Reviews

Enjoyable and Slightly Disappointing

Just a short critical review among all the moonbeams and rainbows....lol
Before the rabid fans jump in on my opinion with the 'nu unhs" and "I disagree", I will say I enjoyed the heck out of this show but it still had its rough parts and all the actors brought their A-game.

But,

They should have written in a 5 year time jump to explain some of the slight personality changes.

1) Since its been some years since season 1 aired, many of the actors have become "bigger" (and thinner) actors. Which has lead to contract negotiations for more screen time, unnecessary closeups and input as part of agreements.
The most distracting in changes is of the second prince's feel, overall character and his personal guard. His overall vibe is just wrong somehow in season 2.
Runner up: Ye linger. Yes, they changed the actress but she became a matured version of her former self the moment she walks on screen; I would've liked to see the gungho and slightly unable to read the room Linger to have grown into what we are handed

2) Strange editing with no excuses for a drama that's been so anticipated; it should've been on-point. And, inline commercials with the characters without a breakpoint

3) Too many "who the heck are you?" again moments. took 2-3 episodes for one mid-season pop up to be recognizable as to where they fit in the story.

4) Nearly bored me to death in episodes after a fight scene in the final half.

5) That damn yogurt!!!

6) Misses a "that moment" that was achieved in Season 1. Even though they give one to chicken girl, it falls slightly flat with her scene partner's lack of tears (and he was really trying) and its almost identical mirroring of Season 1.

Is it worth a rewatch to me, nope. Would I recommend, yes with a warning on the vibe on the 2 characters mentioned above and to not watch without viewing Season 1 first.

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Emotional Rollercoaster

"Queen of Tears" is a rollercoaster of emotions led by the incredible talent of Kim Ji-won. This Kdrama showcases the evolution of storytelling in the genre, reaching new heights of entertainment and depth.

Kim Ji-won's performance is nothing short of remarkable. She effortlessly transitions between moments of laughter and tears, showcasing her acting range in every scene. The show manages to blend tragedy with humor in a way that's both clever and heartwarming. It's a rare feat to make audiences laugh until their bellies hurt one moment and then tug at their heartstrings the next.

Of course, Kim Soo-hyun's contribution to the series cannot be overlooked. His performance adds another layer of depth to the show, elevating it to the same level as beloved kdramas like "Crash Landing on You," if not surpassing it.

In "Queen of Tears," the storytelling is masterfully crafted to keep viewers hooked from start to finish. It's a testament to the evolution of K-dramas and their ability to tackle complex emotions while still providing entertaining and relatable content.

Overall, "Queen of Tears" is a must-watch for anyone looking for a captivating drama that will make them laugh, cry, and everything in between. It stands as a shining example of the best that kdramas have to offer in terms of storytelling and performance.

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I love movies that inform

What is the true power of the internet, even in the hands of youth? An action a youth started years ago in Korea employing the Internet got 16 million people to respond and take to the streets. Based on true events and witness accounts, Troll Factory explores how the media and social media outlets manipulate and drive public opinion, even if it is fake news. The movie has smoking music and a great point of view. The acting dream team delivers big time. Viewing is worth your time manipulation. You can rent this movie on ViKi.

Quote: “There is no truth in the perfect lie, but if the truth is mixed with the lie, a lie is mixed with the truth, and if it is not a perfect lie, it is not all lies. Truth mixed with lies feels more real than the real truth”, Journalist.

If one is not familiar with Trolling Factories and public opinion manipulation using the Internet, or one does not know all the street terms, Trolls Factory may be a learning experience or one may get lost in the fray. For me, it was a learning experience and I totally loved this movie. While the movie is rated PG 13, the movie had more cursing then I would have expected.

