Reviews

One of my favoutites…

I don’t think I could write a long review without dissecting every part of the story told by this drama. This drama has a bit of everything, friendship, romance, comedy, tragedy.

This story is so well written and I catch myself re-watching this every few months, it isn’t overly dramatic or overdoes it in any other aspect of it.

You will laugh, cry and scream at the screen as if it is a football game. Amazing acting, I don’t think I could pick one actor over another. And the main story is not the only interesting one, the story of side characters are so well thought and even though we get bits and pieces all over, it all comes together.

Phenomenal watch, 10/10.

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Phenomenal cast but…

I was extremely surprised when I started watching; I did know Bae Suzy and Yang Se Jong were starring in this drama (as a Temperature of Love fan, ecstatic), but when I saw Kim Do Wan? I was awestruck and then later on Park Se Wan.

This drama is filled with amazing actors and I saw many people comparing it to Nevertheless and granted, I know why. This drama is very different, but doesn’t stray far from the toxic couple trope, that ashamedly I have started to appreciate because some angst is needed in between all the romantic dramas.

I gave it a lower rating especially because of the length of it, I think it missed a lot of depth in the story, especially of secondary characters that were introduced with haste and basically never touched on again, other than existing for the main couple.

To be honest I think I might have given this drama a lower rating if I had not looked into the actual manhwa, after comparing the teo stories, I commend the choices made by the crew to change things like the original ending and the character Ira. I loved her character and her romance with Jeong hoon, it was very short but by far one of the two most interesting characters.

The decision to end it as it did also was kind of, lazy. I don’t really know, I like to believe that directors and writers have a plan to tell a story, and they tell it, and they end it. I believe too many seasons can hurt a good premise but this ending felt, rushed (maybe by the quantity of episodes) but it did feel like the story was told and that there really won’t be a second season (I don’t really think they even could milk anything worth a whole new season from the story).

To add to the rushed aspect, scenes felt short, like they were cut and things would be mentioned and never adressed again.

Overall, a good watch but I definetely don’t see myself tuning in for a rewatch any time in the future.

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One time watch

Nothing new in the story , story started with the break up. Male lead's character wanted to know the reason why she broke up with him . Base of the story started from here . As the story moved further many new couples' love story and broke up story you would see .
College life , how the students were struggling in order to achieve their goals ,inorder to prove themselves in front of their parents and ofcourse at the last their love stories were shown in the story .
Nothing is new in the story ,such story line is common in most of the Chinese drama .
I am not saying it was a cliché but if you don't have anything to watch then can watch this .but it is a little bit boring.

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Not much

Honestly, there's not much in terms of depth to this drama. I only liked it for the basic reason of wanting to see two men fall in love. The cute romance between Choi Jun and Lee Jun and watching Choi Jun's unique flirtation skills had me giggling.

The drama unfortunately falls short in terms of plot/story, acting and dialogue. The plot and dialogue just came across as being so unserious. The dialogue is sometimes so bizarre, albeit funny, but that makes me take the drama more like a joke. Acting was okay, not necessarily awkward, but they just need to get more experience so they can appear more natural. A lot, if not all, of the actors are likely new to acting, so this was understandable. Despite the acting not being the best, I thought the main MCs had good chemistry and they both looked natural and it appeared like they were comfortable playing as a couple, so I feel sad that they didn't get a good storyline to make use of their good looks and chemistry.

Overall, I won't be raving about this drama or recommending it to people, but it was not terrible...just unserious. If you're in a drama drought or bored and just want to watch something light, then you can give this a go.

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not bad is good

i watced this like fearing it wont be that good by looking at the reviews but everyone does not have a same taste in dramas so for people who likes a happy ending, mind reading, ML protecting FL this is for u but as it is in YT i cant say anything for the music or the audio .

people who likes thiller , killing, bloodshed, with a hint of romance i mean u can watch it but it wont be the type u like. Watch it when u have exams it wont distract u from studies.

now for the whole story:
the starting was a bit off i didnt like it i though it was those drama where the background of the FL is revealed bu flashbacks but it didnt and it didnt end by the FL going back to the irl from the book so it wasnt explained that well while watching it i felt that the ending was hurried but overall it was watchable.

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Amazing

I find this drama amazing in many levels, I have to congratulate Jung Hae In for always giving his all in these roles, because it can’t be a coincidence that every drama he stars in is at least good. This was amazing, though some may not agree I found this drama, while similar, better than Something in The Rain. Not to say that SITR was bad, but this story was so fluid and cozy. The soundtrack was amazing, the camerawork: superb.

