Reviews

Riveting, refreshing, must watch

A drama spanning over 20 years, a riveting tale of a humble fishmonger, who at first was driven by desperation to save his livelihood, succumbs to a beating from lowly market hooligans, but by a twist of fate gets entangled in a brilliant web of deceit, honor and treachery. He befriends a strait laced policeman, and they get off on a good start.

However, as the tale unfolds, the fishmonger becomes enticed by both fate and temptation. At first his priority was to his family, for survival, and to do the right honorable thing.

A masterpiece by the scriptwriter, the fishmonger gets into more trouble and eventually capitulates and walks to the dark side. I am now on episode 14 and every so often I hold my breath, marveling how the script is so precisely worded and how it makes a dramatic turn when you least expect it.

Definitely a must watch, no wonder it has such high rating on douban.

The cast is stellar, the 2 male leads are exceptional. They bring me to stages of bromance, kinship and loyalty that is rare for any drama.

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Story

Cute actors but very amateurish in their roles.. I'm not
against trans people but as soon as I see them in a series they always exagerate their acting to the point it's very cheesy and being from the West it's hard to get used to. It just makes the series laughable and
unbelievable. I couldn't take this series ...serious. A lot of BLs are set to the same storyline as this one.I think they dish these BLs out ten a penny with no thought to the viewers because it bring in the money. Bad Buddy..
Love Mechanics..Manners of death are excellent BLs
and this has probably put my expectations high.
The actors probably done their best with a script that
didn't work.

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"OFF & GUN chemistry is perfect, but something seemed to be off"

Off and gun is as usual amazing in their series. But for me, compare to the series (NOT ME) this series seems to be bit off of the plot. Some scenes are irritating and makes us to drop the drama itself and I again continued to watch the drama because of their chemistry. They have chosen different plots from their previous works like 'theory of love', 'our sky s1' and 'Not me' and many more series, they have some main plot and it revolves around it without creating any sorts of irritating scenes. If you love Off/Gun, want something light and easy to watch with some sweet/cute moments, and are in the mood for simple/silly humor.

The characters they portrayed in this drama does not have any scope(means anyone can play this character) I loved their previous work called "NOT ME" the way portrayed the emotions and depth in their characters are amazing. The screenplay is so simple , predictable and the secondary characters so annoying and often over-acted, that I really can't bring myself.

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Chaotic , irritating and messy piece of shit of story , don't waste your time

I am saving you from a real headache watching this piece of shit of a drama
they used the thriller aspect at the beginning to make it exciting then failed horribly
after that, some of the story was revealed and we went down a rabbit hole of stupid revenge from all the characters
then people die for some Ludacris reasons then the female lead was trying to get better with some good support
but still, the evil people are winning until episode 14
There are a lot of plot holes in each episode,, it's like something happening without logical explanation from sane people but the writer just overlooked it
the evil people are still winning and we are watching this mess
the police are useless, the female lead is useless, and the support is useless
this drama is garbage
I've tried and tried to think positively every weak but the writer is just a nonwriter, he or she is just writing to fill gaps
I wonder why this great actress accepted such a mess

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I confess that I tried to watch this drama several times and didn't get past the first episode, but I saw so many positive comments that I insisted on watching it.

The first episode really isn't very good, it doesn't hold you back, but this drama is a box of surprises, it improves with each episode and improves a lot, the closer it gets to the end the better it gets, so much so that you think "wow, what a good drama How have I not watched this before?"

Regarding the actors, you fall in love with each one of them, the main ones are wonderful and the secondary ones too.

The story is very well put together, even the flashbacks to the past fit perfectly with the time and the story of the drama, and at no point do you lose interest in the story or it becomes tiring.

Final:
And the ending folks?, what a wonderful ending, that ending that makes you sigh, this drama was beautiful and I'm still completely in love with it!

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"In twilight's silence the ninja's realm where mastery embraces mystery."

