Reviews

this is peak bl

genuinely one of the - if not the most - peak bl i have ever watched. from the gripping soundtrack to the lovely cinematography, everything about this drama was a masterpiece. i especially loved the romance between peem and khemjira - it was a master slowburn full of deep longing stares and repressed feelings. don't even get me started on peem and his eyes and how unreasonably fine that man is. he had me swooning every time he was on screen. if you want yearning and pining then this show is for you - because the way those 2 yearned for each other needs to be studied.

also, the actual plot had me hooked - i loved the flashbacks to their previous lives and how it all connected to the present. it was so refreshingly original and just beautifully crafted . jin and da were especially cute. anyways i'm going to miss this show it's become a part of my routine. i've genuinely entered a state of depression because i already miss this show - 12 episodes is not enough!!!

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A mesmerizing Emotionally Charged Masterpiece

Wow! What an emotionally charged journey this drama took us on! This drama had a very strong, unique storyline with stellar acting from both Dilraba and Arthur Chen . Both their characters had a lot of depth and complexities t and they made sure that all of them were portrayed seamlessly on screen. They gave us an entertaining , truly captivating and unforgettable performance. The chemistry between the leads was mind blowing making this fantasy so believable that you lived through all of their joy, pain and suffering.

People forget that this is a fantasy from the beginning to the end. Fantasies have more creative leeway when compared to regular dramas. Here a 400 year old spirit and a young 20 yr old mortal are allowed to fall in love. You have to accept this when you watch this drama

Dilraba as the powerful ghost sovereign is frigid, cruel and formidable on the one hand while she softens during her interactions with the ML and lets him get whatever he wants from her. Arthur on the other hand is powerful in his own right as a cunning, courageous general/assassin who lives life on his own terms. You can see why they are attracted to each other. He can never be as powerful as this other world being I.e the spirit sovereign and he is not trying to be. He is who he is. He is extraordinary for living and loving without expectations - which is very hard to find. He Simu, always powerful and intimidating, can be soft and vulnerable only in front of Duan Xu. The real her comes alive only when she is with him.

The love story between the leads is in a constant deadlock because of who they are and this adds to the emotional rollercoaster you are on. The story also focuses on love, loss, obsession, choices and the very fabric of life.

There is a melancholic undercurrent and a dark gothic feel to this drama that go with the dynamic of the central love story. Time, life, life choices and death are the core of this drama and these two facets resonate through both the lead and supporting characters and their roles in their respective realms all the time. The drama makes you appreciate life more and understand what life is especially when we take so many things for granted. It makes you question what is important in life and think about what is important for a fulfilling life. It also makes you accept the uncertainties and inevitabilities of life and makes you want to live fully in the moment without thinking about the future or consequences.

The climatic/ ending episodes were so intense that they completely ripped me apart by rendering this raw and strong emotional experience! The only other drama with this kind of feeling for me was Till the End of the Moon. That is the benchmark and I want to place this one up there . This is going to stay on my rewatch list alongside TTEOM!

KUDOS to the strong supporting cast especially Miles Wei as the villain. No complaints about this gorgeous production that was executed with a lot of care. The world building was mesmerizing especially the Void which was both dead and alive at the same time in a very weird way.
A 10/10 for me. This drama was a class act -with superior story telling and pacing, sophisticated acting from the leads and the supporting cast. No character was neglected and no one stepped on the others toes. The writing and direction was top notch, with high quality production!
The one thing I appreciated the most is how all actors gave individual strong performances. They all stand out in their own roles! This is hard to come across in a lot of dramas!
I find some complaints a little ridiculous and will list them below:

1. The story is NOT REPETITIVE. There is a steady progression towards a climax.
2. Duan Xu is neither weak nor lovesick. He is young and this is his first time loving someone - unfortunately for him it was someone who had no feelings or emotions and mortal life meant nothing to her. He was very strong and persistent. He did not neglect his life by any means - he achieved what he wanted to. But he also paid a price for exchanging his senses -this is inevitable since it is the law of the universe . But the thing with Duan Xu is that he did not care even a little bit. And He Simu loved him for who he was- remember when she says how Duan Xu had his heart broken many times but he pieced them back together by himself and has lived courageously- that is who he is to her. A very strong and resilient human being. Oh and no one ran behind the other in this drama. Duan Xu was persistently waiting for her to come around that’s all . I thought it was a very respectful and equal relationship.
3. Age gap and chemistry - are you all kidding me here? I don’t even have words to counter this ridiculous comment especially in this day and age
4. The endings - 2 highly likely endings - I loved them both- this is a fantasy - what other miracle are people expecting ?

