Reviews

An incredible series let down by its ending

I genuinely loved The Edge of Horizon. It is one of those shows that gave me more than just entertainment. It actually made me interested in an older period of Thai history and pushed me to start reading and searching about the country, the political changes and the society of that era. When I later went to Thailand, I even visited the palace/filming location because of the series. Unfortunately, the palace itself was closed for renovation, but the café was open and I still got some beautiful pictures there. That alone says a lot about how much this series stayed with me.

The acting was easily one of its strongest points. Inn and Ongsa were excellent, especially in the emotional scenes, and the supporting cast was just as strong. The production, atmosphere and historical setting made the story feel much bigger than a typical romance.

But then came the ending.

I really wish the writers had had the courage to let Phob die.

By that point, his death felt like the natural and necessary conclusion to the story. We watched everyone mourn him, there was a funeral, the rings were found beside him, Thin had accepted that the love of his life was gone, and the entire episode treated his death with enormous emotional weight.

Then, in the final minutes, Phob suddenly returns because villagers apparently found him and nursed him back to health.

It completely took me out of the story.

This was a romance taking place during an incredibly turbulent period, with revolution, class conflict and two men trying to love each other in 1930s Thailand. A tragic ending would not have felt cruel or unnecessary. It would have reflected the reality and turmoil the entire series had spent eleven episodes building toward. Phob's death would have made their love even more powerful to me — a love that existed despite a world that was simply not ready to allow them to live it freely.

Instead, it felt like the production wanted a happy ending at any cost and tried to satisfy everyone. Unfortunately, by doing that, they weakened what could have been an unforgettable ending.

And I say all of this as someone who absolutely loved the show. I would still give it a 9/10 and recommend it without hesitation. The story, performances and atmosphere were fantastic.

I just wish they had trusted their own story enough to let it end where it naturally wanted to end.

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That was disappointing...

Ups, I forgot to write a review for this, because I was so underwhelmed. While it started gritty and bloody, it fell off the cliff as soon as they made this story fully comedic in the beginning. This was the dumbest decision they could have made. This topic does not deserve any comedic elements. It got better over time, but then of course they had an lacorn style bad character.

How this series could be nominated for any prices is beyond me, because this is just mediocre. It has bad parts and it has good parts but nothing really fitting or an overall concept. The actors are good, but that can't save the script. Camera angles are sometimes questionable, production quality bounces between very good and average.

So I have not much more to say other then this was disappointing. When writers have no time or/and no ideas how to tell a good story, they just gobble something together hoping that naked skin and nc-scenes will distract us from the bad script. At least it did not succeed with me. Just skip this and go to the grown up show "Shine" which has a detailed story, detailed characters, real emotions and no silly, inappropriate jokes.

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From my perspective, most of the cringe that ultimately drags the rating down—and which I honestly expect may make it drop even further—comes from the way certain things are delivered.

There is, of course, the ever-present discussion around age gaps. Personally, I have no inherent problem with them in fiction. I can absolutely appreciate a relationship between someone in their twenties and someone in their forties. That is a much larger age gap than we are usually given between fictional characters, but for me, that is not inherently a problem. The fact that the characters' age difference is roughly comparable to the actors' ages is also an interesting detail.

My bigger problem is that the subjects this series deals with could have been presented in a much more tasteful and effective way. The material is there. The premise is there. The production quality is there. With this level of audiovisual quality, you could do genuinely amazing things with the storytelling. Instead, a lot of the connective tissue between the different plot points seems to be built around things that feel mismatched, misplaced, or simply cringe-inducing.

What particularly bothered me were the verbal explicit declarations or confirmations of love shown in situations sexually driven. Usually, BL does almost the opposite: there are love scenes dressed as sexual. Here, we repeatedly get declarations of love in situations where what actually is driving the characters is sexual desire.

Strangely enough, the love confirmations that you can take seriously (and are meant) are there too, but elsewhere. The emotional and verbal cues feel mismatched. The story tells us, “This is love,” while the actual scene can feel like, “This is sexual desire.” And then, elsewhere, it manages to communicate affection or love - mostly through action and decisions. That mismatch (...where love is actually just sex...) is one of the main sources of the cringe for me.

