Reviews

Over acting Overloaded

everyone is High
over acting level just sky rocketed

Story of childhood creepy girl turn Celeb
Since when ML started to like that annoying girl who caused his first love end,
SML is shown as crazy but he is just playing regular overbearing CEO most of celeb Cinderella's fall for
CEO and A celebrity couple,
but this FL is no Cinderella she earn her living herself so she doesn't act like gold digger Cinderella
she has her own love and her own choice whom she love,
SML might look Wrong but that is normal for CEOs to do, In most of dramas this is how they get there love
But SML.. dude what is point of getting that annoying girl ? you can marry that girl forcefully but she neither respect nor love you
she know how low you stoop to get her, she will use your weakness as tool to control you manipulate you
SML was so pathetic, you should not beg for love
ML was over acting and was show narrow minded about her photo shot,
he is assistant director, this is how he act with his girlfriend but if its someone else that would be fine and he will lecture others about being professional
the way they show her photo shoot it was like all other actress who had nude scenes in movies like Song ji yeo, jeon do yeon and kang han na they all did that under pressure and in need of money not for creating something artistic, this drama insulted there own industry so well,
ML show hypocrisy when he said high praises about actors, who show there beautiful soul to viewers, but now when it come to his girlfriend showing some beauty he act like she sold herself as escort
ML should have chosen a profession that made him so much money, you need to have talent for profession to earn more, it not just choosing what can make you 2million easily
Investment banker, ACTOR, CRYPTO, startup,
ML overacting level can reach moon and beyond that
he is getting drunk by water in the morning that is an amazing talent no other actor poses in at least Korea
and all his love vanishes the moment she told him..... that you are damn poor that you cant even afford to buy a condom so get the hell out of my sight
FL before committing suicide said she did her best, but when did she did her best ? she was living her life selfishly just providing some money to her family recklessly without seeing how they destroying her hard earn money, her free money spoiled her mother to much

WOW shame on you ML,,, other director trusted FL more then him, what a shame love he has for her
ML is one of them who pushed her to her suicide decision, i know you want to blame SML but
TO FL what ML think matter once he refuse to believe her she decide to committed suicide so whole blame is on ML not anyone else
if he had believed her and comforted her she would have lived and problem would have been cleared, but he pushed her to her death so how i am supposed to root for him getting the girl at end he killed once

ML did not believe her when she desperately asked him to do,
but after killing her successfully he want to pretend like he believe her, i find ML more disgusting then creepy SML
first drama ever in which Both ML contributed to downfall of FL they both claim to love and drove her to her death
but she don't die and will come back and merry one of her killer and punish one
GREATEST STORY EVER 1/10 worthy of it....

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only 10 minutes of the 20 minute short film

Overall: the production has made the odd decision to release only 10 minutes of the 20 minute short film. They have a fundraising project here https://www.zeczec.com/projects/Prayinlove_BL where people can pay and see the fully 20 minute short film in July. However, they also want to raise funds for the whole series. I think that they should have released a really engaging short film in its entirety for free and used that to fundraise for the series. They also needed to use an international friendly platform (I didn't see an option to change the language on their current site) and include internationally friendly rewards instead of physical goods that no doubt require a lot more money to ship internationally.

The 10 minute short film is here https://youtu.be/JhYUeHrlABw?si=6JDp9miOUEmpVJBc and it was okay. For a BL movie/series, they needed a better start than a guy surrounded by women flirting with him though.

I do think productions could do crowdfunding for BLs, but if they aren't with well known actors in BL or a sequel to something really popular then they need to have a really amazing trailer/hook, be realistic about how much they can raise with crowdfunding and be international fan friendly with reward levels and crowdfunding platform. I recently participated in a BL manhua kickstarter that exceeded its goal by a lot, so the money is out there if the project is done well.

