Reviews

Simply superb

I put off watching this drama when it was released because fantasy is not a genre I normally enjoy. I now regret waiting four years, this drama was outstanding.

When it was first released, the creator of the drama was reported as making comments that astounded me, and that have always stuck with me. They said that they created this drama specifically and explicitly for Ko Chia Yen. That is a remarkable tribute to her as an actor. I have heard of individual movies that were created with a particular actor in mind, films that the writer and/or director have said could not have been made without that specific person in that particular role, but I have never ever heard of a 15.5 hour runtime drama that was created specifically to give a vehicle to one particular actor. Having completed the drama, it makes perfect sense that the one particular actor was THIS actor.

Ko Chia Yen's performance was phenomenal. Not just in playing characters at different ages, but playing two completely different characters at different ages. Because of the nature of the storyline she was at times playing an unstable introverted teenager who was playing an outgoing adult who was playing as that unstable introverted teenager. Layers upon layers, and she nailed it every time.

Of course, as exceptional as her performance was, the drama would not have worked if she had been carrying substandard performances from the other leads. Hats off to all those involved in the casting of the other main roles. Greg Hsu and Patrick Shih rose to the challenge of their roles superbly. A special word of praise has to go to Patrick Shih. The layered, Inception-style nature of the storyline meant that his was a distinctive and different kind of a second male lead role, full of nuance and complexity. His delivery of the role was moving, conveying the pathos of the characters situation perfectly.

The romance at the heart of the drama also would not have worked had the casting been off. The on-screen chemistry between Ko Chia Yen and Greg was palpable. The brief little thank you BTS they hastily put together after the drama aired was a wonderful glimpse into the professionalism of all involved - Ko Chia Yen being bleeped out when she commented on having to refer to the six years younger Greg as "Li Zi Wei gege" was funny, but it was also a nice reminder that this was a performance by highly skilled and trained professionals who told a well-written story exceptionally well.

There were a couple of flaws that prevented this from getting a score of 10 from me. The first were the 'comic relief' characters featured prominently in the early episodes, especially Kun Bu. I felt sorry for the actor playing that character because the role was superfluous and tonally grating. It was interesting that her character was easier to take later in the drama when she was playing a younger version of herself, she was less clownish at 19-20 than 26-27.

The other and more significant flaw for me was the "big bad" arc. The deranged psychopath was a plot device to generate tension and danger for all four of the leads – both of Ko Chia Yen's characters, and the two male leads. However, I felt that it was unnecessary, or at the very least excessive and over-emphasised. It was obvious right from episode one that the biggest danger to Chen Run Yu was internal, not external. The stunning performance in the penultimate episode when Chen Run Yu and Huang Yu Xuang went head-to-head really demonstrated that. Their interactions showed that there was little need for a somewhat crudely cartoonish external villain to generate an existential threat, when Chen Run Yu carried the biggest threat inside herself.

The prominence given to that external villain seemed to be a nod to a tradition in Taiwanese dramas, the apparent need to include elements of Makjang. It also contributed to the drama suffering from a very common flaw with Taiwanese dramas, that of being longer than it needed to be. Reducing the prominence of the role given to the psychopathic villain and perhaps reducing or eliminating the comic relief roles could have shaved one whole episode of the drama and would have made it even better than it was.

A somewhat controversial opinion here – the ending was just a few seconds too long. At the VERY end of the Drama, the creative team made EXplicit what had been made IMplicit seconds earlier, and I thought was a bit of a shame. Ending with the child actor would have been absolutely PERFECT, imo. Less is more. A very minor niggle, though.

That it was a little longer than it needed to be made me think of the Korean remake, which is 25% shorter. It was the airing of the remake that prompted me to finally get around to watching the original. I wanted to watch the original before I watched the remake. Having been blown away by the original, I will not now be watching the remake.

I hope that all who do watch the remake enjoy it, and I'm sure that this will be especially true for those who have not seen the original, but there are two reasons why I think it is fundamentally impossible for the remake to match the original.

First, the casting. The fact that this drama was created specifically for one particular actor, who was obviously the very core of the entire drama from beginning to end, means that any remake is missing a certain something. When the remake was first announced, long before it was filmed, it got a black mark in my scorebook for the fact that they went out of their way to cast the male lead first. This was a drama that was created specifically for the FEMALE lead, she was the reason the show existed at all, the fact that the Korean production chose to prioritise the casting of the male lead said to me that they had missed the fundamental point of the show's existence.

