Reviews

#NotMyDragRaceTH

It was not the return I hoped for Thailand, I think beyond the very clear issues with the low budget production, the season suffered from what I believe was an attempt of following the Drag Race formula, instead of allowing it to be its own unique thing, because it's been a while, but I do remember seasons 1 and 2 feeling different from the main franchise, which is what attracted the fans in the first place. But after watching Global All Stars, it seems to me that the people behind Drag Race don't have much respect for cultural diversity, and would rather uplift westernized ideas of art, beauty and comedy.

Removing Art Arya from the presenter and lead judge position was mistake n. 1, her and Pangina had an amazing chemistry that worked perfectly for the show, and scheduling season 3 of DRTH to come out right after season 3 of DRPH was mistake n. 2. Right now Philippines is the best version of Drag Race out there, even better than the original American franchise, any other season that comes out after PH will look bad in comparison.

But I'm glad Thai queens get to have this amazing opportunity, and regardless of the quality of this season I do hope we get a season 4, and that Drag Race continues to expend itself outside of European countries. Recently it was announced that a South African franchise is in the works, which I'm so excited for, and I think a Drag Race Japan next would be perfect, considering there's a momentum for marriage equality in the country.

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The will to live is not always just our own.

What a pleasant surprise this show is. Though pleasant might not be the right word to describe it. Touching? Heartbreaking? Hopeful? Enlightening?

What started as a fun eerie monster flick, turned into a deep and enriching exploration of the meaning of life, will to survive, depth of connections and consequences of choices. In just 8 episodes the drama presented well structured, well paced stories of 12 unique and relatable characters. We’ve got the answers, but we are also left with questions that reach beyond just the plot - questions about our lives, experiences and ideas.

What’s even more surprising, how detailed the lore of the afterlife was. Light Shops being the borders between life and afterlife - shop keepers being the guides for souls. People who are still alive become a sort of ghost in the afterlife, seen only by people who are not willing to move on and accept their death. Delirium after near death experience is nothing else, but the memory of the life in the afterworld - memory that keeps you connected to the afterlife that will let you see the ghost in the “real world”.

The shopkeepers help the dead move on, or the alive to wake up. Those who decide to not forget their memories from near death experiences can become helpers in the living world - either dealing with ghosts like Yang Sung Sik or guiding the lost souls like Kwon Yeong Ji.

With all the vague clues and more questions, I was honestly doubtful they would be able to explain all the mysteries. What is this place? How do people get here? How can they leave? Where are they leaving? Who can live? What choices do they have? What are the consequences of said choices? I honestly feel like I’ve got a proper answer to all of these. But it also left me wondering about the actions of the characters, their choices and what I would do in their place.

❔How much we are willing to sacrifice to protect people we love.
Jung Won Yeong the shop keeper who was willing to give up the peace of afterlife to help his daughter survive. A character that seemed stoic to the point of feeling emotionless. Initially I did not know how I should feel about him. Ju Ji Hoon can deliver quite an emotionally rich performance so this role seemed to fit below his capabilities. Little did I know he would deliver scenes utterly devastating and heartbreaking. The way he broke down after finding out he died and his daughter is left alone. How desperate he got to help her. How he was willing to sacrifice himself to make sure she could make it.

❔How once being lost can lead to us finding the right path.
Kwon Yeong Ji found her calling after her near death experience. With her newly gained knowledge of the afterlife and the struggles one can face to find their way home, she put it on herself to become the guiding presence helping others find their light. Similarly Yang Sung Sik after losing everything, was able to gain new motivation. Combining his expertise as detective and the ability to see ghosts, he took the role of a guardian - keeping the balance between the world of living and dead.