And that is where I started wondering whether the creators actually knew this was going to be such a heavily cringed series (it is always confusing to me as I would cross that message differently than I see). Because there is also a serious undertone, and the topics themselves could have been handled in a much more effective way. But the actual construction of the story—the way the different plot points are connected—is very often built around these mismatched, misplaced, cringe-inducing elements.

I can't quite tell whether there is some degree of awareness of how these topics are perceived, or whether the original source material itself is constructed and constricting in this way. It doesn't really feel self-aware enough for the cringe to be entirely intentional. At the same time, it sometimes feels as though the creators were aware of how this kind of material is perceived and therefore never fully committed to developing it in a way that could actually work.

What I do think is quite clear is that they weren't really trying to make this a sexy series.

And I mean that as an observation rather than a criticism.

The actors aren't presented primarily as objects designed to seduce the audience. The production doesn't seem interested in constantly pleasing the eye or pushing the audience toward a particular romantic or sexual response. It feels almost as though the actors are simply inhabiting their characters, moving through the story and hitting the required plot points, while leaving us completely free to feel whatever we happen to feel about them.

It isn't like those Thai BL series with extremely attractive, muscular men where the whole presentation is clearly designed to please the audience visually and make us fall in love with the characters. This series wasn't made to seduce us, either romantically or sexually, in the way that some of the hottest BL projects currently airing or recently finished very deliberately do.

And strangely enough, that is part of what makes my feelings about it so ambiguous.

Visually, I actually think the casting choices are striking and memorable. The actors' appearances are probably the strongest thing I am taking away from the series. I may not be able to tell you much about the plot several weeks from now, but I suspect I will remember what these actors looked like and the specific impression they created.

That is something I would compare directly with Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami (2026). I would consider the two projects to be of roughly comparable production quality, perhaps with some differences in how interesting the material is. Unexpectedly Naughty Fukagami had a more interesting and, to me, less explored premise, and yet I was much more obsessed with it.

With Unexpectedly Naughty Fukagami, I remember being genuinely invested in the project. Here, I mostly remember being intrigued, confused, or outright cringing at various points.

At the same time, I think this series has made more memorable choices when it comes to its actors and their visual identities. With Unexpectedly Naughty Fukagami, I remember the project itself more than I remember exactly what the actors looked like. Here, it is almost the reverse. I don't think I could reconstruct the plot in much detail beyond the standard age-gap premise and the fact that the older character apparently has a sad backstory—something I mainly remember because I have seen other people discussing it. But I can remember the actors.

So I am caught between wanting to be strict about this series and knowing that many other people are probably going to be strict about it already.

I wasn't impressed (as in - this is not a masterpiece, not even in the cringe or lecherous department). I cringed at quite a few places. I don't think this is a gem from any perspective I can apply to it.

But at the same time, if I stop analyzing it intellectually and look at it more emotionally, I can somehow feel that this was someone's little baby. It feels like people genuinely tried very hard to make this work. And perhaps they knew from the beginning that they were starting from a much more difficult position than many other stories, even with the same level of professionalism or production quality.

And because of that, judging it purely on everything that went wrong feels almost unfair to me.

But I also don't feel like I have to make a definitive decision about it.

I think I'm perfectly comfortable leaving it in the middle in a very non-insulting way.

I can change my mind about it tomorrow. I can decide that it was worse than I thought, or that I was being unnecessarily harsh. I can appreciate certain aspects of it one day and cringe at them again the next. And I'm completely fine with that.

What I do know is that it isn't a gem. It's far from being one from pretty much any perspective I can apply to it.

If someone considers it trash, I can completely understand why. A lot of those people are probably going to be younger viewers, and there is also an entirely separate group of people who are fundamentally against large age gaps in fiction in the first place. Combine that with the cringe, and no matter what you do, the series/story is in a very difficult position.

