Reviews

quirky series that felt like it took me 1000 years to watch

Overall: I was excited for this quirky romcom but it was extremely slow at times and had odd tonal shifts. It's from the same director/screenwriter as I Will Knock You and they had similar aesthetics. 12 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (not in Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau) & WeTV (vpn to Thailand).

Content Warnings: attempted suicide, murders, blood, violence, self harm, stalking, trespassing

What I Liked
- cute moments
- supportive friend group and sister
- eclectic wardrobe (sweaters/shirts) and accessories (umbrellas)
- the cat
- ep 5, good he didn't kiss Yoh when sleeping
- ep 9 around 31 minutes
- Shin
- (neutral), the comedy sound effects are there but not as egregious as in other series

Room For Improvement
- very slow pacing for most of the series, I was frequently bored with the eating, dancing, talking about pork blood soup, etc
- Yoh did all that terrible stuff to Pun and even though Pun said he was fine it made me really dislike Yoh, Yoh was too dumb/mean for me to like him and Pun was also unbelievable stupid/unaware for someone who has lived for that long (Pun is explained in episode 12)
- the tonal shifts from fluffy/campy to violent/serious (such as the beginning of episode 2 which I did not find funny) did not work for me
- inconsistent/convenient world building, information in episode 8/9 did not mesh with the exposition dump in episode 2 (some of it made sense in episode 12 but that was too long)
- not sure why they tried to do the tease at the beginning as the title, summary and trailer all gave a plot point away
- there were some fast cuts in the beginning and I wasn't sure if there was a time jump or not until the scene went on
- exposition dump in most of episode 12 and revealed information much too late
- one dimensional villain character
- felt like a middle school romance

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Complicated

Firstly, I watch this series because of Zhang Miaoyi.
After watching her in Exclusive Fairytale, When I Fly Towards You, Back to Seventeen, and Please Don't Spoil Me, I really felt the urge to watch this one.

It's all about love and hate here. Hence why it becomes soo complicated.
This drama told me that we can have more than one feeling to each other.
We can be enemies even we love each other, and any other complicated things from human relationships.

I can't say that I like this drama but the fact that every episode always engage me to watch the next episodes till the end is crazy. I never get boring once, just make it faster with 2× speed.

So, there's no any regrets after watching it. The ending is quite satisfying too.
There's no cringe scenes for me, the romance is enough too. Not too sweet but also not so plain. Everything is just make sense here.
They deserve more attention.

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Love the chemistry

This the only cdrama that made me download all its OST... i super love their soundtracks. Aside from the ost, I really love the story line of this drama, alergic to tears is unusual but they pull it through. Maybe some scenes is not that necessary, I do admit that I have skipped some scene coz it bores me, but with the main characters, they have feelings, I mean, I could feel their emotions they want to show. I couldn't say much coz I dont to spoil this drama, but one thing I could assure you that this is worth your time. Well, compared to kdramas that more than an hour of streaming, I still prefer to watch this. Anyways, it's worth your time, dont worry. This is a must-see drama also.

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worth the wait, worth the time. a beautiful slice of life drama.

There are more depth to the story of the drama than what some people said. This is a SLICE OF LIFE type of drama, cause life can both slow you down or pull you up anytime anywhere. There winning and losing, there's misunderstanding, chaos and also contemplation of making decision. There are multi aspects of respect, sportmanship, relationship dynamics portrayed. It's not a typical fluffy all giddy and fantasy romance. It's paced with actual life condition. The chemistry? I don't know about others but they surely showed how it is to be awkward, how it is when you're missing someone so dearly, how and why some are afraid of marriage, how they shot emotions from a simple gaze, everything's there on the right pace. It's a healing life type of drama, not too heavy, not too serious. They did amazingg.

