Reviews

The Apple Has Dropped From The Tree

Just dropped everything to watch Episode 1 of My Lady’s Bodyguard and I have some whimsical, slightly unhinged thoughts — Let’s go!

First of all... 21 minutes?! Why is Episode 1 so adorably tiny? It’s like a gourmet appetizer when I’m already starving for the main course. The production value is giving money and I am respectfully asking the universe (and the producers) for longer episodes because I need more time to swoon properly. Quality over quantity, sure, but can I have both? Please and thank you.

Can we talk about OrmFolk? They’ve had a full-on glow-up since Apple My Love — and they were already cute then! Now they’re both very pretty. Like, how is it legal for two people to be THAT pretty? Every close-up had me pausing just to admire their clear skin. My heart is not prepared for the rest of this series.

Now, the vibe of this show hit me right in the childhood nostalgia feels. The moment Kaewked started changing into those man-clothes, my brain instantly queued up “Reflection” from Mulan — but make it sapphic. I was literally singing internally:
🎵 Look at me, I will never pass for a perfect bride
Or a perfect daughter
Can it be I’m not meant to play this part? 🎶
The gender-bending, the hidden identity, the quiet rebellion... it’s the wlw Mulan AU I never knew I needed. Disney, take notes!

Also, can we give a round of applause for Kaew’s bestie, Pakdee? That boy is a whole cutie-patootie. Supportive, charming, and bringing the sunshine energy. Every sapphic lead needs a golden-retriever best friend, and Pakdee is nailing the assignment. Protect him at all costs.

So to sum up Ep 1: Too short, visually gorgeous, OrmFolk are radiant, the Mulan parallelism is healing my inner theater kid, and I really like Pakdee. Counting down the days until Episode 2 — may it be at least 40 minutes and full of longing glances.

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The Ignorance We Lived In.

I'm sorry, but, who let Chu Tae Jeong become a cop? Dude was just cruising through the whole time. Like, did he himself even believe he was a cop? He was so naive to the point of stupidity. Also, who drew that eye scar/injury? It kept moving from the side to the center every scene. And what the eff was that meh ending?

Anyway, they tried. It was a interesting concept, it just, as it is with most of these dramas, the execution felt flat. Also, what lie did these two people lived in? Dude already knew he was an imposter like 2 episodes in, and he also knew he was a cop. So at this point, weren't they pretending and just living in ignorance? Well, whatever. Here's my quick review.

Basically, we have a contract killer who loves to paint mountains. But although he looks the part of the killer, dude got caught, and did he take out the threat? Nope, they had sexy times, he trained him so he could better protect himself, then when sh!t hit the fan, he packed his bags for him, gave him all the evidence to incriminate himself and sent him off on his merry way. The whole time I was like... but... aren't you supposed to... you okay with life in prison? huh?

Then we have the cop. Listen, was whatever town Chu Tae Jeong was from short on recruits? Cuz aint no effing way he made it all the way to the final selection. Like, see for yourself:
1. He couldn't tell Seo I Do was an imposter. (Dude's been friends with the real one for years)
2. Didn't find that Amnesia-ish trope suspicious at all. (There was so many things he got wrong, then he came back and did some checking, found proof and did... nothing. Call backup? Nope, not him.)
3. Found his kidnap friend tied to a creepy basement with weapons, and dude didn't question why there was such a place. Then of course, he proceeded to not turn it in, cuz the friend said they shouldn't. Then helped said friend tied up his summer fling. Like??? What even are we doing at this point?
4. Found out his new crush is a killer, and dude proceeded to have sexy times with him, cuz you know, love and whatnot.
5. That whole thing with the friend and almost getting burnt alive for it.
6. Dude was there to clear his father, an ex-cop's name, and the whole time he did not do one bit of investigating on the matter. He remembered like one old scene, saw a notebook. Looked sad for the camera one time, and that was it, but somehow, he still ended up with the evidence he wanted. Dude didn't even try... must have been how he became a cop too... convenience.
6. Also, him coming back to the house after Seo I Do sent him off without any back-up. Like???
7. And how the eff did they wrap up that ending??? There were dead bodies everywhere, and all we got were some vague answers, and then he quit but apparently could have been promoted. Promoted for what? What he do? He didn't report anything for days, and he's a man of the badge, who kept all of that to himself, so he could get it on with a killer. I was shock they didn't jail his naive arse.

