Reviews

For Romance Lovers - Romantic, Sensual, Emotional

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.75

I’ve always enjoyed watching Thai period dramas to learn more about Thai culture. Even though time-traveling is not my jam, the trailer of “I Feel You Linger in The Air” piqued my interest. I am so happy that I waited for it to finish airing and binge all 12 episodes at once. It’s a wonderful and romantic drama that focuses on the love story of the main leads. As a romance lover, this is definitely my cup of tea and I get the satisfaction I couldn’t quite get from “To Sir, With Love”. But if you are picky about the time-traveling, you might not be satisfied.

What I Like:

1. Main Romance - First and foremost, I love the development of romance. Even though it feels slow, it's actually not. It takes them about half a drama to confess their feelings, so in a way, that’s a pretty decent pace. Yai is so smitten and in love from the second he laid eyes on Jom. The love is there right from the start and continues to build throughout. Jom’s love is undeniable and he’s so in tune with Jom’s feelings and thoughts. Drunk confession through poetry? Sign me up for more! As mentioned, their love story is central to the plot and you follow their journey every step of the way. Their romance is beautiful, ROMANTIC, sensual and passionate.

2. Chemistry - Amazing and off the charts. Who knew olive oil can be so sexy? There are many Thai BL dramas that are way more sexual and with more explicit sex scenes. But in “I Feel You Linger in The Air”, I think their touching, caressing, hugging and kissing are WAY sexier and more romantic than any explicit sex scenes. **Check out ep 7** ? I can feel their emotions throughout these scenes. There’s one scene that’s a little more sexual, but the emotions behind it are telling us a very different story - elation, sadness, longing, desperation.

3. Acting - There is no typical Thai overacting, or having the camera stay at someone’s face for 5 seconds too long. The acting is as natural as I could have hoped for in a Thai drama. Nonkul (as Jom) and Bright (as Yai) did an admirable job. Even though I don’t think they are excellent, I believe in them and their acting (still some room for improvement). The supporting cast also deliver good performances.

4. Music - For such a gentle and romantic drama, I am glad the drama is not overloaded with songs played over and over again. For most of the drama, we hear gentle background music that mostly complemented the scenes. It was quite interesting that Swan Lake was played during two scenes when Jom and Yai are evading/dancing around each other about what just happened. The few songs that the drama has are lovely and played mainly towards the end of the drama more often. The lyrics also complement the scenes very well.

5. English - English that sounds English and doesn’t hurt my ears! Sweet James is played by Kimmy G (Thai-British) and Robert is played by Attila G (Thai-Swiss). I am so glad they are casted in these roles. Not only are they good to look at, they are lovely to hear from, esp. James.

6. Production Quality - Cinematography is beautiful. Jom’s house looks classic from the outside and the rooms look simple but gentle. The costumes are not elaborate but they seem to match the 1920’s style. The male cast looks handsome in their suits and the women look beautiful in their dresses.

What I have Mixed Feelings or Don’t Like:

1. Time-Traveling/Ending - I don’t necessarily feel that the ending is rushed, but it was not satisfying. The drama did not really explain the last few scenes in the finale. What if there’s no season 2, then it leaves a big question mark about how this ending makes sense. A special episode is fan service and doesn’t really match the tone with this beautiful melancholic drama. Having said that, I like how unique the drama ties the visions to _______ (it would be a spoiler if I write that out).

2. Villain’s downfall - Many viewers like me are waiting for the downfall of the villain. I don’t think he’s THAT bad compared to other villains I’ve seen, but the exposure of their crimes is really anti-climatic. Even if that place and time are best for such an exposure, the way it was done doesn’t make sense to me. It seems too easy without much resistance. I was hoping for more.

3. Side Stories - Maybe due to the focus of the leads, the other two couples didn’t really have a lot of screen time. I think their stories could be interesting as they are vastly different from the main couple, but not enough time is dedicated to them for viewers to know their backstories to make me root for them even more.