Sun Suk-ku (My Liberation Botes, Killer Paradox)

Kim Sung-cheol (Do You Like Brahms?, Our Beloved Summer)

Hong Kyung (Weak Hero Class 1, DP)

Kim Dong-hwi (The Deal, In Our Prime)

A Troll Farm or troll factory is an institutionalized group of internet trolls that seeks to interfere in political opinions and decision-making. Wikipedia

Products of troll factories include, among others: • fake social media profiles; harassment and bullying• entire websites created to support trolling operations.

Dictionary Definitions

Trolling—posting or commenting online to 'bait' people, which means deliberately provoking an argument or emotional reaction.

Doxing—search for and publish private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the internet, typically with malicious intent.

Phubbing— the practice of ignoring one's companion or companions in order to pay attention to one's phone or other mobile device.

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A Cheesy Yet Charming Step in Kdrama's Evolution

Having recently finished this, it's evident that kdrama has evolved significantly, especially in terms of writing. The series demonstrates a departure from the over-the-top 80's style melodrama, although not entirely. It’s apparent that many writers have either been replaced or have learned from their past mistakes, leading to generally improved storytelling in contemporary dramas.
The show is riddled with clichés, to the point of being cringeworthy. The "poor girl meets rich boys" trope is painfully overdone, and the predictable plot twists do little to add originality. Watching the show can feel like a checklist of kdrama stereotypes: the aloof chaebol, the kind-hearted heroine, the love triangles, and the obligatory makeover scenes. The formulaic approach makes it hard to take the drama seriously.
Yet, the series has undeniable charm, largely due to its cast. "Cinderella and the Four Knights" has served as a launching pad for many actors, notably the beautiful Park So Dam. Her performance, along with the rest of the ensemble cast, brings a level of charisma that partially compensates for the lackluster script. The actors' chemistry and charm provide some genuine moments of enjoyment amidst the sea of cheese.
Speaking of cheese, this drama has more than a Quattro formaggio pizza. The excessive romantic tropes and overblown emotional scenes can be both entertaining and exhausting. It's the kind of show where you can predict the next line of dialogue or the next plot twist with uncanny accuracy, which might be endearing to some viewers but tiresome to others.
Despite its flaws, it remains watchable, even if only as background noise while doing chores. The light-hearted nature of the show makes it easy to follow without demanding much attention or emotional investment. It's the kind of drama that you can enjoy in a passive way, perfect for multitasking.
In conclusion, it’s a mixed bag. On one hand, it showcases the growth and evolution of kdrama writing. On the other, it clings stubbornly to outdated tropes and clichés. While it might not be groundbreaking or particularly memorable, its likable cast and easy-to-digest format make it a tolerable watch for K-drama enthusiasts and casual viewers alike.

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Weird plot holes and lacking chemistry sadly

Overall I enjoyed the majority of this Series. It did get a bit weird and confusing and illogical in the end.. but well with a time travelling plot that’s to be expected.

Interestingly enough I feel like both Gawin and Krist did great with their roles respectively. It’s just that the feeling of a very socially awkward 30yo in the body of a teen just makes for a weird feeling generally… krist did great at being exactly what he was supposed to be… I don’t see fault in the actors here but very much in the story itself.

While I did ship both characters together and I did feel like they liked each other, we were missing some actual vocalisation of those feelings from one side which made the whole thing feel a bit lacking in chemistry.. i feel like they could have put more effort into actually showing his feelings at some point, they were definitely there but the series just really didn’t give him a chance to show that.

The last Episode IMO overall was just unnecessary and could’ve been cut out of the series without any issues at all

I actually rewatched the first 10 episodes because I had quit at the end the first time around, I did still enjoy even the second watch though. Just the end really wasn’t all that giving.

