Reviews

Interesting glimpse to a rather niche occupation but story development could be better

I watched this solely for Sugino, but I wouldn’t say this is his best performance especially coming from Barakamon. But it’s not completely his fault because his character is written in a manner that felt rather one-dimensional (I can’t really see what is his personality besides being someone who loves the mountain and someone who is hard on himself). But there were other characters who definitely nailed their performances, such as the evil mother and the government official. I hate them to pieces.

Plot wise - it goes deep into the issues that plagued Mountain doctors, which is refreshing as it is rather a niche career. But because it’s so focus on showing the action of the career that it affects the many characters’ characterization and development. For example, Emori is just a bitter doctor. The episodes also tend to be rather formulaic as each dealt with different cases and catastrophe. Music is the weakest here as they were just very forgettable. Overall, good cast, good subject matter but poor storytelling.

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Average but entertaining, I was there for the hot moments between the leads but not much else

While entertaining for sure, this drama had also a very nonsensical scenario that made me roll my eyes more than once. The numerous hot moments between the leads were satisfaying but not much else. I wish the world building, magical elements and all the scheming would have made a bit more sense. Here, the writer drop a lot of diseases, poisons, healing sessions a bit like it arranges the plot to foster tension between the characters and to amp the stakes. It is often done without logic and feel very deus ex machina.

Overall, acting was alright. The main villains were too caricatural to my taste (in the writing as well as the acting) but given the lack of nuance of the script, I don't see how it could have been done otherwise. I quite enjoyed the chemistry between the two main leads. Richard Li looks towards the heroine were really hot and He Xuan Lin was very good as his counterpart. Overall, the couple was quite smart in their actions (even if helped a lot by the writing) and it helped rooting for them.

I felt the editing was a bit all over the place, the succession of sequences felt abrupt, not letting a lot of time for characters development and growth. A bit more room to breath bewteen heavy moment would have helped the series to feel less absurd and to be more connected to the fate of the characters. Similarly, ending felt too rushed. The soundtrack was okay: nothing remarkable and quite repetitive, but not bad.

I would not necessarily recommend this to people as I feel there are too many issues to really warrant a watch. There are some exciting and hot moments between the leads but it cannot save the drama from its writing and editing issues. I feel that the format of 20 minutes episodes was not exploited properly, the numerous events faced by the characters in quick succession made it both entertaining but also completly nonsensical. To be noted: a couple of points of some of the storylines can be triggering so be mindful of the tags if you have any triggers.

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Darkness and unfulfilled promises

Just finished season 2…honestly I’m disappointed but bear with me here I loved the first season very much it had fantasy, tragedy, action, and funny moments all encompassed well in the plot and I looked forward to the second season even with a different setting.
Now as for why I was disappointed in season 2, let’s start with the cinematography there’s nothing wrong with it at all I’m sure the action scenes were filmed very well but you see I couldn’t see it as it seemed the director decided it would be best to shoot it in the darkness and let the viewers figure out who got stabbed and when, I don’t know who thought that idea would be best but let’s move on.
Minor spoilers ahead
Second reason, The first season got a 8.5 out of me and it could have got a 10 if they had given the villains their lashings but COME TO FIND OUT the villains are still very much alive, they built a new layer to do their evil doings and killed all the characters who sacrificed everything to deal one blow to them. This this was the main reason why the second season disappointed me very much while I get it their trying to go for third season which again- is very much not NEEDED. The villains in gyeongseong creatures are always given an easy out or better yet they just keep doing their things while the characters fight tooth and nail and it amounts to absolutely nothing.

I think this is where I stand, I would enjoy having 3 seasons of park seo joon and Han seo hee having steamy chemistry , fighting monsters and looking hot while doing it shit even 15 seasons of it I won’t get enough but do it to point where it makes sense and where it leaves a satisfying mark on viewers. It’s tiring watching them fight tooth and nail just for the next seasons to go “hahaha surprise the villains are still very much alive and those attacks the MC’s did amounted to nothing and I’m still very much doing evil things” it gets to the point where it’ll be like why are they fighting when it’s not making even an inch of a difference.

My conclusion? This could have been a hundred times better if they had ended it this season. Shit it could have been a million times better if they had at least hadn’t ended with such a dumbass cliffhanger. Good luck to watchers I believe deep down this is a good show and a good idea but it’s not good enough to run it for 3 seasons. This plot just doesn’t have enough to do that with.

