Reviews

driftless guys looking for something to hold onto

Overall: it was decent for a vertical series but I've seen better. Aired on Swipedrama app. It took me 5 days to watch the series for free which is pretty good (the worst took 13 days for Please Teach Me on Topreel). Note - episode 1 starts out as a preview and then goes into the episode. App information below.

Content Warnings: manipulation, suicidal thoughts, child abuse, slap, non con kiss

What I Liked
- realistic characters trying to figure things out
- sweet/caring moments
- non cliche female character
- intimacy

Room For Improvement
- started with a flash forward and then returned to a month before
- O Christmas Tree music
- although a character apologized I think he should have had more consequences for his actions
- noble idiot trope


How to Watch For Free
Day 1: check in, ad after check in = 7 coins, 3 ads = 9 coins, watched episodes 1-12 (free to watch), 13-15 used coins, 16 & 17 (when I ran out of coins I touched outside of the coin packages and then I could watch an ad to watch 2 more episodes 18 & 19). I then got the 6 coins for watching 5, 10 and 15 minutes but something glitched so I only watched up to episode 19 for free on Day 1. There are other ways to get coins (ie sign in, social media, get notifications) so you could watch more. Leftover coins day 1: 2

Day 2: check in, ad after check in, 3 ads (17 coins plus 2 from day 1) - watched episodes 20-22, then watched 23 & 24 daily ad, checked in 5, 10 & 15 min and watched 25 & 26

Day 3, 4, 5 (same as above about 7 episodes watched per day)

App Notes: unused bonus coins expire after 5 days, episodes don't re-lock, you can't skip to different episodes (must watch them in order), no wait time between watching ads is nice

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A Short Web Series Worth Watching!

“Blue Boys” is a short and earnest portrayal of a couple falling in love while facing challenges to their relationship.

Jaemin (Choi Seungjin) meets his old high school classmate Nami (Lee Hoorim) after years. They have a one-night stand, which leads to something more than their feelings develop for each other. However, they face obstacles to their relationship both from other people, such as a jealous acquaintance who wants Nami for herself, and from their own miscommunication.

“Blue Boys” ended up being quite an entertaining watch for me, especially the first part, which introduces Jaemin and Nami’s relationship up until the point of the first major conflict in their relationship. The issue there stemmed from their very different perspectives, to the job market, and to life in general. Nami has a carefree outlook on life, while Jaemin is a lot more reserved and conscious of what others would think of them. It is ultimately this that is exploited by Sori (Lee Sooha), an acquaintance of Nami’s, to try to break them up.

Read the complete article here-

https://theblxpress.wordpress.com/2024/12/12/blue-boys-series-review-season-one-two/

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Have a drink... or two

After first couple episodes (which were very slow) I thought this is going to be drama revolving around struggles (over)sensitive people have living in such loud world. And, since it was male lead who was sensitive, not typically FL, I was more interested to see how drama will explore his world and how he will "adapt" once he falls for FL. Unfortunately, they shifted focus on FL, her struggles and it became just one more drama with "ML is there for FL" and "wow, he is such a sweet guy".
Do I regret watching it? No, I don't. Would I watch it if I knew half way writers will forget about his sensitivity and turn it into simple plot device? No, I wouldn't.
It is sweet drama about family and friendship and people should try it, with or without FF button.

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Watch if you are in need of a sweet Mr. Green Flag Male Lead only

“Brewing Love” is a hybrid business romance + healing romance. The business part focuses on the beer industry - developing, manufacturing and selling. The healing part focuses on our main leads and how they grow and heal each other, even though they are very different individuals.

I am usually a fan of business romance dramas, but unfortunately, I was quite bored with the business part. There isn’t a whole lot of excitement especially when it’s about the beer industry. All you can do is really taste the beer and evaluate. The company politics are pretty shallow and the characters/villains one-dimensional. The drama tries to educate you on how to make beer, but it’s not done in an interesting way.

The only good thing about the business plot is bringing together 6 likeable individuals to form a special team. The villagers are also not as annoying as I worried. They don’t take up too much screen time and provide enough humor to bring together the male and female leads. I actually would much rather the drama focuses on life in the village than the business plot. But I do find the special ‘ability’ that Min Ju (ML) has quite unrealistic. You can’t be THAT perceptive to become a lie detector, right?

