Reviews

What snapped is my patience and what sparked is frustration

I know I shouldn't watch expecting a lot from a web series but I didn't think they'd disappoint this much. This by far has been nothing but very frustrating and disappointing. (Little note that I may end up sounding incoherent I have zero hours of sleep)

ACTING/CAST
Okay, let's get the one thing I loved from this series. It's the acting debut of Kangmin and honestly, I didn't expect him to be THIS good. All of the cast were great though it definitely helped that there were no much heavy scenes for them to stick out like a sore thumb. I commend Kangmin for being such a natural because he delivers Seonjae's happiness, annoyance, longing, sadness, and more with just his expressions. Wooyeon did a wonderful job as Yeji, she definitely had the school's it-girl vibe on check and her acting, specially in the end when Soobin was missing and she clearly was feeling his absence. Jeon Geonhu, like Kangmin, is a new actor but he still did a pretty good job. He was kinda stiff and stoic at times but he did his heavy scenes well. Seo Soohee was another standout because she did her job as the villain so masterfully, I'd say she's the most outstanding out of the cast. E.Ji and Jinwoo were very cute as a couple too, just a shame we didn't have more scenes to savor their chemistry.

PRODUCTION
The production was quite good and I really love how webseries are becoming better and better by the day. I remember my first webseries around 2014/2015(?) when webseries weren't as big as it is now. The cinematography, music, and timing were really like of high production value so I guess it deserved all the views it had.

STORY
What Snap and Spark seemed to have difficulty in is establishing just what the story is about. They left out too many details that the viewers end up being confused on what's happening. Unlike other series with a straightforward premise, Snap and Spark just didn't have a focal point to guide the story through. Is it about the arts competition? Is it about the impact of SNS to student life? Is it a love story between CSB and MYJ? In only 8 episodes, it was so vague about its focus and ended up focusing on none so everything became so messy and all over the place. I understand subplots exist, but to make a story make sense, it still needs to have one primary synopsis they should follow (e.g. One Fine Week - it focused on Daeun and Byul's switch but had idol life and the horrors of the industry as its subplot).

I watched the series for Kangmin and I'm trying to be as objective as I can be but you don't have to be a Verrer to feel like the ending was too much on Joo Seonjae. He was just minding his own business and pursuing music (which by the way he would've been successful even if he don't go to school or end up dropping out) but Yeji had to USE him to get back at Soobin for teaming up with Daeun. She violated his privacy by posting Seonjae's photo on her IG fully knowing the power her SNS has with complete disregard for Seonjae's being, not even knowing that Seonjae had a painful past caused by SNS itself. Now that triggering Seonjae's trauma is done (which by the way wasn't addressed nor given importance too), she used him for the arts festival, and when Seonjae fell in love with him, she kept him hoping when she obviously had Soobin in her mind all along. Seonjae's trauma stemmed from a previous lover and being thrown rocks at online and Yeji magnificently traumatized him even further.

It's not like Seonjae is a better person than Soobin, Soobin in his own right was understandable and I wouldn't hold his lack of communication against him because he really needed what Daeun can offer and he can't confess to Yeji with all the stuff that's going on in his life which is healthy. If he's going to return out of nowhere, then why on hell did he visit Seonjae before leaving school? And why, in Seonjae's event while performing a song he made with/for Yeji and in front of the man you asked to take care of Yeji of all places, would you hold Yeji's hand and come back like that? Evil. Sinister. This drama should've just killed him off while they're at it. I knew from the get go that Seonjae is the second lead but couldn't they have given him the tiniest bit of happiness in the end? Was that too much to ask?

Well, I loved the Daeun and Saena dynamic and the complexity behind their characters. I, for one, have a speck of sympathy for Daeun because you would think that she's just vile and manipulative but her reveal that she just wanted to help Saena was understandable, albeit in the most wrong ways. To Saena's end, because she's not as well-off as Daeun and because Daeun was seemingly "copying" Yeji, it came out as challenging and conniving but to Daeun's end, she probably just wanted to get closer, to help, but had it done the worst ways possible. Daeun also wanted the credit to her good deeds which can be attributed to just simply wanting to become closer to Saena. Daeun's behavior with Soobin is psychotic and is a different conversation, however.