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Fluff Done Right

As someone who has dropped/passed over many JBLs, this year, 2024, I resolved to try them and stick them out. I have been only mildly successful, but there have been a few good ones. Sugar Dog Life is one of them! And in fact, I enjoyed it over all and completely enough that I even added it to my recommended BL list. First JBL ever on there. I still wasn't able to give it a 10 because it really is very basic, there's no depth, but it's a satisfying watch from start to finish!
On to:

THE GOOD:
- Nice casting and acting, everyone looked good and played their roles smoothly, while not being over makeup'd or acting like anime characters, and the shows LUT choice was bright with just the right amount of saturation to make things pop without being too hard on the eyes.
- A nice, smooth portrayal of an older and younger guy getting together.
- Great pacing for a friendship to attraction development.
- The food they ate actually looked edible, all of it.

There wasn't any BAD or UGLY in this, but perhaps-
THE MISSES:
- It did include one silly thing, which was the 'running to each other' trope, common in JBLs, which is always so stupid, but this one was at least short and pointed, as it was they didn't live far from one another and were always walking around to everywhere, so it wasn't overdramatic like in other JBLs where I can't help thinking 'just, take a cab bro'. So it didn't annoy me.
- If it were a deeper show, we might have seen more of Amasawa's narrative on realizing he'd been developing an attraction to Isumi, since it only seemed to hit him after Isumi confessed and then he put the pieces together of his own interest. I am a sucker for a psychological angle on character motivations though, so I would have enjoyed that, but it's not something the show needed per se.
- An episode 10 could have fleshed out their couple moments a bit more, but JBLs have often either gone full fluff or full tilt with the physical stuff, they've hardly really managed a great balance aside from a few exceptions, so I wasn't surprised to just get a few sweet kisses. No expectation, no disappointment.

THE HIGHLIGHTS:
- Amasawa-san telling Isumi to call him Kyosuke! At the end-end, after the short couple montage, when Amasawa said that, I grinned and mentally fist pumped :D I have always disliked the lack of use of names between established in couples in Thai, SK and Japan BLs, so when he said that it soothed a LONG standing irritation I usually feel for that kind of thing.
- Isumi as a character was very likeable. 'Bottom' characters are a miss more than a hit for me usually, but like Taichi from I Hear The Sunspot, Isumi in Sugar Dog Life was just so damn likeable.

Since I enjoyed every episode and have no complaints about anything and it's a VERY pleasant watch, it's 9.5 from me.

This BL doesn't ask for much because it's simple and sweet, it flows well and the MLs acted well. It will suit those who particularly like the 'everything is beautiful and nothing hurts' type of show.
Would recc it.

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For the most part, the show was quite enjoyable.

My journey with the show began thanks to Eunji, but it was Lee Jung Eun's portrayal of Im Sun that really won me over. She was phenomenal, and I found her character incredibly endearing. Although the whole cast performed well... from my perspective, FL and ML didn’t share any chemistry whatsoever.

Without giving too much away in my review, I have to express my annoyance with episode 13. When Lee Mi Jin shows up at the office, her carelessness is hard to ignore. She grabs the forks without a second thought and accidentally reveals what she knows about Im Sun's coworker. It wasn’t amusing at all; it felt like a lackluster way to drop a hint to ML and his coworker that Lee Mi Jin and Im Sun are the same person.

I found Do Ga Yeong, Lee Mi Jin's best friend, to be quite charming, but it baffled me that she was attracted to that older coworker of Im Sun. I believe Ko Won should engage with Do Ga Yeong since they both know Lee Mi Jin's secret, and I can see them forming a lovely relationship.

It's not merely the age gap between Do Ga Yeong and Im Sun's coworker; it felt a bit lazy overall. Here’s a young woman who admires a celebrity, and then out of nowhere, she develops feelings for a random older guy without any solid reason. There wasn’t even a strong connection between them to make it believable.

The show begins with promise and is enjoyable, but it sadly loses momentum as it goes on, with the last episode being particularly underwhelming.

Was the drama entertaining? Yes, indeed. Would I watch it again? Probably not. Nonetheless, I’d recommend it if you’re on the lookout for a drama; it’s enjoyable, but it’s one of those shows you watch and move on from.

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The first thai bl in years I have been invested in

Yinwar is single-handedly the industry we all cheered? If you're like me and read reviews for highly praised thai bls or start bls that are promoted all over your fyp and drop pretty much all of them cause the plot doesn't engage you or the acting/writing is just too far gone from your standards of the amount of cringe or disrespect you'll allow as viewer, YOU AIN'T GOTTA WORRY NO MORE. Know I say this without previously being a fan of Yinwar or knowing their past projects but they deliver in every scene. The plot is brilliantly entertaining and carefully thought out arcs like the first three episodes is one arc, it's so simple but at the end of the day I need good writing along with representation. I am completely in love with War, his character is so charismatic and his eyes are so expressive.I love that in an angsty bottom. Yin completely sells me on Jack and his motives and morals, it's amazing to see moments where his persona breaks. Since I discovered thai bls a couple of years ago I watched a handful of good ones and have been disappointed time and time again I took a break and Jack and Joker pulled me back in. All I can wish for is that you give this show a chance like I did cause I can guarantee you'll stick around. My only regret is watching this show when three episodes so I have to keep coming back every week lol. I fear I must watch their other bls to sustain myself. I am so excited for what comes next.

