Reviews

Actions speak louder than words.

Objectively a great show, this show falls short of a 10-star review because 1) That's for shows I actually loved and enjoyed every moment of and 2) The storytelling falls short of delivering the proper emotions at parts.
I also feel very conflicted about whether I should recommend this or not. The thing is the production level of this is amazing. The cinematography, set design, lighting, make-up, clothes, directing, and acting are on par with the best of the best, I believe. It's a naturalist style, to a fault! Every character, situation, and interaction feels, painfully, like it was plucked from a real moment. And from episodes 1 to 6, I loved that world so much, that I wanted to open the screen and crawl into it and live in the characters' lives. The show just makes Japan look lovable!...and then episode 7 happens.
For the record, I don't think the show is "ruined". They didn't "mess up". The plot works. The doomed, terrible fallout is logical and expected. It's just that that moment feels like a balloon has burst and suddenly the rose-colored glasses are off and you see the grimy, messed gore of the show's underbelly. Nothing in life is that clean, easy, and straightforward forward, and as a show that feels more like a documentary in its realism than a scripted scenario, it was bound to fall apart as magnificently as it did. But just because it's logical and true to style, doesn't mean I enjoyed sitting through it. This was so upsetting. Maybe because it felt so real, it hurt more than your average drama. It was devastating and I felt so much distress during the final hours of the show. So how can I just consider the technical part when the emotional part was so scarring and dissatisfying?

Summary: The story follows three friends. Meiko, a girl with a hardened heart but a deep fear of abandonment, Makki who is the poster child for a manic pixie dream boy but who is actually hiding his fear of being left behind under a sunny personality so people around him don't feel burdened by his sadness and won't leave him, and Eiji a spineless but kind university student who I would like the punch very very hard in his soft face but that's not related to the plot. Meiko has sworn off relationships, and Eiji has recently discovered he's gay. He falls for the INAPPROPRIATELY younger Makki and Meiko who is lowkey 100% also in love with Makki just sort of settles for supporting them and hangs around like a really lovely third wheel. Things fall apart later. Of course they would...ugh!

Plot: I could probably write a whole essay on this show's plot. It's low-key brilliant but it's also so frustrating. So you end up wanting to acknowledge how brilliant it was but being too pissed off by everything that goes down to be able to appreciate its greatness. That's why you would see a lot of reviews either praise what a great show it was but avoid talking about the details or people ranting angrily at how much they hated this and rating it suspiciously low. I'm here to tell you both are valid reactions. I also feel like throwing the metaphorical show out of the window from frustration but also give the crew a standing ovation. Frankly, I'm only just leaning towards praise because I didn't like Eiji's character much and liked the fourth (mysteriously kept out of my summary) main character who shows up way too late into this show. Now if I wanna get real deep into it, this is how I would review the plot. There are two issues with the plot:

1) The core of this story lies in the name of the show: More than words. In order to understand the plot, the characters, their motivations, and their ridiculous choices, you need to pay attention not to what the characters say with their words but what they say with their actions. Characters say they want something but don't really mean it. Others say they don't want someone but actually do. Other characters just don't say much but show their feelings with their actions and ultimately the tragedy of this story comes from the fact that even the characters miss each other's silent pleas. It's beautiful but also...it wasn't totally well delivered? Some bits of the editing work to the detriment of the plot. They manage to trivialize certain dynamics or underplay the importance of certain connections to the point that until the end, I'm still not sure who feels what and how much. And not knowing this, affects how you see these characters. This works especially against the relationship between Eiji and Makki which in addition to having a very imbalanced power dynamic, also suffers from the fact that I could never be totally sure just how committed one was to the other. Meiko is our POV character for most of the show and she herself knows there's a deep part of Makki and Eiji's relationship that she can never gain access to (and she desperately wishes to insert herself into it! Gosh!) But because of this, it just feels like Eiji and Makki are really good friends who are randomly living in the same house! Now, in retrospect, this may have also been due to an unreliable narrative situation involving Meiko's perspective of things (and how she wanted to make it SEEM less deep than it was due to personal...guilt) because, in the last 3 episodes of the show, you get ALL that when Makki is the POV character, lol (and honestly? that's when I started to feel nauseated watching this because a 16yo should never date a 22yo because that clearly fcked up his perception of intimacy and it was just painful to watch during those last few episodes AAAAA) Anyway, I'm getting off track but what I'm trying to say is, I could never trust Eiji's feelings, not the whole time throughout the show and he just irks me, that creepy mf.

