Reviews

An Ambivalent Sageuk Carousel

I went into this with high expectations with other reviews toting this as the Sageuk of 2021 and even all time. Some seem to absolutely love it while others completely hate it. I fall somewhere along the middle. I think this drama evokes such strong reactions because this drama itself is unsure of what it wants to be. Usually, that means it's trying to do too much, oddly it actually does too little.

So let's begin with the beginning - I almost quit on the first episode. The entire episode is a prologue of the main characters played by children. The children are... well, children. Their acting abilities are limited because they are so young. So maybe giving them tons of heavy dialogue that must fill an entire episode and set up the entire plot of the drama, might not be setting up these young actors, or your drama to succeed. This should have been used as short clips and flashbacks. A strange choice, one of many questionable decisions this drama makes. Yet the greatest flaw in this drama is its inability to make decisive decisions.

But before I get into it, let me just gush about some of the things I really liked. The overall production value is of high caliber. From the set design, the locations, the clothing, and even the small details are highly immersive. The premise of exploring the underbelly of the royal court and its maids is intriguing and novel. The cast is exemplary in pulling us in and making us love and hate them. But the true standout of this drama is the cinematography. It's maybe the best I've ever seen in a drama. The camera work is stunning. Without spoiling, there is a scene where a character stands in front of a window and the sunlight shines through to highlight the window's design to resemble prison bars, with the next shot a closeup of that same design reflected in the eyes of the character. Simply stunning and communicates what a mile of dialogue could not. There are times, particularly towards the end, when the cinematography is like poetry. SO breathtaking!

With all that said, let's get into some of the major issues I had with this drama. I could tell from the onset that this drama wanted to predominately be 1) a forbidden romance sageuk and 2) a more serious sageuk exploring the realities of royal court life. These are reasonable goals, as I've seen many sageuks juggle more and succeed. The problem lies in its inability to yield in either direction at any injunction, ultimately tying the hands of the plot. The romance constantly undercuts any credibility to any attempt at real court struggles, and the realities tie down the romance from soaring. So instead of making decisions, the plot just circles itself like a carousel. Characters just keep having the same conversations because no decisions are being made on which way they want this drama to go. Any conflicts are quickly resolved with little complexity and even less consequence. Characters come and go with the ease of getting on and off a carousel. Not to mention character development or lack thereof. No one changes. No one learns anything. They even explicitly and intentionally say that they do not change.

Ultimately I think this drama had some interesting things to say but didn't bother to explore the very questions it raises. It refuses to risk taking any chances, thereby rendering its potential impotent. It's as if the writer themself couldn't decide the fate of its protagonist so they decided not to decide. So in the end you have a beautiful and intricate carousel that lacks any real thrill or destination, questioning itself with every rotation.

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I hate office romance but this one is good.

I like how they represented that a boss and an employee can have a great chemistry between them and this is going in my top 5 KBL.
I like that they showed mature behavior of a boss but the employee's character didn't grow that much.
I only give story 7.5 because the character of seung didn't grow that much.when he wanted he went back to kim and when he wanted he ghosted him.
This is the only thing that I didn't like but overall the serie is great.We get a good make out scene in Korean BL because in KBL's they usually don't do make out and only lip touching kiss.
Other thing that I like was there was not that much drama.The serie was well directed as well.
Lastly there was no time gap between the couple which is default in Korean BL's.
I really hate time gap so I loved this serie

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Efficient and throws a meaningful punch at quite a few topics

There was not a single thing unnecessary in this drama.

No dragging. No ridiculous subplots. Zero useless characters. Each one was developed.

Superb chemistry. Real emotion. Believable progression.

You can see where I am going with this. One word is efficient in all of its goals which were hefty for this drama.

The topics treated in this drama went beyond relationship and sexuality. They touched upon power structures (they even inserted Orwell in there), revenge, love across ages, depression... what touched me the most: the unconditional friendship. The prefect trio were really perfect friends to each other, admirable in the consistency of their support.

Soundtrack gives me Troye Sivan vibes and it is memorable. Not many hot scenes. More on the character development typa bl. I was not emotionally moved by cinematography or story but I cannot see any minuses really.