The best thing about this drama is the sweet romance. If you are in need of an introverted and sweet Mr. Green Flag, this is the drama for you! This is also one of the few dramas that I enjoy the middle episodes the most, when Min Ju (ML) starts to realize his feelings and falls in love with Yong Ju (FL). His subtle flirting also makes me blush! I enjoy learning about their backstory and how one incident changed both of their lives. One to live for and focus on his own well-being, while the other to live for others and forget herself. This is my favorite quote in the drama, "I'll find everything for you from now on, what you like. I'll make up for all the time I spent forgetting you by finding everything for you." Aww…. isn’t that sweet?

The secondary romance is OK. The characters are likable and Baek Sung Chul (as O Chan Hwi) is absolutely adorable without being annoying. However, their relationship roadblock regarding Chan Hwi’s past is resolved too quickly and easily. But I guess if the drama focuses too much on it, it would have become too ‘dark’.

Overall, “Brewing Love” is an average drama for me. If I didn’t like the green flag male lead that much and their sweet romance, I would have rated this lower. I also find the very last episode unsatisfying with a lot of filler. If you are not into this type of romance, I would not recommend this drama for you, as there are many better business romance or healing dramas out there.



Completed: 12/11/2024 - Review #527

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Giving hope for new types of BL

Century of Love drew me in right away with its interesting premise. Normally I prefer fluffy GmmTV stuff, but I sometimes watch other kinds. This was somewhat fluffy, but had a different setting. I watched the first 6 episodes on YouTube, but switched to BiliBili for the remaining episodes because BiliBili has English subtitles for episodes 7-10.

What I did not like:

1. Some scenes were repeated over and over, like San getting sick and coughing blood. I fast-forwarded through many of them.
2. Too much graphic violence for me.
3. Kantapon (Vee) was not a good actor in the first few episodes, always smiling too much, partly because his character seemed to want to soothe everyone with smiles and good cheer. (Later he improved and showed a wider range of facial expressions. )
4. Songs were not translated.
5. Production quality was a bit low. They could have shown more outdoor shots, for example.
6. I shouted at the TV a lot because the characters were irritatingly self-sacrificing to the extent that the beneficiary was suffering more because of the "sacrifice". Also too many miscommunications.
7. I did not like some parts of the wife/husband trope -- Vee acting coy about physical affection, San getting down on knees to propose etc.
8. One-dimensional characters.
9. Vee's grandma's wig.
10. Leads' chemistry not enough to make me rewatch snippets.

What I liked:
a. Interesting plot premise.
b. Daou Pittaya Saechua acted well, showing a young-looking person with a grave side to his character. Even the kissing and love scenes were handled well in the later episodes, and were believable and not cringy.
c. Chu was a very good character, and the few het men who might watch it might enjoy her tight clothing.
d. No side couple just for the sake of having one, like some BL's have without adding anything to the story.
e. Everyone (good and bad) got what they deserved. The ending also had a good message presented without cringe.
f. One-dimensional characters -- you might notice that I put it in the dislike list also, because in a way I like simple characters who I can neatly classify into tropes.
g. I cried here and there, because the idea of losing people was presented very well.

Overall I felt that one hour could have been cut by reducing the repetition of coughing blood, feeding each other at the dining table, etc. But well worth watching once. I usually rewatch parts where the chemistry (not necessarily sex) is good, but this one doesn't have any that I want to rewatch.

This is my first review on mydramalist since I started watching BLs a few months ago.

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Myst Alley (?)

A life in the middle of death plot, uncommon yet ordinary.

