Reviews

Esse BL❤️‍?

Primeiramente, eu amo os atores então já ganha um ponto comigo.
eu amo um caos porém também odeio, estou vendo que vou sofrer um pouco por causa desse BL, eu realmente quero que o sandray fiquem juntos, é o único casal que eu realmente quero que fique juntos.

Para mim, eles são perfeitos juntos, eu sou cadelinha deles. Mas sinto que o Sand, vai sofre muito, eu espero que o Ray perceba.

falando no geral, a trama é boa. É como vê um dorama de mistério, com suspense. Não se sabe quem é pior, literalmente eu desconfio de todos.

Os casais ainda não estão desenvolvidos, mas daqui a pouco talvez desenrole.

Spoiler
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Então eu peço Ray case com Sand, ele tá caidinho por ti, mas como você faz isso com ele!!!??? Não venha ficar com teu Best, volta pro Sand!

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Too long, too draggy. It would be better if it cut down to 20-24 episodes. FL acted good.

"The Infiltrator" is a spy drama that occurred during the 1941 Japanese invasion and ruled over Asia, focused at Spy Station #76.

After watching 21 episodes, it was too boring and draggy so I skipped episodes 22 to 33. I watched the remaining 4 episodes and was very disappointed with the ending. This drama could be better if it ends in 20-24 episodes. There were so many unnecessary fillers that made the drama draggy, slow, and boring. The acting is good, especially the FL.

There was too much suspense music for scenes that were not suspenseful. I anticipated something would happen like they got caught, their plans were interrupted, the enemy was on them, etc., but nothing happened. No romance at all.

Overall, it is not a good drama, and I agree with Douban's rating of around 5.9. I give it a 5.5 rating.

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Good acting, great chemistry, but too much melodrama

Okay, let's start this review by praising the highlight of the drama: the performance of the two main actors. They did really well, whether it was their solo scenes or the ones they acted together.

Chemistry on point, with great dynamics between the two main actors.

To me, the romantic scenes felt extremely natural. And , yes, the kisses! We had REALLY great kisses, like, real one kisses, not those ridiculous closed mouth kisses like in "Date With The Future". Long story short: i loved them both together and their development as a couple.

Speaking of the story now, the drama got off to a good start, despite the tone...a little? melodramatic and over the top, I really enjoyed this FL's dynamic working and struggling to rebuild her life after her father's death and the "marriage" to that asshole scumbag had come to an end.

However, after ML left the dessert shop, things got a little boring. I would really prefer him working there or opening his own branch. Despite that, watching the character maturing and seeing him become a man was really pleasurable.

I don't have much to say about the FL, in fact, in my opinion, she is the best character in this drama. She's an admirable woman, she knows how to defend herself but doesn't lose her poise or elegance -although she has many reasons for that - and she's never been mean to anyone, even though most characters behave like human garbage in this series

On the PROS side I would also like to add the abortion's discussion, the topic regarding sexism and prejudice towards women and their choices, especially divorced women, privilege and connections and the meaning of love.

On the CON side, as always, the over-the-top, Machiavellian family's interference bothered me, and it often comes across in a very unrealistic way. I can't believe it gets to this point in real life.
Also, female rivalry and the writers' vice for writing female characters as being extremely pathetic and dependent on male validation. That makes me sad. I really can't believe that the other two women on the series regular cast spend 24 episodes chasing after men who don't give a shit about them, and when it's finally over, they no longer have any lives or roles of their own. Well, at least ML's sister got some character development, even though she behaved like a child.
The FL's mother...oh, her.. honestly, she is an idiot. She left her daughter alone to support the two of them and still complained most of the time. I really could not stand her.

Well, in general, despite the typical and unnecessary female rivalry, melodrama and some caricatured characters, it was an interesting cdrama. Perhaps, having more episodes it would be possible to develop it better.

PS: It probably won't happen in the near future, but I hope to see these two actors as a couple in another drama

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A HEALING AND COMFORTING DRAMA

This is a coming of age story about strangers that become deskmates then become friends and then turn to lovers, it throws like of aspects such as grief healing dysfunctional families friendship and love.

I must say this drama took me by surprise..I just decided to watch an episode and ended up getting so addicted and obsessed with it.