If it was not obvious..An absolute recommend.

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DEATH'S GAME TRULY IS A MASTERPIECE

This show in itself is a one of a kind type of show. If you love action/thriller type kdrama's then this show is for you. When I first started this show I thought I was not gonna like it but boy was I mistaken. This show truly captures the nature of life and death within itself.




Not only is this show's casting top tier, but this show beautifully showcases the effects of death. And how it can affect the people around you and this show truly is a masterpiece of acting, visual effects, ost's. Plus it's really great at putting emotions into the acting scenes that it portrays.



This show truly is a masterpiece. This
show will have you at the edge of your seat, especially with how the stories are all interlaced within each other's. This show truly is a beautiful show.

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If you're a die-hard romantic, you simply can't afford to miss this one!

You won't believe how much I'm in love with this series! From the heart-touching soundtrack to the captivating storyline inspired by folklore, everything about it is a perfect balance. The chemistry between the leads is off the charts, and the rest of the cast is equally amazing. The narrative is so beautiful that it never lets you lose interest for a second. And don't even get me started on the bromance between Goblin and The Grim Reaper - it's pure entertainment! Plus, Deuk Hwa's character is just too cute for words. Gong Yoo's charm and wit will leave you swooning, and the female lead and Deok Hwa are absolutely adorable together. The narrative and the poetic elements of the show are so enchanting that they'll make you want to fall in love and believe in magic all over again. If you're a die-hard romantic, you simply can't afford to miss this one!

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The PG-13 Chinese Version of Death Games and Why Number 19

Fans of death games are familiar with dramas like the Korean Squid Games and the Japanese Alice in Borderland, and this one is a Chinese version of the death games and a drama adaptation of an award-winning Chinese psychology suspense novel. I wrote the "Chinese version" because every Chinese drama watcher knows how strict Chinese censorship is. Therefore, in contrast to other countries' death games that are R-rated, this one is PG-13: minus profanity, nudity, and violence. I will also explain why the drama title has the number 19 in it.

STORY/PLOT:

The MDL synopsis is accurate so I won't add anything to it. "19th Floor" (actually, there are no physical floors, more likely levels) is a drama adaptation of the novel "The Nineteenth Floor of Hell" ((地狱的第十九层), a winner of the 2005 Sina Book of the Year Award, written by Chinese best-selling psychological suspense novelist Cai Jun (蔡骏). In the novel, according to Baidu, "the story aims to express a profound proposition beyond fear. Everyone has the original sin of greed, jealousy, selfishness, or anger in their hearts. Once tempted and the truth is revealed in broad daylight, there will be uncontrollable and unreasonable consequences. One's bizarre behavior, falling into layers of hell is a cruel punishment for the inner demons".

To pass the NRTA review, there are big changes made. Firstly, the word 'hell' is omitted, because CCP is atheist, and hell is a religious word, thus should not be in modern titles (can be added in xianxia's titles that are merely mythical stories). There is a Hong Kong movie adaptation "Naraka 19" with a plot that is true to the novel. Secondly. because the drama's mission is to educate young viewers, since the main characters mainly are university students, the drama focuses on the character growths of the main and important supporting characters who are the game players. Thirdly, there are no real deaths, as stated in the synopsis, the losers fell into a coma in the real world. Fourthly, there is profanity, nudity, and violence, thus making this drama a PG-13 version. Although I don't read the novel, I assume the novel is scarier than the drama. Fifthly, because it's a university setting, a slight romance is added to this drama, and the romance subplot does not take over the mystery plot.

Why Number 19:

It was in the Tang dynasty when the more popular concept of the “18 levels of hell” came to be, circulated by the Buddhist text "Sutra on Questions about Hell", which mentioned 134 worlds of hell that were then simplified to a total of 18 for convenience. Each of the 18 levels contains a specific method of torture for a specific sin. At the end of my review, before the spoiler of the ending, I will list the 18 levels of hell for your convenience.

The novel adds the 19th level of hell on purpose which I won't spoil you what it is, especially since the drama doesn't describe any hell nor do the games symbolize the 18 levels of hell. The number 19 in the drama simply is the number of the abandoned school building where some of the games are played.

