Reviews

Literally the most AMAZING Chinese Historical Martial Arts Drama ever made!!!

THE BEST CHINESE BL HISTORICAL DRAMA EVER!!! I wish I could give it 100000000 stars!!

First off, YOU MUST WATCH THE MINI EPILOGUE EPISODE (find it on Reddit!). I watched this drama and finished it in two days on Netflix and CRIED thinking that was the ending but then i found that mini episode 37 and the whole world felt peaceful once again aha

Second off, HOW IN THE I STILL CANT FKN BELIEVE IT did this drama past China's strict censorship? I'll tell you how... with genius scriptwriters, directors and talented actors, that's how! Everything about this drama was perfect, especially the fight scenes. I was mesmerized by each fight scene, it was like nothing I've ever seen before! I wish there were more dramas with such amazing cinematography and martial arts fight scenes!

I loved both the MC and ML, they are so talented and this drama was just everything I could ever imagine! Makes me want to read the novel now. I wish there was a season 2, but I don't think they'd be able to escape the strict censorship nowadays aha

This drama has everything: Romance, angst, revenge, deep bonds between characters, and every other good thing you could possibly imagine.

Obviously, even though the novel is a BL, this drama adaptation could not be BL because of China's censorship rules. BUT they did an excellent job in depicting the love between the MC and ML. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing could communicate their love through silent actions such as their eye contact, the concern they show for each other, the sacrifices they are willing to make in order to save the other person, it was beautiful. I wish I could find more dramas like this one, please let me know if you know of any dramas similar to WOH!

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Season 1 & 2 Review

It is the first time I have ever watched a series that is so lopsided. One half of the plot was shallow and without any substance while the other was delivered so well. I will discuss the shallow half first.

The romance between the lead couple (James & Ait) was without depth and proper writing. Their entire story just seemed arbitrary. In season 1 how their story started off seemed off. I had given season 1 an 8/10 because I had attributed the poor qualities to the fact it was obvious that they had a very limited budget as production was not the best. However the message was delivered in a very solid way (the good half of the plot). The romance for the second couple (Marco & Bas) that took place in season 2 seemed poorly constructed but there were some good scenes especially in episode 5. The poor writing for one half of the plot and the poor production eventually could not be ignored and blamed on just a limited budget hence why I rated it 5/10 for season 2. This was the bad half now lets talk about how well the message was delivered and it was all thanks to one actor who carried the whole series on his back from beginning to ending; Michael Kiettisak Vatanavitsakul who played Bas. I will be using the spoiler feature from here on because topics such as rape, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempt, depression, manipulation, emotional abuse and abuse of an actor will be discussed, so if you are triggered by any of these you may want to stop reading now.

Do you want to be the bird in the cage or in the sky? - Marco

In season 1 we learn that Bas is forced to drink protein milkshakes and is banned from eating anything else by the production company owner; P'Tee. This is done for him to keep his muscular appearance that fits the stereotypical image of a BL top. Bas and Ait are also forced as actors to sign abusive contracts that holds them hostage and takes away some of their basic human rights such as a right to privacy, a right to freedom, a right to movement, a right against inhumane treatment, etc. The protein milkshakes Bas is forced to consume makes him sick and causes him to perpetually vomit and feel weak. Even though Ait was not abused to the same extent as Bas he was too forced to conform to a certain image by Tee. Ait was made to do plastic surgery because he was told some of his facial features (nose) was a facial defect. The more serious abuse took place between Bas and Tee.

It is revealed that Tee has been raping and sexually abusing and harassing Bas, and he gave himself ample opportunity to do so by restricting the actors to only living with him and setting a curfew. He forced Bas into submission by emotionally manipulating him and holding him hostage emotionally. Bas is from a humble family and he sees himself as the failure in the family as his brother is going to university and is the star brother while he goes in chase of his dream of acting. His father does not waste any opportunity to belittle him and compare him with his brother. Tee uses this against Bas; trapping him as he craves his father's acceptance and approval. When this was revealed I realised that his vomiting was not just because of the milkshakes but because he was suffering from anxiety attacks. There is a scene in season 1 where they go to the beach and Bas just spontaneously runs towards the sea wall and stands on it. That scene struck me because the sea and horizon is often associated with freedom, hope and possibility. Seeing him just stand there staring blankly out at the sea is like watching his freedom before him but like the horizon he can never reach out and touch it.

In season two the writers double down on his torture. He becomes suicidal and attempts to hang himself but luckily he is stopped by Marco just as he jumps off the bed. Now Marco was in love with James (Ait's boyfriend and his best friend) but he eventually falls for Bas; again the love story-lines are not great so that is not my focus here. My focus is how Marco showed Bas that someone cared for him and that his life was worth living and his happiness matters so he should not let his father or Tee withhold his happiness. Furthermore we see how Bas' upbringing is also toxic. There is a scene where his brother tells him that men do not cry, so we see how trapped Bas truly his psychologically; he is being raped, cannot cry out due to intimidation and manipulation; he was dying in silence.

