Reviews

I CRIED .....

This was for me...I think it was better than S1 in some sense and aspect? I guess I'll be doing a mini comparison.

Personally, I preferred the storyline of This from EP 1...to 3... Better than S1. and for S1...The storyline was Overall good and passable. But from EP 4 to the last of This season...I somehow got...Lost?
not confused but basically...Yawn.

Overall z It's type of storyline Overall where people interested in such Genre would really enjoy. But for me felt flat in some sense. Especially the ending side? could be better.

But I appreciate this Season for staying true to it's Original season and picking up accuracy where it was. one could literally put the two together.

The acting here...was Overall nice. I have no complaints. Ost? beautiful and suiting.

now let me take a minute to thank them for that beautiful storyline of ep 3. It literally was the best thing that has ever happened to me in s2.

as someone who has slightly similar storyline with that ep..I could feel a heavy connection to it and basically thanked them for the tearjerking depiction of that. It was beautiful done..But...sigh...No spoilers lol.

Overall it's an amazing drama I'd recommend to anyone who likes such genre. I think you won't be disappointed. that's based on taste

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Underwhelming

The cast characters and relationships are likeable. Even the overall story concept is likeable. But the execution is just very very boring. The mystery aspect them trying to solve and stop the murders is so uninteresting that it's sad, a letdown. The only thing that kinda kept my attention was Jin Kijoo's character dynamics. Her relationships with her parents in the past was the biggest like of the show for me, and then her with the male lead was okay. Apart from that…

I wouldn't say it's a bad show. Just bland, slow, -which is sometimes fine in general but here I feel they were in no way intending for it to be that way. They probably expected us to be wrapped up in the mystery but, for me at least, that was not the case. I just wanted it to be done and over with to be honest.

I do not recommend, though again, it's not horrible. Just something I view as the opposite of a must-watch drama(lol).

If you're the type of person to watch shows for the actors and not just story, then go ahead. Both Jin Kijoo and Kim Dongwook are good here.
All of the supporting actors are great as well, especially the younger characters from the past. I look forward to seeing them in future shows.
Lee Wonjung is a definite stand out.

Any other thoughts? Hmm.. maybe it would have turned out a little better if they followed the current trend that lots of networks seem to be doing lately: 12 episodes instead of 16.

I'd like to note that I am a massive sucker for time travel shows&movies, which is why I was actually really looking forward to this. While it was a let down in the previously mentioned ways, I will also say that I often forgot that this was a time travel show. The story focused so much on the investigation that whenever the younger versions of her parents weren't around, I genuinely forgot we were in the past.

I know I've given a lot of negatives while simultaneously saying “It's not that bad!”, so I will provide a compliment to even this out and wrap it up: Kim Dongwook's character's father being the killer was a very good twist. Especially when you take into account how for a good portion of the series he was adamant that it could've been Jin Kijoo's character's father, it gives the reveal a nice contrast to the storyline overall I think.


That's about it. The end.

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It's making me cringe watching each episode

I honestly did not have high hopes the storyline of this drama will got me hooked, but I tried to watched it anyway, cause I don't wanna passed on Chen Zhe Yuan acting. However, I think after 19 episodes, there is no improvement and prositive development in the storyline, It's getting very boring to the point that it's embarassing for me to watch and ridicilous after each episodes.

The reason I give high scores for acting is purely because Chen Zhe Yuan superb acting skill, If it isn't because of his extraordinary acting skill I don't know how he was able to delivered through the many cheezy and cringe scenes in this drama. I find the FL acting annoying I t hink she needs to take on more acting lessons, I'm embarassed and annoyed seeing her acting, especially in crying scenes. I'm getting cringe all over.