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Better than I thought.

I'm usually at odds with ratings and how they can strongly influence whether a piece will be watched or not. Unless it's something I flat don't want to watch or has uncomfortable subjects and all that, I prefer to take a few in B4 deciding. Drama fits well into that category~
It's one of those entertaining gems that displays Murphys law pretty well. Something always goes wrong. If it can go wrong, more than likely it will. Let's take that disaster and compound after problem after problem after problem............and when you think it's done and over with? Boom! Blindsided with a few more. That is the story of Mad Concrete Dreams~
A normal family trying to survive and better themselves, makes a couple of mistakes, a couples of errors in judgment, a couple bad decisions, and gets caught in a neverending merry go round. Trying to fix one thing just oed to another. The story worked. A quartet of A list actors with the usual familiar faces surrounding them~
The problem I had was with ML. His character was a tall solemn hard working man who never shows much emotion, plugging away daily to make ends meet for his wife and daughter. The almost complete lack of emotion was his strength and also the problem. Things got really bad and there were no scenes I felt where that facade cracked, as in you were not able to tell throughout the whole drama what he was thinking, feeling, which meant he didn't or wasn't able to convey any emotions like fear or sense of urgency. He was a robot and I didn't like not being able to tell WTH was going on in his head. That was my only beef worth this piece~
This was not a popular show rating wise and here but I liked it. Was chaos from start to finish, ppl in over their heads, and was entertaining to watch. I recommend watching the 1st 2 eps and I can say if you liked it, then continue to watch knowing things will just continue to spiral~

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Vampire Plot with Boun & Prem, with blood but without chemistry

PLOT: The MC, Punn, an antique restorer, awakens a vampire, Ramil, sealed away for 100 years in a painting, with a single drop of his blood. But Ramil, awakened, has lost his powers. He is the last of the Original vampires. He has three vampire brothers: Methas, a wealthy hotel CEO; Mek, now a doctor; and Ciar, the "master" of a cult. For the past 10 years (since a tragedy at the orphanage where Punn lived), the Hunters have killed all the Original vampires and are trying to kill those who remain.

+++ Superb cast: Boun, Prem, Mark, and a bunch of great actors
+++ Dynamic direction, with no dull moments, high-quality effects, and a good balance of emotions (mystery, suspense, humor, and a touch of romance).
+++ Coherent story, no plot holes
+++ Good OSTs (why are the OSTs in Thai BLs so much better than in Lakorns??)

### The fight scenes are really really bad ((ꉺꈊꉺ)ꀢ༣
### Prem is clearly not comfortable with kissing or intimate scenes. And it shows! Romance isn't this series' strong point.

Note: The ending hints at a sequel with Mark & ​​Junior.

=> A nice, engaging series, but not particularly memorable.
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Plot Vampire avec Boun & Prem

PLOT: Le MC, Punn, restaurateur d'antiquités, réveille un vampire, Ramil, scellé depuis 100 ans ds 1 tableau, par 1 goutte de son sang. Mais Ramil réveillé a perdu ses pouvoirs. Il est le dernier vampire originel. Il a 3 frères : Methas riche CEO d’hôtel, Mek devenu médecin, et Ciar "maitre" d'1 secte. Depuis 10 ans (drame à l'orphelinat hébergeant Punn), les Chasseurs ont tué ts les vampires originels et essaient de tuer ceux qui restent.

+++ Super casting : Boun, Prem, Mark, & a bunch of great actors
+++ Réalis° dynamique, sans temps mort, avec des effets de qualité. et un bon équilibre des émotions (mystère, suspense, humouret 1 petite touche de romance).
+++ Story cohérente, sans plot holes
+++ Bons OSTs (pourquoi les OSTs dans les BL thaï sont-elles bien meilleures que dans les Lakorns ??)

### Les scènes de fight sont vraiment mauvaises ((ꉺꈊꉺ)ꀢ༣
### Prem n'est visiblement pas à l'aise avec les scènes de kiss ou intimes. Et ça se voit trop ! La romance n'est pas le point fort de cette série.