That basement friend sucked. That dude who took Seo I Do in and trained him, lmao, was he in love with him? Oh well, now he's dead and probably they pinned all the murders on him. That would teach him for falling for killers who paint.

Plot-wise, they tried. I did find the beginning so very interesting, the leads had good chemistry, but after Chu Tae Jeong kept making all those dude decisions and being naive... I gave up on him. This dude, instead of being a cop based on decisions was one based on emotion. Frankly, I'm surprised he made it to the beach in the finale. As for Seo I Do, he turned into a poppy real quick. Big bad killer curved the moment that cop entered the house, and even lost an eye to protect him.

And how the eff didn't the police find Seo I Do? How did Chu Tae Jeong found him? Dude had no police skills whatsoever, so how did he manage to find him and the cops didn't? Though, were the cops even looking for him? Cuz that ending was so messy and rushed, it was a complete letdown, I got nothing out of it, other than Chu Tae Jeong did the police department and his country a favour by quitting, cuz with him on the force, who even knows how many people would have lost their lives? That poor father of his must be turning in his grave, watching his son act the fool in the place he was murdered.

Anywho, all in all, interesting, a nice watch, something a bit different in regards to plot, give it a chance if you like bls. I'll recommend.

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Enemies, banter, and everything i wanted

I’m a sucker for time-travel dramas, so I always go into them with high expectations, and this one honestly delivered. What I appreciated the most is that it never overcomplicated its own concept or relied on unnecessary drama just to create tension. The story stays surprisingly straightforward, letting the characters communicate instead of dragging out misunderstandings, which made everything feel so much more refreshing. The chemistry between the leads was one of the biggest highlights for me, but that only worked because both actors completely sold their characters. They felt incredibly comfortable together, making every interaction, from the playful banter to the more emotional scenes, feel natural and believable. I found myself smiling every time they shared the screen. I also loved how the romance and the time-travel element complemented each other instead of competing for attention. It was entertaining, heartfelt, and exactly the kind of drama that reminds me why I love this genre so much.

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The kind of first love that never gets old

Watching this felt like stepping back into the shoujo romances I used to love. The story doesn’t try to reinvent the genre, it simply embraces everything that makes it special: first love, unspoken feelings, jealousy, misunderstandings, and all those little moments that slowly bring two people closer together. I really liked Ninako because she wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s kind, genuine, and follows her feelings even when she knows they’ll only make things more complicated. Ren is much quieter and harder to read, but that’s exactly what makes watching him slowly open up so satisfying. I also enjoyed how the supporting characters weren’t there just to create unnecessary drama, they all played a part in helping the main couple grow and understand themselves better. It may be a very typical shoujo, but honestly that’s exactly what I was looking for. Sometimes you don’t need something groundbreaking, you just want a sweet love story with characters you can’t help but root for.

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A Visual Treat

Zhang Lin he and Tian Xi Wei were captivating on screen. Any other man wearing ginormous pheasant feathers could have looked Dr. Seuess-ish, but Zhang Lin He looked majestic with the feathers waving in the wind when he triumphantly entered the city on his horse. That visual may be worth watching the entire drama.

The villains were mesmerizing in a unsettling, dangerous way, but they still managed to evoke enough humanity and brokenness that I couldn't help but empathize with them (but they needed to be dead, asap). I'm going to have to look for further dramas featuring Deng Kai and Lin Mu Ran.

The entire cast was excellent. I especially enjoyed the village scenes at Lin'an. The community felt authentic. I missed when action was moved from the village to other sites, because I missed Uncle and Aunt Zhao, the neighbors, and the restaurant staff. The drama suffered when it strayed from Lin'an.

If I have a quibble, it's that the huge build-up of political intrigue which drove the entire drama resolved itself in a relatively quick whimper instead of a bang. But I didn't watch the drama for the court conspiracies. I watched to see an orphan girl fight her way from poverty to success, and that was achieved.

I'm adding a half star for those pheasant feathers.

