Reviews

Taken but Korean

Wow this show was so freaking good!!

I was not bored not even for a second, the characters were so well done and the dynamic between the main 3 dads was wonderful! Perfect mix of action and comedy and every episode was entertaining and kept me on my toes.

Sometimes some bits were predictable but it wasn’t anything that ruined the experience. I also didn’t understand how the daughter survived for so long bleeding out and then being stuffed inside a bag whilst unconscious, surely it would’ve killed her in real life not to mention it seemed like it took Kim days to find her so how did she survive without water and food (since she was rescued only in ep7).

But overall everything was so well done, I really have no complaints. I finished it in 2 days, satisfied with every story being wrapped up for every character. I will be eagerly waiting for a season 2 should there be one!

Read More

Under-developed Plot Saved by Chen Si's Wardrobe

The two leads had EXPLOSIVE chemistry. I dont really get why their needs to be noncon in every chinese drama. It's as if they're trying to desensitize and normalize it. There was no need to put it in here. Oddly, my favorite part was when Chen Si was getting into the car and he caught his jacket. It was ridiculously cool. I also loved his suits for this show. The FL was kinda vanilla here. She was good but I feel as if her character lacked the strength and assertiveness that you follow a main character for. As a stand-alone this was a good (not great but good) show. If comparing it to the many many other adaptations of this storyline it ranks mid-tier. The 2nd ML was kinda lame. If you are going to spend 3 years doing IVF to get your ""wife"" pregnant then move on. Why are you dragging your childhood best friend along with you. I do wish we could have seen the adoptive mother being released from prison and that reunion.

Read More

⭐ for acting is for Net

As for the storyline, I actually think it’s quite good. It’s not the same old storyline we always see, so that was a plus for me. The plot itself was interesting enough, even though the pacing was a big problem.

The acting, however, couldn’t really make me happy. Klao is not a very convincing actor for me. His emotions don’t feel stable or natural. When he is crying, sometimes it looks like he is laughing, and when he is laughing, it can feel a little silly. I honestly think he needs to work harder on expressing his emotions naturally.

For the main couple, their chemistry just wasn’t chemistrying for me. 😭 I didn’t really feel that strong connection between them. And honestly, I feel like the whole couple dynamic was being carried by Net. Net is already a good actor, and he knows how to express his emotions well. He was the one who kept the emotional side of the drama going and basically carried a lot of the scenes.

I also felt bad for Net because even though JJ, who plays Nakun, isn’t a very strong actor for me, Net managed to cover for him really well. I feel like because of Net’s acting, I was able to continue watching the drama instead of dropping it.

Even though I liked the storyline, the drama was way too slow for me. I skipped quite a lot because so many parts felt unnecessarily dragged out. Honestly, after the first two or three episodes, I was already thinking about dropping it. But because of Net, I held on and eventually finished it.

So, overall, I wouldn’t highly recommend this drama, but I also wouldn’t say it’s 100% bad. The storyline is actually worth trying if you like this kind of plot. Just be prepared for the slow pacing and some questionable acting. 😂

For me, this is more of a “watch if you want, skip if you’re bored” drama. If you’re curious, give it a try—you can always skip through the slower parts.

Read More

The word Suppalo is now triggering me !

I feel like if I had watched this BL even five years ago, I would've immediately considered it peak because... FirstKhaotung...!! But I have to be realistic here, because as breathtaking as their performances were, the story itself made me sigh more times than I can count.

So I'm going to start with what I really liked.

The first few episodes were soooo good. We had a real rivalry between Aye and Akk, and watching them hate each other while being irresistibly drawn to one another was incredibly addictive. Although we can definitely question Akk's sudden fixation on Aye, because... weird. Let's just say Aye caught his eye.

The chemistry between the protagonists is captivating and, most importantly, undeniably sincere. The looks they exchange, their hands slowly reaching for each other, the dialogue between them (especially Aye's, let's be honest) was genuinely well written.

