An Easy Rom-Com
It is a cute and fluffy rom-com kind of a drama with the theme of loving yourself no matter what size you are. The leads had good chemistry, with a decent story, some nice scenery, lovely side couple and acting. While it was a nice drama, but it was not a memorable one , but was nice for what it was....a fun, easy rom-com that has enough angst to keep it interesting, some strong woman vibes., decent kissing scenes with a my required happy ending.Was this review helpful to you?
1This review may contain spoilers
This show is an instrument of torture sold as a comfy chair
Where shall I begin?I'm not going to mince words. Our screenwriters love to bait us with moments of fun and sweetness and then trap us in their circle of hell. Let this be a cautionary tale for you, dear readers.
Them are fighting words, yes? Nay, I say. I threw away two drafts already because I'll be banned for using offensive languages and excessive ranting. Consider this the sanitised version. Still reading? Good!
To be fair, moment-to-moment, this drama is watchable. There are flashes of romance, growth and fan service. However, it has serious issues.
This drama looks like an idol rom-com from afar. When you combine the enemy-to-lover with the forced cohabitation trope, it should be a slam dunk. Alas, this show swam against the tide with determination.
To wit, our leads work, eat and play under the same roof. So far, so cliché. Easy win, right? Yet our OTP made no progress WHATSOEVER during the bulk of its run. The fact that our OTP looks good together and has decent chemistry made the whole situation even more baffling.
There are near kisses, near hugs, near confessions. They’d push each other away with extreme prejudice. Every. Single. Time. Then loudly proclaim they will never be together; there is absolutely nothing going on between them. You can hear me groan in frustration two doors away.
It is not just our OTP’s “relationship” that is problematic. As written, our FL is beautiful, diligent and smart. I won't dispute that, but she is a mess of contradictions as well. Not dumb enough to win the Darwin Award yet not smart enough to read the room. She reacts impulsively when she shouldn't and doesn't react when she should (mostly involving the ML). This FL's persona is diabolical. What have you done, dear writers?!
How does the FL survives in the cutthroat business world? Two words . . Male lead!
Our ML is her silent protector. He exists to coach her and to undo the worst of her mistakes. He fell for her soon after they meet. The fact that the FL ignores all his signals is mind boggling. She had a long-term BF, so she is not ignorant. If this is a xianxia drama I would have said she is some kind of rock spirit who has been cultivating in a cave!
So, after pushing through 30+ eps (help me!), I thought the HEA ending is nigh. How wrong was I! The writers hit us with the Angst Titanic™.
Not only are they pining for each other after a self-inflicted separation. She kicked him out of their shared home as soon as he confessed to her. Eh? What?! Her reasons are nonsensical to me. Does she love him or not? She is so self-centred and contrary. She stayed temperamental all the way to the end. Our writers should be sent to a re-education camp just for this crime against romance.
Of course, we ended up with more yearning and suffering. I am numb by now. The reappearance of the SML is a waste of time.
Oh, speaking of the SML (FL's ex-BF), I will just say the face swapping is sad. It ranges from passable to downright embarrassing. By the time this series was released years late, the original actor has cleared his name. Such is life!
Let's cover a few other issues while we are distracted. The 2CP (FL's BFF) is boring. They run through the usual couple issues. Fun!
The 3CP (ML's BFF) is worse. He is a mommy's boy. Naive and inexperienced to the max. He behaves like a stalker. His mum is next level. She is so controlling. Some of their scenes are cringe+. We got there in the end . . yay . .
OBTW, there are no Big Bad Antagonists. Some annoying co-workers/friends, meddling parents and typical backstabbing business shenanigans, that's about it. Most of them have their redemption, especially the SFL.
Speaking of the SFL, the pairing of the second leads is designed to fail. Their union was tenuous from the start and only becomes more strained over time. There is no rejoicing when they broke up.
In the end, this show is a letdown. The first few eps look promising. I was tempted to sloth quit mid run, but I was weak and I stayed for the small sugar hits. Then sunk-cost took over. Where is my therapy teddy?!
I won't lie. It is watchable at times. I kept hoping it will get good and we can frolic with the unicorns. It did happen in the very end. By then, I'm exhausted. Could this show be saved if it was 26 instead of 36 eps? Probably, but we will never know.
I think this is the first time I didn't drop a series with such a low score. That’s on me. Peace.
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Loved the story!
THE ENDING SUCKED. I was sooo disappointed. I thought he would have given him the ring & they would get married. I didnt like them meeting in the field of flowers. I can think of a few endings that would have been so much betyer. What happened after he collapsed? They just skipped that part completely. Then he shows up in a field of flowers and butterflies. It was like he had died.Was this review helpful to you?