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Kind of a mess

This show has simply too much story for the allotted time. The way they chopped it up to fit creates a disjointed, nonsensical mess. The scenes themselves play out slowly enough- I watched the entire thing at 1.5X speed- but big developments happen quickly and abruptly with little glue in between, and sometimes key scenes are not even shown (or only a flash of them).

I don’t think filler is necessarily a good thing, but proper pacing means giving ideas some time to develop, and it helps the story feel more natural. That’s all missing here. It reminds me of vertical dramas; perhaps that’s the target audience.

On top of this choppiness, other symptoms include: many things are not properly explained and links are missing; plot points are introduced and then forgotten; and the story is riddled with inconsistencies that are simply flashed over as the show runs away at breakneck speed. Maybe I missed some things because I was watching it so sped up, but I just wasn’t interested enough to pay more attention, and why bother keeping track of plot points when half of them are dropped.

The premise is, or at least starts as, a rebirth revenge. It reminds me a bit of The Double, only everything less well done. Later it shifts more into power struggles and scheming. I basically held onto these familiar story archetypes to maintain some sanity.

The FL, for example. I just tried to see her as an archetype smart and scheming FL, otherwise it would have been too much cognitive dissonance. I had to ignore the random inconsistencies in her character, like how her skills in strategy and military tactics seem to come out of nowhere, and how she randomly devolves back into being a willful teenager somewhere in the middle. Stereotyping her also helped me like her better, since I like this character pattern, and she doesn’t have much personality of her own (or it’s so inconsistent that you don’t know what it is).

The ML is a skilled fighter with a sad past and endless devotion to her. Also classic. I don’t think he’s very interesting, but at least I didn’t get cognitive dissonance from him. Zhou Yiran is such a pretty boy in this show, though. I know that’s not everyone’s type, but at least I enjoyed staring at his face.

Their romance goes through all the right motions, including tense staring contests, cute and sweet moments, exaggerated worry, and so on. I didn’t really feel it. It isn’t built up properly or meaningfully, though I think the pieces are there- it’s just poor writing emphasizing the wrong things. They do get together quickly enough, but after that their relationship really is not very interesting.

As far as the plot goes, the FL first goes through a phase where she is hell bent on revenge (country be damned). I found it somewhat confusing because she’s reborn in the past; the guy hasn’t even done anything to her yet. Every time she called it "revenge", I secretly giggled. She doesn’t even try to establish if he at that point harbors any ill intent towards her.

Luckily for us all, he is just a terrible person who is already planning terrible things. This villain is one of the most one-dimensional I have seen. At least it is easy on my emotions, but it’s not really that interesting to watch him do all the terrible things villains do.

At some point, the FL abruptly transitions into wanting to be a good ruler for the people, and the focus then is on outmaneuvering her opponents in a high-stakes power game. She is not always invincible, which is one little thing I liked. The court comprises of a bunch of annoying old men led by two hot young guys. I am not sure how such a court comes into being. Either way, these two hot young ministers are playing politics with the FL, but I could never quite figure out what they were after or what they were trying to do. Maybe I needed to pay more attention, but it was not worth the risk of brain implosion.

There are some likable-enough side characters, but mostly they didn’t get enough development for me to care. The child emperor is really adorable, especially when he acts all authoritative- but is this realistic for a 6 year old? (Or is he actually 12?)

There is also some war and battle stuff in the middle. And plenty of dramatic scenes with lots of pretty-crying. Maybe I just wasn’t into the show, but it felt kind of ridiculous to see all the streaming tears for things I didn’t find that sad.

Finally, there is some female empowerment stuff, and this is not a bad show for girl power. But proper female representation is not so rare anymore these days, so a few throwaway comments and one short empowerment arc don't really get this show any extra points.

I can’t comment much on the acting since I watched it all so sped up. I actually thought Deng Yi and Xie Yanfang’s actors did really good jobs. Styling is good, I thought they all look quite good. Production seems decent- especially since I mentally categorized this as a short drama, so within that category it is good. But I really can’t say I was paying that much attention.

To close it off, here’s what I came up with for things I liked about this show (besides that the emperor is very cute and the guys are good looking):

1) The overall premise of a strong FL who outmaneuvers her opponents is not a bad one. Other shows have done it better, but if you’ve already seen them and want more, you might like this.

