SarahD

I hate the script writers who had me sobbing like a baby at the end! In my top 5

I stumbled across this little gem quite by chance and nearly didn’t bother with it as the reviews are really mixed.

The plot follows a hapless actress who picks up tiny bit parts here and there, her manager, a fellow actress at the top of her game and 2 boys who she interacts with briefly in her childhood who re-enter her life and change it forever.
Both of the boys adore her for her bravery and courage from the moment they first meet one fateful day. One comes from a broken home and he directs his heartbreak first into being an aggressive bully and then later into a savvy yet shallow businessman. The image of the little girl who fought him off ‘that day’ stays with him and when they meet up again as adults he is determined to make her his. The other has a life limiting congenital heart problem who morphs from timid victim into a wealthy business genius knowing he is running out of time. His one aim is to repay the kindness shown to him by the little girl who protects him from the bully on ‘that day’.
As the story progresses the FL realises her strength lies in playing action characters and she becomes an overnight sensation when she takes on a role that could have been written for her and her life intertwines with the 2 men mentioned earlier without her knowing that they are from her past.

The drama starts off quite happily, bumbling along and by the time I reached the 3rd episode I wondered why I was bothering to continue watching as it all seemed a bit dull and pedestrian and the weird shaggy hairdo of the FL was really off putting (she’s so beautiful and call me shallow if you will, but her natural hair is gorgeous) but I don’t like to put a book or drama down so I persevered. I’m so glad I did as the actors were brilliant and I fell in love with both Connie Kang who played Zheng Ying and Zhang Chen Xiao (who looks like Xu Kai’s younger brother, they’re even the same height) who played Shen Yi Fan. The supporting actors were also very well cast and the little lad who played the actress’s son was such a cutie and pretty believable for one so young.
Production values, costumes and scenery were top notch too.
By the time I reached episode 22 I was sobbing (literally) and even with less than 30 seconds left of the final episode tears were literally running down my face.
Bravo script writer! I hate you and love you at the same time.
By the way, when you watch this on iQIYI you won’t be able to leave comments hence there doesn’t seem to be many people who’ve seen this production.
Would I watch this again? ABSOLUTELY

Read More

Sweet and very watchable rom com with insane chemistry

What’s not to love about a sweet rom com? This one has it all, sad bits, bad guys, adorable female lead, brooding male lead, happy ending.
The chemistry between ML & FL is really believable and that of the second (and third) is also excellent casting. All three couples face their challenges but as you’d expect it all works out in the end.
The acting is very convincing and the chemistry hot, hot, hot. The scene where the main pair reunite after the FL gets lost on the way to the mountains is absolutely breathtaking and you can feel the relief, love and true connection when he starts kissing her all over her face. When the second ML finds out he could be dying I will admit to lots of tissue use!
This is not a ground breaking piece but if you want some light relief filled with fluff then you good do a lot worse than watch this one.

Read More

Absolute powerhouse of a story

This story is one filled with intrigue, manipulation, bravery and loyalty.
There are lighthearted moments through to ones where the depths of despair and personal sacrifice come through loud and clear.
The characters are flawed and believable and the story develops layer by layer and very early on it is evident that not all is as it seems.
The chemistry between Zhang Linghe and Bai Lu is a slow burn but by the end the sparks fly spectacularly and these two, like all of the other actors really showcase their talents.
The set is incredible with amazing attention to detail & sumptuous costumes and the fight scenes are realistic and at times funny (qins do not make good weapons).
It needs to be watched (at least) twice as there is so much to take in and quite a few subtle prompts that I missed the first time.

Read More

Not what I was expecting

I decided to watch this after I enjoyed TharnType 1 so much but wasn’t sure what to expect.