I would honestly sit here for hours just talking about this drama, but I’ll keep it short and sweet:

If you’re looking for something to binge-watch, that will make you feel mega connected to the characters and overall vibe, this is it. The song will be stuck in your head for months.

I find this drama very well written, I find little to no plotholes or continuity problems (from what I remeber) and every once in a while I come back feeling like rewatching it again, it’s so satisfying!

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My favorite Cdrama of all time!

- A masterpiece fr. I really love this drama!
- Perfect casting and realistic plot.
- The acting was very natural.
- It showed us the beauty of friendship, love (one-sided love/first love/great love) and life as they grow old.
- It has a great transition of high school life to adulthood of the characters. The title gives so much sense.
- Slowest slow burn trope I've ever watched but it was really worth to watch.
- Lu Shiyi is the best male lead I've ever watched.
- Wang Ruichang portrayed shiyi very well.
- This drama deserve to have season 2.
- I am still invested on this drama. I re-watched it for like 5 times already and im still missing them. I love them so much.

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Spouse Lottery: A bill from dystopia for character growth

From the moment I read the synopsis, I was quite taken by the prospect of this drama. A law that requires you to enter into a dating lottery system? With consequences should you come out unmarried? That sounds so much like something you would find in a dystopia! The only other things I knew coming in was that there was social commentary including LGBTQ+ issues and possible ace rep.

And then quickly after starting, i became taken with all the various issues and concerns all the characters, main and supporting, had for choosing or winding up single between the ages of 25-39. Not only were their respective experiences well included, but also the surrounding societal commentary that people seem to think marriage (and having children) is a requirement of being human, instead of a right that people may or may not personally partake in. We see people struggling with this societal ideal for reasons such as career aspirations, infertility, physical or mental health, trauma, gender norms and expectations, sexuality, and many more. It really showed just how many victims of this mentality there are, even if the context it was brought up in during this drama was an exaggeration of real life - as Japan's decreasing birth rate has become a subject of economic and infrastructural concern even in real life.

While we did see lesbians and gay characters, I cannot really confirm any ace/aro rep. Most people were single for other reasons than a lack of sexual/romantic attraction. One could make an argument for our male lead Tacchan (Tatsuhiko), but there's so much intersectionality going on between the plot and his mental illness to say with any certainty. Everything could be explained away. So, a decent headcanon for those who think so (though you don't really need any permission for headcanons, lol), but I wouldn't really advertise it as a story with ace rep.

Another key topic i'd like to discuss is the rep of mental illness. Tacchan has OCD, mysophobia, and misanthropy. I liked that these weren't the product of a gruesome trauma, but rather a moment of humiliation and insecurity that stuck in a different way than most. I liked that it was consistently shown and not forgotten about when convenient. Indeed, the only time he forgets about it is when he's so busy with something else, something that he finds fulfilling and helpful - something that he established in the very beginning of the drama (yay, internal consistency, and i have heard of similar cases in reality). However, I did have a problem with how close we got to "love cures all" with the OCD and mysophobia. We got very close folks. Like a strong hand from a person he cares about will make such an instant improvement. It wasn't cured, but it was so greatly reduced that, well, it could've been. Not to mention that she quite literally says "it's not an illness, it's a habit" and "doctors are just looking to diagnose you" without ever being called out on it.

My main other complaints are that the ending speeches were not satisfying, and even seemed to excuse this inhumane bill to a point. If a government ever did do something of this sort, it should be a program to opt in to, not a bill that has hypothetically severe consequences if you do not follow.

But, I did enjoy the drama for the characters, their growth, and the various perspectives shown in relation to the plot. I can see myself watching this again - especially for the notable character growth from 3 of the 4 main characters that were well paced.


Quotes:
"Saying that marriage is our duty as a human... is a joke."

"If we don't get married, does that mean the country won't acknowledge us as humans?”

"Because all sorts of people live in Tokyo. They're chasing after all sorts of dreams. And escaped from all sorts of things. They may look satisfied... but that's not the case. There are things that they can't let go of. Their feelings become complicated and entangled. It's just a melting pot of those types of people... Tokyo is."

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It's a fun series that has a lot going for it, but there are a few things not a fan of, especially Wan living with his ex. Wen needs to grow up and do better. Wen is to pushy with trying to start a relationship to fast just after braking up. Sadly was not at all a fan of the character. He is still growing slowly and not seeing all that is happening and the bigger picture took way too long. You can't just live with an ex and expect to be friends so easily. I enjoy this series because it does face a lot of issues and opens up about real problems. I love the lead chemistry. The cast is amazing. Sadly a lot of hurt, and pain but love and laughter. It's a good series, not great but it has a wonderful and powerful story to tell and it did a great job of it. Sadly I felt it took many episodes to really get to the point of the majority of the story and wish it took more effort to show real development with the couples and pairs. Overall would I recommend it Yes, love the cast and the storyline, just wish it put more to get to the point and showed more growth for the pairs. The one thing I have to say is Li and Heart are the best and most amazing characters ever.