I did not like how they handle his situation by Marco standing by and hiding while filming Tee sexual assault Bas for the purpose of evidence. This irked me. I also hated how James threatened Tee to only take action against him if he continues to rape Bas; that is wrong on many levels.

Another issue was the one of actors' privacy. James and Ait are forced to hide their relationship because of what BL fans will think and fear of their negative reactions.

The message and purpose of this series is to highlight and expose the atrocities of the BL industry that cause the suffering and abuse of actors. It is to protest against the stereotypes that actors must force their bodies to conform to in order to please audiences. It is to call out production companies that have employees taking advantage of actors sexually. It is a rallying cry to all actors who were abused and forced into suicidal tendencies that there is hope, there is a reason to live, their happiness is paramount. It points a heavy finger at fans who lambaste actors for having a private life in which they have a romantic relationship outside of their ship. This series was an ultimate protest against these disgusting realities, and the effects were vividly displayed to cause empathy, sympathy , shame, and anger among fans.

The actor who played Bas did an excellent job. His acting was awesome as you could feel and see every emotion associated with abuse and trauma through his performance. I hope that he gets to act in a proper series with a good production company that has resources because he is too good for a low budget series, but he seems to already be getting this as he stared in PitBabe (North) and This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Nubnueng). He deserves a lead role.

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a new favorite

i really don't know what to say/do after finishing this.
this is just one of those dramas that will change my life and that i will remember forever.
this gender bender trope is one of my absolute favorites so i had no doubts i would love this, and i was right.
while there are a few things i wish happened differently, you still can't deny that the cast was just absolutely perfect and made every hard to get through moment worth it.
i have so many things to say about this drama, but since i don't have enough energy to write it all out, i will simply leave a vent of my emotions after watching
i think i truly won't get over this, i finished watching one hour ago and i already want to rewatch everything. also, i cried so much in the last few episodes, because of the story, because i didn't want it to end, because Eun Chan and Han Gyeol love each other so much...
one thing i really loved, was that Han Gyeol always stayed loyal, never did anything toxic like sometimes we see in dramas, even when they had arguments, his love for her always shined through in the end. i love their love <3

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Looking for the next door to open.

This was such a heartwarming and inspirational series. The main theme for me was don’t give up when your life plans go off course. The is also a recurring underline theme about second chances. This series really knew how to grab you attention in the beginning and had a nice pacing. The script did a great job balancing out the main character’s storyline with the supporting characters personal storylines. I loved the individual athletes/clients stories and how they tied into the main character’s story. There were some romance elements between some of the supporting characters, but none of them were overpowering. The cast was excellent and did a great job with their characters.

Random Note:

This is listed as The Old Dog, New Tricks? on Netflix.

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Multiple- watch value stuff

This drama is not my fav let's take it from here but I have watched it more times than any of my fav dramas. If my my fav drama is my boyfriend than this one has to be my bestie I might not give it a ten star rating yet I can not get enough of it .. and moreover it was one of the very first korean shows I watched so there is a feeling of nostalgia attached to it ...

Now let's discuss the story a divorce woman becoming a doctor and the behaviour of her ex husband and in laws around her was very realistic .. there was this old spark thing .. jealousy that the ex wife is getting attention from other man ...
But the main thing that I felt was quite heart warming is he still fell for his ex wife though he had an option to marry a girl so young and more beautiful .. This is the type of love that our society has forgotten long ago ... Very heart touching

I loved the character of senior lady surgeon as well she was one of my favs ...the entire show, the story the cast evrything was so well put together ..I don't know what else can you ask for ..the trauma cases were interesting as well ...

PS ... I liked Dr romantic(only season 1) as well it has little similarities to this one

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My thoughts after dwelling on comments and eventually watching...

My hesitancy to watch this drama started with a quick look at the comment section. Many people weren't happy with the plot, screen time, and characters. I commented on my uncertainty and received replies that were fighting each other. So, I logged off to watch in peace and came back to write a review after completing it.

MY ADVICE: If the synopsis interests you even a little bit, give the drama a try without dwelling on the comments. It seems like a hit-or-miss drama. Yes, it has flaws, but it is not as bad as some people may say.

First, I have some remarks about Rong and Wenxuan's relationship. Their misunderstandings were solved quickly, and I liked how their relationship changed for the better, compared to their past. What got me rolling my eyes most of the time was how Wenxuan could not stand up for himself when it came to Rong, and how Rong was not communicating her trust and love for Wenxuan. Yes, their arguments were solved quickly, but it felt so unnecessary to begin with at such late episodes.