I probably skip watching the rest of the episodes and watch only the finale out of curiousity of it's ending. This drama is definitely have no re-watch value. It is beyond me why Chen Zhe Yan or his agency took on this project,

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The best drama in 2023

Watching this drama reminds me of the drama Pinocchio, even though it's a different genre, the plot of this drama has similar stages. This drama really has a very neat plot and minimal plot holes. With 12 episodes of this drama, it manages to present the plot in each episode very well. The story given in each episode has a very consistent quality and is not one-sided. This drama is very intense and gets more intense and gripping with each new episode.

The acting of the actors also deserves thumbs up. We have succeeded in getting into the story of each actor so that when these actors are in danger or even die, feelings of pain and sadness really feel as if we have known them for a long time. This drama is a horror genre, but I often cry when I'm watching this drama.

The message of this drama, which I think is very good. We can know that even though ghosts are evil, we can also see that humans can be even more evil than ghosts. Where greed is the real ghost. Greed is a trait that eats away at the human heart and turns it into a breathing ghost. This drama is very extraordinary depicting human greed for worldly things. Where all the problems in this drama are not born because of ghosts, but because of human greed. This drama also shows how dangerous it is if we can't love ourselves. How dangerous it is when we become people who hurt ourselves, blame, and hate ourselves. At least, among the many bad things and bad people in this world, don't let us become one of them. If the world is mean to us, at least we have to be good to ourselves.

I was really saddened by Sanyeong's character who suffered from the past, and how hard she lived all this time. How spacious her heart is to care for her mother who has severe trauma when she also has trauma. When she had been living not for himself, and when she wanted to live for himself suddenly she was diagnosed with a disease. I feel like I want to hug Sanyeong, wants me to tell him that all this time she has lived very well. I hope in the future she can walk on the flower path.

Actually, I'm one of Hongsae Sanyeong's team compared to Haesang Sanyeong. I don't know what the writer made, but for me from the beginning of the episode, I felt that Haesang was not someone who pursues worldly things. This is proven at the end of the episode by donating all of his family's assets to the community. So I think Haesang is not the typical person who wants to have a romance genre in his life. Not to mention that during my drama marathon, I avoided all spoilers, so I didn't know that this drama was divided into two teams. But my honest opinion looking at Haesang and Sanyeong, they both feel more like two unfortunate people who met each other. They both could feel feelings of sadness for each other that others couldn't easily feel. But the two don't depend on each other, more like when you fall, you will be relieved when you see other people also fall, then you laugh together. Well, at least we're not ashamed to be alone. That's how they both look to me.

Haesang is such a pitiful character, he is forced to pay for his entire extended family's sins. He seems to be forced to take responsibility for a sin he did not commit. But I think Haesang lives up to it. And another reason why I can't see Haesang and Sanyeong's relationship as romantic is that they both met because of a 'ghost' in common. Every time they met they only talked about ghosts, Haesang wasn't interested in Gu Sanyeong, but she was attracted by the evil spirit that clung to her body. Likewise, Sanyeong is not interested in Yeom Haesang, but he needs Haesang's help to get rid of the evil spirit from his body. From the beginning of the conversation, the two of them never discussed themselves with each other, they weren't too curious about each other's lives unless they had something to do with ghosts. So I feel their relationship is more like partners in crime. And that's interesting, I feel like this kind of platonic relationship must exist in the real world.

This is a little different from Hongsae, from the past, like Hongsae, he was amazed by Sanyeong, with her hardworking nature. Hongsae, who at first didn't really know Sanyeong, was able to distinguish the real Sanyeong and not at the end of the episode. We know that all this time apart from chasing evil spirits, Hongsae has also been paying attention to Sanyeong. Although I don't know if Sanyeong also feels the same way. But at the end of the episode, it can be seen that the two of them are talking about themselves, not about ghosts.

I think this is one of the hints that the two of them have started to open up to each other. When they started talking about themselves. I feel that Hongsae is interested in Sanyeong, but he appreciates Sanyeong who is still going through a hard time. I don't know what Sanyeong's feelings for Hongsae are like, but I can realize that Hongsae likes Sanyeong secretly. He doesn't need to have Sanyeong, he just wants to be someone who can take care of Sanyeong. I think this is a very interesting thing, where I can see pure love in dramas in the Horror genre. Hongsae knows that what Sanyeong needs right now isn't a lover, but serenity, so he always tries to be beside Sanyeong.