After the first episode where all that seemed to have changed was the way the actors’ hair was styled, very little had moved on which was disappointing. Tharn was still laid back, cute as a button and totally smitten with Type. Type was still acidic, grumpy and totally in denial about the idea of the formal commitment that Tharn kept pushing for. I decided to persevere as I’d thoroughly enjoyed their pairing in TT1 and I’m glad I did as what could have been a pedestrian amble through their careers and friendships took several unexpected dark turns that made this so much more watchable.

The other actors seemed to be in much the same place, same relationships etc, but we get introduced to a spectacularly f*cked up couple one of whom is determined to win Type for himself. As you’d imagine with a very private man (Type) in love with someone far more comfortable with his sexual orientation (Tharn) the fall out leads to lots of tears, tantrums and heartbreak for all of the people involved. However, through the pain of things coming to a head, Type finally decided that coming out of the closet about his love was not such a bad thing.

Would I watch it again? Probably not but the flashbacks and subsequent wedding did make me grin like a loon.

Read More

Gotta love how love turns hate on its head

If you’re looking for a BL with tension, humour, sizzling chemistry (from all the couples but the leads - just wow) and a pretty decent plot line then look no further.
The story centres round Type, a homophobic first year university student who’s roommate Tharn turns out, to his utter horror, to be gay. Through some very amusing scenes, several twists and turns and a pretty nasty bout of flu that leaves Type both delirious and loose lipped Tharn discovers the reason for Type’s hatred of him and all that he appears to stand for.
Eventually they end up in a relationship (though you have to really squint at the logic Type uses that ultimately ends up with them being closet boyfriends) which is put to the test by Tharn’s best friend Lhong who is not all he appears to be.
Great production values, excellent acting from all corners and some very sizzling moments. What’s not to like.
Would I watch again? Probably as Type’s prickly yet cute character and Tharn’s crooked grin are rather pleasant to watch.

Read More

Great fun

If you’re looking for a fun and flirty BL that focuses on the heart rather than the NC scenes then this is one for you.

The plot focuses on three years in the engineering faculty of a university. As part of the buddy / peer mentor/ ice breaker system, each new student picks a mentor from a jar to help them get to meet people they would not socialise with otherwise. The opening scene is in a bar where the newly enrolled Wine is introduced by his peer mentor, Yotha’s mentor Arm who starts to tell the story of his own experiences as a newby and the bond he builds with his fellow Perfect 10 Liners, a group famous for its good looks and huge fan base.

The first third of the drama follows Arm as he sits in the bar and recounts how he picked the Perfect 10 Liners group and met his mentor Pun who then introduces him to Arc and this section is all about their love story. I just knew this drama would be a doozy from the moment Arm sent a picture to the ‘Engineering Cute Boys’ IG account of a random hot guy he knew nothing about who turned out to be his ‘Perfect 10 Liner’ senior Arc. What he didn’t know was that Arc hated having his photos taken and swore he would kill the kid who posted it.

The second section of the drama is where we find out about the second year Perfect 10 Liner initiate Yotha a jaded, clinical Irish twin who thought his younger brother, Faifa, was a much better person than him and deserved all the love he didn’t think he should be entitled to. He meets Gun who is afraid of the dark and insisted on sleeping with all the lights whereas his roomie, Sand, who realised that this was a serious problem for Gun can’t sleep because he needs darkness. Faifa, hearing about this situation offers to swap rooms because his brother ‘rarely sleeps at the dorm anyway’. After Yotha and Gun initially clash, they start to become aware that they are both seriously hurting and after one particular incident they start to realise they could just be what the other needs to heal.

The final section is all about Faifa who finally bumps into Wine when Wine comes to the university for an pre-enrolment orientation course. They meet again once more and then for the third time Wine picks a Perfect 10 Liner ticket from the jar. Over time they push past misunderstandings and insecurities as one learns to be brave and the other to focus on his own wants and desires.

There are plenty of amusing scenes, one of my favourites (which had me chuckling for ages afterwards) being when one of the professors on the interview panel comments to one of the others that the students are just getting weirder, moments after a flashback to Arm and Gun’s interviews in which they made the craziest comments related to themselves.

