This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing...
Started and held out for the main actors but other than them it was meh.Lacklustre school setting, boring story and just generally disappointing.
I mean the debate plot was so flat and fake notmany things could've been worse.
Watched 8 episodes, about 5 normally then the rest on 2x speed, got halfway through ep 9 and realised i genuinely didn't care what happened so dropped it.
It was cute and while bad bearable at the beginning it didn't offer alot to warrant sticking around for 12 eps.
Hope the actors can star in something better.
Don't recommend, not even if you like the actors.
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JoongDunk deserves better
I adore JoongDunk to death but this series was horribly written, most of it was just contrived drama thrown in, then solved within 10 minutes. At a certain point I didn’t even know what the overarching plot was. It lost the plot completely and just turned into glimpses of JoongDunk fanservice (which was the best part of the show). Again I love them so much but my baby Dunk needs an acting coach or acting lessons because his mediocre acting was really highlighted in this show.I’m begging gmmtv to give JoongDunk a good script with a good director for their next series. Because SIMM and Hidden Agenda don’t show anything the two are capable of, especially Joong.
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....meh...
The story was good. I liked the plot.Two college classmates. Boy 1 has a crush on Boy 2. Boy 2 has a crush on Boy 1's ex-girlfriend. Boy 2 is a shy, awkward mess. His friends convince him to approach Boy 1 for help in winning over his crush, to whom he can't speak two words without stuttering. Sensing an opening to win his own crush, boy 1 agrees to help boy 2 and does his best to win his affections. In the end he does, and they live happily ever after.
The music was forgettable.
My maine gripe is the acting, which completely ruined this show for me.
Joong was great. Dunk was awful. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but it's the pure truth. His facial expressions were gawd-awful and actively broke scenes and moods for me. The personality of the character was ruined. The entire story was ruined. I'm majorly angry at whoever directed/coached this cast and allowed the show to be released as is. GGMTV has some great works, and I expected better from them. (Tho I will note that the chemistry between Joong and Dunk was good, and they pulled off both emotional and physical intimacy well. But that's limited to touch/chemistry. Not the other part of acting--dialogue, expressions, etc.)
It's a good story if you can get past the acting.
Along with a sweet romance, the show tackles issues of family expectations, the pressure to succeed, and "in the closet" relationships--all very well done.
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One of the highly disappointing dramas of 2023
I had low anticipation about the drama after watching the trailer, and this drama is a huge failure in 2023. But when I started to watch the drama, the first half was okay and passable, and I wouldn't drop because it's too late, so I watched the whole thing. Before anything else, kudos to Dunk for improving his acting skills. Idk why GMMTV is wasting resources, time, and their actors. Why can't they use the full potential of these actors? And aren't there any writers to write a different plot? It's like copying and pasting the star in my mind with a little twist and a sloppy climax. I hope that in the future they will do their best.Was this review helpful to you?
Would’ve Been A Favorite In 2016
Incredibly boring. I sat through four episodes wondering when it would get better but it never did.I tried to give it a chance but the acting is very bad and I don’t mind cliche when it’s done right, but it is definitely not done right.
I have been following Joong for a while and he is a very decent actor. I cannot say the same about Dunk. For some reason I can’t bring myself to watch the two of them, I tried watching their other show Star In My Mind, but again, it was lackluster and boring. Their chemistry is extremely off and definitely not swoon worthy.
I would only recommend if you’re looking for something to pass time. Or if you’re a big fan of Jamie (Nita), she’s gorgeous.
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We should stick with JoongDunk's YouTube compilations at this point...
Can we stop with these plots that starts with one of the leads pursuing a girl that he has NO connection with? Like, is so overused and boring, it doesn't add ANYTHING useful and interesting to the characters depths and story. But even with that, the beginning was the most interesting and fun part with Joke pursing Zo. Most parts were skippable, and the show was too long for what they had.The acting was not terrible but not good enough to save it. I could see Dunk falling behind sometimes and losing some opportunities when it comes to showcasing Zo's emotions, and Joong was actually fine and had some really beautiful moments. Aou and Boom didn't have many interesting moments, but I really enjoyed this pairing, and I actually wanted to see more of them. Between other support characters, Nita (Jamie) and Pat (Louis) had more impact in the story, and I was particularly happy seeing Jamie in a completely different role right after Home School.
So that's it, if you want to watch just for JoongDunk, as I said in the headline, you should stick with the YouTube compilations, they are far more entertaining.
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This review may contain spoilers
Honestly Not Bad, Just Not Good Enough to Finish
From the get-go, I knew that this concept could be told in about 8 episodes, and low and behold, it was happily ever after by the end of episode 8. So because I was already only getting by by the skin of my teeth, I've decided that episode 8 is where this shall end for me.Let's Dive In.
I immediately knew where this was headed as Joong and Dunk being the leads -- Boring Boulevard. Needless to say, I fell asleep through episodes 1-4 and had to keep going back to see what the hell had gone on, only to have missed absolutely nothing but a bunch of talking and talking and talking. Yes, the plot is simple, but gosh darn it something about this was so freaking aggravatingly dull that I just couldn't do it. The only reason I didn't drop this by episode 4 is because there is one thing that these boys do great at and that's affection. So am I shallow for staying for the physicality and skipping through the rest? Maybe. But oh well.
Joong and Dunk's chemistry (outside of being physical) isn't bad persay -- but there's just something missing. I can't quite put my tongue on it, but for whatever reason, it's so hard for me to believe their chemistry even though it doesn't look necessarily bad on camera. I've said it before and I'll say it here too, I want Joong to be given another on-screen partner. Dunk is great but he just doesn't sell it for me. However, again, 10/10 in everything physical. I mean some really good kissing.
