Reviews

38 minutes of typically Japanese cuteness and awkwardness.

PLOT: His editor asks the MC, a very introverted writer with no romance experience, to write a BL. At the same time, the MC welcomes his new step-brother (his mother has just remarried) into his home. The step-brother will help him experience romantic emotions, a training that will blossom into romance.

+++ Two talented young actors.
+++ Good direction & very limited budget, but intelligently used.
+++ Very cute and funny story

### The introverted and unkempt writer is a walking cliché.
### Very, very short series
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38 minutes de cuteness et d'embarras typiquement japonais.

PLOT: Son éditeur demande au ML, écrivain très introverti sans aucune expérience de romance, d'écrire une BL. Au mm moment, le ML accueille chez lui, son nouveau beau-frère (sa mère vient de se remarier). Celui-ci va l'aider à ressentir des émotions romantiques, training qui va tourner en romance.

+++ 2 jeunes acteurs talentueux.
+++ Bonne réalisa° & Budget très limité mais intelligemment utilisé
+++ Très cute et funny

### L'écrivain introverti et négligé est un cliché ambulant.
### Très très court.

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BL not really Friends to Lovers, more about amnesia and mystery

PLOT: The MC, Haneul, wakes up after an accident thinking he's still 19, and he's furious with Sae Byeok (his inseparable childhood friend, who just stole his first girlfriend). However, he fast learns he's 29 and has been living with Sae Byeok, now his lover and a star actor, for seven years.

+++ The two leads are excellent. They have great chemistry, and the kisses and intimate scenes are believable.
+++ Coherent and realistic story, with interesting character development and clues given at the right time.
+++ Perfect direction: beautiful cinematography; framing, lighting, pacing, and the alternation between present and flashbacks are well-crafted. It's worth noting the excellent use of a seemingly modest budget.
+++ Korean OSTs (as always, excellent).

### You have to accept the director's "pointillist" style (story told in small strokes).

=> Good BL, short, effective (showing the toxicity and obsession of sasaengs in Korea). Not memorable, but remarkably acted and directed.
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Story pas vraiment Friends to lovers, plutôt amnésie & mystère

PLOT: Le MC, Haneul, se réveille après 1 accident pensant qu'il a tjs 19 ans, et il est super furieux après Sae Byeok (son ami inséparable d'enfance, qui vient de lui a piquer sa first girlfriend). Or, il apprend qu'il a 29 ans et qu'il vit depuis 7 ans avec Sae Byeok, son lover, devenu acteur star.

+++ Les 2 leads sont excellents. Ils ont une bonne alchimie et les scènes intimes sont crédibles.
+++ Story cohérente, réaliste, avec une évolution des personnages intéressante et des indices donnés au bon moment.
+++ Réalis° parfaite : belle cinématographie ; cadrages, lumières, rythme et alternance présent / flashbacks, bien travaillés. A noter, une excellente utilisation d'1 budget visiblement modeste.
+++ OSTs coréennes (comme toujours, excellentes).

### Il faut accepter le style "pointilliste" (histoire racontée à petites touches) du réalisateur.

=> Bonne BL, courte, efficace (qui montre la toxicité et l'obsession des sasaengs en Corée). Pas mémorable, mais remarquablement interprétée et réalisée.

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Between Past and Future

I’m really glad I discovered this drama just a few months before the second season comes out. If I had found it earlier, the wait for the new season would have been so difficult because it was that good.

The plotline is incredibly intriguing, especially with its exploration of time travel and the impact of changing past events. What I appreciate most is that whenever the characters attempt to alter the past or the future, the outcomes aren't always perfect. There remain significant consequences and unfairness. For every change made in the past, a complicated consequence ensues. Sometimes characters face tragic losses, situations worsen, or even attempts to change the past lead to a repetition of the same events, albeit with different outcomes. For instance, while trying to save someone from suffering, they might find that the same pain resurfaces in the future regardless. This really put into prospect the idea that you cannot escape your destiny, no matter how hard you try to change the past.

Overall, I found the drama to be interesting, and the cases captivating. However, I did feel that midway through the story, the interaction between the detective in the past and the profiler in the future became less balanced. At certain points, the focus seemed to shift more towards the future, treating the past almost as an afterthought. I would have loved to see more of what was happening in the past.

Another point of interest is that this drama was produced in 2016, and it's fascinating to see Lee Je Hoon, the same actor from 'Taxi Driver,' at the beginning of his career. It's clear how much he has improved since 'Signal.' He wasn't always as polished then as he is now in 'Taxi Driver,' which makes it interesting to observe his growth as an actor. I’m really excited that after 10 years, they decided to create a season 2, especially since the first season ended at such a gripping cliffhanger.