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Fun series and I am enchanted by Satomi Ishihara

Being a fan of Satomi Ishihara and Rika Adachi, I've added this series in my watchlist. Decided to watch it last weekend upon finding out that it would leave Netflix on 14 October 2024. What a fun series!

What I liked:
1) Etsuko Kono characterisation - Satomi Ishihara was radiant and enchanting. I love that she's cheerful and colourful. She might seem frivolous because of her appearance but she was never condescending. Great to see that she takes her proofreading work seriously despite that not being her first job choice. I also like that Etsuko enjoyed learning new content through her proofreading job and saw its value for the future.
2) Supporting characters - From Etsuko's proofreading colleagues and Oden buddies to her clients/writers, all of them had significant role in her growth as a person. My favourite is Mr Takehara, who was a wonderful mentor to Etsuko.
3) Etsuko - Mr Kaizuka's dynamics - To be honest, I prefer their feisty proofreader-editor relationship to Etsuko-Yurito budding romance. I feel that the former has a lot to offer to each other despite them budding heads most of the time. They had more honest conversations with each other.
4) The fashion - I love Etsuko's fashion style though she often wore very high heels, which always concerning me. I love her mantra "When I dress my best, I do my best!".
5) The ending - Yukito's first attempt at writing something he's passionate about resonate with me. "There are work that may never been noticed nor recognised by most people, but it holds meaning, and that's what matters." It is realistic and I like it! I wish there was season 2.

What I disliked:
1) Morio's immediate boss - She didn't seem to care much about the articles makes me think that she saw her job as a paycheque.
2) Etsuko - Yurito's dynamics - I feel like Yurito hero-worshipped Etsuko. Yes Etsuko is an amazing woman but dude barely spent time with her. She knew what she wanted in terms of career but Yurito was still figuring out, which is fine but he needed to know his priorities.
3) Colour grading - There was too much yellow during the outdoor Tappi-bashi scenes.

Favourite scene
When Etsuko, Ms Fujiwa and Yoneoka helped Mr Kaizuka to proofread Mr Kiritani's work

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i cried

i shed a lot of tears for jiang tian...
one thing that made me hooked to this series was i was wondering how their relationship gonna end up. like are they gonna be together despite of their parents also together.. thats so crazy
but i always love jiang tian's small gestures to sheng wan BIHVHVVHCFHHB THE REAL TSUNDERE. hes such a kitten but RAWRING IDKK I LOVE HIM. actually its been a long time since i creid so bad over a bl series, but here i am...
i also love their group of friends omg
i love how thier characters were explained so deep, love everything abt this series.
i just hate the fact that they had to discover the gay awakening at the very end of the series, KAYAK KNP GA DI TENGAH2 DIKIT biar bisa lebih tau how will their relationshep went.
im not gonna rewatch this again bcs i feel like this series is sooo heavy for me, the slowburn was keeling me, so yeah i think i wont. but I LOVEEEE THIS SERIES I LOVE THEIR CHEMISTRY. sheng wan is just a big fluffballl protect him at all cost :<
the ost too I LOVE IT i enver skip the intro. im just hoping there will be a season 2 for this cz i badly need to see sheng wan n jiang tian end their yearning n finally making out! thank you

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Excellent production values and a strong cast

Detective L is a very typical police-with-consulting-detective procedural, but one with refreshingly strong production values and a stylish 1930s Shanghai setting. Expect to see all the common tropes of the genre here, but even if it's familiar territory, it's still a lot of fun to watch. Recommended for fans of Western titles such as Murdoch Mysteries, Sherlock, or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

The main cast is solid gold. Bai Yu excels in this role, which is closer to the playful Zhao Yunlan (Guardian) side of his career than more serious Xun Xu (The Wind Blows From Longxi) territory. (Guardian fans will also enjoy the fact that this series was shot at the same studio, Shanghai Chedun Film Park, and features not only several of the same actors and locations, but even some of the same props. But the budget is infinitely higher!) His Luo Fei is arrogant, pushy, and occasionally a little mean-spirited, but he's also charming, charismatic, and has good relationships with several of his colleagues (most notably the coroner, Ben Jie Ming, with whom he is shown to have a strong friendship). Una You successfully conveys "plucky, strong-minded heroine" without falling into the common traps of being annoying, overly cute, or helpless-when-plot-demands; her Xiao Man is one of the most satisfying female leads I've encountered in a C-drama, even if the script occasionally forces her into the role of slightly-baffled-Watson to Luo Fei's never-less-than-brilliant Holmes. The obligatory romance you would expect to see blossom between the leads (owing to series formula) is so slow-burn it sometimes disappears for entire episodes at a time, which is actually a pleasant change from the norm.

