Reviews

Honestly the story was pretty dragged out, and there was basically no change from episode 1 to episode 11 for ourain couple. They just lied and kept secrets from eachother for basically no reason, while having great sex. That's it, that's the plot.
The a ting was surprisingly decent, and I have a feeling the cast did what they could with a mediocre story. The two leads were a little stupid, and bad communicators in general, but it was believable I guess, and their chemistry was nice.
But one very notable plus for me is during the leads first real sex scene, they quickly confirm they are sober, making sober decisions, and consenting. Then in the next clip on the bed we again reaffirm that at any point our protagonist can withdraw consent if his fiance does something our lead doesn't want. Just consent, and respect for your partner when you are both quite vulnerable. The bare minimum but basically a unicorn in most BLs, so I appreciate that they added that in. Even if they didn't trust eachother and had some really shitty behavior, they at least respected boundaries.
The music was really quite good, and the musician plot really allowed some really lovely sounding music. Of course is it even a Thai BL if hald the cast aren't engineering students? I really didn't care about the second lead couple, but the third couple were kind of cute.

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wow... i've found another overwhelmed epic love story

Firstly, it's a bit slow pace story, but it keep me interested to follow the story, they all got strong characters and good script, i got some laugh too,
even yuan shanjian got my interest which i don't really like his cynical arguing way at first, but then i find him so innocently cute in arguing to get niao niao attention and whenever he fed up with those loveydovey couple ..
yeah there's many arguing, hatred yell like a soap drama which making me headache, even FL character's giving me headaches, but i can hold my ground whenever there's ling bu yi scenes..
what's get to me for the story of this drama is that niao niao can do any tricks to avenge people who treat her badly, and ling bu yi will always there to protect her, those scenes always give heart in my eyes ..

the story is so relatable for relationship i wish to have myself, understanding and accepting each other as it is, ling bu yi's struggle to get niao niao's love and have her by his side always fluttering my heart, but sorry imho i'm not a fan of the FL character which always in calculation love until the end of story..
although the main story of this drama about the tragic story for ling bu yi to get the revenge for huo's clan massacre, which actually i always avoiding to watch for such tragic drama,
but in here it's really overwhelming me, the philosophy, the rules somehow twisted as what i really love to watch from a drama,
it's funny yet timid, it's fluttering yet restricting, it's witty yet innocently put, and... it's happy ending ..
it's a bit shock for me to find such script from China drama for their historical genre, mostly i found it a sad or tragic ending for historical genre that's why i'm generally not really into this genre, my heart couldn't take any more tragic story for my own health.

I don't really get to understand the plot story first time watching this drama, so i rewatch the drama then i got the whole picture understanding the story better (this is my weak point whenever watching China drama, they've got so many hidden agenda, than Korean drama, which is why my mind always rest easily watching any Korean drama than China drama)
first look for ling bu yi character's got me thinking what's his stare about, why his eyes always looks so intense, i'm not really into that kind of character, i thought he'll be a timid and intimidating type,
but now i can see his affections, love, care, protecting thoughts, and his struggle to get the one he wants in his eyes, and from then on my eyes only looking for ling bu yi scenes..

what's amaze me that i'm following Leo Wu's dramas but i didn't notice his character mostly until this drama, i even dropped the one which Zhao Lu Si in it..

unfortunately the soundtracks not really supporting the dramas in my opinion, i usually love listening to the song which depicting the love story of the drama,
one song come to my mind for this drama,
"Dandelions by Ruth B",
" 'Cause I'm in a field of dandelions
Wishing on every one that you'll be mine, mine
And I see forever in your eyes,
I feel okay, when I see you smile, smile.."
ahahah just my own thoughts for depicting the whole drama about..

Overall, this is my all time rewatch story whenever i want my heart overwhelmed with fluttery heart, and just want to drawn in ling bu yi eyes.

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Frustrating.

Absolutely so so so frustrating, Rosa being in this drama didn't make sense at all, what was the point of that extra drama for no reason? At first I would say this was amazing and I really would recommend watching but it only went downhill from there. I also didn't like magnet couples fight (Jimin and Haneul), it felt pointless for them to be together in the end after the way Jimin treated him, it wasn't very realistic for them to get back together. The main romance didn't need to take that long to happen as well it was overall just so frustrating to watch. Mokjin and Yeong as a couple was so so good they were the least frustrating to watch. Female lead sort of drives me nuts at times but less than some dramas I've watched. I loved the male lead in this, Jaehyun did an amazing job as someone who didn't care too much for him before. As much as I liked him as a character Ban Yidam felt a bit pointless to be in this drama, I thought he was gonna end up being bad because I kept getting a suspicious vibe from him but he was fine, but there really was no point for him to suddenly be introduced, especially cause he didn't end up being Dear.m. I think the ending didn't wrap up very nice and I would've liked Jooah and Minho as a couple for more episodes as it felt very very very forced by the last episode. To be honest it might not be everyones style but if you like the teen type web dramas you might like this but it does start getting frustrating very fast and a bit boring so it was quite hard to watch but just the friendship part of it I liked it.

