Reviews

Grounded and natural tackles various serious topics

Really love this show. It's been a while since I saw grounded bl tackling serious topics while also staying interesting and portraying realistic characters. I don't mind characters being over the top sometimes like in other bls , because it's still just a fictional show, but once again missed these kind of shows that just feels real and genuine. This might be one of my favorite BL shows including Old fashion cupcake, and Blueming. Would love to see more shows like this that just doesn't portray lightheaded subjects and doesn't shy away from portraying serious issues.

As a manga reader, I was impressed by how accurately this show portrayed it. There are literally scenes that could be put side by side and also really glad that they didn't cut dark themes that take place in the manga. I honestly didn't think they would dare to portray this kind of story. Here I want to give kudos to the director and screenwriter , because I feel she was able to realistically portray the show while balancing between manga and show, as to my opinion there weren't any filler scenes. Additionally, as the screentime is always limited to 30 min , I am glad she was able to balance it well. Now I have seen few comments saying that it didn't do justice to manga, but I feel like it's up to each person, cause personally I feel like they showed all the important scenes without losing too much context.

As for the acting, personally I liked it. It feels very grounded and natural and if you have seen some animes/ manga getting updated into live action , you know how cartoonish it can get cause sometimes actors would struggle to find balance between manga and real acting and get it mixed up. I really like subtle expressions of Ren's actor, I think he was perfectly casted and was able to find that balance , as it felt like a real person with real feelings and I could relate to him. Again will mention shows like Old fashion cupcake and Blueming, where in the same way it feels so natural , characters just make you sympathize with them.
Also liked Kazuma's choice of the actor, again feels very natural, though reading manga at first I thought he didn't fit the image but later as I continued watching the show, I feel like he was also chosen well, as he was able to deliver Kazuma's gentle character quite well and his affection towards Ren and tender gestures were also delivered well.

Now, as for the kids actors, some ppl complain that showrunners shouldn't have chosen real 14 year old actors to play them, however, actually I didn't mind. Acting is still acting, and there are tons of shows which have 14 year olds or even younger portraying such provocative scenes though I didn't think it was provocative but just unsettling, which is the point , as the scene in the manga also makes you feel uncomfortable. There are some shows like Shameless where there are tons of provocative episodes and in the first season Ian's actor was only 15 and his character had to make out with the actors who were in 30s like Mickey and Cash's actors, which apparently no one has problem with. Again even with Shameless, as long as the actors have chosen themselves to portray a certain role , I don't have a problem, cause acting is acting. As for this show, I liked the portrayal of the teenage actors as well as it felt very natural.

Although some people might disagree with me, and call the acting is bad, again I feel like it's up to each person. Cause there are tons of shows out there, in which for some ppl certain actors didn't sell out their roles and for some ppl portrayal was quite solid. I think the only problem or minor issue was for me sometimes the crying on the scenes which could have another takes, but in overall for me it was very natural throughout the whole series. I usually don't judge a whole show to have bad acting just because of couple of clunky scenes, and instead evaluate it based on the whole show and how it made the characters feel , in this case, fleshed out , natural and sympathetic.

Again another thing, why i liked the cast and feel like they perfectly fit their roles is because the chemistry between two leads was really great. There are so many BL shows or usual shows that have 2 actors who are trying very hard to portray their characters but there is no chemistry between main leads. I think for me same type of well executed chemistry was again in Blueming, Old fashion cupcake, Cherry magic, To my star, Minato's laundromat(cute chemistry). In Tokyo in April , I really loved all these subtle expressions of two main leads especially Ren's, and of course it was adapted from manga, but their domestic scenes are the best. Like they would be just calmly chilling together or cooking together , and the amount of fluff there is immeasurable. I honestly think affectionate scenes are 100x times better than all those passionate sexy scenes in Thai BLs. Honestly watching these 2 characters together made me feel very lonely and wanting a comfy relationship like this haha. Their scenes didn't feel awkward or clunky at all, and it just felt very natural and like a real life couple, which convinces me that actors were able to connect well before shooting for this show.

