Reviews

Lin Wanxing, Wang Fa, and Their Babies

Last year, I did look up to "Road to Success", but I literally had zero expectation of it - particularly, because I'm wary of Esther Yu's baby-ish voice and the fact that football isn't a prominent sport for the Chinese. Weeks before watching, I attempted reading half of the novel and found out that it actually did football justice. To be honest, I'm a football fanatic and currently supporting Arsenal in Premier League (Liverpool's performance had plummeted this season - but previously, I also liked Liverpool back in Juergen Klopp's shining era). For this year's World Cup, I support England - although they have been upended by Argentine (most likely to clinch the championship for the consecutive year, but let's see what surprise Spain has prepared for the final). Okay, it's time to rock back to the review again!!

The main story tells about a healthy and mature romance between Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa, with the football theme as a plot device to create a close proximity for them, as they tackle on the issues faced by the school's football team and do their best to secure a place in the league. Lin Wanxing, a psychology-PhD-dropout-turned sports equipment keeper, is a strong-willed and resilient woman who has a sanguine viewpoint of life despite a scandalous incident in her past. Actually, she has also considered suicide but still decides to live on so as to help other people realize their dreams. Against her parents' wishes, Wanxing applies to Hongjing No. 8 School as a sport equipment keeper, for the sake of her late grandfather (her grandparents were tutors in Hongjing and had helped many people through education). Wanxing has emotionally distant parents, which prompts her to loathe them. In this school, she incidentally meets Wang Fa, a former British club's coach and Wanxing's tenant who's been investigating his player's suicide case. All clues regarding the murderer points to her, thus begins the cat-and-mouse game between them. Wang Fa has a hilarious family consisting of his goofy father Wang Genfa, stern but doting sister Wang Tian, and faithful brother-in-law as well as partner-in-crime Yu Bo.

A legion of dramas has told us that love is usually built on perilous circumstances, including life-and-death situations, misunderstandings, betrayals, etc. Soon, we've become exhausted of them as these tropes are being recycled in a rinse-and-repeat mode. However, "Road to Success" provides none of the tropes listed above. Surprisingly, it encourages a mature and refreshing romance story between two supportive people. You don't need to worry about unnecessary conflicts, dramas, personal vendettas, feuds, or whatsoever. Despite both leads' gloomy past, they have never used it against each other (like Wang Fa says, everyone has their own right to hide their ugly sides of life, when Wanxing is afraid that Wang Fa won't accept her). Both of them also take turns to help each other when troubles arise (for example, Wanxing comforts Wang Fa as he tells Jason's suicide and how his mother still blames Wang Fa for her son's death - or maybe when Wang Fa insists on accompanying Wanxing to her grandparents' tombs, so as to prevent her parents from abusing her again.

Meanwhile, the babies aka the players of Hongjing No. 8 School are comprised of Fu Xinshu, Qin Ao, Chen Jianghe, Wen Chengye, Yu Ming, Lin Lu, Qi Liang, Zheng Ren, Zheng Feiyang, Feng Suo, and Zhi Hui. Previously, they were admitted to the school through special recommendation, thanks to their football's careers. However, when a teammate transferred to other school and their coach abandoned them, they began to lose hope and considered football as an omen or taboo for them. Since then, they have been divided into several classes and perform badly in academics (except Wen Chengye). Coincidentally, Wanxing is assigned to become the team's supervisor and encourages them not to lose their hopes and break through their predestined fate, creating an unforgettable experience in their lives. After much persuasion from Wanxing, Wang Fa steps in as their new coach, fueling their spirits to win the following matches. Aside from the leads' story, we also have Qin Ao, Fu Xinshu, and Wen Chengye's backstories while most serve as a comic relief or catalyst for the main couple's relationship. Personally, I like Fu Xinshu and Wen Chengye's pairing the most - the two teenagers come from troubled family and have many miscommunication issues (you know, teenagers are stubborn in expressing their ideas and prefer to keep their feelings bottle up, but it actually shows how realistic this drama is), but in the end they will resolve their conflict and become best friends again. Oh yeah, the football terminology is also handled meticulously - as someone who has some experience in watching real football matches (and a father whom I can discuss football with), I think it's kinda better than my pessimistic thoughts.