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Boring

The show was boring, I expected something more entertaining at the level of squid games but it failed. Some characters passed without pain and glory, they were boring and the main protagonist (floor 3) did not fulfill his function as the main character. Overall, if you like just the sadistic and watching them kill each other, it's nice to watch... however, it was quite unfair when so much favoritism appeared for the upper floors by so many chapters (like it's very predictable if those who suffer were always the same characters). I think I'd rather stick with what already exists than see something like this again, a reality show where people should be entertained? Being locked in a building? It's not for me.

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Trash packaged stylishly

As a lover of K-drama, I never thought I would ever write this kind of review for any k-drama,. QoT reminds me of some terrible Indian soap operas that aired 25 years ago, had the ratings soar through the roof and killed the Indian TV entertainment industry by robbing its audience of great dramas it used to be famous for forever. The world has advanced and yet Indian TV is still stuck there. Its producers, who had produced some of the iconic slice of life dramas before that, swamped and suffocated the industry through power play because of the clout they garnered. Having such bad scripts get this kind of sky-rocketing ratings can push out seriously good scripts forever in an industry that's already struggling to survive. It's even more worrisome because now many of the good scripts are not even being aired on local channels in SK (for example, Moving, Soundtrack #1 and #2, Parasyte the Grey, A shop for killers etc).
The stars I gave were for the beautiful leads. That's it.

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=>a lakorn with big flaws (storyline) but catchy thanks to the CL

TT where a FL is sent by a spell to join her soulmate 200 years earlier, in the Ayutthaya era. But the ML is engaged to an evil FL2, who cursed the FL out of jealousy. This curse pursues the LF in all lives.

PROS
+++ a great CL with great chemistry
+++ excellent actors, including supporting actors
+++ Interesting background in Thai history
+++ a happy ending which completes all the events

CONS
### plot already seen (love destiny?)
### CGI and green background a little too obvious
### completely rigged storyline: TT, OK. But reincarnation, possession, black vs white magic???
### I wonder once again what is the use of the police (even corrupt) in Thailand??? Faced with such a violent grandmother Bua, "normal" heirs place her under guardianship and have her interned... :)

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TT où une FL est envoyée par un sort, rejoindre son soulmate 200 ans + tôt, à l'époque Ayutthaya. Mais le ML est fiancé à une evil FL2, qui a maudit la FL par jalousie. Cette malédiction poursuit la FL dans toutes ses vies.

PROS
+++ un super CL avec une belle alchimie
+++ d'excellents acteurs, y compris les acteurs de soutien
+++ Contexte intéressant dans l'histoire de la Thaïlande
+++ une ending happy et qui boucle tous les évènements

CONS
### plot déjà vu (love destiny ?)
### des CGI et fond vert un peu trop évidents
### storyline complètement pipée : TT, OK. Mais réincarnation, possession, magie noire, ???
### On se demande une fois de plus à quoi sert la police (même corrompue) en Thaïlande ??? Face à une grand-mère Bua aussi violente, des héritiers "normaux" la placent sous tutelle et la font interner ... :)

=>un lakorn avec de gros défauts (storyline) mais accrocheuse grâce au CL

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Wasn't sure what I was going to say...

I read a very positive review before writing this because, I wasn't sure how to approach this series. We do get a sense of timeline based on the length of stay Nubsib is going to be a roommate. But, I still had to wonder why they had to make Gene's character so continuously abrasive. If more people would have reminded him to back off a little or, to apologize when mean - it would have been easier to connect with him earlier in the series.

This series is pretty well written. Because it is mentioned so much - without looking to the credits - I have been trying to guess if this was written by a woman or, a man or, a collaboration. I can usually tell it is a woman when they have the gay character make it sound like they are gay just for one person and are deciding at that very moment. There are so few BLs out there that show that those feelings and whom you are drawn to start at a very early age - whether in the closet or, not. Anywho.

