Reviews

Bad start but get's better

Sometimes you will see a cover and instantly know that this is just not for you.... but then you may look a bit closer and find out that Greg Hsu is the star and all of a sudden you just have to watch it for that smile.... But deep down inside you know that Greg is probably the only thing this movie has to offer.

And well it started off just like it´s cover suggested, annoyingly bad silly humour... Greg Hsu as a homophobic over the top jerk (with muscles) slightly painful to watch second hand embarrassment making me rethink my choice to watch it, but since Greg Hsu is the star and they trowed in a bunch of open minded granny's I stuck to it and it actually got better. Showing me yet again the Greg is a versatile actor (having like 10 personalities in this) and more then just a pretty face. The other male lead did a really good job too. Some twists where more predictable than others, actually most of them where predictable. the character development was however lovely and I think I may almost have shed a tear.

So I am not going to say this is great, but if you are a Fan of Greg Hsu or ghosts, this is not a bad place to watch them just don´t judge the movie by its cover or first 30 minutes or so. It does indeed get better. But honestly it is probably worth a 6,5 or a 7 but the cast and moments of brilliance (few as they are), as well as the presence of a cute dog truly adds a whole lot of stars.

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3 Amigos in Moving Lotus Tower Solve Mysteries & Bring Justice to Jianghu

10 years can change a person completely or it can keep someone exactly the same. This series was very well written and I'm very glad to have watched it. So much so, that it's hard to move on from honestly. I don't follow any of the actors from this one though I have previously seen both Joseph and XSY in other series, first time watching Cheng Yi. This show came very close to getting a perfect score if it wasn't for a few things that I couldn't get over. Overall, the 3 Amigos in the moving lotus tower that solve mysteries and bring justice to Jianghu were impossible to resist.

Pros: The storyline and you're always wondering whodunnit. Favorite characters were the 3 amigos (with FDB only once he grew up and matured). When the three of them were together especially during DFS's memory loss, had to be the best both because of the comedy and their interactions; who could forget the constant calls for "Ah Fei".

Let's talk about how the plot went from LLH trying to find his senior's body as it was his only reason for living to finding out that said senior was still alive and the biggest antagonist of them all with only the Saintess as number two. The heartbreak LLH faced each time something new about the past came out and how as LXY he had missed understanding the fundamentals as he was still very young. The agony of suffering from the Bicha poison each time he over used his inner power. For 10 years he used it very little and therefore was able to control it but in that last year when finally on the path to the truth, brought him agonizing pain. Cheng Yi did a fantastic job as both the suffering man and one that could lie through his teeth with a straight face that had the audience laughing and shaking their heads each time dumbass young FDB would fall for it; while DFS would just walk away basically saying "you're full of shit." He was whip smart and often steps ahead of everyone, being able to tell who the murderer of a particular case was as they got closer to the real truths as each case was tied with the next one. He was able to unveil that the supposed spy amongst the Segu sect, really was working behind enemy lines for over 10 years. He made peace with his impending demise and wanted everyone around him to do the same.

DFS was a great morally gray character; because of his upbringing his first instinct was to kill but overall he ran by the Jianghu code of ethics. He didn't kill women except Saintess at the end but she deserved it. He wanted to fight LXY fair and square but neither got that 10 years ago because of all the people pulling the strings behind the scenes. When he had that Rama Vessel thing, first thing he did was cure himself of mind control, then return to Di fortress, destroy his childhood captor/Shifu and free the current kids under that freak's control.

FDB lands both in the pros and cons for me. I like the older him way better. Because of his caring nature towards LLH and his ability to be the detective everyone wanted to see and being able to explain things and speak like an adult and the funny relationship with Ah Fei. The older FDB was a much better version that Joseph did well. No matter what, he was the one that always had LLH's back and he was a very quick study of anything martial arts or technique related; dude was like a sponge.

The two antagonists or Saintess and SGD were very ruthless and both of everything they did was exactly what you wanted to see in antagonists up until the end and that will be explained below. Still, SGD had to be more ruthless as he killed a child 10 years before just to get his hands on some armor.

Most of the support especially the MVP of the show or Foxy Spirit, LLH's dog were for the most part well placed and really did a good job for as long as they needed to be there. The Sigu sect was a bit behind mentally on a lot of things and it was full of spies; it's like it got stuck 10 years ago and never went anywhere. If I had to choose the next sect leader, it would definitely be Shi Shu as she was always on top of things and didn't jump to conclusions like everyone else.