Now, to the acting part. I really love Esther Yu's portrayal as a level-headed and calm teacher who becomes a illuminating starlight crashing through her babies' bleak daily lives. She exudes the undeniably sunshine aura needed for Wanxing's character essence. Despite her doing the dubbing again, this time she sounds more mature and less like a pouty little girl (if you've seen "Speed and Love", you can relate to that). Aside from Esther Yu, I also like Chen Jingke as Wang Fa. Previously, I'd only seen him in "Amidst a Snowstorm of Love" as a supporting character. This role can be considered as breakout for him and he uses micro-expressions very well through act of service and love language for Wanxing. I hope there will be more main roles for him to take - he really has the potential to become a well-known star. Special mention for Victor Ma - his awfully nonsensical bickering with Wang Fa always gets me in laughter. The babies are naturally newbies who have recently entered the C-drama industry (while mostly take mini dramas or guest roles in other big dramas). Kudos to Zhu Boyan for his debut role as the rebellious yet righteous Qin Ao too. Meanwhile, another special mention for Liu Jun and Yan Yuchen for their bromance energy (or you can call it subtle BL if you want to) in this drama (I've only seen Yan Yuchen in "Generation to Generation", but his styling isn't my cup of tea - as for Liu Jun, he played a supporting role in "Revenged Love" prior to taking "Road to Success").

OSTs are better than my expectation after a slump of nice songs in C-drama land. I especially like Bai Jugang and Excuse Me's high-octane rock anthem, Dong Xianglin and Zhao Lei's melancholic pieces, and Duan Aojuan's jazzy track (thank God, this time she doesn't sing cringey songs anymore). I'm not into Curley Gao and Du's tracks though.

To cap it all, "Road to Success" is highly recommended if you're into healthy green-flag relationships, football, the team's camaraderie, the subtle psychological counterparts, and many more. Overall, it's a ten out of ten. Thank you for reading, good luck, and happy watching!!!

P.S.
1. The mysterious people who lead Wanxing to work at Hongjing No. 8 School and reorganize the chaotic football team is actually her grandparents, Director Qian (her higher-up), and Jiang Xun (Coach Jiang's son and Grandpa Lin's most beloved disciple).
2. The person who slanders Wanxing of having an affair with her professor is Xiang Zi, her senior. Filled with jealousy and resentment over Wanxing's popularity in the campus, he resorts to using underhanded tactics to destroy Wanxing's life and makes her as miserable as possible.

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I'll Be Right Back... And I've Sneaked Away Again!

I needed a break from romance, and Mysterious Lotus Casebook supplied that admirably. There was little to no romance in this story of a jaded martial arts leader turned traveling physician turned part-time detective.

The Good:
• Cheng Yi played Li Lian Hua/Li Xiang Yi, a man who was jaded by the disappointments of his past. He carried enormous self-condemnation for his youthful arrogance and judged himself far too harshly. To the same extent he condemned himself, he forgave all his betrayers. As Li Xiang Yi, he upheld justice and trusted too well those he befriended. Li Xiang Yi was a different sort of hero: he was admirable, though hardly approachable or easily likable. It took getting to know him well to understand his lies and subterfuges were protections for others, because he didn't wish to involve them in dangerous situations. And he wouldn't allow others to become close to him because of his past (not having good discernment) or his future (not planning on having one).
• Joseph Zeng played the part of the wide-eyed novice, Fang Duo Bing, well. He was naive and inept when first meeting Li Lian Hua. So gullible! The drama saw him grow from a coddled noble to a capable detective.
• Xiao Shun Yao was spectacular as the stony-faced villain, Di Fei Sheng. I especially enjoyed his character arc.
• The developing friendships of the male leads were the heart of the drama and delightful to watch.
• The anime moving the Lotus House to new locations was charming.
• Spirit Fox was a good dog. That smiling face!

