This review may contain spoilers
"THE RIGHT WAY ON MAKING A MULTIPLE COUPLE IN 1 B L SERIES"
As I said in the cover of this review, this is a great example of how multiple couple story in BL series is done. Not messy, clear story, interconnected to each one of the couple and most important is it make sense.I've seen multiple BL that tried to incorporate not just 1, 2, 3 but 4 couple in one series and it's a hell of a mess! It's not connected to each other, and if it is, it does not make any sense to the story. I am not shaming any country on this review but Thailand BL does this a lot and more often than not, it's more confusing and leaves the viewers on WHAT!!? WHY!!?? HOW!!??
Love Class 2 is the first Korean BL that introduces multiple couple and they did a great job!
The teacher-student fiasco is such a cute one especially the progression of their story. KIm An and Joo Hyuk is perfect and they did a great job! Their kissing and bed scenes and tastefully done, in fact all three couple's romantic scenes are tastefully done. It's not sexual in a sense that you would imagine it's a gay porn, it's not!
Bestfriend to lovers has always a place in my heart. Ma Roo's sweet face and charisma and Min Woo's child-like but super protective traits is one too watch! This couple sue nailed their role!
The third couple on the other hand is somewhat "fine" to me. Senior and junior to lovers, I feel like this two needs a bit of sugar or maybe the chemistry.....Other than that they did a great job in acting.
If i were to rate each couple it would be.... 1 - Teacher and Student, 2- Bestfriends and last would be the Senior and Junior.
WITH ALL THIS THOUGHTS, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WATCHING THIS FRESH BL SERIES. IT'S FLUFFY, LIGHT AND CUTE. LESS DRAMA, MORE CUTENESS!
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This review may contain spoilers
IMPERFECT Approaching Perfect (Spoilers will be few and mild)
I was lucky enough to enter the world of Chinese dramas via RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE, a show that has compelled me to watch 12 more series. I was so impressed with Zhou Xun I'll watch anything with her in it, and she's here in IMPERFECT. (I even saw her IMPERFECT LOVE show as well.)This IMPERFECT also features another Ruyi alumni, Dong Jie -- who I'm beginning to respect as a truly great actress. In Ruyi she had to play a very cold and distant character, which she pulled off brilliantly, but was utterly unlikable. Here viewers might say she plays the same, but I found her far more sympathetic in this series. Her sad yet beautiful face constantly spoke to me of a woman that could have had lifelong love but instead made a very bad choice.
Frankly the entire cast is terrific, even amongst the smallest of roles. My only disappointment was with Police Captain Yan Ming, who wasn't convincing as a cop. She is very pretty and her that was kind of distracting. I've seen THE DISAPPEARING CHILD and that lady cop seemed so real that I was disappointed not to see her type cast here. Understand Elaine Zhong is otherwise fine here, and again she is in an otherwise perfect ensemble.
Our villain Cheng is portrayed beyond perfect by Liu Yi Jun. I'm new to this actor and his ability to make such a despicable person sympathetic goes football fields past Dong Jie. He is terrific in his completely lack of awareness of how horrible he is, which is why you can't help but feel for him a little now and again and kinda a little bit always.
Also new to me is lead actress Jelly Lin, who portrays the title of this series. Her character is as compelling as perplexing. Often you want to hug her but sometimes you want to slap her, which is painfully ironic considering the series them of appropriate actions upon a young lady like this. But despite the irony these feelings run real because her character Zhoa Xun makes you want to pull your hair out during the first two thirds of the series.
This paragraph will run mildly spoiler-ish in giving away the victim's main flaw. I'll talk around it by saying she behaves like almost all 'kids' her age. When you get them on a topic that makes them uncomfortable, they won't say it makes them uncomfortable. Instead they go silent, off topic, or just behave oddly. Because they're really still half children, aren't they? That is how a child reacts when you accuse them of having their fingers in the cookie jar.
The point of this series is to indicate that victims of rape and sexual harassment can't be expected to be perfect victims. The series plainly states that when you have an older man with power over a young person it is very difficult for the 'girl' to react and respond proactively enough to impress the Court system she wasn't complicit.