The martial arts scenes were top notch. Starting from the first episode, onwards, whether actual battles or just LLH dancing with his sword to express whatever emotions he was feeling were very well choreographed and done. You could tell each actor put his everything into it. When martial arts scenes were very well executed, it just elevated a wuxia for me. I'm also very glad they sidestepped romance in this one; there were undertones and we all braced for them but thankfully in every case it was quickly let go of. These types of dramas just don't need that in the slightest.

I like the open ending but wish the extra part one was actually added to 40 as it would have made a lot more sense because otherwise the ending of actual 40 seemed rushed and incomplete. But it's a lot better than them all finding him dead on a road somewhere or floating in a river. OSTs, costumes, sets, CGI were all on point.

Cons: Not very many of these but I'd have to say FDB got on my ever loving nerves in the beginning and it took quite a while before he grew up. Acting like a brat and throwing adult sized tantrums at LLH and in general actually made me happy when LLH just left him at the side of the road multiple times. He was insufferable. I really wished they matured him a lot faster.

Also many of the Segu sect members basically had no voices they just stood there like statues to make up space and said maybe 5 lines the entire time. The character of Zijin and his jealousy was so extra and unnecessary; he didn't understand anything even until the end. Every time he opened his mouth, you just rolled your eyes and prayed he'd get off screen faster. Ah Mian--while I understand her necessity as LXY's old flame and all that and her taking charge of the sect towards the end away from the jealous and unnecessary Zijin--why was she always in tears? She reminded me of the cartoon character Droopy as her eyes were always swollen, red, and teary even when she was fighting at the end. The fact that none of them could tell that LLH was LXY though they knew him best even with half a mask or no mask was laughable. His face hadn't changed, just his hairstyle and clothing. Same went for DFS, his own people couldn't tell it was him with half a mask? Really unbelievable. Plus knowing how deadly LXY's poison was, they believed him when he said he could cure it? Like how? Those were the first plot holes I noticed.

The other plot hole was during that last showdown, where did LXY and SGD's Master's wife come from? If she knew the secret of LXY's origins this entire time, why not tell him? How did she know where to find them? And it had to happen when both sides were stumped. It was way too obvious and put a bit of a damper in a great momentum building episode. Now though I liked both SGD and Saintess as the main antagonists; their ruthlessness took a plummet when they both started to get overly delusional towards the end and let out that nails on chalkboard Halloween store witch prop cackle. It absolutely ruins every antagonist it touches; laughing evilly doesn't have to sound like that. Both did it numerous times and that's another reason this drama just couldn't have that perfect score.

Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. I'm notoriously picky with dramas, so what I view as cons, may be nonsensical for others. The show itself is really great and I enjoyed it very much. I think if you like wuxia and mysteries, this is the drama for you.

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Zhang Wan Yi as Chang Xuan is superb

This drama has an unusual romantic plot among all C-costume dramas I have watched.

The story is about Chang Xuan and his journey to find and protect the only love of his life, his cousin sister, Xiao Yao. A promise he made to his paternal aunt, Xiao Yao's mother, before she went to war to fight against Qi Yo/ Chi Chen, Xiao Yao's biological father.

In order to meet his objective, he must win the throne from his ailing paternal grandfather, King of Xiyan.

Chang Xuan's journey to the throne isn't smooth: he has to plot, manipulate, strategise, compromise and sacrifice his own happiness for his only objective ie. Xiao Yao must be protected at all cost. However, he is also faced with romantic competitions from other males for Xiao Yao's hand of marriage such as Tushan Jing, Chi Sui Feng Long and Fang Feng Bei.

Will he succeed in protecting Xiao Yao and be with her and love her forever like they promised to each other when they were little? Viewers are to watch and find it out themselves before reading the novel.

Zhang Wan Yi's portrayal as Chang Xuan is flawlessly effortless. When he yearns for Xiao Yao, his audience feel the same emotion and weep for him. He dominates the stage with his acting when he is present in the room. A talented actor.

I've seen another drama, The Bond (2021) with him as one of the leads. Although his screen times are shorter compared to other leads, his are still the best.

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i LOVE it so far

i watch bl and kdramas very often so i have some standards but i love this so far. i love office/school based romance so this is perfect. i can’t remember the last time i felt butterflies like i did with this show. the flirting seems so natural. also it’s not uncomfortable like a lot of shows, e.g. when the other person is pushing away or is obviously not comfortable. i can’t wait for the new episodes to come out. the only reason i didn’t put 10 for everything is because only a few episodes are out and i hope it’ll get even better! the cast are also gorgeous 😭

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Awesome

I have watched ep 1-4 so far and really hope for more! The acting was great, the special effects on top, the plot thrilling.
The only thing I have to criticise is that I felt the plot rush in some situations. I would have liked it if some scenes had been expanded a bit, to make the storyline more understandable and give the viewer more chances to relate with the different characters and their relation to one another. I know it was supposed to create suspense and mystery, but some aspects had not been covered and left the viewer with open questions. I really hope there will be more.