The Bad:
• Li Lian Hua suffered 10 years of the ambiguity of his Senior's death. He spent those years frantically searching for his body and looking for closure. Would someone who had gone through that perpetuate that non-ending for others?
• Would someone please unharness those horses? It's like they lived in their harnesses. I felt angst over that!

The drama was open-ended. How could Li Lian Hua do that to me?! I've added a half star for Di Fei Sheng's look of annoyance whenever he dealt with Fang Duo Bing. Amused me every time.

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THE BEST DRAMA!!!!

I literally finished watching the drama today. Normally I don't watch ongoing dramas, I wait for them to finish airing. But this drama really made me watch it while it's ongoing. I really watched it from the day it started to air to the last day. Before the trailer I was excited for the drama before of esther yu and chen jingke(I love them both) but ever since the trailer was out I was more excited for this drama and tbh I kinda had high hopes for the drama and it freaking did not disappoint me.
The friendship, the school bond, teachers-students bond, romance, there were some psychological and mystery too. Ig I'll be the only person who'll have no negative comments on this drama. Lin laoshi and coach wang's and the football team's bond is really really awesome, everybody had so much chemistry ngl(bruh I'm teary even typing lol). And lin laoshi(esther yu) and coach wang(chen jingke) slowly developing romance nothing rushed, it was really nice watching them. And they had nice chemistry, even though there weren't many romantic scenes there little moments really showed the chemistry.
I think the director and the production team did a good job with choosing the cast. I really love this football team. Watching this while watching WC is haha i have no words to say.
And I really loved Yu Bo and Wang Fa's dad lmao they are hilarious.
In my pov this drama is also about healing.
I'm gonna miss this, like I waited everyday for the episodes to air.
I 100% recommend this!!! Ig this is gonna be my fav drama ever (I never had a fav drama before even though I have watched so many dramas)

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“Because God is love.”

I really love that they made this not only to open up the minds of others but to show them the real cruelty and struggle of a person that is stuck in between choosing his happiness as a person and to love one another and not to mention the same gender, or choosing God over everything even though he knows that if he let the person he loves go, the consequences of that would be him forever yearning for that perosn. It's not just about choosing to continue to love that person but this show also shows us that we can love ourselves and also love him(God) at the same time; because we wouldn't know God if we don't love. :)

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A Story That Quietly Healed Everyone

A story about 11 students, a teacher, and a coach who healed each other without even realizing it simply by being there for one another, believing in each other, and loving each other.

It’s about 11 students who believed they weren’t good enough and felt abandoned, so they pretended they had moved on from football and didn’t care about it anymore. But deep down, they still longed to play again, win, and chase their dreams.

It’s also about a lonely, depressed teacher who was ready to give up on everything. She went to her grandfather’s old school just to slack off, only to end up adopting 11 more lonely kids who became her biggest source of strength and support.

And then there’s a broken coach who lost his beloved student and gave up coaching because he believed he wasn’t good enough to teach football anymore. Without realizing it, he became the perfect coach for these 11 students, and through them, he slowly began to heal and rediscover his love for coaching.

I really love this series. It’s so healing and peaceful. The pacing is perfect not dragging, and not a single boring episode. I especially loved Wen Chengye’s character. He reminded me so much of my cat he always cared about everyone and everything, but pretended he didn’t.

I’ll always come back to this series. I love these characters, and I love this story. The cast, the OST, the acting everything was done so well.

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A Journey That Felt Like Home

Road to Success was an unexpected 10/10 for me. Before it aired, I barely kept up with any updates or promotions. I started it solely because of Esther Yu. By the end, I found myself completely attached to every character and every step of their journey.

