Dramas watched in 2025

02/02/2025

As much as I love for directors to give creative freedom to actors, they're called directors for a reason: they're supposed to choose a certain direction and not resort to improvisation whenever a scene requires intimacy. Yes, Thomas and Kong have amazing chemistry but they could be so much more than that. The plot and the script of this drama gave them nothing to rely on. Sometimes, I didn't feel like watching Teerak and Muenfah but Thomas and Kong and that's something I wasn't really comfortable with. It's already hard enough for some fans to not mix real life and acting together but when the directing purposely blurs the lines... I don't like that.

Thomas and Kong do shine together on screen and I liked how they played with their micro-expressions to make the love between their characters feel so real. Thomas is great at modulating his voice and softening his gaze. Kong did a good job at embodying Rak’s liveliness and optimism.

However, I find it hard to assess their skills as actors. I feel like Kla, the director, gave them so much room to improvise that they couldn't really get a grasp of the characters they were playing. Hence the very uneven portrayal of their characters which makes it easy to spot when the actors are told to improvise and when the scenes are fully scripted.
Their line delivery was also awkward at times. They talk slow and it's as if they're not listening to what the other is saying. 

 I'm finding myself hoping that their next project will have a better script and a more “present” directing. I truly believe there is potential in their acting but they need a solid script to let it out as well as guidance.

Babe and Dom's relationship felt the most natural. Can't give it to the gays this time. Although there were two other side couples, Babe and Dom and their two seconds of screentime made them more believable. Babe was the real highlight of the drama. Older sister for the win. 

17/04/2025

Thoughts are loading. Tears are streaming. Feelings are overwhelming. 

Update: Thoughts have finished loading and I was able to write a review! I'm not super proud of it but it's been so long since I've written one so I guess that counts :(

My review didn't touched upon the plot and its execution although there are quite a few things that could be said. Some elements lacked development and I feel the drama would have worked even better had it had more episodes. 

10/06/2025

I loved a lot of things about this drama. I loved this drama actually. However I wished it had been longer so that it could have better addressed the ethical issues surrounding MRI. Maki clearly struggles with it and so does Aoki and Otabe at some point and everyone working in the Ninth I'm pretty sure and yet there are so little moments when doubt is shown lingering in the back of everyone's mind. It could have been really interesting to delve deeper into that topic. 

That said, if this drama can pass the trial of time (i.e. if I still think about it after a few months) then it might very well become one of my favourite dramas of all time. Maki is the kind of character I adore and the dynamics between the characters were both complex and authentic and that's something I love.
In "Beyond Evil", every side character was fleshed-out with their own story and struggles. The characterisation isn't as strong in "Himetsu" for most of the side characters aren't as fleshed-out as in "Beyond Evil" which  is a shame because I would have loved to get to know all the members of the Ninth. Otabe's developement was great although quite fast.

I'm being unfair here because all that I can articulate are the elements I think could have been improved. What I can't articulate is how invested I was in this drama, how devastated I was after that call in ep 9, how freaking cool Miyoshi is, how selfless Aoki is, how torn Maki is, how loyal Otabe is, how the MRI technology made me think about a lot of things, how amazing the score is, how emotional the ending song is... I could go on and on and I will hopefully. Once my thoughts have been sorted out. I love dramas which don't shy away from complexity and nuances. I love those so much. Yes show me that ugly truth, don't give me plain answers, leave me with questions and doubts, embody those emotions I can't find the words to describe, make each song resonate in my heart, demonstrate how kindness is brave. 

16/06/2025

I hadn't expected it to be so funny ><

I found the whole idol-arc pretty boring though (that's basically the second half of the drama); even Meguru didn't seem that into it. He was always presented as a stylist at the beginning of each ep which weakened his seemingly wish to start a new path.

The drama tries to tackle some social issues in a light-hearted manner which is rather commendable. However, more often than not, it's too on the nose. I still appreciated the fact that they did their best without being offensive (except going for the pink/blue combo with Meguru and Wako. It's not offensive per say it just annoys me).

The styling in this drama bothered me although I seldom pay attention to it. It felt as if they put on whatever on Meguru just because he's pretty enough to pull it off each time.
They used quite a few clothes more than once which felt weird.

Loved the ending title!!

It was fun comparing Rihito's acting in Himitsu and in this drama. It's crazy how he modulates his voice here. It's truly impressive. Edit: Actually, he sounds closer to how he usually speaks here so that means he modulated his voice in "Himitsu" and he did great!! 

19/06/2025

Actors can act but you can tell it’s a low-budget production: the editing is choppy and the plot remains superficial. The potential was definitely there which made this drama enjoyable despite its lack of means. Nonetheless I’ll probably forget about it in a few days. 