My only criticism would be the unrealistic intimate moments. There were no bodice ripping, passionate kiss scenes when finally floodgates open. The lead up to a night of passion tended to be quick pecks on cheeks and foreheads and while I get that the actors are just playing a part and are not necessarily gay, there was no real chemistry in these scenes - there are plenty of camera angles, lighting directions and hand and body placements that could have been employed to make things appear more passionate without crossing any boundaries.

Would I watch it again? Probably not but I really enjoyed this one nevertheless

Read More

Just what you’d expect from a rom com but with a couple of great character flaws

What’s not to like about a rom com whodunnit?

In the beginning the story centres around the love story of Jiang Xinbai (Luo Yunxi) and Yan Nanxing (Song Yi) who are thrown together by fate as they seek to discover the mastermind behind the illegal distribution of a pernicious drug called zornia. As the plot unfolds we find out that they also met as children when they were abducted by ‘bandits’. Xinbai smacked his head on a rock and became face blind when they tried to escape whereas Nanxing is fed poison which led to her being able to shapeshift.

Before long we meet two other (eventual) couples Soulou (Sabrina Chen) a duchess and the jaded sister of Xinbai & Liu Ruoqian (Gu Zi Cheng) an intelligent, sweet and kind slave and Shang Beili (Ryan Chang) sceptical commander of the Zingu Guards & Tong Saier (Huang Ri Ying) a simple yet loyal country girl. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that these four will also end up pairing off though due to many challenges their road to happiness is paved by massive obstacles.

What’s to like?
There are plenty of funny bits (the male protagonist’s mother’s tantrums were excellent). There were several layers of baddies before we found the mastermind who wasn’t who I was expecting. The main pairings were complex with plenty of character growth. There were more weddings than you could shake a stick at and there were some really sad bits the most heartbreaking of all was when the ML finally found the FL at the end.

What frustrated me?
I found the first couple of episodes very strange and put this drama on hold for a while but I’m glad I picked it up again a few weeks later and tried again. The wooden kissing scenes (which were few and far between thankfully as they were cringe worthy - and we all know LY can do it if you’ve seen Love is Sweet) detracted from the chemistry of the main leads who were otherwise on point and so in love. There was a weird and pretty pointless (on the whole) price war between the FL’s beauty parlour and another across the road which just irritated me.

Would I watch again? Probably not but on the whole it was a pleasant way to pass time.

Read More

Realistic view of teenagers discovering themselves

This is a gritty story of a group of late teenage (mainly) boys with too many hormones and not enough life experience as they crash from one bed to another leaving a trail of confusion and heartache in their wake.

The story centres around 4 kids who, as part of their end of year project, decide to create a business plan and renovate an old hotel with the intention of running it together. The kids consist of Mew, an innocent, nerdy gay virgin determined not to lose his V card via a one night stand. Boston/Ton, the son of a politician, who is a complete man whore. Ray, a wealthy young man whose mother died from alcohol poisoning who seems determined to follow in her footsteps. And Cheaum a lesbian in a stable relationship who seems the only one with little or no axe to grind.

As the four of them move through the year the boys crash and burn, heal and move forward. Mew learns that changing your outer appearance and trying a relationship out of obligation doesn’t heal heartache but standing up for your principles might just get you what you want. Boston starts to develop the beginnings of a conscience as he learns that pretending to change to make someone happy is pointless and only ends up hurting that person more. Ray learns that he deserves sobriety and that unconditional support and patience can lead to a better, happier life. And Cheaum learns that being honest rather than saying what you think your loved one wants to hear makes for a better relationship. Along the way we also meet Top, Sand and Nick who all become integral to the plot and, towards the end one final character Boeing, appears who seems hellbent on making several of the other characters as miserable as he is.