Plot-wise I gave this drama a 9.0 because in their real lives, the story is a bit draggy with the character growth process some young characters have to develop. The games themselves are fast-paced, some I even think are too fast since the games end in only one episode. Definitely, they are thriller games, not suspense games (unlike, for example, Spirealm which I'm watching currently in which one game takes several episodes to finish).

Because of the character growth process, some conversations are deep and heart-to-heart. Therefore, is better if viewers understand Chinese either written or spoken. Unfortunately, some of us watched it through the bad translation of MangoTV, so we lost the depth. Fortunately, Viki will pick the subbing up. Hopefully, the late viewers would appreciate this drama more and thus will rate it higher.

CHARACTER/ACTING:

Chun Yu, the Female Lead, is the focus of this drama (also in the novel). She is intelligent, brave, and cute, but she holds a hatred towards someone that later is addressed in this drama.

Gao Xuan, the Male Lead, becomes Chun Yu's companion in solving the mystery and overcoming the game's challenges. This character is somewhat mysterious, because of the nature of Gao Xuan in the original source (I will spoil you about him at the end of the review). Casting Wei Zhe Ming as Gao Xuan is perfect, as I have seen him playing antagonists (or semi-antagonists) in the past.

I won't spoil you with the supporting characters, but the many characters are flawed/three-dimensional. As its original source explores characters with the sin of greed, jealousy, selfishness, or anger in their hearts, so does this drama but with positive outcomes.

Besides acting out greed, jealousy, selfishness, or anger, most actors and actresses did a good job of portraying fear, considering they don't face real monsters but greenscreens. The actors' or actresses' facial expressions befit the characters' confusion or stress when facing horrendous situations or trying to solve (time-ticking) puzzles or mysteries.

VISUALS:

This is a death game theme with monsters, puzzles, and mind games, therefore, props, sets, and CGI depicting the darkness and the intensity of each game are a must. They are pretty much well done and some give you jump scare or suspense without gore or horror. I specifically love the jump scare of the first game with the shadow puppets. I have watched many mystery-genre Chinese dramas in which shadow puppets become mysterious aspects, and in this drama shadow puppets are monstrous aspects.

OST:
The ending OST is "The Last Light" by Wang Mi Ran, a Mongolian-descent singer, with the stage name Miya. Actor Xiao Kai Zhong who played the character Zhang Tian Qiang, sang the male version of this OST as an insert song during the scenes with him in it.

SPOILERS (Scroll down if you want to know about 18 levels of hell according to Buddhism, the character of the Male Lead, and the ending)






















18 Levels of Hell (Not mentioned in the drama, because it's considered religious - Buddhism belief or mythical/superstition per NRTA censorship)

1. Hell of Tongue-ripping, where those who gossip and spread trouble with their words will repeatedly have their tongues ripped out.
2. Hell of Scissors, where those who destroy someone else’s marriage will have their fingers repeatedly cut off.
3. Hell of Trees of Knives, where those who sow discord amongst family members will be repeatedly hung from trees made of sharp knives.
4. Hell of Mirrors of Retribution, where those who have managed to escape punishment for their crimes while alive will be repeatedly shown their true horrific selves.
5. Hell of Steamers, where hypocrites and troublemakers will repeatedly be steamed “alive.”
6. Hell of Copper Pillars, where arsonists will be repeatedly chained to red-hot pillars of copper.
7. Hell of the Mountain of Knives, where those who have killed for pleasure or without good reason will repeatedly be made to climb a mountain made of sharp blades sticking out of it.
8. Hell of the Mountain of Ice, where adulterers, deceivers of elders, and schemers will be repeatedly left out on a barren mountain of ice to freeze.
9. Hell of the Cauldrons of Oil, where rapists, thieves, abusers, and false accusers will be repeatedly fried in vats of boiling oil.
10. Hell of the Cattle Pit, where those who have abused animals will repeatedly be hurt by animals in turn.
11. Hell of the Crushing Boulder, where those who have abandoned or killed children will repeatedly be made to hold up heavy boulders, eventually being crushed by their weight.
12. Hell of Mortars and Pestles, where those who voluntarily waste food will repeatedly be force-fed hell fire by demons.
13. Hell of the Blood Pool, where those who disrespect others will be thrown in and submerged into a pool of blood.
14. Hell of the Wrongful Dead, where those who have committed suicide—considered deliberately going against the karmic course of the universe—will be forced to repeatedly wander the realm without a way out, while being pelted constantly by the Winds of Sorrow and the Rains of Pain.
15. Hell of Dismemberment, where tomb raiders will have their bodies repeatedly torn into pieces.
16. Hell of the Mountain of Fire, where thieves, robbers, and the corrupt will be repeatedly thrown into the fiery pits of an active volcano.
17. Hell of Mills, where those who have misused their power to oppress the weak will repeatedly be crushed in a stone mill.
18. Hell of Saws, where those who have engaged in unethical or unfair business practices, or exploited loopholes in the legal system, will be repeatedly sawn in half by demons with saws.

