Reviews

Heartfelt Reflections

My Liberation Notes" is like having a heart-to-heart conversation with a close friend, delving deep into the intricacies of life and your own existence. It leaves you with a comforting warmth, yet beneath the surface, it stirs something within you – an invitation to reflect on the profound themes it explores. I've absolutely fallen in love with this story, its characters, and its unapologetic portrayal of life's imperfections. It doesn't shy away from the difficult moments that make you feel isolated and lost, but it gently reminds you that you're human, still on the journey of self-discovery.
The script is brilliantly crafted, the cast delivers outstanding performances, and the music enhances the entire experience. "My Liberation Notes" is a captivating blend of elements that come together to create something truly amazing.

Read More

second time's is the charm here

this is my second viewing, and I found new layers of teenage angst that I missed on the first viewing. Overall, we have a story that is based on a book and badly directed and horrible cinematography...and YET...

there's an urgency to the actions of the main couple, that hits for anyone that experienced that first teenage love. Where every moment together is super important. The two mains Tee and Mork are not winning awards for acting but there is a genuine chemistry that will have you pulling for them seemingly against all odds. Two people who should never work finding a way to do it anyway.

A lot of the scenes feel out of date and stray and seem all over the place. The story drags at times but at its best, it shows two people learning how to care for each other. And we can all use a little romantic optimism nowadays.

That's why I gave it a nine out of ten.

Read More

It Was Nifty

Really had no idea what I was getting myself into because other than BWJ, I've never seen any of the other actors. Plus I've never seen nor heard of the comics or donghua this was based on. So was completely flying blind going into it. Another thing that was keeping me from starting it, was that zombies were mentioned and that's a genre I take a hard pass on. Thankfully the zombies--if you can call them that--were far from The Walking Dead or Resident Evil. They were there for maybe 2 to 3 episodes and looked more like something out of MJ's Thriller with too much makeup. They were comedic and not too bright.

Pros: What I really liked was the unraveling of the mysteries, the growth of friendships, having each others backs, the fight scenes, and the really awesome CGI; had to be my favorite part. It was nifty. The ending fight scene was probably the best because everyone that mattered even those that turned over a new leaf were part of it. Chief Taoist was like the granddaddy of awesomeness when he added icing on the cake. Over all, I hope season 2 explains more and has characters not just disappear and reappear randomly, but are given justifiable entrances and exits. FBB is my new favorite robot girl. From the protagonists, I think everyone was pretty great.

Cons: The ML annoyed me a lot; I won't lie. His goofiness was too much at times while other times he'd just walk around pouting like a 5 year old kid who didn't get any candy. I did ffw a lot because much of that comedy wasn't for me. I preferred when he acted and spoke intelligently. I feel the writing was stilted at times. Plus, each time character was charged with something, the mandarin writing on the screen and subbing overlapped and you couldn't understand what was written.

Would I recommend it? Sure, why not? Especially if you know the donghua it's based on and really like awesome looking CGI and unraveling fantastical mysteries plus group dynamics.

Read More

This show deserves a better rating

It's actually 43 episodes.

I give this show a 10 to contribute to raising its rating, it certainly deserves more than a 7.9. At least 8.2 at a minimum. I've watched an 8.7 (One and Only) & an 8.9 (Love Like The Galaxy) that were down-right boring compared to this.

I read in another review it's a "refreshing take on xianxia" and I agree. The two leading characters are mortal, which makes a change for a xianxia, and makes their time all the more precious (as well as their sacrifices). The story, too, is refreshing in it's way and full of suspense. The disciple-master relationship developing into something romantic is nothing new but this one seems different.

Zhu Yan has some very satisfying character development from her childish younger self and a good deal of independence. Shi Ying is the seemingly aloof master while still being very in-touch with his emotional side. And Zhi Yuan is the selfless, gentle but powerful third lead who carried half the show. His character is so endearing you never tire of seeing him, with a sprinkle of Chong Ming to keep things lively.