26/06/2025

What is there to say... Wrote a rant post and then deleted it for no reason but I stand by what I said.
This was bad, the last two eps especially so. Some of them can act but with such a poor script, what can we expect of them? The pacing was terrible. The editing too. I should stop watching these tbh. 

27/07/2025

That was such a nice manga adaption. Loved Usa and Hirano’s performances: such detailed micro-expressions and gentle gazes. Everything I like most. The ost was great too. I was pleasantly surprised by this drama which I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did. 

12/09/2025

My little low-budget drama with amazing actors and weird angles for its kiss scenes, which strives to depict the abuse in film production, the struggle of making bl dramas, and the importance of physical intimacy in said dramas; you now have my heart.
Of course this drama was directed by a woman because its depiction of rape is horrific but respectful of the survivors.
The best hugs in drama history.
The script is kind of tropey but it's done so well with amazing delivery of some lines: the "I love yous"  by way of example :((((((((((((((
Lost sleep over this drama and I don't regret it. I want to hug the four main characters.
Gagaoolala's translation was bad and since the drama is not famous — not even on Tumblr —, I fear I won't find a better translation :( Tumblr why aren't you obsessed with this drama I don't get it...  

"Tolerate his fear" a heart was shattered that night then stitched back together. 

14/09/2025

I need more!!! This has so much potential as a story! 

The vertical shots need a bit of getting used to but the quality was great. I wonder if it was shot with an Iphone. It's kind of crazy to be able to shoot such pretty images with a phone. It makes me a bit sad for real cameras though. 

"If I don't convey to the electric lines that at least I'm watching them, they'll be jealous of the sky, and sulk sooner or later." Another hidden gem dug out by the one and only Nick. Thanks so much for subbing this. I went through a roller coaster of emotions ><

First I wondered why Mitsuru looked so familiar only to realise than it's beacuse he is played by Miku from Ballistik Boys. Then I laughed at how sassy Taku was. And my heart broke when Micchan said he was dead, then the whole story with Taku's brother, the fact that his death was an accident and people thought he had killed himself. I've always wondered about that to be honest... How do people know if it was a suicide or an accident. In some cases, it's not that evident. My heart broke again fro Taku because he lost his whole family and he lives in such a big house all on his own in a remote (yet stunning) town. But then what a relief when Micchan came back saying he wasn’t dead after all and offering to learn about photography together. That's very sweet. Now I want to write the next parts of the story just to know what will happen to Taku and Micchan. 

21/09/2025

The production value of this drama was great but it was too ambitious for the very limited number of episodes it had. That 1+hour-long finale says it all and inevitably felt rushed and left me pretty dissatisfied. I don't think Trin and Tanwa will ever work. There're literally two sides of the moon and they stand on such opposite sides that it makes you wonder how they end up meeting and falling in love in the frst place. Their vanilla ending felt disconnected considering everything that happened. Not to mention how it was shot in Paris in present day and completely broke the space-time framework.
One thing that bothered me was how Tanwa's decision to not tell Trin know about Victor and the protest was somehow the consequences of his promise to Victor. I'd like to believe it but I don't think Tanwa would have told Trin even if he hadn't made such a promise. Tanwa is unchanging and despite everything that happens around him, a part of him has chosen to "go with the flow" and not disrupt his environment. And I can understand that but the ending painted Tanwa as an entire different character to end on a positive note that felt untrue to who he is.  

This drama felt like a modern tragedy and I wished they had sticked to that narrative till the very end. It's not that I like sad endings, it's just that I'd rather watch an ending that are true to the characters rather than an ending that feels like a soothing alternative for viewers. The way things ended for Lert, Naran, Veera, and Dhevi was truly tragic but the build-up for it was there and their ending, although devastating, remained authentic. 

Next part in comment section

29/09/2025

I knew I wasn't going to like this and to no one's surprise I didn't. I do appreciate the very existence of this drama and hope we'll get more Chinese uncensored dramas but this felt and was so so rushed. I couldn't take the plot seriously at all, the acting wasn't great, I was stressed out with the gel-like nails of the main actors, and you could tell it was a low-budget drama although that's not something I would mind if the story itself is engaging which it wasn't.   

12/10/2025 [Date of completion of both parts.}

I don't really know what to say about this drama. Part 1 was quite solid plot-wise as the whole revenge plan was laid out carefully but everything became messy half way through, and the last eps were just not realistic at all.
I don't get why they added that arc with Yeo Jung's father and Yeo Jung's own desire for revenge. It was too much for one drama and the contrast between his plan and Dong Eun's was kind of comical. Ending the drama with an emphasis on Yeo Jung's revenge doesn't make much sense either imo. 

