Completed
La Pluie
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Why am I just discovering this show?

This is was way too good, I was shocked at how good the series is. Ngl, this show is better written than some popular bls, although it has his flaws but everyone was on point. The acting was brilliant, pretty gorgeous boys, beautiful cinematography, well done kissing and nc scenes that won’t make you cringe, and wonderful musics. I love everything about this show. Also make me discover some new talents. A must watch. I love the plot, yes something could be better but overall it’s a beautiful series.
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Completed
Hometown
2 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.5
Story 3.5
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

A cheap flick

Went from promising to disappointing real quick. Cults and hypnosis/mind-control is the worst combination to make a mystery/thriller/horror drama. It gives the writer an unlimited pass for a lazy writing and this is what we got here. The cast was alright tho.

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Completed
Nevertheless,
3 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

Not a sad ending ?

The storyline is absolutely amazing! Everything is so natural. Unlike the dramatic and overly specialised stories of other dramas this story was very touching but yet something that seemed very realistic. Especially the music, the music was very well directed. The actors as always have exceptionally and very skillful portrayed their characters. This drama broke my heart but the last episode patched it all up! I couldn't have thought of a better ending for them. It's DEFINITELY worth the watch I LOVED IT
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Completed
Twenty-Five Twenty-One
1 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0

The one that got away...

Not every lovestory make it to the end, but that doesn't mean what you had in between was not good enough.

This series is a rollercoaster of emotions. You will love it , you will crave for it and you will be disappointed with it too at places . Unlike the happy endings in kdrama world , this series truly shows how sometimes just life doesn't work out the way you had hoped and it's alright!

The execution of the story is super fun. Actors have done there job perfectly. Yes, I wish I could rewrite the ending , but that's the truth in life.. not everything is meant to be..

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Completed
Step by Step: Uncut Version
6 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

One Step At A Time

Step By Step is one of those dramas that I feel you either love it or hate it. I found it to be different from most standard BLs with it's office setting and focusing on the office dynamics and work relationships as well as the romantic ones. It was initially pleasant that the leads' relationship wasn't rushed and had time to develop, but I do feel that it lost it's way towards the end. It's not a perfect drama by any means, it didn't always seem to know what to do with it's side characters, there were plot lines that popped up out of nowhere and others that were simply ghosted, there weren't always good explanations for why characters reacted the way that they did, etc. Still, I personally enjoyed it and thought it was a pleasant diversion.

The plot is nothing fancy, essentially an office romance between a boss and his subordinate, which of course is going to cause drama. What I liked about it though was the attention to detail in regards to that office setting. We actually get to see the characters working, going to meetings, presenting, and so on. Maybe because I'm at the ripe age of 32, I didn't find it boring, but I can understand those who did. Personally it felt like a slice of life drama with an office focus, but more realistic than others I've seen. Yes, there's the ridiculous and over the top moments and things that would never happen in actual office, but I enjoyed that quality of peeking into a world I'm not at all familiar with fictional though it may be. It did feel like the story started to lose steam a little over halfway through and didn't seem to know where to go from there. And then there at the end there was a lot of drama thrown in which, besides being unnecessary, felt rushed. And I have to say that the ending, while cute, was rather anti-climatic. Despite it's length, it still felt like there were unanswered questions.

The pacing was a mess. Most of the drama and actual issues with our leads' relationship were relegated to the last three episodes and that's because they didn't actually get together until Episode 10. I have no issues with a slow burn which this definitely was, but I think the story could have been better spread out, allowing them to get together sooner and actually have some time as a couple before the drama started and then showing them handling those issues as a couple or delving into their characters more to show why things ended between them the way that they did prior to the time jump. Time in general was a struggle with this drama as it was hard to tell how much time had passed. It didn't feel like much time had passed, but then things like Ae's pregnancy would make me realize that a lot more time had gone by than I thought. Especially in an office setting, it felt like they should have been able to more clearly show that time progression. There was also the issue with the side couples/story lines not getting the attention they deserved which, again, could have been rectified if the pacing and story planning had been better. As it was, we were left with a very unsatisfying ending for Jaab and Jen who essentially just disappeared as the story progressed, Ae, Khanun and Beam were also shuffled off to the side and only showed up on occasion after a while, Chot and his boyfriend were thrown in at random times, and there were other parts that just needed better planning.