The story starts a little cliche but gets a lot better later on and becomes something to be truly invested in and enchanted by. The ending was a little rushed and some explanation was lacking, but the final fight was a pleasant suprise as the show goes into full xianxia mode.

My only qualm is that Ren Min and Xiao Zhan sometimes failed to convey strong-enough emotion in their expressions for the circumstances they were in. But I love the whole cast, Alen Feng was a favourite in this one and it's great to see Xiao Zhan in a fantasy show again. I only give the rewatch value a 6.5 because a lot of what holds you in on this show is the suspense which is gone on a rewatch.

Read More

Successfully satiated my craving for a calm domestic romance!

A woman who loves to cook and a woman who loves to eat find the perfect arrangement with each other, and their relationship starts to blossom just like that.
I believe that the best point of this drama is its simplicity. The plot is very simple and even the events in each episode aren't anything too elaborate, which allowed the feelings of the characters to truly shine on the screen, and it also let the most important moments have a much bigger impact on me. I've seen other shows that revolve around food and show the most delicious, mouth-watering dishes, but I had never watched one where the food made me feel as touched and moved as this one.
The two main characters have good chemistry with each other, and I loved to see how they always reached to each other through their meals. The episodes were short and not so many, yet their personalities were well detailed and I was amazed by how well they fit together despite being so different.
The series is mostly free from angst, but this didn't stop it from including multiple important themes, such as heteronormativity, harmful traditional values, discovery (and acceptance!) of self, and more. This drama also isn't afraid of being openly about the LGBTQIA+ community, rather than staying away from the theme and leaving everything in the subtext.

It was a cute watch that surprised me in the best way. I've heard that the season two is coming and I'll make sure to watch it. I recommend this drama to whoever enjoys slice-of-life stories and meet-cute romances!

Read More

Season 2/5: On with the fun!

I don't know by what miracle, but they managed to continue with the same quality drama.
The story is fast moving, there is no time to rest and still it does not seem rushed. The writing is solid, very funny, the acting is perfect, actors have great chemistry and the music is beautiful.

Our novelist is finally in the Cold Palace with Emperor pining for her outside and trying to figure out a way to bring her out without breaking his promise. She is getting bored doing nothing so she dresses up as an eunuch and goes out to the market. Unwittingly she messes up Queen Dowager's conspiracy plans provoking her wrath. There are more subplots there as well: fake poets and poetry competitions, imperial exam candidate who lost the will to fight (so funny!), the doctor she tries to set the Emperor up with only to realize she has feelings for him too, her bickering but adoring parents, her caveman of a brother I want to see more of!

What is surprising is that there is not one single annoying character. The FL is a strong and smart woman with a fast thinking head on her shoulders and who does not let anyone think otherwise. The ML has become a smitten emperor but still keeping his cool when faced with problems.

I am loving this. It has been so long since I laughed so much. It is worth every second spent.

Read More

Not my typa show

Please refrain from reading this comment if you have not completed the series, as it contains major spoilers.

I typically do not find myself compelled to write reviews for dramas; however, the portrayal of the main characters in "Hidden Love" has prompted me to provide a less favourable assessment. My critique pertains solely to the character of "Sang Zhi" and not to the actress "Zhao Lusi", who has exhibited exceptional talent in her other drama works. I just couldn't stand to like how Sang Zhi presented herself in Hidden Love.

Pros
Although I've given such a modest rating, I would like to acknowledge several positive aspects of the series:
1. "Hidden Love" effectively explores and promotes healthy family relationships, particularly in the depiction of Sang Zhi's close bond with her brother. His unwavering support showcases a protective and caring older sibling. For example, he backs up Sang Zhi when she is getting bullied at school, ensures she is well at university, etc.
2. The series handles the age gap between Jiaxu and Sang Zhi with sensitivity and respect, emphasizing that their romantic relationship develops only when Sang Zhi reaches adulthood. There was also a lot of disclaimer throughout the show to emphasize that they are 5 years apart and establish their relationship on a legal and ethical foundation.
3. Sang Zhi's willingness to stand up for Jiaxu - for example, when the antagonist poured water on Jiaxu, she demonstrated her commitment to protecting her man by pouring water back.
4. Sang Zhi handled herself really professionally during her internship, even though her supervisor gave her a hard time.