Regarding the Male Lead Gao Xuan:
In the novel, Gao Xuan is an antagonist. In the drama, Gao Xuan is a protagonist

Ending:
Overall a happy ending, EVERYONE is alive and played the final game to fight the villain. Broken relationships are mended. There are two romantic couples formed, Chun Yu and Gao Xun are one of the couples.

The last scene depicting a new death game starting is probably just a tease for the possibility of Season 2. So, the drama doesn't end with a cliffhanger or open ending.

Because of this type of a wholesome happy ending, my final rating is 9.5.

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More than I expected!

I expected a cheesy, silly, feel good show. And I did get that. Characters were exaggerated and fun, story line seemed predictable and light. Lots of eye candy and laughter. But I did NOT expect the plot twists towards the end that kept me up too late at night for “just one more episode…” Most of it was still fun, but it does hit you in the feelings a few times. And there were some plot twists that I wasn’t able to figure out for a while, so there was a bit more suspense than I anticipated. Overall a very entertaining show that I will watch again in the future.

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So underrated!

It was just AMAZING✨️
The acting, the story , everything

I really loved the story and how you get to know each character with time and understand the story. I got really attatched to all the different characters by the end and didn't want it to end.

I really love action series, so it was perfect for me! I personally think, that fight the scenes as well as suspense scenes were made very good and made me feel like actually being in the story.

To add, the sounds.
They always fitted perfect to the scene, not like some other series. The had amazing soundtracks, which are now in my playlist and the backgrounds and enivorment had very beautiful sceneries.


I really love this k-drama and it is definetly worth watching , I can't believe that this isn't famous. It should be given an award!!

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Love the story (mostly) and characters, but it is not flawless for sure

Apart from the fact that the series is adapted from a BL work, I see no reason it would be taken down. In fact, suggestions of BL are few and far between even though the relationship between the two main characters approaches the intensity of romance.

I think the story has some basic changes from the original work, but the story in the series is pretty strong overall. It is highly engaging as the characters enter the virtual world represented by one door after another. The progress in the dangers of the different levels of the virtual reality game is also nicely calibrated. But the story would have been much less engaging had it not been for a group of interesting and likable characters that the audience will care about. A case in point is the character, Tan Zaozao, a female actress who starts off being a character one doesn't take seriously but ends up with one we might cry over.

It is a little ironic that a series that toes the line in so many ways is taken down after an hour, with most attributing the cause to censorship. If one has no idea that the series is based on a BL work, one might not even imagine that there is any romance going on between the main characters. No doubt, there is a strong bond between them, but it could either be a strong friendship or romantic interest that never really gets a chance to be expressed. I would even say that one of the major flaws of the series is how it toes the line politically, making it thematically simplistic. In the series, it is none too subtly suggested that America = Capitalist = Evil. (No prizes for guessing which country it is antithetical to.)

As a critique of capitalism, what the characters say may make sense at a certain level. However, it is a different matter to posit that evil Western capitalists will go out of their way to corrupt a virtual reality game (or some sort of game where the line between the virtual and the real is blurred) and fill it with violence. Look, in the series, it is not as though the capitalists can make money when:

1. people who start playing the game have no choice but to continue--they can simply go through any door and be transported to one of the worlds of the game even if they do not wish to play and presumably even if they are too poor to pay to continue playing the game.

