Reviews

Psychology lesson disguised as an average trope filled light romance

Lin Yi seems to be on a mission to raise awareness of disabilities through his choices of drama projects, like ALS with Angels Fall Sometimes, and now alexithymia (emotional blindness) with Smile Code. Unfortunately it's difficult to blend public awareness messaging into a drama & not turn it into a 34 ep long instructional video. Angels Fall Sometimes worked because of the storytelling & perfomances of Landi Li & Lin Yi.

Lin Yi plays Liang Daiwen, a successful accessibility designer who is unable to recognize emotions & unable to laugh at jokes. Early episodes suggest a childhood trauma resulting in a deep suppression, for which he is receiving treatment & counseling, & is recommended to go watch stand-up comedy. He navigates his relationships only through the visual/verbal cues of others, as he's unable to access his long suppressed feelings.

Guan XingXin, a long time friend of Daiwen, is a secondary role, but acts as stark contrast to Daiwen in that she is one who fully lives for her emotions. In the beginning, more energy is put into her story arc than the FL, Gu Yi.

I've seen sparks of Shen Yue's comic talent in her previous dramas, enough to see that she does have good timing & can be very funny. However, Gu Yi, who is supposed to be a popular comedian at her local comedy club, delivers pretty sedate G-rated jokes. Her face doesn't even change expression on stage. In fact, Shen Yue seemed to be downright uncomfortable in the role & didn't really settle into it until much later. Not until halfway did some of her comic spark come through with a funny dental accident. (Incidentally, Shen Yue seems to have gotten her teeth straightened; she is quite beautiful regardless.) I didn't really expect a Jimmy O Yang or Ronny Chieng level performance, but the character of Gu Yi had neither edge nor depth & Shen Yue also couldn't pull much out of her. And perhaps there's not too much you can make fun of in China due to the censors ("satire without malice") so maybe I'm missing the point completely if it's too subtle. Lin Yi should've had the least challenge by keeping a straight face, but he also was not able to convey any subtle notes of expression when Daiwen's emotions start to surface, which would've required a master level performance.

The leads' characters largely remained a blank slate as they simply went through the motions of the usual line up of tropes: living together, a lot of drunk piggy-back rides, bandaging scrapes & nursing fevers. The relationship develops rather inexplicably for the first 10 episodes. Why does the FL fall for someone who gives no emotional feedback? The dialogue is simplistic & turned into a mechanical Q&A, like an infomercial, whenever addressing alexithymia. The psychology always felt like a completely separate storyline, rather than integrated.

By the 11th episode there's a slight shift in tone with the arrival of Gu Yi's mother, who is an unexpectedly calming & insightful presence. Gu Yi seems to take Daiwen as her charity project as it's not quite believeable that she truly loves him, but nonetheless she slowly breaks through Daiwen's shell to help him feel once more. However, after trying so hard to understand him, she decides to stop trying after he makes a breakthrough with therapy. What follows is the formulaic parade of romance tropes as Daiwen pursues Gu Yi, which seemed to be the only consistent element of this show.

The show is visually surreal at times, with dream-like soft focus shots & dark, cramped interiors. It was difficult to see how these shots added to the story, except to illustrate that the story itself was also blurry & cluttered. Is it about alexithymia? Is Gu Yi the central character or Daiwen? The arcs just didn't seem to balance. The show overall was unappealing to look at, and the story didn't develop any cohesion until the final 1/3 when it just simply focused on the romance.

For a show about emotions, it doesn't delve too deeply into any character's mindset, while offering very dry psychology lectures. If it was about disabilities, that topic was given only light treatment as well. All in all, it just ended up being an average romance.

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A Potentially Great Drama Ruined by Its Ending

This drama starts off excellently, with a unique theme, an engaging narrator, and a solid foundation. The visuals are stunning, the cast delivers great performances, and the conflicts are well-presented.