Cons
1. The primary concern I have with the series centres around Zhao Lusi's portrayal of Sang Zhi as a 17-year-old, which often felt incongruous with the character's age. It almost felt like she was stuck in a 10-year-old's body. For example, there was a scene where she wanted to eat a lollipop and asked her brother's friend to open the wrapper for her - this is what ticked me off. A 17-year-old should reasonably possess the skills to open a lollipop wrapper independently. How are you 17 years old but still need someone to open a lollipop wrapper for you? This inconsistency was particularly vexing, given the more mature portrayal of Sang Zhi at 14 by the younger actress. It raises questions about whether Sang Zhi's affluent upbringing resulted in excessive pampering. Perhaps she came from a rich family so she was babied throughout her life but this still makes absolutely no sense to me. At age 17, she possibly never washed the dishes or her clothes and that's ok but the inability to open a lollipop wrapper appears far-fetched. Another example is the scene where Sang Zhi's brother takes her out to hotpot while her parents are away for a wedding and she is caught playing "fort" at home...

Given that this drama had such high ratings, I really wanted to give this drama a second chance to see what the hype is about. The initial 7 episodes wherein Zhao Lusi portrays Sang Zhi as a 17-year-old were cringe-inducing and prompted me to skip ahead to episode 8, where a 2-year time skip makes her transition to adulthood.

2. Shan Zhi's character demonstrates growth in maturity by the age of 19, making her interactions with the main lead during their early stages of romantic development more enjoyable. However, the relationship takes a downturn once they officially start dating (in ep 17/18). There were several cringeworthy moments I just couldn't stand, such as the moment at the roller skating rink when Sang Zhi felt compelled to notify Jiaxu of her intention to kiss him, which disrupted the flow of the scene. This action appears overly contrived and unrealistic, as spontaneous gestures of affection are typically more natural in romantic relationships. It's also a little bizarre for someone to say "I'm going to kiss you today" - it should usually happen naturally, at the right moment, right? I get that she wanted to respect Jiaxu by giving him a heads up but he already showed affection in the previous episodes that it is safe to assume Shan Zhi can do the same without asking Jiaxu for consent. There were also a lot of weird moments where she was getting flustered for no apparent reason. I mean, c'mon, your mans chilling in full long-sleeve pyjamas at home (and also considering y'all been dating for at least 3 months now)? It's not like he's lounging around shirtless in his boxers on the couch. It just doesn't add up to me.

3. The whole lack of communication in this show is really something else. I mean, in any decent relationship or interaction, good communication is the key to building those deep, meaningful connections, right? But seriously, there were so many times in the series where it felt like Shan Zhi couldn't get her thoughts across to Jiaxu. Let's talk about that KTV scene, for instance, when they randomly bump into each other after two years. There's this whole mix-up with her friend's sweater and some cigarettes falling out, and she tries to explain it to Jiaxu, but he's just not buying it. I mean, come on, at that moment, it felt like she could've laid it out better, like, "Hey, I accidentally grabbed my friend's sweater, and it's an exact copy of the one from KTV, so that's why this whole thing went down." You know, just to clear the air and avoid any misunderstandings. Another example is when they are in Jiaxu's car and Jiaxu asks Shan Zhi if she has any feelings for him and she literally did since the beginning of her childhood, but she replies with "no" because she was shy. I mean, she could've said something flirty like "don't worry about it" with a smirk (?) again, just my opinion. And then, when they were dating, it felt like they never had any real, deep conversations.

While Hidden Love strives to depict an innocent love story, it ultimately falls short due to numerous unrealistic and cringe-inducing moments found during the start of their relationship. As they progress further in their relationship (a year in), that's when I start seeing more improvements and fewer cringe-inducing moments - which is why I think the drama deserves +1 point higher than mid @ 5/10.