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Best Iconic screen couple

After I've been rewatch a few times because I'm so confused 😂as I didn't know before they are S1 S2 as well so I have to go back to watch the S1 S2 ,have the say I love both seasons this couple was so good feel very comfortable to watch very entertaining and very enjoyable.
back to season 3 love the fact that ML had 2 characters but I feel like l love S1 S2 the best of him also FL got 2 characters I love her all season but this season the best that she plays 2 characters seem like a very different person ...the evil queen even know you don't like her but feel sorry for her at the same time.
And their chemistry make me smile, laugh and cry very seem like a real couple if someone told me they are real I would believe it with no question asked 😂 not to mention kissed what can I say so real!!!
Ost always love it even know same as previous season but still fit perfectly .....one wish if it continues to season 4 I doubt it....

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Most incoherent thing I’ve ever watched

I don’t know what to say, I forced myself to finish just for the sake of it.

This was 8 hours of pretty much nothing? The two main characters relationship gets off on a terrible foot but we overlook a lot for the sake of entertainment. It started out strongish for like 1.5-3 episodes, with promising at the very least sexual tension and two very handsome guys going enemies to lovers (or something of the sorts).
After that everything just sort of happened without any logical order or actual effort to make their relationship development make sense or at least show the viewer how it develops. We sort of just hop between happy and problem (that’s actually a non problem) back and forth without any actual substance until it’s over.

Giving this 4 stars cause I enjoyed the first 2 episodes, the music was good and the actors worked well together.

Would not watch this again and honestly hope they do not make a second season, or if they do I honestly don’t care for it.

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Lovely Runner is a bubbling triumph of a fanfiction-like romcom. The chemistry of the leads, or even just the whole cast was sizzling, the humor mostly great - the secondary couple were very grating to me. And the youthful, almost nostalgic vibes and the feel light and breezy that the drama managed to hold onto was delightful and echoes of longing and yearning tugged at your heartstrings. There was something quite old-school about this sort of rom-com that I could really appreciate.

Some stories do manage that suspension of disbelief just a bit more smoothly than others. And Lovely Runners seem to be able to introduce us to the logics of their little fluffy, rom-com universe quite seamlessly and therefor making the more unbelievable moments feel both earnest and earned enough that is just might work. Or you are willing to forgive it despite how much of a fan fiction this story feels like it is.

The drama has a tendency to use excessive amount of tropes in it's storytelling, like the clumsy heroine, noble idiocy, miscommunication and so forth. The amount of times the two leads fell into each other arms was way to excessive to become endearing after a certain point. It also does have a tendency to drag out the plot and the twists on a bit too long as we get further into the story resulting in some pacing issues.

Towards the end the story, the convoluted timelines and the murder mystery subplot does becomes more of a burden to the drama, causing it to lose some momentum - I feel like episode one and until around 10 is this dramas sweet spot. Things just seem to be happening to the characters without too much depth but the character have such a good emotional core within them, despite me wanting a bit more development from them as the timelines become more messy and annoyed as things are just happening to keep the plot going, no matter what you are rooting for them to get together in the end.

The actors certainly add more spunk and feelings into these characters than they have on paper and really sell the earnest of the story and keep you coming back for more. It's a fluff, it's tropy, but it's fun and bubbly and compelling enough and you never really get the sense that the drama is trying too hard to be something more than it is. It's a breezy, cute watch with very likeable leads and characters that you enjoy spending times with despite it's flaws - I just wish we could have gotten more scenes with the second male lead.

The drama manages to blending humor and cliché with heartfelt moments and I do think the drama does a good job making you feel very at home in it's world and therefor invested in it and so light and airy that you just enjoy these moments with the characters. The drama creates a narrative that is light-hearted yet earnest, as it finds the most absurd situations and gives the characters enough stakes that you want to cheer them on and make sure that they finally get their happy ever after.

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I wanted to take a moment to recommend a drama that I find incredibly funny and enjoyable to watch. The humor and engaging storyline make it a delightful experience.

The leads in this play are not in love; there is NO romance between them. They each had separate love stories. ML is in the FL body, and FL and SML are in love all the way to the very end. SFL dies while ML and her are in love.

The comedy stems from the body exchange/ body switch/ Swap that occurs from the beginning till the end.