I honestly think that if this drama had simply focused on learning to fully accept yourself and learning how to love yourself through the eyes of the person who loves you, it could have been an undeniable banger !

But that's not what happened. Because the story eventually turned into one giant collection of absurdities that we're somehow expected to swallow one after another.

I just don't have the words to explain how much the story lost me. I watched these people cry over things that made absolutely no sense, and at some point I started wondering whether I had no humanity whatsoever or whether the director was simply expecting us to buy into all this nonsense.

So, if I understood correctly, the biggest problem in the holy land of Suppalo is... wearing the uniform and using a phone?

They're willing to launch investigations and recruit students into some kind of secret operation over three sis standing at the bottom of a building holding cardboard signs. THIS is the biggest threat to Suppalo's reputation? WTF.

Now, can someone explain to me why Aye was immediately thrown into the middle of everything the second he arrived? The guy wears a jacket, looks a little suspicious, and apparently that's enough to accuse him of being the spiritual leader behind the three sis and their puppet.

So OBVIOUSLY, everyone has to interrogate him, follow him around and immediately put him in a box because this guy "doesn't belong." Meanwhile, the actual self-proclaimed revolutionaries are apparently not the subject of any investigation.

But wait, because things get even more serioooous and spooooky when we're introduced to the Suppalo curse.

You can see from a mile away that this curse is being used to scare the three protesters into stopping whatever the hell they're protesting about, because once again, I genuinely didn't understand what the actual matter was anymore.

At first it's about the uniform. Then suddenly it's about freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and the right to express yourself.

OOOkaaay. We went from something extremely concrete to something completely abstract in about five seconds.

Anyway, apparently everyone is terrified of this curse.

Even the teachers.

Even the principal.

We're clearly supposed to believe that Suppalo is some kind of authoritarian, oppressive dictatorship. And sure, okay, if you say so. I mean, the prefects patrolling the school are more or less the political police 🗿.

Then Aye starts reading 1984 by George Orwell, and I thought:

"No way. They're not actually going there. They're not going to make metaphors. It's not that deep."

Well...IT IS THAT DEEP.

And apparently that's what the entire drama is about. Everything is given this enormous amount of gravity that I simply cannot take seriously.

And I'm not even going to get started on the teacher's assistant, who might be the biggest chameleon this planet has ever seen. She arrives with actual principles and values, apparently. And I thought:

"Oh, great! She's probably going to play an important role in dismantling this system that apparently dehumanizes students. Yayyyy!"

NOPE.

The woman dropped those values in her locker the second she arrived and proceeded to do absolutely everything Teacher Chadok told her without using even the tiniest bit of common sense.

Then, after several episodes whose content is honestly a blur because I was so skeptical but desperately trying to keep an open mind because FirstKhaotung ٩(>ᴗ<)و !!!! we finally get the GREAT SHIFT !

Suddenly... Enemies become lovers!! YAYAY!!

Okay, it wasn't on that boat with that gorgeous sunshine filling the air, but whatever. They're adorable, so I'll take it. Except Akk still doesn't accept himself. I guess that's okay. Obviously it must be difficult for him, especially when the school seems pretty damn homophobic and he's been completely shaped by the system he's grown up in.

>Next episode

Aye: Do you want to be my boyfriend?

Akk: Yes.

...

WHAT ? ',:/ Okay, sure. It's just a little fast for a guy who still hasn't accepted himself and who seems to be struggling pretty badly with the whole curse situation and everything surrounding it. But they love each other, so... we're good, right?

I was skeptical, but hey, we'll take what we can get.

And then there's the Khan-Thua couple.

To be fair, their progression makes a little more sense. But I don't know why, from the very beginning, I just couldn't get myself to like this couple. Maybe it's just straight-up facial prejudice. But I genuinely couldn't do it.