One of the biggest things I felt was lacking was insight into the characters' thoughts and the reasoning behind their reactions. Two examples would be Jaab's sudden rejection of Jane and Pat's reaction to finding out Jeng was gay. Jane was a fairly minor character throughout the series, so I can understand to an extent not going in depth with his emotions and mental state, but given that we are given the impression that he is in a happy, committed relationship, I do think there needed to be more insight into why he was so swayed by Jaab. With Jaab, he's liked Jane for a while, so why when Jane reveals that he and his boyfriend broke up, does he say they should just be friends? They shared a kiss, it was obvious Jaab still had feelings for Jane so what was with that? There was no explanation, no reasoning, nothing as to why he didn't want to give a relationship with Jane a shot. Similarly, Pat's reaction to finding out Jeng was gay seemed over the top and unnecessary. Why was he so shocked and put off by that revelation? Pat's reactions to things involving Jeng didn't always make sense, but this one and his decision to ghost Jeng for two years felt like taking things to the extreme. There needed to be more explanation as to why Pat reacted the way that he did for me to understand and sympathize with him.

The characters ranged from good to mediocre. There were a couple of gems in there, but most of them didn't leave much, if any, of an impression. Overall, I found the way characters were treated to be a bit disappointing just because it was so all over the place. Some characters had great character development and others were left stagnant.
-Pat was definitely more on the mediocre side for me. His childishness, tantrums and changeability made him a hard character for me to really get on board with. More insight into his character, why he was the way that he was, would have been helpful. As it stands, he really did just come across as immature and there were times that I really struggled to understand what Jeng saw him in aside from that he is a cute kid. Jeng talked about how smart he was and that's something that should have been shown and utilized more because while he did seem intelligent, it didn't seem like he was extraordinarily so. There also needed to be more insight into his feelings for Jeng. While initially he was obviously attracted to Jeng before realizing that he was his boss, once that revelation came about, his interest seemed to cool. Afterwards, there were a few hints that maybe he was developing feelings for Jeng, but when he went back to Put, it put those feelings in question. Regarding Put, that conflict felt like it resolved far too quickly. We went from Pat not wanting to see him, speak to him, anything, to, what felt like in a very short time span, being willing to start a relationship with him again. And then Pat goes from crying over their breakup to confessing he has feelings for Jeng. I almost felt like I had whiplash with the way Pat's feelings seemed to keep jumping around. I also wanted to explore more as to why Pat didn't believe that Jeng's feelings for him were real and why he didn't feel like he deserved Jeng initially. I was frankly a bit disappointed in Pat's character growth. He talks at one point about he's grown so much and is no longer as emotional, but I didn't really see that a whole lot. He still seemed overemotional and overreactive to the end.
-Jeng was definitely one of the best characters. He was very interesting to watch, especially as his feelings for Pat developed which I felt was well done. His feelings were clearly built up, starting from polite interest which then grew into romantic feelings. There was never any doubt regarding his feelings for Pat. I wish they had done as well with Pat and his feelings. I also appreciated his character growth from no nonsense, perfectionist boss to someone who was able to let loose a bit. Part of what also appealing about him was that he wanted to change for the better and he made an effort to do so. There's the element that Pat did inspire those changes, but he made the conscious decision to change on his own. His maturity especially in contrast to Pat was refreshing especially when it came to things like Pat blaming him for essentially not being a mind reader. Pat seemed to think that he should be able to change with a snap of his fingers, not realizing that change does take time, and I was very impressed with Jeng's patience. I would have liked a little more time spent on his background and his relationship with his parents, especially his father. A lot of that was just skimmed over and there at the end, it didn't really feel like things had been resolved between him and his father. Still, I felt that he was overall a decently well-rounded character and I really liked him.
-I didn't have particularly strong feelings about most of the remaining characters save for a few. I found Jaab to be a weird combination of interesting and boring. He had moments where I was invested in him, but there were a lot of other moments where I almost wanted to skip his scenes because he wasn't doing anything for me. Once his relationship with Jane petered out, I really lost interest in him. I did like some of his interactions with Jeng though and the support he was willing to provide eventually. Jane could have been a much better character if he was fleshed out more. As it was, there just wasn't much too him and that made it difficult to relate to him or really feel anything strongly about his character. I was disappointed with that because I did like his relationship with Jaab and I wanted to see more of it's development. I really liked Ae and I wish there had been a bit more of her. Her confidence was awesome as was her obvious love for her friends. She was always ready to go to bat for them and she was just in general an awesome character. I like strong female characters and I feel like they tend to be lacking in a lot of BLs so she was a pleasant surprise. I did find the revelation that Beam had been in love with her to be a bit out of the blue since I hadn't gotten that impression earlier on and it just felt unnecessary. Chot was another gem, I loved that he had a well balanced personality. He had just the right amount of over the top without it being grating. Plus he was just a sweetheart in general, always there to listen and be supportive, an understanding friend and lover, and just an all around lovely person. I could use someone like him in my life. The last character I want to mention is Jeng's father. He was too much of an enigma for me to really appreciate his character and he definitely needed a bit more fleshing out. His actions and thought process were left very ambiguous which works sometimes, but not here. I wanted to understand his treatment of Jeng and Pat as it felt more than a disapproval of his son being gay and getting involved with one of his subordinates.