I believe you would appreciate the clever writing and entertaining plot. It’s certainly worth a watch.

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Mi sa che in Thailandia non sanno fare i drama di azione....

Molto carino che ci siano degli esseri soprannaturali, Naga e Garuda, anche se non so quanto la loro rappresentazione sia reale rispetto alla mitologia thailandese.
I primi episodi sono una vera bomba e sollecitano veramente delle grandi aspettative che però, man mano che prosegue il drama, vengono un po' ridimensionate.
Mentre è lodevole l'ambientazione in ambito poliziesco, in contrapposizione all'abusato Cliché del dramma scolastico, devo purtroppo rilevare come la plausibilità delle indagini sia una completa sconosciuta in questi lidi. Purtroppo anche le scene di azione lasciano parecchio a desiderare, siamo ben lontani dal montaggio di una scena coerente: troppo spesso accade che qualcuno dopo aver sparato rimanga fermo diversi secondi ad aspettare che qualcun altro lo abbatta, le incoerenze durante gli appostamenti si sprecano, con telefoni che vibrano in modo molto udibile in mezzo a un bosco quando tutti comunicano a gesti, con telefonate personali in mezzo all'azione, con combattimenti al limite del ridicolo, con l'assoluta mancanza di rispetto per gli ordini dei superiori, e così via.
Si salva fortunatamente la computer grafica che, pur senza arrivare a vette di eccellenza, riesce comunque a fare un buon lavoro, che non fa piangere agli occhi lacrime di sangue.
Il commento musicale si difende abbastanza bene, non sarà musica da Oscar ma è adatta alle scene che descrive.
Sul fronte dei costumi, mentre guardiamo con molto piacere degli aitanti giovanotti in canottiera che fanno allenamenti fisici vari, rischiamo di doverci cavare gli occhi quando (e per fortuna si tratta di poche scene) intervengono gli esseri superiori: costumi così pacchiani penso si vedano soltanto al carnevale di Rio tra le ballerine di samba...
A parte ciò, il drama si lascia guardare in modo piacevole fino all'ultimo paio puntate. I ragazzi sono tanti e una vera festa per gli occhi e, onore al merito, recitano anche decisamente bene. Specialmente la coppia principale è molto affiatata e, soprattutto nelle scene di intimità e tenerezza, rivela una chimica più che soddisfacente. Sarebbe stato molto più carino se al cattivo della situazione non avessero imposto dei ruggiti ben poco attraenti e convincenti, ma comprendo che non si può avere tutto.
E, a proposito del non avere tutto, a 10 episodi di storia tutto sommato non dico credibile ma soddisfacente, sono seguiti gli ultimi due in cui le cose sono andate un po' a catafascio. Ci sono delle situazioni di pericolo che non si capisce bene come si siano risolte, dei salti temporali, dei cambiamenti di scena che non si capisce bene come siano avvenuti, e così via. Anche la risoluzione finale di tutto il conflitto è piuttosto tirata là, decisamente insoddisfacente visti tutti i precedenti. I santi finiscono in gloria, ma non si sa bene che strada abbiano preso per arrivarci.
Sul fronte dei personaggi secondari, molto azzeccato il dottorino e anche i vari poliziotti; un po' meno le piagnucolose famiglie. Menzione di disonore per il personaggio del monaco che, pur dovendo in teoria svolgere una funzione di protezione, al momento del bisogno non è stato di nessun aiuto. Ridicoli i delinquenti, a partire dal loro capo.
Insomma, sicuramente un buon drama, per essere un BL, e un BL thailandese. Così contestualizzato, è sicuramente un ottimo prodotto, ma solo a patto di non cercare verosimiglianza nella parte poliziesca. Sicuramente meglio di Manner of death, ma da questo punto di vista c'è ancora tanta, ma tanta strada da fare.
In compenso, ci sono specialmente all'inizio diverse scene di spogliatoio e doccia con nudi anche integrali pixellati nei punti topici, idem per una scena di letto verso la fine. Decisamente un buon fanservice per gli amanti del genere.

