It's the CLOY of c-dramas, and it's excellent.
This is top shelf goods, 100% Grade A Premium.You can't please em all. But you can come pretty damn close.
So there are little criticisms to be had everywhere. But to focus on those is nitpicky, because when taken as a whole, this was a mightily satisfying and widely accessible drama, that highlighted all the good things c-dramas have to offer. Much like CLOY does with k-dramas. You can watch it with your friends, with your family, you can rewatch it over and over and it has staying power. Beautiful and funny and powerful iconic scenes created by a visionary director.
Cast was well-chosen, and delivered sincere and elevated performances that played to their strengths. And as usual, Deng Kai nearly stole the show, but this time his acting was on a whole other level of sincerity and depth, and I hope he reaches a new level in his career from this performance because it was EPIC DENG KAI. Pardon my french, but he took this massive A-lister production, and made it his bitch. And I mean that in the best possible way. I'm just so enthusiastic about his performance here that it moves me to expletives. Like if Deng Kai were your favorite hockey team and they just won the stanley cup. He was so great.
Usually I get into pros and cons of a drama when I review it. And then I say who I would recommend it for.
But with this one, it's honestly useless to list pros and cons, because I would recc this to literally just about anybody. And you can find out the pros and cons for yourself while you watch and form your own opinions, but however you walk away from this drama after watching it, it is NOT a waste of time. Its really effin good.
9/10 Because crowd-pleasers have to please everybody, they take less risks and so I give it one point off for "playing it safe" on a few key things. But other than that, this is about as close to "perfect" as a drama designed for a general audience can get.
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Take me to your heart....
Heartbreak is the beginning of the healing process. Finding Love is a chance event that happens only a few times in one lifetime. Boyfriend on demand offers a temptation, selling an artificial dream, a maybe perhaps a ladder to discover oneself when you have lost meaning in attachment, forgotten what love and desire feels like in a healthy relationship.At a time when women have to constantly stay vigilant , consider personal and collective safety before needs, worry about privacy and trust, I understand why the prospect of dating in a virtual world can be so tempting - you don't have to worry about being judged, harassed or assaulted, the algorithm is there to serve you and your happiness. You are not hurting anyone, and no one is dehumanizing you! It is an escape from our high cortisol realities. And once you are in a safe space, you can finally think and feel more clearly, the clouds lift and you can finally accept the care and admiration that has been directed at you which you could never notice before because you have been in a self preserving daze!
Keeping this deeper story in mind, I am very generous with the rating despite the dystopian unethical addictive nature of the dating software trope, especially considering AI's inherently destructive tendency against humanity.
This drama dives into FL's state of mind and her journey towards accepting and loving herself more intentionally, after a breakup lay heavy on her insecurities causing her to bundle her emotions into a box. This makes her gullible and prone to falling for the virtual boyfriend offering. She fails to notice subtle signs from the ML (seo in guk) when we all know he has deeply fallen for her but keeps a respectful distance taking slow hesitant steps forward.
Every virtual boyfriend she meets helps her understand what she appreciates in a partner, her emotions open up and she can finally express what the ideal type is for her, it is a Seo in guk lookalike of course!
I think this is where the story gets tricky for the fl and the viewers. We now have two endearing avatars of the ML. One hot perfection, the other a comforting warmth. The office ML, Seo in Guk, really was so comforting to watch, his loving in silence and waiting for her to acknowledge him, his taking that chance eventually to let her know how he feels, all of it is so cathartic to watch. On the other hand fl's doubts about love keep holding her back so much so that she keeps escaping into the VR to talk to the virtual version of seo in guk.
Towards the end it was a matter of finding the courage and building that trust in reality to let go of the safety of an algorithm which promises only happiness and consistency when life is not like that at all. I liked that the drama manages to refocus on accepting Life as a forever changing journey and where true love can really exist despite strifes.
My favourite scene - They are standing on the snowy pavement, fl gently holds ml's face with her hand, tears start falling from his eyes.
I love seo in guk in this drama, he's a worthy romance lead I would like to see him again in a similar role. I kept thinking fl was Hye Ri initially and wondered why she was looking so different lol! Ji Soo brought a casual lightness to the drama. Overall, I felt the story itself was larger than the characters and was fed to us in a palatable mild dose instead of going full on black mirror. Love needs to win - Every. Single. Time.
Felt the Love đ
Seo In Guk's deep eyes đ©·
Impressive guest cast đ¶ïž
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The Muse of Section E Book 2: The Dark Side
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I want to watch this but there is no option to see in on this app c
I want to watch this please help me to see this drama it's stunning romantic comedy and full of emotions Ang Mutya Section E is a light-hearted yet meaningful drama that focuses on school life, friendships, and personal growth. The story revolves around students of Section E, often considered the âleast importantâ section, but full of unique and talented individuals.One of the strongest aspects of the drama is its relatable characters. Each student has a different personality, background, and struggle, which makes the story realistic and engaging. The main character, often seen as the âmutyaâ (gem), represents hidden potential and shows how people should not be judged based on labels or sections.
