Reviews

GOOD LOOKING CASTS

Only 4 episodes that I watch his drama, not so much opinion but I notice few things that make this drama stand out. All the cast are so good looking, easy on the eyes. Esther Yu looks like her real age, could see clearly Zhang LingHi was a much younger man. Only the oldest JieJie that's light (although she's suck in dancing), setting and costumes are beautiful, too much dialogue exchange without story progress: dramatic monologue. No much entertainment..

1. Background music / Ambient
Over dramatized background music. Simple scene accompanied with music that focus to create a certain atmosphere or state of mind, a dark edgy one, intended as cinematic thriller background. Everybody talk alot; scheming, explaining, threat, smirking, intimidation, all done in talking. Appeared there's none of happiness or cheerful on the scenes.
2. Denigrated Women
Survival fight on the mud (ep2), selecting a bride from 10 women and when they don't get selected they'd be killed - women tried to win favors from the male counterparts - to be the bride of Gong family she needs to be in perfect health like weekly health check up or something; felt like worst selection of a Queen (oh...but whatever). Hmmm...not a great,

Read More

Nothing lawful about my attraction to this show

This show was the hottest mess I've seen in a while - and I mean that in the best way possible.
Nothing and I do mean absolutely nothing about this show should have worked yet somehow it really, really did.
This is essentially a classic cheesy crime drama crossed with all the unhinged charm of Ace Attorney and just a dash of that special sauce that makes Thai dramas so unique, and it took me for the ride of my life.

The two main leads deliver incredibly solid acting performances which elevate the entire experience way above the silly, over-the-top nonsense story it could easily have been. Their chemistry is so believable and their dynamic is so engaging from the very first moment they appear on screen together, that I was hooked almost immediately.
Tin and Chan are both extremely compelling characters in their own right, but brought together they truly are a perfect storm of comedy, emotional sincerity, angst, and pure fun.
Most of the supporting cast do a great job in fleshing out the rest of the story and I even found myself becoming genuinely emotionally invested about twenty minutes into the first episode.

What impressed me the most was that, despite how dark the show occasionally gets (trigger warnings for: graphic violence, abuse, murder, death of an animal, and mentions of rape and sexual assault and I probably missed a few there) there is an indomitable thread of genuine queerness that permeates the entire thing.
This is not just a silly BL show for straight people, this is something for queer viewers to genuinely enjoy as well.
Not only do most of the queer characters feel authentically written and portrayed (standouts to me are Chan and Maya, for instance), the show also addresses topics such as consent and marriage equality with an all-too-rare directness and refusal to sugar-coat issues.
I won't go into details because I don't want to spoil one of my favourite bits of the show, but the way the ending was portrayed was truly one of the best, if not simply the best, depictions of this trope I have ever seen in a queer Asian drama and I am very happy that more and more Thai shows have been taking this direction in recent years.

So no, this show isn't perfect by a long shot. The writing and music are often cheesy, the editing is sometimes disjointed, some of the performances are occasionally stiff, and you pretty much can't go a single episode without tripping over heaps of plot holes. But the unique, zany charm of this story and its characters, combined with the fact that the show knows never to take itself all too seriously just somehow make it all work.
If you are looking for something different from all the standard university romances, something strange and fascinating and wholly fun that will pull you in and captivate you almost immediately, then I wholeheartedly recommend this show.
Go watch it, you'll probably have the time of your life, just like I did.

Read More

It was definitely NOT worth the wait. I ONLY wish it were as daring as it claimed.

I must be in some parallel universe because this series is very flat, predictable and trying way to hard with their awkward sex scenes. They need an intimacy co-coordinator because it's all so forced. Speaking of forced....

It's hard to get through any scene with Force and Book. They can't emote. They are uncomfortably wooden. Nothing about their story is engaging or even makes sense.

Why does Top like Mew? Why does Top dress like an 86 year old man on his way to the golfing club? So many questions.

First, Khaotung and Neo's capabilities and range as actors only highlight how poor Force and Book are. It's a disjointed series in terms of acting ability.