It explores the many struggles faced by young adults in their late 20s while highlighting deeply rooted Asian culture. Despite being a 24-episode drama with a large cast of characters, every character is well-developed and brought to life.

This drama is emotionally draining for the audience because it portrays situations many people might have experienced. The female lead (FL) has a tough life—at home, school, work, and even in her love life. She endures mental abuse without realizing it. Unfortunately, by the end, she still doesn’t gain this awareness, making her easily forgive people who belittled her—even those who never apologized.

I’m not sure if Xiu Ya is just naturally indifferent or if she has genuinely forgotten what happened, but from a rational perspective, it’s hard to act normal toward people who made even breathing feel like a burden. As an Asian, I’m very familiar with the parenting culture in Asia. The drama portrays this culture so realistically that the mother, who unwittingly hurt her child, never feels remorse or apologizes, even by the end. And it’s true—most parents believe their actions are for their child’s benefit. So if the child gets hurt along the way, that’s just something they have to go through; it’s not the parent’s fault. People often say, “Parents only want what’s best for their children,” but if even we don’t always know what’s best for ourselves, how can someone else?

Shi Ye represents rebellion. Perhaps that’s why he was sidelined in the drama, even though he’s the male lead. This is the first time I’ve seen a male lead without any standout qualities or moments to shine. He never gets the spotlight in the story. Yet his character had so much potential for deeper exploration, which the writer completely squandered. While the other male characters were given numerous strong points, the male lead was left without a single one.

Of all the people close to Xiu Ya, only Shi Ye never told her to apologize. But in the end, why does it feel like Shi Ye’s presence in Xiu Ya’s life was nothing more than a passing breeze? Meanwhile, her ex-boyfriend’s character development is made ridiculously unrealistic.

Zheng Hao is kind; from the start, he just didn’t understand other people’s emotions. Someone like Zheng Hao can indeed become a better person once they start to understand different perspectives. However, in my opinion, people don’t change that quickly. His transformation into a “good” character feels unrealistic, especially since the drama otherwise strives for realism.

Honestly, I feel like it would’ve been better if none of the characters ended up in a relationship. Their thoughts are just too inconsistent. Xiu Ya never realizes what she truly needs, Zheng Hao changes for others, and Shi Ye struggles with low self-esteem after choosing his career path, without even realizing it.

The drama is good—the pacing and the conflicts raised are compelling. The actors genuinely feel like stand-up comedians. Although I didn’t fully understand some of the comedy routines, there were many that made me laugh.

But what’s the point of raising so many social issues if you can’t resolve them?

The reason I gave this drama an 7.5 is that it doesn’t offer closure.

I often watch and read stories with open endings, but none have ever disappointed me as much as this one. Other dramas with open endings still resolve their characters’ issues before leaving things open-ended. This one asks the viewers to resolve the characters’ problems themselves.

So what’s the takeaway from this drama? Frustration? Or a realization of how harsh the world is? Are they saying that even fiction can’t solve these conflicts?

The ending was terrible.

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˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Love, Laughter, and Fantasy!

Overall
Love Game in Eastern Fantasy is an engaging isekai drama with a strong narrative voice, diverse arcs, and compelling characters. Miaomiao's journey, her chemistry with Ziqi, and her standout performances make it a memorable experience.

Story
I really enjoyed the story. The isekai into a fantasy world with an occasional narrative voice makes the story so much better because you can relate to Miaomiao constantly. The arc and plotlines differed from each other as well as different characters' backstories and values were explored!

My least favorite arc was the Princess arc but that was solely because I don't enjoy Second MLs & FLs. On the other hand, my favorite arc is tied between the first and the last arcs! In the first, Miaomiao is constantly killed and disapproved by Ziqi but they still have lingering chemistry. The last arc was between Ziqi and Miaomiao because their love was tested by Ziqi's 'Aunt', then Again by the system in the last episode. I truly love Ziqi as a character, even when he was just a kid he remembered so many small details about Miaomiao and always kept looking for her.