It took me a while to start this drama because of the heavy topics it adressed. There are no words that can come close to describe what Dong Eun, Gyeong Ran, So Hee, and who knows how many others, had to go through. Although this is fiction, bullying sadly isn't and my stomach twists at the thought of people's lives ruined by the cruelty of others. 

Do people change? That's a question that sounds simple but whose answer appears more complex as you grow up. It has for me. This drama showed how unchanging people are. How stupid they are as well. Makes me wonder how the four of them even ended up at the place they were at the beginning of the drama given how few braincells they seem to have. (Money and influence are parts of the answer if not the answer.)

See Part 2 for the next part of my comment. 

I've seen quite a few people saying the acting was bad in this drama and I beg to differ. I thought this drama was a masterclass of acting for most of the charcaters. I do understand why some people thought it was bad though. However, I wouldn't blame the actresses and actors for it but rather how one-dimensional their characters were written.
Although you do empathise with Dong Eun because how could you not, you're not really in it with her because, as viewers, we don't get to know her, nor do we get to know anyone. The characters remain distant for the whole drama and it does take away some emotions.
People who say Lee Do Hyun can't act and is just a handsome face baffle me. He has very specific micro-expressions that he uses for all his roles but that doesn't mean he can't act >< I love how natural he makes his reactions looks like. He's got his own acting style and I've loved it ever since watching "18 Again".

Dong Eun and Do Young's dynamic was most interesting to me. They embody the confrontation between two social classes. Do Young's wonder and his failure to understand Dong Eun was amazingly portrayed by Jung Song Il. Do Young has always been above others and the way he looks down on people he deems out of his social sphere is only natural to him. He's never questioned his influence or his place in society and his encounters with Dong Eun shakes his convictions and that was quite fascinating to watch.

Song Hye Kyo was great as well. I liked how she portrated Dong Eun's PTSD. It's heartbreaking to see her break down because it shows how much she's been bottling up everyhthing. Her final confrontation with her mother is terrible.

I don't regret finally watching this drama but I do admit I'm a bit disappointed by it. Dramas or films that depict bullying walk on a thin line: they have to keep it raw and authentic as to not make bullying a spectacle. This drama hovered above this line a few times, especially in part 2.

19/10/2025

I think this is my second vampire Korean BL and I don't know why they think adding vampires in the story means that they don't need to think about any backstory whatsoever because everyone knows what a vampire is. I mean sure it's a known fictional creature but there's been variation in the way they have been portrayed. It feels too easy to use something that's already known and rely on its fame to avoid having to familiarise yourself with the concept and coming up with your own representation. That doesn't mean reinventing what a vampire is but it's about thinking about some essential things like their diet, whether they age, why the live amongst humans, etc.  
It's a shame because this was really cute and I liked the acting - especially Yu Sin's whose got expressive eyes - but adding the vampire element was just an excuse to create some tension. They could have easily thought about something else if they didn't want to develop that part of the story from the get go. 

26/10/2025

I could write something but don't feel like it.
Let's just say that this is my sign to stop watching Domundi x Mandee Work dramas because, no matter how intriguing the setting looks, I'll just end up not liking it. (This was the polite way I found as not to say they will find a way to ruin it.)

26/10/2025

Such a brilliant drama!! I've rarely seen such an amazing characterisation paired with such solid performances. As the interviews HPriest kindly translated, all the actors and actresses were "not trying to “create” expressions but naturally embodie[d] [their characters'] emotions, which is impressive". I couldn't agree more.

This was a labour of love and I'm not surpised to see how invested Hana and Ryuya were in the script writing and directing. My heart was full seeing them act together again.
The lighting and framing were beyond gorgeous and the quality of the images was spectacular.
The score and opening and ending titles added so much to the overall atmosphere of the drama and I love it when music is used as an actual tool and is not simply inlcuded for the sake of it.  

There's so much to say about this drama - how it played with light and shadow, how it beautifully embodied the "show don't tell" maxim by letting the characters be subtle about their emotions, how respectful it was in the depiction of critical conditions and how heavy the aftereffects are after treatment (if treatment there is), etc. - and yet I'm failing miserbly at putting my thoughts into words. I felt the characters' every joy and sorrows and that long one take shot at the end of episode 9 or that moment when Sanpei reads Kawauchi's diary or when Kawauchi wakes up... this is acting at its finest. It went beyond the mere act of acting. It enthralled me and brought me to tears. 

I will cherish this drama: the story it told as well as its wonderful characters.