I feel this drama has a bittersweet ending. I'm sad for the character who died, but I'm also sad for the reason the spirit became an evil spirit. I can't explain how I felt when I finished watching this drama, I was relieved and happy but at the same time, I was also very sad and felt like crying. The writer really wrote this drama very well. I'm happy because the writer made this drama end with an open ending. Even though it's an open ending, all the problems in this drama have been resolved properly, so there's nothing that stands in the way of this drama. Everything is done, then we are left to our own imagination.

In my opinion, this is the best drama in 2023, the drama plot is very neat and has consistent quality in each episode. Minimal plot holes combine horror and mystery very well and are not too imaginative. It has a good story message, the story is also presented in a very interesting and not boring way. The acting of the actors is extraordinary and the feelings can be conveyed well to the audience.

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BL version of a Korean romcom drama

The year 2023 is the season of office bls. Last year we had an abundance of sports and mafia series and the year before, 2021, cooking was most prominent theme while 2020 was the school centered bl year. Step By Step is one of the better office romcoms if not the best.

So there are two versions released: the uncut version has episodes 20 to 50 min longer than the 45 min/ep TV version. Usually when we talk about uncut version of a BL, viewers think that the steamy scenes had been cut. Considering that there are the grand total of two hot scenes in all of the uncut version of the series, I do not think it is the case. Probably just plenty of regular scenes though I do not understand what they managed to cut since there is not one single unnecessary scene . The flow of the story is steady without idle time and in spite of it being a slow burn romance and full of usual tropes, I was not bored for a minute.

Story is a rather simple office romance about Pat and Jeng. Pat is the youngest member of the marketing team and is regularly asked to do chores for his coworkers. One day while carrying coffee cups, he bumps into Jeng and the connection is immediate. They accidentally meet like that a few more times and it seems like they really like each other. Until it turns out that Jeng is Pat's new boss and the developing feelings need to be put on a back burner because Jeng as a boss is a completely different person, so much so that Pat is scared of him and gets to be very insecure and emotional. Jeng on the other hand proves to be rigid, controlling, micromanaging and inflexible.

The love story develops slowly over 10 episodes, step by step while they are learning about each other and changing and mostly because of the boss/employee relationship which makes any other kind of relationship a very risky business. When they eventually get together, the whole hell breaks loose and they split only to get back together two years later (trope).

There are a few side stories involving Pat's ex, who wants to try again, of course (trope), Jeng's father doing everything to discredit Pat (trope), a straight couple getting pregnant (trope), a long term gay couple (fem gay trope), and Jaab, Jeng's rebellious younger brother having a crush on a taken coworker (trope).

Main couple is comprised of a tsundere Jeng and doormat Pat. And while Jeng is perfection, I never managed to understand what could have possibly attracted him in Pat. He is short, too emotional, ugly, weak of character (can't say NO to anyone), too sensitive, not particularly smart and very unlikable (this last is due to the poor choice of actor: he is so wrong for this role!). I watched this Man, who played Jeng wonderfully well. I believed him to be in love even though the chemistry with Ben (who played Pat) was minimal almost non existent. Man literally carried the whole drama all by himself, he's the one who made the drama worth watching to the end! Ben cannot act nor is he cute, casting director made a huge mistake there!

The writing was on the spot because they managed to show us over time (the first 11 episodes take place over about a year) the slow , step by step progression of their relationship, how they get to know each other better and go beyond boss/employee relationship fully understanding the problems that that may cause (which of course happened!). I was also surprised by an almost total absence of misunderstandings: they regularly talked when problems arose and when they didn't, it caused major rifts between them. So the writers learned the lesson of communication being important and managed to find other issues to create drama about.