At the outset of the series, Mew and Top’s roller coaster relationship seemed to be the main focus of the drama but about a third of the way through I began rooting for Ray and Sand who had a much more subtle, slow burn, sometimes dysfunctional and often toxic one.

The whole series is incredibly well acted and the various plot lines interweave brilliantly and for a plot as steamy as this I was surprised at how most of the NC scenes stopped at chest shots rather than full s*x scenes which was quite refreshing even though there was plenty of chemistry. In fact the lack of explicit action did not stop things from being totally believable.

In fact the acting and plot were so good that I became really invested and spent a lot of the time tsking, saying “No! Don’t do it!” or just wanting to slap the characters as they wove from one drama to the next but I was spell bound from the beginning and rooting for 4 of the relationships that did eventually gain solidity. That said, I was rolling my eyes at the last scene where another Boston/Boeing manwhore pitched up.

This BL is worth a look if your wanting something gritty and ugly but with honest and sometimes happy endings.

Would I watch again? Probably if I didn’t have a hundred others out there waiting for me.

Read More

Slow burn but deep, meaningful pairings

If you’re looking for lots of casual skin scenes then this is probably not for you. The first few chapters are slow burn but set the scene for what is to follow very nicely and this a well cast, well acted team who deliver beautifully.

The plot centres on Team, a first year student with a scholarship because of his swimming talent, and Win a third year student with commitment issues.

They hook up almost immediately upon meeting each other for the first time and for them the rest of the story is one of the development of love as well as trust that the other person in their life feels as they do and accepts them flaws and all. One is wracked with guilt for what happened in his childhood and the other has a dysfunctional family that he is trying to keep together.

The majority of the support characters, who are predominantly students as the same university, explore their own feelings through a well balanced, well written plot as young, inexperienced adults tentatively navigating their way through the ups and downs of life.

The chemistry of all the actors is great and the production values anre excellent though I will admit the grow out length of Wim’s hair kept changing which I found off putting. There were a couple of scenes that were a bit wooden or stilted (Win’s father for example came from the Ham School of Wooden Acting) but on the whole it was a well performed series.

As a retired swimming teacher/junior coach was pleasantly surprised that the actors could actually swim (ok, so much of the technique was that of a 12 year old competitive swimmer but even so) and that the races looked reasonably realistic so hats off to all those involved in these scenes.

Would I watch again? Maybe not as there are so many other dramas out there on my list, but if I have a spare few hours to kill I could revisit it.

Read More

Every emotion possible, brilliantly acted

I came here for Nat Natasit as I struggled with his character in Cutie Pie and wasn’t sure whether it was his acting or the director that spoiled his performance in that for me. Turns out it was the direction he was made to take because in this he was absolutely amazing. His chemistry (as Kram) with Max Kornthas (who played Tai) was off the charts even though they don’t meet for quite some time in this drama.

The story revolves around Kram a sweet, open, honest and loving young lad that meets and falls in love with Phupha (played by Gun Thapanawat) who is the son of a wealthy and successful businessman who wears his heart firmly on his sleeve. Unfortunately Phupha is killed by Tai’s gang boss father and this sends Kram into a tailspin of heartbreak and despair. He then finds out about a mythical blue lake that, legend says, will allow him to jump to a parallel world. One where he can be potentially be with the love of his life again and maybe even save him from the same fate in his own world.

Jumping into the water, on one of the rare occasions that it turns blue, does in fact bounce him into this other world where he meets both Phupha and Tai who are the same but different in many ways. Although his mission is to save Phupha, somehow he ends up falling deeply in love with Tai instead.

This drama is only 10 episodes and as the plot seemed to be resolved by the middle of the 8th I wondered what on earth could be used to fill up the remaining ones. Quite a lot as it turns out.

I sobbed, cheered and rooted for a happy ending for Kram even though I really couldn’t see it happening. The pre-penultimate scene had me reaching for the tissues as once back in his own world Tai sacrifices everything for him (but in hindsight he was too damaged to live). Did Kram get his happy ending? What do you think?!

