Reviews

I would love to say that I loved it. Unfortunately I can't. It was rather boring and it dragged terribly, it felt as if the director and/or editor completely missed the cue so in many cases, the scenes just went past the moment when you felt like someone should've yelled cut. Some pairings were cute or at least interesting despite the boring writing but it simply wasn't enough. Even the last story focused on Lay Talay's character simply wasn't good per se.

And to top it off, there were so many cringe-worthy moments, like when one of the pairing ended up calling each other "Papi" & "Daddy" *shudders* Yeah, I'm really not into the whole "Daddy" kink, yikes! Or when in two of the pairings one half had to literally ask their partner for permission to meet up with friends for drinks. That was so yikes!

The most interesting and original moments for me happened in the last story with Lay Talay about Masuk who, after the death of his lover, Tir, fell in love with Hia but Tir still hung around as a ghost - all the time, literally. I mean, in similar stories, the ghost usually leaves after finding peace but Tir remained with them so it felt more like a threesome because, well, like I said, he stayed with them. all. the. time. Even while they were being intimate. That was quite... well, kinky.

This drama also allowed me to find two newbie actors whose career I'll definitely follow: Chap Suppacheep who played Tue in the first story and then First Piyangkul who played the promiscuous Kaeng. These two caught my eye the most out of the new ensemble.

Still, eh.

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If a friend asked me what is the plot about, It would be pretty difficult to put the drama in a flattering light->
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It's a Cinderella story with a mean mother in law. The ML's family has family relations so complex, that Mexican soap operas pale in comparison. There is a brother (who may, or may not really be a brother) who tries to compete with ML for the family business, he is also using underhanded methods to get his way. FL ends up in the hospital very frequently, some supporting characters also lose their babies..
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So to summarize the plot is just bad. It's like a bad romance webnovel's plot. Despite that I still enjoyed this show a lot. In fact all episodes excluding 28-29 were very enjoyable for me. This is not a romantic comedy, but rather pure romance, so the plot should've mattered, but even though the story is clearly bad the scriptwriter did a great job with the dialog, I could just listen to the leads talk to each other forever, obviously it's not as good as in Before Sunset, but it's up there. Also the leads had great chemistry and uncountable beautiful scenes together. In fact the entire cast did a near flawless job, there are no acting related weak points in this one.

The main strength of the drama is how it portrays the progress of this beautiful romance. Everything is just so great about it. It's not just sugary fluff, though there is quite a lot of that, but rather it's really about two fated people meeting and getting to know each other slowly. This is romance with depth, not the typical shallowness that I'm quite used to in modern cdramas.
There is no real love triangle, no breakups, no misunderstandings and the leads communicate with each other very well. ♥

People talked about the lack of kissing issue to death already. My take is that I think I would've been totally okay with just the one kissing scene early on, but for some reason the production team felt the need to torment the audience with countless "kiss the forehead, kiss the cheeks, kiss the hand and kiss whatever else you name it" scenes. I feel that there was zero need for that. I think just the one kiss scene plus the hugging scenes & their numerous bed scenes were more than enough skinship for my viewing pleasure.

The OST on the whole is not all that impressive, but I found the >Give You Give Me 给你给我 by Mao Bu Yi 毛不易< song quite pleasing to the ear.

The story of One and Only does not appeal to me, so I decided not to talk about that in my review. I think there is no need to watch OaO to enjoy this show.
I have a feeling that I will rewatch FaE eventually.

edit: I decided to rewatch the drama and it feels so incredibly SLOW now, even at double speed. I loved this drama, but rewatching it feels pointless.

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the acting is great but...

this is the first time i watched drama with having headache, seriously this could be better. the cringey-ness are too much than the soap opera. the story are too rush but the acting is good although there's a bit awkwardness between them I can feel the tension* in it. the bgm are too much, y'know when they talk (like a pov) then the bgm sounds. it's almost every episode like that kind of cheesy ngl. overall it's worth to watch if you love angsty+master;servant relationships.7/10 (if you want to watch this then watch :) this merely opinion doesn't need to be the reason you shouldn't watch it/drop it. )