First and Khaotung are working well with the stories they have been handed. However, it's quite tiresome to see the same pairings again and again, it just takes away from the beauty and mystery of acting. I already know Ray and Sand are going to fall for each other because they are a BL pairing. I personally don't have an interest in seeing them do the same thing with slightly different ingredients.

Only Friends was meant to be daring, messy and unpredictable but it's anything but. You can already tell where each story is going and what audience/fandom they are catering for. Nothing is spontaneous.

If only Force were a better actor. The dark horse pairing could have been Top and Boston. Two characters who are addicted to each other no matter how hard they try not to be but this is the predictable BL pairings world. So unfortunately, no such luck.

Read More

Bagus banget banget !!!!

Sejujurnya aku lebih suka cerita di season 1 meskipun sama2 seru dan menarik sih. Mungkin karna pd nya ganti. kalau yg season 2 ini banyak adegan yg lebih lucu jadi cukup menghibur. untuk karakternya untung gak di ganti pemeran counter meskipun ada 1 yg di yung yg di ganti. trus ketambahan counter baru si jeok bong disini kalau menurutku sebenernya agak gak berguna ya. mungkin ekspetasiku yg ketinggian. ku kira dia bakal lebih kuat daripada somun atau minimal sama kuatnya sama somun, ternyata tidak hiks. jadi jatuhnya malah bikin kesel penonton. terus ku kira do hana sama somun bakal gimana2 ternyata makin gimana2 mengsedih. tapi untungnya season 2 ini happy ending semuanya dan open ending juga. semoga next lanjut season 3.

Read More

OMG don't know where to start with this one. So many wrong thing happen in this drama, but also cute at the same time.... Hahaha...

This drama mostly about how your environment can shape you. We often hear how bad environment bad for you and good environment good for you. Well one thing for sure this drama really tell you story how your friendship really can shape who you are....

Let's talk about the good stuff first...
+ Like many many that already write here... I also really like the action between our boys. They're cute when nothing happen & all peaceful time. And that steamy scene also good...
+ Like Kate, I also like Techno. Agreed with her: 'He was one of the best written and most realistic ones.' And yeah that's probably because he is the only important role that have no trauma and mental health issues here. He is really one good friend.
+ The way Type own his mistake to his childhood friend, Khom
+ The very open minded of Tharn family. Especially the little princess, she's really like a baby doll, so pretty...

And i think that's probably are some of the good point that this drama have. The other is very very problematic....

The most problematic point already describe by Synchonicity & kate. But I gonna write again with my words....
- How the heck one traumatized boy fall in love & let himself be groped & have s*x with another man when the source of traumatic is a man... Yeah the writer take the issue of PTSD & rape victim too lightly till the point they don't care & still need to make this 2 boy fall in love with each other deeply...
- The missing friendship. Maybe just like Kate wrote, the writer need more than 12 ep to established our lead relationship first. We missing it badly. We need to know how tharn fall in love with type & the friendship begin at first...
- The MOLESTATION. How crazy the writer take the molestation easy & just make it into fluffy or even worse, romantic scene... What Tharn did to Type while he was sleeping is indeed MOLESTATION & it's never been ok all the time. Especially with the traumatized & PTSD man like Type...
- How can Type sleep peacefully...? If I'm Type, I have PTSD toward gay, & I know my roommate is gay, I'll not be able to sleep at all let alone sleep peacefully. I'll gonna be afraid what my Roommate will do to me while I'm sleeping, more over when I already know what he did to me while I'm sleeping, I gonna run as far & as fast I can. I'll gonna phone my dad the next morning to tell him that I NEED to move to outside dorm....
- Thorn is just too good. Until the end Thorn is just too good of a man. How can he easily forgive Lhong after what he did to his brother, yet alone face him calmly & still think he is his brother. And also with San, after what he did to his brother, Thorn can easily think him as a friend. It's all beyond makes sense for me.
- The ending. Or you can say LHONG'S ENDING. Yeah like Synchonicity, I also can't take the ending of Lhong that easily. He got away too easily & no consequences at all...
- The under age 'couple'. If this America drama, I think they already be charge with under age rape. The age when Tharn had sex with San or Tar with Tharn, I think you can say all still underage & the other partner already adult age. Yeah I know they make the age quite blurry, but when you do the math yeah I think you can say they're under age 'couple'.
- The jealous & ownship. Sometimes the writer make the jealousy part of the drama become something normal, like it part of the relationship that every couple must endure. But between jealousy and no trust is really basicly have no line.
- The childish & foul mouth of Type. Yeah even Type himself admit he has foul mouth. But the way he over & over hurt Thorn feeling is not OK.

