Reviews

"Transforming Dreams: A Review of Chinese Drama Focused on Education and Resilience"

The drama features an exceptionally talented cast, effortlessly portraying emotions and offering an intriguing plot. It sheds light on real-life struggles and problems, revealing the hidden challenges student might face in their personal and school life. Each character undergoes significant development, with Shen Yao standing out. While I felt romance isn't a necessity, the drama explores crushes and some light relations developments. Personally, I found it to be an educational gem, deserving more recognition. It imparts study tactics, motivation, and various techniques, making the students' journey remarkable. This captivating drama keeps you hooked until the end, delivering a satisfying experience.

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Bromance

Upon watching the trailer initially, I anticipated it to have BL vibes, but it pleasantly surprised me as it turned out to be more of a bromance. The story revolves around a friend lending a helping hand to his "brother," and together they embark on a journey to boost each other's self-confidence.
However, I wasn't particularly fond of the cut scenes as they lacked coherence and character progression. However, the main characters' chemistry was undeniably strong right from the beginning of the episode, making it all the more captivating to watch. All in all, it's a nice and enjoyable short.

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Almost dropped it but pushed thru

The first episode was absolutely infuriating. I was planning on dropping this 3/4 of the way thru it. I instead came to the reviews to see why I should keep watching. I was mostly convinced. I went to S2 to see how it would progress. It looked promising so back I went. I then found out the bullying was something that had actually happened. While I still found the basis of the series appalling and almost unbelievable, but knowing it was "based" in reality made me push through. I wanted to see this revenge play out because boy was it warranted!

There were still parts that frustrated me to no end but overall the two leads won me over and kept me watching. Will I watch it again?Probably not. Would I suggest it for everybody to watch? Absolutely not. There are A LOT of triggering scenes especially in the first episode so be aware before you start. There are various scenes throughout that are hard to watch also.

Only you know what you can handle but know you have been warned!

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Highly Recommended, high Re-Watch Value. Hot.

-The series that catapulted two relatively unknown actors into the Chinese stardom stratosphere.
-Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu put their hearts, and soul, and creativity, and passion, and improvisation, and their dedication into this series despite many production setbacks.
-The result is INSANE CHEMISTRY, WeiLan, ZhuBai, many swoon-worthy, superbly acted memorable scenes (and many more future well-deserved quality acting opportunities for both Zhu Yilong and Baiyu).
-Guardian sets the stage for later "BL - bromance" type series like Untamed and Word of Honor.
-It's undeniably a romance though Chinese censorship forbids the explicit interpretation of the original novel in those terms. However, the romance or bromance (whatever) is a mature, complex, controlled relationship. The feelings between the two leads never descend into mushy, sappy, melodramatic tropes. There's no sentimental declaration of love/feelings, but the undying, unwavering love between soul mates is always palpable. I love that they are their own strong person, with their own firm convictions, and they take no bullshit from each other. There's always the push and pull in their interactions, whether in bantering, calling each other out, working together. They are in sync mentally and physically.
-You will cry. I cried, copiously.
-If you loved this, as I did, you will re-watch scenes many many times, as I did.

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The Best Sequel in 2023

I’m literally in tears because the drama ended too soon and there is STILL so much left to explore!

Have you ever felt this inexplicable connect to a storyline or characters that keeps you coming back for more? If you are an ardent fan of the “What Did You Eat Yesterday?” franchise, you will understand the connection. I have been religiously following this show for almost 5 years now and everytime, they make an announcement, my heart skips a beat. That’s how much I love this melodrama and I’m really invested in each and every character in this show. Starring veteran Japanese actors Nishijima Hidetoshi & Uchino Seiyou in the lead roles, this slice-of-life romance focuses on the daily lives and struggles of a middle-aged gay couple. You ask, what is so special about them? Shiro and Kenji are probably the most realistic depiction of the problems faced by a gay couple, in an idealistic, closeted society. Their renditions are so heartwarming and inspiring, you can’t help but get roped in their lives. For now, join me as we reminisce some of the finest moments from the sequel!