The other reason why I don't think the remake could ever be considered as good as the original is simply that - the original was ORIGINAL. It was inventive and creative and put well used elements like time travel and love triangles and internal conflict together in ways that, at least in my 600 dramas, I've never seen. That creativity and originality is something that no remake could have. No matter how good any remake is, it's working with pre-existing material. The bulk of the really hard work has already been done. And, of course, no remake would have Ko Chia Yen in the role.

This drama reminded me why watching East Asian dramas has been a major hobby of mine for 10 years. When they are good they are very good, and few come better than this one. I hope others try it, and I really hope they try the original first.

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one of the best thai bl series this year!

I'm not typically a fan of historical BL series, but when I stumbled upon IFYLITA, I couldn't resist giving it a shot. And let me tell you, it didn't disappoint... AT ALL. This series offers a unique blend of suspense, intrigue, and the opportunity to connect the dots yourself (the way Jom connects the dots on his masterpieces called drawings), making it a thrilling experience from start to finish.

One of the standout features of this series is the setting. The portrayal of the countryside in the 1920s serves as a breath of fresh air compared to the urban settings we often see in BL series. Watching the serene environment can make you feel relaxed one minute, but it's the series' ability to make you shift between emotions that truly sets it apart. One moment, you're as calm as the peaceful countryside, the next you're seething with anger at the societal system (especially Ming's punishment), and the next you're genuinely concerned about the fate of the characters, especially Jom.

Unlike other series where you're primarily concerned about what happened in the past, IFYLITA ingeniously flips the script, leaving you wondering about what will happen in the future. It's a brilliant plot twist that keeps you engaged and invested in the storyline, don't ya think? Anyway, you'd know what I'm talking about when you see for yourself.

Perhaps it's because I'm a history enthusiast, but this series has rekindled my passion for the subject. While watching the show, I found myself frequently turning to my trusty Microsoft Bing tab to look up unfamiliar words and concepts. It's astonishing how, within just 33 hours of spaced-out watching, I learned so much about Thai history, even without the series explicitly teaching me. IFYLITA ignited my curiosity about the master-servant and peasant-elite relationships in 1920s Thailand, prompting me to delve deeper into that period. Why am I today years old learning that Bangkok wasn't the capital of Siam back in the day???

As for the series itself, it holds so much untapped potential that I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing unravel in the upcoming episodes. For now, I can confidently recommend IFYLITA to any BL fan who's in need of a refreshing break from the typical city-life BL series we're accustomed to. It's a captivating journey through history that will leave you craving more, and I can't wait to see where the story takes us next and what James has up his sleeves to woo Khun Yai's man.

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an enchanted, lavender, and heartfelt love story.

I must admit that I'm not typically a fan of historical BL series, but when I stumbled upon IFYLITA, I couldn't resist giving it a shot. And let me tell you, it didn't disappoint... AT ALL. This series offers a unique blend of suspense, intrigue, and the opportunity to connect the dots yourself (the way Jom connects the dots to his masterpieces called drawings), making it a thrilling experience from start to finish.

One of the standout features of this series is the setting. The portrayal of the countryside in the 1920s serves as a breath of fresh air compared to the urban settings we often see in BL series. Watching the serene environment can make you feel relaxed one minute, but it's the series' ability to make you shift between emotions that truly sets it apart. One moment, you're as calm as the peaceful countryside, the next you're seething with anger at the societal system (especially those punishments), and the next you're genuinely concerned about the fate of the characters, especially Jom.

Unlike other series where you're primarily concerned about what happened in the past, IFYLITA ingeniously flips the script, leaving you wondering about what will happen in the future. It's a brilliant plot twist that keeps you engaged and invested in the storyline, don't ya think? Anyway, you'd know what I'm talking about when you see for yourself.

Perhaps it's because I'm a history enthusiast, but this series has rekindled my passion for the subject. While watching the show, I found myself frequently turning to my trusty Microsoft Bing tab to look up unfamiliar words and concepts. It's astonishing how, within just 33 hours of spaced-out watching, I learned so much about Thai history, even without the series explicitly teaching me. IFYLITA ignited my curiosity about the master-servant and peasant-elite relationships in 1920s Thailand, prompting me to delve deeper into that period. Why am I today years old learning that Bangkok wasn't the capital of Siam back in the day???