As for the music, really love both opening and ending songs. Especially the ending song is perfect for these characters. However, I wish there were more musical scores, cause the ones we have are really nice and wish there were more of it in the show.

I feel like we need more shows like this that have some depths and serious topics. I am not against comedic BL shows and lighthearted ones like Cherry Magic or Minato's laundromat( perfect summer light show) all of these shows are necessary and provide great escapism from the real tough world we have. But at the same time those shows are prevalent and it's quite refreshing to see shows like Tokyo in april and in which characters who play mid 20s office workers actually act and feel like them in real life. Honestly missed shows like this and would like to see more shows having emotional depth, characters that feel very real and natural.

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trying too hard

i don't know if it's because I watched both series at the same time, but it was like the low-budget version of Fireworks of My Heart.. the first episodes were fine, but it was very fake that the male lead suddenly fell in love with fl. and suddenly the character changes 180 degrees..(ML) and why 36 ep? it's too much, a scenario as if it was forced to be 36. And that wedding scene... it was so annoying. fl's mother's annoyance was also extremely prominent. all in all it was a cheap and compelling scenario, skipping chapters in a series is not for me, but it was a very valid situation for this series..

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An improved chinese youth romance

Although it reminds me of the usual Chinese youth dramas since it has the same plots as others, this is more like an improved version of them. The characters are more mature, and the choice of songs is definitely a chef's kiss. It has such comforting vibes that it made me cry three times, although I usually don't in this type of genre.

My favorite couple is probably the second one. I like them just being supportive and constantly teasing each other. The first couple is the real definition of cuteness. They're just too sweet.

Oh, and I want to highlight how they are so good with their choice of words, especially the female lead. She really knows how to throw the right words at the right person. She's the real definition of being cute while knowing how to stand up for herself and others. This is so refreshing to see in Chinese dramas, as they usually show that cute girls can't be too strong or brave girls can't be too cute.

If you are tired of heavy dramas and want a cute and sweet one, you should check this out. The cinematography and osts are great, and the concept of filming yourself every day is very nostalgic. The friendship is also wholesome, as they also have their own stories.

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Truly an Under Appreciated Gem

It's no surprise that many BL fans adore the entire HIStory franchise, and this series is no exception, even though newer releases may have disappointed some since Covid. The storyline is exceptionally well-crafted, steering clear of formulaic tropes. It's a rich portrayal of a gay man and a BL character, exploring their journey towards their first gay relationship. Gone are the whimsical, irrational falling-in-love scenarios often found in Thai BLs. Instead, we witness a genuine and authentic narrative.

One aspect that sets this series apart is its avoidance of toxic themes commonly seen in other BLs. There are no exploitative SA or romanticized rape plot devices, despite the setting revolving around the police and mafia.

The acting is top-notch, something that may not be consistently seen in the newer installments of this franchise. Each character experiences significant development, adding depth and relatability to the story. From Shao Fai to Jack to Hong Ye and their respective partners Tang Yi, Li An, and Diao Yi, their connections and growth are compelling to watch.

A standout feature of this series is the excellent communication between characters, eliminating the need for annoying misunderstandings often found in lesser BL shows. This series truly caters to a more mature audience, foregoing the fluffy rainbows and magical unicorns that some BL fans may seek. It's a gem for those appreciating nuanced storytelling and well-crafted character arcs.

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A Classic Pre-Covid Gay Drama For Older Fans

"Advance Bravely" is a captivating slow burn gay drama with some elements of BL. Remarkably, considering China's conservative stance on gay dramas, it delivers compelling storytelling without explicit scenes. For those accustomed to gay western shows, it serves as an excellent bridge between western media and Asian BLs.

Xia Yao's portrayal of the rich, spoiled brat is impeccable, while Yuan Zong shines as the mature protagonist. Their chemistry is delightful, making them a captivating pairing.