❔How sometimes other’s will to keep us alive is more important than our own.
The question that kept coming back during the first half of the show is: what keeps them alive? The answer, as heartbreaking as it was, it also became one of the highlights and most touching aspects of the drama.
The visual presentation of Lee Ji Yeong sewing Kim Hyun Min back being compared to keeping his heartbeat, keeping him alive. The determination she went through to make sure he can survive. The hope that he will remember. Jung Yu Hui who kept sending her daughter for new light bulbs with hopes she will be able to find her one light in the process. How Park Hye Won tried to do her best to make Yun Seon Hae leave the house, because only if she leaves she can find the light shop. Seung Won carrying Heo Ji Ung on his back, Kim Sang Hun guiding Yang Sung Sik.

All these stories broke me to pieces. I cried with every new revelation. I cried with every new person waking up. I cried with every goodbye. Honestly, the whole second half was just a crying fest, and I’m happy I was able to experience it.

❔How not every situation can have a happy ending, and sometimes the negative consequences will haunt us forever.
Lee Ji Yeong at the end became a vengeful ghost. The sadness of being forgotten by the man she loved, by the man that she died for was too much to handle. When I watched where her and Kim Hyun Min ended, I kept thinking: maybe her determination to keep him alive was just a selfish act? Maybe he should have died? Maybe them staying together in the afterlife would be their happy ending? Now all that’s left is pain and regret.

Then we have Ju Hyun Ju - what seems like a good resolution, weirdly feels incomplete, without the closure for the teen. Being separated from her mother, when she desperately wanted to stay in the afterlife with her makes me question if she even can live a normal life. Not getting treated for delirium she lives in a constant state of confusion - what is real, what is not. She is in a daze, not being able to connect with the people around her, she refuses to connect. She lives in her past memories that block her from moving on. I sadly struggle to see how she can reach the point of living a normal life.

❔How sometimes the choice we make can seem like giving up, while for us it’s starting over.
Yun Seon Hae chose to die. She found the shop, she found her light and then she made the choice to destroy it. There was nothing waiting for her in the world of living and there was so much she would lose if she left. She decided to stay with her girlfriend Park Hye Won and somehow it felt like they truly started living only after their death.

At the end of the day, Light Shop is a tale of love, care, devotion, desperation, regret and choices. Brilliantly acted, stunningly shot, perfectly directed (cannot believe this is Kim Hee Won’s directorial debut) and carefully crafted in any and all areas. It’s a story with many twists and surprising cohesiveness. Giving you the sense of hope, dread, sadness and happiness. The true portrayal of what it means to live, to die, to survive and to give up.

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You have to find your light , No matter what !

Every once in a while you come across a show where you have no idea what is going on but you hang in there curious enough ...and oh man ...a lot of disappointments but once in a while you end up in "absolute awe of what you saw" and that my friends brings us to light shop !!

Light shop is not just an everyday drama about what happens in the afterlife ...yeah well no one knows but if a speculation as believable as this is put across I wonder do we actually not know ?

okay so I have no idea how am I to convince you for watching a show without giving away about it (I think that's why all the synopsis about the show are just so fucked up) ...and can't you all take my word for it ...COME ON GO WATCH IT ...PLEASE ...!!!

if that didn't work, then you are just being mean ...but let me try again -

Light shop is a show about the dead but also about the living ...it is a show that promises hope ...a light, in the darkness that surrounds ...it gives you a way to believe that you can make it ..that in fact ,if you " will" ...you will make it ! But it's not your happy go lucky show ...and tragedies aren't just one sided ..they mostly do never have "a happy end" so what do we get then ...
what remains is -- the infinite hope ! Hope of the living ...hope of the dead !
Enough of the poetic expression of my love for the show ....

Light shop is the brightest shop in the dark alleyway that is somehow (ask geometry) situated near everyone's home ...you pass by it a lot of times but only if you "will" you shall find your light here...managed by a suspicious enigmatic man this shop is your one stop solution for lighting ....and oh the aesthetics. While the dead look for their own stuff and the living look for their own this shop is not just lights ...it's stories ....stories that are heart wrenching and stories that promise hope ...stories that are lot more than just stories ....

Here you sign up for a tightly packed mystery driven narrative with a horror backdrop garnished with tragedy and chills, you are in for the emotions it promises.
While initial eps might seem a bit difficult to follow if you let curiosity take the better of you ...be prepared with tissues for the finale !