Overall, I strongly recommend this drama for romance lovers who like a slower-paced, passionate and a more melancholic love story (with some cute scenes). You will go through so many different emotions with the leads and will love it.



Other Random Observations:
1. Did you notice Jom likes to blink very slowly, or close his eyes a few seconds too long right before he’s expected to say or react? For some reason, it bothered me. LOL (I know I am insane).
2. I will forever remember this couple when I see olive oil. LOL
3. James and Ming are both so sweet, kind and nice. Great friends to have!
4. Jom and Yai are the most careless forbidden lovers out there. I worry they will get caught every time they are so open with their affections.



Completed: 11/5/2023 - Review #373

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I loved this show and hated the ending, but not for the reason you think.

This is pulled from a bit meta analysis post I put on tumblr, I'm usign this as my back up so I'll be covering lots of stuff. Historical context, language stuff, filming techniques, and finally a full review including all my issues with the ending. Here's th equick review first:

I truly loved this time travel romance. IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but no as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show should easily have earned a 10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls. Argh. Whatever. 9/10

Some Historical Context for I Feel You Linger In The Air - Thailand 1925-1932

I love history and so here's some info that any Thai watcher would likely know, but the rest of us might not... ready?

The Historical Stage:

Burma (now Myanmar) to the west is occupied by the British. The French hold Vietnam to the east. Everyone is bickering over what would become Cambodia & Laos. China occasionally gets involved from the North (also, lots of immigrants from China at this time accounting for a large percentage of the merchant/middle class) Eventually, Japan would invade during WWII. In part, The Kingdom of Siam was kept a "neutral" party because none of the surrounding colonial powers wanted to risk offending any of the other players in the area. Siam re-negotiated sovereignty in 1920 (from USA) and in 1925 (from France & Britain). But during the time of this show (late 1929) it was back to it's customary type-rope balancing act of extreme diplomacy with the allied western colonial powers that surrounded it.

Recognizing that Thailand was never colonized (although it was invaded), it's boarders were constantly nibbled at and it was "ambassador-occupied" off and on by westerners whose military backing and exploitive business concerns simply outmatched the monarchy, especially in the technology department (as well as by reputation on the global stage at the time).

In other words, the farang in this show (James & Robert) were always gonna be both the baddies and the power players of the narrative. (Farang is the Thai word for non-Thai's of European descent, the word means guava.)

The king of Siam at the time (Vajiravudh AKA Rama VI) was initially somewhat popular but also regarded as overly extravagant since Siam had been hit by a major postwar recession in 1919. It should also be noted that King Vajiravudh had no son because he was most likely gay (which at the time did not much concern the Siamese popular opinion, except that it undermined the stability of the monarchy leaving it without an heir).

He "died suddenly" in 1925 (age 44) with the monarchy weakened and succession handed off to his younger brother.

In 1932 a small circle of the rising bourgeoisie (all of whom had studied in Europe, mostly Paris), supported by some military, seized power from the monarchy in a practically nonviolent Siamese Revolution installing a constitutional monarchy. This is mentioned in IFYLITA in the last few episodes but did not (apparently) appear in the original novel.

Siam would then go through:

dictatorship, WWII, Japanese invasion, Allied occupation, democratic elections, military junta, the Indochina wars, communist insurgency, more democracy and popularization movements, multiple coups, more junta, more monarchy,

eventually leading us to the somewhat chaotic insanity of Thai politics we have today. (Which is, frankly, a mix of monarchy, junta, democracy, egocentric popularism, and bribery.)

The Filming of I Fell You Linger in the Air

The director if this show, Tee Bundit (Hidden Agenda, Step by Step, Lovely Writer, TharnType), has never particularly impressed or offended me as a director. I would have called him simply "workmanlike" in execution: not offensive, serviceable.