I'm grateful that "Advance Bravely" was among the first BLs I watched, unlike many Westerners who discovered BL during the Covid lockdown through "2gether." There's a discernible difference between pre-Covid and Covid-era BL fans. The latter prefer fluffy BLs with happy, clichéd endings, while the former appreciate a wider range of compelling BL and gay drama content, avoiding formulaic tropes and repetitive plots.

This series is for a more mature audience and not tailored to schoolgirls. It offers a refreshing experience, setting it apart from juvenile productions with subpar acting and scripts. "Advance Bravely" truly shines as a captivating adult series in the world of BL.

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Most shitty thing you can watch ever

there a loser who can only choke woman and call himself NIS agent, NIS agents must be lesser then man to be only capable of choking woman and asking answers
murderer is asking his saver to explain herself
and his lady partner just so eager to suck his macro penis that after she hear he killed there boss she took that man to her house.
they even try to show it like some kind of love story at end
that is incapable of love, love is for humans not robots
i am unable to think what kind of people rate this shit 9-10
there is man who lost his memory and he is also crazy but NIS give him a gun and tell him to shot any woman he find

This Drama is spitting on real NIS face, calling them Mad killers,

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Looking for happy romance? This isn't it

A second collab for this couple that is equally anguish filled as Love In Between ancient drama (which I highly recommend despite the anguish). This 'modern' drama spans 10+ years of a relationship that really isn't one so there aren't the classic romance tropes and that is what makes this drama different...it is a bit creative in comparing the depth of efforts a person in love will go to and the logic they apply to their actions in order to support the happiness of their beloved via the leads, second leads, and support characters stories. Rewatch value?--it's too filled with heartache to put yourself through it again, but it was compelling to see where the story would go so that you move on to the next episode. That said, if you want mega heartache, watch ancient drama Royal Nirvana, which put me through the ringer--crying at each episode, but I'd watch that over and over again because the dialogue, intrigue and acting makes you want to catch nuances and details.

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If you're looking for something cute, light, fluffy and with almost zero conflicts, this is for you.

My review might feel a little harsh for some people, but understand that that is only so because I'm a real fan of the original material, so I had really high expectations for this adaptation! Some of which were met, and others, unfortunately, were not, so each point not met hurt more than usual for me.

Regardless, this is still a really good drama in general. So, if you're here reading this while still not being sure whether you should give this a chance or not, I would like to say: GO FOR IT.

My first encounter with this story was through the manhua adaptation. Chapters came out really slowly (and still do), but I was immediately hooked because, one, the art was absolutely gorgeous and, two, the story was really fluffy and cute. So when the manhua had only the first few chapters, I found out there was a novel and there was already a completed english translation. From that moment on, my husband only saw me again after I had finished binge reading it all! I'm absolutely crazy about this novel.

Having this been said, I think the drama adaptation failed in quite a few points. Before I get straight to them, firstly I would like to state that I don't mean to spread hate in anyway, but still, I gotta express my opinion.

So, the first thing that the drama adaptation did, that, for me, wasn't really well done, was when it decided to change the age gap between the characters by making drama Sang Zhi older then she actually is during some scenes. It's like they kept novel's SZ age mentality (of a 12 year old) and put them on a 17 year old drama SZ. Because of this, I found Zhao Luo Si's acting in the first part of the novel way too childish and unnatural for a supposed 17 year old girl. Had I not been familiar with the novel, I would probably think that teenage SZ was mentally challenged.

Also, some really important little nuances and scenes from the novel, sadly, didn't make it into the drama version. Two that immediately come to mind while I'm writting this is how they changed the scene and reason why SZ decides to stop the pursuit phase and accept DJX. This scene change really affected one of the most important moments for me in the novel, which is the moment DJX shows his real self for the first time to SZ and opens up about his family situation, while being serious and vulnerable. Though the drama did include this last scene, it didn't really have the same emotional impact the novel had.

What's more, for this drama to be perfect to me, I would change Sang Yan's casting. Though I like Victor Ma, his version of Sang Yan didn't really catch the actual character's essence...