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Please

I cried so hard I couldn't breathe. Both the acting and cinematography are great. Just watch it.

I wasn't expecting much of it, and after watching the trailer on Netflix I thought it was gonna be an overall pretty funny movie with some sad bits. I'd still say some scenes are funny, and I wouldn't say the movie was really sad because as I finished it it's not the impression it left on me. But there was so much regret shown, and yet so much love, it was beautiful and it absolutely destroyed me. After the end of the movie, I stared at my ceiling in silence for a whole 10 minutes. I'm so happy I watched it, I just hope you give it a try too :')

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A buddy cop movie with an atypical ghost element

This buddy cop movie is quite atypical as it features a fantastical element with this very interesting concept of "ghost marriage". It contains a lot of the usual elements of such movie with the investigation, the buddying up between 2 very different individuals as well as the comedic aspects but the LGBTQ+ topic approached in addition with the fantastical twist bring some freshness to the genre.

It is quite light and does not take itself very seriously, it has almost a parodic vibe. This makes it an overall fun watch which could have been even better with a tighter writing and a better pacing. The acting is quite good: I was more convinced by the comedic scenes than by the emotional ones...Still, I'm quite certain that it is more related to the script being a bit bonkers at times as well as the filmmaking a bit over-the-top than to the actors themselves.

The music did not leave a lasting impression on me and I'm not sure I will necessarily re-watch the movie but I had a good time watching it for sure.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a comedy with an interesting premise and like buddy cop movies. It is not very memorable, nor very deep, gritty or dark but it is quite entertaining and fun, which is sometimes just what you need.

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The most PERFECT enemies to lovers ??

I loved the whole thing, I hesitated to watch it a lot but I must say it was definitely worth the watch! An absolute masterpiece! Truly enjoyed every second and it has an amazing insight about the misunderstandings in relationships and how communication is key. And the acting was extraordinary with great chemistry! It's a very very very very happy ending for everyone! Ahh that last episode was sooo good I loved it! Absolutely loved it! The music too was sooo good! The cast smashed it! Overall fantastic enemies to lovers rom-com with the cutest bickering and sweetest romance 👩‍🎓🧑‍🎨🎥❤️💔❣️

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"A lotus will only grow in the mud"

Kurosawa Akira made his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata in 1943. Set in the Meiji era, the story followed brash young fighter Sanshiro Sugata as he learned about judo and himself. Though the plot was quite simple, Sanshiro's journey from thoughtless bully to thoughtful fighter was appealing to watch. (The film lost seventeen minutes of footage after it was cut by the Japanese censors deemed some scenes not appropriate for wartime viewing.)

Sanshiro comes to town in order to learn more about jiu-jitsu. He wanders into a dojo just in time to hear the members deciding to mete out punishment to a rival instructor who is teaching a new version of jiu-jitsu called judo. Sanshiro asks if it's an ambush. "Ambush? It's just a match without a referee." And one where the opponents greatly outnumber the unsuspecting teacher. Sanshiro watches in fascination as Sensei Yano throws the half-dozen men attacking him into the river. Sanshiro quickly changes his mind and decides to train in judo instead. Initially, the young fighter takes every opportunity in town to become involved in a fight to test his abilities. After Yano tells him he knows nothing about humanity and that teaching him would be like "putting a knife in a lunatic's hand", Sanshiro attempts to prove his loyalty and worth by spending the night in a mucky lotus pond. When a flower blooms from the mire, he gains a revelation about life and himself. Much of the rest of the film entails Sanshiro competing against other opponents on his path toward growth as a person and in judo. He develops feelings for an opponent's daughter which complicates matters when he has to face her father in a competition.

Whether or not they were realistic, the fights were engaging. Each match engendered personal progress in Sanshiro. The best fight was Yano's against the rival school's ambush. With a quiet confidence Yano defeated his foes in a humorous manner. The most emotional fight was Sanshiro's contest with Shimura Takashi's Murai, who had fallen away from his practice and was no match for the younger fighter. The older man was gracious and let Sanshiro know they were not enemies which stirred more self-improvement in the young man. The climactic clash against the film's villain, Higaki, reminded me of a samurai duel the way they circled and sized each other up. One man found enlightenment through a flower, the other used one as an ashtray. Without Yano's guidance Sanshiro might have ended up like the arrogant Higaki. The last confrontation was where it truly looked like a Kurosawa film with the wind bending the tall grasses and clouds racing across the sky.