So much so that I spent some time hunting for info on IFYLITA's cinematographer (who remains uncredited on MDL) because this one, of all Tee pantheon, is ultra stylish. It, frankly, felt too good for him.

Specifically, there is a repeated visual motif in intimacy scenes of either Yai or Jom being filmed from behind a screen/drape/curtain making them seem more translucent, like a ghost or spirit. While the other half of the pair is filmed with sharp clarity. In the first half of the series this is more likely to be Yai (an unknown and mysterious element), as the show progresses, it's more likely to be Jom (the person outside of place and time, destined to vanish all together). This cleverly conveys story, tension, and foreshadow (future shadow?)

Occasionally we shift over so they both become obscured and then clear again.

This stylized version of dirty framing and filters is used to foreshadow and then constantly remind us about that Jom slipped (and is slipping) through time and the disconnect that causes to his sense of reality and purpose, and to his burgeoning relationship.

For example, the scene where Yai is drunk and asleep in his bed. The first time Jom is sitting in a chair drawing him. Yai is blurry behind the screen while Jom is solid and sharp.

This filming technique combined with dirty framing is being used to give the watchers the impression of looking at something we maybe shouldn't, like we are being creepy and intruding on their private time. After all, they can see EACH OTHER clearly, it's only us who have the visual impairment.

This gives us a sense of doom and discomfort and slight sensation that we shouldn't be there. We shouldn't be watching. But ALSO that we too are outside of time, filtered by the future.

In other words his sense of displacement is being used to trigger ours visually.

It's all quite clever.

It's both beautiful and atmospheric and discomforting and touch stressful. Meaning that it is ALSO a visual vehicle to drive narrative tension. As effective as scary music, perhaps more so in this show (since I personally found the musical motifs and refrains somewhat overused.)

Linguistic corner

The word for reflection and shadow is the same in Thai.

Note on the por/phor/phô honorific in Thai

I have not encountered it before in BL. I am indebted to @embraceyourfandom for the following information;

Phô is a paternal honorific, luang phô is used for respected monks. It basically means father. And is oft seen as male honorific for village elders. It's also used as a male prefix in the names of several occupations like:

พ่อครัว phô khrua (khrúa= kitchen -> chef) พ่อค้า phô khá (khá= trade -> merchant) พ่อมด phô mót (mót= person of occult knowledge -> wizard) พ่อบ้าน phô bân (bân =house -> butler) - most relevant

So, Yai's use is probubly foreshadowing that Jom will be a butler for his house, and is primitively referring to him with this title.

All that said, phô can also be used by a "man who is older/higher on hierarchy to refer to a younger/lower on hierarchy man with intimacy and/or affection."

I think all this has to do with Jom's demonstration of education. Yai figured out early on that one of the reasons Jom doesn't belong and cannot fit in with the servants is that he is more educated than a peasant (of this time period), which for Yai adds up to him being originally from a higher status and possibly wealthy family, especially since Jom speaks English and has travelled (he has a non-northern accent).

There is very little Thai middle class at the beginning of the 1920s since trade is being dominated/dictated by the West, or Chinese merchant operations, and Siam is a monarchy. So for a nationalize Thai citizen educated means military, landed gentry with trade operations (like Yai), royal/political/diplomatic connections, or... none of the above. This changes, especially in the south, throughout this decade (as it did in other parts of the world). So there is a rising bourgeoisie going on in the background but it's not that obvious in Chang Mai at this time.

What Jom's educated lack of status means to Yai is that Jom's family either got wiped out or politically disenfranchised possibly as part of the 1912 attempted coups (or even WWI)? This would be mystifying for Yai because Jom doesn't act like he comes from a military family at all. So his background and status is very confusing for Yai, but Yai does know one thing...

Jom is NOT lower class by the standards of Yai's temporal worldview and existence.

For a young man to be educated and yet entirely alone is very dangerous and suspicious. Also, let's be clear, Jom doesn't look or act like a laborer. He red flags "cultured" all over the place.