You have one guy who's as bland as plain pasta dating someone who, if you squint reeeaaally hard and someone hands you an audiovisual guide, vaguely looks like a bad boy.

And seriously... Bruce Wayne?

This man must have grown up in Plato's cave. He talks to Batman and then proudly announces, like the village idiot, that he's genuinely developing feelings for him.

And Khan doesn't laugh. Not once.

Thua: "I'm talking to Bruce Wayne right now, and I LOVE HIM."

Khan: "Bruce Wayne? Doesn't ring a bell. Well, good for you, I guess."

And then let's talk about the plot twist, because this time I was sincerely twisted. Twisted by my own confusion.

So, if I understood correctly, Akk originally had motivations that were pretty unclear for this curse situation (although to me it was obvious he was doing everything for Teacher Chadok), and then suddenly he's blamed for perpetuating the curse.

And at no point does he actually explain himself. He just completely spirals into a state of "depression"

Then Chadok, who has been an absolute asshole from the beginning, suddenly becomes a good guy because...he was in love with Aye's uncle.

I'm sorry, but shouldn't Aye have at least a little resentment here?

This man pushed your boyfriend to his breaking point and put an insane amount of pressure on Akk's shoulders, but apparently everything is fine now because Chadok wanted to marry the uncle?!

What?!

And then, without warning, Thua starts acting like the biggest bi*ch in the entire drama. (I told you I didn't trust this guy.) Suddenly he has no loyalty, no friends, no sense of shame, apparently.

First he accuses Akk of perpetuating the curse. Then he OUTS HIS OWN FRIENDS PUBLICLY. Dude. You're literally part of the community yourself. As far as I'm concerned, that's the ultimate betrayal !!

And then he accuses Akk of perpetuating a curse that HE VERY CLEARLY ALSO HELPED PERPETUATE.

Why?!

So now they're both blamed for everything, and apart from saying "I'm sorry," neither of them actually has much to say about it.

And then...That's it.

Suddenly the school is super LGBTQ-friendly. Five minutes ago, being gay was apparently one of the greatest abominations in the holy land of Suppalo, and now everyone loves everyone.

And Chadok... The one person who had a perfect opportunity to redeem himself, to actually make the school a safer and more welcoming place after everything he'd done... decides to commit the bravest act of his entire career:

HE RESIGNS?! WTF.

Then they start making a little movie together. And I was actually open to it. I thought this could be a really nice opportunity to explain the title of the drama, The Eclipse.

You know, the idea that there were dark moments in our relationship, but the sun always comes back. Something like that.

NOPE.

We got basically nothing.

I'm going to keep my own interpretation of the title to myself because at least it will give this whole thing a semblance of depth.

Then we get Akk's coming-out scene, which, to be fair, I genuinely found really sweet.

I'm not even going to lie, the actors did an incredible job with what they were given. You could really see in Akk's eyes the complexity of accepting a part of himself that he'd spent so long rejecting.

And then who shows up? His friends.

And Thua.

You know, the guy who betrayed them. And apparently... It's fine!

Welcome back, Thua and your absolutely atrocious fisherman jacket.

And then the teacher's assistant spawns in.

Welcome to you too, I guess.

Because apparently, now that she's outside the school, she suddenly remembered that she has principles and values.

And that's it.

THAT'S THE END.

I was so frustrated.

Because there was potential in every single idea this drama introduced, but every single one of them was paired with some completely insane plot development.

They try to talk about mental health, but the context doesn't feel believable. Why does this curse that Akk was dragged into have such a huge impact on him? Why is he the only one suffering from it when the entire system helped perpetuate it?

They try to talk about acceptance, but the entire Suppalo situation makes it impossible to take seriously.

We go from homophobic slurs to: "˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀ What a blessing to be a homosexual ˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀." In about five minutes.

They try to talk about oppression, authoritarianism and the desire for freedom, but the thing supposedly motivating all of this is a group of three people at the bottom of a building, presented as some kind of national threat.