I know a lot of ppl gave a much higher rating for this drama so please don't be offended. This is just my opinion.

Read More

Meh

Fell flat. The word that I connected with most on other reviews was "underwhelming". That sums it up perfectly. Didn't feel like FL really won considering all she went through to get there. Even though the villain was jailed at the end, she murders the guy who got out of jail, almost murders the daughter and the FL. Felt like she dealt way more damage than she received. Not much revenge. The "revenge" seemed for the most part about the FL threatening to out her and reveal what she had done. That's it. Not much there.
Also the romance between the leads was practically non-existent. There was nothing written to really explain or show developing feelings between the two. He showed vague interest in her at the party but then goes out with villain and sleeps with her. He also goes out with another woman and accuses FL of deliberately getting close to him VIA tutoring his son. And while he later apologizes for it there is no real show of feelings for her. It's after the boat ride where he is, I guess, fallen in love with her, but there wasn't really anything to show that there. The only thing that happened on the boat was her falling into him when the boat rocked and her taking care of the son's cut. But no real chemistry was shown there. The two leads never even kiss for the whole drama despite how it ends. Weird.

Read More

Slow

This drama is definitely for comedy purposes. The guy playing Lu BuPing got on my nerve alot because of how whiny he is. Half the time, the second daughter is coaxing him like a kid. His behavior is like a kid. Complaining about every little thing when he is living on their house, has food and roof over his head. It is very slow based drama and by the time i reached ep 6, i was skipping parts. Now sure if i want to continue. The acting is a little too dramatic and do are the music and sound effects.. It is like when someone tried super hard to make this drama funny but it is just boring to see and watch at this point

Read More

A Good Bad Series

I enjoyed this series a lot. It made me fall in love with JoongDunk.

HOWEVER:

1) Imagine if they used "the struggle to make someone proud of you" as a theme throughout the series! It had so much potential, but they chose to use it only at the end of it. WHY?
The wrinting wasn't good. Unfortunately, this has become a recurrent thing in many GMMTV shows.

2) I love JoongDunk's chemistry and I want to see it again in future series, but PLEASE give Dunk more acting class! Chemistry alone cannot carry a series by itself. In some scenes, his acting wasn't good enough. And I was sad to see it. It felt like it got worse since SIMM.

3) WHY THE HELL JengPok had so little screen time??? It's not bad writing, it's a crime at this point. So many series benefit from giving screentime to a second/side couple, but not this show. WHY? Their storyline could be a series by itself.
Moreover, Boom (Pok) acting was so good that it surpised me. Give him a main role!
Another wasted potential!

Despite all the flaws HA has, it was an enjoyable show. It also made me cry here and there!
If you are looking for a series where you don't need to use your brain, I suggest to watch Hidden Agenda.
Especially if you like good kissing scenes ;D

Read More

So many twists and turns but so adorable

I absolutely adored this series. I was super worried that they threw so many speed bumps at the leads. Still I loved how strong and confident the female lead was from the start. She knew her own feelings, was not going to change herself for anyone. While she did stumble and doubt herself from time to time, she did not let the love rival win when she tried to embarrass the female lead or to make her doubt in their relationship. The ending was fitting too since she did not just melt for a proposal, she wanted to make sure the male lead truly trusted and valued her as a partner before she said yes, which is all she ever wanted.
Amazing series and I really recommend it to everyone who want to watch something super cute and fun.

Read More

A good overall story

My Journey To You can be viewed a few different ways: 1) a story of an assassins' mission to infiltrate the Gong Family, 2) a story of an immature, laid back heir thrown into leadership and being forced to develop into a true leader, 3) a story of the tumultuous incidents happening within the Gong walls and the reactions by various characters within those walls.

In my opinion, the third option gives the most satisfactory story and conclusion, whereas the first and second can either be debated or can be viewed as unresolved and even unfulfilled.