However, my biggest concern reading the comments was Rongqing.
- Does Rongqing have a lot of screen time (compared to Wenxuan)? No, **IN GENERAL**, I wouldn't say so. Wenxuan has plenty of screen time, especially in the first half of the drama. The only part of Rongqing's screen time that confused me was the last couple episodes, especially his scene in the last episode.
- Did Rong love Rongqing? Hard question to answer, but I'd say maybe at some point in her past life, she did. HOWEVER, in their current life, she always worries for Wenxuan, cares for Wenxuan, and loves Wenxuan. What I can collect from watching her interactions with Rongqing, she definitely has lingering sentiments for him. Probably because he stayed by her side during the days leading up to her death in the past. But that is really it. She loves Wenxuan, and I never doubted her love for him. Did I get annoyed because of her soft spots for Rongqing? Yeah, it was annoying, but I guess it's understandable if you consider her past.

I personally thought the drama started out really strong—I was captivated up until maybe episode 20. I almost completely lost interest after episode 30, but kept watching for the main couple. They started bringing up the past (which I could care less about), and Rongqing's story (which I had no sympathy for), so I was just trying my best to watch until the end.

This drama has flaws, which is disappointing since the budget seems to be so high. There are things I wish they could have added, changed, or removed. Despite that, there were a lot of moments that I liked.. I can list some below:
- Wenxuan said, "If I admitted I liked you, it would feel like a form of surrender."
- Wenxuan confronts Rong when she assumes he still likes ZhenZhen, and Rong runs after him to clear up the misunderstanding even more
- Rong offended the whole Pei family because they hurt Wenxuan
- Rong writing countless letters to Wenxuan while everyone is telling her he's dead
- Wenxuan picking up Rong with the umbrella in this life (Rongqing did it in the previous life)
- Rong worries over Wenxuan in many instances

I'll stop here. Even if the drama isn't perfect, I'll still give it a 9/10. Stop hating on the drama; it scares potential watchers. The hate almost scared me away, but I'm glad I gave it a try. And you should too.. if you ended up reading this before watching :)

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This is basically the reboot of My Girlfriend Is an Alien 1. It's just as silly and the plot just as juvenile as before. A romcom of this genre does not really need a sensible plot, at least as long as the entertainment is steady and up until the last 25% it mostly is, though I did feel it drag and repeat itself, but it's not too bad. ML's acting & chemistry with FL has improved tremendously from before & I found the love triangle less annoying, since the second ML is a straight up cartoon villain in the final episodes & has very inconsequential, skippable scenes until then.

There is a tremendous amount of fluff & fun bickering in this show. What annoyed me though is that the romances -even by cdrama romcom standards- are just too shallow.

The final episodes preceding the 30 min long happy ending were basically trash, but since the entertainment value until then was decent, I decided to rate it at 6.5.

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heavy and slow burn, but necessary

this is a heavy, emotional show. it tells the story of very broken people and the consequential violence that comes with either having experienced abuse - emotional or physical - for a very long time or wanting to escape a pain-turned-violent life by any means possible.

since a wish granting crew of a hospice for the terminally ill serves as main backdrop to the show, you can also view it as a show about healing. so it does offer lighter moments, even laughter/cheekiness and a general silver lining, that turning your life around at any time is still possible and everyone deserves happiness. but it also shows, that it's not possible for everyone at any given time and that it takes more than just one's own effort. that makes this drama unbearable to watch at times and the slow burn pacing doesn't help your heart on that front. towards the end you might find yourself feeling the main characters' exhaustion of that process, understanding their wish to just have it all end - no matter how. since that's what this show is set up for, brace yourself!

that said, i think topics like these are necessary. it can't be stressed enough, that kids are the beginning of everything. they are the biggest losers in any societal system when adults around them are failing and whatever they face, equally and consequentially, will be engraved in next generation society (as of now). in some way or another, we're all aware of that. but a particular focus towards that topic and different aspects of it is something that sets this show apart.

by following the main lead and his surroundings, we get to grasp that such a life imprinted with domestic violence, gang culture and/or constant betrayal by the strong towards the weak is hard to overcome, despite one's will to pull through and even if offered the necessary loving environment - which is simply hard to embrace to begin with and easiest to distrust, if that's one's programming.