All of this... over a uniform and a phone.

Honestly, by the end of it, I think the only people who remained completely consistent throughout the entire story were the three sis at the bottom of the building. They always accepted themselves exactly as they were. They always protested for the things that actually mattered to them. And, as far as I remember, they never even faced any consequences for it.

First and Khaotung were absolutely majestic. But if I hear the word Suppalo one more time, I might actually lose my mind.

Thank you for making it this far.

And I guess, just like Chadok, it's time for me to leave... for absolutely no apparent reason.

<3

Read More

All the Ingredients Were There, but I Never Felt It

I really wanted to love Twinkling Watermelon. It has so many of the ingredients I usually respond to in a K-drama: likeable characters, family, friendship, music, nostalgia and a story with plenty of opportunities to hit emotionally. Shin Eun-soo was also one of the main reasons I watched it, and I thought she was great.

But somehow, the show just never moved me.

I think part of the problem was the pacing. Whenever the story created tension or a potentially interesting conflict, it often seemed to resolve it almost immediately. Things that felt like they should have been allowed to breathe rarely did, so I never developed that desperate need to find out what happened next.

The reveal between the two time travellers particularly bothered me. We’d only recently been shown that they both still had their phones from 2023, and then those same phones were used for the big moment where they discover each other’s identities. Instead of being a satisfying reveal, it felt like the show had shown me the answer immediately before asking me to be surprised by it.

There were also threads that seemed to disappear along the way. Early on, the challenge to play a Nirvana song felt like it was setting something up, but unless I missed something, it never really went anywhere.

None of this made Twinkling Watermelon bad. The performances are good, the characters are charming and I can understand why so many people absolutely love it. But for a drama built around relationships, youth, family and second chances, I expected it to hit me much harder emotionally than it did.

Sometimes a show can do almost everything right on paper and still leave you strangely untouched.

And that’s probably my biggest criticism: I finished it, and then almost immediately forgot about it.

Read More

I am so glad I came across this

This is not a fluffy story but any means and actually deal with queer struggles and csem so be aware of the content. However, the actors delivered a really good job specially the main leads (including the younger versions - genuinely almsot gave up watching because of them). The actor for Chihiro Yurai Beppu is such a visual and gosh his acting was topnotch. Shed a few tears at his lowest moments. Also going to give a shout out to the styling department– they really nailed the wardrobe for each and every character. It did not go unnoticed <3. I hope the main characters have more projects lined up for them. They really did a good job.

Read More

Why is this 12 episodes long?!

This would've been much better if it were a movie, I am sure of that, or at least cut down to 6 episodes. I just barely managed to finish 10 episodes when I realized I still have 2 more to go and I don't know if a can, I am beyond bored at this point, How is it possible that people binged it in a day? How is it possible that people finished it at all??!!

Ko Eunsae is so unlikeable and Jang TaeHa is boring and so bland! He's supposed to be this cool tough guy with a soft heart, but for some reason Haein played him as an insecure little boy that just happens to be a good fighter I mean Thee from Me and Thee did a better job of convincing me He's menacing.

There are so many plot holes so much stupid and so much nothing happening here. Why wasn't Taeha detained? Yes he saved her, but He worked for Naek Sanggil for years, He was pretty high up on the organization even if it was the first time he was ordered to kill someone He still did a lot of illegal stuff maybe they gave him some sort of immunity deal? for helping, I don't know at least up to were I watched it wasn't mentioned so I'm assuming that dating the prosecutor comes with get a out of jail free card🤷‍♀️

I liked it a lot at first but slowly started to get bored and honestly kept watching because I didn't want another unfinished drama on my list but I've had it!

I'm taking a break, I'm not marking it as dropped just yet, but I doubt that I will have the patience to come back and watch the rest.

