Reviews

Painfully Ordinary and Boring Characters and Story

What I liked:

Freen and Becky were truly excellent. Honestly, it is only because of these two that Lom and Blew had any sense of depth at all. In reality, Lom and Blew barely have any emotional buildup, but Freen and Becky’s acting ability and chemistry are so strong that they somehow create the illusion that there is something special between Lom and Blew.

There is really no other way to say it: Freen and Becky, who stand at the very top of the Thai GL world and can even be called its queens, are wonderful actresses.

The visuals were also relatively beautiful. The Air does not reach the level of the stunning, colorful, and memorable visuals seen in works such as URANUS2324 or Love Design, which were handled by VelCurve Studio, but it did not feel completely flat either. There was at least a certain degree of visual beauty.

What I disliked:

A heavy premise with only shallow weight

The biggest problem I felt was that, despite dealing with heavy themes, the story barely makes Lom and Blew carry any of that weight. I felt the same thing with The Earth 4 Elements, but this author, or whoever is writing the script, seems to have a tendency to avoid making the story too seriously dramatic.

For example, in The Earth 4 Elements, Din proposes a fake marriage in order to help Rose. That setup could have made Rose feel guilty about the possibility of putting Din in danger, and also about taking away something as special as marriage, an important milestone in life, even if it was only a fake marriage. Through that, Din and Rose could have come to understand each other better, reaffirmed their bond, and given the story more depth. However, this author, or whoever is coming up with the script, almost never depicts that kind of inner emotional weight within the characters.

That tendency is extremely obvious in The Air 4 Elements as well. Lom could have been shown carrying the pressure and tension of knowing that one wrong decision might get Blew killed. Blew could have been shown feeling panic, frustration, and anxiety over being at the mercy of an impostor who looks exactly like her, being pushed around and used for that impostor’s convenience. But the story almost completely avoids depicting the key conflicts, fears, and foolishness that should define these characters.

Even if those conflicts, fears, and foolishness had been depicted in the series, they would still feel extremely weak, or almost as if they were not there at all, because there is almost no real buildup behind them.

So even when Lom and Blew are given a nice romantic atmosphere, all I can think is, “Did these two ever really clash with each other face-to-face? Why are they suddenly getting closer?”

The weak portrayal of the setting

In Episode 1, Lom is introduced as an elite expert who has solved many difficult cases, but the evidence for that is far too weak.

During the hostage rescue in Episode 1, Lom is supposed to be the leader, yet she is sitting in what looks like a parking lot near where the hostage is being held, chewing gum while waiting for her teammates. Normally, a leader like that would be demoted immediately. On top of that, she even acts alone. If she is the leader, she should be with her team until the very end, confirming the final details of the operation and staying with them while they suppress the enemy.

The combat scene is also hard to accept. When facing an armed enemy who is holding a hostage, Lom gets close to the enemy, puts down her own weapon, and suddenly turns it into close-quarters combat. That is just too unrealistic. What would she have done if the hostage had been shot and killed? How would this woman take responsibility for that?

I think the director and scriptwriters wanted to portray Lom as a very strong, reliable leader, but she only looks like an idiot.

The series lacks scenes that make me think, “Yes, this person really is strong, smart, a leader, and an expert.”

There is almost no tension

First of all, Lom and Blew have way too many allies. Din’s group, Nam’s group, and Fai’s group were completely unnecessary. Yes, it would feel strange if those three sisters did not come to help, but the story could have given any number of reasons why they were unable to help or unable to go to them. If those reasons had been presented properly, the audience could have accepted it.

This series should have been portrayed as an extreme road-movie escape drama centered on Lom and Blew. It would have been far better if, through that harsh escape, Lom and Blew came to understand themselves and each other, deepening their bond along the way.

But in reality, there are safe stopping points prepared for them along the route, and the three sisters and other people keep helping them whenever something happens. Because of that, even when the series tries to create tension, I can only think, “Well, they’ll probably be fine.”

Conclusion

The Air 4 Elements ended up showing exactly the issues I had been worried about since The Earth 4 Elements.