This may not have been Kurosawa's most emotionally or narratively complex film but it had a compelling hero's journey as Sanshiro learned the spiritual aspects of his practice and in life. He grew as a man and as a fighter under the guidance of his wise sensei. Unlike so many of Kurosawa's later heroes who were forced into isolation during their emotional crucibles, Sanshiro remained devoted to his sensei and gained friends from former opponents. I found Sanshiro Sugata to be an entertaining film, even in its shortened version.

8/11/23
Edit: I read there is a DVD version available that was able to include the missing minutes.

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Beautiful ode to second chances

Beautiful. Well done to Krist and Gawin for a job well done. Gawin ended up being the perfect choice to play Pisaeng. Like many others, I was initially disappointed that Mike had been switched but now I am glad they went with that direction. The story was cute, the supernatural aspects made it all magical and I love how the story came full circle. The chemistry was amazing and they looked so good together. I had fun with this one and absolutely loved both main characters as well as the side characters.

The story encapsulates second chances and I hope this extends to giving the actors themselves a second chance. We all need to set aside our preconceived notions about them.

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the best bl drama in 2023.

I’m from a country where discrimination against the LGBT community is rife, and even though queer people aren’t exposed to lifelong imprisonment or banishment, they face lots of troubles here and are forced to get psychiatric treatment. They don’t have a chance to demonstrate, celebrate Pride Month, in brief, they don’t have a right to exist here at all.
This is not the first time I see Pride Parade or any manifestation of Pride Month celebration in Thai dramas, Nevertheless,some queer people in Thailand are still afraid to come out, because society can be judgemental, people won’t accept it. This causes self-escapism. Some people are scared of who they are and reluctant to admit their sexuality. But I’m so glad they can go public and at least holds each others hands. At times I ask myself “What If it happened in my country, where some people are ready to kill for being gay? It’s outrageous, especially when I realise that those murderers claim that they’re righteous in word and in deed, and they just were punishing the wicked?” Punishing. For love. That’s the most heinous act I can ever think of.
That’s what Piseang’s storyline was about, and it is magnificent! He married Pear according to their parents will. On top of that he couldn’t accept his sexuality, and that marriage was a hopless attempt to steer clear of who he really was. The way his emotions, feelings and thoughts were depicted in his eyes when he was standing in front of the Gay Bar and couldn’t go inside is just captivating! Absolutely loved it! Our surroundings will never accepts us, if we don’t accepts ourselves first. Sometimes after self-acceptance we stop giving a fuck of what other people may think. Nonetheless, parental support is essential and I liked the scene when Piseang was crying when he felt like his mother wasn’t okay with his choice.
Some things would never change and indeed, doesn’t matter how powerful we are to control the time, some things will always stay beyond our authority. I liked the notion, really! This drama was also about taking risks. Nothing ventured, noting gained. It was impossible for Kawi to save his father’s life, but at least they bit the bullet and did the surgery. Leaving this life with no regrets, especially for the things we left undone, right?
It was about living in the now. I liked it when Kawi stopped using the ball when he got together with Piseang and forgot about travelling to the future. He decided to go with the flow, because finally he was happy with the person he loved.
In truth, I thought I had a lot to say, but I stuck here. This journey was amazing. Color patterns and overall cinematography were breathtaking, GMMTV’s plots have improved recently!
I haven’t watched SOTUS yet I don’t know how it feels like to see Krist with Gawin, when people used to pair him up with Singto, but I liked them!
I really liked Pear. Her storyline was compelling. Her character was unusally reasonable and unique compared to some other girl characters we had in Thai bl dramas. I liked it when she stayed level-headed and accepted the fact that Piseang didn’t have feelings for her. She was mature enough to set boundaries with people who surrounded her and never actually offend them (She didn’t accept Kawis feelings, made it clear for him that she couldn’t be more than a friend. She did the same with Not). Furthermore, she was never full of herself, although she knew that so many boys had an eye on her.
I was afraid that Piseang’s and Pear’s parents would try to marry them because of the close-knit relationships their families had, but, fortunately, we didn’t have to go through this unnecessary drama, which is a cliche actually.
Its significant that the crystal ball’s power ran off when they were reassured once again that the only right decision was staying together, just like Kawi said “Being his and belonging one another is the only true decision”.
Also I liked it when Piseang didn’t have any other answer for “Why do you love someone like me?” besides “You’re cute”. NARAAK MAAAAK.
its such a bummer that I lack words to describe something I really like, so I will just say khawp khun maak maak for BMF!