At the same time, some people will simply love the actors' looks. Others may connect with the characters' backstories or with particular aspects of how the characters were written. Some people will inevitably find something in this story that resonates with them much more strongly than it did with me, and they will rate it accordingly.

For me, around a 7.0 feels like a fair place for it—slightly lower, slightly higher, depending on the day.

Not because I think it is objectively a 7.0-quality series, but because I think that is a reasonable place for something this fundamentally ambiguous: clearly flawed, frequently cringe-inducing, nowhere near a masterpiece, but also not something I feel comfortable dismissing outright.

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A bit flat

Okay, so I’m writing this review as someone who actually read the book, because I think that makes a pretty big difference here.

I completely understand why they made Luan Nian nicer in the TV adaptation. In the book, he can honestly be kind of an as*h*le, and I can understand wanting to soften his character for the drama. But I think they’ve taken it a little too far.

He’s too nice now, and honestly, I think it makes the story flatter.

One of the things I really liked about the book was that you could understand the huge breakup. You understood where the story was going, why things were happening, and ultimately why their relationship fell apart. Luan Nian was the one with the communication problems. He was closed off, emotionally distant, and unwilling to really let Shang Zhitao into his life. And you can actually see him slowly opening up — unfortunately, by the time he does, she’s already emotionally moving in the opposite direction.

In the drama, though, they’ve changed so much of that dynamic that it almost feels like Shang Zhitao is the one who struggles to communicate and is the problem in the relationship.

For example, in the drama, he introduces her to his friends and is very open about her. In the book, she basically never meets his friends. They don’t really socialize outside of their Fridays and weekends together, and that distance is actually important to the story. You can see him slowly changing, which makes the relationship — and eventually the breakup — much more meaningful.

Here, there’s barely any evolution because he’s already open and affectionate from the beginning.

So instead of watching two people gradually learn how to be together, it kind of feels like we’re just watching two awkward people being awkward together 😂

And honestly, I’m finding myself much less invested than I thought I would be.

I’m not saying they needed to make Luan Nian exactly like he is in the book. I actually understand why they softened him. But they softened him so much that they also changed the entire dynamic of the story, and I’m not sure the adaptation is better for it.

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What is worth preserving in yourself when everything around you has a price?

Introspective and transcendental, with a subtle supernatural touch. A story that looks for something far more valuable than the gold at its centre: what remains of us when desire, survival, and circumstance put our values to the test.

“In this life, is it better to die with wealth enough to rival a nation, or to die respected by others?” At the end of your life, what has greater value: what you possessed, or what kind of human being you were?

10/10 for the dialogue, directing, and performances.

The dialogue can be strangely dry and almost absurd at times. Conversations have a very mundane, human rhythm. The characters sound like a collection of peculiar individuals who happen to have ended up in the same desert rather than generic wuxia archetypes. I loved the conversational quality: exchanges feel like two people reacting to one another rather than actors waiting to deliver polished lines. You are expected to catch the tone, pause, facial expression or contradiction yourself. The dialogue and behaviour feel like real everyday life rather than something written for a drama. People hesitate, ramble a little, make ordinary comments or leave things unsaid. Small gestures and people not explaining themselves make the drama feel lived rather than performed. You get the impression that the camera has happened upon these people rather than that they’ve positioned themselves for a scene. Each one appears suspicious, and by the end of the drama, you finally understand who they truly are.

The location, voices, yellowish grading and even the very dark, naturally lit night scenes make the production feel very tangible. The real desert reinforces all of it. The wind, sand, sun and emptiness feel almost like another character rather than merely a picturesque background. The gold itself feels almost metaphorically like a seductive trap, while the endless desert becomes the grave of those consumed by greed.