This is, without a doubt, my favorite Esther Yu modern drama. Lin Wanxing was such a refreshing character—responsible, caring, emotionally mature, and the heart of the entire team. She wasn't just supporting them, she was the light that kept everyone moving forward.

This was also my first Chen Jingke drama, and he genuinely impressed me. He fit the role of Wang Fa perfectly. Calm, dependable, and inspiring without trying too hard, he embodied everything you'd hope to see in a coach.

The boys completely stole my heart too. Each of them had their own personality, struggles, and growth, making the team feel like a real family instead of just a group of side characters. Wen Chengye was my personal favorite (even though I loved all of them).

One character I absolutely couldn't stand was Xiang Zi. He was an absolute psycho, and every time he appeared on screen, he made my blood boil.

One of my favorite moments in the drama was Xingxing's courtroom speech. It was powerful, emotional, and incredibly delivered. I also appreciated how the director wasn't afraid to address certain issues in that scene. It gave the drama much more depth and made its message even more meaningful.

More than the romance or the football itself, this drama was about growth, dreams, friendship, and finding people who believe in you. Watching them overcome setbacks and celebrate every small victory made me feel like I was right there alongside them. By the finale, it honestly felt like I had gone through the journey with my own little family, watching them shine brighter and brighter.

Road to Success is warm, comforting, inspiring, and full of heart. It's one of those dramas that quietly stays with you long after it ends, and I couldn't have asked for a better surprise.

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The cinematography here is stunning* and one of best I've seen. I understand now why this director is so praised- he makes every shot beautiful to look at...from the snowy village of Linan to the war scenes to the indoor palaces...every scene was a visual treat. Even the falcon flying over landscapes made the world of Pursuit of Jade look big and epic. And it was pretty epic.

Fan Changyu is an extremely likable heroine. She's strong, brave and a survivor. At the same time, she's also the kind of person you'd want as a friend and as an ally. I think my favorite trait of hers is her kindness. The way she hired the Pig Butcher squad even if they tried to trash her restaurant (absolutely loved the camaraderie of this group); the way she forgave the old lady who, in the beginning, would not stop saying mean things to her and about her. I also love how she takes care of Ning and the friendships she develops with the other characters. Her caring for QianQian, her conversations with the Grand Princess, even the discipleship she had with Grand Tutor Tao...all very heartwarming. The romance here is relatively minimal, but it will satisfy those who crave a yearning male lead. Marquis Wu'An starts out as cold and reserved in the beginning, but he later becomes the type who would fight for his relationship even if his lady love is a bit reluctant at first.

Every actor/actress here did a good job, even the falcon was good. The best acting probably came from the actor playing Qi Min. His scenes were pretty powerful and disturbing. If this actor has any aspirations of playing a good* male lead, hopefully he lands a role where he can perform just as well...his performance as the twisted prince is so convincing, hopefully he doesn't get stereotyped in this kind of role.

One of the other things I liked about this drama is that it shows the war from the perspective of small village folk, not just from the perspective of nobles/royals. It was heartbreaking to see the destruction of Linan and the impact was made greater because we got to see so many happy scenes among them before that.

I wanted to give Pursuit of Jade a higher rating, but there were a couple of things that prevented me from doing it.

The depiction of the female lead's brute strength was unbelievable to me. I'm not against the idea of a woman or a physically small person defeating a bigger person in hand to hand combat, but I would have preferred that it be a result of his/her skill or smarts. In Changyu's first battle, she basically defeats the biggest and baddest warrior there and you literally have her pressing down on him where he struggles against her. When he smashes his hammer at her, she winces and holds her arm, but is hardly fazed..and yet when she slashes him, it's the exact opposite. I'm not against female empowerment (one of my favorite arcs is how she eventually becomes a general) but I would have preferred a bit of realism. POJ is not a fantasy/xianxia. It's set in the real world where the characters don't have any powers. This is the reason why I prefer her duel with Prince Changxin, where she actually uses techniques and even her small size (ex: running on top of his battle spear, etc) to defeat him. In as much as I like Changyu, I simply couldn't believe it when other characters would point out how strong she was. The actress playing her was literally one of the smallest (aside from the kids) there, but she was able to carry buckets of rocks that people more than half her size couldn't?