2) The second arc is too short. So turns out, this show is an adaptation of a manga called "More than Words" and a partial adaptation of another manga called "In the Apartment". With MTW being the prequel to the main story of ITA. Unfortunately, though, this show is 80% More Than Words and only includes one arc of In The Apartment. Mainly because that's when the narrative set up in MTW reaches its conclusion and this being more focused on MTW, they probably added the extra episodes for clarity. But, In the Apartment is a nice story too! It's not as raw or lovable as MTW, but MTW was actually a mirage so that's why it was too good to be true, anyway. ITA is more realistic in its gloominess but less so in its characterizations because we only get a very very summarised glimpse of it. To be honest, I would have loved it if this show had 3 or 4 more episodes so that we could see Makki's character recover a bit from the messed up indoctrination that his former relationship left on him. He was so flawed and beaten down by the end, I wanted to just sit and cry for the kid.
I also have to talk about the characterizations because, despite her selfishness and bad choices, I really liked Meiko's character too. All the characters are so flawed but so well-written. Even though I want to sucker punch Eiji, I still appreciate his characterization. It's so brilliant. And of course, I feel deeply sorry for Makki because we just don't see enough of his interiority but what little we glimpse of him through the eyes of others is so intriguing and interesting. And that brings me to the next point:

Acting: The acting in this show is wonderful! Usually for me, Japanese dramas are a hit or miss as frequently they have this cartoonish, cutesy, over-the-top acting that I just hate. I simply hate it. There was none of that here. Maybe, some background characters had a bit of that but the main cast was so good, so natural, so level-headed, and so realistically awkward in their performances that I just can't praise them enough. Such a wonderful cast. I love them. They made the characters FEEL complex, like real humans.

Production and music: I already said how wonderful the production is. I will just add that the credits are so beautiful too. So smart. Also, the music on this show is amazing. This is how you score a show! SK and China please take notes...please! I am begging!

Rewatch: Hell, no.

Negatives: There is a freaking minor/adult relationship in this show. It's never properly addressed as being weird and I know, it's not legally wrong in Japan since I think the age of consent is 13?! But still. How do I say this... this must be how the relationship is in the show because the show may not say it but as you watch, you can literally see the bad education and emotional scarring that such a relationship left on the minor. The show doesn't mention it but it's there! Right there! Especially if you have seen this in real life, you will know the signs and they are there and it's heartbreaking. I just wish we got more of the show so we could see more of that aftermath and maybe some form of recovery because no minor deserves to be taken advantage of like that and then just be left to fend for themselves. (now if you'll excuse me I'll go cry)

Overall: I don't know if I should recommend this. I would have recommended it if I'd written this while watching episode 5 but...I've seen all 10 and while I know it's a good show, the lingering emotions I feel after watching this are not what I would like to share with you all. Dive in at your own risk!

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Dark, disturbing, realistic, and brilliant

First of all – this is not a BL series. It is a gay series that takes the viewer to the dark side of society, and in my opinion it's been the best LGBT series of 2024 so far.

There should be trigger warnings of violence, male and female forced prostitution of minors, torture, murder, and suicide. Doesn't sound exactly heartwarming, does it? But then there are some glimpses of happiness in all this mess, which are the more touching because of the extreme contrast to the overall situation.

The series tells the story of two young men living on the fringe of society. Chihiro (Beppu Yurai) was kicked out of and disowned by his rich family as an adolescent because of his sexual orientiation. As a young adult he tries to make ends meet with casual jobs and and prostitution. Keito/Haoren (Sawamura Rei), who experienced child abuse by his mother's partner, was abandoned by his mother at very young age. Kaji (Kubota Yuki), who later becomes Keito's closest friend, takes him to work for Maya (Asari Yosuke), a BDSM pimp whose clients are men and women who find pleasure in torturing, or even killing, kids.