As a warning to squeamish viewers, there are a few (relatively) realistic autopsy scenes scattered throughout the series, as well as occasional on-camera gun violence that might be upsetting to some. There are also a fair number of corpses and wounds shown, because... well... murder.

Sadly, this is only one shorter-than-average season of shorter-than-average episodes, which means it's only about 1/3 the runtime of the typical C-drama. Which is especially disappointing (warning for very general non-specific spoilers about the structure of the series incoming) given that the ending sets up for a second season that never happened. But it's still a solid series, and if you're deathly averse to cliffhangers, you can always just skip the last three-episode arc and imagine your own resolution.

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This might be the best kdrama of 2024 for me.

just 4 episodes out but i think this drama is gonna be my favourite from 2024 (sorry to qot fans). Park Shin Hye was my first favourite Korean actress maybe because i started my kdramas journey with most dramas where she played the lead but after memories of alhambra, i lost interest in her dramas but i am surprised with this one. I have missed just two of her dramas but i could say i've never seen her with this much of jolly or funny-going expressions in her previous dramas. The drama is worth watching people. Also i feel like the main character's character is highly inspired from the main character's character from Hotel Del Luna, not that i am complaining.

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A kind and righteous vampire, is there such a thing?

I typically won't watch a drama with rating less than 8 on mydramalist. Additionally, I don't like to watch dramas set in the Republic era - there were usually too much political propaganda in these. I watched this drama because of a YouTube review which criticised the lead actress' acting. This review also criticised a couple of other dramas that I thought were very good, making me felt that they were very bias or had opposite preferences from me. So I decided to check out the trailer, found it interesting and started to watch the actual drama.

The drama was centred around Shen ZhiHeng and his nemeses who were out to get him. Shen was a newspaper mogul who offended the Superintendent Chi Shan Ying by exposing his bad deeds. His lackey, Li YingLiang, looking for someone to blame for his misfortune, held a grudge against Shen.

In an assassination attempt, Shen was fatally wounded but was saved by a blind girl, Mi Lan and his best friend, Dr Situ WeiLian. His speedy recovery from the massive injuries he sustained and show of exceptional strength and speed aroused the suspicion of Chi and Li. They teamed up with Mu LiHua from an ancient cult, to capture and subdued Shen to uncover his secret.

This drama is quite entertaining although I won't place it among the best I had watched. It started off very well, painting a mystical history of what happened over a thousand years ago. However, towards the end, it got a bit draggy especially the second episode before the last, when you would be watching them savouring their new year dumplings. On a whole, the momentum was quite slow, trying to build suspense but not well executed.

Additionally, it was quite choppy. The scene suddenly changed to another in the next episode, almost like some important parts had been trimmed.

There were also comments about Gao Wei Guang's acting by a reviewer on mydramalist that he looked like a model who walked into an acting scene and couldn't act. I won't be quite so mean. Honestly, I thought both Gao and Ouyang did quite well. However, I must say that Gao was a far cry from his performance in the two dramas of Eternal Love (Ten Mile of Peach Blossom). I feel sorry for Gao - since his shot to fame in these dramas, he had not had any other outstanding dramas.

This drama had a lot of borrowed ideas from the west: vampire, the mask from Silence of the Lamb, and even the names: WeiLian as in William, MiLan as in Milan.

Overall, I think it is worth watching and taking a break from period dramas on fighting for the throne or modern soap dramas on some extramarital affairs.

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Wasted Potential

I remember when I was super excited for this upcoming romcom with top actors Jung Haein and Jung Somin, especially because it was supposedly Haein's first romcom after starring in a long list of melodramas. Well, first of all let's mention the fact that this drama is tagged as a romcom, which it can't even be considered as - there was barely any romance until the very end of this drama, the drama never had any super funny or comedic timing of moments, and there are some heavier topics that make this feel like more of a slice of life than anything. Nothing wrong with this, but if you go into this expecting a light -hearted feel good romance similar to say, Lovely Runner, this is definitely not for you!! In my opinion, this drama was a bit disappointing and definitely wasted the potential to see the two leads shine together as love interests.