The side couple was cute, and they also weren't so bad at kissing, but they didn't do enough for me.
Some nit-picking, but because it's GMMTV, I expect better: so so SO many continuity errors that I almost gauged my eyes out. Some glaring ones were hand placements not being the same, and the ceramic that was supposed to be broken just so happened to not be broken seconds before. This is what also adds to the cheap feeling of the show cause it's obvious that it was rushed and wasn't given much thought to detail. It was so lazy for a company like GMMTV to produce crap like this that it's genuinely upsetting.
And like I said, it's happily ever after at the end of episode 8, so looking at the preview I just knew I was fine with not finishing the rest as I know it's nothing but added-on nonsense so they could fill their 12-episode agenda.
Ratings:
Story: 4/10 - Yes the plot is simplistic, but that's no reason for a terrible script. Bunch of nothingness until they do cliches and some kissing -- then I like it. Production value also brings the score down for it's terrible lack of detail.
Acting: 8/10 - Both have never been given a very strong plot to really show off their acting abilities, so this is as best as I've always seen them do. I really could care less for this couple, but if they're paired again I hope they're given a heavier plot in terms of story.
music 5/10: Joong sang too much so, yeah.
Recommendation Value: 3/10 - Honestly, this series isn't bad so I'm not giving it a low score cause it's terrible, I'm just giving it a low score because out of all the BLs going on right now, this is the least entertaining one to watch. But this might be a good one to watch for someone's first BL so, a 3/10 it is.
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It's not a 10 but...
Well for sure it isn't a 10 rated BL series, but it's not a 3. Truth being that for me, as long as Joong smiles a few times an episode I'm satisfied! Also if he raises his eyebrows' and goes shirtless once an episode that really can forgive a lot of script weakness.Yes the "Hidden Agenda" was not hidden for very long nor was it hidden very well at all. Therefore, this is for sure a "B" BL series...similar to B Movie. All the other stuff was acceptable, music was kind of generic for me. (yeah minus Joong singing.) Story was generic. School stuff Generic. Family was uneventful.
Joong was a good cast for Joke but I can't say the same for Dunk as Zo. I'll leave it at that. NIta and the Grandmother were good female characters.
My only other cast issues is what happened to Pat? Pok and Jeng are fine but Louis as Pat is the next most interesting actor in the entire series. It's like he fell off of the screen. (Did I forget something)
The Finale could have had a more secondary character involvement and I didn't really get Zo or the the fathers moment of realization: "oh I'm being a wanker and I should stop!" Not done well at all!
Yes it's watchable and yes it had some good entertaining spots, but yes it's time for Joong and DunK to grow up. No more school series for them please!
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Good acting but boring storyline...
The only feeling I had throughout was that the series had been wrongly named. I expected different with such a strong name... Comparatively I really enjoyed Only Friends, which has been made at the same time...It felt too dragged at some places...
I have no complaints regarding the acting. The cast has really acted well... It really feels like they have adopted the characters into themselves.
But the storyline seems too straight...
Or it might be that watching other dramas with likable content has set my bars high...
But don't give this review too much importance... Watch it and decide for yourself... Mightbe you enjoy it...
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What was the point of this?
Seriously, what was the point of this? It had no direction and felt like it had no clue what it was trying to accomplish. There were some interesting threads that could have massively improved the story had they been focused on properly, but instead every couple of episodes had a new flimsy story arc.It doesn't help that the two leads have the weakest acting in the whole series. Dunk's weak acting has been talked to death, but in my opinion his main issue is how stilted his performance feels - he needs to work on making it feel more natural. Joong is definitely better, but still nothing to write home about - whilst he is more of a natural, he needs to work on his range and bring more depth.
Aou and Boom are of course the shining light in this show, and not in it nearly enough. Their chemistry is so natural and they are very sweet together. The issues they faced in their relationship were quite moving, especially Boom's performance, but it was undercut by a half baked story arc.
Overall, I would say it's a pretty mindless watch - only bother putting this on if you want an easy show that you can half pay attention to.
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It's over for me!!!!
I don't think I'll watch this series until the end. I finished the episode 3 weeks ago and can't bring myself to continue. I need to tell this "I'm sorry, but it's boring".When I saw the trailer, I was so excited, because it promised a lot. But the story isn't good for me. I expected things to happen differently. Joke even trying to help Zo with Nita and their feelings developing along the way. I would have liked to see Zo trying to win Nita over, not fall for Joke so quickly.
I like a soft love story with no big drama, but let's be serious, this isn't "My School President".
I like Dunk and Joong, but I don't see the chemistry between them. I didn't see it in their preview series "Star and Sky" either. I always get the feeling that Dunk can't get emotionally involved, that he can't convey the feelings to us, the viewers. When I see Zo, I see Dunk. They have the same behavior towards Joong/Joke.
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Hidden agenda or hidden PLOT?
This was definitely a snoozefest.In 12 episodes I can barely remember anything that happened. Every week a new episode came out I had already forgotten the last one.
Zo is not a likeable character. At any point. Also no matter what happens; big, small, happy, or sad, Dunk's acting stays the exact same. 😭
Zo could manage to give the dead whiplash with all the back and forth he put Joke through. Joong was good, I adore him, but even he couldn't save this show. He needs a script that will showcase his talent and a partner who can show emotions and give chemistry.
I'd recommend this if you want something kinda low key, medium angst?
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