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Their luv is so surreal. I've never seen anything good drama like this before
Their luv is so surreal that I never seen any c- drama like this ever. So good. Have everything we are feeling đThe crew and cast have done their job so well. The best among the best dramas I've ever watched. Low budget or whatever. They've done a great job with what they have. It's really unique drama â€
But these cast they need support. They are so good. The director and crew has done a so good work đđ»
May they able to collaborate in more good projects. Wanna see the main couple in another drama. They have more chemistry . Tian xiawei and Zhang linghe are a perfect match. Please collaborate with them. Let's keep this drama in high regard by giving more support to them
Oh....plzzzz I wanna see them together forever for eternity.
Xie Zheng and Fan changyu, since my first c-drama I've seen a lot of good couple. But these two are too sureal. These love story has carved to the bone. Really good. They had done a great job.
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Soft friends to lovers
If you like slow burns taking their time and letting the characters become gradually ready for their future relationship, this one is for you. We follow two friends that gradually fell in love without knowing thé other felt thé samen wat but we discover them at the moment when they truth is about to be revealed. Thé story is not about the discovery of love but thé acceptation of it and it's more unusual. It can be frustrati'g and yet it's a reality for some and I love it got to be told.I love soft stories, so I'm biased but this made me smile all along. This was just fluffy and I crave for fluffy shows.
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wonderful series
This series has intrigue, corporate espionage, female strength of character, everything you want to watch in a series. Great actors with perfect roles for them. There are 36 episodes and I always find that after 30 episodes any series could end, this is the same with this series. I like main male lead as he seems to chooses to work in series with dept of character.Was this review helpful to you?
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Slow as a snail, but the tiny daily life moments makes it special
We all know some JBLs are extremely slow, but this is slow to a standstill. On one hand we have Wataru who is aware of his feelings but to frightened to give into them and on the other hand there is Minato a steady, courages character who has his goal in mind all of the time and that is to be with Wataru.What is especially mind boggeling is that the director of this show also did "My Personal Weatherman" and both shows could not be farther apart as they are. Weatherman is about miscommunication but both characters show a special desire to have sex with each other - not just for the sex because they do love each other. This time the countdown starts at 3698 days more than 10 years and it's a very slow process.
Especially for western viewers to watch this snail pace is a bit hard and frustrating, because it's not in our culture. While life is very fast paced in Japan, in Europe we have something called "life-work balance". Our goal is not life for work, but just work for life and enjoy life as much as possible and this contradiction also shows in this show. Minato got a job and left for three years not because he wanted to, because he needed to. This was also the point in the story where Wataru realized that he is really in love. But when Minato returns after three years he still denies his feelings and hurt Minato as well.
Of course, because of the title, we all know they will end up together, but it was a really slow process. I personally would have wished they would have packed all the eleven episodes in just eight with less flashbacks, which would have led to a better pacing. But even while it was slow they created a special atmosphere. There is no drama per se, there are many small moments which drive the characters, the glances, the intimacy in just doing little things. Also of note is the positive messaging even with grandpa who said "I don't understand it, but as long as you are happy, I'm happy" which pulls this show closer to reality.
Production quality was very good, except the "night scenes". I can see clearly that many where not filmed at night but done with not so good CGI especially the star night. And of course I wished they had the kiss-scenes like in "My Personal Weatherman". But besides that, there is nothing to complain about. In the times we live in this show gives us a little bubble to be happy and to slow down ourselves. I can only say, I liked it regardless of it's flaws.
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Great potential but dwindled halfway through...
The series started off as a solid 8.5, particularly around our main lead. His beginnings were intriguing and unique compared to many other cultivation series I've seen. I really appreciate the time they took to build this foundation.The ML's cultivation journey kept me locked on the screen until about halfway through the episodes. I've never read the novel but the plot started to feel discombobulated as well as his interactions with those around him. His thought process of consistently living for only himself is actually what makes his character quite brilliant. Someone who only wants to continue to surpass himself no matter what methods he needs to take to get there - but without crossing that fine line. However, the execution of this for the latter half of the episodes were poorly done and it wasn't able to maintain that same draw for me. A huge part of this was his reactions to the tons of people who were sacrificed for his growth. While it might make sense for his to have just a fleeting moment of sorrow or perhaps not much at all, it also felt much too repetitive and the timing of the momentary wistful to the excitement of finding yet another artifact was too abrupt. I also appreciate how he manages to overcome not being born as a genius for cultivation by utilizing creative methods but it also doesn't make sense why he's the only one who is capable of them when the same tools and resources are there for others to also take advantage of. He can't be the only one who is ambitious in the entire sect. It didn't help as well when he also became almost everyone's saviors, undermining everyone's abilities and experiences.
Outside of the ML, there are some great supporting characters who brought a lot of fun to the series. But (with exception of the mortal female), all of the other females falling for him were annoyingly distracting to the plot and there were too many unnecessary scenes around this.