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When second parts are better

'Ossan's Love Returns' continues the adventures of the Japanese gay couple Maki and Haruta after the events of the first season, 'Ossan's Love: Ossan zu Rabu', broadcast in 2018, and the following film, 'Gekijoban Ossan zu Rabu Love or Dead', 2019, from TV Asahi.
Ironically, even after years of being together, the two men, already close to forty, have a couple of things to learn about life itself and relationships, since they have passed professional issues with high marks.
Luckily, the entire cast of the original series is present to offer life lessons to the young couple in their marriage experience. Haruta, in need of all the help he can get from his friends and co-workers, on how to maintain a loving relationship and how to treat his husband, will need to learn from the lessons that can be given to him. .
The popular Japanese BL that was overwhelmingly addictive to many since its initial season, returns to the small screen with a new sequel in which Kento Hayashi, Kei Tanaka and Kotaro Yosida reprise their roles as Ryota Maki, Soichi Haruta and Musashi Kurosawa, respectively, who, along with the other characters, portray the varied dynamics that move our main protagonists.
The show features a cast involving Iura Arata (as Ko Izumi), Miura Shohei (Kikunosuke Rikudo), Uchida Rio (Chizu Arai), Kaneko Daichi (Utamaro Kuribayashi), Ito Shuko (Maika Arai), Kojima Kazuya (Teppei Arai ), Mashima Hidekazu (Masamune Takekawa) and Ohtsuka Nene (Choko Kuribayashi) in supporting roles.
Considered one of the first Japanese television series of the Boys' Love genre aimed at a general audience, it is not the adaptation of a previous manga, although it was serialized between 2018 and 2020 by Umebachi Yamanaka for the manga magazine Be Love. It is also appreciated for serving as an influential model for audiovisual adaptations of the same genre produced both in Japan and internationally.
In fact, due to its good acceptance and criticism, what was initially a special episode broadcast on December 30, 2016, with the title 'Ossan zu Rabu', was expanded into a franchise. The aforementioned special chapter has the peculiarity that in it Haruta's romantic interest is his kohai Hasegawa Yukiya, played by Ochiai Motoki. The original cast, with some changes, was part of the seven-episode series, considered the first season.
Added to this universe are the 8-episode series 'Ossan's Love: In The Sky (Ossanzu Rabu: In The Sky), from TV Asahi, from 2019, and Ossan's Love HK, starring Kenny Wong, Edan Lui and Anson Lo in the main roles. Directed by Kwok Kaa Hei and script written by Tokuo Koji, this is considered Hong Kong's first BL drama.
'Ossan's Love Returns' manages, as a sequel, to recover the magic of the original, while offering something new to maintain the interest of viewers. To do this, the characters just have to be who they were in the first season, but with a more anime style.
The series also respects one of the characteristics of both anime and Japanese live-action works by exaggerating and making improvised mood swings, whether in dream sequences or in fantasized worst-case scenarios. Haruta being a very imaginative man, in many moments of his hyperactive shouts, different and overly expressive voices and internal thoughts, his directors, Yuki Saito and Ruto Toichiro, excel in the exquisite camera work in the close-ups; moving the focus directly onto the face of actor Kei Tanaka, who characterizes Haruta ridiculously well.
Kento Hayashi, her sensible husband Maki, is not far behind in loving her foolish husband, but also showing a side of annoyance with the man who even today, five years after the relationship began, does not do the housework and, To make matters worse, he frequently gets drunk and loses the gifts they give him.
The series describes the “newlywed life” of Haruta and Maki, after the latter's return from Singapore, where he had gone for work. Haruta, who has been dealing with his long-distance relationship, waits for him impatiently, but fails to arrive at the airport in time to see him get off the plane, as was his intention, indicating from the first scenes the comedic tone that characterizes the Serie.