POJ does a good job at depicting female empowerment (not just through Changyu but also through QianQian, the princess, even Ning...) but it isn't perfect. It still has this double standard when it comes to beauty. Even in Asian dramas, where the male leads are slender...one can still tell that when it comes to women, people still prefer to see all the strength but none* of the muscle that logically comes with it. Tian Xiwei fits the beauty standard I've seen in many a drama or romance novel. She's petite and doll-like. I have nothing against this and she did a great job with her role, but given that the film makers chose a person of much* smaller build, it would not have been a big deal if they changed a few things. Perhaps presenting her as a skilled fighter who relies on speed and skill (like IP man) would have been more logical than insisting on unrealistic depictions of Herculean strength. The character was already special, she didn't need that to be even more so.

If the whole point of this was to make physically small people feel empowered, I think their approach was actually counterproductive because it doesn't show how a person of smaller build could gain the upper hand in a real world scenario.

There were other unbelievable things. Three characters here (Sui Yuanqing, Changyu and Qi Min) fall from a great height- I'm talking apex like mountains here...but still manage to survive. Prince Qi Min was supposed to be horribly burned, but how does he come back with a completely different face? They didn't exactly have top notch plastic surgery at that time?

Zhang Linghe does a good job as the noble Marquis Wu An (it doesn't hurt that he's incredibly good looking and a pleasure to look at), but his character doesn't feel as layered or developed. I have no problem with how he has all the qualities of an ideal male lead (good looking, good at combat, etc)...this is fine, since other male leads also have them, but Wu'An's story feels brushed aside. Even perfect characters or perfectly good characters have struggles which are shown...but practically everything about him is just mentioned via exposition.

When he says that the "happiest times in his life were with Changyu in Linan", we don't see how these experiences affect him or how they help thaw him or make him fall in love. When he says he feels the agony of being used by his uncle as a "blade to protect the realm", we don't see how difficult this must have been either, because the entire war story is from Changyu's point of view, not his. One of the few times we see him during the war is when he frantically leaves camp to go to Linan when he thinks she's in danger. He later has a duel with Sui Yuanqing, but they only show its beginning and not how it ends. We are allowed to cheer for Changyu when she defeats her opponents, but not him when he does the same.

We first see him buried alive from an assassination attempt where he is forced to lie low since he has many enemies...but we don't really get a feel of how precarious the situation was for him in the beginning. When he is later attacked by thugs, it turns out that they weren't even after him, but after Changyu and her sister.

There are dramas like The Judge from Hell where the male lead is clearly in a supporting role. There are dramas like Eternal Love where both the male and female lead are mains...but it's made clear from the start that the girl has a bigger role since the guy literally comes into the picture a good 13 episodes after her. I was a bit confused by POJ...yes, it was about female empowerment, but was it meant to be female centric in a way that the male lead was basically a supporting character? I got the impression that he was also supposed to have a big role?

But when Marquis Wu An was there...he didn't feel at all present.

The only time I saw his point of view was during his flashbacks where he dreamt of his mother. I didn't get a feel of how the war or being a warrior shaped him. I wasn't even sure at what point he fell in love with Changyu. The last few episodes could have focused on him more, since they were about the nobles and the unveiling of the past, but they were more about his uncle.

The last 6 episodes were also all about palace intrigue. The whole "what happened 17 years ago to frame so and so etc and put so and so in power etc" is something I've seen time and again. I would say it's presented better here than in other dramas (I think the best depiction of palace intrigue is still Nirvana in Fire), but overall, I felt neutral about it.