Acting/Cast
Esther Yu. usually plays those cute high-pitched character voices and she completely embodied Miaomiao! From their mannerism to facial expressions she did a wonderful expressive job at Miaomiao.
Ding Yu Xi, was amazing! His subtle expression changes of sassy & pissed off was very pleasing to watch.

The chemistry between both Esther Yu and Ding Yu Zi was outstanding, Esther brings charm and depth to her role, while Ding Yu Zi adds a cool, calculated energy. Together, they create a captivating dynamic that makes the drama truly enjoyable. I hope to watch Moonlight after this because of how much I enjoyed their characters together.

Zhu Xu Dan and Yang Shi Ze deliver great performances in Love Game in Eastern Fantasy.!! Zhu Xu Dan brings a mix of grace and strength to her role and is a great sub-villain because of possession! Yang Shi Ze captures the charm and depth of his character, making their chemistry shine. To be honest, at first, I was worried they were going to be basic one-sided NPCs but I actually heavily enjoyed their characters and their facial expressions are in my sticker collections forever!

Other great characters were Cuicui (played by Lu Yu Hao), Guo Xiu (played by Shao Tong) & Lu Huai An (played by Morning Chang!)

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if horny 15 year old wrote a drama

THIS IS FREAKY ASS WATTPAD SHIT!!! take a shot for every time he picks her up, forces a kiss, pins her against a wall, and saves her when shes in danger. you'd blackout lOL.

this story was so wattpad LMFAOO. like all the wall pins, the dom bf, etc etc... it was good ish! dont get me wrong! still freaky! but very very very repetitive... the same like 3 things happened over and over again....

also, erm don't get why he forced her to do stuff so many times... kinda yucky but i guess if theyre going for that wattpad look, it makes sense. overall nO part of this is realistic at all. not at all. EVERYTHING IS FREAKY!! no character building... main girl so fucking weak... he picks her up and forces kisses on her every second... interesting. but if ur into that go ahead.

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Starts Well, Ends Anticlimatic

The start of Cosmetic Playlover have me immediately seated and excited to watch. Except, it starts dipping a little starting in the middle and just completely fumbles the ball at the end. I think I would've liked this a lot more with a little more emphasis on the romance and a lot less, "let's add every single disruptive character ever to get in between the leads."

Let's Dive In.

The beginning of this series was excellent, I loved Natsume, mostly cause he gave off shy vibes, and a tad bit of jealously over Toma, his rival, who looks distressingly gorgeous. Their romance starts off almost immediately, but I didn't mind it too much, cause I think the overall vibe of the series is that its going to be fast-pace, also the series is incredibly short, so there's that too. Like I said, the story starts off pretty well, the setup is good, and I like the dynamic between the leads.

The only reason the score is relatively low is because they had about every single problem come about in almost every single episode. We even have somebody come in in the last two episodes to disrupt the leads, and it's so annoying. I think one to two problems was enough, but they dragged the story just to fill time.

Onto the romance, I think they were great. Not anything I'll remember in due time, but I liked them for the majority of this watch. Also, all these kisses were GOOD. This is me being me, but I needed more Taichi in my life, the towering giant cinnamon roll who was blessed with the best genes ever.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - Intriguing up until the end. Romance is good, characters are interesting. Liked that it was about men in the makeup industry.

Acting: 8/10 - So (Natsume) did a great job! I think Yudai (Toma)'s character was pretty stoic, so not as good, but good enough. Tomoki is beautiful, which isn't about his acting, but I don't care.

Music: 5/10: didn't pay attention to it, but the theme song was kind of annoying.

Recommendation Value: 7.5/10 - sure, if you're in the mood to watch a Japanese BL. Also the kissing is actually really good in this, surprisingly, so if you're shallow like that, then go for it!