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A Fiery BL Romance between Lawyers

Overall, I thought this show was quite creative and I quite enjoyed it (in spite of the crappy writing near the end of the show starting from episode 8).

Positives
- The co-stars did a great job conveying the feelings of their characters.
- The first and second episodes were hilarious. I enjoyed Zheng's plan for rejecting blind dates.
- Episode 12 was well-written from the dialogue to the story to the setting, etc. It was likely the series' best episode by far (aside from Episode 13 (the special/extra)).
- Episode 13 was very enjoyable. I especially appreciated Zheng's character growth in the episode. It was funny and added a comical aspect to the show that bumped my rating from 7.0 to 7.5.
- Lots of skinship/kissing/contact. You see this a lot in Taiwanese BL but it is always more enjoyable compared to JBLs and KBLs as they tend to do away with much of the skinship.
- Great acting from the fathers of the co-stars. Especially appreciated the supportive nature of Fu's Dad.
- The story was good, made sense and was decently enjoyable.
- The music was catchy and well-suited to many scenes in the series. Opening theme was quite good too.

Areas for Improvement
- Chemistry was weak for the side couple (Kato Yuki and Jian Yingze). Did not enjoy their relationship as much as the main co-stars. Did not like that it felt like Yuki forced Jian into a relationship either; seemed forced and was too fast. Yuki was far too aggressive. This was unrealistic writing.
- As others have pointed out, the lighting in the camping episode was very off. It made it hard to watch.
- The owner of the bar was a bad character cliche. Did not enjoy her character though I thought she did a good job partly getting Zheng and Fu to realise they ought to be together.
- The sister did not have much of a role to play in anything besides the first few episodes. She deserved more as a female character in the show.
- I think the flashbacks were good for adding context to the show especially when it comes to how Fu's love for Zheng started but I think it lacked a lot of development. It was not developed well enough for us to see how Fu actually came to love him.

Suggestions?
- The side couple was unnecessary. It felt like they did it to only increase the show's screen time (same goes for the break-up).
- The break-up felt unnecessary because it was based off of a cliche and did nothing to make the show more enjoyable; another fight/argument between the two would've been better if they were looking to implement conflict.
- The support characters could've played more important roles in the story, they were largely quite 2-dimensional.
- Could have added more flashbacks that focused on Fu's growing love for Zheng; perhaps the 18th birthday was the largest contributor but it was not good enough for me.

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Heartfelt Romance between Childhood Friends

Overall, I thought this show was quite good in relation to other JBLs that we have been seeing over the years.

I thought the story was well-written and really wholesome as I could feel the sparks of love between the two co-stars. The flashbacks of their past really helped to add to the context of show and made it very enjoyable as we got to see how Tanaka's love for Ryota all began. Though, I do think that the flashback we saw in Episode 7 could've been featured earlier just so that not a lot of time was wasted scenes leading up to the confession.

I do not know if this was in the manga but one part of the story that, I think, really needed some tweaking was Episode 7 where we had the running scene and the episode ending with Ryota going home. It would have been a lot better if they decided to extend episode 7 so that there could have been a confession there instead of in episode 8. It would have felt a lot more natural and the last episode would have spent time entirely on the two being together. Moreover, the pacing of the show was far too slow, making it seem more like a story of two best friends than one of a romance (I am sure many will argue with me here but I'd say that this show spent too much time establishing that they were very close (even though this could have easily been done via flashbacks)).

As others have pointed out, Ryota's character was a little irritating but I think keeping in mind that he was written to be a relatively low self-esteem character, it was okay. I wouldn't say it was amazing but it was not bad. It's clear that the actor playing Ryota (Sho Sakai) is talented and did a great job embodying the modest Ryota. The same goes for the actor playing Tanaka though I'd wish that some scenes would be less awkward (e.g., Tanaka's slowed reaction to Haruna in the last episode).