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A Gentle, Grounded Romance
I loved the leads in this. I also thought it was well directed, for the most part, and the conversations felt organic. The photography was nice, as were the locations. It was nice that, while it did resort to the bad communication and third wheel tropes, they weren’t dragged out, and were resolved without melodrama.Did I mention that I love the leads? The music was exactly what I’ve come to expect from J-dramas, and while that’s not a bad thing, it’s also nothing to write home about. Call it “suitable.”
In case I haven’t said so, the leads are fabulous. Neither does the cartoonish overreaction thing that one of them, naming no names, did in a prior role. Oh, and both can act, together they have chemistry, and are believably comfortable getting intimate in NC scenes. They’re also very pleasant to look at.
This is a safe, pleasant, engaging love story, centred on an office workplace, but with distant past roots. It’s not alienating with homophobic tropes like gay for you only, or internal conflict over trying gay for the first time, and the one outsider who learned they are a couple was supportive and unshocked that there was gayness going on. I find strong reactions to queerness incredibly repellent, and the WTF reaction this character showed was that these two people were together, which was understandable, given their apparent relationship.
I do hope that being out of the closet professionally becomes more of a norm in Japanese dramas one day 🌈
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More holes tha a Swiss cheese
The premise of this series is so ridiculous that I couldn’t stop watching. I kept waiting for it to fall apart, but instead it kept pulling me in because I genuinely wanted to know where it was headed. A killer who couldn’t kill and a cop who couldn’t arrest, it sounds like the setup for a dark comedy, yet somehow the series makes it work. More than once I found myself wondering who was really in control.The chemistry between the leads doesn’t hit immediately, but once it does, the performances improve dramatically. They’re complete opposites, and while that usually makes for an easy dynamic, this series takes a more unconventional route. Their relationship develops in unexpected ways, making every interaction feel like another piece of a much larger puzzle.
The biggest strength of the show is that it constantly makes you question what you’re seeing. You know there’s a twist coming long before it’s revealed, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Watching it felt like walking into a game of charades where everyone else already knew the answer, and I was the only one trying to figure out the rules. That lingering sense of uncertainty kept me invested until the very end.
It’s not a perfect series, but it’s different and sometimes that’s enough to make it memorable..
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Mid Asfffff
This show is a time travel food porn comedy that is very bland.The positives are that the acting is pretty good, the food (when it is focused on) looks delicious and makes me so envious of the characters enjoying it. The main characters are all memorable and fun to watch. There's also a fair amount of social commentary being done here, it is a little hamfisted, but I can't help but appreciate it regardless.
Li Yun Rui has caught my attention since LLTG… and he's rising as one of my favorites. This is my second time watching Wang Ying Lu in a drama and she's pretty entertaining here too. I did prefer her role in When Destiny Brings the Demon more, but this is still pretty solid. These two are great on their own, but I don't think they make the most compelling couple.
So the negatives.
Despite the show shaking up the trope by having an entire family time travel together, our FL STILL ends up solving most of the problems, comes up with almost all the ideas, and is also a sage who guides her family through trials and tribulations while being wise beyond her years.
There's too much of a plot.
I signed up for a food showcase where I get to see 2-3 new delicious things every episode… Instead we're investigating a treason case, dealing with corruption, rebellion? and the romances of side characters??? I just wanted to see some food NOT crappie overdone and PREDICTABLE plotlines from every other costume drama.
The budget???
I think that this show looks really… basic? The hair, the clothing, the sets. Nothing really ever blows me away. There's wire work in really unnecessary places while characters will pull up to a fight, beat someone OFFSCREEN and we cut to them rolling on the ground. That fight was never filmed, there was never an intention to film the fight.🤣 There's a bit more action towards the end, but I couldn't help be feel that it would have been better for this show to have skipped trying to do all this extra stuff.
I feel that this show wastes so much time. There was no reason for this to have been stretched out over 32 episodes.
SPOILERS!!!
Our main villain is responsible for the death of the ML's entire clan; he spends the entire drama being dumb and continuing to trust the ML even when he's clearly suspicious. When the villain gets got with a sword kicked (from the ground, lol physics) through his chest he starts crying and has a flashback of all the sweet moments he had with the boy whose life he ruined. Do you really expect me to feel sorry for him??? Apparently the ML does cuz he cries too. lol okay. Another example of the show wasting my time.
Don't get me started on the 2nd and final villian, it pissed me off so bad, you could see him coming from a million miles away.
Would be in**st for apx 90% of this show.
When this drama begins, we are told that our FL and ML are distant relatives. They're 1000 years removed from each other but her family wouldn't have existed if the ML didn't get it on with his future wife.