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I’m I missing something?!

Just rewatched this twice! I’m I missing something? What was the kisses between dr. Yang and his childhood friend? Like you can just mention it and have no story to it. And what the hell was up with dr. Yang photo of him sleeping with someone? Was it the doctor who he slept with? The childhood friend? Or the friend he hook up with? And that friend was such a whore. Not sure if he was friends with the main character childhood friend but like that’s such a bad friend move. I would not want to be friends with someone who would go sleep with my childhood friend and who wanted to keep the relationship a secret. And what’s up with the secret of them being in a relationship. I personal think he was only using his childhood friend when he just needed to load inside him. And what’s up with the fiancé thing too. Not much back story. And what up with the main character too? Why is he sick? Or what’s wrong with him? This script feels like a student who bully another student to do their homework and when that smart student isn’t there to do their homework. This is the result of their homework. Very poor quality and storyline. This person should never ever play be able to write anymore script for bl move/drama. They need to get ban and fined for wasting my time watching this crap

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Potential that Devolved Rapidly in the Final Episode

I wanted to like this much more than I did.

The Good:
• It was refreshing to see a ML who looked manly. He wasn't the typical romcom pretty boy.
• The female lead was a competent adult at work.
• The leads had good chemistry together when the script allowed.

The Bad:
• The ML was mean for no reason. I tire of the trope that has a man in love with the woman whom he treats the worst.
• The FL was unlikeable. She had no close friends. She spent most of the drama with a sour look on her face. She was either angry or sad.
• Those everlasting love triangles. Give it a rest, please.
• Massive amounts of stupidity. If I had the power to see the future, I'd utilize it. If I knew a serial killer was stalking me, I'd probably not go walking alone in the middle of the night in dark alleys.

I was on board most of the drama, ever hopeful for a good ending. Instead, I was treated to a breakup and a terrible montage of childish argumentative scenes at the end. I should have stopped watching before the last episode to save myself from the toxicity.

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The warmth of the sun rays

April 24, 2026

Oh my god, this is one of the best Chinese drama to be released and that I have watched. A solid 10, deserves more than 10 across all scores.

I feel so warmth and hopeful. It truly is a revolutionary Cdrama. I feel like the resilience of Fei Ni and Mu Yang really showed the epitome of true love, marriage, and values of partnership. I am so in awe of the main leads, I feel like there was so much dopamine and serotonin that were injected into my veins.

It’s just so positive and inspiring, I don’t even know how to fully describe the emotions I felt watching this drama. It is a must watch, I love the main leads, and the second leads Mu Yang’s sister and the Doctor. I truly think that it is just so refreshing to see a slice-of-life drama that just unravels in such a pace that is neither boring or that is too slow for me. The plot progresses well and I truly feel like I was transported back in time and in a setting I am not even familiar with.

The directors, writers, producers, actors, and everyone that partake in this drama — yall ate so hard. I just eugh, not enough words and praises can atone to the level of value and admiration I have for this drama.

So please give this the love it truly deserves! Another S-tier drama we have BABYYYYYY

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*If you are looking for something new to watch this might be the one!*

Alice in borderland (S1) is one of those dramas that i started on a whim without even knowing anything about the plot or actors...but it was unexpected in all the good ways!!
To someone like me who watches survival dramas very rarely this was a fresh watch and a time well invested.
Generally dramas like these are expected to give more of an adrenaline rush and therefore they are a fun watch because of the thrill they give.
but i think this is what makes this drama a little different than others because it had more of using your brain and intellect to surivive , and the games were so interesting that it made this drama an intriguing watch for me.
Also i have realised now that when it comes to japanese dramas they don't spare nobody, at one point i felt like no-one would be left alive by the end of season 1, lol.
I hope season 2&3 are as good as this one.

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Just some spicy Deng Kai wearing an extremely skimpy plot.

Hay there, sexy.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Damn I can't believe Deng Kai hasn't been cast yet as an ML in a major production, he's so stupid-hot and so charismatic, I feel like an addict, ever since POJ happened I just can't get enough of him."

Well as far as somebody with some SENSE picking him up to lead an A-list show, I can't help you with that. We are fresh out of A-List productions because Arthur Chen ate them all.

But as for the part about not being able to get enough of him.... that I can help you with. Some tiny-ass production team off in the corner of c-dramaland said "50 bazillion people are screaming for Deng Kai right now and yknow what. We hear you. Now, we're too broke to give you the A-list gold you're after. But in the meantime... how about just watching him make out a lot?"

And we like "YASS that will do for now."

Producer says "Well we aint got much. We got some CEO clothes, a decent stylist, and a couplea leather couches. We can maybe scrape enough cash together to rent a boat for a few scenes, idk."