As for the series itself, it holds so much untapped potential that I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing unravel in the upcoming episodes. For now, I can confidently recommend IFYLITA to any BL fan who's in need of a refreshing break from the typical city-life BL series we're accustomed to. It's a captivating journey through history that will leave you craving more, and I can't wait to witness how it all ends, as I can barely see the end of the tunnel via a lavender haze. Each episode lifts my fearful feet higher to the next step in the haunted house of my mind (similar to the one in this show lol), and watching it at night in my dimly lit room adds to the eeriness I feel concerning the future of my loved couples. That's how good this show is. But, before I leave, I wanna scream "f*** you, Robert!!!"

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. :)

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BWH&H 9: Unexpected Redemption

You don't hear much about this one, which is both surprising and not. For one, it's the only movie in the series (not including the 2000s duology) that wasn't officially brought over for English audiences, so it's not like a lot of people have seen it. However, it's a lot better than what I've read.

We only have 2 old cast members this time (and for the first time, no Bunta either), and all new characters. It follows 3 friends with different loyalties, and spins out of control as it gets going. At over 2 hrs, this is the longest one yet, and the first 40 mins are pretty slow. It gets pretty good from there though, if a tad predictable at times. It has a very different feel from the previous 8 films, having different crews and music for the tone, so don't expect it to feel like the same series. That said, I feel that's exactly what it needed that the New Battles trilogy was lacking.

It's kind of sad that this hasn't been given the love it deserves, and I hope Arrow eventually brings it over to us. I'd love to have it in my collection, especially as it washes away the bad taste left in my mouth from the previous film. All in all, not a bad way to finish off the series, even if it is almost entirely unrelated.

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Déja vu... but fun!

This is basically a lesser iteration of Water Boys.
Same concept, similar arch story, the new guy at high-school, sports, the underdong team, a little bit of teen romance, some comedy, even the soundtrack bears a resemblance.
The clichés are all taken to the nth degree. The kids yelling, talking to each other 100mts apart, everybody is against them, the cringe factor of some scenes and the exacerbated melodrama.
And yet, I had some fun. Sometimes I need one of these feelgood teen sports comedy romance j-dorama.
Water Boys will always be one of the best in this genre, though :)

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A Beautiful & Tragic Gem

as someone who watched wuliang first, this made my heart ache. this short film revolving around Xiao Wei, Pei Rong and Wang Sheng makes you question, 'where does love come from?' 'how does love come to be?' or 'who loves who?'

with a stunning production and amazing cast, this short film definitely HITS you in the right spots. you will feel the pain the characters felt, the love they felt and the confusion xiao wei felt. i haven't watched the original but this remake really nailed it. there was something absolutely ethereal and haunting about the story.

xiao wei was a very interesting character because he is morally grey. he couldn't understand what he was truly feeling so for him to have 'emotional' connection to the husband and wife took a wild turn for all the characters.

overall, this was yet another amazing short film. i can find myself watching this again because there was so much that happened in just 31 minutes that i need time to process. my one advice would be to watch this before you watch wuliang to avoid feeling an empty void in your heart.

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Started out good, but fell flat

I am writing a harsh review because I was disappointed in so many aspects of this show

First & foremost - I am REALLY fed up with BL Stories where you can outright see the couple cannot do anything but stare into each other's eyes!!! Please, Please if you watch BL because you like the interactions between the couples, do not rate this show as being good! It's not ok to use actors who won't do more than act like cuddly kittens!! Four handsome (cute) actors, but honestly, I just couldn't get past the feeling they did not really want to be together!

The story started out with a good premise, and continued through most episodes, then falls flat and by the last episode - it should not have even existed!

Some of the acting is weak (fight scenes), and some of the acting was over the top (the father)
While the OST was good, it definitely did not fit the show, especially the last episode - yuck!

I had high hopes for this series, but I was left feeling disappointed

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What are you waiting for ?? Go watch this show !!!

One of the drama where the plot twists are INSANE. I was in tense in every single episodes wondering WHAT WILL HAPPEN, and HOW WILL THEY SURVIVE THIS TIME ?
Jung Hae In is amazing... he can't never disappoint me... I love him so much in this show, how can he be so versatile ?
I can't give 10/10 because the romance was a bit slow for me , and the FL was a little ... childish ?
Also, something it felt like the story was repeated and repeated , like I had alrealy lived the same scenes some episodes before
But.. thank you for this show, one of my favorite from now on <3

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It's a cute show, but that is it. Weak writing and a repetitive plot.