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first off totally impressed with Earth, the only character's i've seen him portray r the standoffish, cold, douche-bags with a Huge chip on his shoulder, let alone the short-fuse. so seeing him act so young and carefree without me cringing that a 27yr old is "acting" the teen, was wow - guess the dude does know how to act - plus he was so freakin vulnerable and loveable in this - so unlike his usual roles, i'm a bit dumbstruck... positively

the plot all in all was short and sweet - very simple and yet i kinda didn't get Talay - idk if it was a translation glitch or what, but cause he was worried/scared to face his true feelings rejected (rather brutally) Whale - so why he going on about them both suffering and being in pain? and not that i didn't get his pain / insecurity - but that was his choice. he knew why he pushed Whale away and treated him like a pervert, then adding insult to injury ignoring him - basically pushing him away.
get why he did that, but his thought process wasn't logical - one would think Whale was the one that rejected and abandoned him... so this was so so - i for sure didn't think he deserved Whale to rush back the sec he was ready - plus he didn't indicate that he was ready for a relationship - he just wrote he waiting for his friend, so they could travel together. and that the grand romance end we get?
guess i'm the only cynic here... that thinks this a really sad ending - cause this doesn't make-up for Whale's suffering and it for sure doesn't insure he gonna get love this time around (and i aint talking the platonic kind).
so it was cute and fun up to a point and the acting was good - but one off

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Good series with sad or bad ending

Basically most of the series of History franchise are good so I blindly watched it without seeing any reviews. It started good, silly, bold and with childish moments. Some characters have different characteristics they’re not completely wicked , not completely good.. not completely comedic not completely heroic...which is good just like real life people.
What I very liked is there are no ex - coming back drama or cliche girls characters being annoying third wheel.
What I really didn’t liked is ending. I’m not someone who seek happy endings only ,I can accept sad endings too but they’ve to be carved beautifully. This show have given us the most F*ed up ending.. or maybe can I say it’s not my cup of tea??..whatever, but It doesn’t mean rest of the series is excellent but only ending is bad...even rest of the series also have some flaws but can be ignored .

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Michael being shirtless

●FIRST IMPRESSION
Within the first 10minutes of episode 1, FL played a prank on ML and that compelled me to binge it.

●PLOT VIEW
According to the synopsis, one could easily predict half of the story but the way it is presented is amazing. You cant be bored of the light romantic comedy with lots of flirty moments between Songkran and Dao. They had a mature relationship with clear intentions. Dao's pranks when she goes to ML's house were funny yet correct because I believe you should treat every1 with respect if you want to receive respect.
But Songkran pickup lines and fatherly love for Pika can melt anyone's heart. No wonder Dao fell for the invincible Cassanova.
The latter part of the drama was unpredictable and shocking especially the IngJan part. Everyone received their karma.
Songkran and his son Pika were exceptions, with good looks they were amazing in their communication skills. Pika's growing relationship with Dao was purely innocent. The way Dao showered her motherly love was applauding. the 3people cute family was so adorable. pika was a cupid to Dao and Songkran
ML family member were like circus jokers, I don’t want to be judgemental but the way they behaved and do things, it was bad but the way they dressed up they didn’t look sophisticated as they claim. I wasn’t convinced with 360change of the attitude of the ML family.
FL's father was cute and his character was comical because the story is humorously inclined to him at the end.
Sia Ou and Moddang relationship was nice wish if they had more screentime showing the development of their relationship.
All the other female supporting characters mother, ramita, rosita, Marin, secretary, etc were too much. lots of screen time was given to their bitch fighting which was unnecessary.
●ACTING/CAST
Michal as Invincible casanova Songkran nailed his role. It felt like the role was written just for him. the way he pursues Dao, surely gives out tips to pursuing a girl. Other than that his father figure was OK, at least he behaved well in front of him and cared for his child more than anything.
Mook Mookda as Dao was superb. Her action, romance, and expressions are excellent. She is very good at the scenes where she has to take someone down, either with a physical fight or a communication fight. Her wardrobe as Daopradub was very fashionable.

●MUSIC
OSTs were nice, loved all the tracks.
The opening track was wow, I didn’t skip it for all 17 episodes. The rapping, lyrics, dancing, background graphics, everything about that song was lovely.
Trumpet music in the romance scene was seductive, elevating the perfect mood of the shirtless scene of Songkran. BGM was amazing, those small tunes fit perfectly.

●REWATCH
I would rewatch the flirty parts of leads.

●FAV SCENE
When the ML is chased by FL father(17}
Also sounding cheesy but Songkran shirtless scenes too are a must-watch.

●RECOMMENDATION
If you like light, flirty, fluffy romance you can watch KU KAEN SAN RAK

●AFTERTHOUGHT
A doctor can cure your ugly face but not your ugly heart.

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Foundational Romance Trope: Friends to Lovers

Normally I don’t review microfilms but Strongberry has been perfecting the BL microfilm genre (and, let’s be fair, kind of OWN it) since 2017. They are true masters of their craft. And still this is one of the best things they have ever produced so I had to talk about it.

It’s two episodes of about 8 minutes each that mange to perfectly portray the sweetest friends-to-lovers story ever. It’s joyful, and gentle with its characters, and a little hot. How on earth do they manage to leave us yearning for more yet completely satisfied at the same time?