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A drama that you do not want to miss (2022)

I've been a k-drama die hard fan since 2015, and I took a couple months break. This drama was the one that got me back to the circle. I wanted to watch 2521, but I remember everyone was heartbroken by watching it, so I found an alternative, which is Love All Play, and I don't regret watching it.

Love All Play is a drama that is sweet, and not draggy. The couple is also very cute and straight-forward. The only thing that is kind of off is the FL expressions, which can sometimes come off as a bit flat and miss (?), but other than that, everything's perfect. I feel like the ML's actor will be the next Nam Joo Hyuk, I get the same vibes from him for some reason (idk maybe his character reminds me of ML in Kim Bok Joo)

Overall, this drama should've been hyped more, probably 2521 was so successful and it came out in the same year, and everyone says they're both similar. Plus I don't think this drama is considered a "melodrama" genre. Maybe counts as a rom-com more.. This is the drama for you if you love watching a light-hearted, straightforward drama.

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Well, I binged the whole thing in a day, so I think that's a good indication of how much I liked it. I'm not sure how objectively good it is but it was certainly entertaining. It's pretty different from anything else I've watched recently (or tbh in general). Have you watched The School Nurse Files? If so, you might relate to my difficulty in putting into words what this show is like, because it has a similar off-kilter vibe to it. The main duo are absolutely great in this show. They're just so... weird. Like really weird. They laugh maniacally together, it's their favorite thing. They're two strange, damaged people who fit together really well. The actors have good chemistry and their scenes are all great. I liked their two father figures, and while the Big Bad is extra AF he is entertaining to watch. Given the short length (30 min episodes, 8 ep total) the plot certainly keeps moving along but doesn't feel too rushed. I almost wish the episodes were longer but that's just cause I enjoyed spending time with these characters, not because I feel like they skipped over stuff. Don't get me wrong, the show is bonkers (I mean, its main character is a girl who was trained to be an assassin since she was a kid, you can't get hung up on how 'realistic' that is) but it all works. The first several episodes set up the characters and their relationships really well, which makes you invested when the more action-heavy parts at the end happened. There are some humorous parts of the show, which are "black comedy" perhaps? I'm not familiar enough with it to say. But I think the show is plenty aware of how bonkers it is. It's hard to know how to recommend it. I guess if the premise of "high school assassin trying to keep her identity under wraps while this crazy organization is trying to hunt her down" appeals to you and you enjoy action and weirdness then this show is for you. Oh btw it is R-rated, so keep that in mind.

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Season two wasn’t any better than season one. Again the entire story is so confusing and so dumb at the same time. Like this entire show was like 60 episodes and wasn’t worth any of my time.

To start off, the beginning was really boring, with a weak female lead, and there’s this rule in the heavens that you cannot fall in love, however the entire point of the show is to fall in love. The story gets more and more confusing as you watch more, like there’s too many things happening onece and several different things that we don’t even need.

The color scheme of the show is honestly awful. Everything is like light color, like looking from the back of the characters you probably can’t tell who is who, cause the hairstyle is literally the same for everyone.

The only reason people watch this show is for Cheng Yi and Yang Zi, don’t waste your time on this show, it’s not worth 60 episodes of your life, I should have dropped this show early. Way too long.

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This whole show was a mess, so this entire entire show so absurd and funny at the same time, with a bit of excitement when watching it. The cast was great, and you start liking the people who help Lu Xhen such as the Empress Dowager, however you start hating her after watching it, and start liking the princess, Xiao Huanyun more. To be honest Xuanyun is a very good person in my opioion.

The entire show was also a ruckus. The only reason why Lu Zhen became a court official was to prove her innocence and get revenge on her dad, however she became a maid and slowly climber up a ladder, so she literally gets revenge near episodes 40, and it literally takes her like 20 minutes to get revenge and it’s over. Like girl you already got your revenge and that’s the only reason why you even entered the palace. But still choosing to stay in the palace, causing even more chaos.