There are a lot of them that will not seem connected initially and you may not be initially interested in any, but give it time ...as the layers unfold you will reach at a point where even if you were not paying a lot of attention you will be able to connect the dots. It will be easy enough to figure out and while you come up with your own conclusions you will deduce that a lot of them were there served to you right from the beginning.

what made me the most interested was the realization that 72 hours ...the 3 day Korean funeral which I think everyone follows in different forms actually relates to the 72 hours post operative care, 72 hours the golden period of making it through (i hope the lil fact check that I did ...had me with the correct facts) ....This show brings this forth so beautifully.

The depth in the narrative where every detail is paid attention to (another example like ...you have to find your light on your own)...all the answers are handed out by the end very subtly ....you still crave for more ...in a way that you didn't know ....this is a must watch !!
....so when are you visiting the ....the light shop !?

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Soup and Fried

Hats off to the wise, unknown regulator who banned Chinese showrunners from indulgently long seasons.

Fry Me to the Moon (yes, quite punny) is a walking advertisement by the Sichuan Tourism Board that would have likely overstayed its welcome under the past regime. However — in the new era — coming in at 24 episodes, it was tightly plotted, superbly cut and highly enjoyable. It singlehandedly cured me of my snobbery towards the Slice of Life genre. There is something to be said for low stakes and cheery —especially in 2024!

Fry Me to the Moon (FMTTM) is about Chuan Bai Lo. It’s a restaurant representing an idealised communal, relaxed, distinctly Sichuanese (which means numba one in China! (and the world!!!)) depiction of a dying China. Literally dying. Gu Da Peng (Zhang Guo Li), the restaurant’s head chef and owner is indebted and fatally ill. But he carries on, smiling through it all, hoping against hope that a changing world will leave his oasis untouched. That was not to be! Capital was coming.

The relentless march of capitalism’s drive for efficiency —turning all that was once solid into mist!— arrives in sleepy Chengdu in the guise of Liang Qing Ran (Charmaine Sheh). She’s the regional boss of Zhongting Capital, and she’s got a plan for Chuan Bai Lo that is at odds with the traditional view of what a restaurant should be.

Chuan Bai Lo must change. The question is how? FMTTM takes a side, and I very much enjoyed its story. I had minor quibbles over business terminology and the acting is merely competent, but everything is forgivable when you’re having fun. And that I did. So, yay!

I’ll flag that it’s a chick-flick —written and directed by women. I swear I did needlework unprompted afterwards! If you’re cooties-averse, this definitely isn’t for you. Otherwise, stellar! Also, Gu Man Ting —one of the show’s triumvirate of leads — is played by Li Chun. . .you know, Chun Li from Street Fighter! I ain’t got no jokes, sorry. Ahh, but Gu Man Ting was the best part of the show. At least, I think so. She’s its emotional core. And since princess-type characters aren’t easy to like, I think the show wouldn’t work with a less likeable actress in the role. Bravo, casting director!

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I have no complaints

Light Shop is a masterpiece, thanks to its incredible script and direction. This isn’t just a horror drama—it’s a deeply emotional journey that leaves you questioning everything even after it ends. The twists don’t just surprise you; they leave a heavy feeling in your chest that’s hard to shake off. And the amount of detail and foreshadowing it had was absolutely mind-blowing—every little moment seemed to have a purpose, adding layers to the story that kept you thinking long after it was over.

But what truly makes Light Shop special are the characters. They’re not just there to move the story along—they feel real. You care about them, fear for them, and at times even hate them. (If you know, you know.) The way their stories connect with the shop’s mystery is brilliant. And the acting? It’s so natural, it doesn’t feel like a performance. Every emotion feels raw, and it draws you into their world of fear and fragile hope.

The pacing might be slow, but it’s exactly what makes the show so gripping. It feels like waiting for a storm you know is coming but can’t escape. Every scene builds tension, and when the truth is revealed, it hits like a punch in the gut.