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2023/12/27/what-did-you-eat-yesterday-2-series-review-ep-3-to-12/

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This could have been so much better

What can another trite, tropey, cliché-ridden Thai series centering around a cooking theme say that has not already been said? Both from a positive and negative perspective that seriously does not sound like a broken record (I know that dates me).

The story could have been an interesting one as it certainly did start out on an entertaining note. We have a struggling young man named Peach (Guide Kantapon) who developed a great understanding and finesse for baking from his Grandma (actress unknown). Both make a living by selling Grandma’s chiffon mini-cakes. Her chiffon mini-cakes have been instrumental in changing the direction of one individual in an orphanage where she has been delivering her cakes for many years. She gently dispenses, as a grandmother ought to, not just wise advice on baking but on how to live. She is pivotal to this whole story and is the fulcrum to Peach’s transition to fully realizing himself.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2023/12/30/bake-me-please-series-review-ep-1-to-6/

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A Hilarious, Over Dramatic Romcom

Adapted from the manga series BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita by Suzuri Machi and starring Abe Aran (Akafuji Yuichiro) and Akutsu Nichika (Aoyanagi Hajime), I Became the Main Role of a BL is precisely what its title implies. It follows two actors in two different stages of their careers–one famous, the other a child actor waning in popularity–cast in the leading roles of a BL series.

It’s fun. It’s over-dramatic. It’s full of heart-fluttering tropes. It resonates deeply.

Japan’s romcoms rarely fail me. They pull off over-the-top comedy in a way no other country has quite yet mastered. While the trope-filled comedy scenes in this series could come off as cringe, it somehow doesn’t. The secret but not-so-subtle crush that popular actor Yuichiro has on child actor Hajime is sweet and endearing, full of giggles and warmth, which makes each scene a delight to tune into.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/02/i-became-the-lead-in-a-bl-drama-crank-up-edition-series-review-ep-1-to-3/

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loved it!

wow! I'm in shock at all the bad reviews of this drama. it saddens me to see people not bother watching simply because others said not to. on that note, I will say that most reviews are personal opinions and should be taken that way. my personal opinion, I absolutely loved this series! I started with Sky in Your Heart which is the sequel where you see Daoneua's brother, Kuafah, get his story. That was hands down one of my favorite stories! Mek is drop dead gorgeous and an amazing actor! as far as this series goes, you can't go wrong with JoongDunk. yes, the story is one that we most likely all know. miscommunication. if you're an avid bl watcher like myself, you're bound to come across tropes. frankly, to expect high schoolers/college students to be experts at love is ridiculous. they're gonna be awkward and make mistakes. I 100/10 recommend this series and I 1000/10 recommend watching sky in your heart immediately after!

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Highly recommended, high re-watch value

-Amazing CHEMISTRY between the leads
-Complex relationships, especially between the male leads, and between them and the wife. Even the side characters are well-developed and nuanced.
-Though often listed as a "BL", this story and the relationships transcend that sort of reductive label. This is kindred spirits of the purest, unbreakable kind
-Actions and decisions always stayed true to the nature of the characters. Emotional without the melodrama.
-Superbly cast
-Gorgeous production, authentic feel
-No unnecessary drama, none of the usual trope-y story-telling. Mature, thoughtful, credible story
-More people ought to watch this, and recommend it to others.

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a truly great and creativ premise that flows between very serious and very funny

First of all I was really into this story, it seemed like the premise was written in a way that felt very unique, complex and creative, but with a touch of comedy to lighten the mood and keep the audience more immerse.
One thing that caught my eye was the cinematography, the close up shots in the beginning is so effective to get to know the expressiveness of the characters, the visual effects looked really nice and refined, the stuns were filmed in a really interesting way and the shaky scenes during the fights were a nice shot, the music choices were amazing and set a nice atmospheric, as well as the makeup and styling.

Another interesting elements was how dynamic each episode felt, the story didn't let the audience sit for way too long in a story and kept it moving as they presented the characters and personalities, it seemed like the chemistry was really natural and they had fun on set.