It’s like the perfect amuse-bouche, that one finger food at that one cocktail party that you will never forget. You are a ridiculous human if you haven’t spent 16 minutes with these two boys. Go watch it now. Or go watch it again. It’s time VERY well spent.

ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED

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Another amazing season is behind us and I can’t believe that we are at the point of waiting a year for another one (again). The Great Escape 4 holds up to the quality of its predecessors, however, it’s increasingly difficult to follow the show without at least a surface knowledge of the DTCU universe.

Let’s start with something that kept bothering me this season and I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly. First of all, let me say that I love the show, and I still think that it’s very unique and unbelievably high quality. However, this time around I at first thought that maybe the editing is a bit different because some parts were difficult to follow or to focus on. As the series progressed, I realised that it’s just that the immersive element for the cast sometimes translates as too much information for the viewer. That being said, it’s probably the only downside I would point out this season.

I like the fact that there is a lot to build on and the universe keeps expanding. I also applaud the cast for “studying” before every season to refresh their memories. In my opinion, this creates quite a unique bond with the fanbase since they’re looking up old clips and episodes before shoots and often cite quotes of comments from the viewers.

I feel like everyone shined this season and their abilities got a lot of spotlight. There are two main brains though, so let’s start with them. Shin Dong often says that this is his favourite gig in his whole career and he is always so into the narrative. And also, damn, he’s so smart! This season he also has one shocking moment that steered the course of an entire episode, which showed exactly why he is such an asset to the team. Yoo Byung Jae is another cast member that often finds solutions to seemingly impossible situations. He usually reads all of the instructions and I loved how he said that he often speeds through the text just to be the first one to solve it.

Kim Dong Hyun has incredible moments this season. It blows my mind how one can be a massive scaredy cat and at the same time a genius in the most important moments. When I think about Kim Jong Min in this season, there are plenty of hilarious moments (one certainly comes to mind right away) that happened which made him a complete scene stealer. On the other hand, he usually is just that. The thing is, he is basically a variety show trained machine, goes head first into everything, finds the most important clues, is strangely calm in high-tense situations yet if you ask him contextual questions about the episode’s story, he has only a vague idea. But somehow, he just fits perfectly here.

I don’t know about you, but I always root for Kang Ho Dong to find something epic in the episode, because his enthusiasm then becomes infectious and everything somehow goes smoother. He also holds the team together the most, he is the glue they need to be as awesome as they are. I think that P.O. is a member, who is simultaneously the biggest fan of the show. He often remembers minor details from the past stories because he rewatches the episodes over and over again in preparation. He also had a lot of good moments this season, I think that his growth as an escaper is the most visible.

A cast with this kind of chemistry and good vibes needs just challenging concepts to get through. And oh boy, they had plenty of those this season. There were several concepts where they thought one thing and it turned out to be something completely different, with epic moments scattered throughout or unbelievable finales. I think that at least two episodes (concepts) of this season should be marked as ones of the top five of the whole series.

I really hope that the fifth season will be out soon. And I also noticed that they developed a label for their cinematic universe, so I keep my fingers crossed for something additional. Because I would gladly watch more any day.

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Misogynistic trite

I understand that one has to put up with cultural differences in everything one watches, but it is 2021, and Viki and the like are still purchasing licenses for series that put down women from the start to the end. The message is of accepting and normalising that a woman can and should be happy with being called idiot absolutely non-stop. That bullying behaviour is shown as acceptable and desirable. Young women would watch this and think that this is ok. Men would watch this and be reinforced in these kinds of behaviours and beliefs. This is how it becomes normalised for women to be bullied and harassed at work, and to be subjected to pay inequalities. This is how women’s confidence and self-esteem are destroyed on a daily basis. This is how women become victims of violence.
As I said, it is 2021. It doesn’t matter if this is still accepted in Japan, but as Viki and others broadcast this kind of content, Viki and others are responsible for disseminating misogynistic beliefs and behaviour worldwide. As a company, Viki and others should urgently reconsider their ethical and moral code, and stop supporting and contributing to normalising the abuse of women in any way, shape or form.

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Easy to watch sweetness overload

This drama is a perfect dose of sugar in a pretty messed up world, it is very easy to binge with very little conflict and more cuteness. Portraying day to day life and flirting during lockdown, showing both some measurements that would seem completely absurd less than two years ago (for me they still seem a bit to much, and odd), but are a clear sign of life in most parts of the world 2020. The drama portrays loneliness, flirting, insecurity and how the effects of covid go beyond the illness itself and over to spreading fear and the mental strain it can have on otherwise healthy people.

The drama also shows quite a bit of humor showing covid-guards just casually taking of their shirts and working shirtless as if that was the most natural thing to do. The guards where lovable for more than their abs, and so are the rest of the side characters. Not a single one is annoying or overbearing.