personally, i think we need way more and better executed glances into the early impact on human psychology/soul and even moreso the actual hardships of true, wholesome healing than what is around, to be able to facilitate those who are willing and fighting for the change IRL. the ingredients are imaginable simple, yet we as a society simply fail to provide them. living within a societal system noone can do this by themselves and it's hard on everyone involved. so enforcing people, to speak up or not just endure, when they're in pain, is one huge important step from one side. but the absolutely necessary next one is to not shy away from responsibility as someone who was entrusted with that pain on the other side. those two steps are more often than we realize devided as a child-adult-scenario in everyone's all-day-life,

i have watched a few shows, that deal with the wish/story to escape a life drenched in violence (leaving school violence in particular out as it's kind of its own sub genre) and i think this show is realistically enough written and well enough executed to deserve a top-ish rating. but i also think there are more focused and better executed examples out there, which deserve more praise in comparison. whilst this could be labeled a story about broken people, e.g. "move to heaven" is one more focused on healing, "d.p.", is a story of devastation and "the worst of evil" one of destruction. and be warned! since it's about authenticity, not all of them offer a silver lining!

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The Soul's Journey & the Characters it Plays <3

Rated ? 36.5/50

In my usual awkwardness that has plagued my life, I watched Between Us first, UWMA's sister story showcasing the side couple's journey. And honestly, I actually think I prefer Between Us over this one but that's more to do with it being closer to my own personal tastes. I rated this one slightly higher, so my own personal aesthetics do not take away from how touching the plot is for Until We Meet Again.

The show opens in 1988, with the tragic ends of two lovers, Intouch and Korn driven to suicide by their domineering fathers determined to separate them.
In modern 2019, we meet our MLs, an extremely petite and delightful little cinnamon roll Pharm, a first year at University, and our tall, dark and brooding Dean, President of the swim club. The two connect instantly and slowly begin to piece together their tragic past lives while falling in love.

I usually don't like the constant flashback style type of plot flow. It's too much of an info dump and I find it jarring but they managed to keep it's consistency by being relevant to what was happening to our modern MLs. So it didn't bother me as much.
I absolutely fell in love with Pharm in Between Us and he was just as adorable in this series. Both ML's were very stereotypical however, their relationship was, I found, surprisingly healthy as my usual experience with BL's is very sex driven. This wasn't. The characters started off already with a deep unexplained connection and it was allowed to slowly unravel. Dean was a green flag most of the time and I almost take offense to Pharm being tagged as 'a crybaby male' as his reasons for crying were pretty legit. He was however, a little babied by Dean but I didn't find it too much and it suited the characters and situations.

I did feel like it followed the kind of Japanese BL I would have loved as a kid, and the show's consistent nod to Japanese culture feels like I may have picked up on those vibes a little.

As reincarnation is a theory that I personally believe in, this one hit more of a spiritual cord than my heart strings. A little detail that I really loved was Pharm's signature colour was yellow (one of my favourites too) and Korn is wearing a yellow shirt the night they die. Another detail is how confident and pushy Intouch is vs how soft and meek Pharm is, yet both characters have a generally cheery disposition, or his love for cooking & baking Thai desserts, and how the first thing he ever cooked was an omelette. It's those little details that tie back into the reincarnation belief, that our soul's carry little things from one life to the next, like picking up it's favourite things to bring with it into it's new life. The mind forgets, the body dies but the soul goes on and it takes some of it's memories with it. I personally loved that little touch.

My foresight was strong with this one. I absolutely called those twists LOL because it allows, not only for the ML's to finish their karma but also the family as a whole as well.
I was a little stumbled on how easily the surrounding characters believed in Dean and Pharm being reincarnated loved ones but I suppose it allowed for some healing for those characters, so it's a minor complaint. I would have loved to have seen an outcome for Intouch's bestie who, although only seen 3 times, clearly cared a lot about him and I would have liked to have seen him appear somewhere just as a conclusion for that character.

As for side characters, I think if I had watched this one first, I would still have been in love with Win's character. In fact I actually found him funnier in this one but that's usually the job of the support leads lol

The acting over all was pretty good. It wasn't too over the top despite some of the scenes, and the crying felt natural. Surprisingly, it was actually a scene at the end, when Korn's brother finds his candy in the fridge. That one little scene hit me the hardest perhaps because it was simple. It was a reminder for the viewer, or perhaps just for me as a viewer, that it was those little things, that even though Korn has been reborn and is alive as Dean, Korn is still gone and he left behind two little brothers who had to continue living without him. It's a sad truth within my own spirituality. I may go on to where ever I need to go, but I'll never be me again.

There is, and will only ever be, one of you <3

I have to confess though, that I didn't really like the music. I'm finding that those vocal tracks over emotional moments are the norm for Thai dramas but I found it a little cringey at times with this one. But again, that may be just down to personal tastes as I didn't like the music in general in this show.

Overall, I would have no issue watching this again. Often BL's seem to focus on the BL aspect and everything else is an add on, but this time, it actually focused on the plot, which was reincarnated lovers, and the karma is that they are two men, and I really appreciate that for the genre.

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