Both stories deal with heavy themes. The Earth 4 Elements deals with human trafficking, a plan to take over a farm, and a fake marriage. The Air 4 Elements deals with an assassination plot against a princess and a life-or-death bodyguard suspense story. And yet, both of them have stories and characters that feel strangely light and weightless.

The basic premises of both The Earth 4 Elements and The Air 4 Elements are actually very good. That is why it is so disappointing to see them turn out like this.

Freen and Becky, alongside the production team and everyone involved, were among the people who created the absolute masterpiece Gap: The Series. But after that, works such as The Loyal Pin and URANUS2324 were boring and dull. The fact that GL projects like that have continued honestly makes me feel bad for Freen and Becky.

Freen and Becky are incredibly talented and wonderful actresses, which makes this feel like such a waste.

Read More

Heartwarmingly real

I'm so glad I picked this up from my plan-to-watch list.
'Chosen Home' is truly an admirable series exploring the lives and stories beyond main characters Hotaru, Sakuta and Hatano. Fondness grows with every episode, and you find yourself quietly cheering on each character in their determination.

As a sucker for social-realist dramas, it's great to see the themes of family, individuality, and much so, discussion of societal norms/LGBTQ rights being woven into the seams of this wonderful series. It's grounded and well aware of Japan's reality.
In the warmth of love, scenery and characters' depictions, the series also holds an introspectivity that's special to Japanese dramas.

Fair to say I really loved witnessing the journeys made throughout, and I hope those considering watching will too.

Read More

Too complex and confusing for my liking

Whilst the story of Buried Hearts started out reasonably strong, it became too complex and confusing for my liking. There's just so much going on that it felt like us viewers needed a notepad to keep track of all characters, relationships, allies, enemies, weaknesses, strengths etc. Of course I don't mind dramas that have alot going on but here it felt overwhelming at times. However, when it wasn't too complex not confusing, which was sometimes, it was a very enjoyable watch and there were some unpredictable events which were genuinely shocking, and I liked to see.

I wish to always contain a paragraph of what I liked. Honestly this has been a little difficult for this drama. The only things I can think of are the cast members, some acting performances, which outshone the rest, and perhaps the fighting scenes and OST.

Whilst this definitely isn't a bad drama, unfortunately, I do not recommend starting this.

Personal Note: I believe this is only my second ever mobile review! And my second ever time editing a review!

Read More

Beautiful!!!

What a beautiful ending, I'm so very happy they gave it to us after all the waiting! Could the production quality be better? Sure, but with how many problems went on at that time, I'm willing to cut them more slack. What's most important to me is that we saw the boys again, saw that they are still together and happy and that Fan Xiao is as obsessive and possessive as always.

You Shulang was very beautiful in this episode! I couldn't look away from him. I'm glad the stuff with Lu Zhen came to this end because I was dying wanting to see how he reacts to seeing You Shulang is still with Fan Xiao. I think he regrets losing You Shulang now, he was probably his one big love that he lost due to his shallowness.

Beautiful sigths, beautiful people, beautiful relationship (still toxic af tho), just beautiful! I wish I could see more of them.

Read More

Good but not for me.

This was a hard watch for me. It honestly wasn't that bad of a show, but parts of it were a little to close to home. The premise of the story was interesting but honestly got boring really fast and there were many times were I caught myself on my phone and then had to rewatch parts. The part of the show that focused on the beer was very repetitive, something bad would happen and then they would fix it until something else would happen. I did really like the core cast but the side characters in charge of the beer company were annoying and too cartoon. I will say this though, there were parts of this show that were really great and there were many parts where I was crying and also many part that made me laugh. I think that for some people this may be a really enjoyable show, but for people who deal with similar issues as some of the characters here its a hard watch.

Read More

The perfect show!

I was interested to watch this show because I had seen where people were talking about it during some interviews for kpop demon hunter and that a main song from it was in the movie as well. But I did not realize the male lead was a voice actor in the movie, I had basically finished the show when I made the connection. Besides that this is probably the best k-drama I have watched so far. Its a bit similar to "Whats wrong  with Secretary Kim?" and definitely had moments that were a call back to that show but it was so much better. I love all the characters in this show everyone of them was funny and interesting, even the people who were the antagonist were interesting and reallistic in their reasons. I also liked that there was a bit of angst but not where it filled the whole show and there were not a lot of situations where there was a misunderstanding between the leads and then they just were mad at each other for episodes at a time. All in all this was such a great show and will definitely become a part of my comfort show rotation.