Story :
Talking about the story there are a lot comparison like deathgame or alice in borderland.
There are a lot of "why ?" question in my mind, the 2 old lady is the weirdest. both died, both saved their loved ones life, yet one of them stays in the "neighborhood" to brougth relieve their loved ones pain, the other stays brings suffering to everyone (?). i mean its not like she's dead with a grudge.
Before they showed how everyone is a TA victim there a no certain line to the world of the living, how come their soul haunts the nurse and wandering between the afterlfie at the same time?, and there is this detective the only one who experienced "daytime" afterlife. i understand a mystery usually want to go with a big twist, but still consistency and continuity is important.
Weird things aside i love how every character is important piece of the story, which is the things that korean series usually overlook like in deathgame. overall its still decentgood though

Acting :
imho there is not much to it, like there is nothing you can remember about how they act even after watching it a few minutes ago. however the deaf lady though she is special, you can feel the desperation even without dialogue. i really loved the picture of her sewing the broken man potraying his heartbeat.

Music :
Again there are nothing that you can remember, its a good thing though a silent mystery is always better than overly loud music just to make the scene itense.


Overall :
its a decent show watch in the midnight, that i doubt will ever rewatch. the production is good loved a lot of pictures in the scene, they looks cool some examples you can easily notice are the overhead picture of the boy singing outside the lady house when both screaming for help, the shop, the crashing bus and the drowning, and my favorite deaf lady sewing the man heart.
i doubt the series will end clean and clear in the last episode, so instead making a sequel to this one i hope kang full would do Moving instead.

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Simple plot with some good moments but slightly lacking.

First, the story was pretty good. Basic romance plot with a guy named Sky trying to win the heart of an old friend, Venus, who he had rejected in the past. Not outstanding, but a decent idea. Secondary couple is Venus's older brother and his boyfriend, who have to deal with learning to be partners and not just doing things on your own when you are in a relationship. Third couple is Venus's best friend and his boyfriend (who happens to be a friend of Sky) learning to work things out in a long distance relationship when they are both busy adults. All good ideas that are common relationship issues and definitely add value to the overall story. Honestly, the main couple's journey was a little underwealming in comparison to the two other relationships but had way more screen time.
Second, the cast was great. I was pretty surprised that they were so good with such a simple plot. The dialogue made sense and was well done.
Third, the music was okay. I didn't particularly love any of the songs and other than the little ditty they used for the theme, there really weren't other songs to speak of. I was not impressed, but it wasn't distracting, so it neither added, nor detracted.
Fourth is rewatch value. Well, its a pretty simple and predictable plot, so I wouldn't say it's hightly rewatchable, but it's got some pretty funny moments and some overall good storyline, so I think it has some value for rewatching if you are bored. But you probably won't go back to it again and again.
Overall): I would say it's worth a watch, but you should be careful when you watch it because there are definitely some NSFW scenes that can be pretty risque for TV. Don't watch with kids. Aside from my surprise at how graphic some of the sex scenes were (not graphic as in porn, but just enough that it was uncomfortable for me), I thought the plot was a little bit lacking for one reason. I don't consider this much of a spoiler since it was explained in the first episode, but just in case, this is a tiny bit of a spoiler: Venus was really rude to Sky in the beginning and didn't want to give him a chance because when they were in college they were really good friends and Venus fell in love with Sky but Sky didn't return his feelings. When Venus confessed, Sky rejected him, so when Sky came back later to confess that he really loved Venus and was wrong, Venus was rude and dismissive. Venus is totally allowed to not want to give Sky another chance. He was rejected and maybe he's moved on, so Sky has no right to expect anything. That doesn't bother me, even though Venus's behavior is a little over the top at first. But Venus's best friend and Sky's friend discussed this on the phone and the boyfriend says that Sky had done something wrong but had really changed. Now, unless the English Subtitles are lying to me, Sky did nothing wrong. He rejected his friend in a nice way (not cruel or anything, just rejection is naturally painful). It's not like he was a jerk or they'd been sleeping together, just basically said, I only think of you as a friend. I don't know how that is wrong. Maybe he gave mixed signals to Venus, especially when he was drunk, but people are allowed to say no to confessions. There is nothing inherently bad about not wanting a romantic relationship with someone just because they want one with you. The whole plot of the show hangs on this one point, of Sky having to work hard to win back Venus's love. Since he didn't actually do anything wrong, I felt like that was really thin. All they had to do was say they had been a couple and Sky had broken his heart by ignoring him or taking him for granted. Or maybe they could have been in a more confusing situationship, where Venus was justified in feeling that Sky had treated him badly. But to say that Sky has to work hard and Venus is allowed to be a total jerk just because Sky initially rejected his confession, is fairly lacking. I know, no one wants to make the ML a bad guy, even a past bad guy who has to change and be redeemed, but acting like he was a bad guy when he wasn't just makes it feel like lazy storywriting.