On the other hand, I loved the rest of the casting, in special, Zhao Luo Si, who made me cry with her in both airport scenes, she's really a great actress. Her feelings of first and pure love really reached and moved me. She was able to convey adult SZ's spoiled and cute nature really well.

The OST was good and solid. I expect to put at least 3 songs in my playlist.

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Great to watch with your finger on the fast forward button

I actually liked/loved the characters enough to stick with the whole series. For an English speaker - it was tough only getting translations of what was said - nothing written was ever translated but, I would eventually, be able to figure it out.

I agree with many reviews in that Pat took too long to mature. For being a 25-26 year old there were times his actions mirrored childlike. Understandable for someone who was babied/coddled but, when you enter the workforce - you do need to take steps to grow past your safety zones. The writing reflected the times - they mentioned safe zones many times.

I agree the writing was a little off. Plot points were introduced and never followed up on. The whys and hows of character choices were never fully explained. Side characters remained blank canvases and only used when needed. Many times you will find yourself asking "Who is that?".

I appreciated the reality of the whole story. Controlling Dad finally realizes he can't control his son but, has nothing against him - dad even mentions his performance for the past two years has been near flawless. It was a nice shot of him throwing away his son's resignation and basically, letting him do what he wants - relationship wise. The mother appeared to like Jaab over Jeng though, that is never explained.

Being a standard BL - you can fast forward through the fluff and waste of time scenes. So predictable and just by paying attention as you zip through the scenes - you can still see what is happening and not miss a thing. Overall, I really loved the characters enough to where I will be watching favorite scenes/episodes again.

I loved when Jeng is slowly watching and paying attention to everything Pat likes and dislikes. His reaction to Pat not liking the shrimp nuggets is perfect. For someone who loves to cook and wants to share his creations - it goes to your soul when you want someone to like what you prepared. It bothers him so much, he changes the recipe so, Pat would be able to eat if ever offered again. I have watched the submitting the peer review to the scenes of them working together several times - they are real enough to completely believe.

Again, worth a watch but, don't feel bad for fast forwarding through the things you don't like. I am not a fan of screaming queens - never have been. I can't even stand to watch that horror film Mama Mia - even with the Abba music as bait.

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I actually had high ecpectations for this series. Coming from the same production team as SCOY, and based on their chemistry on there, I had some expectations.

Not sure why I was so hesitant to tackle this series. I actually only started when ep 4 aired. I think it may have been the color gradient of the series and the thumbnail. And then finished watching it when ep 12 aired, and even that took me a week to finish. My driving force was I wanted to watch gay sht cause I’m a gay sht myself.

Anyway, on to the review. I’ll start with the positive.

One of the good things on here is the lesbian representation. It was quite good. I saw myself in the characters most of the time, so I dont have much issues there. I like how they made Sam to be a confusing character, her upbringing and her surroundings made her so she doesn’t know how to express herself, meanwhile Mon is the more grounded. And the conflicts kinda made sense as well since their backgrounds, their differences and society (since they took on the more “realistic” approach) will cause problems.

I also like FreenBeck’s chemistry. They look good together. Which just reminds me why Im single. Im not 1% as pretty as these girls, so thanks for the reminder girls.

Also, I love how the passion and their eagerness to see this series to fruition is also translated in this series. It looks like they did their best, and it looks like a lot of work went into this and it shows, kinda. So i love that. We need more passion and eagerness in this world. So that’s a plus for me.

So onto the negative.

I think this series would’ve been better if they made it shorter. I know they wanted to make it a full 12-episode because it will be more at par with full scale BL, but it only made it seem like they had fillers? Well not really fillers, but it created more plot holes and writing mistakes. Which is usually the case for long episodes anyway. Maybe if they made the writing and the pacing a bit better? Like with Kirk. I think if they didn’t need to fill in those 12 episodes, they wouldnt feel the need to include Kirk-related conflict into the series. Althoo it kinda happens in real life anyway. Not all antagonists are evil. Sometimes they could be people who’s just after the same thing as you and they become problems instead. But idk, something about Kirk doesnt feel necessary to me. Althoo it would feel even more BS if they didnt include him at all. Fiances dont just disappear into thin air.

