Reviews

Deep In "Deep In"

Note: This is a review, but also not because I really can't seem to put into words the qualities that made this drama so great when I have praised it at length week after week. I could try, but it would almost feel insincere to go on about the cinematography, soundtrack, dialogue, set design, and quality of acting when it is the overall feeling of this drama that sticks with me the most. And so all I can and really want to do is try to describe that feeling to you.

I can hardly recall the last time I stayed to watch the credits roll for a film.

When even with the now harsh lights of the theatre pulling me out of the trance I was stuck in and beckoning me toward the door—the real, outside world—like a spotlight—I waited with bated breath, hands clasped together in almost a prayer, as the names of those who created the work I was so enchanted by passed by, my eyes full of tears yet shining, smiling, heart pounding, my feet firmly planted to the floor, wondering when—if ever—I will feel so enraptured, so touched. Hoping for something, anything, at the end, yet expecting and gladly accepting nothing should it be so.

I stayed for this drama.

Deep In is unlike anything I will likely ever see. And that is a wonder yet also heartbreaking.

To be so pulled into the fiction, the fiction within the fiction, that I become as caught up as the actors did in their characters and the characters with their actors.

I only wish I had really seen it on the big screen. If only so I might turn to my right and maybe, just maybe, see someone else in the same state as me.

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I enjoyed watching OVERDO

I finished the whole 33 eps….even though it’s an open ending but for me is happy ending…you really have to pay attention to every detail towards the ending to get that happy ending…for example the brothers asked qingyi to stand up n go back to susu n lean…and also qingyi letter to susu…asked her to wait…ect.
Overall…I really enjoyed watching OVERDO especially with Zhang Ling He in it….his acting was superb 👍👍👍 his visual without a doubt WOWWWW
When i watch a drama I don’t really care with the cinematography and else like everyone been criticized…all i care about is the storyline and the actors acting
I RECOMMENDED YOU ALL GIVE IT A TRY

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The cinematography is breathtaking!

Some dramas entertain you. Others completely immerse you in their world. The East Palace belongs to the second category.💯

From the very first episode, I found myself completely captivated. I didn't just watch the story, I felt like I was living inside its world. When a drama can make you forget everything around you and lose yourself in its atmosphere, it has achieved something truly special.

Although it is categorized as horror, I never felt fear or disgust. Instead, it offered a beautifully crafted artistic experience. The supernatural elements created mystery and wonder rather than relying on cheap scares, making the series accessible even for viewers who are not usually fans of the horror genre.

Visually, this is one of the most stunning Korean dramas I have ever watched. The cinematography is breathtaking, with beautiful colors, striking contrast, elegant lighting, and carefully composed shots that often feel like works of art. Combined with an exceptional musical score, immersive sound design, magnificent costumes, impressive visual effects, and outstanding production quality, every episode feels like a high-budget cinematic experience rather than a television series.

The writing is equally impressive. The story maintains suspense while developing its characters naturally, balancing mystery, emotion, fantasy, and historical atmosphere without ever losing its rhythm. Every element works together seamlessly.

The performances are outstanding across the entire cast. Every actor brings authenticity and emotional depth to their role, making the characters feel believable despite the supernatural setting.

What impressed me most is how modern this drama feels while remaining a period piece. It successfully combines the beauty of a historical setting with contemporary cinematic storytelling, creating a unique viewing experience.

Also, GgeoMeokSaLi completely stole my heart. This adorable little spirit added warmth, humor, and charm to the story, proving that even the smallest character can leave one of the biggest impressions.

For me, after watched it 2 times. The East Palace is much more than a horror drama. It is an artistic, immersive, and unforgettable journey that stayed with me long after the final episode. A true masterpiece, and without hesitation, ❤️10/10.

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Love!!

I do not usually watch MaxNat’s series, but I wanted to genuinely support them because of Nat’s statement about having to leave DMD, and this being his last series. I honestly thought that this episode was pretty good!! The acting of all the characters besides Gems’s characters dad was amazing. I liked how the show could go from serious to silly without it being annoying or out of place. I also appreciated how the storyline was super laid out and I knew what to expect, while also being shocked at the same time. It was funny too and I found myself giggling. Overall, a solid first episode and I’m looking forward to the next.