Yai is paternalistic and caring towards Jom out the gate because Yai has a big ol'crush but also because he recognizes "his own" is trying to survive while isolated and scared.

Yai wants to rescue Jom. Yai is an ineffectual 20 year old gay intellectual. But poor thing sure tries.

Let's Talk About How I Felt About I Feel You Linger in the Air

The historical aspect was great.

I adore historical romances and we almost never get them in BL. I was always gonna be biased towards this show. (As indeed I am towards Nobleman Ryu's Wedding, Tinted with You, and To Sir With Love.) Aside from some classic Thai BL production issues (less than normal, this is very high production value for Thailand) and my issues around the sound track and repetitive repriens (which frankly were more noticeable because I binged the last half) I have no complaints on that score (heh heh).

The surrounding support cast were all quite good and we even got us some lesbians!

The emotional and narrative tensions were excellent.

Any issues I had with pacing came from focus on characters that didn't interest me, but probubly did interest others. I wasn’t wild or particularly interested in the family drama or the side characters/couples, but they were necessary to make this a fully fleshed story with historical context and to give Yai much needed characterization. Also this use of a ensemble cast is very close to Thailand's lakorn heart, even thought this one had way less scenery chewing ludicrous soapy drama (thank heavens).

I was delighted that external threat, stressors, and conflict drove this plot. That's refreshing in BL.

I have no arguments with the chemistry and kisses and sex scenes were tasteful and lovely, occasionally even heart-wrenching, and it's nice to see Thailand especially use physical intimacy to drive plot, and not the other way around.

I love historicals partly because every tiny touch can have such lingering significance, they're very elegant in their chaste physicality. This show didn't need to move into higher heat, but I'm grateful it did because even that was very well done. Thai BLs can often feel clumsy around intimacy, but not this one.

The final sex scene before Jom and Yai separate forever utilizes the ubiquitous director's-favorite-romantic-moments-flashbacks (required of all Asian romance dramas) but with acceleration and tension driven by the noises of sex, which I've never seen/heard done before. In other words: climax of sex = climax of the romance story, I see what you did there, Tee. Clever. Very clever. Bit on the nose… erm… on the… well you know what I mean.

Like all Thai BLs this wasn’t perfect, but for me this is as close as Thai BL gets to high quality romance and that’s what I want the most from my drama watching experience (if not necessarily my Thai BL experience).

But... and you knew the but was coming didn't you?

I absolutely hated the ending.

It wasn't sad, don't worry, but it also wasn't good. SPOILERS HERE ON OUT

There is a long drawn out separations sequence and then Jom returns to the present, drowning from a car accident. Jom is "rescued" by an moustachioed iteration of Yai from the distant past (who we met once before) and then wakes in hospital. Some time later, Jom returns to the house in Chang Mai where Yai turns up and they reunite.
The end.

There is a stinger featuring Jom once more hurled back in time, only further, meeting the warrior mustache Yai once more.

Okay, that's all I knew and all I saw.

Confused? So was I.

If this had been a regular time travel romance: Yai would have been the EMT or doctor attending Jom when he woke up and their "this time period" romance would commence. With either shared memories, or not.

Had this been set up for audience comprehension in line with the original novel, we should have had flashbacks from both Present Yai (he's not the same one, as it turns out) and deep-past Moustache Yai interwoven throughout the series. Preferably with some focus on Present Yai's quest for reunion with Present Jom AND Present Yai's own experience with visions and memory of his past lives.

A full explanation of the ending is here. This explanation of the 3 different Yais makes me like our ending more. But I shouldn't need to read Cliff's notes from some random y-novel reading fan on Tumblr to understand what's going on in a series!

There is supposedly a special happening with Jom + Present Yai.

There was unquestionably a failure in adaptation in the finale of this show.

As a fan and watcher, what I actually felt was deeply confused and hurt.