I give a 9 to the story on the third point, even though there are still loose ends (two deaths are not explained, one is semi-explained but is very odd and suspicious, the other is just shown with no explanation--chances are both are tied to same person, but we will never know), as well as some suspension of disbelief (quick bride selection towards the end--both sides should've been suspicious of the other, but suddenly there is no protocol, no security, etc--should've been a red flag to the other side).

To the second point, whether the heir truly ever grew into a great leader, or rather just a competent one would be determined by fans' subjectivity. His ultimate show of brilliance is questionable because of what his reasoning and main goals were, and whether his plan was truly a win for his family, and not just a win for his love-life at the cost of some very important lives--to the point where the whole structure of the Gong Family has been changed.

He did become a capable enough person that will be respected in holding the title, but whether his strategic prowess should be respected is up for debate.

To the First point, we are still not completely clear on all aspects of the assassin's mission and whether or not she ultimately failed or succeeded for herself.

A shame the director didn't dare enough to have a specified ending, instead of an OE. Maybe he himself doesn't know what the answer is. Second Season excuse is just an excuse. An ending for a second season would be a cliffhanger, where the audience would be privy to a revelation that will lead into the next season. Not a cowardly direction to just leave the audience hanging, not even revealing to actors what they're supposed to be reacting to.

Then again, perhaps the OE was the only way the story could be told and viewed from other perspectives. And I appreciate the director and script for not falling into fan-services; but rather showed a Male Lead who is not always correct, and validated the characters whom the ML saw as foes instead of villainizing them or having their abilities be deemed lesser than ML.

Read More

What are dreams and what is reality ?

I binge watched the 20 short episodes series, and came back to watch the movie edition of this nice story about the possible interaction of a real life gamer and an AI character she feels more than protective of.

The story is very logical, should appeal to those who like science fiction and thinking, beyond looking only for love and kisses romance (not that this one does not have any: it does) and "hunting for plot holes" to kill it (not that you'll find so many in this one.)
It has not got high traffic cast and went relatively unnoticed when it aired, most c-drama watchers being more interested in more hyped ones, following their own fandom favorites, so it did not benefit from a Bai Jinting who drew many to watch the excellent Reset, back in beginning 2022. As a "new story", Reset stays as the most remarkable science fiction c-drama recently, with the exception of The Three Body Problem in 2023 (which was long anticipated after the success of the Liu Cixin novel). Other ones were less successful although not bad : the Chinese remake of a Korean time-loop story, 2022 Love In Time, or a comedic and somewhat mock syrupy time loop like Secretary Ba wants to Resign every single day, both a nice watch.
There are not many science fiction C-dramas now: many are closer to "fantasy" than to speculative fiction and often presented only as fantasy even when there are "aliens" in them : 2022 My Girlfriend is an Alien series, Thousand years For You, 2023 The Parallel World... Or they just are drawing on "dreams" after an accident like in Legally Romance, dreams also being the beginning of full fledged fantasy c-dramas like Eternal Love 1-2-3 and Oh!My Emperor! or of the stories where authors find themselves part of their own novels. But some new and upcoming ones look more related to science fiction genre : 2023 I am Nobody (still trending) and upcoming Bionic (12 episodes about a murder investigation with robots in 2035!).

Metaverse here is available as 《跨越世界来见你 Falling to Your World》 on the YoYo channel of YouTube, which has both the 20 episodes and the "movie edition" that glues them together, without repeating the beginning and end credits.
It is called Metaverse on the original platform We Tv which broadcast it in August 2023, and it is included in the binge watch challenge of September on the platform until Sept.29 to try to win VIP access for a year or 3 months on the app.
Original title 跨越世界来见你 [Kua Yue Shi Jie Lai Jian Ni] Across The World To See You.
From a story titled 《元宇宙·恋语》/Yuan Universe Love Language, by Yang Zitong 杨紫彤 , who was also screenwriter here.
The drama is directed by Peng Ke 彭柯 (no further information available on Baidu).