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Deep In (入戏) - A BL That Gets Under Your Skin

Deep In turned out to be such an epic watch, bringing the heat while perfectly balancing not one but two storylines. I still can't believe how good this was. The two actors, who were completely new to filming in general, let alone BL, played their roles amazingly. They had two characters to focus on and deliver for each role, and they did it so well that it's honestly staggering.

What really sets Deep In apart is its bold social message. This is one of the first CBLs I've seen that explicitly pushes the idea that being gay is okay, that they should be allowed to love and live happily, and that the world is too harsh to gay people. That's quite the message to send to the Chinese people, and I honestly wonder how much of that was cut out for the home audience. The series doesn't just present romance; it validates queer experiences and challenges viewers to reconsider prejudices.

The chemistry between the leads is electric, especially in scenes like Episode 2's NC scene where the director calls "cut" three times but the actors continue, completely lost in the moment. Episode 7's snow scene has become iconic - a quiet confession where Zhen Xin says, "I walked 472 steps following you from the hotpot," before Zhang Zhun kisses him. These moments showcase the series' ability to convey profound emotion through subtlety rather than grand declarations.

I feel like this show will genuinely help people in real life - whether it's actors who have fallen in love but can't show it, or just promoting acceptance of gay people and blurring the line between an actor being gay or not. Seeing this story become popular will hopefully change minds and make people more accepting so they don't have to hide anymore. With its 8.6/10 rating from nearly 4,000 users, it's clearly resonating with audiences.

Watching it, I felt like I was slightly seeing a retelling of Ziyu and Tian Xu Ning's hidden (assumed) love story from Revenge Love. Deep In isn't just entertainment - it's a cultural milestone that challenges conventions while delivering an emotionally compelling viewing experience. Its blend of psychological complexity, authentic performances, and social relevance makes it essential viewing for anyone interested in the evolution of BL storytelling.

If you have finished and want memories of this show. Or went to watch but not sure if you will like it (and don't mind spoilers.) checkout the playlist of wonderful YouTube creators that heightened fantastic moments of the show week by week. Xx give them your love for their efforts.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIRCiTxPrLwU&si=F049gdibBoHfglJD

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This was such an enjoyable rom-com from start to finish. It doesn't try to reinvent the transmigration genre completely, but it adds enough fresh ideas to make it stand out from the countless "female lead enters a novel" short dramas.

I enjoyed this drama because Lin Zi Rong once again proves that her expressions, timing, and natural comedic acting made so many scenes genuinely funny without feeling forced.

The premise is surprisingly refreshing. Instead of giving the FL an overpowered system or the ability for those around her to hear her thoughts (a trope that has become extremely common in this genre) this drama avoids those shortcuts entirely. The story focuses more on relationships than special abilities, and it works really well.

I especially loved how the female lead's three brothers immediately accepted, spoiled, and protected her from the very beginning. There was no unnecessary misunderstanding arc or endless family conflict. Their sibling interactions were hilarious, heartwarming, and easily became my favorite part of the entire drama. Every episode had entertaining moments because of their chemistry. The chemistry between the lead actors is also beyond doubt, as they have frequently worked on projects together.

The story also gives enough attention to the tragic pasts of both main leads. Their emotional scars are used well to explain why they became the people they are today, making their personalities and decisions feel believable instead of being dramatic for no reason.

The biggest disappointment is the original novel's main lead's. They are introduced as an important character at the beginning, but they are barely explored and mostly feels like decoration. They only appear briefly at the beginning and end of the drama.

Another unresolved issue is the FL's mother. After her earlier appearances, the story simply forgets about her. She doesn't even attend her daughter's wedding in the finale, which makes her absence feel strange and leaves her storyline unfinished.