Read More

Sweet and beautiful!

This show was great and really made my heart flutter more then some other shows. Both of the leads were well cast and even the side characters were enjoyable. It also was such a great story and kept my attention the whole time. The romance was also very different from other kdramas. It showed a more mature romance and the funny cartoony moments from other kdramas were there but were far more suddle. The lead characters were really well written too. Ji-yun was tought in a way that wasn't annoying, but also suprisingly funny. Eun-ho was such a cute and caring person, but suprisingly tough when standing upfor others. This honestly was a refreshing and short kdrama and I would honestly recommend this to everyone.

Read More

Good premise but disappointing.

I was really excited about this show, the premise sounded so good but it did not live up to the hype. I really loved the lead characters and the vampire family dynamic. The vampire lead was so cute and his personality was so fun. I spent most of the show laughing at how cute the vampires were. But the main crux of the show I didn't really care for. Any time the vampire hunters were involved the show was really boring for me. And this is a small nitpick but the fight sences honestly were not good, I kind of wish they would have just done what Vampire Diaries did and just have them use their vampire speed and kind of cheat the confrontation scenes. Also the ending honestly made no sense to me.

Read More

Pretty good show!

This show was pretty cute in all honesty. I didn't go into it with a lot of hope and was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty drama-heavy, but the relationship was way too slow for me. Also, if the male leads had just talked to each other most of the drama wouldn't have happened, I will just chalk that up to dudes being dudes. I do think that it is important to know that this show is part of a series and that there is a couple that had gotten together in the first part of the series in this series. I did not realize that till a few episodes in, it does not affect the enjoyment of the story whether you watched the other series or not though.

Read More

"The Legends wasn't ruined by its ending—it simply deserved a better one."

I started The Legends because of Bai Lu and Xu Kai. After watching several of their newer dramas, I wanted to see the series that made them one of the most beloved on-screen pairings in C-drama.

The first twenty episodes completely lived up to the hype.

Lu Zhaoyao instantly became one of the most unforgettable female leads I've watched. She wasn't introduced as the typical kind-hearted heroine waiting to be protected. She was bold, arrogant, fearless, ridiculously overpowered, and charismatic enough to make every scene feel alive. Bai Lu absolutely owned the role. From the moment she appeared, she truly felt like the Demon Queen everyone feared.

Then there was Li Chenlan.

At first, he seemed quiet, timid, and almost invisible beside Lu Zhaoyao's overwhelming personality. But somewhere along the way, he quietly became the emotional heart of the entire drama.
Xu Kai deserves tremendous credit for his performance.

Li Chenlan isn't the type of male lead who constantly declares his love through grand speeches. Instead, he expresses it through actions. Every sacrifice, every silent decision, every painful choice he made for Lu Zhaoyao felt sincere. Without trying to dominate the screen, Xu Kai gradually turned Li Chenlan into one of the most memorable male leads I've watched.
The chemistry between Bai Lu and Xu Kai was effortless.

Their relationship wasn't built through endless romantic scenes or physical affection. It grew through trust, misunderstandings, forgiveness, and sacrifice. Their love story felt mature because it wasn't about who loved more—it was about two people continuously choosing each other despite everything standing in their way.

Visually, The Legends has aged remarkably well.
The costumes, soundtrack, cinematography, and action choreography still hold up beautifully despite being released in 2019. The world felt immersive, and the darker atmosphere suited the story perfectly.

Another thing I genuinely appreciated was how the drama blurred the line between good and evil.

Rather than portraying immortals as automatically righteous and demons as naturally evil, it constantly questioned those labels. Some of the cruelest people wore the title of "righteous cultivator," while several demons displayed more humanity than those supposedly protecting the world.

Luo Mingxuan perfectly represented that irony.
He wasn't terrifying because of his strength.
He was terrifying because he genuinely believed every terrible thing he did was justified.
His obsession with righteousness slowly transformed him into the very monster he claimed to fight.