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could have been better

w failed to deliver many things and the main thing for me were the characters. none of the characters seem fleshed out, and their relationships felt surface-deep. cheol and yeonjoo didn't seem like they had any real connection, like i didn't feel any chemistry at all. their relationship did not seem developed at all.
another thing was the nonsense of it all. bad things were constantly happening and our main leads never got to take a break. i wish there was at least a moment where they could have enjoyed being together and got to know each other more, but it's villain after villain. some of it didn't make sense to me and things could have been better explained. the ending was kind of mid, i didn't even realize it was the last episode until there was no more.
performance wise the acting was cringe to me sometimes. it was so "kdramalike" the way their eyes move and the way they'd smile at nothing, or thinking out loud.
all in all i think the first episode set the tone for the rest of the show. didn't expect much and i was right

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where do i even begin..

okay so. watched this all in one go 2 days ago so hopefully i still remember enough to write a good enough review.

the show is about 2 idols who form a new kpop duo. you have eden who's a complete rookie and new to all of this and jihoon who's a senior idol that will now be redebuting in the said duo. everything is great and then we find out that the duo will use business gay performance as their main concept to attract more fans (spoiler alert it worked).

right off the bat i want to mention that eden's character was completely different in the drama! i have read a bit of the web comic and he's way sweeter, more thoughtful, more respectful and NOT homophobic in the drama version. very glad to see they removed his whole homophobia arc thing since it was kinda annoying lol. another thing i want to mention is that their relationship felt way more natural and genuine in the drama too. i honestly haven't read more than like a few chapters so i don't know how the relationship really fully unveiled in the web comic but i felt like it was very nice in the drama and since eden actually liked jihoon from the start it just felt more wholesome and cute in this version (liked as in going from platonic to later romantic, not romantic from the beginning. at least i think.). going back to the homophobic eden thing - i was lowkey anticipating seeing mill say "YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME A HOMOSEXUAL?" just for the laughs but im very happy to see they instead made him say "i just dont think homosexuality should be a concept" (also this lowkey felt like shade towards all the people who accuse ooo of queerbaiting and using queerness as a concept for profit LOL lowkey wondering if it was intentional or not)

the story rating is quite low and I'll be discussing why that is next. me personally, i really do not mind the whole business gay performance plot of the show. actually i find it quite funny since well.. this does actually happen probably way more than we think. gay fanservice is nothing new. BUT! there's a but. i personally dont think this was the best plot choice for a group who HAS been accused of "queerbaiting" and using lgbtq+ themes for money. if this show is somehow your introduction to onlyoneof please realize that this show is not accurate to reality at all and is just fiction.. onlyoneof have talked very openly about how their mvs potray queer relationships and they are very open about their love and support for the lgbtq+ community.. they are doing it for the representation please dont be fooled by this show LOL.

continuing, this isn't really the only problem with the show. the show is actually really silly and cute but hyunbin's character was just NASTY. both him and that woman, whoever she even was. i get that there needs to be some evil character in a show for it to be more interesting or whatever, but hyunbin's character is just a bit too much in my opinion. he's a manipulative, toxic and just really awful character. the fact he's basically the reason why BOTH of the main leads were sa'd is just absolutely horrible. he's an absolutely insane man and not in a good way but at least props to kyubin for playing the role quite well (and i feel bad he had to play such a character at the same time)

just a warning: the sa scene is in episode 6 i believe. or at least the "worse" sa scene with eden. its quite bad so if u get triggered by that please do skip it! it doesnt add much to the plot. the second one is with jihoon and in that one the girl just kind of lays on top of him while hyunbin takes a photo. the one with eden is veryy iffy though it goes further than that and he tries to push her away multiple times and its just... yeah skip it if it triggers you. its quite uncomfortable to watch.

moving on to things i did like!! the budget, as low as it was, didn't make the series awful! i was terrified it would look like a 2020 kbl with a 5 dollar budget but apart from the intro and the special effects - it was not bad! at least not as bad as i expected it to be. another thing i liked was how much promo onlyoneof actually got in the actual show! from playing their songs to showing their mvs etc. the boys actually did an amazing job at acting considering it was their first time too! obviously not top notch acting but good enough for kbl standards. as i mentioned before kyubin played his role well and another member i really wanna praise is wookjin! he was a natural at this and none of his acting ever felt awkward or stiff to me! all the other members also did a great job! (although the one scene where yoojung (jay) spoke in english absolutely took me out. personally though it was so comedic to me i think it just made it even better. not sure if they were aiming for comedic or if that was supposed to be genuine acting.. either way it's great we love you yoojung). the relationship between the male leads was also just sooo silly and wholesome i loved it so much. the skinship didn't feel awkward at all either, including the kiss. i liked the pacing of the show as well although the ending felt slightly rushed but not bad enough to make me feel disappointed.