What drove me a little crazy is this discussion of the victim kind was always with respect to her adulthood. What I just did two paragraphs up I wish the series had said over and over again: the victim was so young she was basically still a child, and you can't expect adult behavior from a child. It's THAT simple. It is this innocence and lack of adult experience the likes of Cheng count on and prey upon.
That idea was never said in such words but hammered upon with Lin Kan's lawyer story. (By the way, who was the genius that cast Zhou Xun but named our victim Zhoa Xun? That would be like naming Harrison Ford's STAR WARS character 'Mark Hemill".) Anyway, as usual, Zhou Xun was TERRIFIC as our lawyer character. I love Zhou Xun only like one other legendary actress, Bette Davis. This means that no matter the age of either actress or the project -- it's must see.
I was, at first, a little surprised when this production didn't use Zhou Xun to play her younger self. They did so in RUYI and really pulled it off. Her size and figure can easily pass for a college kid. But I said at first because, at second glance, the face of Zhou Xun is evolving. Filmed in her late 40's there is nuisance of age. I'm not talking about wrinkles and such that special effects could hide in flashbacks. I'm talking about her lovely eyes that speak of this woman's journey.
It was for this reason I understood her central role in this series. Zhou Xun is what lives in between a Jelly Lin and and Dong Jie. (I just learned this statement doesn't make real sense since Dong Jie is 6 years younger than Zhou Xun, but it's Xun's youthful features the suggest the opposite.) Still -- our lawyer Lin Kan is attempting to rescue herself before it's too late and she turns into a Dong Jie, if you will.
Great credit needs to be given both to the female writers (Gao Xuan and Ren Bao Ru) for creating this vivid world where all these actors get to shine. Where the depressing subject matter dissuades viewership the writing and direction and cast DEMAND a viewing. This is probably the best series I've seen yet, tying with RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE in quality.
The series was not perfect, though. (Dare I say it was 'imperfect'?) Luckily the problems can be counted on one hand --
1. I found almost all the songs to be 'fake' somehow. As if someone insisted they be inserted and so they came off as an awkward after thought. Plus I've heard better songs. The closing credits song in Zhou Xun's IMPERFECT LOVE is incredible, if you need a point of comparison. (Go catch that on YouTube or wherever now.) I almost always listen to the opening and closing songs of these shows with a big smile, but for the first time every I found them skippable. This is extra weird since some even had my native language (English)in them.
2. I don't mind lighthearted funny scenes, but towards the end of the story they were no longer needed but inserted anyway. The inclusion of these overlong 'smirky' scenes took away desperately needed time to --
3. -- resolve a few more storylines. The boy that loved Jelly Lin? He was seen in the last episode but only as a prop. To have him there at the court but not let him speak to the victim or her parents was a missed opportunity. The same for the security guard, who not only should have said something after the trial but have his victim friend by his side. It honestly felt like the series was padding a little to get to the last two episodes, and once there, they realized they needed more time... but didn't have it.
4. Call me an Old Softie but I wanted Lin Kan's assistant (Zhou Cheng Ao) to be somehow back with Lin Kan at story's end. But not as her love interest or employee. Instead I wanted a scene where he was doting on the victim at Lin Kan's home, implying that at some point these two might be a couple. But no hurry.
I've come to learn no Chinese series is perfect. I had a string of series that were disappointing and one was so terrible it had to be abandoned. IMPERFECT VICTIM won me back over... because it is near perfect.
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WHOLESOME! WHOLESOME! WHOLESOME!
Getting a 9/10 for a weekend drama from me, speak volumes.This drama is officially the second weekend drama that I watched without missing an episode!! 6 months, waiting every weekend just to watch this drama and religiously keeping up with the updates!! Ended up hating some characters, cursing some in the middle, rolling my eyes at some point, and laughing like an idiot in others!! Sometimes I got frustrated, and sometimes mad enough to flip the table, My heart when fluffy in some scenes and even felt like crying in others. Every step was fun. there was character development and story development was gradual, there was no obvious rushing at the end. This ticks off as one of those perfect weekend dramas.