The whole hidden identity is also a repeated trope I'm not sure about. The main thing that annoyed me about it here is that it takes more than half the drama for Changyu to find out who Xie Zheng (Wu An) really is. He has good reasons to hide his identity, but we are talking about a good 40 episodes here and I was not a fan of how she was one of the last people to know about him.

Also, the amount of romance here might disappoint some people.

I don't think it really matters if a drama has a slow burn relationship or a love/attraction at first sight...or if love is depicted in a way that is subtle or if there is a grand declaration of it. The only thing that matters to me is how well written it is and if the way it is expressed fits the characters personalities...but the problem in POJ is that it is not really a romance...it's mostly a war story and a story about survival, evolution and other things...the romance is meant* to be minimal...but the marketing for this (even the poster*) can mislead people into thinking that it's more of a romance with a war story in the background but it's actually the opposite.

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95% Pure Misery. A Toxic Test of Endurance That Castrates Its Independent Female Characters

If you are looking for a coherent modern romance with healthy boundaries and satisfying character growth, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. Love Has Fireworks is a textbook example of "Frankenstein writing", a corporate product stitched together from conflicting demands that breaks its contract with the audience, insults your intelligence and forces you through an exhausting slog of unearned misery.

The FL is a pathological doormat and is written with a severe martyr complex. She acts as a constant "soft persimmon" punching bag, absorbing blame and taking the high road for things that are completely outside of her control. Watching her sit there and silently take verbal abuse from her ex-fiancé’s new mistress, completely refusing to defend her own dignity, is genuinely painful. What the writers try to frame as "virtuous resilience" is actually just a pathetic lack of self-respect that makes the show completely unwatchable.

What makes this train wreck truly unforgivable is how the writers completely obliterated the FL's best friend, Dang Yu.
The show initially markets her as a fierce, sharp-tongued, financially independent woman who firmly knows her boundaries. Yet, the second she enters a romantic subplot, her character logic is totally castrated.
She is subjected to a boundary-violating, relentless stalker who refuses to take "no" for an answer. After doing one "heroic" deed during a lawsuit, the script uses emotional kidnapping to force her into giving him the time of day. Worse yet, she is forced to sit through a family meal where his entitled, elitist, toxic mother openly degrades her career. Instead of telling them both to get lost, the writers force this supposedly "strong" woman to adhere to archaic social norms, politely excusing herself and rewarding the spineless son with a pat on the shoulder. It makes absolutely zero sense structurally or logically.

It is pure toxic misery framed as Comedy. The show suffers from a massive, tone-deaf directorial failure. It actively tries to frame deeply unsettling emotional abuse, corporate backstabbing and class snobbery as lighthearted family comedy by plastering bouncy, quirky background music over toxic standoffs.
Young characters are forced to bend the knee to abusive elders under the guise of "filial piety" and "saving face."

The show intentionally tortures its protagonists to manufacture drama, operating on the lazy formula of subjecting you to endless frustration just to give you a rushed, five-minute resolution at the very end is my guess.
The writers weaponised modern "Girl Power" tropes in the trailers to get you to watch, only to force those independent women into submissive, regressive molds the second it became inconvenient for the plot.
I gave it 21 episodes hoping someone would grow a backbone. They didn't. Save your sanity and your blood pressure, drop this show immediately.

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I had a lot of fun watching this drama...it was similar to The Girl from Nowhere in the best of ways. Mysterious, supernatural being punishes evil doers, but one can't tell if she's entirely good herself. I could tell Park Shin Hye was really having fun playing Justicia and I had a lot of fun watching her. I like how the stories ("cases") were presented in an episodic format, which fits this type of genre. I also worried it would get formulaic, but they managed to have other things going on, as well as an overarching plot line that gets resolved in the end.

One of the advantages this drama has over TGFN is that its story has closure. I know they're going to have a second season, but to be honest, the ending already felt like a proper one.