I also felt that this was a disingenuous un-earned throw away happy ending, since I had no idea who this new Present Yai was and no investment in his character. I simply didn't believe he was the same Yai (Bright is too good an actor, he was clearly a different older personality).

So the fact remains that past Yai, our Yai, the 20 year old boy we grew to understand and love, is abandoned in the past to suffer alone for the rest of his life. And THAT is an unhappy ending for one half of my beloved pair. Yes Jom gets a new Yai in the present day, but it's not the same Yai. They have no developed relationship, and Jom is doomed to leave even this new Yai and slide into the past once more. That's barely even happy for now for Jom's character.

As a result of my deep sadness for 20-year-old Yai in particular, I'm not going to be able to rewatch this show. The whole thing was rendered not just confusing but the opposite of comforting by the final 15 minutes. I'm tempted to dock it two whole points - one for the ending and the other for the lack of rewatch potential.

But the first 11.5 eps were SO GOOD.

This is one of the only times where I am actually hoping for a second season, while simultaneously being wary of the screen writing and production team's capacity to give us a satisfying one.

Industry wise? I honestly don't think we can hope too hard for a full season 2. This was an expensive show with flawed/limited distribution and little sponsorship. I don't see how they'll get funding for a second season. Unless we see this show up on like Netflix or Viki, I urge you not to hope too hard and be disappointed.

In all honestly?

I started typing up this blog post thinking Thailand was finally, after 5 years, going to earn another 10/10 from me but I just can't in good conscious give it that. It's been days and I'm still upset about that last episode.

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WOW

WOW. ALL THE TWISTS AND TURNS IN THIS DRAMA... SO GOOD!~~!!!!!

like the intro to all the black ops members abilities and their backstories... SO CUTE. and how they all overlap.. omfg. and mihyun and her husband flying guy's story GUHHHUHGUIHGI I'm so happy he wasn't dead ACK HES ALIVE..... i just wish I could've seen more of him and his family together cuz its been like what.. 16 years?? less? more??? the last fight scene was CRAZY MAN. and the frank guy????? who can't die????? like what and the ending... omfg .like so excited for a season 2 cuz they better come out with one. i didn't really like the younger couple huisoo and beongseok that much ig they were cute. but OMG the other guy with abilities,,,, I cant remember his name. the class president guy??? BRO IM OVULATING I LOVE HIM HES SO HOT BRO. i cant with him. and also the jang kisoo guy and the vlogger girl. like how kisoo has a crush on the vlogger gir... SO CUTE HEHEHEH omg. this story was so well written . the beginning was bad, but the middle was sooo good. esp when it went to the agency and stuff so good. i don't usua..y like action dramas but this was so amazing. AND MY WOMAN HAN HYOJOO I LOVE HER SOOOOOO MUCH. SO MUCH,.

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Cute rom-com with a slice of life about book publishing

This drama tells the story of a female lead who begins working at her dream job as an editor and a male lead who is a promising new author. Male lead decides to accept the female lead as his editor when he discovers that she is the online friend who he has been talking to for years.

The first 20 episodes were fantastic and engaging but afterwards the drama got a little boring and draggy, mainly as they focused too much on the book publishing and not enough on the romance. The work conflicts felt very similar, the characters didn’t have much development and the romance died down. I feel like if the drama was shorter, these things wouldn't have been such an issue. Despite all that, I still enjoyed the storyline, characters and romance.

Many comments say the male lead is childish and I agree. In real life I would have been annoyed but in the drama it was the perfect comedy relief and I absolutely loved him (I might also be biassed because I love the actor and he is the reason I watched this).

The second couple was a nice watch but very typical and cliche storyline. I feel like it would have been a stronger storyline if they ended up with different people.

POSITIVE:
- Great insight into the book publishing world. As a book lover I loved seeing that and the plot felt very realistic regarding that.
- Cute romantic scenes between the leads and second leads.
- Good balance between comedy and slice of life maturity.
- Hard-working, career focused and independent female leads.
- Light-hearted for the most part.