2) With the fast and choppy pace, coupled with watching at 1.5X speed, I felt like I was breezing through a story very quickly, which gave me a sense of accomplishment. Whatever people like about vertical dramas probably applies here.

3) I ended up on reddit reading episode discussions- I wanted to see if it was just me thinking the show was bad- and I was not disappointed, all the haters had gathered. So it was kind of fun to see people pick apart a show I didn’t like that much.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





It’s a happy ending. The last deadly challenge is solved in a cheap way. The emperor is clearly totally autonomous now that he’s 12, so the leads depart from politics to go frolic in the desert and have babies, happily ever after.

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Why I didn’t give it a 10

Vou escrever em português mesmo. Bom, é um reality bom, só não dei 10 pq teve muitas coisas que faltaram por parte da produção. Primeiro, no meio do reality dois participantes são “transferidos”/demitidos, cada um de um gênero. Ai nessa entra uma participante no lugar da menina, mas não entra um participante no lugar do cara. Então eles sempre ficam enfiando uma garota a mais em dinâmicas de dois e automaticamente uma garota fica sozinha no final, achei isso pessimo. Segundo, tem uma sala onde os participantes conseguem descobrir informações uns dos outros quando eles ficam no turno da noite e esse lugar quase não foi usado, então nem a gente descobre as informações da maioria dos participantes até o final, acho que eles poderiam ter usado mais essa sala. Eu geralmente não critico muito as ações dos participantes pois como é reality não acho justo julgar um roteiro já que é esperado que não seja tudo roteirizado. Mas enfim, é isso, espero que em uma próxima temporada eles melhorem isso mas no geral é divertido de assistir, vocês vão gostar.

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If it were up to me, it would take them even longer to get together

SueaDueannao squeezed my heart and killed me in the best way. Yearning and clueless characters are truly a match made in heaven. I love that they're mostly on an even playing field and have the same hobbies. The whole "It's okay if your family sucks; I'll just share mine with you" is one of my favorite tropes. Bonus points for showing the lives and interiority of both leads equally.

The acting is hit and miss. 75% of the friend group (North and Field being the exceptions) and 100% of Tiger's family members are portrayed by bad actors (especially his father and SinghaBen). Pie doesn't cry convincingly either, but otherwise the romance is adorable and nuanced enough that I choose to overlook this flaw in his acting.

The mafia stuff was part of the initial appeal for me but ended up a cringefest. Luckily these elements are mostly set dressing for the romance. This also means that the friendship and romance may be effective, but that the danger comes and goes whenever it is needed for dramatic reasons, which makes for nonsensical and awfully convenient developments.

Overall, I wish this were a 10-episode series with more budget. While the slow burn is delicious, the denouement is rushed. Just imagine if we saw Dueannao realize his feelings instead of having to listen to him monologuing his change of heart to North! But since SueaDueannao wound up being my favorite dynamic in the Fourever You universe, my rose-colored glasses stay on, and the rating reflects my bias.

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I did NOT expect this--This is amazing.

Okay. To be honest, I watched this with no expectations. Many new companies often fail to capture what people really want and come back to. However, Mook and her co-partner for FRT ent did a great job finding pairs with great chemistry and a good storyline. Mind you, almost more than half of the cast are rookie actors. You wouldn't even be able to tell once you watch Shades! Shades is very different from other school gl romances, I can def tell you that haha. They balanced 3 storylines perfectly (although I would want more JaneNano screen time cus their chemistry is insane), the cinematography is crazy good, and so is the editing. I like that the story humanizes flawed characters instead of reducing them to perfect stories, allowing viewers to not only relate with them but also empathize with their motivations even when their actions are wrong. You don't agree with what they do, but you can't help but root for them–which is amazing, considering how many GLs are unrealistic when it comes to "real life" issues (imo). Although this show highkey causes me stress because of all the character issues 😭, there is almost comedic relief and some scenes.. (iykyk). These new CPs have a chokehold on me (PuyfaiPloy, NikyEngland, and OpalMint), I can't wait to see them grow more popular as actors, also love the entire cast! Can't wait for season 2!

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