Jiang Wu was another pleasant surprise.
For most of the drama, I saw him as an obsessive antagonist whose unhealthy love for Lu Zhaoyao caused nothing but destruction. Yet by the end, the writers revealed a tragic loneliness beneath all that madness.

His final sacrifice...

"I lived because of you... and died because of you."

...became one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire series.

It didn't erase his sins.
But it made him unforgettable.

Unfortunately...
This is where my praise begins to fade.

My biggest disappointment wasn't the story itself.
It was the execution of the second half.
After Lu Zhaoyao's resurrection, the drama never fully recaptured the excitement of its opening episodes. One of its greatest strengths was introducing an incredibly powerful female lead, yet a significant portion of the story was spent watching her weakened. While I understood the narrative reason behind it, I constantly found myself missing the unstoppable Demon Queen from the beginning of the series.

Qin Zhiyan's storyline also overstayed its welcome.
I kept hoping her character would grow into someone stronger after everything she experienced, but she remained one of the least engaging parts of the drama. Instead of increasing the emotional weight, her arc often slowed the story's momentum.

The pacing became an even bigger issue during the final arc.
Ironically, it wasn't because nothing happened.

It was because too much time was spent delaying what everyone was already waiting for.
Every episode teased the final battle.
Every episode made it feel like the climax was finally about to begin.
Yet another conversation...
another flashback...
another emotional pause...
another subplot...
would immediately interrupt the momentum.

By Episode 50, I wasn't bored.
I was simply asking the drama...
"Can we finally get to the ending?"
Then the final battle actually arrived...
...and it felt surprisingly short.

After spending more than fifteen episodes preparing for the ultimate confrontation, I expected a large-scale, emotionally devastating climax.

Instead, the battle ended much faster than I anticipated, while the drama continued to devote more time to dialogue and repeated flashbacks than to the actual conflict itself.
The imbalance between build-up and payoff became impossible to ignore.

Another issue that frustrated me was Li Chenlan's inner demon.
For nearly the entire drama, it was treated as the central conflict.
We were repeatedly told there was no cure.
Huang Gu spent his life searching for a solution.
Li Chenlan constantly lived under the shadow of eventually losing himself.
Yet the actual resolution came almost at the very end—with very little explanation.
After investing fifty-five episodes into that storyline, I honestly expected a clearer and more emotionally satisfying resolution.
Instead, it almost felt like...
"It's gone now."
That was it.
Even the five-year time skip left me wanting more.
Rather than allowing viewers to enjoy the happiness the characters had fought so hard to earn, the ending rushed through its emotional payoff.
And then...
the final scene.
Instead of giving us a simple glimpse of Li Chenlan and Lu Zhaoyao happily living together, the drama introduced children portrayed by Bai Lu and Xu Kai themselves.
While I understand the symbolic intention, it honestly left me more confused than emotional.

For a moment, I even questioned whether I was watching reincarnations, siblings, or their children.

After fifty-five episodes, I wished the ending had simply allowed the original characters to enjoy the peace they had sacrificed everything to achieve.
Despite all these frustrations...
I never once thought about dropping the drama.

One thing about me is that I'm still relatively new to C-dramas. Just over three months ago, I spent most of my free time cycling, hiking, and chasing outdoor adventures. C-dramas started as something I casually watched during work breaks until The Untamed completely changed everything. Since then, I've built a watchlist of more than 160 dramas and finished over forty titles.

Among all of them...

The Legends became one of my biggest "what could have been" dramas.
Not because it was bad.
Quite the opposite.

Because it had all the ingredients to become one of my all-time favorites.

It had unforgettable leads.

Outstanding performances.

Beautiful music.

Great cinematography.

Meaningful themes.

A fascinating moral conflict.

And one of Xu Kai's finest performances.
Unfortunately, its uneven pacing and underwhelming finale prevented it from reaching the masterpiece it had every opportunity to become.

I will always remember The Legends for Li Chenlan's quiet devotion, Lu Zhaoyao's unforgettable charisma, and the incredible chemistry between Bai Lu and Xu Kai.

I just wish the ending had rewarded those characters—and the viewers—with the same care that the beginning of the story did.

Read More