With increased responsibilities in the workplace, the couple has difficulty dividing and accomplishing household chores. To save the situation, Haruta comes up with the brilliant idea of ​​hiring some online cleaning services to make her home life easier. But the person who appears at the door turns out to be none other than his former boss. This will be the person in charge of cleaning the home you share with Maki. In this way, Musahi Kurosawa, played by the fantastic Kotaro Yoshida, Maki's eternal love rival for the love of her foolish husband, re-enters the lives of the two young people.
Kurosawa, who had retired early, now works in a company dedicated to domestic work. As a “housekeeper,” while visiting the couple, her old feelings for Haruta are rekindled.
Despite stating that he has changed his intentions to conquer Haruta and now only comes to play the role of “mother-in-law” in the effort to make the young couple happy, he does not miss the opportunity to argue with Maki and cast her jealous glances, animosity or resentment for “having taken the man she loves” or for “making him suffer for preferring to be with other men,” as she often thinks, without knowing that Maki, who loves Haruta madly, is a victim of misunderstandings and absurd setbacks. , like leaving her engagement ring embedded in a baked ceramic vessel, which she and Haruta had molded hours before.
In this original “fatherly love”, while Kurosawa hurts Maki in subtle ways, a foolish Haruta is not able to notice what is happening around him, achieving moments of humor also with other situations, which will not be lacking in the series.
The three main characters, as well as the rest of the cast, are adults and handle their nonsense in a script that has plenty of intelligence and good workmanship.
With a plot ably written by Tokuo Koji, it's no coincidence that audiences can experience the series as a sexless Yaoi: the characters act with the same kind of bombastic, chaotic energy you see in anime. An example of the above can be seen when a jealous Kurosawa, in a sort of “drama queen”, passes a rolling pin over the fingers of a helpless Maki, unable to react in time, when he comments on her cooking.
If as an obsessed lover “the boss” is a stalker, as a mother-in-law concerned about Haruta's happiness he is also a stalker, a kind of sweet and tender sociopath who will make even the most demanding viewer laugh. In this way, the chaos and drama rise to a divine level, which will make everyone laugh during each episode.
For their part, Haruta and Maki bring tenderness in their fun ways. As husbands, they have dealt with and overcome so many problems, thanks to pure love and faith towards each other.
However, this series, which belongs to a particularly Japanese comedy genre, whose type of humor is not always understood and enjoyed by the audience, is undervalued by many outside the borders of the nation of origin.
However, each episode is a true work of craftsmanship with its chaotic plot and, to top it all off, a satisfying ending. Every time I think that the entire cast, both technical and artistic, cannot surpass the last episode, they do it effortlessly in the next one, reaching greater heights.
In this fantastic show, with excellent characterizations, creativity flows and the audience never yawns. Quite the contrary, he settles in front of the television screen to enjoy the mysterious secondary characters neighboring the main couple, or the performances of the rest of the people who surround Maki and Haruta.
If at times the ghost of 'Ossan's Love: In The Sky' assails me, of which I admit I don't like the ending, and I think that the lack of communication, the work entanglements that tend to keep Haruta and Maki apart, or the fact that Since they both have such opposite personalities, and that's why they both have to take different paths, I really enjoy each scene being more explosive, tender and joyful than the last.
The two protagonists have grown a lot as people and the writing reflects that growth.
Tanaka Kei is fantastic with his facial expressions and body movements. The genuine relationship he has with his traveling companion, Hayashi Kento, is a key piece in the resounding success of the series. The two actors prove to be completely comfortable next to each other.
The complicity, trust and camaraderie of both, as the basis of every romantic relationship, is enhanced with the incorporation of scenes of intimacy, of genuine and spontaneous kisses and hugs, of hands held in public, of restrained tears due to missing the other. , and tender laughter that demonstrates mutual love, as we have rarely seen in Japanese series.
I only hope that around our universe, that of humans, that other universe, fictional, but no less human, which is titled 'Ossan's Love', continues to revolve.