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Decent
The drama has its appeal despite the handful of small annoyances sprinkled throughout. Every single character has a trait or two which was over-amplified a bit too much that it came off as overbearing and annoying. The writer was trying too hard to force the viewers to sympathize with In Soon that it took away from her value as a character but it got better later on or maybe I just got too used to it that I subconsciously ignored it. The conclusion could've been better, some characters were brushed off just to wrap it up quickly. Where this drama shines and gets its appeal is with a handful of moments here and there where the writer shows his prowess with its dialogue away from the goofiness. Moreover, my favorites are the ones where the silence surrounds everything, no background music, no dialogue, no movement, everything is consumed by the void while some static images play in succession.Was this review helpful to you?
It gets better with every passing episode
First of all .... Good kisses... Which are not peck or dead fish kiss but actually satisfying 💋The characters are realistic or I may add a bit too realistic.
The cold lead is not actually cold but a cool guy with charm of his own.
The sweet guy is way too sweet with his cute dimples and smiley face.
The story revolves around office and makes a point to show that people are actually working!
As mentioned above, the story gets cute with passing episodes but I felt the ending a little rushed. A final kiss at the end could have been perfect but anyway a good attempt by korean BL makers.
Do watch if you don't have much on hand and love small cute BLs
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I liked this a lot (I have not watched the original one)
People who have watched the original one before the remake are hating this remake a lot. I know original is original but it does not mean this Korean remake is bad.The reason people hate remake who have watched the original one is because they are already attached to the original film/series. And when they watch the remake they just cannot get used to the new cast and new angles of the film/series. They just cannot imagine the same story and character with different actor than the ones in the original film/series.
it's like if you watch a remake of Iron Man with different actor after watching the original one which has Robert Downey Jr in it, you will definitely dislike it. But if you happened to have never watched the original Iron Man movie then you might like the remake one.
Now if I watch the original drama, I will definitely like the remake version more than the original one, because I watched the remake one first.
What I am trying to say is, both the original and the remake are very good. Because it's the same drama with different languages and actors.
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This review may contain spoilers
A 16-episode piece of artwork.
[ Original date written: Dec. 24th 2020- slight edits/additions made now ]This became my most favourite drama EVER before it was even half way through airing.
Right away I noticed and appreciated it's use of colour tones. When we're shown scenes in Ae Ri's timeline, it has a bright yellowey colouring. When we're shown Seo Jin's timeline, it has a darker blue-ish gray colouring. This is brilliant for 2 reasons: 1. To separate the timelines from one another ensuring viewers don't get confused, and 2. It represents the two characters' situations. Ae Ri is the one with the ability to change things for the better, thus the warmer tones (hope). Seo Jin is in a constant state of stress, hence the colder tones (grief).
Now, I strongly suggest you don't look up spoilers for this drama, as there's a lot of crazy plot twists I think you should experience first hand.
I have only one flaw with Kairos, but it's small enough to not change how I feel about the rest of the drama. [ SPOILER ] I was disappointed in how they essentially copy-pasted Do Kyun's death. His future death in episode 14 was great. But when it came to his past (and permanent) death, I felt it was dumb and honestly lazily written. They not only had him die the same way again, but they removed him saving Hyun Chae from the equation. By doing this it completely erased the emotional impact from the situation.
Again, not bad enough to lower my overall love for the show. It is my favourite k-drama, my favourite asian drama in general, and my favourite show in general. Nothing has been able to top it in the 3 years since it’s aired, and I doubt anything ever will.
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A good pairing.
Note: I watched on Netflix, which had 43 episodes. Not sure why MDL says only 40.Let’s be honest… the plot was not plotting here. However the leads were fantastic, both in character on their own and in their relationship together. They were the only enjoyable aspect for me. The side couples were cute enough but truthfully I did not care about them or anything else going on really.
Ren Min is incredible. I had only seen her years ago in “Cry Me A Sad River” so it was nice to see her again and leading in a show opposite Xiao Zhan. They have great chemistry and do what they can with the story they were provided. Since they were the leads I was able to enjoy a good chunk of this. It was just any scene without them that had me struggling to pay attention.
That being said it got messy enough towards the end that even I began to lose interest in the leads themselves. I’d say around episode 37 or 38 is the last good moments had with them.
Rating it a 7 for the leads. If you were to watch only the leads scenes it’s a 7 for sure. Take the rest into account it probably goes down to a 6 but.. whatever.