This series explores the life of ninjas living in this contemporary world, it starts off well too with the action sequences like a ninja style is very nice and unique too. The cinematography in fight sequence did a splendid job. The story is somewhat predictable in upcoming episodes, I was impressed with grandma talking to her friend without moving her lips as well as our cutie riku who finds out that his family is a "shinobi"( a ninja who act as in stealth or a spies who works for an organization or a group people).They are basically 'a ninja who can't kill'. Each and every actor (who acted as ninja) did a extraordinary job that to fighting sequences as well as vanishing them into thin air without anyone being notice etc. Even the granny, nagi as well as her mom did nice job while protecting their family members from enemies. The return of 'Gaku'(the hero's family member) is too predictable at a point that every audience were expecting him to come at certain point. The director and his crew insisted that the SAT cannot defeat ninjas, but if that is the case, there should at least be a scene demonstrating this. The hero family is being controlled by a small team from the nation, not even allowed to date or bring a girl home without facing execution, and having to marry through arranged meetings is absurd. They will be threatening the FL not to meet our ML(it literally frustrates me a lot).So there are planning for season 2 for this series so they left the finale episode as what is the real motives of villain's gang(fuma), we need to wait for it's season 2 to come.

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Light-hearted goodness

Story

I’m not used to “campy” shows, so the lightheartedness was something I struggled with a little. The problems were solved properly but because I’m used to the long, extended deep dive of topics like homophobia, parental strictness, fiancial struggles and parental death so the simple-esque solving was a little bogus for me but that doesn’t take away from the show.

The ending does feel rushed but that’s the cut version so maybe the uncut would be better with more context and pacing.

Acting/Casting: Amazing, each actor did a great job and special shoutout to Aungpao for doing so well in what I believe is his debut role. He was approximately 15/16 when the show was filmed and yet he fit in really well with the seasoned actors. I will add that a some of the kisses between OffGun were more intense earlier than later, I figured that it might be related to the censorship under WeTv, it felt weird seeing the intensity lower, as if they were doing it for the first time.

Music: The intro song is catchy, I don’t have much to say but the music fit well with the theme of the show.

Overall: This is a great show to watch if you need a breather from some of the more serious shows. Great for decompression and touching on the reality of queer relationships without having it takedown the tone of the show. If you're the type of watcher that enjoys nuanced plots even under the rom-com genre, this is not the one for you. The plot is merely there so that the characters exist, the show is character-driven. If you watch the show, it's because you can, rather than because you really want to follow the story at the same pace as the rest of the audience. I watched the show because I had nothing else to watch and I am familiar with some of the actors. There were also moments where I didn't have the subtitles but because the plot doesn't have a lot of mystery and suspense, I did not feel lost when I focused again. That might give you an idea of how little the plot really affects the story.

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Yet another body swap tale, though this time told in a slighly darker form.

The popular body swap genre has been around for over a well over a century. From F. Asley's Vice Vera to Freaky Friday, it's essentially the same rehashed tale of individuals who switch places, live each other's lives, gain a better understanding for each other before they switch back and all is good again.
Though the story has been done many times before, Switched to it's credit brings something new to the genre by creating a much darker and more dramatic storyline based around depression, loneliness, envy and bullying. An while the darker plot-line is effective, it's also full of silly plot holes and slightly dumb characters. When the male leads discover the female leads have switched bodies, the reaction is not of shock and astonishment but instant acceptance.
The acting was a bit mixed, the two male leads were at best pretty average but excellent performances from the two female leads essentially carried the show along.
For me there were moments I liked it and at points the story was quite emotional, but in equal amounts it was pretty silly and tedious. It's ok as a live action drama but probably would have worked far better as an anime.

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now THIS is camp done right

i don't usually enjoy campy shows, so i was shocked when i was hooked on cooking crush instantly. i really like that in typical offgun series fashion, queerness was not treated as if it's some fantasy experience. they openly acknowledged the presence of homophobia and allowed the characters to fear rejection without watering their entire character down to how much they struggled.

the jokes almost all landed for me, the camera angles were fun, the acting was obviously incredible, and the plot was a bit lost on the cut version but honestly i personally didn't find it too bothersome.

overall i think this series deserves more appreciation. it's sweet, funny, and almost every character is extremely unique and lovable.