I'd not over-analyze Juhyuk because he's just a sweet ball of sunshine and don't deserve any negativity from this mostly negative review.

Rather than having an ending that makes you look forward to a second season, it just leaves you stuffy and frustrated. Here are some questions that are left unanswered at the ending. There's probably more but here are just some that I can think of on top of my head.
1. What the hell is Seonjae's past?
2. What happened to Saena and Juhyuk?
3. What was the past between Daeun and Yeji?
4. What happened to Soobin and what made him come back?
5. Why the hell would the boys set up a freshman like that?
And most of all... 6. Where the hell are their parents?

CONCLUSION
I'll not conclude that his series is terrible to the core because it's obviously beaming for a second season so I'll give them a little bit of slack until they make a second season and if they do and still not resolve any of the plotholes and answer any of the questions, I may just become a Snap and Spark (and Moon Yeji) hate account.

P.S. Soobin and Yeji are fit for each other because both are weird. Seonjae deserves someone better.

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Excellent acting and dilogues

The ML, is my favorite, for he is the best in this drama , I like the way he canexpress feelings ... because I don't see many lead actors having a wide range of facial expressions, they are often only "pretty faces". Anyway I think he is also handsome beside being a very good actor.
All the actors of this drama are good or very good, the main characters or the less ones!
Lu Yu Ning and Liu Shishi are very realistic ML , He Lan Du is so credible at any time, her performance is remarkable.
The only thing I would have changed is that sometimes things were too slow and others too fast, it was not the pace I would have chosen. But even this way I really enjoyed this excellent drama.

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A good drama to watch on a slow day

Jan. 10 2024

A Good Day To Be A Dog is definitely that kdrama that you usually watch to relax and ease of your mind. The pacing of this show is more laid back so it is definitely can be boring to others who might be looking for the intense feeling and anticipation.

Needless to say, it is one of those drama that is good to have this kind of pacing. Others might find it too boring but it was decent enough for me. And I think this is a good break from all of the intense jaw dropping show that has been airing out alongside with this show.

I just want to add on that, I think Eunwoo is really harshly treated for his acting. I am seeing how terrible he is as a lead. But as someone who read the webtoon. He definitely fits the character not just visually but even the vibes and personality. I just think people have a strong bias against him. And maybe thats why others are very strong opinionated regarding his acting. To say the least, he is pretty good as a idol-actor.

As for that ending, I know many were left bored or even disappointed but I did not. I guess it is really just a matter of personal choice. The conclusion of the show could have been better and yes the last 1/3rd of the show definitely hit the questionable execution of the script and direction. However, I do still would like to advocate of how fun a ride watching this show for me is.

Given the pros and cons. Pick your battles and I hope you pick this show up, if you are looking for something more laid back and easier to digest when watching. Especially given how many kdramas in this air time right now have those crazy twist and turns.

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A long palace drama with a sad ending. , character development,

When I started this 70 episodes drama, it was without english subtitles. It was too difficult for me to continue even as I understand 50% spoken Mandarin. The English subtitles, though about 80% accurate, it helped me complete the drama.
1. The story evolved around palace politics, involving fight for power among princes to ascend to the throne. involves the harem characters and politicians.
2. Emotions such as love, hate, jealousy, kinship, revenge, regret, compassion, greed, justice, rightuosness drives the actions of the characters.
3. The acting is great as it can make me sympatise and understand the actions, even though I don't agree with some of the decisions made by the characters.
4. Technical production quality is good, with good music.

