Reviews

Im glad I put aside my initial bias to give this drama a chance

I felt very uneasy watching this drama, but I know its supposed to be that way and part of me is glad that I set aside my hesitation to watch this drama. There is daddy and mommy issues all up on this thing. On the surface you see attraction between the male leads with a significant age gap among other taboos that is pretty messed up. Its hard to swallow. Its disturbing. But I put that aside in this case because this drama isnt about romance at all. If we were to follow the metaphor layed out, there is no doubt here. The leads would never be together. But underneath that it goes beyond the individual but the ideologies that Wang and In represents. You have these two very different people of differing generations sharing the same trauma. You watch as Wang and In get entangled in philosophical questioning. They lay out their statements and pick apart each other's arguments challenging each other's words. For Wang, he wholeheartedly fights without hesitation. He has conviction and passion and stands by his beliefs. He gets frustrated and angry and doesnt understand why loving a man is an issue. He wants to travel beyond his resting coordinates. Above all, he holds his truth and embodies it and lets the world see it. There is a beautiful scene that stuck out to me in the drama where Wang reaches out his hand over In's heart trying to will that belief into him. He so badly wants In to adopt his worldview, to accept his feelings and his identity . To me, I see this as Wang represented by his generation trying so hard to convince the prior generation to change. Wang gives the world he inhereted from his father to In. The globe now in his care, its up to In to decide on how to proceed forward. He responds to Wang by encouraging him to stick with his beliefs, follow his instincts, and use his talents for good.

In's perspective is filled with trauma. His sees the world differently and explaining this here would be a big spoiler, so to put it simply you learn to understand why each character make their choices. In cant move on from the past and Wang accepts this. If In adopted this worldview earlier on. If society wasnt so messed up back then. If he felt safe enough to express his love for another man in the past, he wouldve led a happy life with the love of his life. If that happened, Wang probably wouldnt have been born. His existence came out of his In's heartbreak and his parent's broken relationships. The age gap has a purpose here. I dont think the messaging here is to accept the age gap which is why in this case Im putting that aside. It never comes to fruition. Its in the name of the title. They discuss parallel lines never meeting. The messaging is to examine the victims of this messed up society. That if we hold onto the past and if we dont let go of those ideologies, it hurts people. Therefore if we follow this metaphor... Wang accepts the failure. He is unable to convince the prior generation to adopt his worldview but it isnt defeat. After all given his age, time is on his side. His generation and the following will craft the future in the hopes that they can show them all what a better world could look like. An optimistic perspective for a very pessimistic outlook in that things might not change but at least its worth trying.

The acting in this is phenomenal. Im really looking forward to watching more from these actors. The drama is slow moving and introspective which might not be for everyone. But, overall I liked what i saw. The cinematography is gorgeous. Considering that In is an architect, the set design is very intentional. His house is very refelective of him to the smallest detail. Wide open windows to the isolated woods he lives in. Even the Rectangular and square geometric shapes in the background including glassware and lampshades. He is living in the safety of his own box scared to wander outside of it. The drama makes use of his room divider that mimics bars of a cell. The muted gray earthtone colors for his cave...the list goes on. Very well done but I would probably not rewatch it. Lol. Its very uncomfortable to watch the first time around and quite sad at the end. Anyway a solid drama for me that is unlike any other BL I have ever watched.

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Love is not for suckers. Not when it's done well. Which this is not.

A reality show within a scripted show is a potential goldmine of craziness, scandalous behavior, unexpected betrayals, unlikely alliances and revealing both physical parts and intangible sides to the cast. And “Love is for Suckers” when it peels itself away from the generic main-character-romance drama, acquits itself rather well. “Rather” though is an important qualification because there’s some frustratingly obvious ways that this production could have been a memorable one.

The main issue is how the storyline and tone are balanced. It’s very much a show centered on the two main characters - Lee Da Hee’s reality show producer Yu Reum and Choi Si Won’s neurologist/reality show participant Jae Hoon. They’re best friends and neighbors that, of course, have the occasional surfacing of romantic tension that’s been blocked by Jae Hoon’s all-encompassing job and Yu Reum’s previous serious relationships.

They end up on opposite sides of the camera in a reality dating show with Jae Hoon expected to romance one of the female cast members and Yu Reum expected to make compelling reality television. That both of these don’t sync up with a potential girlfriend-boyfriend relationship between the two main characters is the primary narrative. It’s not altogether unentertaining but how it unfolds ultimately is unfulfilling.