Score: 7.5/10, (+0.5 for chemistry and cuteness)

The greatest strengths of this show are chemistry among the cast and cuteness. Both Sho - Takuya, Tomoya-Inaba passed chemistry classes. Their interactions are very natural and there are a lot of heartfelt moments in the show. Acting skills are good as well, and I've seen an improvement in Takuya's acting.
Now let's talk about its weaknesses. I'm holding a lot of grudge with the writing of this show. "Are we going back to square 1?". And well, we definitely did. Compared to season 1, season 2 barely added anything new, it's like one step forward, one step back, and for ep 11, it's three steps back. Their love definitely sparked on the beach scene in ep 12 season 1, but season 2 flipped the show all over. I did expected more development in their love story or at least some character development, not just copying the same format of season 1 and pasting to another 12 eps. It's a season 1 ver 2.0.
But ofc that's not what i hate most. It's character development. The writer turned Shin - a well-mannered boy who's holding his affection towards his crush for 10 years, into a toxic pushy boyfriend with control behaviors. He left Minato's no personal space or time to think. He kept pushing forward to the point it feels so awkward and exaggerated. He behaved badly with teacher and he hates everyone coming close to Minato. Shin in ss1 was my fav but Shin in ss2 , idk him, it's not him at all.
Then there's the "selective memory loss trope" when all the logics went home. Where's Shin's phone? Why Shin is living with "a kind uncle" who keeps visiting him at the hosiptal? They have the same logical problem with Jack Frost and Minato did the same thing as Fumiya - hiding the truth no matter what and made others to help him hide it. He thinks it's good for Shin bc Shin may feel weird to forget his bf but he didn't think about what if Shin knows he is the only one who doesn't know anything. Well, adding selective memory loss trope is obsolete, unlogical, and unneccessary here. We know Shin will finally retrieve his memory but at what cost.
Overall, it's a cute show, but that is it. So much potential is wasted due to weak writing and a repetitive plot.

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Everything's good.

Apparently its one of the rarest K dramas ever. Everything is good here, acting, cast, music, story, character development, you name it. tbh, I have no idea how did korea come up with this, because you see, these losers are known for making flowerboy garbage romantic stories all the time so THIS one is a complete refresher and I never expected such a show from korea.

Yes it has gore/blood in it. this show was a solid 8/10 then when I saw the ending I realized its 9/10 because the ending is utterly satisfying and just like how its supposed to be. Its a supernatural story and has romance in it too.

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Great chemistry between the leads with engaging plot and enemies to lovers vibes

This short length drama tells the story of a CEO (male lead) and a new worker (female lead) who after a drunken one night stand have to pretend to be engaged for three months.

POSITIVE:
- great chemistry between the leads
- sexy and real kiss scenes (and more)
- cute romance and nice comedy
- cool small plot twists
- bad characters are punished well
- enemies to lovers trope (my favourite)
- engaging plot
- happy ending

NEGATIVE:
- rushed but happy ending. However the last few minutes opens the potential for a second season. Even though the story is finished there is a small bit of it that is not answered. It's not really a big deal but it can make the drama feel unfinished for some viewers.

I highly recommend this drama for hopeless romantics who love enemies to lovers with fake dating tropes.

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NOT for under 35 years old (in the west!)

This was funny fluffy & cute and I want more!

The main couple in this drama is probably getting the extremely negative reaction in every western country (like mine!) under the rule of diversity, equality, feminism and cancellations. I can hear the voices screaming in outrage: grooming, trauma inducing, age gap! How dare they? Followed by collective cancellation campaign for the whole cast and crew!

I loved it! The story of Takane, a 26yr old heir to a conglomerate and Hana, a 16yr old highschoolgirl. Takane is brash, rude, arrogant while Hana is smart, insightful, strong and brave. The repeatedly clash and Takane is won over by her disdainful attitude towards his wealth. They bicker constantly and it is so much fun to watch. Takane's real personality comes out: kind, generous and sweet!

I do appreciate different, original and unorthodox stories: this one was more than I expected.

The only problem I had with it is the cinematography: everything is ugly here from the weather to the clothes to the sets.