PLOT: The story was well written and narrated..the flow kept its pacing neutral not too fast and not too slow..it was relatable and a roller coaster of emotions...either way I applaud the consistency.

ACTING: What can I say this is my fourth drama of the male lead and I must say he caught my eye even more..being that it was emotional he really acted with all he got, his expressions were so impressive and he used his eyes most of the times to tell if he is happy or if he is sad..it felt natural and refreshing.

Female lead was amazing...all her scenes were done pretty natural you could feel the sadness and the happiness she felt based on a scene is love to see more Sabrina in the near future she is an amazing actress.

CHARACTERS: The female lead was well written..she wasn't cringy or annoying..she was just normal, she wasn't made too brave but also not too timid..she was smart and interesting and not a push over.
Male lead was meant to be a bad boy and he did act out the cold character well but I loved his character development and how he gradually became more and more free and expressive.
These two were definetly made for the roles.

CHEMISTRY: It's been a while since I got obsessed with a C drama couple but these two pulled me right in..they were so natural together and I loved that thing where they used their eyes to express what they felt about one another..it was cute..they had tension amazing chemistry despite not being given lots of kiss scenes ( which for the first time ever I didn't mind about) I just loved watching them stand next to each other or holding hands or staring at one another.

I other thing I appreciate about their relationship was how it was toxic free, they had mutual understanding they communicated the understood and supported one another...I was impressed with how their relationship was built..no unnecessary misunderstandings because our leads actually communicate and sort their issues out..I loved it.

DIALOGUE: The dialogue was screenshot worthy..it made sense and made the series even more impactful.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: It was calm nostalgic and relaxing to watch.

OSTS: They were soothing to listen too

Any ways I highly recommend this drama if you looking for something cute fluffy emotional with no toxicity no love triangles no unnecessary misunderstandings then this one is for you...my current #1 drama of the year so far❤️

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If you are into teenage puppy love then it is an okay drama. Predictable with Happy Ending

"When I Fly Towards You" is a 24-episode RomCom about teenage lovers where Su Zai Zai and Zhang Lu Rang met in middle school, befriended each other, and eventually fell in love during their high school/college years.

I watched about 11 episodes, and I found it too boring. I am getting too old to watch the teenage puppy love genre. There is nothing special about the story, and it is very predictable.

I skipped episodes 12 through 20 and only watched the last 4 episodes. I know that they eventually get married and have a happy ending.

It was a mediocre drama, and I give it a 6.0 rating. The acting of the entire ensemble was mediocre as well.

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At 70 episodes, this drama is probably longer than it needs to be, but it remains one of my favorite guilty pleasures from 2018. Sure, some of the palace/harem shenanigans get a bit wild, but it is deliciously fun to watch Wei Yingluo navigate each attack and climb the ranks. Wu Jinyan does a convincing job of portraying Wei Yingluo's growth as she matures from lowly palace maid to Consort. My favorite performance goes to Qin Lan as Empress Fuca Rongyin.

A detailed production (I especially love the costumes) and a satisfying if bittersweet ending help make this a worthy binge watch and re-watch.

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* SPOILER ALERT *
I'm really annoyed that we didn't get 2 episodes this week ( i was really expecting it ), but other than that, i loved it . Was surprised to see the couple from " Be Loved in House " in here but not as surprised as a was to see the main couple from "HIStory 3 : make our days count." I look forward to seeing next weeks episode . I would definitely recommend this series, and i am looking forward to seeing where the main couples' story is going. It seems like it's getting interesting . *EDIT* i clearly only read the synopsis. Otherwise, i would have seen that the HIStory 3 and BLIH couples are credited in the cast, and of course that the series ends in Nov. I'm still annoyed about the 1 episode per week, though

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Only Friends are not real friends

[Episodes 1-6]
Honestly, watching ForceBook in here is like watching an extended version of themselves from 'A Boss and a Babe'. I know the actors have been friends for years (both extremely talented actors) and I didn't want to compare but unlike in ABAAB, there's a strong sense of familiarity between Top and Mew when they're supposed to be strangers. It could be the director's choice/style but I don't like it. There's no spark between them like there was with Gun and Cher.