But I think because of the artistic post production choices they took, it made the whole thing a little confusing. The top review here commented on the angle they used in the show, and i honestly didnt notice that was one of the reasons that made this series hard to watch. Something about their angles made it feel like you were looking through a telescope, like your view is restricted.

And they used very bright colors, just the whole color gradient of the show and the acting was on the animated side, and so you’d think they took on the more “fantasy” approach. And those “funny” sound effects. Like DMD did with Cutie Pie. Both series have the same feel to me. Not sure why. And Cutie Pie’s plot is kinda on the unrealistic side.

But viewers like me would expect Gap to be on a more darker gradient since the plot is supposed to showcase real life. Especially that they emphasized on the power dynamics and the social class difference. Office setting, age gap, economical status difference, these all very serious issues, but Gap failed to deliver the severity of these issues because of the overall feel.

Anothing thing, I love Becky, she seems like a sweet girl, but her character Mon is a bit frustrating at times. I know she’s young, and I know she can be flustered, but the way these writers and directors made her character is a tad annoying. Like they sometimes made her out to be a little airhead? Which doesnt make sense to me sometimes. It was what made me question why Sam liked her so much. They made it seem like she’s just the pretty new employee, thats why Sam fell for her. Which is BS because they couldve made her character have more sustance.

Okay I know they kinda needed that for character development, but the delivery was lacking. So for me it made their dynamics a little annoying.

Also, some of the extra characters were a bit unnecessary cause they contributed little to the plot. I know they needed some of them to show different stories but some of the extras were really not contributing to the plot. But thats just me.

Lastly, I just want to reiterate that if you dont have enough material for 12 episodes then make it shorter. People will gobble up anything you give them. Just make it good, make it make sense. There’s more to love in a 8-10 episode, amazingly made, and rewatchable series, than a 12 episode hard to digest anything.

Okay im out. Peace!

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Design to deliver an extreme amount of cuteness

This has to be one of those K-BLs that perfectly blend neatness and uniqueness. It features that masculinity can be tough and soft at any given time. Korean BLs consistently provide us with clean transitioning and setup of their scenes that look too perfect for the eyes of the viewers. The rural town seems too peaceful to live in without too much drama and stress from the villagers. Cinematography is always winning and makes the show more appealing.

The distinctive role of Ye Chan is one of the best foundations and contributions of the story. It is a rare sighting for us, the audience, to get to see that a big man can effortlessly slay having a jolly and fluffy personality. He is indeed my favorite character in this show. There are no cringe moments and he acts with ease and confidence. Hearing his voice in a local accent is alluring, and I want to listen for more. Ye Chan is a big baby; always wearing those pouty lips to make him even cuter.

Another masterpiece presented in these BL is the robust selection of OSTs. It sounds refreshing and at the same time, it can make you dance with its groovy vibes. I even felt happier when I caught on to the fact that Coldin sang the main OST of Love Tractor too. He is the man who gives birth to the iconic Romantic Evil and Can You Stay, two songs from another god-tier BL, Semantic Error.

Love Tractor showcases dreams can be simple and special, it just depends on one's self-value. Just like Seon Yul who chooses his long-term ambition of turning his passion into music as his chosen path of professions. The same case to Ye Chan who founds simple happiness in his simple life as a farmer. The storyline, cast, and overall production are entertaining to consume. I enjoy watching all eight episodes and they give justice for having delightful kissing scenes that feel too passionate and innocent at the same time.

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Healing Couple

Finally I finished watching Twilight…

Twilight actually is a rare genre, talks about psychology a lot. Both the leads are healing each other. It’s also like a slice of life drama, because mostly it’s talking about life, how to survive from struggle, how to be strong, how to stand up again, how to choose a choice, how to handle fear, and others. The things that I love from the drama is its quotes, it.s warm, it’s healing, it gives much motivation for me. The focus is not about romance, but about healing and warmth. The romance is really really ligght.

