Reviews

Empalago a medida de las fans.

Prepárense para una subida de azúcar, porque Peach and Me es lo más empalagoso que se puede aguantar.
La historia sigue la serie anterior de los protagonistas, conocida y querida pareja BL tailandesa, a la que parece que le hacen series a medida de las fans. Por tanto, entiendo que hay que entender la producción en su contexto.
El personaje principal tienen unos diálogos y comportamientos tan ridículos, que se da la vuelta a lo tolerable y acaba siendo gracioso. Nada nuevo, es la base de la caricaturización. Es sin duda, quien brilla en ambas series. El resto acompaña dignamente, sin demasiado esfuerzo. Con respecto a los personajes, cabe destacar el lugar que les dan a las chicas, no tan común en estas series. Podrían haber creado incluso una trama más desarrollada para ellas.
Además tiene cameos que supongo que serán otras parejas conocidas del mundo BL y que serán también del agrado de las fans.
En definitiva, una serie a medida de las seguidoras de los protagonistas, graciosa, sin grandes pretensiones y entretenida,

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Cinematography is actually very impressive at times—not your typical j-drama. Very, very funny—some of the best comedy I've seen in a while. Really on-point depiction of the times, with the plot paralleling the changes in the bubble economy both literally and thematically in really interesting ways. Plot moves very haphazardly and skips over details in a way that makes it really hard to buy into any realism the show tries to suggest. That said, some of the twists the story takes are really surprising in a good way—this show becomes unexpectedly hard to predict at a point, and that had me hooked as hell I can't lie.

So many genuinely perfectly directed scenes. Most memorably, the bento salesman (ifykyk). I also appreciate the show for pushing the boundaries in how it depicts sensitive subject matter, though I wish it were handled a bit more tastefully at times. There's a wee bit too much SA just, brushed under the rug without consequences for my liking.

Annoyingly tone-deaf at times, frequently choosing comic value over emotional impact (e.g., how Muranishi's family was handled). The tone will occasionally make it seem as if the show is trying to portray Muranishi as a sort of honorable rebel, while the literal events depicted, viewed on their own, unambiguously reveal him as a self-obsessed coward. That disconnect colors the show all the way to the end, which specifically left a really sour taste in my mouth. I was so relieved when the last act made it seem like all this tone-deafness had been intentional setup for his eventual fall. It really seemed that way, until the final episode threw all of that out the window and awkwardly tried to redeem him, all while keeping him a totally static character. That's by far what irked me the most about this show—despite how much potential he has as a character, and despite numerous setups, Muranishi does not once, at any point, complete a character arc.

The side characters have a lot of problems too, especially around moral consistency. A character like Junko, for example, who's shown to be more skeptical than the others, would absolutely not be onboard with the Hawaii plan, or really anything Muranishi does past her first few episodes with the crew.

That said, the acting was absolutely phenomenal. That goes for the entire main cast, but Misato Morita in particular deserves infinite praise for this—I have no idea how she managed to mimic Kuroki Kaoru so well, down to her tiniest mannerisms and idiosyncrasies.

There's an interesting discussion around how faithful the show is in both its depiction of the porn industry and of Muranishi and Kuroki. With Muranishi, unsurprisingly, many take issue with how positively he's depicted, particularly in his relationships with his staff. The show strips him of nearly any indicators of misogyny, rather having him be the one to champion women's autonomy and agency against his rivals, which apparently deviates significantly from his actual reputation. Controversy around Kuroki's depiction seems to be much less about her interpretation and more about the fact that she's depicted at all, given that her last move before leaving the public eye was a massive infringement-of-privacy lawsuit. There's something odd about seeing someone so adamant about keeping her life private have her likeness imitated for a drama—especially one where that character attempts suic*de...

All-in-all, this was a phenominally enjoyable show, though not without its share of contrivance and controversy. Personally, I would feel much, much more comfortable praising this show if it ended after S2 E7. Everything about that final episode had me genuinely writhing in my seat. Not only was it a stylistic farcry from the show I'd come to love, with shitty covers of "What a Wonderful World" and "Friday" replacing the iconic score during what were seemingly intended to be impactful scenes, but it also just took everything meaningful I took from the story and threw it in the bin in service of reaching some sort of happy ending for Muranishi, which he, as depicted, absolutely did not deserve. It would be one thing if he showed some like actual character development at any point, but he doesn't. He stays exactly as he always was, feigning ignorance and skirting around consequences through to the end. The montage at the end with the credits had me genuinely gagging. I really, really wish this show committed to taking its plot and characters seriously, but alas.

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Glad i kept watching

I didn't like the first episode and the in the later episodes re-appearing foot scene slightly grossed me out. But i am glad i always finish what i start, because this turned out a good drama. I was cheering and clapping at the end of episode 7, that moment felt so good!
A good drama about being comfortable with who you are, and doing what you love, those are the most important things in the world.
The handsome prince Goto Naoya didn't look very attractive to me. I saw pictures of him on Pinterest and he is actually quite good looking, so i don't understand why they chose to give him this look in this drama. He was quite adorable when he smile though.
Good acting, the chemistry and the kisses were ok.
The visuals and music were ok.

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Awful plot, decent comedy!