I'm a huge and I mean HUGE fan of the friendship genre so when all the friends in here are shit, it's a major turn-off. First off, everyone refused to take Ray home and allowed him to drive drunk. There was a plot hole here; Boston clearly said he couldn't take Ray home because he wasn't free and yet somehow Mew heard it as 'I can/will' because in the next scene, while on the phone with Ray, Mew asks 'where's Boston? He said he'd take care of you'. I'm sorry but weren't you there??? You even asked the question that was shot down??? Secondly, if Mew is a virgin, there has to be a reason for that but his friends don't respect that and Namchueam went as far as suggesting he loses his virginity to a random hot guy. Are we in high school? Thirdly, Boston's friendship with Mew and Ray is so messy it ain't even funny. Mew and Boston threw each other under the bus on multiple occasions. Mew basically said Boston was easy and Boston made Mew out to be a liar and manipulator. I don't care how much you want a guy, friends don't do that. At least not real friends. I don't understand why friends this toxic thought a hostel business for a group project is a smart idea. I mean, I get it. If someone else is pouring their hard-earned money into my business and there's no consequence if we fail then I would do it too but wth?

I liked the idea of them running a hostel together BUT NOT for a uni project. I thought going into the series, they would already be running one. For a group of third-years, I'm surprised they party and have sex more than study and/or work. At this point just drop the uni part and it'll become a 100x better series. Since episodes 2-3, I've been skipping Top and Mew parts (only when they're together alone).

Nick is great but that's kind of it... I love Sand, he's the most logical and consistent. And finally, a genuine reaction when you hear that someone's parent passed away. I'm so tired of zoned-out-robot-voice-'I'm so sorry to hear that'. And I am super curious about his relationship with Top too.

I know I'm ranting quite a bit but I'm definitely staying on top of this series until the end for FirstKhaotung. I was excited to see FirstKhaotung and ForceBook's interactions but meh, unless the characters for Top and Mew change, I guess the behinds would be more interesting.

So far this is a 6.5/10 but we'll see how the later episodes do and if it deserves a higher rating :) Cheers!

Edit: 8/10 for episode 6's performance! Khaotung, First, Neo, Mark, and Book killing it!


Edit & updated on 10/29/2023: 7.5/10 for the [Completed] series
Finally done! This update is going to be an unpopular opinion for sure. As I had high expectations from the talented cast alone the finale has left me more than disappointed. Despite my criticism above and below, I’m not blaming the actors but the material they were given to work with.

This series could have easily been a 9 if not 10 out of 10, had they obliterated the university, hostel concept, and characters TopMew and AprilNamchueam. I love ForceBook and Lookjun, don't get me wrong, but I could care less about their characters. I skipped all of TopMew’s parts from episodes 3-12. I did not care for their back-and-forths. The hostel concept unaided is interesting, but not when it’s a byproduct of a uni project. I stand by what I've said above. Also, the only one who seemed to care and was running the business was Namchueam. If Mew, Ray, or Boston had any involvement, it was mostly done off-screen. We also never got to see what came of it at uni or how it was doing business-wise.

I hated, and I mean hated, all of the friendships except Sand and Nick’s. Other than referring to each other as friends, the four friends’ relationships lacked substance and were equally disconnected and unhinged.

Mew and Boston never felt like close friends, only that they had a mutual friend; Namchueam. Mew and Boston, even before Boston screwed up, never supported or cared about each other and were complete opposites in all aspects. They also looked down on each other. Mew and Ray’s friendship suffered when it was tainted by Ray’s one-sided crush on Mew. Making it impossible for them to spend quality time together without Mew unintentionally leading Ray on. Mew and Namchueam have a sibling-like relationship but the turn-off is Namchueam constantly pushes Mew into Top’s arms. I did not like her for that. Firstly because Mew was someone who had been protecting his virginity and relationship status until his third year in uni. Secondly, Top was a stranger and a player at that. Even if Mew was my enemy, I wouldn’t want his first relationship to be with a player no matter how handsome or rich said player is. It was just asking for trouble.