The actors were so great, the use of satoori is always an interesting element to me, the delivery in terms of dialogue was so good, and I was, once again, impressed by Siwan, he was able to show a spectrum of different expressions as well as manage the physical comedy elements in a very subtle, balanced and seamless way, he adapted his posture and even tone and voice for this character, his attention and care for each role truly impresses me.

All the characters had something different to bring to the table, I do feel like some characters didn't quite hit in terms of the story and I wish they showcased more of the relationships in the family, the ending is a bit... well I don't feel as convinced, but I could be jumping to conclusions. I had fun watching it, and I recommend it.

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Overall enjoyable but no re-watch value

-Overall cast acting was wonderful. Everyone did their jobs admirably even if I didn't like all the characters.
-Character development was fine with special shout out for the complex dynamic between Emperor/Empress/Consort, and the nuanced portrayal of Yuan Shen.
-Chemistry between the leads was sweet but no fireworks for me.
-My enjoyment of the romance was diminished by CSS's constant assertion of victimhood. The lack of ownership for her own immature behaviors towards authority got tiring after repeated occurrences. There are other "victims" too, like Lou Yao who had to marry for duty, all the ladies married off to loveless marriages for political reasons, people whose entire clans get massacred etc CSS is loyal and kind towards those who don't oppose her actions but is unrepentant and wilfull when called out for bad or unsafe behaviors. Sort of a cross between Mary Sue and spoiled child. It's only until someone she loves is seriously hurt or near death that she capitulates and becomes remorseful. Overall, CSS characterization is frustrating and hard to root for.
-Series felt draggy in parts with uneven pacing. I started with binge watching the series but by episode 30+, I started to lose steam with zero emotional investment at the end.
-Too many whiny, spoiled princesses and jealous "mean girl" situations. These scenes appear to "justify" CSS's vengeance and make her out to be righteous with petty retributions in disregard to rules and propriety.
-Leo Wu is hot.

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Quality Production, but Character Choices are Disturbing

This series is about a very real couple regardless of the plot, but I never liked these characters. The series is of good quality. The shots, lights, sounds are very good.
Most of the acting is very good. However, I do not like loser characters. Cold, introverted, but loser and cowardly characters do not appeal to me. I had a hard time watching it. I fast-forwarded the bullying scenes because it was annoying.

Hira is a character who got stuck in his first toxic relationship and couldn't get over it. He preferred a healthy and self-healing person like Koyama to his old toxic relationship.
As another reviewer said, "Hira doesn't deserve a Koyama."


I liked the finale and the final scenes, but I'm still not convinced of Kiyoi's love.


Hira is invisible and ignored and falls in love with the first bright sun he sees. Because it has what he lacks the most. Kiyoi is trying to become famous to satisfy his hunger for love and prove himself, and of course he doesn't want to lose the person who adores him.


In the second season, I don't know how they will resolve the plot, but in a real-world continuation of such a character relationship, it might unfold like this:
After the honeymoon phase, Kiyoi would continue to belittle and oppress Hira.
He would ignore him and prioritize his career. For a considerable period, Hira would strive to please and satisfy Kiyoi.
At some point, Kiyoi would grow tired of Hira, betray him, and Hira, enduring prolonged suffering, would start to undergo personal growth.
Once he finally breaks free from Kiyoi, the narcissistic cycle would restart as Kiyoi returns, and the toxic relationship persists until Hira experiences genuine self-awareness.
Every now and then, Hira regrets not choosing Koyama, who used to be a genuinely loving and mentally stable guy.


Expecting a healthy relationship from a high school romance is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

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This drama isn’t your typical school romance drama, it focuses on so many things. The storyline is actually really interesting and isn’t boring at all, the emotions too you are going to be bawling your eyes at some scenes. From the characters to the lot it is engaging and makes u wanna binge the whole series, I’ve learned so much already from this drama the lessons in life etc. It’s actually super motivating and makes you want to study too haha, also the music and ost is soooo good!!! Acting is also amazing love all the characters in class 11 hehe they really became a family and love how they got so close to each other. I definitely don’t want this drama to end since I look forward to the new episode every day but I’m definitely going to rewatch this whenever I have no motivation or anything, can’t wait to watch the rest of the episodes and see the whole class successful! Each characters situation is so unique and how Sang laoshi/Lei Ming tries to figure out each one’s problems and help them out it’s so sweet. Glad to say this drama really made my year already, best school drama out there not really focused on romance but the concept is <33333! YOU NEEED TO WATCH THIS DRAMA.