The plot is really really bad, but at least for the first 9 epis it stays out of the way & since the drama does not at any point take itself seriously this is almost fine. Potato Lab is one of those rare gag romantic comedies that are quite fun to watch despite the low quality storytelling. Unfortunately from the end of e9 onward the enjoyment drops off quite a bit. FL going to that funeral is intelligence insultingly bad, furthermore the usual conflict & conflict resolution that so often happens late in kdramas is as anti fun as always. Up to e9 I would have rated this at around 8.5 but they just had to ruin it, still don't feel like I wasted my time, so 7 it is.

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The writing was really bad.

It started out pretty well, but then it slowly lost its direction. The story felt boring at times, and a lot of things could have been handled much better.

The part I hated the most was how quickly the FL forgave the ML. After everything she went through because of him, I really wished her forgiveness had been slower and more emotionally justified.

Her backstory was literally dumped into one episode, while the ML’s backstory was explored across so many episodes. Because of that, we never really got to feel the FL’s pain to the same extent. The audience was given much more time to understand and sympathize with the ML than with her.

I also wished the FL had remained more independent. She was actually quite independent in the beginning, but after she got the movie, she started feeling more like the ML’s shadow. Everything began revolving around him, and her own character development and ambitions took a backseat.

The second couple was honestly the best part of the show. Their chemistry and storyline had so much potential, but the writers never explored them properly. They could have had a really interesting and meaningful storyline if they had been given more screen time.

And honestly, why did the third couple even exist? Their story had very little to do with the actual plot. They didn’t even have a proper storyline, and their screen time was too limited to develop their relationship properly anyway. I would have much rather seen the writers use that time to develop the second couple.

Overall, the story had so much potential, but the writing was extremely sloppy. There were some really good ideas and interesting characters, but the execution just wasn't there.

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Taking a Step Toward Something New

I always adore when Asian dramas step outside their usual cliché comfort zone, so when I read the description of this series, I was already intrigued. Writing-wise, this drama does quite a few interesting things. Not only with its semi-educational themes, but also by breaking away from the stereotypical tropes found in other Asian series as well. Without spoiling too much, the writer handles the second male lead in a particularly fresh and unique way. Another thing I’d like to highlight is the amazing casting overall, from the leads all the way down to the extras.

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The Pursuit of Jade — Spoiler Review

💚 The Pursuit of Jade — Spoiler Review

⚠️ FULL SPOILERS — INCLUDING THE ENDING

If you're watching The Pursuit of Jade primarily for the romance, yes, I recommend it—but know going in that there is a LOT of political and military storyline between the romantic moments.

The romance starts with a marriage of convenience and slowly develops into genuine love. The male lead falls hard, but because of his identity and political situation, he spends a lot of time trying to protect her by keeping his distance. Eventually, the roles reverse, and he becomes the one chasing her and trying desperately to win her back.

There are plenty of the romance tropes I love in these dramas: secret identity, protective ML, protective FL, wound-tending, jealousy, separation, misunderstandings, drunk FL, secret relationship, reunion, kisses, and lots of "I'll protect you no matter what" moments. The couple repeatedly saves and protects each other, which I really enjoyed because it isn't just the male lead rescuing the female lead.

The romance does go through a LONG separation period, and there are times when the political storyline takes over almost completely. But when the romance comes back, it gives you some really good payoff. The identity reveal, his attempts to win her back, their reconciliation, and eventually making their marriage public all felt earned.

And once they're finally together, they actually stay together. We get the marriage consummation, established-couple scenes, and then Episodes 39–40 focus on wrapping up the story rather than throwing another unnecessary breakup at them. 🙌

I also really liked the ending because it doesn't just stop after the final conflict. We get glimpses of months later, years later, and even a "what if the original event had never happened?" scenario, which gives the ending a little something extra.

If you're willing to sit through the political/military storyline to get to the romance, the payoff is worth it.


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💕 Biggest Romance Milestones

💋 First kiss: Episode 9
💔 Major separation: Episodes 17–23
❤️ Reunion: Episode 24
💋 Post-reunion kiss: Episode 25
🎭 Secret identity revealed: Episode 26
💍 Second proposal: Episode 27
❤️ Reconciliation begins: Episodes 32–34
💍 Marriage publicly acknowledged: Episode 35
😭 108-lash sacrifice: Episode 36
🔥 Passionate carriage kissing: Episode 37
🛁 Marriage consummated: Episode 38
🥰 Established happily-ever-after couple: Episodes 39–40

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Satisfaction

NC: beautiful
Scenery: beautiful


Let's gossip

The story served its title...."never forget your enemy". throughout I thought the top was the enemy but it was someone else,nice plot twist*applaud*.
the relationship showcased gives u all the mixed emotions and that I'm happy with,the rush of mixed emotions serves up really nice.*applaud*
EP 4 neh...hahahaha,I call it the kissing episode,ul get it wen u watch it,Sooo quickly download it.*applaud
The ending was perfect,ddnt feel rushed or lost ,it was just right*applaud*


Watch it I recommend...I'm really satisfied,if I say more den IL ruining it for u,so serve up ur curiosity and watch

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could've been finished earlier

Found myself speeding and skipping the last 4 episodes. Didn't find the villain interesting, the story lagged so much I found myself struggling even to enjoy the mains. They were sweet but I think the story would of benefited from wrapping up sooner without the needless filler.
I enjoyed the first half but it really lost steam for me. Also disappointed that basically no revenge happened. Felt like the time travel was wasted. Could of been used much more, but ended up being sidelined.
Did also feel like armin lost if whole lot of autonomy getting with tada, when that happened it was sweet but felt like it went a bit flat.

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