I was also very impressed over the way the main leads smiled with their eyes, one may think it is hard to see emotions thru the mask but those eyes and body language did one h*** of a job making up for the lack of mouths seen.

All in all this drama was highly entertaining and very refreshing, and definitely worth the little time it has...

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As an RN, I was initially very annoyed by this show

I'll start with the positives:
Cute show, no angst, lovely second male lead that wants the object of his affection to be happy, fun/funny co-workers. The premise was far-fetched but enjoyable to watch, for the most part. I felt that the male lead's attitude toward the female lead was misogynistic, but was willing to overlook this just to continue to watch actor Satoh Takeru, who was wonderful in this role. Their relationship was easy to watch and I kept holding on for the change in his attitude. And can I just talk about his stares and the kissing scenes? Worth watching this show if for no other reason than that. There is one scene where he gets emotional and you finally get to know his heart. I think Takeru smiled twice in this show, and those smiles were a treat because they were so rare.

Things that bugged me:
Sakura Nanase was loud, somewhat irritating, inept, immature and clueless at the beginning of this show. I mean, the second time you meet a man you tell him that you love him and you've followed him to his place of work?!?! I don't care for these types of women in the shows that I watch, they seem so spineless to me. I found myself getting angry during the first two episodes. I realize that she was a new nurse, but she was like a bull in a china shop and all I kept thinking was "how in the world did she pass nursing school"?! My next thought was, unless Japan has completely different metrics for patient-to-nurse ratios, there is no way that these nurses would have time to wander the hospital, sit in the cafeteria with patients, etc. It was very unrealistic. And there was so much gossiping going on among the staff. The character of Tendo Kairi was a TOTAL tsundere. He was actually mean to Sakura and called her names throughout (which apparently was supposed to be an ongoing theme), but I didn't care for that. And with him being a brilliant doctor and her being an idiot, I didn't see how he could like her. One more pet peeve (this applies to SO MANY shows!) - why in the world does she continue to call him Sensei when they are dating? That just puts a distance between them that doesn't need to be there.

The positives definitely outweighed the negatives, it became more enjoyable as the episodes went on, it was concise at only 10 episodes, and I'm glad I watched this show.

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This zombie is sexy af

The first two episodes are bad. Although what they tell is interesting, they are slow and boring. I was about to let go. Then luckily a review here on mydramalist convinced me to go on. And now that I've finished it, I'm satisfied. I had fun! The investigations are full of suspense and the twists and turns are unexpected. ML as a zombie is great. Sexy af and a lot of fun. The chemistry between ML and FL isn't bad either. It is not a true love story but they are cute. I could have given a higher score to this drama if it hadn't been for the "comical" duo, the two neighboring detectives. I did not like their comedy and serve no purpose in the beginning. so I skipped all of their scenes, except in the 2-3 last episodes when they become important.

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Sweet and uncomplicated

As the title claims this drama is sweet. I sometimes find Chinese romance to be stiff with the female lead being over the top, either incompetent or clingy and the romance to be forced. This is not the case here. The female lead Ding Yi Yi’s character Tian Tian De is likeable and is well matched to the male lead Zhao Zi Qin (playing Su Mu) Chinese dramas often reinforce traditional female roles so it was nice to see some nods to respecting women in this series. Su Mu listens Tian Tian. When she tells him to stop drinking he does. He knows she is conflicted about studying abroad so creates the conditions for her decision to go. As an audience you are willing to forgive plot gaps like Su Mu’s Aphasia (a condition where one loses the ability to speak) which comes and goes as well as his OCD, because the couple is so cute to watch and SuMu’s repeated affection for Tian Tian is endearing. Also nice is there are no evil women in the series trying to plot against this couple. SuMu’s ex even grows to love Tian Tian after she saves her from a scammer. The only downside of the series is the ending which was rushed and confusing . You don’t know what happened to Tian Tian’s study in the UK, or how much time has passed before they end up in the container together. Have two year’s passed? The ending seemed unsatisfying after such a nice drama. Don’t let it deter you though. It’s an enjoyable watch.

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I guess it’s cute, but it doesn’t add much

I wasn’t expecting these 3 episodes to add much, but I still believed we’d get something more. The only real thing this proves is that the Zol’s romance was not the factor for Saifah and Non to be together. So we know there’s no magic and it’s all real life. We get to see Son and Saifah right after their first kiss and then after they come back from the beach. Yet, they are still awkward even after the beach and it doesn’t look like the chemistry developed.

On that note, I’m not the type to say that couples have to kiss every 5 seconds in series, but doing kiss on the forehead after kiss on the forehead get’s boring. If you don’t want to include a kiss, just make it as a hug, it’s better than a kiss on the nose.

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