I know that the drama later tells us that they're not actually related (everyone knew that, it wouldn't work if they were 🙄) but it doesn't erase the several episodes that our FL struggles with her guilt for her desire for her greeaaaat granddaddy. I'm never getting that time back. Though the revelation of them not being related is now conveniently given (through head trauma) the ick remains. Hearing characters be like “OMG its not in**st, you can be together!” was NOT on my C-drama bingo card this year.
Also its so funny that our main characters make such a big deal out of FL having feelings for a man she would basically share no DNA with, when they married cousins several generations in a row back then.
The ending pissed me off too. It has the typical ending that these types always do, but it grated my nerves more for some reason.
The ML wastes OVER TEN MINUTES of my time in the FINAL EPISODE drawing pictures and having flashbacks of the Main characters after their existence is erased from the past.
FL wakes up in the future and none of their family members remember being in the past with her, but they get to keep all of the character development they achieved without remembering how exactly they struggled to attain it… BS!
Yea whatever.
P.S. I actually liked that 2nd ML more.
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So much potential but the script fell short in the end
The beginning was very entertaining, hilarious and eye catching. I loved the comedy and the building chemistry between the main leads.There was so much potential, and I expected a dramatic conflict due to the premise of the whole mafia family situation.
However, it felt like they built up this whole mafia story and then it just flopped, in the end. There was no climax and it became VERY boring in the last half.
The only good parts of this story was when Thee was having his comedic moments, but when it's repeated over and over, it could get a bit boring, especially when there is no major conflict or story.
This could've been a very good story but the plot felt sloppy and lazy to me. If you like a comedic story that's light hearted with no major conflicts or plot, then this will be for you.
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Mission accomplished
The story and the characters both achieved what they set out to do from the start. It was a long way there (maybe not that long since it's only 24 eps) but we got there.I think maybe the elements surrounding the rebirth and why her could've been explored a little bit more but that's not the FMC's main concern, or a concern at all, so I'm not that bothered by it being vague.
The rest of the story and all the arcs within it were fun. I enjoyed all the strategy battles and all the back and forth that comes with the royal court, all the trust and lack thereof.
Visually it's very pretty and the actors looked amazing. Perhaps a couple times the cinematography did more for the story and the script itself but I don't really care. It was a good time for me.
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They have chemistry but drama is so boring
Love Has Fireworks starts with a strong and exciting premise. The lead characters share undeniable chemistry, and their interactions are filled with charm, humor, and emotional tension. From their very first meeting, it's easy to become invested in their relationship. Their romantic moments feel genuine, making the audience root for them as a couple.
However, while the romance shines, the drama does not. As the story progresses, the conflicts become repetitive and predictable. Many misunderstandings could have been solved with simple conversations, but they are stretched out to create unnecessary tension. Instead of adding depth to the characters, these dramatic moments slow the pacing and make some episodes feel longer than they need to be.
The supporting cast has a few memorable moments, but they are not developed enough to leave a lasting impression. Some side plots also distract from the main romance without contributing much to the overall story. The series would have been stronger if it had focused more on the emotional growth of the main couple rather than relying on repeated dramatic twists.
Despite these flaws, the performances of the lead actors remain the biggest highlight. Their natural chemistry keeps the story engaging even during weaker episodes. Their emotional scenes feel heartfelt, and they make the romance believable from beginning to end.
Overall, Love Has Fireworks is an enjoyable romantic drama with excellent lead chemistry, but it is held back by repetitive and sometimes boring drama. Fans of romance may still find it worth watching because of the strong performances and sweet moments, but those looking for a tightly written story may be disappointed. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 starsa fun romance with sparks, but not enough substance to keep the drama consistently interesting.
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One of the best thai dramas to come out this year
When I saw the pilot for this drama, I was very excited. And after watching the series, it has blown me away and exceeded expectations.Story was very well put together, and the chemistry between the leads was PHENOMENAL. The looks they gave each other as well as the longing and yearning from both characters got me feeling a lot, cheering for their love and success. I definitely cried while watching too 😭
All actors tried their best and did a very good job even if you could tell they were amateurs. I am definitely the most impressed with Keng Harit. He proved to me that he isn’t just a pretty boy, but someone who can make me believe he is Paran. The fact that his actual personality is very different from his character says a lot.
Music is excellent and beautiful. I like the fact that they did not reuse the same music over and over and only use certain songs at certain points of the drama to create a dramatic/emotional effect. It's a plus that the actors themselves sing the songs.
A surprising part of the drama that impressed me are the effects for the ghosts. They were quite scary because they were not overdone, which lots of horror films tend to do.
Story is somewhat cliche but very well written and also had a twist in the end that surprised me. The ending of the drama that tied everything well together is what made this drama a 100/10. There were loose strings and we got a good ending, even if I wanted more LOL.