I would really like to complain about the costuming. The colors to the outfit, like different level of court officials wear specific colors is very helpful, however the clothing itself needs an upgrade, and don’t even get me started with the hairstyles, the so called “chopsticks” in their hair. Lol

Now the part that gets me really mad on the show, is literally everyone in the show dies. Like whether their good or bad, literally most of the support leads and main leads die. Like wow, the king and queen die, then empress dowager dies, all the people that we hated in the show dies, like goodness gracious we go through all this trouble and Lu Zhen and Gao Zhan still couldn’t even end up together. Like the show would have been way simpler if the king and queen didn’t die.

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Just way too much of everything

So my first thought was about what kind of messed up society Korea must be that they made a drama like this??? A lot of K-dramas seem to insert some type of social commentary here and there but this show brought down the house with it. I get it. From what I understand, the lack of any meaningful laws against juvenile crimes is a serious problem over there. But the problem is that the writer and/or director took everything to such an extreme, you basically get numb to it all.

Here are some of my thoughts after finishing it. Mainly about the main character, really.

1. Main character should be likable or at least relatable. They failed at this completely. Kim Hye Su is basically an emotionless robot who’s not afraid to proclaim her hatred for juvenile criminals.

2. Can’t comment on Korean justice system but based on the show, it’s pretty loose. Anything and everything is basically allowed.

3. The main character is a judge except that she also investigates, chases people down to arrest them all night and shows up to work early. She goes to creepy parts of the city at night looking for bad guys alone. She has no fear and she physically recovers like she’s an anime character. Toward the end of the series, she gets a serious beating and stabbed in her arm. Instead of going to an ER, she somehow goes back to her office to confront her boss… with blood gushing from her arm and all. What’s funny is that her boss actually tries to patch her up without calling an ambulance. I don’t think she eats, either. Can’t make this up.

4. Not only she’s a judge, she’s always right. In fact, she is so right, part of her MO is to make her superiors kneel and admit that she was right all along.

5. The last episode was so nuts. You need to watch to believe it.

6. The way Korean and its people are being portrayed in K-dramas, how accurate is it? It’s not flattering how violent and shallow normal everyday people are in these show.

7. It’s as if every scene, every conversation and situation was designed to hammer us with lessons and overwhelm us with emotions. Its just too much. Let the viewers read between the lines and give us some room to breathe and feel. We’re not idiots. We just need a nudge. Constant onslaught of what I should learn and how i should feel completely failed to connect with me.

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Underrated

hehe... why i said underrated because the 2 lead role not giving a chance to be together from the start of the series till the end is not about their love life its about revenge and im looking forward for their love story, i mean they should focus how the guy like the girl and same as the girl how he like the guy

anyway joss is so hot im so inlove with him... hoping for more series for him
and luke i think here is the newbie he is still young but still handsome

i wish joss could do some romantic drama more and gosh he is sososos hot and i just love watching him naked haha... peace but the series is wholesome but its more on revenge...

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Tragic At All Levels

Be prepared, this is a tragic story that is gut wrenching. I heard it was released as a web series, the actors and actresses were unknown at the time and it became a surprise hit. They spent a large portion of the budget on the cinematography, production, costumes, and settings . The beginning scenes with the princess in her red wedding garb and her red scarf flowing in the wind was beautiful. The settings and costumes that reflect the Eastern Palace were beautifully done and stood in contrast to the princess's home land. Also the OST was unique and on point for some of the scenes.

The ML is a complex and morally challenged character, he doesn't go around killing for the fun of it but he will be ruthless if necessary to consolidate his power to become the Crown Prince and to survive. He's ruthless to the point where he doesn't truly understand the pain he inflicts on his "true love". He sees she is in pain and he desperately wants her to love him but he doesn't have a full comprehension of why she cannot be with him. He is so obsessed with her he pushes things to a point where he hurts all the people around the FL and traps her.

The acting is decent, the ML overacts in some of the scenes which may cause a little bit of an eye roll. He does manage to pull it off, your jaw may drop with his villainous behavior but the writer and director layer and provide some depth to the character where you feel some level of emotion for the tragic love or whatever you want to call it between the ML and FL. The FL is supposed to be naïve and not too bright, she's kind and likeable enough that it solicits some level of empathy for her situation. I felt the FL did a better job acting than the ML. They did have good chemistry, enough to believe in their on screen attraction for each other.

Some parts did drag on which required fast forwarding, they could have easily removed some of those filler parts to tighten the storyline.

Overall its a wickedly twisted tragic story that is beautifully told.

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I never can say goodbye...CLOY...

So, what is it about CLOY that make it so successful?