About the healing couple, love how the leads have their own pain background story, death, accident, betrayal, loneliness, fear, trauma, and others. For the male lead, because he ever betrayed and lived in loneliness, he doesn’t want other people that he loved feel his experience, so he will always treasure a relationship, has a principle “no deception - no abandonment”, instead of live in sorrow, he lives full of energy as bright as sunshine, gives ray of light to everyone around him, especially to the one he loves, Liu Xia, and always kind to every one. He also a genius writer who is very expressive, creative and narcissist. I appreciate Ren Jialun’s acting so much. He can express Shanshan as brigght, cute, nerdy, weird, talkative, funny and adorable boy. For the female leads, she lives in a deep trauma as she lost his mother and recuperate as a good psychology conseulor. She’s so kind and so calm in handling everything, and mostly gives many motivation to people around her. She thinks that she doesn’t deserve to be loved, yet Shanshan entering her life and becomes her light in her dark tunnel. Love how the couple always talk about their daily life through movie, food, or just sitting together (the romance in this drama is super light, like showing casual couple daily life). I do like their story so much, a childhood online friends, without knowing each other, suddenly live in one roof, bickering cutely, healing each other, feeling comfortable and become a couple, and finally they know that they’re chilhood online friends, it’s a fate (yeah frm the screenwriter :D). And I also love how Shanshan interprets people around her as characters in the story, and actually the characters in the story are connected with the real characterd in real life, jealous and villain Jia Zhen, villain Yang Youli, sad boy Bai Muchen and so on.. The 3 stories too are interesting, it will be great if these 3 become a real drama, especially Zhen Hai and Luo Cheng story. I also want to appreciate Angelababy bcause her acting is really improving in this drama, you worked hard. The villainns, ML has one also FL has one, and both are annoying, Jia Zhen and Yang Youli, until the end they will be villains, and actually their annoying character is a representation in a real life, for example Jia Zhen's case that in this life jealousy is exist, from brother/family to enemy, also from Yang Youli's case, an obsessive of loving someone, linked with his mental health, loving can be hating. The good thing is Shanshan will be kind till the end, even Jia Zhen did many dirty things to him, it shows about his principle in life to be good person, will always be good till the end and the way Shanshan will protect Liu Xia “I won’t give up on her” when her trauma disorder is back, it's really touching.

Cons from this drama are too many episode, too many side characters, and the side characters take too much screentime, it makes the leads barely show up on the screen, so somehow it feels litl bit boring. It will be really great if they give more focus to the leads. I also feel, it has some loopholes and missing some details. Also the ending, actually I don’t like the ending, we need a bright ending because the last episodes are so depressive, and feel like everything is not real.. Ren Jialun in his Twilight live mentioned, that it's viewer's choice to accept the ending, it can be Shanshan's script telling about their story but also can't (the real writer), because life is all about choice.

The ost also really good, I especially love the ost by Zhang Yuan, love the mellow melody and the sad n warm lyric. The cnematography of this drama also good, remind me of Ren Jialun’s another modern drama, Forever and Ever, just the color is brighter.

Conclusion, this drama is good, it gives a warm sensation, a healing, a support that everything in this life will be okay, it will be a special drama for me, bcs I love the warmth from the story. Also I never expect that the combination between Ren Jialun ang Yang Ying will be this great, it’s so nice and warm seeing them together in this drama.

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I enjoyed it (a review for both seasons)