The two young men meet in a bar, where Chihiro approaches Keito, who he thinks is wealthy, with the intention of fleecing him. When they get to a hotel, Keito unexpectedly beats Chihiro up as Chihiro has stolen cards from Keito's employer. When Chihiro wakes up in a pile of rubbish, Keito ”kidnaps” him and makes him help move apartment.

Keito is on the run from his former ”employer”, because after almost being killed by a client he had reported him to police, and in the eyes of the pimp was thus responsible for his 5-year sentence. This is why Keito moves house frequently, but Maya finds him once again, leaving a camera with photos of frogs as a warning near Keito's doorstep. On top of all the disturbing scenes of child abuse, Maya's malice is illustrated in a scene where he kills a frog by squeezing if to death with one hand.

As Chihiro has no place to go, he moves in with Keito, and the two young men get closer physically and emotionally. When Keito's mother, a prostitute who has lost her memory, commits suicide, Chihiro helps him overcome his deep depression.

Then Maya kidnaps Chihiro, humiliates and injures him badly. Keito takes revenge by stabbing Maya. After this, Chihiro and Keito's escape to a seaside resort to start a new life. They relive some of Chihiro's happy childhood memories, but Keito decides to turn himself in to police and is sentenced to 5 years. Maya finally commits suicide. While Keito is in prison, Chihiro manages to make a career as a photographer.

I won't spoil the ending here – only so much: as the title indicates, it isn't a sad one.

The plot of this series is sad, disturbing, dark, and more often than not ugly, but as I mentioned there are moments of happiness the two young men find despite all the evil things that have happened and are happening in their lives. The script is realistic to the point of pain for the viewer, and it depicts the protagonists' respective backgrounds in flashbacks skilfully woven into the main plot.

The setting adds to the gloomy atmosphere of the story – from Maya's run down apartment where he imprisons girls and boys, to a street of cheap prostitutes and – most of all – the barely furnished apartments where Keito and Chihiro are hiding from Maya. Some shots – like Keito crouching all alone in an empty room – are in fact masterly done, and the cinematography and the coloring in general contribute a lot to the quality of this series. Director Furumaya Tomoyuki, like in the BL series ”Ameiro Paradox” which he also directed, manages to make his actors perform brilliantly.

There would have been two ways of casting the actors for this series. It could have been made with amateurs with a similar background as the characters for the best possible authenticity, and it could have and was made with amazing actors who portray their characters absolutely convincingly. This is not only true with respect to the brilliant Beppu Yurai and Sawamura Rei, who are both able to display their characters' feelings naturally using body language and changes of expression. Kubota Yuki plays the ”elder brother” with exactly the right blend of warmth and strictness, and Asari Yosuke manages to make the viewer hate his character Maya from the bottom of their hearts.

The soundtrack is a pleasure as it sensitively matches the action – there are scenes without any music, especially when Chihiro and Keito have conversations important to the story.

To sum up – this series is near perfection in every aspect - storytelling, directing, editing, and acting. It is no series faint-hearted persons should watch before going to bed, and it does clearly not address the average underage BL fan. But everybody who is intersted in realistic LGBTQ+ series that do not hide the dark side of life may enjoy watching it, although it really hurts sometimes.

In my opinion, this is the best LGBT series of 2024 so far. Highly recommended !

You find all my BL reviews, incl. those about series and movies from countries not covered by MDL, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Singapore here: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/303301998-reviews-of-asian-bl-series

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first half of the show was better than the second one

when starting this drama, I wasn't expecting to be a great drama based on the average ratings, but the first half of the story was more engaging and pleasant to watch like having two different feelings through all the show, in my opinion the drama started so strongly in the side of romance and comedy and the acting was so good talking from the chemistry between first leads and seeing how the male lead is holding onto his relationship with female and doing his best for making her besides him showing a sincere love for him, even ready to give up his background being a chaebol and disobeying his mother just to be with the one he loves her so it was so promising to see such great character of male lead BUT...

regarding 10 episodes length for such drama, I perceived that there was a lot of repetitions of male lead not able to let go of his beloved one and the idea was clear that he was struggling to keep her with him through the first half and even they made the drama unnecessary adding more scenes like drinking too much and bidding farewell for their last meeting with the several scenes of eating together but was not bad going to amusement park as the end of their relationship...