Rq : Ending qui laisse supposer une suite avec Mark & Junior.

=> Série sympa, accrocheuse, mais pas mémorable non plus.

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very meh

The actors are known for being great at their job. However the story made *some sense*. Literally some.

It started well with a very nice overview of where the story was going, but even I cannot say when it became weird. All 12 episodes feel like 3. Each episode is based on desperation and anxiety, and while romance exists it really does not feel like it does. I vaguely remember the romantic scenes, but in every episode the main focus was on future problems.

Although every series has a bit of story focusing on future issues, in this series it becomes the main topic. The audience does not have time to relax from the overwhelming feelings (scamming, finding out the lies, not being wanted by family etc), and the supposed romantic story line, is completely left out.

I personally will NOT place this on a MUST RE-WATCH list. I hope the producers and writers use the advantage of having great actors like them, to write and produce great series.

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The Whole Family Loves the Little Cute Ancestor Who Came from Heaven (2025), aka (ON MDL) Tian Jiang Xiao Meng Zu Quan Jia Qi Qi Chong (2025)is a nice romance miniseries with ML: Liu Xiaoxu (as Song Jin) and FL: Zheng Chenyu/Sabrina Zheng (as Su You Qing) in the leading couple's role. The drama is lighthearted and fun to watch and the cast did a good job bringing their characters to life. The leading couple had two brief and nice romantic scenes but, although the male lead expressed romantic feelings, the female lead just went with the flow. The ending was rushed but quite fun!

[MULTI SUB] "When Lost Destinies Converge" Liu Xiaoxu × Zheng Chenyu" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wngPU4sTOWI&t=35s)

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People Are Strange

First off, the hate for this show is insane. Folks complain every drama is the same. Then when something different comes along, they hate it.

With that being said. A sociopath is hard to portray on screen. Kim You Jung was PHENOMENAL as Baek Ah Jin. She blew me out of the water and man, was she EVIL. Sometimes i felt bad for her. Other times i wanted to slap her. That is how you know the actess is doing amazing

Is she mad as a hatter? God, yes. Does ahe deserve any sympathy? A little bit, but not a lot. She manipulates all the men around her and does it to perfection. Fans always love the psychopath MEN, yet seem to have an issue when it is a female.

Me, personally, I throughly enjoyed this show and will re-watch it again with my aunt. Kim You Jung was utterly robbed when she wasn't nominated for best female lead performance. Sush a shame.

And for the haters, stop begging for something new, unique, just to turn around and whine about it. You obviously don't want "different"...

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Artistic

I find that most C-dramas are tailored to be profitable rather than artistic. Tragedy, beauty, and romance are so excessively used that they become meaningless. I am pleased to say that "Twelve Letters" does not fall into that category. There is tragedy, but there is also boundless resilience and hope. There is beauty, but it is not ungrounded. There is romance, but it is neither insecure nor saccharine. "Twelve Letters" is real, and because it is real, it is deeply moving.

It is a slice-of-life, so I'll refrain from overelaborating on the plot. I will say—for those who are sensitive—that there are significant mentions of poverty, abuse, assault, homicide, and suicide. However, the story refrains from being maudlin given its decisively hopeful tone. "Twelve Letters" features moving found-family relationships; the purest of young love stories; and flawed but ultimately good characters whom life dealt bad cards.

While there are plenty of stories with similar concepts, "Twelve Letters" differs in its fantastical element and level of execution. The fantastical element of the story stems from a mailbox which can deliver and receive messages from the past to the present (and vice-versa). Throughout the story, a young couple from 1991 messages their future children (living in 2026) through this mailbox. This messaging—appearing to be somewhat of an authorial afterthought at first—later becomes critical in solving the story's main mystery. Additionally, it introduces questions regarding the cost of trade-offs, sacrifice, and love. This supernatural element meshed well with the slice-of-life premise to create what is one of the only "magical realism" adjacent C-dramas in recent times.

As for the level of execution, few Chinese dramas are on par with "Twelve Letters." The cinematography is breathtaking. Every single shot in the show is beautiful, especially in the 1991 Mei-Wan Zhen (梅湾镇) setting. What I particularly love is how artfully the scenes are shot. Each frame is a masterclass in proportion, and there is a bittersweet green tint applied to the footage. Despite the pursuit of beauty, nothing is overdone. The actors are not wearing jarring amounts of makeup or clothes the characters could not afford, and film is not aesthetic for aestheticism's sake. Here, grittiness is not compromised by misplaced romanticism.