The ending is beautifully open to interpretation. Whether the gold is literally there almost becomes secondary. Zhang Lu Yao sees it and can still ride away, unlike so many who were destroyed by their desire for it. Even more striking is Pu Ying. One of the purest characters, he has consistently refused the gold. In the final scene, he rolls down the dune and accidentally uncovers the ingots without even noticing them. The irony is beautiful: the man who never wanted the gold is the one who finally reveals it. He doesn't even need to reject it anymore; it has simply ceased to hold value in his inner world.
Throughout the story, people desperately search for gold and destroy themselves trying to find it. In the end, when nobody is searching, it quietly reveals itself to the person who wants it least.
Those who desperately sought the gold could not possess it. The man who never wanted it finds it without even knowing he has.

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Cute and funny.

I really enjoyed this series. I found myself smiling throughout each ep. Was i expecting a masterpiece no. and was this one, also no. but i would gladly rewatch this little series. It would be easily bingeable and one day i probably would re watch it.

The actors had great OS chemistry (imo) and i do hope to see them work in a series down the line, whether it is as a duo once again or not. I would like to see Kimisawa Yuki in a more serious role. The man has me hooked.

Either way. give it a try. I had fun watching this and in the end isn't that what counts?

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Just the right amount of cringey and cute~ <3

After watching Naughty Fukami I was hesitant to give this one a shot, but since it's only about 2 hours of content there's not really a reason to not watch it. I was pleasantly surprised by how cute and funny this series was while also seriously discussing the problems that come from a relationship with a significant age gap. The actors did such a great job in their roles, Ai-chan was super cute without coming across as a helpless child like some uke tend to do and Okumi-san was so fun and caring. Their intimacy scenes were all well done too, way better than Naughty Fukami. The actors seemed very comfortable around each other and looked like they were having fun acting together. I also really enjoyed all of the other characters, the side characters were able to add a more grounded feel to the series that is otherwise a bit outlandish. I really wish the series had been longer to really explore the setting and the relationship building, but for what it is, it's really good. If you're the type of fujoshi that really enjoyed reading smutty manga from the 2010s than you'll probably really enjoy this series too.

General info for anyone wanting to know:
• Is the series spicy/nsfw? Yes, the series shows full sex scenes (in almost every episode), but it doesn't show any nudity below the waist.
• Is there noncon or violence? No.
• Is there a love triangle? Yes/No, a second love interest for Ai-chan does pop up, but Ai-chan is never interested in him and tells him that point blank.

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Idk how I feel

James needs serious improvement his face is too stiff for my liking as an actor that’s been here for a while he should be doing better and I feel one dmd is just forcing the whole thing because why is everyone from the company there ?
Especially Zee I had jump scare seeing him his face is stiff more than ever Jesus Christ
They made his entrance such a dramatic thing
The way they’re adding every one from the company is lowkey taking away attention from the other two
Anyway
The other two are trying tho idk their names but I’ll be watching out for now meh

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Don't waste your 1hr and 40mins

the entire movie lacked a stable/good plot and it felt like the entire first half of it was solely to objectify women... as a professional horror movie watcher, i wouldn't really label it as a horror movie. the only thing remotely creepy was engfa's makeup after she became a ghost but other than that, it was just all the characters screaming at and beating each other up 😭 i feel like there were just a bunch of random sex scenes for no reason and it didn't really correlate to the movie. i feel like they could've just put (at max) one and left it at that. the only parts of the movie i actually enjoyed were the comedic scenes but thats about it...

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Love, Memory, and Missing Pieces

The Missing Piece premiered with two episodes, and I am already completely invested.

What grabbed me immediately is the way the story gives us pieces instead of answers. Relationships, memories, and past events are revealed in fragments, so there is a constant sense that what we are seeing is only part of the truth. So far, that structure is working extremely well for me.

The acting is the strongest part of the drama at this point. Rao Zi Hao is outstanding as Shen Mo. There is a quiet maturity and restraint to his performance that makes the character’s confusion, sadness, and emotional vulnerability feel very natural rather than melodramatic. Hou Mingxuan is equally compelling as Ji Mingxuan. He has a very controlled, mature presence, but there is a tremendous amount happening underneath that control, particularly in the way he conveys hurt, jealousy, fear, and affection without needing to say much.