Overall this one steamy drama with a lot of problematic issues .....

Read More

Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " Numbers " is an office drama with some romantic subplots to it.

The drama has a predictable plot, with the underdog being mistreated in the beginning and seeking revenge as well as recognition for his talents. The bad guy was too standard and the office drama was so so.

On the other hand, the bromance between the two main leads was enjoyable and often saved the drama from being too boring to watch.

The romance was also okay, cute at times, but the side one was better and more dramatic.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable by everyone in the cast, but the two main leads were truly shinning.

So, overall, three out of ten.

Read More

Lovely movie, of the fantasy genre, where the beast is she, the female/vixen/actual fox, and the beauty is he, that is well, just a man.
Lovely performance of Feng Shao Feng (who played the epic male role in “The Story of Minglan”, as well as the dramtic role in “Life is a long quiet river”). This actor is unafraid to show his skinny naked self if it is to go for comedic effect.
A joy to watch indeed.
Still, while laughing my head off I kept feeling a bit uneasy about the switcheroo of the sex of the main characters. I mean, really? A female who is a vixen, a fox? How lame is that? To fall on an ages old preconception, across all cultures, that is. However, I could not stay long concerning myself with women portraied in a stereotype manner. I was too busy laughing.
Cudos!

Read More

Good Enough

Korean Drama " Not Others " is the story of a mother and a daughter and their relationship as they go through changes and hardships. And between romantic misunderstandings and funny cohabitating endeavors, there lies a criminal case yet to be solved.

The drama overall is a fun ride. The relationship between the two main leads is enjoyable, funny, and often bittersweet, but the highlight of the drama nevertheless. Their chemistry is also spot on.

The romance, in addition, is entertaining, but, thankfully, gets overshadowed by the main relationship of the drama, the mother-daughter bond.

The crime mystery, on the other hand, was interesting at first, but lost its momentum quickly. But, it served its propose on getting the two main characters together and enhancing their bond.

The performances, finally, were smooth.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Korean Drama " Mask Girl " is a mini series with a suspenseful story.

The drama is bold, with mature themes, dark scenes, black humour, and a lot of murders. It spans over many years, telling the story of Momi, a girl with a mask literary and metaphorically. And even though the time jumps didn't do the drama any favours, often messing and confusing the plot, while spoiling the momentum, the story itself is enough griping to keep things interesting. The ending was also shocking and perfect for the story.

The performances, in addition, were outstanding, especially by the leading ladies who did great portraying Momi throughout the years.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

Read More

Liu Wei is an actor out of this world

I am writing from Bucharest, Romania, a country which was communist until 1989. To my thus trained eyes, this movie is obviously answering to a PCC request to portray the policies aiming at the transformation of the countryside to the point of "errasing the differences from citylife".
However, in spite of that, the Chinese director and scriptwriter really knew how to deliver ...
It was sheer joy to watch such an intellectually rewarding script, with ample character development and plot turns, which provides a stark view into a vry brutal Chinese contemporary society.
The title role is played by Zhao Li Ying, who also had the female lead in “The Story of Minglan”.
She is good, outstanding are the supporting cast, but out of this world is Liu Wei, the 65 year old actor playing the local PCC leader.
I put Liu Wei in a chategory of his own, as stays Anthony Quinn, for instance.