I also appreciated that the drama avoided the overused "female lead gets kidnapped" cliché that appears in so many short dramas. Unfortunately, it still couldn't resist another equally familiar trope, an attempted murder involving someone charging in with a knife. It feels like almost every short drama has to include this exact scene at least once.

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The art of perception will blow your mind, its more than a BL with good nc

It's hard to begin to explain how masterful this drama is, but I'll do my best.

Deep In is one of the very few, and I mean very few works I give a close 10/10. It's even rarer to know certainly I'd be rewatching it after the initial grief of saying goodbye passes. There are some nitpicks, but by far this BL surpasses any I've seen before (though of course, they each have their own strengths, as most don't even fit into the psychology tag at all to allow this kind of story to unfold).

I'm still reeling from thinking these two were only 19 and 22 at time of filming, friendly reminder. AND, they only had 2 acting coaches on set (you can see the credits). AND this is their first ever project. Please, I hope this is never the last because what the fxck.

Around the scene where the Cantonese track started playing, where Zhangzun reminicised his memories with Zhenxin, I was struck by an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia, like its the late 2000s again - where the portrayal of love was simpler, OH THE YEARNING, it was like being young again, finding the courage to just go for it, and recognising that loving someone was missing them, but it was also so painful.

Director Wen Dao is meticulous in his details about CRAFT. Can't believe this is his first work.

The book is a strong reference, but it takes real skill to jab emotional points at times in a video format where he wants them to land, and he did that so seamlessly (the author for the book, the shots for the director). He has made artistic choices.

Examples (too many) - that aspect ratio at EP12 with the curtain? Post credit scene? The colour grading - warmth for Zhenxin and cold for people like Justin and others, and the fiance?

The brilliancy comes when you realise the usage of a psychatrist as a character is delibrate from the author. Deep In is a taste of what acting means for many actors. it's beyond just living as a character, but the exploration and discovery of emotions, releasing them, is a process mirroring that of a patient with his own in a session. It's a form of release, and a strange kind of purging. Zhenxin and Zhangzun's own discoveries of their emotions for each other are a reflection of their own characters as patient and psych. Acting is a form of therapy and this is commonly said.

How can someone so young be able to pull off such intimacy, understanding, maturity in emotions - as well as layered complexity is beyond me. This drama deals (and took risks to portray) with extremely difficult topics, sensitive and heavy in every aspect - of grief, deep yearning, shame, confusion, love, reluctance, pain, denial, acceptance, hatred and simultaneously love - at themselves, at each other, it goes on and on.

Deep In has so many vulnerable moments that are handled with care, and such is given space without it dragging to the point where it's "too much". The relationship between patient and psychatrist ended up feeling so symbiotic, it's fascinating and terrifying to watch.

This is especially for EP6 and opening of EP12. You'll know it when you see it. It's intense rather than explosive, and you, the viewer, are forced to sit in the aftermath - within THEIR secondary story, and while they are simply as Zhenxin and Zhangzun, and the tender moments where these two just came out of a scene.

They don't spare you by cutting away immediately or fade to black. You see every raw (and terrible) reaction, practically hear their very thoughts as if they are your own. It forces you to be uncomfortable, and yet you can't pull away.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say this drama sets a precedent. There is real emotion in this story, and it is the messiness, the raw spillage of it all, showing the ugliness and beauty and cruelty of human beings so unflinchingly, that makes this drama masterful.

There is no other quite like making the viewer want to run away from these heavy scenes and forced to stay because of merely how compelling it is.

Some criticism: I mostly view this as Gaozhun's story in their own drama. As much as I wish Fangchi's wound was more explored, him being shrouded in mystery and we are left to wonder is part of the craft, and it works very well. There was a scene in EP11 that cut off too easily to the next day of them texting in a script read, it was jarring and the resolve wasn't clear.

Overall, this is more than an inception of story within a story, it's where an episode leaves breadcrumbs and you happily work for your meal. You pause, you can't binge, you notice little bits, and you're left in awe.