moon sang min was doing so good in his acting expressing his deep sadness, shedding tears though a lot if people called him "simp" to still following her and clinging on his relationship with her but I think someone genuinely loving her and unable to believe that she wanted deliberately to break up witu him has at least to show her his devotion until feeling there is no hope from this relationship!!!! he acted in this drama better than wedding impossible which I dropped it not feeling he was suitable there!!!

while shin hyun been was too unable to give up on him and lying to herself that it is better to break up with him for the difference of the social class and backgrounds regarding her parents were so violent, while people had criticized her to accept the money from his mother in return to break up with him while she was forced to do that when knowing the real background of her boyfriend so I don't want to say if it is right or wrong but maybe her dignity didn't allowed her to stay with him having such cruel and outrageous mother of male lead disparaging her!!!

shin hyun been was having average acting like moon sang min, both of them are great to be paired together but to be honest I can't be saying that they had presenting a top notch performance in their roles, the emotions they shown was enough to convince sadness and happiness but still I think there would be other better actors could be replaced exceptionally the second male lead so surprisingly was so good, I think he was so fitting for his role to be a supportive brother and rooting for the relationship of his younger brother with shin hyun been

really yoon park was so amazing being funny portraying the comedic side of the story that it would had been more better if giving more screentime for him and park so jin cause he was the essential one making the comedy successful in addition to the support characters being the colleagues of female lead in office, all of these characters gave a value for the drama cause I felt a lot of boring moments in the second half when the story only focused the most on the first leads with the repetition scenes of both of them struggling to be together...

I think the OST of the drama was something so brilliant and outstanding that saved the show from being less rated for me, such well choosed OST added more value to the show making a balance between the positive and negative sides of the drama cause the script could had summarized the story to less number of episodes as from the episode 6 I felt losing interest in the drama and skipping a lot of scenes till the end so the drama is being average for me as I was disappointed how I started rating it 8 then 7.5 when noticing a lot of repetitions until don't know why feeling the general ambiance of the drama was not deserving that in the second half just to give it 7 if it wasn't for the great performance of second male lead and the OST and the promising start of the drama, it could had been considered for me less than average but that was saved the drama what I mentioned before...

second leads are deserving to be given more scenes but unfortunately the drama was not giving their existence more worthiness cause even on mdl they should consider yoon park and park so jin second leads not from the support characters!!!!! I would emphasized that second male lead was the best actor of this drama not expecting that as yoon park was not playing so well in his previous dramas but here he was so different maybe I would had kept the rating of 7.5 or 8 for the drama but the acting of first leads became not the same great performance as it started but second leads kept more outstanding chemistry till the end, even I think giving park so jin more scenes in the drama after the third episode was wrong while she should had been present from the beginning as only the focus was on first leads more and it was not helping the drama at all!!!

I started to watch this drama being interested in the age gap which was controversial at the beginning before being aired but through all the show it was no longer mentioned cause looking at both of first leads this 14 years age gap is not noticeable at all, so the female even looking younger than her age not making this age difference being obvious for me!!!

the charcter of lee hyun woo as third wheel between the relationship of first leads making a silly love triangle though was short but considered unnecessary for me as his character could had been only as a supportive friend for shin hyun been not making him interfering in this love story as well the actress playing the character of the mother of male lead was not fitting, only feeling not able to see her having this repellent character but though any other actress could had played maybe better than her despite she is given an evil character here...

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Different Kind of Happy

Very rare a series can pull off both stark grittiness and tender love as this did. This is not about a romantic tender love but of two people meeting at the worst times in their lives, needing what only the other could give and held on.

Chihiro stuck in a cycle of exchanging sex for being taken care of by whomever, all in the name of 'love'. He couldn't get past the betrayal he endured when his secret lover dumped him and got married. Aimless and jobless he sleeps around, not caring what tomorrow brought. Until he met Keito.

Keito, abandoned, abused and mutilated, mired in the sex trade by Maya, a drug addicted sex peddler. Maya keeps undocumented and forgotten youths hostage with the threat of violence due to his erratic behaviour. Keito, broken by his circumstances, doesn't have a desire to escape, until he overhears Maya agreeing with a customer that Keito can be killed if they wish. Here, the spark for life is ignited and runs away. Hired to retrieve stolen items, he meets Chihiro.