As for the acting, can I just start off by saying how refreshing it was to see them cast an age appropriate actor for Jeng's role. I couldn't help but thinking about like Moonlight Chicken and how they tried to convince us that Earth could pass for an almost 40 year old. Hair, makeup and clothes can only go so far and trying to make actors look and act older than they are really does not work. Man was perfect because he both looked and acted the part. He gave a certain maturity to the role that someone much younger simply can't. I enjoyed the nuance of his performance and thought he played the part perfectly. This was Ben's first acting role and it showed. He wasn't bad per se, just compared to Man, he felt green. His expressions didn't vary a whole lot and some of the emotional scenes felt forced. I do think if he'd had more experience, he could have better conveyed some of the emotions and thought processes of his character. I was pleased that they cast two actors who are clearly comfortable speaking English since the fluency matched both of their backstories. I've seen far too many dramas where they give their characters backstories of having grown up in the US or spent a lot of time there and are supposed to be fluent, but the actor is clearly not comfortable with the language. I completely understand that learning another language is a challenge, so no disrespect to those actors, it just personally pulls me out of the story when it's clear that they're not as comfortable with the language as the story is trying to make them seen. Both Man and Ben were articulate and clearly understandable and delivered their lines effortlessly.

Despite it's flaws, I overall enjoyed Step By Step. It's not perfect by any means and could have been better with some tweaks, but for what it is, I found it entertaining for the most part. The build up of the characters' relationship, the setting, and the characters themselves had a different feel from other BLs I've watched recently and I liked that. It felt distinctive in it's own way. As I said before, I think this drama is rather polarizing in that you will either love it or hate it without a whole lot in between. If you go in without any major expectations and understand that it is flawed, I think that can stave off the disappointment that some might feel. For my part, I wouldn't discourage anyone from watching it, just be aware that it's not for everyone.

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Completed
Reply 1988
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 10

Nostalgia if you are a 90s kid living in Asia

This series is about friendship, family, love and everything in between. I don't know about the rest of the world but for us Asians early 90s was truly like this. Being in a neighborhood was like being part of a community. You laughed and cried together. If you are looking for slice of life drama I would definitely recommend this.

The stories are absolutely realistic and the realtionship shared between each character is beautifully potrayed. The comedy is at its peak and the acting is top notch. You are in for a treat.
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Completed
Past-Senger
2 people found this review helpful
by labcat
Jul 26, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Starts with good potential but the development isn't always good

First of all, the time-travel premise is fun but not very well done. Why would a spirit transport Kiew to the future as a punishment? Nevertheless, there is a compelling conflict: Kiew falls in love with Bamee in 2022, but is also morally obliged to return to 1995 or his mother will die of grief, so it is going to be a poor decision whether he decides to stay in 2022 or return to 1995. (Yes, he actually does have a choice because he can return to 1995 as long as he fulfills his promise to the spirit).