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So effing sweet... I watched this all STRAIGHT THROUGH

The age gap was a little "hmm... does he really have to be 36?" but I got over it pretty soon. And it's only because he's 36 that he's able to handle all the missteps with maturity. The female lead acts true to her age and it was interesting to see these two clash a little bit due to that (but also love and mesh really well together).

I watched this straight through. No stops. No interruptions. I did order food and eat it (while watching of course) but that was it. The best way I've messed up my sleep schedule, I won't lie. The only other drama I remember binging in its entirety is Ancient Love Poetry.

This is a drama that won't disappoint! I love Zhao Lusi but man, the male lead made me fall for him a little bit too! So freaking sweet watching them fall in love and fight for that love.

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THIS DRAMA WAS DISAPPOINTING

This drama was the most stupid drama I have ever watched.




I honestly only started it because of some of the clips I saw on tiktok and YouTube shorts and because of Yeri but I was greatly mistaken
The FML at first she was okay and the first and second episode were fine but when she started acting like she did something good by posting other people's things and no one has the right to be angry at her that was just so off-putting this was in my opinion, the worst drama of 2023. What even annoys me the most is that she ruined that girl's interview I mean sure what she did wasn't good but that doesn't justify what you did as well, dhe acts like it is a sin to be born poor this drama was so utterly disappointing I couldn't even stand any more of it, it was so hard to watch and she just ruined everything for me and it even ended in a cliffhanger that is literally the worst

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looking for a comfort show? you got it!

this show might be your cup pf tea if you enjoy:
- nostalgia
- deep analysis of platonic & romantic relationships
- tons of emotions
- amazing cinematography that makes you feel at home
- lovable cast

a story about finding your roots after living away from home for so long; we all know how busy our lives have become these days and this show portrays that perfectly, it also shows that even though it is great to be achieving your dreams and going your way to achieve success, someday you will need a break from your busy life.

a story about close friends, a great family bond, missing your childhood memories and home. this show shows that there are people around you who always wish for your best and want the best for you. you may feel left out, alone and invisible but there’s always going to be someone who is silently praying for your health and happiness. whether it be your family, or your childhood friends you keep no contact with anymore.

the reflection and healing in this show is something, the way you experience the characters’ healing process along with them, experiencing all different types of emotions. everyone is going through something different but the makers really did an amazing job by giving everyone more than enough spotlight so you can seriously see and understand them as a whole.

this is definitely comfort show worthy, it made me cry so many times because of the emotions i felt seeing the characters and their stories. the actors did an amazing job as well portraying their characters. well done!

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Not quite perfect, but not far, either.

My first foray into Asian dramas and I wasn't disappointed! It's an epic 100% worth the time and among the greatest of all time television series (including western TV). Costuming is so perfect you'll want to cry and the cast's acting and chemistry is unparalleled in anything I've seen before. Pacing is good and there is little filler, and I appreciate that a lot of things, sometimes huge things, happen unceremoniously offscreen. The show only rarely pontificates, repeats, or overexplains things; in other words, it doesn't treat the viewer like an idiot who can't keep up.

However, not knowing who Liu Tao was meant that I largely went "so what" over what little romance there was; what few scenes there were were out of place, not well written, and seemed to rely largely on her star power. Zzz.

I also wish there had been more intimate (platonic) scenes and between Su and Jing. I don't feel like their brotherhood was really given the time it deserved. Some flashbacks would have also helped illustrate just how deep their bond ran... because otherwise, we are just supposed to trust the things coming out of their mouths.

Chinese censorship is also felt through the lack of dimensionality - in Game of Thrones, you have several factions, some of whom have justified claims, and all of whom have their own (usually competing) interests. How those interests resolve is what made GOT so fun to watch, and its morally gray characters were some of the best characters in the series. By comparison, Nirvana in Fire just feels like it's lacking dynamism and, in the end, is very much just a "good guys vs bad guys" kind of show, which was a bit of a letdown to me.

All in all, it's a great show, definitely worth watching the entire 54 episodes at least once. However, I don't know that I personally will be rewatching it in its entirety, namely because while I loved many of the characters, the main protagonist and his shallow relationships left me with an apathetic feeling about the supposedly bittersweet events taking place. I'll likely go back and rewatch only a handful of episodes, particularly the ones around the spring hunt.

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