Another actor who actually stole the show is Saint who plays Jaab, Jeng's younger brother who decided to stay away from his rich family and their big corporation. Jeng is a heir to the company but when he needed to choose, he chose happiness. Jaab is the same: pursuing happiness. Though his relationship with Jane is not resolved, they keep dancing around each other for a long time with Jaab trying not to cross the line since Jane was dating someone already. Their relationship also grows slowly, step by step through misunderstandings and lack of courage.

A special shout out to the costume designer. The clothes were nicely color coded for characters and all were in light dull colours: Pat was always wearing oversized shirts in stripy and beige while Jeng was in slim mustard coloured suits at work or jeans at home! The rest of the characters were similarly dresses: Put, Pat's ex was always in black etc.

Few miscellaneous notes:
- supportive friends you can call any time: they were fun to watch!
- why are drunk people considered cute? Because they tend to talk without a filter so you get to find out their secrets?
- at a usual mid-series beach escape(trope), a room was missing in a hotel so Jeng asks Pat to share his room not his own brother? Smooth!
- this is the second series (after La Pluie) where an adult has a meltdown because the parents divorced though here it was solved in an evening by talking about it.
- the most horrible scene that i have ever seen in an asian drama: a woman was giving birth on a bus and the other passengers were filming her while the Police was standing on the side and only the threat of a lawsuit had them lower their phones. These smartphones have created monsters out of all of us!
- we never really got the answer to Jeng's mysterious departure from the company two years before the beginning of the series
- and of course a totally unnecessary two years later time jump: they could have sorted everything out two months later or even better two days later when everyone has cooled off.

This is not so much a BL as it is a regular romcom. It is on the same level as the ordinary korean rom coms: cute couple, hot ML, great group of friends, awful ex who tries to butt in,a horrible rich parent, understanding middle class parents, supportive fem gay friend (no screaming trans characters, yey!!!!), final fight and a time jump until the honeymoon happy ending.

I want to see Man in something else. Stat!

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Great tv series from start to finish!

Yet to get to the end, but with this one I am sure I won't be disappointed or set up to be let down.

It is more or less about a Professor and young woman being brought together because of her father and a hair accessory that attaches an evil spirit to her. In turn, they are trying to work out the when, why, what and who from the present to past.

I am really enjoying this drama series - just as much as The Glory and Bloodhounds as it is quick paced and well written.

Have to say I really like the OS music in this, like some of the upbeat R&B/Pop songs that just hit the spot for me when it comes to sound, rhythm and melody.

It took me a little while to recognise the actor that acted in It's Okay Not To Be Okay (?)- he is that good! All the cast are great, actually.

I would rewatch this again no problem!

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"I won`t give you up. You are mine. Only mine." - Naparoot

***
"Fai Luang" is a old-school slap-kiss soap opera with lots of intensity in its melodramatic essence. It has all that i love in lakhorns of this genre. Romance, passion, hatred, revenge and two main-leads that refuse to back off from their purpose. It stars the handsome Willie Ruengrit as the avenging and domineering hero Naparoot who in every sense of the word wants to ruin the life of his deceased father`s mistress and in turn hurt her younger sister, the one woman who ever infuriates him and makes him go mad with anger and passion, the very gentle but stubborn Yotien starred by Tao Sarocha. She is furious over her sisters actions and betrayal but with fierce patience and good will she tries to gain the forgiveness of Naparoot`s family, which only infuriates him even more. Their love for each other became the burning fire that at first was built by intense hatred, both Naparoot & Yotien get hurt by it and both refuse to even acknowledge it or even give in to it.

I totally lost sleep over this incredible story. All the characters felt so real to me and their emotions were well acted out by the whole cast. Willie just took my breath away with his gripping performance by truly showing how Naparoot was at the peak of losing his mind. He was the soul of this story, no one was above him and could really stand up against him, well except for his very beloved heroine who refused to surrender.