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Series my goût

The cost of renting equipment is very high, the crew and the actors will be under a lot of pressure. Here are the young men. I'm very proud of them. These are the boys who are more beautiful than the F4 flowers. I feel they are equally beautiful. It says F4 but in heart there is only one person CopperPhuriwat Right from the first pilots I noticed he Since then I've been looking to learn about him. I've seen him in Our days and tiktok. In the previous series, he was a cute boy in every action. In DFF, he's more mature and charming.BoC must win the lottery to get him a beautiful son with a good family background Being obedient and having a good personality will win the love of many people I want this to be the first of many of my next films, it must be very famous, my dear

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Eccentric lead, Underrated drama

This drama is so underrated. From the very first episode I was captivated by the female lead — there's something about these very eccentric but straightforward and socially unique leads that just feel so relatable and immediately create a different dynamic wherever the drama takes place, which, in this show, is a newsroom.

I really enjoyed the episodic format of this one as well, and it was even more interesting than typical episodic dramas because of how well they tied in the subplots of each side character with different cases. By the end of the show I truly felt like I knew every single person working in that newsroom.

My only criticism is a minor one: I enjoyed the backstory arc of the main female lead, which was revealed about halfway through the way, better than the actual ending arc, which was treated like the finale. It's not a dealbreaker by any means — in fact, logically it makes sense for the story to wrap back around to present day, but I just felt like it wasn't as emotionally hard-hitting.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this drama and I'm sad at how underrated it is.

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"Why transition into a tearful melodrama genre all of a sudden?"

+ It started kinda promising.
+ It was funny and I am a huge fan of bickering between leads. Both leads have a nice humour and are likeable.
+ Besides the leads, we also have 2 employees in the café, which are pretty much likeable. Also the people in the office are nice, but the main focus is really on the leads, which I liked lot.
+ The ost is really beautiful.
+ It's short, so I don't have to endure too much and it's still kinda watchable, BUT:
- Towards the end it was just so frustrating to watch. T_T The obstacles just got copy and pasted. If it was solved on the FL side, it appeared on the ML side. Yeah, wtf. :'D How can a drama with this length be so freaking annoying?!

Things, I disliked:
- Unnecessary lies. I hope everyone out there would handle the situation with the ex differently! Otherwise, don't you dare to call yourself a friend.
- annoying ex, who also leads me to be annoyed of the FL, because: why can no one talk clearly in this show?! I can clearly see how many thoughts rush through their minds, but communication can't be found, lmao.
- second female character whose whole personality only consist of one thing. I won't spoiler it, but she doesn't talk about much aside of this. She is so pushy and uncomfortable. This has nothing to do with "I won't hold back, because xxx" It's just straight up: "I don't want to read the room, because I don't care about others anymore. I just care about me, so deal with it, why should your feelings matter, LOL."
- Unnecessary time skip at the end. Yeah, sure, we need more obstacles to drag the frustration. /s

With the negative points, the show felt dragged, although it is pretty short. I would not say that you miss something, if you'll just pass here. It was okay, but it was nothing major cute, fluffy or romantic, which would have balanced the criticism. I laughed some times, but there were definitely shows that turned me more often into a gasping, squeaking fangirl than this one.

Btw: The Headline is a quote from the ML in Episode 9 and describes my thoughts on the SFL in such a perfect way, that I just had to use it. :'D

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My favorite series

I think the series is very good, although there are still some bad points to say it's perfect, but they have good ideas, I very much respect the daring thinking of the film crew, and really love the actors who have devoted their best. The way of working in a film crew is very fast-paced, so I respect and admire these beautiful guys. They dare to show bold scenes according to the script. But it's very artistic, thanks to the love scenes, the series is very attractive to viewers. My BIAS is Copper, the most beautiful guy I've ever seen, every moment he's on screen I pay full attention. Not just because of his beauty, but also his charisma and real-life personality. Oh, I'm in love with this man.

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fantastic

I didn’t actually know anything about Yu Yu Hakusho before I watched this. That being said, my review is not based on comparison to the anime but just solely on how much I enjoyed watching this.

I thought the story was great. Humans versus demons… what’s not to love? I could feel that there was a lot left unsaid but I just took it at face value and will hope for more seasons.