The male lead felt superfluous, though. I get that he's a supporting character and while I didn't expect him to have a bigger role, he didn't really contribute anything* whatsoever to the plot. Justicia does all the physical fighting, which was expected...but he was a detective in charge of some cases. I thought he would at least discover a few things or solve a few things...or at least provide some useful information to her...but he really doesn't do anything.

He was one of the victims of the whole serial killer plot, but there were other victims as well whose trauma was explored better and showed the POV of the serial killers victims sufficiently. If they took him out of the script, nothing would change.

There's a theme in the story where Justicia gets punished because she starts to develop feelings and starts to care for people...so I thought this was where the male lead (I can't even remember his name) could contribute (Why not? There are plenty of traditional stories where the girl love interest brings 'light and emotion' to the male lead's life, so no problem with the role reversal here)...but the drama easily shows how Justicia learns to develop feelings caring for her neighbors* and even some of the victims of the cases she handles...so the male lead's role again becomes useless, because Justicia can learn to develop feelings and empathy even without him.

There's a part where Justicia loses her powers and I would've liked to see how she handled that challenge more, but it's relatively brief and unexplored. She also has two likable helpers in Valak (his discovery of religion and use of devil allergy powder was funny) and Grimory (loved how she seemed like an evil backstabber, but turned out to be just an overly loyal fangirl to Justicia) and I loved the trio they formed.

There's an overarching plotline where they kept hyping "Satan" up as one of the main antagonists, but while his end fight with Justicia was decent, it was a bit anticlimactic. He wasn't really the main villain, but I think he could have been developed more or posed a bigger threat. As a fan of mysteries, I also wanted more of a treasure hunt when it came to them searching for that dark stone Satan was after. It was another part of the drama that had the potential to be interesting, but fizzled out in the end.

Overall, this is an entertaining watch if one can turn their brain off and appreciate the over-the-top punishment of criminals and their comedic send-offs where Justicia literally sends them to hell. The sets and costume design in "Gehenna" also looked good, but we only catch a glimpse of it. One interesting thing is that while the characters are based on Christianity, the depiction of devils/demons is slightly different. In here, they aren't really evil, they just happen to be in charge of handling bad people, while the angels are in charge of taking care of the good ones.

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An unforgettable masterpiece.

Payback has everything I could ask for in a BL: romance, suspense, revenge, incredible chemistry, and a story that keeps you completely invested from beginning to end. This is easily a 10/10 for me and has earned a permanent place as one of my favorite BLs.

It's hard to believe this is Min and Toptap's first series as lead actors, let alone their first project together. Their chemistry feels completely natural and effortless. They bring Sun and Yohan to life in a way that makes every scene believable, and I'll never forget their performances. Toptap and Minlee have officially become my favorite actors.

Min's acting deserves special recognition. His performance is extraordinary. He has this incredible ability to keep an almost expressionless face while still letting the audience understand exactly what Sun is thinking and feeling in every moment. That's not an easy skill, and he executes it flawlessly. Even the subtle changes in his hairstyle and hair color help make each stage of Sun's journey feel like a different version of the same person, showing just how much attention was given to his character's growth.

I also loved the overall atmosphere. The series trusts its story instead of constantly interrupting emotional moments with exaggerated comedy, silly sound effects, or unnecessary gags. There are humorous moments when they're needed, but they never undermine the darker, heavier themes. That balance makes the emotional scenes hit even harder.

As someone familiar with the manhwa, I was impressed by how faithfully it was adapted. It captures the heart of the original while still feeling cinematic and emotionally powerful.

Finally, one of the biggest strengths of Payback is that it succeeds in both areas that many BLs struggle to balance. It delivers a gripping, well-written plot and genuinely excellent NC scenes that serve the relationship instead of existing purely for fan service. Finding a series that excels at both is rare, and Payback accomplishes it effortlessly.

This is one of the most complete BLs I've ever watched, and I honestly don't think I'll ever forget it.

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