This extends to the actors' portrayal of their characters. Wang Yinglu egolessly blends into every role she plays; Zhou Yiran never sacrifices sincerity for superficiality; and every supporting actor/actress performs with utmost conviction. There is not a single weak link, which is almost unheard of in recent C-dramas.

Finally, "Twelve Letters" musical choices are extremely effective at building both joy and suspense, especially in the first seven episodes. After episode 7, I found the OST to be overused or forced in certain moments (despite its excellence, it was probably unneeded). I was introduced to the band FloruitShow (福禄寿) through this drama, and they are now my absolute favorite (they are also unfortunately barred from performing as a trio now; they now perform as a duo under the name DOUDOU).

To be honest, I initially dropped this drama after the fifth episode and only recently picked it back up. The pacing can be slightly slow at times, but I found the ride to be worth every minute and every tear.

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Whew!! Spicy!

Okay, from the jump; Sorn going at it solo while watching an AV with his pants down with the fish watching is crazy 🤣🤣, but to pull Jun into the mix is even crazier 🤣🤣! Then the spiciness continues from episode 1!

This series has no real plot to it, some of the acting was subpar, yet to be able to act like you're really doing the "horizontal tango, solo play and double solo play" had me shook to my core! Yoon, to me, has never been that good of an actor to me anyway. His performances always seem so fake and it didn't change in this series either. However, Boat and Oat did a fabulous job acting; which is the only reason I was invested in it from the first episode.

However, I wasn't a fan of the gaslighting that Sorn would constantly do to Jun. Sorn clearly had feelings for Jun, yet didn't express them well. In the beginning, Sorn was using Jun as a "friends with benefits" partner to relieve his sexual tension under the guise of "teaching" while constantly sleeping around. Sorn was a complete and total sex addict and I disliked seeing Sorn treat Jun like that and then make Jun feel bad; emotionally, if he went out wanting to sleep with other people too. Sorn was a giant red flag in my opinion and the toxicity level he gave off was immense and Jun didn't deserve that kind of treatment, yet the spiciness they delivered was WOW; hence is why I watched it all the way through.

I would have been more invested in the "second couple" had their acting been better. It felt "fake" and lacked spice. The acting with the second couple just didn't tickle my fancy. I will rewatch it again, because it does have just enough spice to keep me hooked onto it because spicy BL's are right up my alley. Just wish the acting was a bit better between the second couple.

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Convoluted plot, but loveable characters

Director Edward about Tian Jiarui: I want that man in countless headbands! And I want him to cry at least once an episode! Also get him a brother! It doesn't matter if they die or if he's just a replacement brother, make it happen!

What can I say about this drama? I think at this point I know what I'm getting into when I watch this director/writer's work. He's fantastic at creating relationships and characters that feel so alive. He's not so fantastic at creating coherent plots. It's often convoluted and confusing, and I think that's the dividing line for people that enjoy his work and those that don't. For me, I love his characters too much to really care about the messy plot, and honestly even if it is messy at least it's different and interesting (unlike the many copy and paste cdramas coming out every other week).
I will say that Veil of Shadows is certainly one of the most convoluted of Director Edward's dramas. It really got confusing at the end and if he is going to have five climaxes and deaths (oh wait! they're alive again!) it begins to loose it's impact. I totally respect the people that didn't like this drama, but I'm not one of them. I'm completely aware it's not that great, but Li Jing and the rest of the crew were there pulling me along all the way to the end.
So keep it up Director Edward! Keep making your messy dramas. But please hire Tian Jiarui for them all.

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Not the best, but still BEST

I’m actually writing my first review because this show had me on chokehold….and probably always will have. I love this series so so much. It’s true that the story is not that special, it’s a simple romance with some family drama but the ACTING and EMOTIONS are out of this world when it comes to TeeTeePor. It’s actually really hard to believe it’s theirs first main role, cause they delivered an amazing performance.
But also the production was incredible. You can really see what makes a good show amazing and it really don’t have to be some deep plot, The feeling in camera shots (especially in NC scenes) and that you can really feel the actors love their roles and the environment they are working in is making this show stand out.
I hope DMD will deliver us more of these masterpieces and I’m here (un)patiently waiting for another TeeTeePor project.

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