There’s so much to like about this drama. The actors are so beautiful and the director made sure we got to see their incredible features in close ups, yearning looks and love filled actions. The NC were few and far between but this added to rather than detracted from the plot and they were meaningful and almost precious as a result. The plot was believable, the sets stunning and the side plots enhanced rather than just added extra minutes to the whole story.

Would I watch this again? You betcha I would.

Read More

Sweet little spin off from Cutie Pie series

This story continues the complicated love story between Yi and Kondiao who we meet through the Cutie Pie series. Additionally all our favourite characters pop up throughout the series. Including Yi and Liam’s quirky secretaries who have tiny but amusing cameo roles.
The plot is slightly different from Cutie Pie in that Dian is attacked by a tiger not a dog (who has one for a pet, FFS! The adults are the ones at fault not Yi who spends his whole life atoning for the accident that occurred when he was 14 and Kondiao 7).

In this drama Kondiao (Diao) is determined to escape a life that he feels is wrong - Yi, his fiancée seems to want to own him, due to some unknown obligation, while having a string of women by his side. Diao’s always wanted to go to Switzerland so packs everything he owns up and heads off to catch a plane, Yi finds out and is determined to stop him but has a nasty car accident that leaves him with no memory and a fiancé determined to atone for the escape plan that left him with no knowledge of him. The ending is fun and exhilarating as once again Khondiao is determined to run away but will Yi catch him in time and will they escape the contract that led to him making a second bid for freedom?

My only criticism is more of a concern in that the actor who plays Dian (Nat Natasit) still seems very uncomfortable in his own skin and spends most of his time looking like he’s about to have a full body seizure or a serious bout of diarrhoea. For someone with a black belt in Taekwondo his coordination and overall movement is really uncomfortable to watch from his slight hunch to stilted arm movement - perhaps it was the choice of the director that his body language is so timid and robotic. That said he is a great actor and I look forward to seeing him in something else. (Authors note: I’ve now seen him in something else and he was fantastic so I think it was the direction he was made to play)

The chemistry between the two main characters is absurdly good even though the kissing is very over exaggerated. Max, who plays Zi shows great range as he goes from scared and confused through to indulgent and finally deeply in love. I also love how Dian is not afraid to ask difficult questions or stand up for himself which is a breath of fresh air. Bravo boys (and script writers)

The gentle, loving and playful relationship between Lian and Kiera from Cutie Pie is also lovely to see as their characters have clearly progressed to a deeper level of happiness and Syn and Nuea (also from CP) have become a strong couple too - I just wonder how Syn’s lessons in the bedroom are going? Did they break anything?!

Overall a decent performance, with a slightly shaky back story, that entertained me (my favourite scene is when Yi and Dian fall off the end of the bed - I was so not expecting that but it made me burst out laughing). The production values were great and I have to mention the wedding costumes as they were as insane as the ones in Cutie Pie 2. The wedding night scene was equally as powerful but in a completely different way.

The ending was utterly gorgeous and inspiring too.

Would I watch it again? If I had a few hours to kill then maybe but not any time soon

Read More

Bit formulaic if I’m honest

There’s lots to like and plenty to dislike in this drama.
Likes:
The actors were great, even if the FL was very grating to begin with. The character development was spot on, the chemistry between the FL & ML slowburn and realistic (with its up and downs honest and believable) and the subplot of the embassy shenanigans was uncovered layer by layer which added intrigue. The production values and costumes were great even though the FL’s hair looked plastic.
Dislikes:
Although the ML quickly worked out whodunnit for each crime after a while I wished there had been less of them to solve as after a while I got a bit bored and I will admit that I skipped a few chapters (ok, about half). Additionally, the English accents and intonation was hilariously awful.
Would I watch this again, no.