I was encouraged to watch one more episode by another user so I came back with hopes of actually enjoying the ending but, it only made me more aware of how badly written this drama was, it could've been great as a 2 hour movie but as a 12 episode series is way too long, boring, predictable and uneventful.

Read More

Agent Kim Reactivated was SUCH a fun watch 😭❤️ The action, the twists, the humour, the characters… I genuinely enjoyed every minute of this.

The uncles??? PLEASE... They were hands down my favourite part of this drama. Their chemistry, their banter, the absolute nonsense they came out with 😂😂 I was genuinely laughing every time they were on screen. And the way they cared about Kim underneath all that chaos??? Ugh I LOVED them. ''the middle aged men with glasses'' NEVER doubted them. Not ONCE. I don't care what the drama tried to make me believe, those three had my unwavering trust. Kim, Uncle Jincheol and Uncle Hansoo were ride or die from beginning to end, and their loyalty to each other was honestly one of my favourite things about the whole story.

And then there's Kim, what a HOT DAD. That's it. That's the review. 😂❤️ The man could show up, tell me there's trouble and that I need to leave immediately, and I'd be like “yes sir, where are we going?” I certainly wouldn't mind being saved by him. 🤭

I also loved how the drama balanced the serious spy/action storyline with so much humour. It never felt too heavy, and whenever things got intense, the uncles were right there ready to have me crying laughing again.

Overall, such an entertaining action thriller with great chemistry, lovable characters, plenty of suspense and the perfect amount of chaos. I came for the action, stayed for the uncles, fell in love with the trio, and apparently developed a completely unnecessary weakness for hot fictional dads.

Read More

I AM PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY HOW GOOD THIS WAS

TADAIMARUOOOO!! ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆

yet another banger starring hiro mizushima

but on a more serious note, this drama is simply amazing. at first, seeing the general rating for this title put me off, but giving it a chance was the best decision i could have done. this title is a perfect blend of action and comedy, and i could not recommend it more. shun oguri pleasantly surprised me with his role as takakura sou, and paired with hiro mizushima as kudo maruo, takakura's partner and fellow detective, the two of them form a great pair with varying personalities that complement each other perfectly! the overall story is awesome and the music fits the vibe perfectly.


i honestly can not put into words how moved i am by this drama but if you're planning to watch, you will not regret it!!

Read More

The story in mid episodes is the hooking part

First of all, the visuals of this drama are perfect. All of the actors nicely played their roles and immersed themselves in the story. The drama is about a girl who goes back in time after she's been killed by her teacher, who commits a rebellious action against the palace.

There are too many characters to be remembered, so the first few episodes can be very confusing, especially if you're new to Chinese historical dramas. And if you're watching for romance, then the first 9 episodes might be boring since they focus on political affairs and the state of its military power. Also, some of the intentions are quite implicit (I'm not sure if it's because of the translation?).

I love how smart and cautious the FL is. After entering the palace, the story revolves around her acting as the princess's study partner. To be very honest, the feel is similar to watching a high school Korean drama—how the victim tries to outsmart the bullies—but I think that's the hook of this drama.

The ML is also very smart, wise, but very ruthless. He has multiple names, which may confuse you at first. I love how every little gesture of his shows how deep his love is for the FL. The sparks of a slooooow burn are shown by his actions alone, especially when he comforts her when she tries to end the relationship with the second male lead.

However, I don't quite understand why the FL chose to leave the second male lead; I think the reason wasn't strong enough for her to do that. The feelings portrayed by each character are very complicated in the sense that watching the drama alone won't make you sympathize with the characters.

I like the chemistry between both the ML and FL, however, in the later episodes (30++), I feel the writer was forced to change the dynamic of these two, especially after the ML confessed to the FL. Somehow, all of the characters are like gaslighting the FL to return the ML's feelings. I want a happy ending, and that's solely the reason to continue the remaining episodes.

Another thing I love the most is the collection of background music. They have one theme song, and it's quite catchy.

Read More