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Using standup comedy as a unique way to tell a story of self-discovery and growth

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

With the use of standup comedy, our female lead Wu Xiu Ya, discovered her former true self which she hid deep inside of her. Due to an incident in high school and her freely expressing her displeasure, she learned a hard lesson and never spoke up for herself much anymore. But through reconnecting with a former classmate and finding solace in standup comedy, “Later, I Laughed” follows the journey of Xiu Ya to become a much more independent and self-aware person.

There’s a lot to like in this drama. I like the use of standup comedy as a way to express your true feelings - Although not all the jokes land successfully, I did have a fun time watching different characters performing. You are able to truly understand Xiu Ya’s point of view and perspectives through her jokes. The drama might not flat out show you that, but paying attention to her jokes disclose a different side of her.

There is truly no villain in this drama. Are there characters that annoy the heck out of me? Of course. The mothers aren’t always lovable. But, if you think from their perspectives, their worries and controlling behaviors all stem from their upbringing and life experiences. Deep down, mothers want what’s best for their children. They were brought up a certain way, or had experienced tough challenges in life that they don’t want their children to follow in their footsteps. Is the boyfriend patronizing and chauvinistic from FL's point of view? Most certainly. But if you don’t tell him how you truly feel, how else would he know? He really just wants to take care of you, and that’s the only way he knows how to. Don’t forget about the nosy and gossipy co-workers. But they aren’t any different than characters in other business dramas. It just seems to be Chinese culture.

The drama spends a considerable amount of time in promoting stand up comedy and dives into what it is and the challenges it faces in the entertainment industry. But I quite like learning more about it. At least it’s a unique profession that we don’t see much in drama-land. The camaraderie between the comedians at the bar is lovely to see. The 5 of them makes an interesting group of unique individuals from all walks of life. I also like the scenes of them hanging out and making fun of each other.

Unfortunately, the second half of the drama has more flaws. I think the rich guy overstays his welcome. The drama spends way too much on him and FL, and their non-relationship. It’s hard to believe a man of his caliber would fall for a girl he barely knows. Then all of a sudden, he disappears! Is it reasonable for someone like him to act that way just because of a blunder? Yes, it might hurt his pride, but it was way over-exaggerated to be realistic. Viewers for sure know he’s not going to be the last man standing, but at least he serves his purpose as a mentor and life coach for a brief period of time.

The romance isn’t satisfying either, and I was so hopeful in the beginning with Shi Ye’s longing looks. Although the chemistry between Xiu Ya and Shi Ye isn’t electrifying, they do have good conversations as friends and co-workers. The confession scene and the transition from friends to lovers are disappointing and anti-climatic. I was hoping for so much more fun banter and cute scenes before reality sets in. Luckily, we have a great second male lead in Zheng Hao. As I mentioned earlier, he wasn’t a horrible boyfriend, just a clueless one. But once he realized his faults, he changed and did not turn into a petty and evil 2ML. He is correct that Xiu Ya never gave him the chance to get to know the real Xiu Ya. He would have fallen in love with her just the same.

What brings down my rating even more is the last arc about the mother. The drama is able to find a way to address Shi Ye and his mother’s argument in a unique way at the wedding. That was a fun performance to clear the air and bring down the house. Unfortunately, the same could not be said in the resolution between Xia Ya and her mother. That arc becomes just like any other C-drama I’ve seen before. Is it realistic? Probably, just not creative.

The first half of the drama sets the stage for a great character development of Xiu Ya. But the second half falters with the extended rich guy plot, disappointing friends-to -over transition and uninspiring writing of the last arc.

But ultimately, at the end of the drama, viewers can see how far Xiu Ya has come along. She’s no longer the crowd pleaser who hides her own desires and feelings. She has learned to take the time to really find out what she wants in love, in career and in life. I do enjoy “Later, I Laughed” very much in the first half. With only 24 episodes, the drama moves along at a decent pace and the overall acting is good. I also like the songs played. Therefore, I still rate it a somewhat high 8.25, especially for its uniqueness in highlighting standup comedy in China.