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Potential but Underwhelming

The series is related to accounting and for those unfamiliar with the terminology will feel lost because there really isn't much explanation. You'll have to read up on it to enjoy the show because there is a LOT of tactics and plays based on that. You can ignore and try to get the gist of things.

The story is about a high school graduate who joins an accounting firm in order to take it down because his adopted father's company was run to the ground which resulted in his death. The story felt had so much potential but right off the bat I didn't exactly enjoy the first couple of episodes. A lot happening but hard to make sense of it. But the actual story develops quite slowly. Makes sense because it's not easy for someone who has no idea of the inner workings of an accountancy firm to do any real damage so the first few episodes are just him trying to learn the ropes. I only started to enjoy the show midway when a lot of exciting things were happening - both good and bad.

Until episode 11, I was finally enjoying the show and happy with how things were being resolved. Episode 12, however, was a big let down. When you think of all the crimes committed by a certain someone and the way they let things play out, it feels like a betrayal to the time I, as a viewer, put in. Some like of think of it as realistic but we aren't exactly watching a documentary. And even if we talk about realism, the director seemed to want us to experience some kind of empathy for a horrible character. Are we supposed to forget the people who lost everything including their lives? I don't see how the male leads can be happy considering the circumstances. It doesn't feel real to me at all.

Overall, I just feel disappointed.

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A WORTHWHILE WATCH

I won't say I didn't expect this to be good, I watched the trailer and it did give off different and realistic vibes in comparison to most highschool dramas but I must say it exceeded my expectations...this drama had a full mark in all the categories that male a good drama for me and those are Dialogue, Plot, acting, cinematography, chemistry and osts.

This drama had an amazing and realistic plot..the characters stories were all relatable and that made it interesting to watch..it also had a unique touch to it... definetly something different from most highschool themed dramas.

The dialogue was screen shot worthy, this drama had that really solid dialogue that has you pausing a bit just to digest it fully...the dialogue was relatable, sensible and it actually had some nice lessons to teach the viewers.

The acting was solid from literally every character in the show...they all shined in their respective roles and they all have it their all, the acting moved me emotionally since most scenes were a bit heart breaking...and the comedy was all natural and not forced overall all characters gave off amazing acting.

The chemistry was amazing and natural firstly between the main leads and between the entire cast.

The cinematography was nostalgic and breathtaking.

The osts were cheerful and amazing to listen too.

Overall this drama was a roller coaster of emotions, heart break, youth friendship, teacher student relationships...and many character stories to learn from...the dialogue was absolutely amazing and the plot was solid..I don't regret watching this and I highly recommend it if you want a good and unique drama to watch.

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Beautiful cinematography

Wow I can’t believe I took so long to watch this. This is so tasteful and beautiful. The lighting, acting, camera effects/angles/scenes and the MUSIC were all so artistic and truly made this more than just a drama. You could feel the significance of the mood/energy in the scene with the cinematography and the lighting for the scene. The glances and stares between the two actors! The camera angles and scenes were amazing I loved the way they were executed.

There was some fine skills put into this show. It’s ten episodes and there was never a moment where I felt bored or dragging. The chemistry was real and tasteful between the leads. The scenes with the psychiatrist were so cool!!! Like when the camera was zoomed in on the silver balls on the table or on the fish tank for the conversation ahhhh so sick!!!!

Please watch. Thank you

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Just because of my Yang Yang

Ughhhh.... This is the 2nd time this year that I just feel so d*mn tired after watching drama. If not for my Yang Yang, I already drop this after a few ep in.... The 5⭐️ score really just grace because of my Yang Yang, if not I don't know how much I gonna give this drama score.

This is also the 2nd time this year that I so d*mn tired with the characteristic of the FL. How much I wanna slap & shaking Xu Qin (XQ) for making such stupid decision. Yeah yeah I know that's how she raised by her evil mom her whole life. But I also wanna shake & punch Song Yan (SY) for let himself be degraded over and over by XQ mom. And SY did all that thing with the stupid reason, in the name of love.... OMG.... So tired with this kind of people sometimes.