NEGATIVE:
- Too much about the book publishing in the second half of the drama which made the romance die down.
- Not much character development.
- Female lead was a bit too focused on her career and sometimes I felt she didn’t care/love the male lead.
- Too long and draggy. Drama would have been better if it was shorter.

OVERALL:
If you are a big fan of the book publishing world and want a bit of romance thrown into the mix, you will definitely enjoy this light-hearted, slice of life drama.

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Average series. Total 26 episodes.

What began as something fun, then whimsical, became a frustrating watch for some viewers - me included. The last third of the series a jumble in editing, with a story line that became confusing and commonplace. The first stumble for this series; was the writing.

As an example; adding a second female lead want-to-be [a.k.a. 2nd princess] the last seven episodes was a slap in the face of the characters that lived this story till then. Wasting screen-time on a superfluous character with no story history; that looks and dresses like the teenage female lead character from the beginning of the drama [A FL placeholder?]; whose appearance lasts right up and until the last 20 minutes of the official finale; was an annoyance that wasn't needed. It was the moment, the writer, abandoned their purpose.

There were so many loose ends, a continuing story, and characters that should have been fleshed out on screen instead. Sadly, the writer didn't appear to care [ie - the male lead becoming a misunderstanding-cliche], but ultimately production seemed to regret their choices. Culminating those editing and writing decisions, into giving watchers the last few minutes of an extra episode with the main couple on-screen together. An average series - With a frustrating story arc. Watch accordingly.

Note, Review based on 26 episodes count.

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Outstanding!!!

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

This was an outstanding series. Overall, the script was nicely done and successfully connected multiple elements and characters together. It had a few weak elements, but it did not distract me from enjoying the series. The first episode did a great job giving brief introduction about mental health, as well as the stigma and prejudice society has about it. It tackled so many aspects of mental health in a very considerate way. This series not only showed how it impacts individuals diagnosed with a metal health disorder, it included how it impacts family members and the medical staff caring for them. The series often used a whimsical/fantasy aspect to help represent certain disorders without it being disrespectful. My only critique is that I was not a fan of the romantic storylines. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. The cast was incredible and did a beautiful job portraying their characters. They did a wonderful job with the cinematography and special effects too.

Random Notes:

I anticipated this series since Netflix announced it and happy it didn’t disappoint me.



******Spoiler Alert******

The romantic storyline between Hwang Yeo Hwan and Min Deu Lae was not bad, but felt a little misplaced within the series. The other romantic storyline was slightly bizarre. The series introduced a love triangle between Dong Go Yoon, Jang Da Eun, and Song Yu Chan in the beginning of the series, but then this completely disappeared by the end. However, I was cool with it because I hate love triangle storylines.

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It was great until the end

The setting of the story and first plot twist were not really surprising, I think they were what we all expected them to be. That doesn’t mean they are bad. I always like rivals to kind of friends to lovers stories. I do like how they actually talk through the important things that have happened between them in the past instead of just ignoring those. I am a bit bothered how it is implied that one of them now likes guys because he was not successful with a girl he used to have a crush on. It doesn’t really work this way and it’s a very problematic depiction. I am not sure if that is just a dialogue translation problem or if the actual conversation is also like that.

I think that having the two episodes air before and after Halloween was immaculate timing! There is a hint of supernatural and maybe even a bit of horror. The ghost was an interesting addition to the story. I liked that there was a story to why the ghost is there and why it set its eye on Camp.

I think Kaownah and Turbo have great chemistry together. They did great with the characters and made this an enjoyable watch. Even if some of the humor was not my favorite kind, it fit the characters and setting. I think Turbo wasn’t as good at portraying emotions as Kaownah was though. Kaownah has very expressive eyes.