Chief among them is that Choi Si Won is a natural at light and comic and boisterous, but is out of his depth with a more serious role. And there’s a good stretch focused on the character’s tortured past that he hasn’t moved past and it’s not a convincing portrayal.

It’s also a hard sell that Yu Reum is a diligent worker, an ally to her colleagues, stands up and takes responsibility when she makes a mistake, is honest and kind, a respectful daughter, fearless in the face of danger, able to eat spicy food, etc. but is somehow struggling at both work and her personal life. Together, the two are just not a lot of fun, don’t really seem to match each other at all and neither is sympathetic enough that the melodrama lands emotionally.

Meanwhile, there’s some tremendous characters beyond the main two. Jo Soo Hyang is electric as Yu Reum’s superior Kang Chae Ri. She’s a modern, unapologetic, strong female that is flawed and damaged and reckless that is both maddening and endearing. Park Yeon Woo also hits all the right notes as an insecure celebrity chef. Lee Juyeon’s Han Ji Yun is a more one dimensional character as the art professor pining for Jae Hoon’s attention, but it’s a warm and touching performance. As is the married and co-restauranteurs couple played by Min Jin Woong and Noh Susanna hoping to conceive. But each part of this ensemble gets short screentime so that Jae Hoon can break out a head-tilted pouty face at an unendingly despondent Yu Reum about a dozen times per episode. Had the whole thing been reengineered to spread the spotlight around more and tilt the main pair’s romance to a lighter, more comedic style, perhaps that would have really pulled in an audience.

Other minor complaints - Lee Dae Hwi’s Sang Woo is a bland character that rarely is necessary to advance any narrative, whether primary or secondary, forward and the performance is uncomfortably stilted. There’s a smattering of subplots between the reality show cast members and some of them are well-acted and show promise, but as soon as one episode sets up a potentially compelling direction, it will be forgotten and ignored thereafter. An eating disorder? Appears and vanishes. A mental illness? Forgotten once it triggers a laughably poor cliffhanger at the end of an episode.

And a minor detail, but impossible to miss - Lee Da Hee was styled and wardrobed to near perfection in her most notable recent work “Search: WWW” and the contrast with how poorly she is outfitted on this show is gargantuan.

“Love is for Suckers” has some nice pieces but they don’t fit together very well. Not really recommended.

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Ok, so this review is 3 months overdue... but nonetheless here we go! Finished it! Loved it!!!! Really wish I would've held out for the last 6 episodes though. There's something about watching as it aired that made it so much better!

In anycase big congratulations to our Director Fei and the cinematographer who slayed the shit out of this drama!!!!!!! Never have I seen scenes so well crafted and executed in action sequences and dark shots that looked so bright executed with ease and such style! Bravo ????????

Zhao Lusi what can I say... Baby girl you are a STAR!!!!! Lusi was born to play Cheng Shaoshang, no one else could've done half the job she did. Not Bai Lu, not Dilabra (oh and I love these 2 btw), NO ONE! I felt the innocence, pain, the wanting to be loved, the comedic moments, anger and vengefulness all because Lusi is excellent in her craft! I've been a fan since I hear you and will be a fan for the rest of my life! Please take a bow, you deserve it!

Wu Lei, Leo Wu. I am in awe of him. His performance was a performance of a lifetime!!!! I don't know what dark place he had to go to bring this about, but he did and he did so so well. Leo Wu is in league of his own and needs more recognition!!!! My boy even did is own stunts!!!!! Zisheng as a character is one I'll Revere for the rest of my life as I do Vincenzo. The pain, anguish, cunningness, ruthlessness, yet love, understanding, loyalty this character portrayed will forever remain in my heart. He's flawed, he's broken yet he found love, hope and family amongst the madness. This came across so well because Leo made it so. Sir, please also take a bow, just Wow!

Every single character of the drama was important to the story being told. The entire cast of Love like the Galaxy really was casted with a special eye and the actors acted like their lives depended on it but was done with such ease and finesse. Their performances was phenomenal!!! From the loveliest Empresses to shipper Wendy to Take no crap Consort Yue to guilt ridden mom to nosy Yuan Shannian, to I got your back without any questions Qiqi, to I'll die for you A'Qi and A'Fei every single character made you feel something whether it was love or hate. Every single character we saw was necessary and made the story enjoyable.