The story seems to have a sequel: it is like they did not use all of the manga because even though it is a kind of a happy ending for the couple, there are many issues that have not been resolved and certain characters have been left hanging!

Thank you Japan for being still open minded, for breaking taboos, for not submitting to the present asepticized rules of engagement which rule the relationships in the West (i.e. Europe, UK, USA and Canada). These rules are ruining western entertainment: I can count on the fingers of ONE hand the western shows I have seen in the past 3 and a half years since I discovered asian dramas. The blandness and the extreme political correctness are disastrous.

That is why I would recommend this drama ONLY to people 35 and older, people who remember what entertainment industry in the west used to be!

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Older sapphic women deserves their stories to be shown on screen

I have been excited about Gagaoolala as a platform since I discovered it in 2020 when it wasn't even really available internationally and you needed a local number. Since then, they have opened internationally and I keep saying I should get a VIP account, but I am a PhD student and time not something I have in enough quantity to justify the cost. Which is why I was very happy when I got reminded about the fact that Gaga is making part of his catalogue free to watch every week. Encore Martha was part of the free release for this week and I could sit down for the less than 30 min it takes to watch it.
I have been trying to watch more queer Taiwanese productions recently and I am always on the lookout for good sapphic short films so it truly felt like the stars had aligned when I heard about it.

Starting with the story itself and as stated in the summary, this story is about two older women which is rare enough to be mentioned. I do love stories about teenagers and young adults as much as the next person, as someone in their late 20s, I do like seeing myself represented on screen. But representation, especially when it comes to queer representation needs to show everyone, including older people, both so that everyone can see themselves represented on screen, but also so that younger people can see a potential for their future (I'd say that it is also important for straight people to see it, but let's be real, this is an original production from Gagaoolala, the vast vast vast majority of the viewers are going to be queer). By only having young queer adults on screen, it can be difficult to project yourself in the future. But having characters of a different generation can also enable different themes to be explored. The path to acceptance in our societies is still long, even here in Sweden where it is very normalised. It was even more so 30 years ago when the main characters in this short film left each other as 20-somethings young women because society and families were not as accepting.

This story is about reconnecting after what feels like a lifetime ago and asking yourself once more "What is it that I want? Am I allowed to want this?" The same questions and the same fear that plagued this relationship 30 years ago are back, but society has changed, the adult children of today are not the grandparents of yesterday. Also special mention to the fact that one of the two main characters is a butch lesbian, we stan.
In a way because it is so short (it is after all the format) and while it does answer enough question to feel satisfying, it still feels like something is missing, like something more is needed (when can we get a drama with older sapphic women with flashbacks and enough episodes to fully develop their story??). Still it manages to ask a lot of good questions on self-acceptance, what we want out of life, our relationship to our families.

On the production side, the cinematography, the editing, and the general directing is very good (as expected from that kind of productions from Taiwan) and the theme song is both nice to listen to and meaningful for the story. The actresses are furthermore very good and really sell the story, which is good as the format means their acting is essential to developing what cannot be developed in the script and story itself.

All in all, I am very glad I took that half an hour to watch Encore Martha and I would encourage you to do the same.

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Hot chemistry between the leads, passionate kisses, engaging plot with suspense

This short length drama tells the story of a rich heirless (female lead) who's life turns upside down after her father's death. Her bodyguard (male lead) is there to protect her and yet he also hides many secrets of the past. Was her father's death an accident or a murder?

POSITIVE:
- real and hot kiss scenes (and more)
- suspense vibes
- engaging plot
- 100% binge-worthy
- well developed characters (for such a short drama)
- great villain that plays the bad guy really well
- hot chemistry between the leads
- no fillers, no boring parts
- happy ending

NEGATIVE:
None!!!

I highly recommend it for everyone that wants to watch sexy romance with mafia vibes.

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Not the best dorama out there

I have watched over 80 J-dramas and this is the worst I've seen.
It can be entertaining but its only audience target is still delusional teenage girls (I say delusional in the sense of naive). None of it feels real or relatable.
Production wise I think it's average.
But plot wise, I know it was a manga before, but I felt disturbed with so many imoral things presented. The incest theme and, the worst for me, the teacher interest in the main protagonist.
I don't recommend watching it, but if you want to risk it, go ahead. You can laugh of cringiness in so many moments.
It seems the movie is a tad better.

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