Read More

Lots to love but a bit disappointing TBH

This story continues the story from Flourished Peony also starring Yang Zi as Mudan and Li Xian As Jiang Changyang but gets a bit pedestrian in places though Jiang’s ghost, popping up in Mudan’s consciousness broke my heart.
The two main characters continue to deepen their feelings and eventually (and I really do mean eventually 🤦🏼‍♀️) admit their feelings. The bad guys lose but even though they come to a sticky end I still feel very sad for Lui Chang, played so convincingly by Miles Wei as he continues to be a pawn cruelly used by Prince Ning (brilliantly played by Tu Song Yan who couldn’t be a more dominant, dysfunctional and selfish father and the absolute opposite of the cute, shy and supportive one he was in Go Ahead opposite Tang Songyun and Song Weilong) who realises too late that he’s backed the wrong team.
Overall the script writers did a great job, adding depth and subplot magic to this drama through the use of its supporting cast. There are plenty of other relationships that develop and for once we don’t really lose any main good guys to some pointless plot line which is refreshing but the end the concluding scenes was too sappy even for my taste. That said, why on earth the emperor didn’t just stab Prince Ning instead of completely collapsing to him I really don’t understand- this part could have been better written so I deducted points for this.
The production values, fight scenes and costumes/ makeup was top notch and often subtly conveyed additional context that the dialogue and acting alone did not which just gained this drama points in my eyes.
Would I watch this again? No because I was only watching it for the playful banter between Yang Zi and Li Xian and I think they did a better job in Go Go Squid

Read More

Well I wasn’t expecting this to be so damn funny!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I watched this but the fact that Korn, a mafia Godfather, put up with the antics of a trainee body guard who pee’d in a pool killing the eldest son’s koi carp, was caught setting off the fire alarms while having a sly fag and got drunk on the job make sense later on. But at the time I saw this as just the very funny antics of a clueless, slightly feral, former bartender. There are lots of other incredibly funny moments that prevent this drama from becoming too dark and they are perfectly timed to show that even where there is violence and death there can be moments of hilarity. The script writers should be applauded for what we get to watch so I awarded extra marks to the story score because of this.

The story basically revolves round Kinn, Korn’s son, and Porsche, a young man orphaned when his parents died in a car accident leaving him to look after his younger brother. The plot focuses on their burgeoning love story and documents the highs and lows of their journey set in a world of gambling, drugs and other nefarious activities, although these provide a backdrop rather than become the main focus.

As the story progresses it becomes clear that all is not what it seems regarding Porsche’s parents’ death but I deducted marks because one of the side characters - Kinn’s younger brother Kim - seemed to spend most of his on screen time digging into what happened but his efforts to uncover the truth just fizzled out so I didn’t really see why this sub plot was included. Perhaps it was to introduce Porsche’s brother to Kim but I think there were better and more logical ways for them to meet.

The chemistry between the two male leads is sizzling and the NC scenes leave little to the imagination but are tastefully and beautifully shot. There were occasions when they were so playful they were a joy to watch yet at other times you wondered if they would ever really trust each other enough to become totally committed yet through it all it was obvious they were deeply in love. Kudos to Mile and Apo for getting their characters just right.

Fairly early on we are introduced to Vegas, the Korn’s nephew and Pete, one of Kinn’s bodyguards and as the drama unfolds they become an unlikely pairing. The actors who played these characters were mesmerising and had as equally as strong a romance as the main leads, however how they come to be together was totally unexpected and quite shocking and although they were incredibly dysfunctional I was still rooting for them, even at the end I wanted them to somehow survive.

The settings were brilliant from sleazy bars to high end apartments everything worked perfectly as backdrops to the plot. The supporting cast was also well rounded and added strength and depth to the story an d the overall production values were high.

Would I watch this again? Absolutely but I would really like to know how Kinn and Porsche ended up in the middle of nowhere following an attempted abduction but in the version I watched on IQIYI someone thought it was a good idea to cut that bit for some reason!

Read More