Again, with the drama, there are some heavier topics such as issues focused on families, troubles of being an eldest child, miscommunications, expectations coming from a lower class family, and illnesses. There is also a storyline on the leads achieving their dreams and working towards the life they want for themselves. While I do appreciate them delving into these topics and find it relatable myself, it seems the focus on this is what deviated them from showing the romantic build up between bae seokryu (jung somin) and choi seunghyo (jung haein).

What is supposed to be a childhood friends to lovers romance, we see that seokryu and seunghyo grew up together as seunghyo's mom travels a lot for her work and left him in the care of seokryu's mom. This led them to establish a long friendship from kids to adults (if we count their friendship being apart for 10 years before seokryu returns from the US). I like that after seeing each other again, there isn't any awkward interaction between them and it's like a friendship with a lot of banter, honestly kind of like brothers and sisters. We see that they are truly friends, always being there for one another when they need support, but the way they portrayed their relationship made it seem like seunghyo is stuck in an unrequited love. He is petty, childish, and immature with seokryu, which I guess they wrote him that way to show how different he acts towards only her, but it's a silly thing to have him be childish and not communicate in almost 10 full episodes, no development whatsoever. They're both almost 35 for god's sake. From seokryu's side, we don't see a glimpse or a hint that she ever had feelings for seunghyo other than friendly feelings. That's why to me, it didn't seem like a romance, as there were limited scenes of the sort of tension, and chemistry that we expect to see from friends who are slowly turning into lovers. Don't even get me started on the fact that their exes were in one episode too many - as much as it's good for them to get closure, we really didn't need to see that much of them and instead should have focused on seokryu and seunghyo. I would have rather seen more of the second couple's relationship. And finally, when the leads do get together, it's \the issue where their relationship changes too much from when they were friends - how do we go from teasing and insults to such loving comments and interactions between the two?? I honestly prefer them showing the same banter and teasing as before, but it's like they jump from 0 to 100 and changed their entire dynamic. It's cute but it's also a little boring? I would have loved to see how their relationship is SPECIAL because of the fact that they were friends for so long and knew everything about each other. Another thing, as top actors their acting is.. alright? I love them both and I feel bad for saying this but I expected romcom like Byeon Wooseok acted in Lovely Runner, where his romcom side shined, I wish Jung Haein had the same opportunity to show this side of him, but honestly I want to blame the writers for not letting us see this happen.

The second couple I really loved, in fact l liked their storyline more so than the leads. Moeum is a smart, energetic, and badass paramedic, and danho is a clumsy, calm, and kind journalist. From their first interaction I loved their dynamic and their banter, and it was so cute to see her fall in love when it seems like no man would have been good enough for her! I really wish we got to see even more scenes of them as the second couple (and less focus on both of the leads and their exes). One thing I would have liked is if we saw more instances of danho falling for moeum as well. We know danho is kind towards her, but he's presented as a kind and just man who's willing to help anyone with anything. I think I just wanted some indication that the way he felt towards her was more than supposed admiration for her occupation, and that his actions were special and not something he would do for anyone. The way they get together is also a little sudden without enough buildup, but I still love them. We should have gotten them together sooner though!!

Overall, don't go into this drama expecting an amazing romance and chemistry with hilarious side characters. It's a simple drama, nothing that special or fun, but still a decent watch if you want to watch attractive actors.

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Best Drama since Love Like the Galaxy - a Must Watch 2024

This is the first drama since Love Like the Galaxy that had left quite an impression that I had already finished the rewatch.

I recognized the ML from Amidst a Snowstorm of Love another Leo Wu's after LLTG. I'm glad I didn't pass on this one. Binge-watched as I couldn't stop! Luckily this is on Netflix and I didn't have to go through the agony of waiting for the next episodes to air.

Story 10: Storyline is great, very captivating, no lagging. Till the wedding scene which is half way in the last episode.

Acting 10: Excellent acting - both leads. Others also did a great job all around. Beautiful costumes.

OST 10: I love a couple of them so much that I put them both on loop: Spring Fading into White Pear Blossoms - Mi Liang and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0FmuUCdILk&list=RD2zFPGHMNMa0&index=2

Rewatch 10: I already finished the rewatch and stopped at the wedding scene on the last episode.

Since I gave 10 on all, why is the total score 9.5?

Here's my beef! I was glad that The Double gave me a closure as we had the wedding scene (which was missed from LLTG). They should have stopped there! That would have had a long lasting impact and ended on an amazing note.

The remaining 20+ minutes of the last episode caused a lot of confusion and weaken the drama that could have been an 11 to a 9.5.

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