The series starts with a bang, when at a wedding party in a village, the bride saves her sister from being raped with bashing the asailants head. The would be rapist was the son of the local PCC leader.
From there on, to the very end, it unfolds the uphill battle of the female protagonist with the family she married into, with the villagers, with the PCC local leaders. For a long time she is the underdog, and stays the underdog.
The last 30 minutes in the last episode rushes in the positive and politically acceptable outcome, but this fact cannot erase the rest of the episodes of sheer brutal realism.
Cudos for getting past the censorship such a movie!

Read More

The umpteenth failure for MAME

MAME, after banalizing sexual violence in all her novels (Love By Chance, TharnType, Don't Say No, ...) sets out to romanticize arranged marriages. The idea that a fake marriage between a gay man and a lesbian is an easy way to get rid of a conservative family is false. What will the spouses do at family reunions or when it's time to talk about children? Their partners at heart will be relegated to the shadows. We can deal with this subject, but we can't do it lightly. What legitimacy does MAME, a heterosexual woman, have to deal with a subject that concerns the LGBT community, of which she obviously knows nothing? We're on the verge of cultural appropriation.

In addition to the above-mentioned subject, the series has another problem: the characters have zero consistency, and the acting suffers greatly as a result. The female couple are so naive as to verge on indigestion. Nuea is an extraordinary boring. Lom is cowardly and manipulative.

I have no intention of spoiling the ending; all I can say is that it's predictable. Lom's attitude towards Yiwa is not very fair.

When I started watching this series and discovered that MAME was behind it, I almost stopped. I should have.

Read More

Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " King The Land " is a romantic comedy with two strong leads.

The drama has a smooth start, with a story that brings back nostalgic feelings for the old Korean romantic comedies that ruled the last decade and even before that. The romance is sweet and the banter between the leads is adorable and entertaining. The friendship was also an enjoyable factor.

However, everything went downhill when the two leads got together, which happened early on. Thus, the drama was left to deal with romantic dates, traveling abroad, and some family drama, which at least kept things interesting here and there but was too predictable to be able to save the drama.

Other than the boring plot, however, the performances kept being strong, and the main couple had chemistry.

So, overall, two and a half out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Drama " Ashita, Watashi wa Dareka no Kanojo Season 2 " is the sequel to the first season and it follows the same pattern. It introduces two new characters that are connected with each other and with the women of the first season, while getting a glimpse into the past of one of the main characters of the prequel.

The stories in this one are as intense as were in the previous season, and as ruthlessly realistic. They focus more on the characters rather than the romantic relationships and give the characters the ending that they deserve, being this time more keen towards healing them.

In addition, the performances were really good and the main leads did a great job with their emotional scenes.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

Read More

What is wrong with MDL ratings?? This is better than CELEBRITY in terms of showing reality.

Mask girl is one of those drama which i avoid to watch because of MDL rating. Since every other basic romcom drama get 8.5 rating , that's why dramas below 8 look average to me but I was so wrong . SO WRONG!

Story - This drama story is one rollercoaster ride of emotions. Despite being fast paced i get well connected to every character. One of the plus point is that they show story from each charcater POV which make it remarkable. Yes, some characters are borderline psychopath but the way of storytelling make people feel bad for them too at one point.

Momi as a main character is something we don't get often to see in kdramas. She is not your kdrama type grey character but indeed a actual representation of grey character. First episode was su disturbing due to her delusions that i keep screaming GIRL WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? She made some horrible choices and faced consequences too. Nothing was whitewashed in this drama at all. However , as the drama grows , Momi's character also grows which is done phenomenally.

Rest of characters are great as well and have some remarkable traits unlike normal kdrama where side-characters have nothing to offer. .

The ending might look terrible to some but it's very good for me . All the things can be little dramatic but it is on point. Momi sacrificed her life to protect her daughter and it was no waste. Mimo grow up as an understanding and kind person, who doesn't let society standard defines herself and have power to forgive people and move on.

Acting - I don't know what i can say , from the little child to each character, acting is top notch

Music - Good but nothing new or outstanding.

Rewatch value : I would love to rewatch it anytime. Very short and entertaining.

Last not least, I am so disappointed in MDL. Every other romcom drama get 8 or 9 ratings. Why thriller, dark , adult drama without romance always suffer worst?

Read More