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One of the best wuxia in a while
I went into this show without any expectations and came out amazed by the whole production of this drama. Started out as solving mystery cases and ended with probably one of the most amazing drama I’ve ever watched in a while.there weren’t any parts that felt slow (except for palace scenes because honestly I personally have qualms when a story takes place in palace, with its boring political plots BUT MLC managed to keep it short, thankfully)
Story was amazing, acting was superb. Cheng Yi was exceptional, his best to date character. my first time watching Joseph & Aero and I felt they did very well and do justice to their roles. supporting casts too did well.
Music is important element while watching a drama and MLC served it very well. *Cue Li Xiangyi BGM (*cries)
Now, im on my 3rd rewatch. so even you don’t plan to rewatch whole thing, this drama have a LOT of amazing scenes that’s worth rewatching, especially the fight scenes.
For those who haven’t watch it, give it a try!
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Fun, hilarious, none cliche romcom
2nd April 2023Enjoyed it alot. Unique compared to the rest of kdramas i watched. I loved the main female lead. It was hilarious too especially the first episodes, the chem was soo good. Do wonjun( the 2nd male lead was soo handsome, i am a sucker for long haired dudes. I really liked it, wish it was longer just coz i had a fun time. I finished it in one night except for the last ep coz my phone was broken.
The only negative thing I have to say is the ' i love u' confessions were a bit insta lovey as they kinda of just met.
Anyway, overall a good romcom with no cliches
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Fun, heart-flattering and unique
I really loved it. The first time i liked a kdrama i watched as it aired till the end.I wanted more romantic scenes between the leads and sunjae and haeso i think they should have shortened the storyline of the murder and the aunt( the birth mom storyline shouldn't have been there) .
Also i am confused how fast some characters changed ( sua and sunjae's mom mainly) and what the hell was up with sua storyline ( where she freaked out implying she had something to do with missing hae) they just left it.
Other than that, i really enjoyed my Saturdays and sundays.
Editing me( mar 21 2023)
I think i enjoyed the first have way more than the second coz of that, i am reducing the rating to 8.5 or 8.75 instead of 9).
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Whimsical, wholesome and beautiful
I loved the vibes of this drama.It was so whimsical, unique, fun and swoony.
I loved the chem btw the 2 couples.
Our main was just so cute and sweet. And I will never forget the dancing on the beach scene, it is just ICONIC. and the kind of thing I just love!
The part where her sister believes her was a bit unbelievable for me but I can also understand to some degree still wasn't completely on board with how everyone believed past lives existed just like that. That's my main critique.
I love the vibes and feelings from the first episodes ( 1-9/ one or two up after they got together ). It took me a while to finish coz the pace slowed down my interest much) but also cuzIi was in a slump.
Also, I love the way she calls his name so softly, ✨" Seoha" ✨
They are def one of my favourite couples.
Also through this show, I have found my ideal type; Golden Retriever X serious quiet guy
If you know, you know
I liked the ending but I don't understand why why she went to her job as she just forgot her memories.
But the amnesia wasn't necessary if the whole ' remembering our loved ones from our past life will hurt them. just didn't exist and instead found another way to stop remembering her past lives.
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The most beautiful period Thai Queer series of the decade
It is only September as I'm writing this review but I believe it's safe to say I Feel You Linger In The Air (IFYLITA) is the BEST Thai series of 2023 for me. Everything from story, plot, pacing, acting/cast, music, rewatch value. 10/10. IFYLITA deserves all the hype in the world and it was absolute worth the wait of over a year since the cast announcement back in March 2022, the actual production period spanning over 8 months from November 2022 to July 2023.STORY
Being transported back in time isn't an unfamiliar fantasy trope but this is the first time I've seen Dee Hup House pulled out all the stops for their production. Based on the popular novel "The Fragrance of Love" (หอมกลิ่นความรัก) by Violet Rain, IFYLITA tells the story of Jom finding the true destined love of his life in the most unexpected circumstance and after being heartbroken by a cheating ex. Even though I've been a fan of the novel, I think the series is outdoing the original work because it's been able to adapt the novel to fit with the pacing of a series without losing the spirit of the novel. The supporting characters who pretty much disappear by the time Khun Yai and Jom get together in the novel are all now given their own background stories and subplots. The team has done so much world building to create an immersive experience but still shows respect for the original work (especially the iconic dialogues between Khun Yai and Jom have been adapted exactly as is). So far, everything has been perfect. The drama in each episode just gets better and better as the plot starts to unfold for every single characters.