I hope more dramas realise what Deep In has achieved, and try to inject this kind of character and a strong WOUND into their projects, because it will change the game. There is strength in other BLs, but few like Deep In, understand that the greatest stories (the most memorable), are the ones that doesn't make the characters too perfect.

For now, I can truly say it is difficult to say goodbye to this drama. Honestly so glad to be able to witness (for the first time since 2017 when I became a BL fan) that this is what the genre could become, and the possibilites of more projects of this quality awaiting us.

No longer is it labelled to be something that girls are obsessed with and actually, there CAN BE profound storytelling within it, just like any other fiction.

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EWB is just pure art

Although, presumably, at first glance Enemies with Benefits seems focused on the complicated relationship between Lal and Wine, it's actually so extensive. The two worlds—work and feelings—collided extremely frequently, beautifully portraying the difficult choices that must be made in the name of love.
We can really see the trauma and its consequences in Wine's life—whereby I truly congratulate Jingjing on an excellent performance—and the motives behind her actions in her love life. This is a very well-executed representation of SA victims.
As for Lal, she is just one vast green forest.

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Where The Lines Are Blurred

OMG! I loved this from the beginning to the end, and past the credits!
Firstly, the production element where the movie they were 'filming' was reduced on the horizontal, to distinguish it from the 'real life' "Deep In" series.
I loved how the men developed their love along with the characters in the film.
They seemed so mismatched at first, but, somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking of Ollie as a gangly youth, and
began to see him the way 'Zhang Zhun' saw him.
The shame of being their true selves in public and to their families, was *real*.
I loved the ending so much!
From the opening scenes - where 'Zheng Xin' kisses Zhun behind the curtain, I was roped in by the realistic approach of the actors.
Ollie and Shu Yuan, were fantastic! Kudos to the supporting cast - as they were all amazing!

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Deep In — Where Does the Performance End?

Doing a sophisticated psychological BL is difficult even for experienced actors. For actors with limited screen experience, it should be nearly impossible. That is why Ollie and Li Shuyuan surprised me so much in Deep In. I don't know how intensively they trained for these roles, but they were sensational. They weren't simply asked to create romantic chemistry. They had to play actors who were themselves playing two emotionally damaged men, while constantly changing the meaning behind every look, touch and line. Ollie plays established star Zhen Xin, while Li Shuyuan plays Zhang Zhun, a struggling performer who finally receives an opportunity to become a leading actor. Inside the film they are making, they become Fang Chi, a psychiatrist, and Gao Zhun, his deeply troubled patient. As rehearsals and filming become increasingly intimate, neither man can clearly identify which emotions belong to the characters and which belong to themselves.

That is the basic story. But understanding what is happening is much harder. Deep In constantly moves between the series, the film being produced inside the series, rehearsals, memories and private moments that sometimes feel like extensions of the performance. A glance may come from Zhen Xin or Fang Chi. A frightened reaction may belong to Zhang Zhun or Gao Zhun. Even the actors themselves eventually use their fictional characters as protection because expressing love through a script is safer than admitting it in real life. This confusion is exactly what makes the story so fascinating. When feelings become mixed with acting, where is the line? When two people spend weeks touching each other, sleeping near each other and recreating emotional intimacy, can they simply hear “cut” and return to normal? And when one of them already had feelings connected to a meeting seven years earlier, was the film really what created the attraction, or merely what finally gave it permission to appear? The story inside the story makes that question even more powerful.

Zhen Xin and Zhang Zhun are presented as straight actors filming a psychologically intense BL. They are encouraged to cross physical and emotional boundaries because the production wants authenticity, yet they are expected to switch those emotions off as soon as filming ends. They can desire each other as Fang Chi and Gao Zhun. They just aren't supposed to love each other as Zhen Xin and Zhang Zhun. That contradiction says a lot about the entertainment industry. Actors are expected to sell romance, intimacy and fantasy, but their own feelings remain controlled by contracts, agencies, families and public expectations. They are pushed together when their chemistry can produce attention and money, then separated the moment their relationship threatens the image created for them. They stop being treated as people. They become products.