My only complaint is Khemjira's character. The actor did a pretty good job, but it was the written character itself that I had a problem with. His character was weak and meek, which was annoying at times. It would've been nice if he had more fight inside of him or more of a personality bc his character could be very boring and uninteresting. He is the definition of a damsel in distress and I'm not the biggest fan of such characters. BUT that's just me being picky and it wouldn't make me take away major points from the drama overall.
Rewatch value is 100/10. I've already rewatched this 5 times bc I felt empty after watching the series, not being able to find something that would fill in the empitness.
I would argue it's the best thai drama of the year!
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Story wasn't bad but acting took me out of it
Production quality was good and story wasn't bad. However, the acting of JJ was falling short and took me out of the story multiple times. Especially in comparison with his co-star. JJ's emotions felt forced and unbelievable and his expressions awkward. It doesn't matter to me if the acting would fall short for the side actors, but since it's the main character, I was quite disappointed. I really wanted to enjoy this drama.If you want a historical thai story and you're not picky on the acting, you may enjoy this story.
Overall, I wouldn't watch it again or recommend it to others, but at least I gave it a shot.
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Opposites attract
Loved this! They packed so much into 12 episodes. Having watched several of the BTS videos, I could tell that Poom worked so hard to fulfill his role as Wayu - the 'Host'.Because Poom and Up are so different - physically, temperamentality and facially - I think their pairing works very well, especially for this series.
The series had drama, comedy, love, sadness, emotion - the lot!
Little "Singto" stole the show a few times.
One of my favourites was Jai Sira - he was outstanding as Foei, the bar owner!
All the 'hosts' were fabulous! Their dance skills - of different genre - were perfect.
(one minor problem - I don't know who made the jacket for "Krit's "uniform in one of the last scenes, but they
really stuffed up)
I loved the closing scenes - even stiff old Dad got in on the dancing!
Rewatch value - 9
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Heo Nam Joon That's it, That's All!
This is the kind of romcom I live for—funny, swoony, and carried by two leads who are endlessly charming. The early episodes are top‑tier comedy, with Seo Ri’s fish‑out‑of‑water chaos and Se Gye’s dramatic sincerity making every scene pop. Secretary Son is a comedic treasure, delivering lines like “zero‑gravity breathing” that had me howling. Even when the plot leans into fantasy tropes that make me roll my eyes—white truck of doom, convenient amnesia, soul‑swap martyrdom—the romance stays emotionally resonant. Episode 6’s kiss alone could power a small city.The show does stumble with its fantasy logic and a few baffling writing choices. The Joseon flashbacks raise more questions than answers, the grandfather is infuriating from start to finish, and Mun Do never gets the karma he deserves. Some conflicts feel forced, and one actress’s sudden sabotage of Seo Ri comes out of nowhere. But the emotional sincerity of Se Gye’s character, paired with Heo Nam Joon’s standout performance keeps the heart of the story. Seo RI & Se Gye's relationship is —sweet, funny, and quietly devastating at times—makes the journey worth it.
Despite the weird detours, I genuinely enjoyed the series. The comedy is sharp, the romance is swoon‑worthy, and several supporting characters (especially Gwang Nam and Secretary Son) add depth and charm. It’s not perfect, but it’s memorable, heartfelt, and full of scenes that made me laugh out loud. A romcom with flaws, sure—but also one with a whole lot of heart.
7/3/26
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Unrequited Love Under the Summer Sky That Doesn't Drag
The first two episodes hooked me right away. I have a soft spot for high school crushes turning into romance, especially when there are unrequited feelings involved, and this series delivered that without wasting time. I was genuinely surprised that Saeki confessed in the very first episode instead of stretching it out for half the season.The story feels simple, light, and refreshing, focusing more on the emotions and awkwardness of adolescence than unnecessary drama. The chemistry between the leads is natural, the acting is convincing, and the soundtrack fits the youthful summer atmosphere really well. I'm always happy to watch another high school BL, and this one has already pulled me in.
I can't wait to see where the next ten episodes take their relationship.
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Burden of Throne. "A Masterpiece on Screenplay"
Sit on this throne. Yes you will have power, yes you will have status, yes you will have authority. But no, you will never have peace.I think this is the only show that has ever truly depicted the burden of sitting on a throne during Five dynasties Ten kingdoms era. They took historical records, added a bit of fiction and drama and written a compelling story.
This truly deserves a 10/10. Why? Not only because of the screenplay but also the production, background score and an impeccable performance. This is not just a regular TV drama but a true experience of Chinese Five dynasties Ten kingdoms era history.
P.S: Of course, these historical figures weren't truely fighting only for common people. But I am sure that they were very conscious and tried very hard to bring a peaceful and a prosperous era so people won't suffer.
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