And we like "Green light this bad boy."

And producer is like (scratches head) "Uhhhh.... well we're kind of short on script."

We say, "Don't worry about it, just write whatever you can muster up."

So they gave us this. The story is... I kind of want to say 'inventive'? But I also kind of want to say 'bad'. It's inventive and bad. But it does give us what we crave... Deng Kai in a hot situation looking hot and makin out and stuff. It's not as spicy as I like em. But honestly, the production and script are so SO cheap, that if it were any spicier it'd come off as just way way too gratuitous. It's "satisfying". We are watching Deng Kai learning to perfect the art of onscreen kissing. Someday he'll be in something TRULY hot, like SOKP or WDBTD, and all that kissing practice will pay off. He does honestly keep getting better and better.

As far as the acting.... I'm sorry but it's just asking way too much for actors to return master performances on sets like these with scripts like these. Deng Kai is doing sort of a "you get what you pay for" performance, i'd give it a B grade. Zhang Chu Han the FL expertly matches his tone, and this is actually the very first time I've LIKED her in something. She appears to have dropped the baby-girl act as she matures as an actress, and she's so much better off for it. Now she reminds me of Valerie Bertinelli, and it's cute and she's much easier to watch.

All in all, I would not really recc this to anyone except Deng Kai fans, and I would DEF recc this to them. I enjoyed it despite the jankety script, but would I rewatch it? No.

Actual drama = 5
Deng Kai makin out a bunch = 10
Averaged score = 7.5

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Why am I so late to the party!!!!!!

Till date I have watched a number of dramas, more Korean than Chinese. Being relatively new to this genre I feel I don't really have the stamina to watch 40 episodes of something and invest myself in it. I have given up on a lot of Chinese dramas for this particular reason. It's too much of an investment of time for me. I went into Speed and Love with similar expectations. When I started watching Speed and Love I stopped at the first episode because I couldn't understand it at all. I couldn't understand Mumu's longing for Zhao. Nothing stood out, there was no hook, no catch and I think that is what the genius lies in, to not force the viewer to fall in love with it because they know they'll end up blown away anyways. I however forced myself to go on and boy was I unprepared for the havoc it wreaked on my mind and soul. I fell head over heels in love with He Yu's (Jin Zhao).

I think the most important aspect of this drama is the gradual pace at which the characters and the emotions develop. So much has been written about the brother sister bond that I feel it has been blown out of proportion. To be honest whether he fed her milk bottles or changed her diapers doesn't matter to me personally considering they never had a blood bond. Yes people might stone me to death for this but the fact of the matter remains that Jin Zhao was never related to Jiang Mu by blood, it was always societal/familial. They did not share a birth mother or father hence in my mind they were not related apart from emotional connections. The fact that he had been born to Jiang Mu's father's best friend really made it quite stark for me.

The boy had been forced to be a caretaker to Mu Mu since a very young age because he had no choice at first and later simply because he loved her. He considered her the only anchor to his life that didn't regard him unwanted, a financial burden or an eyesore. A lot of what children end up doing is basically what they are taught to do and Jin Zhao had no choice but to step up as a parent to Mu Mu in the absence of her parents emotional unavailability. People might argue that her mother was always attentive and loving towards her but in reality she struggled through an unhappy marriage, spousal incompatibility and a deep lack of trust and understanding which made her bitter towards Jin Zhao ( someone she saw affiliated solely to Jin Qiang) and over protective of Jiang Mu. Thus there was always a lack of emotional stability for both Zhao and Mu. The only solution to this for them was to find stability, strength and love in each other.

I found Jin Zhao to be the most rational, level headed and understanding protagonist of any drama to date. Yes you see men caring, loving and ready to go the extra mile for their lady love but the idea that he dedicated his entire life to her is unthinkable. He remembered and provided everything she ever needed be it food, love, strength, academic knowledge, adolescent coming of terms or quiet companionship. He definitely was the north star to her ship regardless of wherever she floated. He remembered his promises to her and kept them. Her safety and happiness were paramount to him regardless of his own feelings in the matter. It takes a lot to sacrifice one's entire life for someone else's happiness that too willingly and Jin Zhao did it because he didn't want to be "The Bastard" who would make her suffer. To him she was already a living breathing miracle, her life alone was the biggest gift that he had received in his life. I am blown away by this kind of selfless, caring and giving love that too for a single entity. I loved Jin Zhao's love for her.