Their chemistry also works because it isn’t dependent entirely on physical intimacy. There is already a strong emotional tension between them, and much of it comes from what one character believes about their relationship versus what the audience can sense may actually be true. That disconnect is painful in the best possible way.

And then there is the wonderfully complicated romantic geometry. Zhou Yang is engaged to An’An, Ji Mingxuan’s younger sister. An’An has loved Zhou Yang for years. Zhou Yang and Shen Mo have a romantic history. Ji Mingxuan is clearly in love with Shen Mo. Somehow, despite all of that, it does not feel like the drama is setting up a simple love triangle or turning anyone into an obvious romantic obstacle. Everyone seems to be operating from a different understanding of the same relationships and history, which makes the situation much more emotionally complicated.

I also appreciate that the drama is not presenting its relationships in overly simple terms. Even this early, the characters seem to be acting from very different understandings of the same past, which makes their choices much more interesting than a basic romantic rivalry.

The theme song is also beautiful.

Two episodes in, this is an extremely strong start. The acting, chemistry, emotional tension, complicated relationships, and fragmented storytelling have me completely hooked.

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it's a slop, but still the chemistry makes it somewhat watchable.

This drama has a full blown 2000s era kdrama makjang setting, with all the classics such as secret familial relations, a secret child from a mistress etc.. Sure there is way less shouting here than what's normal in such kdrama makjangs, it's still a cdrama after all, but all the typical plots we can expect end up happening. There is a stabbing and another kidnapping etc.

Normally I don't like this genre, but I'm of the opinion that it could have kind of worked here, however I called this a slop in the headline & I have a very good reason for that. To me it seems like this drama is using AI generated dialog, not all of it is that & there are quite a few good ideas & epic scenes, but for example pretty much none of the second ML's later conversations with FL feel like what a human writer would have made. Sure, there are some bad writers out there, disrespecting the audience, insulting their intelligence etc, but this is beyond that. It really does feel like Ai generated discourse, with all the weird back and forth that is very unlike what humans produce. If someone actually pays attention, Ai generated conversations are just incredibly EXHAUSTING to read & that's what I increasingly felt as the subs rolled by.

While it's unlikely that the main plot of the final episodes, which can be summarized in 10 sentences has been done by ai, but it's mindbogglingly stupid how FL starts living with ML & then sleeps on his bed all the while the conversations they are having about all this is just wow.

While it's unfortunate a script reliant on so much Ai assisted writing made it through, the rest of the crew worked really hard on this. The actors were awesome, FL and ML had quite extraordinary chemistry. Chemistry to the point that is rarely seen on Chinese TV, maybe the last time I saw something like this was in `Love Is Sweet`.

Anyway even if I tried to turn my brain off, at times this drama takes itself way too seriously & as such it's hard to forgive the complete lack of dialog coherence. Meaning the conversations tend to be very random & disconnected from past dialog.

The irony is that Ai video generation is also used for special effects & with the exception of the -incredibly stupid & poorly prompted- swimming pool scene, most of it is rather ok & not too over the top.

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When actors commit to their roles...

we get something cute, sexy and amazing. When I think it's mostly the same team who did "Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami" the result is completely different. Of course there is another director, but the biggest factor are the MLs embracing their roles. Also the NC-scenes are not cringe or akward as they were with the other show. How can nearly the same team produce such different outcomes?

The story begins with Ai looking at an dating app in the packed metro and then being groped by a disgusting man. Luckily an other older man sees it and helps him out and says he should not watch such an app in a public place, but he likes cute boys and if he is interested he should contact him, leaving him a note with his line-ID. (Of course GagaOOLalas subtitles botched that, because it was definitively was not his phone number.) And so the story begins with someone unsure of what he wants besides the desire to have an internal orgasm and an older guy who had his first love on first sight.

Production quality was good, nc-scenes were good, even the kissing was good. I can only say this little series was a happy place for me. The drama was not exaggerated, the comedic bits were funny without needing silly sound-effects and the actors were really good. So this is a clear recommendation from me!

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