you might ask - geez. if the story isnt even that good why is the rewatch and overall rating so high? well to be completely honest - its because i just enjoyed myself. i laughed, i smiled, i was shocked, watching it was an experience. and obviously the whole show is filled with onlyoneof who just so happens to be one of my favourite groups which just added to that. i would rewatch it because i love mill and nine's chemistry. i would rewatch it because i found the show extremely funny in a way. i would rewatch it because its entertaining. i would rewatch it because its a silly, wholesome and fun show with really fun characters (except hyunbin). objectively is it good? well no its not amazing but subjectively i just loved it. will skip the sa scene(s) if i rewatch though for sure.


tldr: very funny. wholesome. cute. amazing chemistry between leads. but has some iffy scenes and the overall plot isnt amazing. not the best writing either. very entertaining though.

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A Perfectly Written and Directed Thriller/Suspense Drama with Versatile Acting!

As a Yoo Seung Ho’s die-hard fan, I had been waiting for this drama to air since the casting news last year.

Here are my thoughts about this drama, divided into 3 categories:

1. The Plot

I haven’t found a truly good thriller/suspense Kdrama for a while (I was in a Kdrama slump for almost 2 years). Just like why Yoo Seungho picked up this drama, one of the reasons I decided to watch it is also out of ‘curiosity’.

This kind of plot is quite unusual (as expected from Yoo Seungho’s dramas, most of the time). Kidnapping a FRIEND for ransom money? I’m totally bought!

And this drama gave me the tense that I needed. Every episode ends with scenes that left me feeling shocked and intrigued. It reminds me of Yoo Seungho’s previous thriller drama, “Memorist”, in some ways, especially the camera movements.

2. The Character-Building

I love that every character, from main to side characters, have their own roles that are useful to the story development. Nothing feels unnecessary. Then again, it’s only 8 episodes. I don’t think there’re rooms for fillers.

The main characters make me feel what they feel, especially Lee Junseong (Yoo Seungho). His life is so miserable that it pains my heart to watch his parts. He still has a pure soul though he has been tested a lot in his life.

Song Jaehyo (Kim Donghwi), how he starts to be out of his rational mind when his whole life depends on the money. We can’t help but pity him because of his poor situations.

Park Minwoo (Yoo Soobin), he was used to being taken advantage of for money since high school. He’s physically weak, and people see him as a fool, when in fact he’s not. He has a kind heart and trusts people that treat him good.

3. The Acting

YOO SEUNG HO. The authentic, versatile, and trustworthy actor that he is. His eye acting, his facial expressions, his body movements, his voice control in every situation, how he shifts from action to emotional scenes. Smooth. PERFECT!

Of course, I will not discredit other actors, especially Yoo Soobin and Kim Donghwi. They amaze me the most at scenes that show their ‘desperation’. Yoo Soobin’s cries when he was begging to be spared. Kim Donghwi’s voice intonation when his mind becomes more distorted.

So yes, I am truly satisfied with everything about this drama, so far.

I genuinely hope that it will end on a high note, though I am curious about the ending and how their friendship will become after the whole kidnapping events.

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Fun Series

The series was fun and had a lot going for it. good leads and great casting. The story had a nice touch to it, it's something different and fun to have for BL. The only down part was I was not a big fan of the lead in the beginning was selfish and dumb always annoying to the second lead but got better over time. The ending could have been way better I have to say as it leaves you hanging be time. It made me want more and felt short in telling the story. There few a lot of missing gaps to the story, like one moment something is happening and the next it happened and we do not see it, but over all the story was still good to see play out and the leads had good chemistry and it had a lot to share but wish it wants more into detail as to the guy's abilities to hear ghost and how that will translate in the future. It is still fun and a joy to watch.

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A HARDCORE SLOWBURN

The story is good, themes and side characters well written. But it is such a slowburn drama that i was absolutely BORED out of my mind for a good chunk of it. Jing Bo Ran and Tang song yun are my dream team and was the only reason i finished the drama.
The flashbacks i felt were so uselessly long and there was no actual indication we had gone back in time, since all the settings and characters and personalities are same in the past and present.

In my humble opinion it is not a special drama, you won't miss anything if you don't watch it. Its a background drama i watched while doing work.

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