Unfortunately, neither the time-travel premise nor the conflict is fully exploited. Sometimes the story veers into illogical or frivolous developments. For instance, the about-turn in the character of Bamee's stepmother is not logical at all. Then there is the time when Bamee suffers from amnesia--it's understandable that he would become cold to Kiew because he can't remember him. However, it does not make sense that his character would be so different that he would do things without thinking about the feelings of the brother he dotes on and still remembers. The beginning scene in which Kiew dreams of kissing Bamee even before he has travelled to the future where he meets Bamee is also not explained.

Overall, Past Senger isn't a totally bad BL series, but I would find it hard to come up with a strong reason to highly recommend it. If you are bored and have watched all the better BLs, why not? But there are probably more interesting things out there.

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Completed
Hidden Love
11 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

You never be over it

Warning - You will be in pain.. cause you can never rewatch it the first time..no matter how many times you watch it..it will never be enough.
The heart melting eye contact between the two leads, the nods and ‘hmm’ from Duan Jiaxu is something you will never get over. Everything that they do for each other - every single box of language of love is checked. Ugh
You will realize men like that don’t exist in real world..but can’t help but wanting one!

Ps. This is my first Chinese drama and I am so glad I entered into my cdrama era with this one. It’s like first love that will always remain special. ?

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Completed
Dream
1 people found this review helpful
by ria
Jul 26, 2023
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

It was fine but I think it could've been better.

I enjoyed the movie, especially the chaotic bickering of the entire cast but mainly IU and Seo-Joon's characters. My only problem with this movie is the way they wrapped up some of the characters' story. I liked In-sun's story so I was kind of anticipating how will they wrap it up but it left me confused at the end; Was his encounter with the girl from the Japan team just an imagination or something? That's how I see it given that he also saw her image on that girl who bought a magazine from him at the very end of the movie. Also, I feel like some of the characters backstory was lacking (the gangster guy and the gay character) compared to the others (the IMF uncle/ the construction worker uncle). All in all I still consider this film worth watching, there are a lot of moments that will make you emotional and ecstatic.

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Dream
43 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.5

The KMovie is carefree, harmless and heartily. However, it is not trivial.

"Dream" is about team spirit as a positive force that allows a group to excel itself. The KMovie is carefree, harmless and heartily. However, it is not trivial, as it sides with those commonly referred to in society as the weak.

You shouldn't expect too much, then everything works quite well. Obviously, IU and Park So-joon are the show's carthorses. But that doesn't do justice to the rest of the cast, who all contribute their unique esprit. “Dream” comes across as teamwork through and through.

Although it was filmed at original locations in Budapest, somehow, in my opinion, the casting (unfortunately) often enough doesn't work so well, when Korean productions are dependent on actors from different origin. For whatever reason. Even if it's only supporting roles or extras in this case, they seem to be rather amateurish. Hm.

All in all: “Dream” is a KMovie for high spirits and light fare. Not intrusive. With a few flaws here and there. However, also with some well-placed, wonderful and valuable messages in passing.

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Completed
Happy Merry Ending
1 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

At least the ending is happy

I’m not sure if this is good or bad, so I will settle for average. I wasn’t hooked during its earlier episodes but suddenly felt okay after watching the last few episodes. The story isn’t as great as it could be. I feel like they can offer more but for any reason, they choose to play safe as a form of their production-satisfaction.

Byun Sung Tae is the one who brought me to the show. At first glance at the promotional poster, I noticed the familiarity of this man and realized that he also participated in Produce X 101 which I supported during its airing period. Seeing him as the main character of a BL show is actually pretty good since his beautiful face fits the standard visuals of K-BLs. An additional benefit is that he can act and sing in a neutral tone, and I actually liked it.

I guess the biggest downfall of the story is the messy characterization of the Casanova ex-boyfriend (who isn’t handsome at all) and the unrequited love of the male best friend. These two characters offer mixed emotions and unnecessary drama at some point.