The characters are:
- An Mei 安美 (gamer and art designer in a game company),
- Lu Ting 陆汀, an NPC (non playing character) who is deemed not popular enough to be kept in the game.
- Director Fang (played by Chang Haoyuan) is an ambitious decision maker who hates employees to challenge her authority.
- Director Zhu Zhenjun (played by Daniel Zhu XinZong 朱信宗, 34 years old Taiwanese model and sometime actor) is the company leader, who tries to balance company interests, employees well being, and his own interests in AI development.
- A private assistant to Lu Ting, called NaiNai, in the game (played by Na FeiSha 娜菲莎),
- Huang Baoqiang coder friend of An Mei who follows instructions,
- and a meddling but well meaning younger brother of An Mei are the main other supporting cast.
An Mei is played by Guan Xin 关芯 who, at 28, has been playing in 16 other dramas, mostly in supporting roles including in big productions such as Love O2O and Legend of Fuyao), but also as main in lesser remarked dramas. Lu Ting is played by Yang Hao Ming 杨昊铭, who, at 23 years old, has already played in 7 other dramas since 2018) .

The opening sequence shows a character in the game who is being shot. That would not raise the eyebrows of the RPG First Shooter gamers, who are used to see characters offed casually, winning points with each kill. But this game is different, since it is supposed to be a dating one, where gamers fulfill their unrealized yearnings for perfect love or at least friendship with characters who look almost real. Lu Ting is among those, and the twist is, that he has been both designed and cared for as almost brain child of game art designer An Mei, who can't bear to see him eliminated because of a drop in popularity. As both a designer with a dream and a sadness that has been alleviated by her co-creation, and a fan, she will try her utmost to keep him in the game, although she has little power, being neither a coder nor a decision maker in the company.

This is a story of an AI and a real world person who fixates her love on a character, but it can also have us think about the destiny of entertainment stars and their anonymous fans. Some great actors fall from grace spectacularly because of personal mistakes.But many, especially lesser known ones, fade away and see their posters disappear and at best, serve as table cloth to janitors, while their fans are left out cold, the entertainment companies having only interest in what drives in revenue.

At personal level some of the questions raised are: can beautiful dreams of other worlds help or not to better adjust to reality? Will AI characters replace real actors to serve as magnet for real world audiences likes and yearnings? Are dreams necessary to keep up hope for a better future or just a sign of an addiction? Is love really "all we need", as a Madonna song claimed ("Nothing Really Matters")?

The production was low budget, so there are not many remarkable features, and the OST is pleasant and not to obtrusive, but not very memorable. Nevertheless, it was an interesting, quick watch (about 2hrs in the "movie edition".) It deserves more watches, so I deliberately gave it a higher rating, since 7.5 is too low in my opinion. In its modest category, it is not bad at all.

Read More

it's the dollar store how good can it be

Let me start with a disclaimer that I kind of gave up on this show (more than once) but still wanted to write a somewhat robust review so I forced myself to skim the last two episodes. This means I might have missed some important nuance (surely) or events somewhere in the show and my review isn't super detailed.
And yeah I skipped the side couple's scenes. Sorry! I heard they were good but I just didn't care to watch.

- Plot and Writing -
The writing for Hidden Agenda is pretty bad. I don't think it's awful and unwatchable (on writing alone) but the show felt directionless, as if it was being written in free-form. This could just be a taste thing. I'm not a slice of life person, which is a source of potential bias against Hidden Agenda and it's very simple story. But I don't know. Either I'm wrong, or the show is bad.
I think perhaps what bothered me most is that the show is called "Hidden Agenda", the same agenda by which the show is driven forward. When this ordeal is resolved before the climax of the show (instead of WITHIN the climax of the show) it induces audience whiplash. I imagine it's how people feel when they talk about Riverdale's billionth season being about completely random shit. Except GMMTV shows average 12 episodes. Which means the hidden agenda could have been drawn out to fill those 12 episodes. Instead, the story wastes a lot of space and leaves a lot to be desired. And I saw many MDL commenters sharing this same sentiment.
However, I've seen people praising the simplicity and feel-good aspect of Hidden Agenda. It's an "easy watch" (not for me, which I'll talk about in the acting section) and doesn't raise your blood pressure or expose you to intense content. Hidden Agenda is quite comparable to 2gether the series in this way. The acting is also quite comparable. I dislike both shows.