Their meeting is as voilent as their surroundings, but something attracts Chihiro to Keito and he is unwilling to let go. Keito is cold and blunt. Chihiro is still a bit niaive but completely open and honest. Somehow, they fit. Through unorthodox methods, Keito saves Chihiro by showing him how much he is worth. Chihiro, over numerous events, reciprocates the love through his loyalty and care.

The stark brutality is ever present and not for everyone. The scenes are graphic and Maya's offensiveness can be off putting. The series is still very beautiful for it's points of views and the telling of it. The actors did a brilliant job and truly embodied their roles. Even to the point of evoking sentiment where needed. The production was perfect with the depiction of the cold sordid environment to contrast their love as it blooms. Against all odds, love can grow even here.

Definitely worth the watch. Japan didn't disappoint.

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DON'TWASTE YOUR TIME!

Tian Cai San Bao, Gao Leng Die Di Shi Ba Zong could have been a good drama if it was not for the fact that it is incomplete; there is no ending with resolution about anything at all! Don’t waste your time! Although there is more, the following issues are unresolved:
1. The male lead didn’t trust his wife and, although he was investigating, he put her in a place without even caring since he didn’t even know she was pregnant- no rectification
2. The male lead is not aware that he has 3 children.
3. Son Tang, the antagonist, is ousted by one of the children (computer genius) and she’s taken away- no know whereabouts.
4. The final outcome on a bone marrow donor for the sick child is not resolve.
5. There’s a guy waiting to start a business battle with the male lead (he likes the FL and wants to take revenge for her.

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Feel good factor

The best part of this drama was the outstanding cast. Chemistry among them was great - the married couple (main leads), the sworn brothers and sister - of which there were many. Liu YueYi was outstanding in the portrayal of the villain and he got me really hating the character (I am a fan of his). Aside from this, the story on the whole was interesting although you could find numerous illogical parts in them and too many coincidences.

Gu JiuSi 's parents were in a hurry to find him a bride before the emperor's decree arrived for him to marry the princess. Mistaking the joke he played on Liu YuRu whom he actually disliked as an expression of true affection, his parents hurriedly arranged for them to get married. The marriage was immediately accepted by YuRu's greedy parents as the Gus were very wealthy. They were married much to each others anguish. YuRu was in love with another and JiuSi thought she was a very scheming girl. There were numerous funny incidents arising from this.

However, their lives were thrown together as they had to weather through thick and thin, first trying to escape the predatory Yangzhou governor who were out for their wealth and then in YouZhou where they had to fight to defend the provincial capital from the attack of Prince Liang. Their paths finally took them to high positions in the country capital where more dangers awaited them.

There were many illogical parts which you could poke holes at. Why would the Empress Dowager insisted on marrying the Prince to JiuSi who was already married by then, when there were so many eligible bachelors including the Crown Prince of the new dynasty? Why did the emperor appoint the treacherous Luo Zishang as the Grand Tutor when there were better choices? What kind of medicine could make a person looked death and then revived? This seemed to be a favourite tact in Chinese dramas and was so cliche. Why chose to stay at an inn which was obviously owned by the governor? The explanation that it was to be right under his nose so he would overlook was so illogical. And just by selling cosmetics, one can get so rich in so short a time, really?

And there were too many convenient coincidences. JiuSi and YuRu fainted on arriving in YouZhou just as Zhou Ye arrived to find them. YuRu arrived back in YangZhou just as Ye ShiAn was at the checkpoint to let them through. YuRu's mother fell of the cliff to be rescued by Ye ShiAn. If it happened otherwise, they would be toast. Always at the edge of danger, rescue came. Coincidences happened in life but just not so frequent.

Many things were not explained. How did Luo ZiShang rise from an orphaned beggar to be so influential? Why did he mistook the wrong father?

There were however some suspenseful parts which would make you clench your teeth and swear at the foolishness and stubbornness of some of the characters: General Zhou's wilful rejection of the emperor's attempt to connect, and the young Crown Prince's stupidity in not being able to see through and handle the Grand Tutor's scheming.

Finally, there was the feel good factor at the end. The capable and righteous became emperor, not yet another child emperor who was there because of lineage.

Overall, in spite of my nitpicking, I think this drama was very entertaining and worth watching.