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How have I not watched this sooner??

So. I might be in love.
This is my first time watching a reality TV series from Korea, and while it's vastly different from the ones I'm used to (mainly Drag Race, Big Brother and Love Island), my God is it entertaining to watch.

Above all, I think the cast is absolutely perfect. They are so loveable and genuine and they look like they enjoy spending time together. They're also so different and unique and bring different talents to the table, which I enjoyed when watching them perform. They're sincere in their emotions, care for each other, and earnestly try to do better not only as individuals, but as a group - I really appreciated that.
The music is GREAT. Man, I've never been a kpop stan, but I'll be adding a lot of these songs to my playlist lol. And the choreos are super intense and engaging, and the camera work during the performances really adds to the dynamism that they exude.
Lastly, I had so. Much. Fun. I've laughed a lot watching this series, and that NEVER happens. Shows like Drag Race never hit the spot for me, that type of humor is not my style at all - but it wasn't the case here. The reactions were great. Maybe they were a little bit over the top at times, but hey, that's reality TV for ya. I'll be quoting 'You're a BIRD' and 'Take me home tonight- gimme gimme' for the rest of my life, thanks.

I've seen other reviewers mention the production company, the voting system and the editing. Being relatively new to this genre of reality TV, I honestly cannot speak on this because I didn't even know Mnet existed until like a week ago. The voting system didn't really bother me, to be honest. At first I thought it was going to be excessively unfair to the G team, but it ended up being quite balanced in the end. I have to admit, though, that some trainees were eliminated when they shouldn't have been (I'll never get over Jay nor Haruto I'm sorry), and others stayed around for an astonishingly long time (Takuto was super cute, but let's be honest, what did he even excel at?? How the hell did he get through the first round?).
The editing I did notice. The repetition and constant replays were a little bit annoying at times, and I get that they were trying to get everyone's reactions, but maybe it's not needed to hear the same fucking audio bit back to back like five times?? And I also didn't like how they left out a LOT of performances. One of the trainees called them out on this in one of the songs and honestly, I felt so bad for him (and others). Imagine working so hard and then finding out that you're not even onscreen for three fourths of the episode. I think this could be solved by either 1) reducing the number of trainees at the beginning, so that everyone can be onscreen, or 2) having longer episodes / more episodes.

But yeah. This was a great watch. I'll be watching 103227 edits of the series for the next three months, if anyone's looking for me. I'm hoping for a season 2 but idk if it's ever gonna happen.

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Sweet balance between comedy and serious story

I was worried when I heard this story would only have 3 episodes but turns out each episode was twice longer than usual Jdrama so I was happy and had high hope for it.

The story:
Their story was simple so this amount of time was just perfect. Both main characters got their equal screen time and control of narration to expressed their side and point of view. The genius switching between their thoughts and showed us how much they misunderstood each other without communicating was such a signature for JBL that I always loved, they made it both funny and heavy to watch.

The characters:
I can say that I love all the major characters in this drama despite the short amount of time seeing them. Start with both main characters, they had their flaw and they are self-aware quickly like adults which was refreshing to see. Hajime and Akafuji both had their backstory that explained so much why they are who they are and how they expressed their characters. Their supporting characters such as the girl, the idol and the managers are great additions and even they had the chance to have their own small part of the story.

The actors:
I feel like last year there are many up and down for me with JBL because they kept giving lead roles to actors who are too new to handle such role and I was having JBL fatigue for a while but this drama did a good job having actors who are capable of doing both the comedic and heavy parts of the story. I really have no complaint.

The music was just okay but I really wish the drama was longer even though I was also satisfied with this amount of story.

P.S. I really how there would be at least spin-off for the managers lol their love story seems… interesting.

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