What stays with you are the themes—regret, redemption, and the weight of choices we can’t undo. They creep into your thoughts, making you reflect on your own life without even realizing it. It’s rare for a horror show to make you feel this way, but Light Shop does it so effortlessly.

And then there’s Kang Full. His stories always have an ending in mind, and that’s what makes them unforgettable. After all, if the ending falls flat, what’s the point of everything else?

This isn’t just a show to watch—it’s something you feel, something that lingers with you long after it’s over. It stays in your mind, creeping in when you least expect it. For me, Light Shop is more than a show—it’s art.

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Surprisingly, the main conflict plot is holding on and yeah, you will fall for this Fujun & Furen

Basically i crawled my way out of drama slump to finish it within this year. That's how determined i am. The good part is i enjoy it. It didn't feel like i forced myself to finish it as if someone put a gun on my head. Well, i already love the characters when i started it a while back yet it's not enough. The plot is always the key for me, among many factor ofc.

Idk whether it's true or not, i heard this drama lost more than 10 eps (that damn regulation) yet they still able to wrap it all neat and clean. I said wrap, the end, not the path since it was a bit rough. From the beginning, we know who is Lu Wen, they don't try hard enough to hide it, it was intended imo. With that alone, it also obvious they'll separate once the cards open. Personally not a fan of hidden identity, hence the reason i put it on hold, and they reeeally took their time. It needs more than halfway to separate the couple which also mark of the new chapter, understandable yet dragging. The reunion and reconciliation aren't force nor ooc, both stay true to their value and work it out together. That's power couple for you.

The main conflict is engaging enough. The villain's motive is acceptable and make sense. All the stuff unravel till the last minute but it's okay, i got it. Especially after i learned about the lost episodes. The main conflict is holding on yet you can see many side characters plot are underdeveloped. I believe second cp has more to offer and needless to say, i want more of our emperor and empress. Shi Xueji is hard not to love character, not only to viewer but also to Liu Yu. It just bound to happen, for his heart to blossom again. Their tacit understanding and silent companionship is perfect palace romance for me. I love it that much. Furthermore, like many others, i, too, wary of Cui Xingdi. This is what happened when you watch enough cdrama to understand some actors is givin certain vibe and Leon Lai is that one. The most obvious is his role is just "too small" and easily passable, plus his filmography isn't helping. Understandable if he listed as guest role but he listed support role. Technically i doubt him till the very end. Turns out, his character is in fact, a villain in the novel. They probably cut many of his scene to fit the max 40 eps.

On a final note, i enjoy this more than i expected. I admit the bar is low since i come without expectation and only curious to see Zhang Wanyi acting for the first time. Still, i devoured it all.

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My all time fav. Mature, light and deep

Actors - the ML looks like he has years of experience in theatre. He is wonderful at capturing emotions and making it look effortless. He is the star of this drama. The FL fits the cheeky role perfectly. It seems like it was written for her. All the supporting characters have a special place in my heart. ❣️

My only problem with the ML's character is that he doesn't have any real character flaw. The FL is written better

Plot - The plot is simple. Its about finding a new life in the Countyside. However, it deals with some very very serious issues like lookism, classism, suicide, insecurity, loss of loved ones, old age problems etc. In a way that doesn't make the drama serious at all but definitely touches your heart deeply.

Chemistry- the male lead has a great Chemistry with no t just the FL but everyone in this drama 😁❣️ and you're gonna love that. The FL's character growth remains my favorite part of the drama.

Overall, its a 10/10 for me.

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Extremely unsatisfactory romance. Dragged for no reason.

This could have become the best cdrama of 2024 but it missed the mark...BY A LOT
1) the pacing is bad. The double had similar vibes but great pacing compared to this one. Cdramas are forcing people to drop stop watching by making it more than 20 episodes 15 would be perfect for a thriller and "Reset" is a good example of that.

2) Do the male leads have a good chemistry? Guess I will never know because they haven't explored that properly. This is definitely not for romance lovers. It seemed like an unfulfilled fantasy.