Overall - well done. Love the detail. Love the uncomfortableness some episodes create. Love the reality. Love that many types of LGBT personalities are represented. This is one series where you will watch several of the episodes repeatedly. I would have scored it higher if they would have given the director's and Gene's manager less screen time - both of them are so irritating. LOL

What you will notice in this series is a lack of character development. Instead of spending more time to get to know everyone - we have to sit through meaningless boring, time consuming scenes that almost mean nothing. Great - they go to a temple before the series shooting begins - that could have been covered in a flashback conversation. And, the day to day scenes weren't strong enough to hold up on their own. In other series - those hanging out together moments show true friendship and bonding doing normal things. Here - it can clearly be seen as time filler - even though the episodes are so short. It's okay - that is what the fast forward button is for.

Let's look at the characters:

Nubsib - the kind of guy both women and men would love to have. Caring, patient and honest.
Gene - in the closet only because he has kept himself isolated most of his life - not daring to even see where his feelings lie.
Tum - an appreciated character - assumed gay because of the world/career he is in but, feet firmly planted where he knows who he is. Refreshing that he never gets as angry as Gene does when people "assume".
Aoey - my least favorite character for all the reasons we see. Even though Nubsib goes out of his way to avoid him - he still feels he has a chance at a relationship with him (sad but, with that character's personality - I can understand it). We needed this character to represent that large segment of the LGBT population. Happy he was part of the series.
Loved Korn's character - always left you wondering.
The director and Gene's manager hold the place for typical over the top annoying characters. There were several times when the director was speaking that I yelled at the TV for him to stop talking. Gene's manager is pretty awful. If I were Gene - when it came time for contract renewal I would ask for her replacement or, move to a better company.
Tiffy - pretty cool character - loved her transformation.
Hin and Mhok were cool - would have loved more time with them.

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MY FAV YOUTH DRAMA

I was loved this kind of youth cdramas. After Wifty (When I fly towards you) I felt an emptiness and this cdrama filled it. I thought there would be no drama that focused on friendship like Wifty, and I was wrong. By the way, I don't understand why you gave it such a low rating. it must 9.0 rating. I felt every emotion with them (laughed, cried, had fun, etc.) I especially continued watching for Han Suhai and Ting Ting. I had fun in every scene of them. Throughout the 21 episodes, I never regretted starting. I hope there will be more youth cdramas like this...
Love from Turkiye (TR)

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Brilliantly Redefines the Meaning of Love

Overall, this is a raw, gritty series that presents itself more like a documentary movie than a BL series. It is dark, brooding, and exceedingly realistic. The characters are real people with real problems in real life actualities. I felt drained after watching this series. And categorically it is one of the most intelligently thought-out and refined BLs I have ever seen. It started out dark and remained dark even though its essence is not dark. The presentation of this series is very dark and certainly contemplative. It feels perilous and is filmed in a rather hazy dim fashion. Perhaps reflective of life for many people whose lives are more represented by this series. Pedestrian. Overlooked. Where life is difficult. Full of struggles. Lots of pain. Many unfulfilled dreams and desires. Yet, the foundation for continuing is still family, love, and commitment.

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Not terrible just mediocre

So...
8 episodes to the end and the most accurate reviews go to people rating it 7 or below.

I was pretty invested when I started this show but ultimately the show fell flat.
It's a BL with a plot which is rare. But as a story, romance-wise, plot-wise, wuxia-wise, execution-wise, production-wise etc. it lacks on all fronts. Though I have to mention that given China's censorship, I wasn't expecting anything from the BL aspect no matter how much people lauded the BL aspect of this show. I'm glad I did because, the few flirtatious lines felt more like two friends teasing each other than anything else which is 100% ok btw, I don't see the problem. My problem is people advertising this show as one the greatest BL of all time when there's just two friends teasing each other.
On that front, I'm sure I'm part of the minority since everybody's saying the flirting is pretty explicit... which is true... But I don't know maybe its because I'm French. I personally consider such teasing pretty average. It's more a matter of interpretation than anything else. If you take them seriously it's flirting. If you don't, it's just teasing each other by pretending your relation is really really close... which I've seen many of my perfectly heterosexual male friends do. There's this mention of "soulmate"... But very early on, it's established that it doesn't necessarily mean in a romantic way so here.