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This should have been 12 ep

I found this drama a bit too long even when the episodes are only 30 min. It was nice, but everything felt too predictable and too dragged out. Imo, it was a bit frustrating for me since the ML and FL should have met earlier in the drama, and even after they met the plot was dragging everything out.

I shut my brain off and didn't really think much during the drama, and even then i found the FL a bit frustrating, but I still liked all the characters. They were all perfectly flawed, no one was a bad guy, just human making mistakes, living life and discivering themselves.

I'm really glad I didn't wait for the episodes to come out cause I would have dropped this drama 100%. I finished it since it wasn't bad enough for me to drop it, but it's not a must watch. If you're looking for something to binge watch, it's quite nice.

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A DAYDREAM OF A GAY IN APOCALYPSE

Why did I say that ? coz this is every gays day dream to be dating until the end of the world, pertaining to the story here. the idea was quite a wild one like, who made this idea ? it is interesting and so exciting how will they put through it in a show, and I must say due to a very short run time and annoying reel format it was not done properly, but the show was good and simple and off course packed with very good looking male leads , but I felt like it could've been better in terms of romance , it is understandable that they will be able to just date in few days coz it will be the end in the story that is why it seems lacking of romance but if they have not included the ex Boyfriend thing here and focused on leads development or the leads fore story rather , there would be even enough time somehow for them to know each other. Very few cast ? so what ? so what if there is only 2 of them as cast? it is their story after all. and the ex boyfriend was kinda Psychopath and creepy being, it was annoying.
The kiss was not shown properly and not done properly, they should've kissed while drinking a beer , that would be better in my opinion.
and above all I hated its format and you know why.
just a so so watch. leads deserves better

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What were they thinking?

This drama is the most convoluted show/ drama I have ever attempted to watch. The story is not cohesive, the episodes do not flow from one to the other, the story is a mash -up of unrealistic, non-relatable, disjointed stuff. The explanation for this is actually in the story in episode 3 where the 5, yes 5 MLs are sitting around a table discussing writing a novel. They through up a bunch of ideas based on what they feel is their specialty and walla they have a successful story and not a word has been written. This has be how this train wreck came about. The best thing is the sets. From one scene to the next you can see that this was not fleshed out. I have to wonder how the actors could get through this. It had to hard for them. I found nothing good bout it despite the fact that I went back to the beginning to watch it because I truly believe that I somehow had missed something which was why I could not quite grasp the concept, but I know now that is simply not the case. It could have been much better if it had been more straight forward, the supposed scaring scene when delivering the food in its entirety should not have been in there at ALL. Just a waste and not the least bit humorous. The electricity going out as it did. This was too contrived ,

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Coming of age tale that looks into perception of beauty, self-worth & finding love

I watched this series in December 2023 during year end break. A hilarious clip that featured the water splash scene led to me watch this series. I expected a light, fluffy tale of college romance but oh boy, I was shocked. 'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo is a coming of age tale that tackles issues such as perception of beauty, self-worth and finding love.

What I liked:
1) Friendship - This drama shows the start of a friendship between Kim Bok Joo and Joon Jung Hyeong in first 2 episodes. I like how the series show the growth of their relationship from friends to best friends then lovers. When one was facing hardships, the other person was there for him/her. A true friend.
2) The romance - Because we see the grow in their friendship, the change of their relationship trajectory, from friends to lovers, was believable. I like that after ML realised that he had feelings for Bok Joo, he acknowledged them and took action.
3) Perception of beauty - I love this drama for showing the perception of beauty and for featuring a female lead in an unconvetional setting. She is a weightlifter & was raised by a single father so some perceived her femininity as "lacking". That scene when her crush (Jung Jae Yi) saw her in her "least feminine" form truly broke my heart. I couldn't stop crying because I felt her anguish.
4) Sports - I love watching massive sports events such as Olympics and FIFA World Cup and always fascinated with sports drama. I love that this series was set in a sports university and as vieweres, we were exposed to several sports discipline such as weightlifting, swimming, artistic gymnastics. I also appreciate that this drama demonstrated performance slump and post-tournament depression.
5) Writing - This is one of the best written tv series I have watched. Both Bok Joo and Joon Hyeong experience tremendous character growth in this series.
6) Acting - Brilliant acting by Lee Sung Kyung & Nam Joo Hyuk. This drama is the first work of them that I have watched. Definitely keen to watch their other work.