I’m a new Kurama fan. When he turned into his fox form I totally lost my breath. Love his fight scene so much.

I thought all the actors did a great job and I appreciate the hard work they put into their roles. So physically demanding. I also really like the actor who played Enma but I could have done without the pacifier. I’m sure there’s a story behind that.

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You cannot miss this brilliant drama featuring a math genius.

This drama is truly exceptional and I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good TV show to watch. It was a perfect blend of great casting, superb acting, top-notch direction, incredible soundtrack, and impressive artistic vision. The way the characters were brought to life felt authentic and genuine, and the seamless transition of each scene into the next made the storytelling even more compelling.

I was particularly impressed with the portrayal of the autistic mathematics genius character, played by Zhang Ruo Yun. The way he brought the character to life was simply incredible, and I found myself truly invested in his story. His performance was nothing short of remarkable, and it was a delight to watch him on screen.

Another standout actor was Wang Yang, who played the wicked lawyer in the show. He was able to convey the character's evil persona with ease and made the audience root for his downfall. WuGang also did an amazing job portraying the villain, and his performance was both menacing and captivating. 3 of my favorite actors (Joy of Life). Shoutout to actress Qi Wei.

Overall, I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who's looking for a well-crafted and engaging TV show. It's a true masterpiece that has everything from great acting to impressive direction, and it's definitely worth your time.

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The two main leads were killing it and I love them

But the story tho? It felt half-cooked. I was seriously confused as hell most of the time. It was such a good idea but they should have done it better. A lot of things didn't make sense. The subtitles I had (English) sucked so much that I stop reading them pretty often. But honestly, the acting of Boom and Hai was excellent. They were the reason why I kept watching. Boom’s eyes… They scream suffering every time he looked at Ken. You could breath the sorrow and despair from the screen. Also, in the shower scene when Ken begs him to make him forget Din. Ah, that was perfect. It wasn't the worst thing I have seen but it's sad cause it really could have been better. Especially with such a great actors.

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Worth watching

I don't understand why some people are extremely critical of a well produced and well acted series like Bake Me Please. The storyline is well crafted, the background music is adequate, the acting is superb, the scenery is beautiful (not talking about the bakery kitchen, of course), the complexity of the characters' stories (especially Chin) is appealing. Chin has to process his inner traumas and struggles in order to open his heart to love and be loved, all the while learning to be less self-centered and more concerned with others. This is not a series about good-looking boys (which is a given) but about the need to face our innermost problems and be courageous enough to start anew in life. I recommend watching Bake Me Please.

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Time Stamps For Sweet BL Side Story Listed.

I mostly just watched the BL side story because the main one didn't hold my attention consistantly. I've listed time stamps for Talay and Sky's story below. (Talay is the brother of the main female lead.)

Sky and Talay were acted well and very naturally (8/10), and though their story was simple, it was enjoyable to watch. I would recommend it for BL fans in the mood for two highschoolers finding their safe space in each other and catching feelings (though at different paces).

I watched the full episodes (7 total) on the One31 YouTube channel (in the USA in January 2024).

I've noted Talay/Sky scenes with them individually as well as together to get their full stories.
Format example: their first scene starts at 26min & 20sec into the episode (-and goes to 32min & 10sec in).
Ep 1: 26.20 (-32.10), 35.10 (-38.40)
Ep 2: 19.15 (-22), 38.50 (-44.50), 45.45 (-47.30)
Ep 3: 4.20 (-5.30), 28.35 (-36.05)
Ep 4: 11.35 (-25.05), 56.30 (-57.40)
Ep 5: 2.20 (-23), 37.20 (-39.35), 48.30 (-50.30), 54.30 (-58.35)
Ep 6: 13.30 (-14.15), 21.15 (-23), 28.40 (-31.15)
Ep 7: 3 months later 1.10 (-7), 16.50 (-23), 36.20 (-39.10), 40.50 (-48.20), 3 years later 54.25 (-55.20)

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