I found Mu Mu to be the perfect companion for Jin Zhao. She was the only one who kept him grounded, made him feel he mattered and loved. The tears she shed for him "Left him Defenseless" in his own words. I realized how deep her love for him ran when she broke down completely after his accident. That single scene encapsulated her entire being for me, her sorrowful cries and her struggle to crawl to find him despite being mentally broken left me speechless. Esther did such a fabulous job portraying MuMu's angst, her darkest fears turning to reality culminating in the deepest sorrow she could ever bear, not knowing whether the man she loved was dead or alive. I cried so hard with her. When Mu Mu found him again I was more angry at him than her. How dare he push her away, make choices for her and break her heart. She had every right to know what happened to him yet those years were robbed from her. When she says "Anything from him would suffice even an emoji" it broke my heart to pieces. She deemed him heartless and rightfully so. However MuMu turned out to be a more magnanimous person than I could ever be. She kept going back to him till she broke all his defenses, flattened the barriers he had erected around himself under the false guise of protecting her. Shout out to MuMu to loving Jin Zhao with equal intensity , equal depth and understanding. She kept calling him back from his self dug grave. She in my opinion deserves the highest honor for having such patience in the face of endless silence. She deserved every bit of Jin Zhao's love, his heart, body and soul she had earned every inch of him dedicating herself to him as he had to her.

There is so much good in this drama that words fail me. The casting, the direction, lighting, wardrobe, locations, makeup, the supporting cast, the extras. The cars and races were so exhilarating that I was pleasantly surprised. Not to meantion the scores oh my God am I hooked to Away or what! Everyone of them helped weave this beautiful tapestry of a drama.

Shout out to He Yu for making me understand what longing actually means and to have someone yet still show restraint in the face of such intense desires. That man can emote all these motions with such finesse.

The two most important scenes for me were
a. When he confesses that a lot of people have come and gone in his life but he was never serious about anyone so once she entered his life he wouldn't give her a chance to back out. The coffee that was sweet just for her. The way he stares at her eye level before asking her how she would like to taste him , the intense gaze, the breath he dared not draw, the desire that traveled down his throat to his entire body just gave me shivers, how just how could someone be so good at emoting such complex layers of emotions so deeply and excellently. That scene was just the entire drama for me. He Yu should go down in the annals of Chinese drama history for this one single scene. The kiss that followed was the cherry on top. That man could kiss a fish and turn it to a mermaid. I seriously love him for his kisses alone.

b. The second scene was when MuMu is at Jin Zhao's home in Nanjing during the mid autumn festival. She hugs him from behind and asks him to not ask him to let go of him. She confesses that even after all this time apart he is the only one she has always truly loved. That scene stood out to me because when she says that would he say nothing to her the defeat was visible in her eyes. That it was the end of the rope for her, she had laid herself bare to him and had still not received a response from him. That she had lost the battle between her dignity and her heart and that her heart body and soul yearned for him. The way her eyes pleaded to him and her tears dropped from them it just shattered my perception of love so bad. The idea of any sort of pride in love was so foolish because all her dignity, pride and self esteem had been steam rolled in that confession. I loved her, I loved her love for Jin Zhao. Love essentially is a very humbling experience.

All in all an excellent watch. I do wish the second half had been shortened and the first half extended, my heart is still wandering in the garage in Thailand where a man living on the edge has vowed to win everything in a single race. Love, love, love you Jin Zhao!!!!

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Beatiful take on life and love

10/10 will never watch again

Was left traumatized but ngl

The cinematography, the cast, the acting, the script, the plot, the ost, just absolutely everything about this movie is top-tier and such a masterpiece I will not shut up about. I just can't move on from this movie that I made my siblings watch the lyrics video on rain wedding (cuz why not it's so beautiful).

This movie had me on chokehold. It showed how unfair life is esp' in the rural areas, how people can be deceiving, people are selfish but at the same time people can be selfless, and how one lie can wreck a person. Life is unfair with many challenges yet he still chose to love again and to fight until the end. It showed several social issues that are VERY relevant in this time and age. Overall, it's not just about the durian farm, it's about society as a whole.

To end this, I would like to share that..........wtaf why universe whyyyyy likeee why him

Thank you 🙇‍♂️

P.S. I have watched this 2 years ago and has yet to rewatch it, still not ready for the pain it's gonna cause

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Love it! Already watched it three times!

The fact that I’ve watched it three times says it all. The cinematography is truly beautiful. It makes great use of slow motion and colour, and the production looks very high-quality.

The actors are amazing, especially in the emotional scenes. ML and FL have great chemistry.

The soundtrack always gets to me, particularly “Breaking Down” by Ailee, which I also listen to in my free time.

Unfortunately, the drama has a bit of a slow, somewhat tedious part in the middle for me, since the second couple doesn’t really captivate me.

Overall, this is a show I can watch over and over again.

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