Ray and Boston aren’t close either though we learn that Boston would occasionally drive and take care of Ray when he drank himself drunk. Ray and Namchueam have an unbalanced relationship that isn’t built on trust but on Namchueam fancying Ray’s wealth. Except for Mew, at one point, no one bothered to help or improve Ray’s drinking, depression, and drug usage. The only time Namchueam made any attempt was when Mew was dragged into it. In other words, their lives outside of uni and the hostel don’t blend, affect, and matter to one another; it’s like watching three series in one.

I feel Mew and Namchueam are THE friends while Ray and Boston merely tagged along because they’re too rich to work, go to school, and had nothing better to do that didn't involve clubbing and partying.

Every time First is on screen, he’s always got my full attention as Sand is frankly likable and relatable. His characters’ backstories, interests, and hobbies stayed constant and he’s one of the few characters whose actions spoke louder than words. I like that he never told Sun that he’s his son. Yes, it’s sad that they might have missed out on a beautiful father-son relationship, but that was the reason Sand and his mother are best friends. Also, Boeing being Sand’s ex blindsided me. I completely forgot he had an ex who dumped him for Top. :/ And not Boeing dropping in the last three episodes just to kiss Mew, and make out with First, Ray, and Neo. Only Friends world is TINY

When a series is character-driven but most of them are unlikable, it makes it hard to power through. And it’s not even because of their toxic traits. Rather than ForceBook’s acting abilities, I think it was ForceBook themselves I couldn’t buy as TopMew. I have no expectations of TopMew but Force’s voice is too soft and although Mew acted with his life, his cute/pretty face isn’t intimidating. It might just be a me problem. It wasn't that they didn’t work but their real personalities softened the supposedly serious and intense mood of the series.
And precious Neo was struggling with Boston’s hardcore character. Instead of getting the sense that Boston was starting to care, he simply became depressed and moped around. I don’t understand his sudden sadness for losing his friends when they were never close and he didn’t attempt to rebuild bridges either until Namchueam invited him to the New Year get-together.

Also, is it me or Neo wasn’t comfortable on rollerblades? His legs were shaky and he had to correct his balance a few times.

Luckily I watched episodes 1-9 as they were released each week before binging 10-12. Had I tried to binge the whole series I would have called it quits before I hit episode 6. And that would have been a bummer because Khaotung and Book’s performances in episode 6 were outstanding. Overall, this BL wasn’t for me, and personally, it’s a 5 out of 10 but I’m raising it to a 7.5 because although it's not my cup of tea, the majority enjoy it and I wouldn’t want to deter others from possibly checking and loving this series. Despite my take, it was still a well-done series.

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Excellent crime drama with suspense and thrilling. Highly recommended.

I usually don't watch much drama from Taiwan, but Copycat Killer is one of the best crime dramas I have seen. It's much better than crime dramas that come out of China.

It is short, only 10 episodes long, with 60 minutes per episode that you can binge-watch in 2-3 days. It was suspenseful and thrilling, and I didn't expect the killer to be someone else, and the person who played the killer did a very good job.

The only thing I didn't like was that in each episode, a woman got killed; not to spoil the ending, but his ex-girlfriend got killed, and Guo Jian went ballistic. The killer was narcissistic and crazy; he still wanted the camera to be on him even to his death.

The acting is good for the entire ensemble. Highly recommend this drama, and I give it an 8.5 rating. The production quality was good with realistic facial colors, and everyone was painted white like dramas come from China.

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Had to watch twice to digest.

The first time i watched this I was really expecting a love story, so i was let down rapidly from the first episode.

You know? I really loved Hira's character, not only because how well played we was by the actor, but because i kinda feel him in some ways too. I feel like im just as much of a misfit as he does and i want to be just as invisible as he wants, so him being bossed around and straight up bullied made me feel an intense pity for him.

I wanted him to end with the other guy. The guy who helped him when he needed, the guy who told him not to apologise properly, a guy who genuinely cared for him. But i had to watch this show twice to understand that that's not what Hira wanted.

Even with how toxic their dynamic is, Hira and Kiyoi seem to be perfect fot each other, and they're happy too, so whatever. It's a show anyway.

It is pretty interesting to watch, outside the real life parameters of healthy relationship I recommend. I'm just concerned with the many people that truly believe this is a beautiful love story.

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I'm giving it an '8', but I didn't like it.

I'm torn on this one. It's well-written, exquisitely filmed, well-directed and pretty much excellent in every technical way.