- The Hidden Agenda Reveal (ep. 9) -
There were a lot of mixed responses on MDL to the Hidden Agenda reveal (and all of Joke's actions leading up to this reveal). Personally I was on the side of finding Joke's approach manipulative in the earlier episodes, but the framing of the show wasn't clear enough to show this to the audience. From what I read about the manga from the comments, it is more obvious that Joke is manipulating the situations he and Zo are in as a means of getting closer to him. "Manipulation" not being an inherently sinister word, but I personally found Joke's use of manipulation too heavy-handed. I was on Zo's side here.
When it was revealed to Zo that Joke had this "hidden agenda" the whole time, Zo becomes upset and expects an apology. For this, half the MDL comments seemed to believe Zo acted hypocritically. "Didn't he do the same thing?"
My thing is, Zo's hidden agenda with Nita was acts of kindness, like trying to carry her stuff, or inviting her to the library under the guise of studying when he actually wanted to read her a story and gauge her response, asking someone she knows for advice on how to date a person, aka actually getting to know her. I think that's pretty harmless. Meanwhile, Joke's approach was being a weirdo. Backing people into walls, sneaky wedding rituals, "we have to go to my house oh its coincidentally a huge mess omg its midnight already I guess you have to sleep over promise I won't do anything weird! Change your style, change your food preferences, I'm super possessive around your friends." Like how is that the same as what Zo did?
I was also stunned by the fact that Zo is one of the least perceptive characters of all time, allowing Joke's hidden agenda to work in the first place. If Zo was a bit less dense he would have realized Joke's hidden agenda sooner. But I won't judge. He has trouble reading people, he has mommy issues, etc. He's a troubled boy. It's not his fault. But what bothered me about the big reveal is that, at that fucking point, the two of you are already dating, you know that he likes you, so did you not put 2 and 2 together? While I don't blame Zo as a character, I blame the writers who gave him so much goldfish-brain that it also deprived the audience of retrospective thinking.

- Supporting Characters -
One noteworthy scene was the Wave and Trin flashback story in episode 10. It was one of the few times in Hidden Agenda where I actually stopped and watched the full scene without pausing or skipping ahead. This is probably attributed to the relative acting talent of these supporting actors, as well as the way it stood out from other scenes.
The problem is that this scene served as insignificant exposition within the greater context of the show. It was a singular, self-contained conflict that explained another singular, self-contained conflict. This wouldn't have been an issue if the screenwriters had found a way to incorporate other self-contained conflicts throughout the show. Sprinkling in the supporting cast throughout the show, instead of just oh there's a stalker at the beginning, an old crush in the middle, and some random beef between seniors towards the end. Maybe we could have learned more about Zo's friends, maybe we could have learned more about Nita (because she was pretty cool), maybe we could have seen a little more of Joke's grandma (she was the best).

- Joong and Dunk and Acting -
So there's the enormous elephant in the room surrounding acting talent. Specifically the two lead actors, the stars of the show, the people who the entire show revolves around.
Personally, I find Joong and Dunk so hard to watch. Both together and separately. I have to do a lot of pausing and skipping, a lot of trying to hold myself together, because I'm very susceptible to secondhand embarrassment. I may have even had an easier time watching Star In my Mind, since I didn't know the actors yet and it was their first time acting together and you can only go up from there, right? Well they haven't gone much farther up yet. Honestly there was a moment in ep 10 where Dunk delivers a mini "you're being an asshole" monologue in the scene between Zo and Wave. That was pretty good! For Dunk standards, that was pretty good. But overall, the acting in Hidden Agenda was just not good enough.

