história de amor do DT/Wu Bai, que vimos de leve no primeiro, porém a história se mostrou totalmente descontinuada da temporada 1 ( o que odiei).

Outro ponto que detestei, mudou a atriz que fazia a Ai Qing e deu a entender que essa história ocorreu antes da primeira versão ??? Fora que não é mais dentro do universo dos jogos e-sports e sim competição de robôs.

Sinceramente deviam ter ficado no primeiro mesmo e acabou. Me decepcionei com o drama em si!

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It actually surprised me that this drama was not actually an adaptation of the Black Jack or even a parody of the manga, considering the fact that the main character Hazama Eisuke had a lot of throwbacks to Black Jack.

But seriously though the plot felt like an interesting scenario of what kind of story it could be if there's a genius doctor like Black Jack who can only practice medicine illegally yet still try to save lives in the current age and sociopolitic environment where there's an inequality in terms of people access to health care between the poor and rich.

And it's interesting how despite the Masked Doctors seemed to benefit in offering their service at an extravagant price, they managed to also execute their own brand of 'justice' in the form of medical vigilantism in order to save people's lives.

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A mature, fluffy "romance" that could have been much better

I must start this review by saying that I watched this solely for Xiao Zhan, and was not particularly impressed with the trope-heavy first episode. Nonetheless, the show did get better till I considered an 8.5 for this show, only to be a bit disappointed with the last episode.

There were certainly many positives. Although the show appears to be a romance it is more a navigating-through-life drama. There are many lessons to be learned, particularly for the young but mature Sheng Yang who has to learn to manoeuvre through his career aspirations, love, and his parents' expectations of and from him. The scenes at work were really well-written and well-done, and all the circumstances and the outcomes made perfect sense. It was during work that the friendship between Sheng Yang, Song Chen and Pan Rou evolved and the interactions between these three made for some of the best moments on the show.

Although falling in love is easier, working with it is the hardest. Jian Bing (Bai Bai He was great in the role) knows this perfectly well, so her reactions and her hesitance are fully comprehensible. Despite the utterly out-of-character Jian Bing in the beginning episodes, what we get is a mature, introverted, solemn and measured Jian Bing whose wisdom and age show in her actions. Her mentoring of Sheng Yang made for some of the best moments on the show- she rubs off on him in all the best of ways, through her words and actions. Jian Bing is a role model, someone to aspire to and such female mentoring is truly wonderful to watch. We should befriend and fall for those who make us better versions of ourselves, and that is perhaps one of the best takeaways from the show.

I looked forward to these interactions- between Sheng Yang and Jian Bing, between Sheng Yang and his parents (his parents were such beautifully-written characters!), Sheng Yang and his friends, but unfortunately, for some strange reason, the show makers decided to spent a large amount of time on the ice hockey trio- characters that emerged out of a need to showcase this game, and from the game multiple unnecessary interactions emerged. Sadly, I forwarded many of the scenes involving these characters, and was thoroughly disappointed when a large proportion of the last episode was devoted to these characters. By doing so, necessary screen time for the main characters was unduly snatched.

The acting was fantastic throughout- I enjoyed most of the characters (except the hockey trio, although I cannot blame their performances). I really enjoyed Wang Lin and Yang Hao Yu's performance and their characters- they had excellent chemistry with each other and with Xiao Zhan. I've seen Liu Xun and Julia Xiang in other roles and they were great here. Tian Yu's Xue Yi Ming may have been annoying at times, but I am glad that he did have Jian Bing's back and their unaffected friendship was touching. Liang Shan Shan (Zhu Zhu) was an interesting character, and again, her (and Xue Yi Ming's) devotion towards Jian Bing was one of the show's highlights.

The last episode was underwhelming; too much time was devoted to secondary characters and the last few minutes did not seem consistent with the main characters' personalities.

Nonetheless, this is a good watch overall.

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I watched this series months ago, but never wrote a review, since I was at loss of words. Part 2 is most likely my favorite, because of Ta Gon and Tae Al Ha. Those characters and actors are just incredible. They aren't the good guys, but you can feel for them, and I enjoy how both play their games, how both have a strong will to succeed. Ta Gon is a truly tragic character. Both are, their upbringing and their fathers made them who they are, and that's why they are a good match. We got great fight scenes in those episodes too. Not to mention episode 12 which was one of the best of the whole series when everything came together, the tension was insane.
Again: Brilliant.

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