ACTING/CAST
Nonkul and Bright are absolutely phenomenal in their respective roles of Jom and Khun Yai. Nonkul has been playing mostly "alpha" brooding male roles in his more recent works so it was refreshing to see him in a completely new light as a shy, heartbroken, gay little architecture who just wants to find love. Bright is bringing Jane Austen Male Lead A-GAME for his FIRST ML ROLE EVER. You can tell Bright practiced a lot to portrayed Khun Yai as close to the novel as possible (the way Khun Yai walks with hands behind his back, his posture, him speaking in the different local dialect but at times speak in the dialect that Jom can understand...). From their acting alone,one could tell how much love Nonkul and Bright have for the original novel and the amount "homework", care and dedication they have to crafting their characters to be as close as possible. It is not easy to act with so little dialogues but their lingering gazes, the subtle touches, the micro-facial expressions... absolutely immaculate acting to make their characters come alive so vividly. I won't go into details about the supporting characters but I do want to point out how incredibly detailed the production team is in the casting to have everyone speaking in that old local dialect to accurately portray Chiangmai in 2023.
MUSIC
IFYLITA has some of the most beautiful OST songs. I love how every time Khun Yai and Jom has their cute, lovey dovey moment, the OST 'Jom Kwan' by Asia7 starts playing! The lyrics are so lovely because it's written from the perspective of the lovesick Khun Yai who's so endeared by Jom that I just melt into a puddle every time. As the Plumeria/Frangipani flower is a huge symbol of the show, I love that the most important moments are accompanied by the OST 'Plumeria' by Cocktail. In addition to the OST, the scoring and sound editing is excellent as well. IFYLITA has very dramatic score and I can honestly say some thrilling scenes are hard-carried by the horror-movie type score and sound effects.
REWATCH VALUE
I think I will come back to watch this series every year. It's the perfect series for autumn weather and it's one where you can fully immerse yourself to be transported back to Thailand in the 1920s. There's just so much cultural, historical lessons one can get from this series. IFYLITA feels really authentic and invested. Honestly speaking, IFYLITA is like the famous time-traveling Thai lakorn Love Destiny but make it BL, get rid of the CH3 lakorn editing and infinitely better cinematography. Like they are COUSINS to me.
PRODUCTION
Gorgeous, beautiful cinematography, color grading, brilliant writing. There are so many things to praise about the production of this series but if I had to choose one thing, it would be the excellent details of this production. Making this queer period series is an ambitious project for Dee Hup House. Nonkul mentioned in an interview that one of his biggest worries for this series was the visual effects because in order for this book to come alive, it would have to be much invested for everything to look nice and Dee Hup House DID IT! Every shot is dazzling, cinematic like watching a Netflix-level budgeted period series. Small details like props, outfits, cultural events are also paid great attention with a view to craft Thailand in 1927 as close as possible.
OVERALL
While IFYLITA is enjoying moderate popularity in Thailand, I still think it's an underrated gem for a queer series that deserves much more international recognition. I think anyone who is looking for a well produced, invested period series with two eye candy for the leads, should give I Feel You Linger In The Air a chance. If you're looking for a fast-paced, plot-driven queer series, IFYLITA may not be the series you're looking for but it is the perfect one if you're in need of a refreshing multiple queer romances plot with decent pacing and looking to be transported back to Thailand in 1920s with our protagonist, Jom.
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Scriptwriting at its best
The summary from Viki is not very accurate. The title could even make you think this is a contract relationship drama. This drama is really about mature, career-driven individuals trying to succeed in demanding jobs while keeping their values. The main couple is played by two amazing actors with great chemistry. What really sets this drama apart from others for me is the script. The characters deal with real world problems and have to decide what values they are going to stick to. There really are no evil characters. Everyone is trying to succeed at work and you get to see how that impacts others. There are similar issues in private life that are discussed. So much depth in the character growth from many of the characters! There is definitely romance and comedy, but this isn't really a romantic comedy. There is a lot of depth that for me makes this rise above all others I have watched this year. Don't miss out on this gem!Was this review helpful to you?
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