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A little Ray of Light Got Through

This is not for the weak of heart. This will shatter you. This series is a beautiful porcelain teapot with millions of cracks in it. It has lost its shine and now its disgusting, seeming almost worthless. Whatever it lets out is dark, vile, broken, hard to stomach and hurts to comprehend. But every once in a while, a little ray of sunshine manages to get through the cracks, and although what comes out is a mess, chaotic, dysfunctional and unhealthy, it's also bright, happy, full of life, hopes, dreams, and above all else, it's beautiful. It's a beautiful mess that comes with facing a storm and coming out a winner. The rainbow after the storm,

This drama made me cry. Made me question the love of a parent and humanity. I'm not going to write a long review, cuz I am sure everyone felt how I did when I watched this, so no more words are needed. We all know, Haoren and Chihiro's story would stay with us for a long time.

Applauds to everyone who worked on this one, they all did well bringing this to life in a way that touched the viewers.

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"Happy of the End" : Toxic Bonds and Healing Journeys!

The heart of 'Happy of the End' is the turbulent life of the characters with a raw and poignant exploration of love, trauma and healing. It captures both the passionate life and shadowy corners where pain and beauty coexist.

The series beautifully explores past trauma with their present struggles.
Chihiro is a man grappling with the aftermath of rejection both from his family because of his sexuality and haunted by the break up of his ex-boyfriend. His encounter with Keito, a charming yet very troubled figure marks the beginning of a relationship based on shared sufferings.
Chihiro is lonely and longing for home while Keito's backstory is a harrowing tale of abandonment and survival.
Somehow both of them became each other's refuge and mirror despite the chaos and trauma they were subjected to. Both the characters's journeys were heartbreaking but seeing them receive affection from each other was heartwarming.

The flashback scenes were powerful adding the layer as to why the characters are as they are. I liked the seamless transition plus the clear contrast between present and past. You can feel and know that both the lead characters need serious therapy but you still keep watching it for the rawness and athenticity.

Kaji was another character that I liked. Throughout he was such a good friend to first Kieto and then to Chihiro. The unconditional friendship and found family. <3

The series deals with serious themes like homophobia, child abuse, prostitution and animal abuse (Please read trigger warnings before starting this) faced by those living on the margins of society, it also speaks loudly about acceptance and capacity of love to heal even from the deepest wounds. This was dark and toxic but at the same time hopeful and happy. I know it doesn't make sense but at the end of it, it was actually 'happy of the end'.

However, it does feel rushed at times but that is due to the short run time. Maybe 2 more episodes would have justified the ending better and might have done better justice to this Art.

Overall, recommended if you're okay with dark themes, but please consider the trigger warnings. Again, be sure to read the TW before starting. It’s not all shining stars, but you can see the light throughout!
8.8/10

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I wish they'd been able to keep the location secret

Watching them cook was just as hypnotizing for me as the first season. I loved their interactions with one another (I wish there had been more of it), and seeing and learning a little about Iceland was interesting. I'd love to see the Northern Lights. However, there were a couple of reasons I didn't like it as much as season 1.

1) It would have been nice if they had been able to keep the location secret. It was blatantly obvious that most of the guests were there because it was Jinny's Kitchen, not because there was a random pop-up kitchen opening.
2) In season one they had a day off and we got to see more of the area that they were in. We didn't get any of that this time.
3) They were such a well-oiled machine that we didn't get a lot of the amusing interactions that we got in season 1.
4) The new "intern" coming in was completely seamless. I was impressed that she did such a good job; however, it didn't make for interesting tv.

That being said, if you enjoy food shows at all, give this one a try.

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Cute and Trendy

Rated = 9 -~ 39/50 ~ 7.8
RPG Scene ~ I'm being seduced by fashionable elves into an enchanted forest, and the staff in my hand is just a twig lol

I am noticing that I have a preference for Korean BL's as they suit my taste more.
Heavily criticized so naturally I'm going to like it. It's not a deep thinker. It felt like a warm hug. Just a character with failed dreams trying to fit into the world. There's only 8 half hour episodes so it's nothing dramatic and a lot of stuff is quickly glossed over but sometimes I want that. Just something sweet to counteract the bitterness. I don't need to be philosophizing life at every moment.
It follows the dense cutie that everyone loves harem trope but I didn't mind it so much as it's not overly exemplified and felt more like naivety to me than just purposefully stupid. I also enjoyed how the character's spoke with their eyes a lot.
A sweet and easy watch.