Overall, I get the gist of what it's trying to portray and appreciate the thought behind it but they tried to squeeze way too many moving parts into the series. This caused the flow to just fly off and the chemistry to get chopped off. The action scenes were okay - a little corny as usual but not terrible. I finished the remaining half by lots of fast-forwarding only for a meh ending with tons of plot holes. It's always hard to rate shows that start off great with a story of great intentions only for it to dwindle off.
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Leaves me breathless
The characters are amazing, so much so that even though the tough bad guys are exceptionally bad, you hope for a miraculous twist to make them heroes. But the main characters are perfection. I binged 33 episodes in one day and now I am braless waiting for the remaining to be released. I was mesmerised by the characters, I cried, laughed and fell in love with them. This is a must watch show.Was this review helpful to you?
I can watch it finally...
at first, I thought I can't watch it because the legal ott are not available in my countr, but turns out I can watch it on viu SO HAPPYYI can't deny that I watched it because of phuwin, but I'm not regretting it at all. I discover other talented actors and all are pretty!! also the storyline is very relateable. It smells like teen spirits and adolescents. love it so much that I'm relate to the story.
the characters are all great, but my fav of all is White đ (sorry Lune) he's not only a green flag, he is a forest himself đł. at first, I thought White's character would be a red flag, but he's the greenest. the most red flag character? hmm, at first, I thought it was Lune. but after learning that he had reasons behind it, I can't say he is a red flag character. he is also green flag, but he's still improving. love him and star đ„șđ sooo cute!
love the friendship and all the conflicts included in the series đ„șâ
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MUST WATCH THIS SERIE
The series is framed as a lighthearted, youthful româcom with lots of schoolâlife and friendâgroup scenes, focusing on vulnerability, selfâgrowth, and the idea that persistent, respectful affection can change a guarded person. The relationship evolves from a oneâsided crush into a mutually supportive bond where both characters gradually become each otherâs emotional safe space.Was this review helpful to you?
It is a very questionable drama
I am pretty late in reviewing this show because I recently came across it and without even realising I binge watched all the episodes despite it having so many questionable moments and morally grey decisions on the part of our two main leads. It is a story about two couples who are in existential crisis because they are sort of cheating their partners but do not want to admit it at the same time yet still yearns for each other but still would not come out clean with their other halves. Sigh*I mean this drama would have been something else if the story was not involving the main leads but their partners, then it would have been a revenge drama and then they wouldn't have justified their actions like that. The first two episodes were honestly...hard to watch, and I thought where is this going? How am I supposed to like a ML who is like THIS! But story took another turn and he told his side of story after SO MANY episodes (it took him some time aright) but you are still like...meh.
The SFL, she was so pathetic to watch. I mean generally I despise such clingy sort of characters but at least actress did justice to the role. Despite doing so much for ML she was like a third wheel all the time and I did not find anything likeable about her damsel sort of behaviour who just want to remain a wallflower all her life willingly and for what? (A man who hadn't talked to her properly in the last10yrs.)
SML on the other hand could not even do that either. His acting skills weren't really great to emote anything to begin with and they even tried all their best so that viewers could hate his character yet he was the least intersting character in this whole drama. Storyline had so many flaws and too many coincidences that began to irk me after a while but it was a 2019 drama so I thought from that perspective as well...it was the time where such dramas were in vogue. (Forced relationship sort). Now you may wonder despite everything why did I watch it? It is simply because of the acting and chemistry of main leads. They could have done so much to make it all seem alright, we would have hated the second lead from the beginning but they spend so much time showing how good they were and that ultimately made main leads look pathetic instead. The best character was FL's best friend/roommate. She was a total blast I just wished they shouldn't have tried to mould her into normal standards towards the end and should have tried to give her an arc but the drama was only about main leads so...rest of cast did not matter.
It had so many flaws and frustrating prolonged sequences yet the main actors held the attention throughout the drama. I just wish they could have given more substance to story than making it only an angsty torture.
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Something Different - Watch, Watch, Watch!!!
I went into this drama with zero expectations, but it completely won me over. I hadnât seen this pairing in a while, and now theyâve become one of my favorite ships. Thee was such an endearing characterâfierce yet incredibly naive. I felt every bit of his pain as he grew, and his emotional journey really stayed with me. Peach, on the other hand, felt like the anchor and glue holding everything togetherâwhile still battling his own inner demons. Their chemistry was undeniable, and I appreciated how their relationship was portrayed with just the right amount of lovin without being overdone. Thee will always have a special place in my heart, and honestly, I canât imagine a better partner for him than Peach. Canât wait to see more of PondPhuwin!Was this review helpful to you?
Character Dynamics are written well
Personally the story had too many politics for me but I stayed to watch the character dynamics and like the general plot of what would happen to our main characters. I feel like the last ten episodes weren't as interesting as the first 20 but that's cause I personally prefer when shows focus more on the characters rather than politics.Anyways I love how much tension the writers wrote between the main characters especially when they were having misunderstandings. It wasn't frustrating but more so exciting. I just loved how the relationships and friendships played out.
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