I'm going to miss this thread, it's been a pleasure ::far away hugs::! Side note... I just want to say how much I enjoyed watching this drama as it aired. The wait each day felt like forever nut the 3 day wait during the weekends felt like an eternity ???. It was so nice to be able come here to commiserate, swoon over characters, rage about Niao Niao's mom but also to read ideas, share theories and see spoliers ?. Being able to come to mdl really added to my joy of watching Love like the Galaxy that can't be duplicated!

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Good, but lacked character development, plot development, and production quality

The 2 stories were quite different, I personally prefer Prapai and Sky's story as there was more plot

Payu & Rain story was kind of flat I watched it to burn time. Its just about a couple getting together with some comedic scenes. I personally didn't like the characters in the story (not the actors, the actors are fine and they did a good job in their roles). The character development for Rain was poorly done, we barely know anything about him, he was also way too innocent, to the point where it felt he was fake. Payu's character development was better, but I did not like Payu at the beginning because he was basically gaslighting Rain. Overall the story was okay for me. Not something that I would rewatch. There is too many cringe moment for me (i don't like it when characters are dumb to the point of no return)

Prapai & Sky story has a bit more plot and is touches on a darker topic. I honestly love Sky's character, though I did wish he'd stayed sassy in front of Prapai instead of always being pouty and shy in ep 9-11. As for Prapai's character, I didn't like him at the beginning when he first met Sky at the street race. But ep 9 and forward changed my mind, he was the sweetest and most caring person. One of the problem I have with this story is the ending. It was way too rushed. They should've added another episode for the recovery process (trying not to spoil the story). And also the sound quality of this story was poorly done. Did they run out of budget? lol

In conclusion all the actors did an amazing job in playing their character. The problems only lies in the character development, plot development, and production

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Fairy-tale like with Realism

My first review ever I wanted to write on MDL because of this drama.

Genre of Youth’s struggle to adulthood, facing challenges in life, facing consequences, doing the right thing, learning to express emotions, IT programming field, parenting, growth, relationships difficulty, facing adversity, kindness of others, genius and flaws, acceptance, etc

The first act focus on developing the background of a few main characters, quite well balanced and not over the top. Youthful struggles and developing friendships and relationships. Trust, faith and dreams. Captivating and realistic character building for phase. You can understand the ML’s aloofness and the FL being giving the label of ‘Princess’. Story well edited.
The characters are consistent and can see their growth to adulthood.
Second act - adult phase shown more of characters picking up what they have loss and reconciling their past to acceptance. Building trust in each other, believing in each other and growth. Some very nice supporting characters were absolutely too perfect like FL’s childhood friends. The ML’s misfortune and stubbornness was acceptable and instead as a flaw, it was narrated more of resilience, perseverance and strengths. ML is not heartless just poor in navigating his emotions and losses in life. Hence the FL is his savior.
And the villains were not all bad in their core except for one. Driven by circumstances and bad choices, all have some bad things happened to them, to allow them to learn their lessons. Of course happy ending.
So hence the fairy tale sweetness.

The actors and actresses also all portray their roles well. Deserved many thumbs up! Sweetness but not too over the top, overall a down to earth presentation.

Worth a re-watch and review the small details designed by the team and actors and actresses.

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A Cute BL with a couple of plot holes left unanswered that thankfully don't ruin the experience

Now, don't get me wrong, I really do like this series and it definitely has a lot going for it, though sometimes certain points we were left guessing at what happened and it was never fully explored.

The plot occasionally jumped to some strange locations or jumped to another couple in a completely unrelated scene, though in saying that it was fairly straight forwards and didn’t deviate too much from the usual BL storylines and certain plot points were abandoned as the series went along, as well as a few of the characters that you felt would be major sticking points, but in the end were inconsequential, popping up just for a moment, such as the Head Boy line.

The controlling nature of Ye Guang’s family was something that I’ve seen a lot in dramas, but they were even harsher than most, and the sudden reversal of opinion they had seemed a little too dramatic. I felt like if there were more episodes, we'd be able to see a more gradual understanding of Ye Guang's feelings and have a more natural shifting of how his parents would react to situations. You can't unlearn controlling behaviour just on a whim.

The acting I felt was nice and sincere, even if occasionally their reactions felt a little out of place. But I feel like the actors for the two major couples did a great job, I also had no problem with how the music was incorporated into the series, even if sometimes i could be a little bit of a distraction to the scene, but it didn't harm my viewing experience at all.