The pressure feels particularly cruel because celebrities are already expected to sacrifice part of their private lives. Add a same-sex relationship, an enormous audience and people whose income depends on maintaining a carefully constructed public image, and love becomes something dangerous. What can they do? Fight for something that could damage both careers, or surrender before everyone around them decides on their behalf?

Qin Yao, the flamboyant and visibly queer-coded agency executive, became one of the most interesting supporting characters for me. While almost everyone else sees the leads through their commercial value, Qin Yao seems to understand what constant performance and concealment can do to a person. The character may appear theatrical, but that theatricality hides a much deeper awareness of the world the two actors are trapped inside. Ollie and Li Shuyuan carry all of this remarkably well. Ollie was already known primarily as an idol and performer before taking his first major acting role here, while Li Shuyuan was also introduced to many viewers without a long, established dramatic filmography. Giving them four overlapping identities to manage was an enormous risk.

Yet they rarely lose control of the characters. Ollie makes Zhen Xin appear confident, provocative and sometimes almost aggressive, while allowing small moments of insecurity to show underneath. Li Shuyuan has the quieter and perhaps even more difficult role. Zhang Zhun is cautious and restrained, while Gao Zhun carries a more visible psychological fragility. Li had to show both men without turning either of them into a completely separate performance. Most importantly, they make the transitions believable. Sometimes the only indication that something has changed is a look in their eyes or the way one of them suddenly holds his body. That requires far more precision than a conventional romance, where every emotional development is explained through dialogue.

However, that is also where my main criticism begins. The production sometimes makes the boundaries so unclear that the viewer doesn't feel intrigued but simply lost. I understand the intention. We are supposed to share the characters' uncertainty and question whether we are watching a performance, a rehearsal, a memory or reality. But confusion only works when the audience eventually receives enough information to reinterpret what it has seen. Here, missing even a small detail can make an entire sequence difficult to follow. Watching the series slowly over several weeks would make that problem even worse. This is the kind of drama that almost demands to be watched in one sitting, or at least over a very short period, because every scene depends on remembering small changes in behaviour and context. A subtle visual language could have helped. A different camera lens, aspect ratio, colour treatment, sound design or filming style could have separated the movie scenes from reality without completely removing the ambiguity. Instead, the production sometimes gives the viewer no clue at all, forcing us to continue watching without understanding where we currently are. That doesn't make the series bad. It simply prevents me from calling it perfect.

Final Thought

Deep In is one of the most ambitious BLs I have watched this year. It is not only about two actors falling in love while filming a BL. It is about what happens when acting becomes the only socially acceptable place for that love to exist. It questions whether feelings can remain fictional once the people performing them begin to need each other, and whether a celebrity can ever choose love freely when so many people consider his life their property. Ollie and Li Shuyuan were given roles that could easily have overwhelmed far more experienced actors. Instead, they delivered performances filled with tension, vulnerability and uncertainty, making the emotional confusion feel deliberate even when the narrative structure became difficult to follow. I cannot give it a perfect score because the line between fiction and reality occasionally disappears too completely. Still, perhaps the fact that I want to watch it again—to understand the details I missed and reconsider which feelings belonged to whom—is proof that the series achieved exactly what it wanted.

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It made my top 5 favorite dramas after one episode!

What an amazing drama! I haven't laughed this hard because of a drama in a long time. The yearning made me kick my feet up and had me giggling like a school girl. The acting was amazing, the actors had amazing chemistry and did a wonderful job!

The drama is an actual reversal of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo in the best way possible! (Which might be why this drama shoots up into the rankings immediately. It truly feels like I'm watching that drama for the first time again. This drama will also leave an impact on my mind and heart.) The psychological damage the 'Sad Ending' reference at the end of episode 13 gave me has to be studied. Thankfully it ended differently this time!