Also I don't remember when the switch happened but at some point, there are so many characters and subplots and the supposed main leads take such a backseat that we spend more time with the villains plotting whatever convoluted plot has been written (which is very complicated... for something actually pretty simple) that I started to wonder if this show was really supposed to be about Ke Xing and Zi Shu since they are hardly featured in there. As mentioned by other reviewers, it feels like they're both literally watching the story from the sidelines instead of actively participating in it.

Anyway... I'm finishing Ep 28 as I'm typing these lines... but I've been struggling with this show for more 13 episodes now.

I'm still going to finish it since I'm too close to the end to give it up... But my advice for people who want to watch this show is...
Lower your expectations A LOT to avoid dissapointment. If you have a blast, good for you, but if you don't, just know that you're not an exception at all.

I'm usually not the type of person that screams "overrated" since lots of shows which are very loved on MDL are shows that I personally hated so I understand my taste doesn't necessarily always align with others ( though most of the time it does)...
This being said, here I'm forced to say overrated.

It's not terrible... But it's very very bland and again too much plotting, too much talking, not enough time with the leads, too many side characters. I haven't seen an immense amount of wuxia so far... But I'm getting really getting familiar with the genre, and out of all of them, this one is at the bottom of the bottom of the bottom of the barrel in terms of fighting scenes.
I don't particularly mind the low production value, but when low production value is combined with a mediocre story, it just ruins the experience even more. It just doesn't work as a story period. But as a BL from China... I guess you could say you'll have a hard time finding something that's better ( and no I haven't seen the Untamed yet... or rather I dropped it at episode 19 but I'm planning to give it another go... for the story not for the BL aspect as I've read the first 3 volumes of the novel).

At the time I'm writing these lines... I'm heading towards a rating of 6.5 at most... But I'm leaning more towards 6 or 5.5. It started ok but it quickly went downhill. Even if I did my outmost to be generous, this show would never get more than an 8 (and that would be being generous with generosity itself) , calling it a "masterpiece" is just ridiculous.

Also... Something I've noticed with a lot of Chinese shows I've seen so far. They drag things out A LOT and then the end is just rushed leaving you with a very unsatisfactory ending. Why not use time more efficiently instead of feeding the audience with boredom and useless scenes that do not contribute to the plot, featuring characters we don't care about? This unfortunately has also been done in Word of Honor.

Again, not terrible... just mediocre.

EDIT: Final Ratings 4.5. I Just can't give it even an average ratings. Don't even get me started on the bonus episode. All the final scenes that were supposed to be epic just didn't resonate because of the poor production value and very very average and bland filming. There was no cinematic flair and it was toped by some terrible acting.. Only sheer will helped me finish this as I just can' t use the fast-forward button for the life of me.

This drama has drained me so I'm going to stay away from Chinese productions for at least 2 months... and be sure to carefully really carefully choose my next Chinese drama because I just don't want to go through the same ordeal twice in a row.

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A cross-over that works

I actually really like this one! I know it's not what a lot of people imagined it would be, but personally I found it highly enjoyable nonetheless.
It gives the audience more Bad Buddy (my deeply, deeply beloved), perfectly recapturing the magic of Pat-Pran dynamic while incorporating it pretty seamlessly into the ATOTS universe, which is no mean feat considering how tonally and thematically different the two shows are.
It also helped soothe my anger over the last three ATOTS episodes a little by focusing once again on what made that show great to begin with: Tian, Phu, and their complicated relationships.

It's not perfect by a long shot, some of the plot points are fairly ridiculous and, much like in the original show, the ATOTS half of the special introduces an interesting theme (how small annoyances and miscommunications can put a heavy strain on a relationship, as well as Phu's self-worth issues concerning the relationship) which it then fails to follow through on.

All in all though I think these episodes work a lot better than I expected them to and they are definitely worth watching at least once.
The ending is also pretty damn delightful, if that helps sway you.

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