The best thing that happen in this drama is SY's family. Oh one great family they are. But also a little bit too perfect actually. After all the thing that XQ's mom did to them, they just easily receive XQ with open heart & open arms to their family. The only one that kinda represent my feeling is Zhai Miao, especially after the incident with Meng Yan Chen.

Oh and also the ending... OMG they really want to make a pretty ending. With everything good, pretty & beautiful in the end... They like make every grudge just disappear in the end. & everyone on board with SY & XQ relationship & their wedding plan. UGH!!!! OMG write about this drama alone already make me so tired....

At the end very disappointed with the drama overall, even the chemistry between Yang Yang & Wang Chu Ran not so much too... My suggestion just watch other drama...

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This drama will take your heart out, crush it, and out it back

as the title says, it'll take a while to heal. it's a running joke in the fandom that years go by and you don't get over this drama. I'm writing this some years after watching it because it still lives vividly in my heart.

I'm the kind of person who's very forgetful of what I watch, I could barely tell you the storylines or remember the actors. i'm also quite unemotional so it's *extremely* rare that I get impacted by a TV series.

but this y'all. this is something you watch and then don't remember life before it. the dynamics are great. the OST is great (i can sing the whole theme song in broken Chinese and whenever it comes in shuffle I feel my heart grow heavy). the story is heart wrenching. what's to miss?

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Gets very boring midway

If you've been watching dramas for a while, you've experienced this many, many times before: New drama comes out with high production values during the first 3-4 episodes, then the show settles in.

Side storylines are quickly introduced to pad things out. It's not a generic drama without lots of filler. For King the Land, that would be the stories of the main character's friends, Airline Lady and Mall Lady. They probably have names. I honestly don't remember which one had a divorce plot that's going nowhere, but that's a thing. Scenes involving the two are good for bathroom breaks, phone breaks, or spamming the skip button on your phone until the environment changes.

Eventually, shows like these dip into immense tedium and the plot slows to a halt. There's 16 episodes and 4 episodes worth of writing, so they have to pad out the runtime. The main lead Rich Mannington has since become as bland and uninteresting as the female lead. The acting isn't terrible and the actors have damn good chemistry given the tripe they have to work with, but good actors don't make a show good alone.

Oh. The villain sucks, too.

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One of the saddest, most frustrating, but awesome shows I’ve ever watched

I really only came here to say 2 things. 1. It’s very obvious to me and I think everyone who watched this series that Eiji is still in love with Makki because he’s still in fact gay. You can’t go from 100% gay to straight just because you’re having a child with a woman, I think he had temporary infatuation with Meiko because she’s literally carrying his child and he sees this as a big sacrifice. Also, a lot of people think it should’ve ended without asako (asaki? Dk) entering the picture and eiji once again being together with makki because they love eachother right? That’s not the only thing in the equation, though! It’s almost impossible for them to go back to how they were with him having a child and a wife. Especially for that wife to be meiko, makkis best friend. Besides I don’t want makki to be with a jerk who disregarded him as his boyfriend the second his father said to break up and the second that meiko was pregnant. Makki deserves someone that isn’t ashamed of being with a man, and most importantly doesn’t have a kid! Like someone else said here before, asako does have his personal problems but they’re not at all related to his sexuality. Besides, asako is good for makki. He got him to meet up with them and face his demons and at the end he once again cut his hair as a way to signify his new beginnings!
Although I seem to hate eiji, I feel really bad for him as well. His first love will never be with him again and now he’s actually stuck in a box because he has a child and a wife. Clearly, meiko doesn’t truly know what he feels because he hides it which is seen on how he smiles in front of her when returning home after meeting makki and still does while he looks around his room signaling his current life, but then once he looks at that chair, those pictures of makki, and finally the piece of clothing he made for makki (which he folds the way makki mentioned he folds his clothes) he smells him and then he breaks down. It’s truly the worst ending for him.
But holy shit I only was supposed to write 2 things I swear!

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