3) There's too many side characters. I have watched 60 eps cdramas as well and when I say there are too many side characters and side stories, it means its very messy.

Overall, it disappointed me and I am dropping it

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Zhao Xiu Yuan [Face via AI] made it!

Zhao Xiu Yuan [Face via AI] : HAHAHAHA AI Face passes idol drama level acting! Although, I am not sure if Zhang Hao Wei didn't get cancelled that he could do any better with this boring EX character.

Drama is watchable if you enjoy SPECIFIC actors. However put this next to Blossom 九重紫 that's airing right now, it won't compete. From a script, storytelling, characters, couple CP, cinematography, etc etc all fell short. However, if you watch it because you are fan of ML/FL then its enjoyable.

I am big fan of Zheng Ye Cheng. His Peking Opera background makes him a solid choice for these Heroic characters in costume dramas. He doesn't need constant doubles for horseback riding scenes, fight scenes, wire works, walking scenes, kneeling on the ground scenes.... (ahahaha like that 流光引 dude)
So I watch most of his dramas just for him, but he has zero CP w/ all the FLs thus far (expect for the Sleepless Princess).
As great as Tan Song Yun is, the pair just didn't work for me. Again, personal opinion.

Story is typical as is the dialogue. The evil character is always that actor.... Kind of lost count of how many times he played that type of character. It definitely did not need to be 40 episodes.

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She Came out of the Abyss (2024) is a nice rebirth story with Chen Si (as Gu Jing Chen) and Li Ruo Qi as (Cen Yuan) in the leading couple role. On her second life, she gets involved with Gu Jing Chen and they fall in love. The leading couple has good chemistry and some heartwarming moments. The drama unfolds nicely but the rushed and kind of unfinished ending doesn’t do justice to the cast. Some of the supporting casts' acting was not up to par performing their roles and there were some unnecessary scenes, Overall, the drama could’ve used three more minutes to change the ending and make it more satisfactory.
The drama can be found on YouTube with the caption: After being reborn, the girl had a one-night stand with her enemy, who then spoiled her immensely.

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What I liked about this drama...
- Nice cast... JHI <3
- Chemistry was cute between the main couple
- The ending was rewarding after the long turmoil we had to endure together with the main characters.

What I didnt like about this drama...
- I often read the word "realistic" used to describe this drama, but I don’t see why. Is this really the norm in other people’s dating lives? To me, this drama was just another melodrama. It wasn’t relatable overall, and I didn’t like the atmosphere it created—encouraging viewers to break up with their boyfriend for someone like YJH. Honestly, it’s highly unlikely you’d meet someone like that from the start. To me, love is something you grow together with. Maybe I’m being extra bitter because I started justifying breaking up with my boyfriend, thinking he doesn’t deserve me. I think this was the underlying message of this drama and It isnt really healthy.

I’m not sure about the rest, like being a single dad or divorcing an abusive husband. I’ve never experienced those things, so I can’t say if this drama portrayed them realistically.


Overall
It wasn’t a bad drama at all! It was actually a nice escape from reality for me, hahaha. I loved the acting, and I even caught myself grinning sometimes when I saw the main characters together—they were so cute~~! If the director's purpose was to depict the hardships of divorcing or breaking up with manipulative partners, I think it fulfilled its goal!

I recommend this drama to people who enjoy melodramas with good acting and might need a push to leave their partner.

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DO DO HEE DO DO HEE

My expectation was low when i start to watch this drama. turns out it was a really good kdrama!

I love the story between both FL and ML. Their backstory is so damn sad and well portrayed. The OSTs is so good that I finally added some of the songs in my spotify playlist.

The only lackluster in this drama is the comedy part. Some of the comedy scene feels like forcing you to laugh and some of it also may gives you a cringe vibe.

However, the romance side is quite good. the combination between FL and ML I can say perfect. The way FL cries does looks like a true tears.

I've heard "IM SOL", "HAE IN". Now, I heard "DO DO HEE!" (*^▽^*)

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