1. Strong female lead that saves the man a few times! And is a successful & rich businesswoman.
2. Each episode it 1 hour and 30 minutes long which is great for story development.
3. Middle-aged leads. We like romance too! Doesn't hurt that both were single in real life and ended up marrying each other after this!
4. The North/South Divide is real. Giving rise to really imaginative stories like this one. Unique geographical /political situation
5.The characters. They are all so endearing and plentiful! You really end up caring about them and CLOY wouldn't be the same without them.

Where does it fail?

1. Second half. It gradually descends into Makjang without the comedy, getting more ridiculous with the fate coincidences!
2. Second couple feel forced at first. But I must admit the end of their love story made me cry!
3. Hyun Bin acting: tough guy one minute... stroppy teenager the next.
4. Second half filler. It suffers from the dreaded 16 episode K drama stretch, leading to symptoms of unnecessary flashbacks, advertising plug-ins & easter eggs!
5. Mobile phone disparity. How does the son of the general director not have a mobile in North Korea (and has to record a year's worth of messages) whereas a recently imprisoned fortune teller has one?

This was my very first Kdrama that kicked off my addiction. It was a revelation as I had never seen anything so romantic in my life! This has been my 3rd watch and as always, a pleasure. I notice things that I have never saw before, as there are so many details!
CLOY has an extremely strong start. The first episode is total perfection! Everything set in the first half in North Korea is genius but as soon as everyone crosses the demarcation line it starts grabbing at straws. The music is iconic and I really like some of it, just not classical, it's not my cup of tea. Son Ye-jin's acting is excellent, she is a really good comedic actress. I'm not really keen on the ending as it's left vague, but given there are photos up it must be a place she bought, I doubt she left her business behind to live in 'Swiss' alone, and the only way he could leave North Korea for good is if his parents died and he found another tunnel. And what if she/ he wanted kids? They would all get pretty frustrated!!!
Huffy Puffy!

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Part 1 and Part 2 (updated)

Part 1: Payu and Rain
I have been waiting for this series to come out, and I'm thrilled to say my time was not wasted. MAME has delivered another hit as we've come to expect at this point. The scenery is as gorgeous as our young actors. This production company has a true talent for finding actors who have never been in a series but still deliver work as though they were seasoned actors. Boss and Noeul have amazing chemistry (both on and off screen I might add) and delivered in both the sweet and spicy areas. When you get to EP 4 you might hold your breath, but EP 6 might have you calling emergency services. Though I am saddened that part one of the series is complete, I am looking forward to seeing Fort and Pete light it up in part 2.

Part 2: Pai and Sky
Only the final series episode left before the special episode airs, so I feel comfortable writing my update. The storyline is still good. The music is still good, but the chemistry is a little off. I know given off-screen circumstances, it's unfair to expect FortPete to measure up to BossNouell, but even still it falls slightly flat for me. I will say, Fort is a beautiful crier and pulled heavily at my heart strings. On the other hand, Pete is a fantastic sulker, but not a great crier. They did seem to work well together in their NC-17 scenes, but the "red scenes" were a bit off-putting. That being said, I still love the series and recommend it for all BL fans.

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good production value and acting, but not a fan of the main character

Overall: the production value and acting was great but I actively disliked Mamoru's character and might be judging more harshly than normal as I was in this type of relationship (low self esteem/affect/morose and happy go lucky) and it was terrible. Aired on Viki.

Content Warnings: manhandling, non con photo taking/posting, unwanted outing, homophobia, punch

What I Liked
- funny moments like after Mamoru and his friend/fan ate
- the editing/animation references its manga origin
- Mamoru was set up well
- Issei's backstory for the constant smiling
- Mamoru's female friend/fan
- production value*

Room For Improvement
- really terrible communication especially from Mamoru, but Issei definitely should have talked to Mamoru before he said what he said on the stage
- never saw a reason for Mamoru's moroseness (and drawing nsfw stuff in high school and being (understandably) made fun of for it does not count), and there was a lack of character growth
- non reason in episode 7 and then sudden switch in episode 8
- the false idea that love can cure mental health struggles (been there, tried that, it was awful)
- Issei was at the end of the line, then vanished but later had the book???
- stereotypical character at the convention
-*too much spinning camera work end

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Sweet Romance without the overdone angst

I loved this short sweet romance series! Plenty of chemistry between the leads especially in the build up. As others have mentioned theres plenty of kdrama cliches, but it’s done with taste and minus the angst and silly misunderstandings that usually come when they introduce rivals and exes. The townspeople & supprting cast are fun and nicely round out the drama. A great one to watch if you need something short and light and full of happiness! Sometimes, the latest dramas are heavy and intense, and it’s nice to have something on the rewatch list when you need a break from all that.

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