2. people who die in the game also die in real life, so they cannot continue playing (even if we assume that they have to pay each time they play)--and it it VERY easy to die in the game.

3. people actually actively discuss the game on the Internet and it is quite possible for the game to gain such a bad reputation that not many are adventurous to even start playing it

4. such a game must take an immense amount of energy to power even if it were technologically possible: which profiteering capitalist will foot the bill?

Another issue here is the pitting of the main characters against the agenda of the evil capitalists. You mean as long as the main characters triumph, the evil capitalists won't be able to replicate an older, corrupt version of the game that can cause people to die?

I suspect the original work is more coherent than this, but alas, it probably runs into censorship issues. But if only someone had the foresight to see that the series would be catapulted to the status of a cult classic because it would be taken down after one hour of release, perhaps a decision could have been made to stay more faithful to the original work.

In the last couple of episodes, the series becomes quite perplexing. It does not make sense to have an "it was all a dream" sort of ending, especially one that ends up being self-contradictory. There are at least three key interpretations we are invited to consider:

1. It was all a "dream"--ok, but why would Ling Jiu Shi's dream reveal to him the names and even personalities of people he sees after the dream and not before, and why isn't Ruan Lan Zhu amongst these people?

2. The game has started earlier than Ling Jiu Shi realizes at first, but when he completes the game, he is transported to maybe 15 minutes after the start of the game. This would mean that all the so-called real-life characters for most of the episodes are game characters. Ok, but why are these characters so similar to random people Ling Jiu Shi later sees around.

3. Ling Jiu Shi is still in the game (not mutually exclusive with 2). Maybe there is a challenge he must overcome. Who knows? He chooses to spend the next 50 years creating a replica of the game (presumably without the awful parts) or basically Ruan Lan Zhu and other people he cares about during the previous 70+ episodes we see him. Ultimately, though, this seems to be an act of self-deception... it it suggested that no matter how real we make the virtual world or "merge" it with the real world, we can escape the fact that our physical bodies age in the real world. That is unless we ditch our physical bodies (die physically) and upload ourselves into the virtual world (which can be sustained by god knows what)... I guess this is one way of achieving a happily-ever-after for our leads. Then again, it is a solution that involves cutting oneself off from the people in a different realm.

I think the series makes things unnecessarily complicated and not quite in a purposeful way. This is where it falters despite being a really engaging series to watch about 95% of the time.

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Good production, good romance

The best jdrama I've watched ever. I loved the couple, they are really great together. Togo is just perfect! He seemed to be harsh and rude, but he's actually gentle, sensible and understanding. Whenever he got angry with her, he had very good reasons and, in the end, he always forgave her and understood her. Besides that, he's the most handsome japanese ML I've ever seen. So he's the best. I liked FL too, the way she wasn't a plain female lead. She entered the contract marriage for the money and wasn't afraid to admit it. Also, she's beautiful and knows that. They formed a beautiful couple who chose and fought to be together always.

The production for this drama was really good. I couldn't stop remarking, as I was watching, how it seemed I was watching a kdrama. The plot full of cliches that were mostly well explored felt like it. Also, in my experience jdramas are very low-budget-looking and this one was the opposite. Very good production.

Regarding the narrative, in the overall it was good and simple. It was a lot funny and the romance got me too. But there were some writing problems related to the villains:

- Kamiyama was the worst! Although he's a good guy, few things justify the way he tried to break up the leads, and he didn't have a good reason. Yes, he needed the money for his father and their company, but that wasn't reason for him to take a drunk FL to a hotel room, take off her dress, and pretend they had a night together. That was just disgusting! And from where I come from, this is a crime, you can go to jail for these things. So all that had totally ruined the character for me. And I didn't understand how FL forgave him for that. I was totally on ML's side for getting angry at her for trusting a man who did what he did to her. As a woman, I'm afraid of these types who disguise as friend to gaslight and manipulate women. Ugh, so disgusted!