What I disliked:
1) Selfishness - I find Bok Joo's best friends were selfish at times. They were self-absorbed with their own feelings that they could not see that Bok-Joo was actually suffering mental block.
2) Fat-shaming - Joon Hyeong fat-shaming Bok Joo at the start of the series is not cool.

Favourite scene
When Jung Jae Yi saw Bok Joo weightlifting

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Good idea, awesome cast, weird execution

The characters:
I wanna start off by saying this is supposed to have a badass female lead, yet Yihyun is always saving her. Hes supposed to be more docile than Saebom, who is widely known as the hothead of the couple (and this is proven by things like his refusal to use a gun and the fear everyone has of her temperament), yet hes always upfront with his violence as a solution for every problem that arises. They talk about her temper and being afraid of what she could do to others but she literally doesnt even have the oppurtunity to show us that, it felt like a poor attempt at a strong independent FMC.
However the side characters made the show for me, i've never been so angry at a group of people before, they were all driven to insanity by their different vices and they showcased, brilliantly, human nature in a crisis situation.

The acting: INSANE. everyone in this ate their role up.

The message: the only thing left in this show was them literally showing us a IN BOLD LETTERS "sociopolitical anti-capitalistic critique of the world and human behaviour during the pandemic", and in the end they really didnt accomplish much with this.

The setting: the whole building layout made no sense, it felt empty and unnatural to me. the fact that there were only a handful of neighbours added to that strangeness, compared with the fact that we never get a good look at outside this apartement complex and how the world deals with the virus.

The plot: the big bad villian was awful, they could easily have defeated him earlier, it was unnecessary and annoying. The other residents succumbing to madness was a a much better plot that should have happened sooner, AND should have been the real threat.

Plotholes? : Soomin was also immune, but they dont explain why he could smell the different bloods and felt the urge to drink human blood but Saebom never did feel that and what was the actual cause of the production of those specific antibodies? beacause Saebom had an unspecified disease but Soomin had diabetes? they tell us about the 2 years she was in an hospital, even though that is hinted to be the reason she developed the antibodies.

The romance: barely there, dont watch this for the romance its a zombie drama, they are super cute tho.

The ending: lackluster. we had 0 resolution for most of the side charcters i was heavily attached to: the siblings, jungguk and his wife, seoyoon and her mom, the divorcees, han taeseok and his unborn child, etc etc etc

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Unexpected... Should you watch NOW, LATER, or NEVER?

I admit I doubted the chemistry in the first two episodes, but I was wrong. I wasn't supposed to start this review with the chemistry, but because I initially thought the pairing wasn't connecting with me, I was proven wrong by the following episodes. The build-up of the chemistry was done right. It was subtle. I would have to give that to the director. The nuances of the director's camera angles, framing, and movement intensify the chemistry. More importantly, the gaze, the smiles, and the portrayal of a deeper kind of love made the chemistry work.

Acting: I have admired Kim Sejeong's acting in Uncanny Encounter. She is a good actress. While I could not remember which drama or show I saw, Lee Jong-won, when I first saw him, I thought it would be nice to see him as the lead actor if he were given a break. I thought then that a badass drama would suit him because of his sharp features, but his portrayal of his character, the empath he is in this drama, showed his depth as an actor. I felt the sincerity, the warmth of the character.

Plot: A simple but enticing plot. The side characters gave it fun and light moments.

What's lacking: This is just a preference, but I wanted it to be like an "Itaewon" -ish drama. I want to know more stories about the brewing industry. They've tackled the supply chain, distribution channels, marketing, etc., but I wanted more of it so I could add this to the business drama genre.

Undoubtedly a WATCH NOW drama!

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