And then the ending happened. It was extremely anticlimactic and all it did was leave me confused about what was and what wasn’t true. Sure, it was unexpected, and that possibility never crossed my mind. But that doesn’t make it good. To be honest, the ending ruined these two parts for me.

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Another crime thriller by Shin Hakyun ? Of course I had to check this out as soon as I learned about it and Jesus was I hooked .

The premise , the plot , the characters , the storytelling , none of it disappoints . It seems like kdramas are finally taking a step out of their comfort zone and delivering morally ambiguous antiheros and I sure as hell am here for it .

Although the main villains are too stereotypically villainy ( seriously I can see them twisting their mustache and snickering each time they appear on the screen ) , I can ignore that because Shin Hakyun alone completely more than makes up for it with his amazing portrayal of Han Dongsoo , an incredibly smart lawyer who decided to live most of his life complying by the rules , which had cost him , a lot . And we watch as he's inevitably driven into a corner and forced to make a choice . Fight fairly and undoubtedly lose , or accept a bloodied hand , the only salvation that reached him in the most desperate moment of his life . When his family is on the line , he has no choice but to accept Seo Doyoungs help . And even though each time he convinces himself that he will put an end to it before he's too far down to climb back up , we the audience understand and anticipate that that's not going to happen , that something or someone will force his hand , because of course , that's what this whole show is all about and I absolutely love it, watching someone this smart finally let loose and go out for blood , how can I not be excited !

Watching him rack up his brain to come up with ideas to save himself and his brother was seriously one of my favorite parts of this show .

I have to add , I love the outfit choices , even up to his haircut and the glasses he wears . As I was watching the show I couldn't help but notice how nicely he always tried to dress , even when the situation didn't call for it . I am not an expert but you can tell a lot about a person with how they present themselves to the world . And it seemed like he was trying to make up for some inferiority complex through his clothes . Because he was so deeply humiliated , made to feel like a fraud , his fashion was a way of reclaiming some of his personhood " I'm a real lawyer , I even look the part , from my hair to my shoes . " But more than anyone else he was probably trying to prove it to himself . And Seo Doyoung saw right thought that : " You look better without the glasses . " I was completely blown by that line , he saw through this fragile facade for what it was , but instead of mocking it as a shameful and lame act , he instead praised his real self , because who Han Dongsoo really is , is better than whatever fake persona he was trying to trick himself into believing was him .

How will all of this end , will our protagonist be able to bare the consequences of his choices ? How will his brother be affected ? Will Doyoung face justice ? I can't wait to find out!

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Actually I did stop watching this series after few episodes but decided to give it a try. And I'm glad that I gave this series a second chance. BL series has very set pattern, lead actors meet they fight and they fall in love then they go through some misunderstanding and resolve it to get back together. This series has some different vibe. I love the story it's light and the actors have done a tremendously good job. The pair is so cute and lovely. The cinematography is good. I can just keep on adding positive points but for the experience you have to watch it. Just go and watch this series.

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Japanese BL are very different from other BLs.
I'm glad I watched it. It's a very sweet story. I stared watching this hoping the same. A very light and calming ending.
If you are looking for a refreshing series go for it.
Actors have done a good job. I personally feel that they have done justice to role. A high school romance.
The only drawback is that the series ends very suddenly. It leaves you wanting for more or may be this is the intension of the writer or production team.
But I wish that they would have written it for at least 8 episodes.

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completely fallen for her smile

This is work of love
Really all of them loves their work in this drama
Specifically Lee Jun Ho [ Seo Poong ] and Jung Ryeo Won [ Dan Sae Woo ] both of them chemistry in love awesome
Jung Ryeo Won [ Dan Sae Woo ] her smile is mesmerising
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There's light at the end of the tunnel

Mental illness is a taboo issue that most people still think of. Most people will think of it as being crazy, but this drama will open up a world of psychiatry in a new light/view.