But I want to say something very extremely important. Whenever you go into the Hidden Agenda comment section you're going to see 10,000 comments calling Dunk talentless. This may be true. But you'll also see those fans who try to desperately save Joong from from getting joint criticism. Saying Dunk is dragging Joong down and that Joong deserves a better partner and his career is being impacted by the evil dark energy that is Dunk. This is delusional. You just think Joong is sexy.
Dunk may objectively be the worst actor in this cast, and you might even expand this debate into the greater GMMTV roster, but that doesn't mean that someone who is better at acting than Dunk is a good actor. Joong may not have won 1st place in the GMMTV Worst Actors Contest, but he's still somewhere on the podium.
Joong is, once again, playing the monotonous quiet type. He's been playing discreet characters, in contrast to Dunk who's been playing the clumsier, nerdier, more animated and outwardly emotional characters.
This is tangential, but I want to note that this dynamic commonly follows couples in BL, and it's typically the case that this dynamic is superimposed onto the ever-present pest that is the top/bottom dynamic. Whenever the trope is reversed, it becomes a subversion. I find it the case that this dynamic follows masculine/feminine expectations, which are then projected outwardly onto the actors. Not only is a lack of acting talent more evident when your character requires more expression and dialogue, but the trend seems to be that, unless this actor is extremely capable with a solid reputation, it'll be the "bottom" who receives criticism disproportional to their performance.
This might be a hard sell when I'm using JoongDunk as an example, considering the fact that Dunk is truly a terrible actor. The criticism he gets is valid. But given the characters JD have been typecast as twice, and the comments that Dunk gets compared to Joong, I think it's fair to bring this issue up here. Because Joong is also, truly, a terrible actor.

I do think these two have been kinda victimized by GMMTV. This is their second project together and both shows were shit. That sucks, even considering acting talent. I think with good screenwriting and/or directing, even bad acting can be concealed within a show. Midnight Museum managed to do this and that show wasn't even good. Of course with GMMTV, and especially with JoongDunk, quality isn't the goal. These two actors are young and attractive and they're fanservice menaces. The only thing being monitored right now is profit.

But there is always room for improvement! I believe deep down in my heart of hearts that Joong and Dunk can improve as actors and put on a decent performance. I hope they get cast in a show with good writing and directing and gorgeous cinematography and good hairstyling and makeup. Joong and Dunk are too good looking to waste. And they might be terrible actors but when it comes to kissing they really go for it. That's kind of impressive. I've never seen two BL actors actually allow their bare skin to touch in a scene before. JD have courage and it should be sent to the acting workshops and used by good writers and directors.

- Overall -
Hidden Agenda wasn't good. It might have been watchable with different actors, or with the same actors and better writing. If it had different actors and better writing, it might be an excellent show. But those are hypotheticals and Hidden Agenda did not have different actors or better writing. Some people enjoyed it. I'm happy for them. I did not enjoy it and I would not recommend it, even as something to have playing in the background. If I was studying or cleaning my room and I heard a line delivery from Dunk or looked up to see Joong furrowing his eyebrows on my screen I don't think I'd be able to handle it. You're stronger than me if you can. But the intro OST was catchy I might go listen to it after this.

Read More

Stellar Acts, Lengthy Plot

"The Wind Blows" showcases some commendable performances. Kam Woo Sung, portraying the main male character, Kwon Do Hoon, truly shined in his role. Additionally, Lee Joon Hyuk, as the close male friend "Carlos", delivered a memorable performance.

The narrative offers a beautiful delicacy. However, both the main story and certain subplots felt stretched longer than necessary. While the romance between the side character, director Kim Sung Cheol, and the makeup artist, Son Ye Rim, seemed out of place and contributed little to the main storyline, the core narrative itself could have been more concise. The series, which spans 16 episodes, might have been more impactful if condensed into 12 or even fewer episodes.

Despite its pacing issues, "The Wind Blows" remains an enjoyable series, thanks to its main plot and the standout performances of its lead actors.

Read More