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Best Mini Series

Been watching mini cdrama series coz it short and faster to finish compared to kdramas. This is the only mini series by far that really got me. I did not skipped any scenes, I was into the story. With the main characters, all four of them executed their roles magnificently. To tell you the truth, cdrama has sometimes loopholes on its story, sometimes it jumped into next scene that doesn't connect from the previous, or sometimes it's just off the story. But this cdrama is different!!! Woah! The four main characters hooked me into their emotions, the on screen feelings is there. It's mini series, so the development of the story should be fast but here, it doesn't seems like they are in hurry to finish each episodes. That's is why I can say this is an under rated drama series coz this should have been get more attentions, reviews, more outstanding awards ect. It you ask me any reco for mini series, this is my top 1 reco, acting and story wise. It should never be missed. Plus, bonus muscle of Dai Gao zheng! 😁😁😁

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Heart warming, touching, admirable.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love ❄️❤️
I finished watching all 30 episodes, last watched ep 30 at 3:15 am and since that moment I've been feeling blank.

This drama made me feel a lot, and taught me quite some interesting points of life too. Their first giddy yet awkward love story may happen to anyone else too. The feelings of falling in love for the first time, the struggle to keep a conversation running, the unsaid thoughts, the sensational skin ship. Everything's relatable.

Not to mention how they portrayed the background stories of each characters and their growth. How they may be immature and hard headed at first but then learnt better of how to get a hold of themselves and think about others. Particular conservative Chinese identity that some character showcased, the importance of respecting others especially elderly, they showed great effort thru all of those. They also portrayed the sport amazingly well even tho there are some flaws still in the real sport terms. The dedication for the sport they love, their brotherhood and the bond they created while striving for a sport that they are proud of are so admirable. From coaches to the team and fans, they legit put on a great sportsmanship.

The actors and actresses blended well in their characters as if the directors hand picked them out from the novel. From main to side characters, they each have their ray of lights. The panoramic views from different location they shooted this, the soothing melodious music background and original song tracks they produced for the show were so brilliant and fit the concept exceptionally well.

Relationship, either with your family, friends or lover, relationship exists everywhere. There might be times where things won't go the way we wanted but surely, patience and tolerance will save us. There's more to relationship than just hugs, kisses, or compliments. Sometimes they can be words of comfort, acts of service, and even the presence alone, of both parties in well condition is enough to link up a relationship.

This drama is truly a relaxing healing drama. Worth the wait, worth the hype, worth the time watching. Surely gonna repeat watching this all over again anytime soon.

Kuddos to the author for writing such masterpiece and to the director, crews, actors and actresses for making such a beautiful series.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, after every snowstorm, there'll sunlight again, and then, you may feel the warmness again.

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A perfect 10 from beginning to end!

This series is now on my top of most fave ch drama ever, I even bought fast track just to binge watch everything. From the story, chemistry of the leads, acting, cinematography and ost everything just fits naturally.

Kudos to Wu Lei and Zhai Jin Mai for portraying Lin Yiyang and Yinguo so realistically that I feel like I’m also part of their lives watching their story unfold from start to end, everything about them just feels so natural and lovable.

I also like their friendship and the people surrounding them plus their journey to reach their dreams. It goes to show that you do not need a villain or to exaggerate a story because this series is soooo perfect for me I love a good romance that just tugs at my heart. I hope there will also be a spinoff with MX and LL story.

I’ll truly miss them all.

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Great series. . .It leave you with wanting more!

I really enjoyed this series! It keeps you on your toes trying to guess the next plot twist. Many of the roles are heartwarming! Brilliant acting by Fame Chawinroj Likitchareonsakul (Runway’s best friend, Guide ) and Boom Raweewit Jiraphongkanon (Guide’s brother, P’Good). These two actors clearly immersed themselves in the role, making every moment very convincing.
This series ends with a number of unanswered questions. There was to be a second series, that was ultimately canceled. (Most likely due to the pandemic) Although not ideal, it does leave you with wanting more. A testimony to a good series!

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A Wonderful, Inspiring Story with wonderful characters!

This is a wonderful, inspiring story with wonderful characters! The negative reviews are so off the mark - it seems people are disappointed in the romance aspect of the drama, and that is like saying an Apple is bad because it isn't an Orange. This is a story about dreams, hope, aspirations and second chances in life, and the strength of camaraderie. There is the undercurrent of love in the story that is very well done, in my opinion. It is love that grows through the strength that forms through trials and tribulations - the love of family, and friends, as well as romantic partners in life.
The actors did a really good job, and the script was well done also.
This is a hidden Gem. I highly recommend this drama.

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Please watch it without having high expectations

You should watch it without any spoilers or expectations because, wow, this might just become one of my favorite BL shows ever! Initially, I thought it might be a cheesy comedy, but it turned out to have a much darker twist. The way Yeo Woon mirrored Myungha's real-life experiences truly shows how Myungha is attempting to help him overcome his past mistakes. I found myself in tears when Myungha's mother refused to acknowledge his existence and the realization that the game was created to bring him happiness, not for anyone else's benefit.

The depth and complexity of the characters in this show are truly remarkable. Each episode reveals new layers of their personalities and motivations, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. The chemistry between Yeo Woon and Myungha is palpable, and their evolving relationship is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching to witness. The intricate storytelling and stunning cinematography make this BL show a must-watch for fans of the genre. So, grab some tissues and prepare to be taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride filled with love, friendship, and redemption.

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