Overall, I think this is a cute BL, but it could have done with a couple more episodes to allow time to explore some of the dropped plot points, but the acting help cover up some of these problems. Hopefully there could be another season or maybe a couple of extra episodes that go into these plots, such as if Xi Qizhang makes it to be head boy and onto Berkeley and if their relationship could survive such an adventure.

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Bite size rom-com worthy of a binge

There is not a lot to be said about this drama. It is only 4 episodes long but to be fair, it is better than some shows of similar length which tries to jam too much into too short a runtime or too introspective resulting in much ado about nothing. It actually feels like a regular drama that has been parred back to the fundamentals. Obviously, there is not a lot of time to expand on some of the plots, but the core values are there. It managed to cover quite a range of topics that is relevant to the main plot.

Speaking of the main plot, it is all about the love line between the leads. It is sweet and swoon worthy for the most part. There is not a lot of skinship but there is enough towards the end to be counted as fan service.

Acting is good in general. The child actors are cute without being cloying. Their plots are just short of tear-jerking which is a nice balancing act. The FL is very much in her element and she delivered a solid performance. On the other hand, it is nice to see the ML in a lead role. He has been largely type casted in support roles and more often than not, a SML of dubious character. It was interesting that his role here is so loving and caring. It is almost as if his management company deliberately engineered this role so that he can showcase his potentials as a romantic lead without having to first leap into a breakout role like a psycho killer. The clock is ticking when it comes a romantic role even for a male actor. ;)

Overall, it is an easy watch that ticked all the boxes. The short time investment makes binging/re-watching this show perfect for a rainy weekend.

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This was so ORIGINAL and DELIGHTFUL! Broke so many traditional BL molds and no toxic tropes or clichés. I didn't expect much some reviews but it breaks new ground in quiet ways. I wholeheartedly implore you to check it out. You won't be disappointed. It stays in your head long after. Having a lovely healthy woman as a friend and not a villain who actually has power to confront her friend....pluses there. No there are not steamy sex scenes....this is something different to savor. Also the use of manga style with live action and camera angles make for a fun viewing experience. It just creative BL whimsy. I am writing far more than I planned on cause they say it has to be a certain length.

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DO NOT trust the other reviews for real!

To be honest, I was afraid to watch the series after reading some reviews in here, it took me alot of time and courage to finally watch it and honestly? I DON'T REGRET AT ALL !!!
The drama is really beautiful and up to expectations! The story is catching and like with every two episodes there is something new and something more exciting than the beginning! The acting was good as well the boys really did great job each one of them delivered his character as it should be!
The seniors are great actors/actresses as well!
(Especially Teacher Jin ??❤️)
So, talking about the series, I would like to say that every plot twist is stronger than the one preceding it ! Especially towards the end !! Like I really didn't think about the last plot
twist, never in a million universes !!!!
I as an action/ thriller hardcore fan and with the mind of money could only figure out two out at least 10 plot twists in this series for real ??
Lastly, I would like to advise anyone who is going to watch this series TO NOT READ THE OTHER REVIEWS BECAUSE I SWEAR TO GOD THEY BE JUST PLAYING WITH YOUR MIND! The series is beautiful, the actions aren't boring! The plot twists are exciting and the acting will catch you! It has been ages since I watch a highschool drama and that gave me nostalgia to my highschool era ? except the fact that I didn't have a love story back then xdddd
Okay the love stories.... I honestly find them useless but that's my personal point of view because I am anti-romantic so that explains ??‍♀️
Blacklist is worth watching ✨

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The feel good series of 2022

You know how a series completely takes over your life that you end up impatiently waiting for new episodes to drop? That's what's happening to me with New Life Begins.

I commend the creators of this drama for giving us genuine female camaraderie where even prior enemies are given a chance for reconciliation. With such a great and varied ensemble cast, we have many heroines to root for and even more life lessons to take away. I love the friendship that developed between Li Wei and Yuan Ying and how they supported each other without ever bickering or being hateful. Same with the Solar ladies and even Hoa Jia got a chance to reconcile with the Prince's first wife who had been previously adversarial. These women balanced each other while supporting those around them and also building an inclusive community where everyone was valued.

Funny enough, Prince An was my favorite character; so oblivious, so narcissistic, and yet so lovable while Prince Yin Qi and his wife, Shangguan, were my least favorite couple probably because their storyline was so boring or the actors playing the characters simply did not have the chemistry or acting ability to pull off a somewhat caring yet antipathetic couple.