First of all, the casts, I love them all, even the mental illness patients (love their acting). I think it's hard to act as someone with mental illness. But the casts nailed it very well.

I love Park Bo Young, her acting is sure diverse. Her acting in this drama is so great that I was so immerse in it. She actually deliver how depression in a person looks like. She surely never disappoint.

Yeon Woo Jin's acting was great as well, quirky yet adorable character he portrayed. I love how his character developed throughout the drama and how he ended up with PBY's character in the end.

Jang Dong Yoon surely never disappoint. I love how he tried different characters in his acting career. He really nailed it portraying someone with panic disorder.

All the mental illness portrayed in this drama were actually what many people may have seen in real life. Some deemed these people as being crazy (to the point they should just be banished from society) others just deemed it as being possessed as they may have lost their faith. But actually these people with mental illness just needed help , care and kindness from other people and their surrounding.

I hardly cry watching drama, but this drama made me tear up a lot. Especially the part where PBY character was depressed. I totally relate to this as I've experienced it before. I didn't know I was depressed at first, but I kept on blacking out and can't really remember how I walk from one place to another. When the doctor run tests on me that I found out I was too stressed up in my study that I was on the verge of sinking into depression. Luckily, I didn't need any medication just needed to try and not be too hard on myself.
And so, with this drama, I learnt all over again how to battle with depression (it serve as a reminder to myself) and how I should get out of my cave when I'm too stressed out.

In our lives, we sometimes encounter lots of hardship that sometimes we don't realize that we succumbed to our stress and become depressed.
I think through this drama, it will help you to care for yourself more and cope with the stress in your life. Give it a try and have no expectation as usual but rather enjoy it to the fullest (like me).

Oh almost forgot to mention, all of the CGI used here are all very cool, especially the part where we entered the imaginary world of Kim Seo Wan as a mage warrior with the dragons. It was so realistically real that I got immersed in it. It's a good thing the producer did spend almost a whole episode on him as we got to see his point of view as he suffered breakdown.

In the end, I would like to give you all a big hug and pat on the shoulder. You did well, you've worked hard. Keep it up.
I hope you will enjoy this drama as much as I do. ^^

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A Light and Fun Introduction to the Sport

"It's not a loincloth, it's a mawashi!" This drama is a lighter more fun take as an introduction to the sport. It covers a more modern version of the sport on a collegiate level. It has female wrestlers, which I was happy to see because they are less covered when it comes to the traditionally men's only sport. The main character ends up joining the sumo team in order to graduate. He clearly doesn't care for the sport and is only there for the credits. The captain of the team is a girl who is super passionate about the sport and a strong wrestler. Unfortunately, she doesn't get many opportunities to compete and is often ignored by the team's alumni, who often only want to focus on the poorly performing men's team. Both of them have their own challenges that they need to learn how to face. Together they work together to first build a men's team and then bring the sumo club back to its glory days. Sumo is a strange world full of traditions, but I liked how this drama covered it from a modern sport perspective. It is a pretty wholesome drama. The club members absolutely suck in the beginning when they join the team but work really hard just to get one win and make their captain proud. I absolutely loved everyone's character growth by the end.

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A simple story of two people finding happiness in good food and in each other

This has to be one of the coziest dramas I have ever watched. It's calming and slow-paced without ever becoming uninteresting or boring. It also made me incredibly hungry every time I watched an episode, but that is only to be expected from a Japanese series centered around food.
I also really enjoy the was the show emphasises the importance of female friendship, of finding companionship and building a life that makes you happy despite the myriad of little rules society loves imposing on its members, specifically on women.
Furthermore, I find Yuki's slow realisation and exploration of her feelings towards Kasuga incredibly well done and I'd love to see their relationship evolve further.
I will never get enough of love stories (be they romantic, platonic, or otherwise) told through the medium of good food and I simply can't wait for season 2.
Do yourself a favour and watch this show. Do prepare some snacks first though, you'll probably need them.

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