I usually defend shorter works, but in this case, it's too short for the material it covered. Not plot-wise - all the story arcs conclude and while I wouldn't say it's a blissfully happy ending, it is realistic and convincing. It's in the emotions. It's bleak for too long with an awful person dominating the story, and there's only 3 minutes of relief.

I may be missing something, but I didn't see how the two stories were connected or how they complimented each other - it felt like two entirely different stories stapled together, and while the color grading and other skillful 'tricks' made it very clear what were flashbacks, the jumping around made the story feel even more disjointed.

And because there is rarely any context to what's going on, it's hard to figure out. Why were Archie and Kelvin at a high school at the end of the series? My guess was that Archie now teaches there and Kelvin found out and went there to find him, but then he was surprised that Archie had been there, which was just confusing. I may have all that totally wrong, but that would only amplify my point.

Anyway, I understand this is being made into a long series, which would be welcome if it's the same production crew, but I hope they find a better way to handle Archie & Kelvin's story than have a horrible, evil female character that sucks the desire to watch this out of me. It could be more nuanced with societal and family pressures driving Kelvin's decisions - making him get trapped and have no choice just makes him pathetic, and if I were Archie I wouldn't touch him with a 100' pole - he brutally dumped me once for her, why should I believe he won't do it again?

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Good series

I enjoyed this series. It was a bit slow and redundant in a few places but it got really interesting later into it. I liked the main characters and watched it mainly to see Deng Wei whom I really like his acting. Dylan Wang was great too. This has some good twists and turns to the storyline. I would recommend it too. I also like the girl who played the little bird character as she was very interesting in her role. I think Deng is getting some challenging roles after see him in Lost You Forever. This role was equally challenging as he was really quite different. I liked all the people chosen for these roles. Well acted in general.

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Half-boiled plot Hard-boiled fun

Double is at it's best when the Narumi Detective Office is solving problems around the city of Futo. Monster of the week really works for the premise if you're into that. The writers have captured the feel of a small town really well using reccuring characters and a fun, and memorable supporting cast. Despite saying that, the latter half of the series' more serious plot is arguably the weakest part of the show in my opinion. Regardless the series remains good throughout it's run, I was sad to be leaving Futo when it was all over.
Give it a try if you like the sound of that, or if you just think Double's suit is cool. You won't be dissapointed.

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A Good Drama that with some flaws

Start-Up is a a really interest drama that across the board that plays well into the concept of start up tech companies and the different troubles and trials that they face, that special unique concept was enough for me to start up this drama. It starts off pretty well with the drama moving along the story pretty well at a good pace but quite a few issues arise in the middle of the drama which really hamper the overall story of the drama.

The very first episode does a great job in establishing the entire drama's main cast backstories like Dal Mi, In Jae, Do San, and Ji Pyung which allows you to get to know each character's personally. The following first few episodes do a great job in building upon those characters while introducing new characters. However the drama suffers from a really bad midseason slump where some episodes seem to drag on and some characters make some quite annoying decisions. However the show is able to regain its focus in the last two episodes which help put things back together which finish off the drama in a good way.

The two main characters, Dal Mi and Do San were portrayed perfectly by Suzy and Nam Joo Hyuk, with Nam Joo Hyuk putting on an absolutely fantastic performance, probably one of the best performances I have seen from a male lead ever. However Ji Pyung's character despite how much the drama tries to make the viewer sympathize with him, all the actions and the way he acts comes off completely sociopathic some times. Han Na plays a perfect ice cold business woman with her character In Jae, with her character growing immensely at the end, its a shame the drama didn't have more scenes with In Jae. The rest of the cast was great with the Samsan Tech crew all being portrayed perfectly. Also I very special mention for Kim Hae Sook, she did a perfect job with her portrayal of her character's disability, as someone who also has a grandmother who has lost a good portion of her eyesight, the portrayal was spot on.

The cinematography was great, the production did really fantastic job all around with the presentation of the drama. The locations were perfect and felt just right for the story. The soundtrack itself was great with the theme song being easily one of the best drama theme songs ever in my opinion. Future by Red Velvet was a fantastic song and the rest of the OST was great as well.

Overall, a good drama that I would recommend people to watch but warn about the midseason slump.

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