Contrary to what others have said, I do not think the open-endedness of the show was bothersome at all. While some questions were left unanswered (e.g., how Ryota and Tanaka choose to spend the rest of their lives together, whether the girl knows that they are together, how Ryota's sisters would handle their relationship, etc), there were some that were tacitly answered at the end of the show. For instance, the yukata scene in episode 8 where Kazuhito's mom already knew that they were for them was good enough for me to know that Kazuhito's mom supports their relationship. I think the gazes from Ryota's mom also speak volumes on this. Dialogue on that was unnecessary, the audience just knew it.

The music was great, it was catchy and made for an enjoyable OST. The opening theme song is especially catchy and well-suited to the theme of the show.

Given how slice of life it was, I may rewatch the show just because it was fun. It was adorable seeing them together at the end.

In the future, I will likely use bullet-points instead to write my reviews.

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What happened here lol

TLDR: Didn't finish because I realized I could be watching literally anything else instead.

Story: Fine, nothing extraordinary. I haven't watched that many dramas before (15-20) so some of the tropes may not have gotten to me as much as they might someone with more shows under their belt but I was fine with most everything. Though the classic nonsensical business meetings with over the top reactions and consequences were kept alive and well. I will say some of the situations/misunderstandings that are ubiquitous in the genre can be pretty annoying in this show.

Characters: Most of the characters I thought were ok. Nothing amazing but also nothing egregiously bad either. Side characters served their purpose and most did pretty well. The highlight for me was the doctor. He was entertaining in most every scene he was in and served as some light comedic relief but still nothing spectacular. Disclaimer, I often concurrently watch dramas so the comparisons I'm inevitably making are to Love me love my voice and my neighbor is a gumiho which have incredible supporting casts so I might not be as high on some of the side characters as I might otherwise be.

I thought the FL was ok. She isn't the greatest here but she does enough to actually be the lead which is not something that can be said for the ML and boy do I have stuff to say about him. I do wonder if I'm recalling her parts more fondly because the only thing I have to compare her to in the show is probably the worst performance I've seen in some time.

I'm not sure what went wrong with the ML but he doesn't work at all. I'm not well versed in the technical side of the TV show business so couldn't really tell where the character was fumbled but either the actor was horrendously miscast or the director/writing staff gave him nothing to work with. Every time he shows up on screen the life is literally drained out of the show. He has less charisma than a garbage bag and I cannot for the life of me figure out how the final product was greenlit. He is supposed to be some highly competent CEO but he has the emotional maturity of a 1st grader that couldn't solve his way out of a paper bag. He is a rude, inconsiderate, socially inept a hole that couldn't smile even if all his dreams came true. I think the main issue for me is that multiple aspects of the show do their best to tell you that he is a likeable guy. They've got the obligatory slow mo shots with touching background music, injury/undressing scenes, coincidental touching scenes, and other girls pining after him but he does nothing to make you believe that any of that is real. I cannot name a single positive quality about him other than he has boatloads of $$$. My first litmus test for characters that are supposed to be likeable is whether I would ever willingly spend time with them and the answer for the ML is a fat no. The disparity between what the show wants the ML to be and what he actually is is so jarring that I can easily say he is the worst lead character I've ever seen put to screen in the genre and is probably up there across every medium. His character would've been fine as that supporting extra that gets 2 minutes of screen time throughout the show but watching a plank of wood pretend to be something it isn't for 40 minutes straight is kinda tough.

Maybe a bit harsh on the ML but I cannot stress enough how much the character stuck out to me. He is the sole reason I stopped watching. The show probably has lots of other problems but its hard for me to think of them because everything looks way better than it should when compared to the ML.

Music: Not a huge music person so don't have much to say. Didn't add any of the songs to my playlist but also didn't hate any of them.

Rewatch: Literally none. The ML did everything he could to stop me from finishing my first pass through so no chance I'm ever giving it a second.

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