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One of best BL's out there

If you want to watch a beautiful BL with insane chemistry - watch Tale of Thousand Stars!

The story is well made. It's slow paces but the leads make each episode better than the other. The characters are written beautifully, the breathtakkng scenery and love the side characters too! It's worth mentioning about Tian's character growth from being the spoiled rich kid to learning about himself is brilliant. This isnt only story about love but self growth, discovery about yourself and life.
At first I wasn't sure why this BL seemed so familiar but then after couple episodes it me: it reminds of Sotus the Series (maybe it's just me?), not from the plot but the insane off the roots chemistry the leads have just by staring at each other. Sotus was also focusing less on touching and the pure, unconditional love they had and they didn't need to kiss or touch to show it. I absolutely love that when BL's do it.

I've always been a fan of that Grumpy x Sunshine love trope, where the grumpy one slowly gets to open up.
Phu is one of my favorite characters. At first he's seen as strict, very stern, not smiling. Him and Tian keep bickering yet have this chemistry off the roots from first scenes together. Phu slowly opens up to Tian, you see him slowly losening up and being less stressed. He falls for Tian and I loved we see him only smile with him. Those small, yet powerful stares they share - they don’t need any kissing scenes or spicy ones cos the eyes and their body language tells it all! God, I love stories like this where they don’t need touching because their gazes simply tell how much in love they are. That moment leading up to the most anticipated kiss.. soo worth it!!
(Though, just my opinion: no kissing for two years? I know they wanted it to be this romantic kiss but that got me thinking lmao)

The reason I am not giving this series 10 (I really wanted to) was the unnecessary drama at the end. It didn't fit the shows focus and shifted it for me too much, some of the drama between Tian and Phu seemed OOC for being there only for the sake of drama. The gang drama would have been enough - but Phu working for his dad all along was too much. Some of it seemed to be made up at the spot to create so much drama, when there was barely none in the previous episodes. They could have just done that Tian chose to study in America and Phu to wait for him (the scene at the wedding.. angsty for the sake of angst).

Despite this, I really enjoyed this and think it's one of the best BL's made for a long time.

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Very fluffy and light to watch

I started watching this drama after finishing Lost You Forever S1 & S2. It was because of Tan Jianci getting BE in LYF and I've watched Everyone Loves Me where Zhou Ye is the FL. I've watched this drama 2 times and will rewatch it again.

The acting and chemistry of the ML and FL are great, love the OST -- saved in my playlist, and performances in the drama. The other actors acting are also good, especially their relationship as friends even before they become famous in the dubbing industry and how they started this as a business.

The drama is light and fun to watch, there is no drama or problematic second lead. I mean there's not even a single problem presented in this drama. And I know there will be no Mo Qingcheng or Qiang Qingchi in real life but still, it's a great drama.

I'd recommend watching this drama as a break in between other dramas that feels heavy to watch like LYF, TTEOTM, Kunning Palace, etc.

A little spoiler FFB/XL skill will be shown in this drama near the end of the drama.

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Can't stop laughing watching this drama for the first half of the drama

I started watching this drama because of Tan Jianci.. I was skeptical at first, but it was fun to watch especially the first half of the drama. Every episode is so funny, full of humor, and yet still serious when solving cases. Especially the added BGM makes it all the more comical.

After that the drama moves on to the history and political views, which is when romance is added into the show. And I don't really like the romance between the ML and FL, because the romance feels forced to be there or maybe because the timing when the romance started was not the best. The CGIs are not the best, there are view scenes where the green screen edges cropped badly.

The actress who plays Ah Shu has good acting but her chemistry with JCT is not the best, also Yuchi Hua's acting was awkward at first -- especially when she did action scenes but in the later episode of the drama it gets better. I can already guess that Ah Shu is the Yanle's princess and she'll somehow seize the throne.

IMO it was Tan Jianci's performance that made the show fun to watch, but I won't rewatch this drama. Or maybe I'll rewatch it only for the first half of the drama before the romance starts.

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