For some reason, the drama itself managed to survive by uplifting and focusing on the romantic progress of the main couple without having the supporting characters create walls between their relationship and solely focusing on the emotions of the two main characters.

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Completed
See You in My 19th Life
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.5

A tale of memories and letting go

See You In My 19th Life is a beautiful tale about how one can freeze in time metaphorically and psychologically. There are times in our lives when we can be so deeply hurt by others that we choose to punish ourselves in a circular manner without realizing that we have become the source of our pain. The show’s message of ‘letting go and living on’, through the lives of the characters makes it a heartwarming tale of love, memories, trauma and healing.

The show reverberates the message of healing your inner child, healing yourself from your past trauma’s in each of the characters’ stories. Coming to the characters, the chemistry was good between the leads while the supporting cast had their own hold. The first half of the drama was enticing, however the second half got a bit loose towards the climax/final episode.

Nevertheless, See You In My 19th Life is a mesmerizing kdrama that effortlessly blends romance, fantasy, and heartfelt emotions.

My Rating : 7.5/10

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Jul 26, 2023
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.5

World Building Fun - A Unique Must-Watch

Looking for a new historical fantasy drama with amazing setting and intriguing storyline? Then look no further. This part and it's following parts will definitely keep you hooked with its political plot lines, and the journey of its characters.

I love this storyline. For one, I've never really watched any stories going this far back historically in kdrama/Asian fantasy land (maybe I'm missing out). But the way the lore unveils is enjoyable, and the setting is just phenomenal.

I agree with past reviews on why on earth is it in 3 parts, but I appreciate that they've built up everything to end where it does. It pushes you to see the next part, but you're also excited to now see what will unveil.

The names were very confusing initially but like all dramas with world building, you get used to it, and there's enough repetition of terms and names for you to eventually get it.

Can't wait to watch this further :)

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Completed
Go Princess, Go!
1 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
35 of 35 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

THE ORIGINAL AND BEST ONE

Don't watch the foolish Korean adaptation. This original one is far better.
Unfortuntaley, a drama that suffers from the low budget (with one and only sponsor), but a masterpiece as a plot and as costumes. The story is captivating, a perfect mix of comedy and serious topics, romantic moments. This drama is a perfect example of LGBT content as a whole. We find various situations, bisexuality among others.
I loved the development, entering the heart of the love story, enters a darker and more difficult situation of power intrigue and struggle than in the first half of the story.
Sheng Yilun as Qi Sheng is absolutely wonderful ❤️ as cold, as charismatic and charming, and the delicate little gestures and sentences can pierce your heart. Zhang Tiana is perfect as Zhang Pengpeng, beautiful, determined, with a dominant and mature character, who also knows how to handle women. Her femininity does not diminish the strong, dominant character of the "man's heart".
The Princes have their own reasons, even Prince Zhao who basically has a very pure heart. Yue the classic "green tea" perfect in the role.
Two things I loved are the importance of sexuality in the story, in the relationships, and above all the crystal clear development in Qi Sheng's feelings. He perfectly knows the woman he fell in love with.
I loved how after towards the end, from episode 27 she can accept herself as a woman, and that from the next episode the male internal voice disappears ❤️ I also loved Pengpeng's love speech , that the love puts on the same level.
In addition to the happy ending, there are two other alternative endings with different perspectives always adult and mature, on the serious line of the drama. The spinoff is cute.
Watch this only, because it's a masterpiece despite everything.

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Completed
Kingdom
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

Great Start to Epic Story

I went into this movie having already thoroughly enjoyed the anime and I had some trepidation that a live action film would not re-create something similar.

I was also prepared that this is only the first part of an ongoing story. This is the start of the journey for Shin to become the worlds greatest general and Zheng to unite China.

I'm glad I ignored that trepidation. and began this live action journey. This was a genuine fun watch.

Yes, it didn't re-create every moment of the anime both in story telling and the action scenes, but I never felt short changed. The action scenes were well choreographed and story flowed.

The cast in this movie managed to bring to life the anime characters that I was familiar with. The ending was maybe slightly weak, however in the context of the future films I wasn't overly bothered by this.

An enjoyable watch.

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