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A clumsy love hidden by miscommunication and misunderstanding portrayed by peak acting and directing

Yes, there is love.
As I read up to Chapter 5/6 of the manga, I can assure you all they both love each other. But they have their tiny miscommunication and misunderstanding. There are reasons for both Mizuki's tyrant behaviour and Yoh's upset mood. I don't want to say more because it is a spoiler but you guys can rest assure, they will figure this out themselves and Mizuki will prove that he is a good husband - Yes, husband. Not boyfriend or slave-owner.

The pilot is solid with good acting skills and chemistry from the cast. If you look carefully, Kouhei really pays attention to a portray a double-sided character: changing his voice tones, facial expressions and body language. Atsuki is cute and also have diverse expressions, we can see his frustration, doubts, suffering and even tiny panting when they do it. Kouhei and Atsuki are not playing at all - they are eating!

About directing, we can enjoy this drama as Director Ayaka from OFC , Director Shinju from Jack Frost and Director Emi are doing their best in adapting a smut manga into something watchable for the public while still keep the goodness of the orginal story. The OP and ED video are made by Director Emi and they are pretty. The OP song Traumerei is good but the OP song Nostalgia is the real MVP here because of its upbeat melody with meaningful lyrics tailored to the story.

Rewatch values is 10/10 for me because I lowkey watched it 5 times already.

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enjoy the life

I think this is one of the bls or maybe the bl with the best writing on gmmtv, I'm impressed with the writing, normally shows about time travel always tend to complicate the story too much that end with plot holes, but this series handles it perfectly simple but effective, the romance has an organic and genuine development, the secondary characters have their own personality and their own development with their own problems, the way of addressing sexuality and the community was beautifully done, the message of the series about enjoy the life makes my heart soft.

In general, I don't have any criticism. maybe the OST could have been better, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't like it.

def one of my favorite bls overall.

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Wasted potential

It had a great potential. A good idea turned into a boring pile. Actually, the first 5 episodes were really good. I loved the idea; 10 days before the world ends, one couple is falling in love with each other, and the other couple is trying to kill them... It sounds so good, but the finished work was not that good. Like I said, wasted potential.

THE STORY: The first couple, Golf and Art, met in a very unusual way. Golf literally hit him over the head with a guitar and then left the guitar in his room for THE WHOLE SHOW! What a psychopath. And he was supposed to be a doctor? Thank God the world ended before he had a chance to treat someone, lol. I don't believe they fell in love, I just can't. They had no chemistry!

CHARACTERS: They meet up with some interesting people while Golf is waiting for his brother to come back from prison. One morning, Golf dissapears (because that's a great thing to do if you're the only two people in the building) and leaves a note for Art to meet up with him on the rooftop. So Art goes there and has a "beautiful" breakfast on the rooftop with Golf in his SUIT and SUNGLASSES (he looked really funny). They were enjoying some expired sausages until someone else appeared on the rooftop with them... Hooray, it's the best actress in this show! I hope she won't die any time soon! I can't remember her name, but yeah, she was a good character.

But let's talk about someone who I totally loved. The gang that tried to kill our main group: Mike (dead in 3 minutes, lol), Joke, Long, and Long's sister. I absolutely loved Joke and Long. BL series always focuses on the uwu couples and never on the psycho couples (not counting TharnType). It's such a shame. They were awesome!!! Amazing chemistry, good schmex scenes... They were perfect. But then they fricking died!!!!!! I was so angry. What the hell.

ILLOGICAL THINGS: Welcome to a special part of my review where I'll share with you a list of illogical things that happened in the show. #1: Starting off strong, why is everyone doing it in the morning? Why not in the evening? That's only a start. #2: The biggest illogical thing was... the moon! I ain't no physicist, but it kinda doesn't make sense. A) GRAVITATION - the moon just can't fall on us. B) WHERE are all these bunkers? In the space? IF the moon will destroy everything on Earth, where are the people who took shelter? IF it was a small asteroid, it would make sense to take shelter somewhere on Earth, somewhere that the asteroid wouldn't fall, but the whole moon? What? WHERE ARE THEY? #3: How did the gang hear the gunshot if they weren't in the same building? #4: Why did Art marry a man who tried to kill him? #5: How did the psycho couple find the main couple so quickly? Yeah, I know Art left the ID there, but they took the same path as them. That's a big coincidence. #6: Yo, what? It was all a dream?

Overall, it was a very boring experience. I almost fell asleep once and then got woken up by a loud jumpscare. It could've been a lot better. Shame, shame...

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