Completed: 12/9/2024 - Review #526

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funsies kdrama def recommend

family by choice is a fun drama centered around the relationships of haejun, juwon, and sanha who have a sibling-like bond but have no blood relation to one another.

what this drama does great:
- gives us a multifaceted view of all the main characters. we're able to see life/the timeline of the drama from all 3 of them which i thought was great! getting to know each character felt so personal.
- haejun and juwon's dad had some of the most sob-worthy scenes ever. their relationship was so heartwarming. haejun's healing journey was so great to watch and also to see dal and him help each other through hardships throughout their lives.
- their take on familial troubles wasn't shallow and actually felt very realistic.
- every episode while all having pretty sad moments at times always felt really giddy it's just a really fun watch overall it makes you wish you could be there too
- NO love triangle thank the lords

what could've been done better:
- while sanha's 14 year long or however many year long crush on sanha was well drawn out, we never got that from juwon. it was just her being flustered by sanha's confession(s) and then dating him. i wish they could've either added scenes where maybe in their younger years she thought of him that way too or have done like flashback scenes idk it just. for a childhood friends to lovers trope was not a very deep romantic relationship
- haejun's america storyline was idk all over the place and needed better integration to the plot. also similar to my issue w juwon he should've had a gradual liking to dal while im happy they got together at the end he literally said in that ep that they aren't good together and then later asked her out

overall lovedddd this show chaeyeon is such an amazing actress

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Sammon Scene's Story Adapted Brilliantly

There’s a delicate line between life and death, one that often blurs into ambiguity.

In the melancholic yet romantic Thai BL Spare Me Your Mercy, this fine line is explored through the rising deaths of terminally ill patients—and the mystery of who might be behind them. Adapted from Sammon’s novel Euthanasia, the series stars Tor Thanapob as Dr. “Kan” Kantaphat and JJ Krissanapoom as Police Major “Thiu” Wasan Khambunrueang and delves heavily into themes of love, loss, and the morality of life’s end.

Spare Me Your Mercy is a fast-paced series that devotes much of its first three episodes to unraveling the mystery of who is stealing potassium chloride from the local hospital. Along the way, it cleverly introduces a roster of possible suspects, including Nurse Onanong (Fresh Arisara Wongchalee), Pharmacist Boss Chanchai (Aelm Bhumibhat Thavornsiri), Dr. Rin (Prim Atchareeya Potipipittanakorn), and Hospital Director Somsak (Gandhi Wasuwitchayagit). All while also weaving a deeper narrative that explores the equally suspicious Dr. Kan and the Police Major who finds himself falling in love with him.

Read the complete article here-

https://theblxpress.wordpress.com/2024/12/07/spare-me-your-mercy-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

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Something Different and Intriguing!

When I first started to watch this series, I frankly was perplexed by it. It certainly grabbed my attention and honestly, I did not identify the same actors playing different roles. Sincerely, I thought they were different actors as the roles, setup, and stories were so vastly distinctive. But as each of the storylines developed, I did observe that the essence was the same. It was well into the third storyline when I had my epiphany and realized the actors were the same but each of the stories was wildly different. Two young men find each other, fall in love, and form a nexus. However, not always with happy endings. Each character represented different personalities and certainly different outlooks on life. Yet, something always draws the two of them together. And that something of course is love.

Read the complete article here-

https://theblxpress.wordpress.com/2024/12/06/every-you-every-me-series-review-ep-1-to-8/

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Detective Story

Shen Yi was young and talented with potential to become a great artist as according to his art tutor. Additionally, he had the ability to read very accurately human behaviours.

One day, a woman approached him to draw what a child on a photo would look like as an adult. This unfortunately led to the death of a detective Lei Yi Fei who was undercover to investigate a human trafficking ring.

Driven by guilt, Shen Yi joined the police force to help investigate into this case and to help solve serious crimes with his skills. There he met Du Cheng who was a subordinate and close friend of Lei Yi Fei who was killed. Du Cheng hated Shen Yi because he was unable to recall the face of the woman who approached him. As a result, they were unable to solve the case for over 5 years. However, the duo was forced to work together.