Bai Jing Ting was the sole reason for choosing this drama, however, I ended up staying since the series was just so captivating and fun. Liu Ling Zi, as Yuan Ying (the sixth Prince's legal wife), made me laugh so hard when she unintentionally terrorized the sixth Prince and Li Wei with copious rules and regulations. I laughed so hard to the point of tears. What a great actress.

The ending was a tearjerker in a happy way and I can't say enough good things about this series. Ah-mazing

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Easy binge, suspension of disbelief required

I felt like it had a bit of a slow start, but once I got into it I was really invested.

The plot is pretty solid, especially if you know a bit of background on the political climate in Thailand around protests and authoritarian rule.
The twists and turns are also well executed.
I do think some of the characters motivations are a little bit unrealistic. Some of the writing decisions really had me scratching my head a bit. Probably my biggest question was around Akk and why he needed so desperately to succeed? It felt like he needed some stakes or external pressure outside of the teachers to influence his actions.

The acting is good and the chemistry is there between the mains. The side couple could use a little work, they felt a little uncomfortable with each other despite starring together in other dramas. The leads did a really great job expressing their emotions, especially in high emotion scenes—which is a testament to their acting. I was especially fascinated by Akk, I’ve seen him in other dramas but he really shined in this role. He has a charm about him that is lowkey mesmerizing? Especially when he smiles lol

Anyway, production budget was definitely low but I think they made the best with what they had. Audio is a little wonky at times but I’ve definitely heard worse loool. They probably could have cut a couple episodes, and made the show a little more tight.

I would recommend, a must watch BL

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A waste of time

I've heard a lot of good things about this series so I started watching it with a good set of mind (and it has an 8.2 mark on this site, so I really thought it would be very good). However... I don't know if it's because I'm probably older than 99% of the people that have watched this series and that my taste have changed over the years I've watched BL but... this series is not the masterpiece people are claiming to be... And I could notice it as soon as the show started!

Let's start with Payu and Rain. Rain is an annoying child... First scene we see him in, he's panicking over the fact that his tire is flat. And even though I can understand that he doesn't know how to change a tire, he really looked like a damsel in distress (especially at the arrival of his knight in shining armour, Payu...). Also, I would have understood his reaction better if he was in the middle of nowhere with no signal on his phone. Here, he was clearly on a busy road and could easily call a garage to help. Next scene, he's trying to get in the pants of his classmates (who is a girl). So... did I miss something in between?... Because we see him fawning over a guy being all giddy with excitement and then, we learn that he is a very straight guy as we can understand from his judgemental remarks about Ple's brother. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know that straight guys can find other guys handsome but... he clearly wasn't fawning over Payu as a straight guy... Also, at the dinner party, I was expecting him to dislike Payu even after he recognised him (just because Ple was talking a lot about him) but no... He went straight back to the not so straight guy fawning over him again. And I won't talk about the fact that he forgets very quickly about his crush for Ple and wants to make Payu fall in love with him just because... This plot has no bloody sense... The editing is sh*t, it goes way too fast and Rain is a child! He acts like a kid since episode 1 and doesn't improve along the way. Let's also not forget that Payu tampered Rain's car at the dinner party for him to be able to do him... What a great relationship! And people liked it?... I thought we were past those kind of plots in a BL...

About Prapai and Sky... I don't have a lot to say. Unlike a lot of people, I prefered this plot and couple to Payu and Rain's (at least, they had something to tell with Sky's past). My problem dwells more on the acting. Sometimes Sky's actor was really crying and delivering his scene, but sometimes, no tears were visible and I felt like he was just forcing himself, which was not very nice to watch. That's a shame because Sky's past is really interesting and important, but I sometimes couldn't get into it because of his acting. As for Prapai, a lot of people complained about his stalking behaviour. Well, I would say that Payu tampered Rain's car... Why forget about that and not about Prapai's behaviour?...

As a whole, I don't recommend this series. There are so many better BL elsewhere, don't waste your time watching this.

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Wonderful story and good pace.

So I actually really liked the leads and all the cast. It was paced well and honestly I wish there was a season 2. I think the ml is the typical guarded male who comes off and cold but in actuality is scarred by traumas in life. The fl definitely has a more sheltered upbringing but in the same respect is strong in her convictions. I think my only complaint is that I felt like Gao needed more reasons in this drama to be so angry. Perhaps it was more evident in the original story. I typically fast forward through a lot of dramas but not this one. It was also interesting in both time periods. I enjoyed the growth of everyone and I think I would definitely rewatch. Enjoy, relax and have all the appropriate feels.

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