- As for ML's mother, I knew there was smth wrong with her. She acted weird from the very beginning. Hated how she had a redemption and they forgave her although she never asked for it and was willing to continue with her malicious plans. It wasn't clear why she stopped trying to separate the leads cuz she clearly had an obssession with Togo and I can't believe that everything went well in the end bc he just asked her to stop. She needed mental treatment really.

On the overall it was a very enjoying drama. The romance was the best part. If you overlook the poor villain arcs it was very good and worth watching.

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SHOI WOO SHIK

Even though he was a victim of school bullying, his life after military service was nothing much, living alone pitifully and has nothing to do just reaching for money, But with 2 murder he was terrified therefore he wasn't a suspect and no evidence this will awake the psychopath in him.
THAT'S FREAKING CREATIVE AS THE START OF HIS JOURNEY BEGAN.
as for the acting both woo shik and the officer have done a great jobs hhh
sara7a rah fchkl kifach bdat l journey diyalo ga3 had zhar li makhalahch itchad flwl rah nadi hhhhh
LET'S WATCH IT TOGETHER
STILL WATCHING IT BUT IT'S REALLY A GOOD ONE TO WATCH

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Great, but not too good

This series was great. Amazing acting, visuals, directing, music etc. There were many things I liked and disliked:
+ Sea's acting as a visually impaired person was really good
+ Beautiful cinematography. Reminds me of NLMG and MC
+Beautiful music
+Great main story
+Mark
- Jimmy's (or Mhok's?) random "mhm" sounds. I need more than two hands to count them all.
- poor character development. Mhok was a bad guy but suddenly turned good? Day turned from annoying and depressed to happy in one night.
-Was that 'meeting dad again' thing really necessary?
- Forgetting the whole meaning in the end
-The last episode is like watching a whole different series
-11th ep breakup was unnecessary and too frequently used.

Ep 9 was the best. The only time I cried.
It should have been the last episode, because after that it started losing the grip.
The whole last episode was rushed and full of time skips. It was like watching a comedy show. Night and Porjai running to an airport with wedding dresses. I don't know what Thai people do during wedding nights, but I don't expect that.
The last scene would've been a lot more beautiful and meaningful if they gave more time to it. At least one part, not a few minutes in the end.
Overall a great journey 👍🏻. Lots of emotions and so on.
Thank y'all for this 🙏🏻

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HELLOOOOOOO

just finished watching de drama and well i like it very much!

the casting did an amazing job but Kim Haneul (Jung Da jung) did kinda...not bad but not good. i didn't felt much emotions from her character. even in the kissing scenes she was always with a straight face. the character Hong Shi Woo (Ryeoun) he was there...but he wasn't. i felt like they forgot his character and only used him as an "excuse" for Hong Dae Young (Lee Dohyun) to stay close to his family. like, why he didn't received his savings money too just like his sister? and if he did, why we couldn't see?
Hong Shi Woo had a litte bit of development, but...it felt disappointing.
i feel bad cause Ryeoun is an amazing actor, he deserved better.

in another hand, Hong Shi Ah (Rong Jeong Eui) had a great development, loved her story!

the romance story between the teacher and Hong Dae Young's friend had a good start but it felt forced at the end.

i love when dramas show us stories of the side characters, and they are not only characters without any deepness. but 18 again brought too much stories for too many characters when they could focus on important ones.

about ost, the HELLOOOOO it's stuck in my head because they've added this song SO MANY TIMES 😭 i didn't like 💔

the main story is good, it taught us many important things about relationships, mainly Parents x Children, Husband x Wife. can't deny that i learned somethings that i will take with me.

anyways, I've watched the drama in 3 days cause i was curious and invested on the story, but mostly because of Lee Dohyun. his acting is impeccable and he kept me watching!

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My favorite series

I watched it when it first and out but no matter how Many times I rewatch It is still amazing. I think Ohm and Nanons Acting skills are incredible and I think that they show the characters personalities really well and overall the story and the acting is just phenomenal!!
The way they both compete to see who will fall in love first even though they both already know they like each other is so funny and played out so well, you can really tell they both love each other a lot and as they get closer but others still don’t except them they always have each others backs <3

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