As with a lot of detective stories, this drama held a lot of mysteries, surprises (or not so much of a surprise), and suspense to hold your attention. However, in some, it felt a bit shallow and a bit simplistic. Nevertheless, it is still entertaining.

Each crime story ended as the culprit was captured without any mention of what happened in court or the sentencing. I suspect this was to be very diplomatic and not to be drawn into any controversies.

I am typically generous with my ratings and my rating usually ends up higher than the average rating on mydramalist if I like the drama. I am a fan of Tan Jian Ci and I chose this drama because of him. An average rating of 8.7 is very high on mydramalist.com; this would place it among the top rated dramas. However, on my rating scale, it is worth 8.5 which to me is very good, but not among the top league of dramas I had watched.

Still, I say, it is worth watching if you like detective stories.

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Really Loving the Storytelling and Casting

Admittedly there are two things that you might find cliche about this show- firstly, it’s title and secondly the base concept!

With so many dramas this year named after “Blossom”, the title doesn’t spell magic or intrigue; it is easy to brush off. Also, the show heavily leans on the premise of transmigration which isn’t new either. The things that work in favor of this show is the strong casting and excellent storytelling. Starring Meng Zi Yi, Li Yun Rui in lead roles, the storyline encompasses a “marriage of convenience” between the main characters; again, nothing new there, but the actors are doing a phenomenal job embracing their characters and their chemistry is lit. It is an absolute joy watching the main leads collude as they fight the antagonistic forces. For Dou Zhou (Meng Zi Yi), it’s her own family- mainly her evil paternal uncle and her stepmother while Song Mo (Li Yun Rui) fights against an influential yet powerful force who maligned his righteous Uncle’s name. They enter into a fake marriage as accomplices and gradually fall in love. The cinematography coupled with the magnificent settings are exemplary, they add to the allure of this show.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/12/10/blossom-first-impressions/#more-1398

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A diamond in the rough

This is truly one of my favorite shows! It is such a complex murder mystery with just a touch of romance. The story was fantastic, so well written and complex. It kept me guessing to the very end with so many twists. This show made me a fan of the writer Sammon. The relationship was handled so well. It just happened naturally and was tastefully done. Which is rare to find in a BL show. This is how relationships should be written. Also there was decent stunt choreography in this. It had a much higher level than the majority of dramas I have seen. The cinematography was outstanding! Northern Thailand has been added to my bucket list because of this show.
The two leads have wonderful chemistry and their characters are so well rounded. Max especially, impressed me. His evil looks are simply spectacular! I loved how the story developed and how the backstory for the main characters impacts the current events in the show. One of the best parts was the character development in the majority of the characters in the show, which is rare to find. The character development for Tan and Bun was particularly good.

There were many supporting characters that I liked and would have loved more time with or backstory. I always forget when starting to re-watch this show the dark the story gets and the second to last episode will always be hard for me to watch. Any story that gets an emotional reaction out of me is telling. But this story covers important topics and is so well done that is a stand out in the genre.

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Okayish

I mean till episode 12ish I kinda enjoyed and was actually engrossed into knowing the underlying truths behind the crimes but the ending was really predictive or rather chaotic. It felt very boring somehow and I found myself mostly skipping every 10 secs for the sake of finishing the series.
Its worth watching till 13 ig but the way they kind of bring a parallel between revenge and show the criminal mindset next to the judicial system is good. It asks great questions on the law and social justice system but kind of fails to completely answer them as well. We are just left to accept what happens in the series and no proper reasons are highlighted which just makes me feel like they just made the show for the sake of action and plot. Somethings are dragged a lot so it kind of drains the essence of the series. Love the action and cyber pull offs in the show as they were very intense.
Some characters like the FL, her colleague, Lee-yun-sung really nailed it. Don't know about the ML he tried his shot but his character was not appealing maybe because thats what his nature is.

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