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Fiction vs. Reality

Wow. WOW! Deep In delivered an absolutely stunning, captivating show that made the viewer feel exactly what our main character felt: what happens when reality and fiction start becoming blurred? The way this story is told is probably the most unique storytelling I have ever seen in a BL, probably in any show ever. The back and forth between the show within the show and the lives of the actors was so well done, with the aspect ratio changing just to make sure the viewer knew, but having every storyline in the show within the show parallel something happening in the lives of the actors was GENIUS! Even when I thought there was no way they could make it work, they did. And I loved every MINUTE of it! In fact, I ended up so engrossed in the show they were filming that I would get mad to hear the director yell "cut!" and would sometimes forget which characters were the actors vs. the characters in the show. Absolutely brilliant writing and directing.

Zhang Zhun (Shu Yuan) is a struggling actor trying to make enough money to propose to his long-term girlfriend. He finally manages to land a role alongside a big actor, Zhen Xin (Ollie), in a queer film. The two of them are tasked with building chemistry before their roles begin, and as they start filming, they begin to blur the line between the feelings of their characters and their own feelings.

The actors did a FANTASTIC job portraying these characters, with amazing chemistry and fantastic acting. It was so insane to watch them portray TWO different characters each in this show and be so good at it. I can't believe how much I enjoyed both the actor's storyline and the show they were filming. Both were so engaging, with great tension in the plot and between the characters. This one is 100% worth watching.

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It's not about what happens. It's about who gets to control the story.

----Review
Notes from the Last Row isn't concerned with shocking plot twists or constant suspense. Instead, it asks a far more unsettling question: Who owns a story?? The person who writes it, the one who tells it, or the one who controls how it's remembered?

The drama follows Heo Mun-oh, a failed
novelist turned bitter literature professor who hasn't written anything meaningful in over twenty years. His stagnant life begins to crack when Lee Kang, a quiet engineering student who always sits in the last row, submits a piece of writing that's unnervingly good. What begins as mentorship slowly mutates into obsession, as Mun-oh becomes consumed by Kang's work and the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to dissolve.

Both male leads deliver razor sharp performances.

Mun-oh's psychological unraveling is portrayed with remarkable precision. You watch a man slowly lose his confidence, his identity, and eventually his grip on reality until he becomes almost unrecognizable. Kang serves as the perfect counterbalance quiet, unreadable, and seemingly always one move ahead. Every conversation between them feels like a chess match where only one player knows the rules, making even their quietest scenes incredibly tense.

What makes the drama exceptional is its refusal to rely on cheap twists or manufactured suspense. Instead, it explores the frightening lengths people will go in pursuit of literature and artistic greatness. Mun-oh doesn't simply admire Kang's writing he becomes possessed by it. He begins reshaping his own morals around it, allowing his imagination to consume him completely.

The questions the series keeps asking linger long after each episode ends:
What truly inspires great writers? Is it talent? Trauma? Jealousy? Or the irresistible desire to control someone else's narrative?

Without revealing spoilers, the final episodes completely reframe everything that came before. Every clue was there from the beginning, but like Mun-oh, you're too deeply caught inside Kang's narrative to recognize them. The twist doesn't exist to shock it exists to make you rethink everything you've been watching. The execution is meticulous, relying on subtle conversations, lingering silence, and the unsettling realization that you've been viewing the story from the wrong perspective all along.

Perhaps the drama's greatest strength is that it refuses to create heroes or villains. Mun-oh isn't merely a victim, and Kang isn't simply a genius. Their relationship constantly shifts between admiration, manipulation, dependence, rivalry, and mutual fascination. By the finale, you realize you've become just as trapped within Kang's narrative as Mun-oh himself. You're left questioning who deserves your sympathy and that's precisely the point.

Notes from the Last Row is less of a mystery than it is a mirror. It's a haunting exploration of obsession, authorship, artistic ambition, and the dangerous seduction of a truly compelling story. It's slow, bleak, intellectually demanding, and deliberately refuses the comfort of easy answers or tidy redemption.
The writing is exceptional. The performances are unforgettable.
Watch if: You enjoy psychological dramas that treat storytelling itself as a weapon.
Skip if: You're looking for a fast-paced thriller, a comforting watch, or a neatly wrapped ending.

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