So I decided to watch this drama, even though it is an older one, because I'm a fan of Zhao Lusi and plan to watch as many of her dramas as possible. This drama was fun, it's an easy watch and the storyline is interesting enough to hold your attention if you aren't really feeling the romance. It is a comedy romance and really lives up to that, almost every scene up till the last episode will make you laugh. Or at least it did in my case. Normally I don't really like love triangles but this one was fine, I didn't mind it's existence because Mo Ran knew his limits. I'm not going to lie, I was having trouble getting into the romance for the first few episodes of the first season. They had good chemistry but having just watched Hidden Love and my favourite cdrama ever being Who Rules The World, I have seen better chemistry between Zhao Lusi and her male leads. However, as this drama progressed and especially in the second season, I got into the romance more and more. By the end, I was very emotionally attached to them. Which made the ending that much harder. I am glad he joined her world at the end but I honestly wish she'd just stayed in the Zodiac Kingdom. I do have some gripes with this show, it is certainly far from perfect in my eyes. For one, I am so tired of the constant fat shaming in this drama. It was excruciating having these men constantly calling the female leads(but mostly FeiFei) fat when she is no where even close to fat. But even if she was, so what? And also the 'not like other girls' themes in this were a little irritating, except they were the opposite of normal not like other girls rhetoric. Male characters kept saying Fei Fei and Dali weren't like other girls, Fei Fei was average looking (except they casted Zhao Lusi so who on earth is going to think she's average looking) and talentless while Dali is undesirable to anyone but Wuchen because she's too man like. I'm used to the not like other girls stuff in cdramas, especially historical/Xinxia ones, but usually it's meant to compliment the female lead. This just felt like the male characters trying to tear them down.
Speaking of side characters, I swear they were queer coding the relationship between Xie and Shang Yu. Especially at the end of the second season but maybe I was just reading too much into it. And I will say, my favourite couple was Dali and Wuchen. Though I loved the main couple and TangTang was cute with Xia Bing while it lasted, I loved the way Wuchen was totally head over heels for Dali. He seemed like the male character who loved his love interest the most. So their ending had me sobbing, severely. I hope they are ok after Fei Fei's clan healed them, that they were able to get married and *major spoiler* their baby was also saved. In terms of the main romance, Yi'er was very dumb. I get it was meant to be like that and played for laughs but sometimes it could be a little frustrating, as the viewer, when he wasn't getting Fei Fei's hints. Also what was with those kisses ? I know Lusi can do some good kiss scenes, both sweet and spicy ones, so I was so confused as to why they were doing the dead fish lip press. Especially for the final kiss scene, it's meant to be intense, romantic, and emotional but all I could think about was why they weren't for real kissing. I was stuck wishing for the kiss scenes to end soon because it was awkward to watch.
For the acting, it wasn't bad but Xiao Zhan and Zhao Lusi have both done better. I haven't seen the male lead before but he was good enough, same for all the side characters.
The soundtrack wasn't bad, the songs were all sweet and cute but not my favourite.
Overall, I recommend this drama. It's nice, it's funny, both seasons are good (but season 2 is better imo), and the romance is cute.

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Pretty hot, despite the rain

This may be one of the best BL's of 2023. I enjoyed it from the first second to the last and never did it get boring or uninteresting.

Despite the original fantasy-themed plot, the actual bl-story is quite predictable. That's not a big deal though, since I like to see BL-tropes (well, most of them anyway) and these come with predictability. The rain triggering soulmates ability to communicate while being deaf to everything else is a great find to build on. The MC starts off a bit awkward, but once they start kissing, the chemistry is undeniable for everyone. The way Saengtai looks at Patts during NC scenes is absolute fire. These kisses are hot hot hot.

The synchronicities between Tai's parents relationship and his own are pure realness. So are a lot of other scenes. The slow change in Somfon from his first love and savior to his real heart and feelings is wonderful to see.

I did not care for the sudden outburst of aggressivity in Patts, and it irrtates me that this was not addressed at all. Besides the fact that it came from nowhere and was blind rage, it did not fit the character of Patts so far. He had said he had a temper, but there was never any other outbursts before that. And nobody tells him off for it either. For me this would be an absolute turn-off on a guy, but that's me.

Some of the dialogue is a bit stiff or not toned right. But these are very minor flaws compared to the overall mesmerizing experience of this BL.

I loved the atmosphere, the pace, the theme, the completeness, the family, the NC scenes, the handling of tropes. In some parts it reminded me of TOATS or ITSAY (It not as good as these tho!!). I will put this one high on my re-watchable list.

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